Episode 08: You Don’t Have a “Mindset Block” (What's Actually Happening)
Kaitlyn Kessler
July 13, 2026
You don’t have a mindset block. I know that might sound like a strange thing to say a whole episode on, but this phrase has been showing up everywhere in my Rewired for Richness intensives lately—in the intake forms, in the sessions themselves—and it’s language I want to change the standard of using.
You’ve probably said it. I’ve probably said it, historically, if someone went digging. “Mindset block” is the default phrase in this whole personal development, self-help, manifestation world—the one we reach for whenever something isn’t moving the way we want it to.
I’ve had a complicated relationship with that language since I first started dabbling in this space back in 2017. This episode is about why that language is unhelpful, what’ really going on within your mind and body, and how to work with yourself instead of against yourself.
What We Cover
- Where my problem with the phrase “mindset block” actually started
- Why this kind of language is effective marketing (and why I don’t think it’s honest marketing)
- The real difference between shame-based motivation and desire-based motivation
- What your nervous system is actually doing when you feel resistance
- How your relationship with Self changes when you let go of “being blocked”
Where This Started
Back in 2017, when I first started reading the books and listening to the podcasts in the personal development space, I noticed something every time I hit that word, blocked (or mindset block). Something in me would get a little sassy, a little defensive. It felt like someone was telling me what was wrong with me—and that’s never felt good.
I didn’t have words for it at the time, I just knew it didn’t sit right. It took me years to name what that feeling actually was. But I can name it now: it felt like these teachers and gurus were telling me I was broken. And I don’t believe that’s true. Not for me, not for you, not for any of us.
Why “Mindset Block” Works For Marketing
It’s worth saying plainly why a phrase like mindset block is so common in this industry. It works because it plays on a fear most of us carry somewhere—that deep down, we’re not enough, we’re not worthy, we don’t get to have the things we want. Telling someone “you have a mindset block… AND I can fix that” is effective precisely because it confirms a fear they already had.
I don’t think that’s the most honest way to show up in this space, to be frank. It’s slimy. Rather than tell you what’s wrong with you and that I (or my modality) can *fix* you, I’d rather teach you more about yourself and focus on building a better relationship with yourself—that’s where we can see real growth and evolution.
Shame Doesn’t Work
Once I stopped believing something was broken in me that needed outsourcing to a fix, a lot of things got easier. And they got easier specifically because the work stopped coming from shame.
We’re taught constantly that shame is a good motivator—that being hard enough on yourself will eventually push you to change. In my experience, shame is one of the least sustainable motivators there is. Think about shaming yourself into working out: “I’m disgusting, I hate how I look, I have to fix this.” That might get you to the gym once. It doesn’t build anything, because it’s depleting you the entire time.
Compare that to desire—wanting to feel strong, being curious what your body can actually do. Your brain is built to move toward things that feel good and interesting, so tThat motivation sustains itself. Shame registers as a threat. It puts you in a defensive posture, and you can’t build anything from a defensive posture.
It’s the same mechanism with money. “I have a mindset block, I have to fix myself” is not a place you want to show up for. “I desire this, and part of this work is showing my body it’s safe to want it”—that’s completely different fuel.
What’s Actually Happening in Your Nervous System
There’s no such thing as a mindset block. Nothing is malfunctioning. The resistance you feel—the hesitation, the tightness, the reasons you find to wait—is not a system breaking down. It’s a system (your nervous system) doing exactly what it was built to do: keep you safe.
And the problem is your nervous system can’t always tell the difference between something actually dangerous and something that’s simply unfamiliar. More money than you’ve had before is unfamiliar. Being seen at a bigger scale is unfamiliar. So it pulls you back a little. It’s not a mindset block. It’s intelligence.
How This Works With Money
I hear “I have a mindset block around money” constantly. Interestingly, the people saying it usually know exactly what to do next, they’re not lost or confused or any of that. It’s a nervous system conversation—somewhere, receiving more, or receiving it a certain way, reads as unfamiliar, and unfamiliar reads as unsafe.
This is the entire premise behind my new offer, Open Your Money Channels. Inside this 3-part training series I walk you through exactly what’s happening under the surface when a channel closes and how to open it back up without force and without shame. Click here to learn more and access now.
Reflection Prompts
- What changes if you stop thinking of it as a “mindset block” and more as a nervous system doing its job?
- Think of a time you tried to motivate yourself through shame. How did it actually feel in your body—and how long did it last?
- Is there a channel money could come through that currently feels unfamiliar or unsafe to you?
For ambitious people who want the big business AND a big life—with actual space and energy to enjoy all of it. In the Soft Structure planning system more success doesn’t need to mean more hours, fuller days, or a business that gets first dibs on all your time and energy. This is about creating the space to do work you care about AND have a life that’s really freaking good outside of it.
Listen to The Free Soft Structure Private Podcast!
I’ve spent over a decade in this online business space, built two multi-six-figure businesses, and coached hundreds of clients—
And I know exactly what it's like to be building something, doing the work, investing in yourself—and still feel like you're not really living up to your own potential. Like there's a version of you and your business that's juuuust there, but something keeps getting in the way.
That's the work I do. At the intersection of identity, embodiment, neuroscience, and money—I help the people who are so good at being in motion actually move more intentionally and sustainably toward what they deeply desire.
If you're curious about how I got here…
I’ve spent over a decade in this online business space, built two multi-six-figure businesses, and coached hundreds of clients—
And I know exactly what it's like to be building something, doing the work, investing in yourself—and still feel like you're not really living up to your own potential. Like there's a version of you and your business that's juuuust there, but something keeps getting in the way.
That's the work I do. At the intersection of identity, embodiment, neuroscience, and money—I help the people who are so good at being in motion actually move more intentionally and sustainably toward what they deeply desire.
If you're curious about how I got here…
