What if your best self isn’t the version that pushes through… but the one that knows when to soften?
In today’s episode, Tess and Layne get real about the days where life is lifing. Injury. Pain. Fatigue. The spirals. The inner critic turning the volume up to stadium levels. And the big question underneath it all: can you still be your best self when you’re not coping?
They open with a grounded, vulnerable check-in. Tess shares the joy of a “dawn dance” that made her feel alive again, followed by the brutal crash that reminded her she’s still living in a body with limits. Layne mirrors it with her own healing journey in a moon boot, and the familiar high-performer reflex: turn recovery into another mission… until one disrupted day sends everything sideways.
From there, the episode becomes a practical toolkit for the “down days”. The moments when your calendar needs clearing, your expectations need adjusting, and your nervous system needs gentleness more than grit. Tess and Layne walk through six steps that help you stabilise early, avoid the shame spiral, and recover with more compassion (and less negotiation with reality).
It’s an episode for anyone who’s been feeling broken, behind, or frustrated that they “should be better by now.” Because sometimes being your best self isn’t doing more. It’s choosing the smallest, wisest next move, and letting that be enough.
In this episode you’ll learn:
If you’re in a season where you’re trying to hold it together but you feel like you’re running on fumes, this episode is your permission slip to come back to basics: accept what is, soften the pressure, and take the next right step.
And if listening brings up something tender, Tess and Layne remind you you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to your people, or join them inside the Awake Collective for deeper support, tools, and coaching that helps you keep doing the work.
Connect with Awake
• Join the Awake Collective Community for monthly masterclasses
https://awake-academy.mykajabi.com/awake-collective-sales
• Get Awake’s transformative book: Know Yourself, Grow Yourself
• Watch the episodes on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@Awake_Academy_
• Follow Layne on Instagram @laynebeachley
• Follow Tess on Instagram @tesscbrouwer
• Follow Awake Academy on Instagram @awake_academy
• Book us for a workshop: wakeup@awakeacademy.com.au
• Awake’s TikTok
","author_name":"Layne Beachley AO & Tess Brouwer"}