Why High Achievers Self-Sabotage (And What's Actually Going On Underneath) with Leslie M. Thornton

If you've ever had a wildly successful launch followed by a complete freeze or found yourself hesitating to send an email, show up on camera, or talk about what you do, this episode is going to feel uncomfortably familiar. In the best way. Raquel is joined by Leslie M. Thornton, founder of Hypnosis for Permanent Weight Loss (hpwl.co) and host of one of the top 1% most downloaded podcasts globally. Leslie is a former ICU nurse, certified NLP and hypnosis trainer, and someone who spent 20 years fighting her own battle with food and her body before discovering that the solution wasn't more willpower: it was working with the unconscious mind instead of against it. While Leslie's work centers on food and body image, this conversation goes deep into the patterns that run every high achiever: the triggers that cause self-sabotage, the stories we write when we don't have data, and the mindset that either keeps you stuck or helps you bounce back. In this episode: Why high-achieving women and entrepreneurs are especially vulnerable to unconscious self-sabotage The difference between meditation and hypnosis (and why it matters for getting unstuck) What Leslie calls 'dehypnosis' and why society has been running a program in your head for longer than you think How the fear of visibility often traces back to something much older than social media The real reason visualization alone doesn't work (and what to do instead) Leslie's approach to building a bounce-back rate: why sitting in the discomfort for 90 seconds actually moves you through it faster Why coaching might be the most important infrastructure investment in your business Connect with Raquel: Website: vignettebrandstudio.com Instagram: @raquel.furman Connect with Leslie: Website: hpwl.co Podcast: Hypnosis for Permanent Weight Loss