Breaking Up With Self-Sabotage and Rewriting the Story with Giorgia G.
What if the thing standing between you and everything you want isn't your schedule, your budget, or your circumstances, but the story you've been telling yourself about what's possible for you?
That's the question at the heart of everything success coach Giorgia Guazzarotti does. And after spending time with her on The Chaotic Middle, I will be the first to tell you: this conversation hit differently.
Giorgia is a success coach for high-achieving entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, based in London (originally from a small town on the east coast of Italy, which makes her perspective on American hustle culture even more interesting). She helps her clients break up with self-sabotage, scale their income and impact, and find fulfillment without burning themselves to the ground in the process.
And while she doesn't have kids of her own yet, the lens through which she works with moms is one that most of us have never considered. She comes at it as a daughter.
The Perspective Nobody Else Is Bringing
Giorgia is upfront about the fact that she's not going to tell you how to raise your kids. That's not her lane, and she knows it. But what she does bring to the table is something genuinely unique: the lived experience of growing up as the child of a mom who was struggling, overwhelmed, and constantly putting herself last.
"I bring the perspective of a daughter, someone who actually absorbed, without even realizing it, the guilt that my mom was having as she was raising us. This is the help and support that I wish my mom had had."
That reframing of looking at mom guilt, not just from the mom's perspective but from the child's, has a way of opening doors that nothing else quite can. Because sometimes what moms need to hear isn't "you deserve to go after what you want." Sometimes what they need to hear is: your child wants you to go after what you want, too. Your child wants you to be happy. Not perfect. Not always available. Happy.
And that changes everything.
Stop Trying to Do Everything
One of the most practical threads running through this conversation was Giorgia's approach to time and productivity for high-achieving moms, and it runs completely counter to what most of the online business world is selling.
The myth, as Giorgia sees it, is that more responsibility requires more hours. That to build something bigger, you have to work harder. But that math doesn't add up when you have kids, a household, and a finite number of hours in the day. And the reason you're working in the first place is to create a better life for your family, not to disappear into a laptop while they grow up without you.
So instead of trying to do all the things, Giorgia works with her clients to get ruthlessly clear on two questions: Where do you want to go? And what are the one or two activities that will actually get you there?
"When you work even three or four hours a day, because that's the time you have, you actually get a lot done, because you are working on the activities that actually move you forward. When you try to do everything, you accomplish nothing. And then you feel guilty because that time you could have spent with your child."
The goal isn't to work less. It's to work smarter, so that when you close the laptop, you're actually done. Present. Not mentally still at your desk while your kids are trying to talk to you.
What Are You Actually Trying to Prove — And For Who?
During the next part of our conversation, Giorgia said something that will stick with me forever.
I brought up something that comes up constantly in conversations with working moms: this relentless drive to prove ourselves. To prove we're good moms. To prove we're capable business owners. To prove that we can handle it all. And Giorgia had a question that stopped the conversation cold:
"Who decided that you are a good mom? What are the criteria? Because if there are no criteria, you're never going to get there."
That's the trap. We're chasing a benchmark that nobody ever actually defined. We're measuring ourselves against a standard that shifts every time we get close, because it was never real to begin with. It was something we absorbed from our upbringing, from society, from social media, from a thousand external voices that had nothing to do with what we actually want for our families.
Giorgia's approach starts with going back to the source:
Where did this need to prove yourself come from?
What happened when you were young that taught you that your worth was conditional on your performance?
Was it parents who were never quite satisfied?
Did you spend your childhood feeling responsible for someone else's happiness?
"As children, we absorb everything. We don't have the critical thinking skills to understand — oh, my mom is going through something. So as adults, we've got to reframe that story."
And then comes the harder question: what is this need to prove yourself actually costing your family? Because a stressed, overwhelmed, never-enough mom isn't what our kids need. What they need, what Giorgia herself wanted most growing up, is a mom who is simply, genuinely happy.
The UK vs. US Hustle Culture Conversation We All Need to Have
If you've ever felt vaguely insane for checking your email at 10 pm on a Sunday, Giorgia has some context for you.
Having spent a decade in London after growing up in Italy, Giorgia has a front-row seat to the differences between how the UK and the US approach work, rest, and boundaries. And the contrast is significant.
In the UK, not working on weekends isn't a radical act of self-care. It's just normal. If you text someone on a Saturday, you genuinely expect a response on Monday.
In the US, being "always on" has somehow become a badge of honor. Availability has become conflated with ambition, and rest has become something you have to justify.
"You're constantly draining your battery without replenishing it. And it's only so much that you can actually do. And then you start making all the mistakes."
She also made a point that deserves its own moment: those feelings of guilt, overwhelm, and not-enoughness that feel so loud and relentless? They get louder when you're burned out. Not because the problems are bigger, but because your depleted body and mind don't have the resources to put them in perspective.
"If you find that the chatter is so loud and it is nonstop, that literally is a sign. You need boundaries. You need time off."
And if you genuinely can't take a week, start with a day. One day. No phone. No screens. Just the people you love. She promises you'll feel different by the next morning.
Change the Behavior, Not Just the Mindset
One of the most grounding things Giorgia said in this entire conversation was this: you can have a perfect understanding of where your limiting beliefs come from, know exactly what stories are holding you back, and still not change a single thing about your life.
Awareness, on its own, isn't enough.
"You can be the person who knows why you are the way you are and where your stories come from, and you're still not doing it. So you still have the same problem. You can have this amazing mindset and still have all the problems. Change the behavior. That's the biggest thing."
This is where Giorgia's coaching goes beyond the typical mindset work. It's about identifying the vision, tracing the stories back to their roots, and putting the actual practical behaviors and habits in place with someone holding you accountable to follow through.
Because most of us don't have that person. And without it, we stay stuck in the knowing without the doing.
The One Thing She Wants Every Client to Walk Away With
I asked Giorgia what the one major takeaway is for anyone who works with her, and her answer was clear:
"The only thing that stops you from reaching whatever you want is just the stories you are telling yourself about what is possible for you. When you can change those stories, question them, reframe them, it's about creating your vision. Not following someone else's model. What is your vision?"
And when a story is causing shame or guilt? It's not serving you. And it is definitely not serving your kids.
"Be the example for them of what is possible, what a woman can achieve. Not what limits a woman."
Answering the Chaotic Questions
At the end of every episode, I ask each guest the same three questions. Here's how Giorgia answered:
If you could go back and talk to your 2005 self, what would you tell her?
"Take the risk. Leave sooner. Follow your dreams because the relationship crashed anyway. Just do you. Put yourself first."
A new mom comes to you for advice. What's the first thing you tell her?
"Let's take a breath. Let's take a breath together. Let's calm down, let's reset, and then you can tell me what's going on and we'll find a way to sort it out."
What is the one thing you hope every client takes away from working with you?
"The only thing stopping you is the story you're telling yourself. Change the story and everything changes."
Where to Find Giorgia
You can find Giorgia and learn more about her work at The Treasures Within. She's also most active on LinkedIn, which is where the bulk of her content and conversations happen.
If you're a high-achieving entrepreneur or corporate leader who's tired of running on empty and ready to actually build the life and business you've been dreaming about, go find her. This conversation was just the surface.
Ready to Hear More Stories Like This?
When I say that this conversation was just the surface, I totally mean it. Giorgia was so fun and easy to talk to, but she also really knows her stuff! Explore her group programs, check out her content, or grab her freebie. She has so much incredible knowledge that I think most of us need.
If this conversation inspired you, you're going to love The Chaotic Middle podcast, where we feature real stories from real people navigating the beautiful mess of work, life, motherhood, and everything in between.
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Because the world needs more voices. More stories. More humanity. And maybe yours is next.
