Breaking Free with Lauren Barnes: The Story Behind Unstuckself

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Q: Lauren, Unstuckself sounds amazing! Let’s start with the basics - what inspired you to create it?

UnstuckSelf was born from my own rock bottom, a time when I felt completely lost in myself and in love. Through healing, self-discovery, and deep inner work, I was able to uncover and delayer all of these wounds, patterns, fears and limiting beliefs that held me back in my life and in my relationships. I found the version of me who no longer needed to chase love because I had learned to love myself first, and I now knew how to receive love.

Here's how it all started: There was a time when I felt completely stuck — mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I had lost the love of my life. I was in so much emotional turmoil and anxiety all the time that it started to feel like physical pain (scream crying, lashing out, not being able to focus, holding back tears and taking sleeping pills so I could have a moment of peace). My mind was looping on this one very painful event that happened, and I knew I needed to change something, but I didn’t know where to start at all. After all, what the F*** is healing?! Journaling eventually became my lifeline. It was how I untangled my thoughts, processed emotions, and began to recognize my own involvement in my pain. It's how I realized I had wounds, I had been holding onto limiting beliefs, and I had been looping in detrimental patterns, all since childhood. I had been enabling my own suffering by being so unaware of my own self, and my past that moulded me.

Over time, I realized that the external world is just mirroring your internal world, giving you clues to what you need to recognize and release in yourself. Once you've delayed and unburdened your own self and sit in self love and worth, that's when you'll magnetize the love, life, and relationships that you desire. That’s when the idea for Unstuckself was born — a space to help others attract the relationship they desire by healing the relationship with themselves first.

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Q: Why do you think Unstuckself is so important right now?

We live in a world that’s so noisy. Social media, dating apps, endless expectations, constant comparison, and years of subconscious programming. We’re overloaded with pressure and pulled so far from ourselves that we forget who we even are, let alone what we truly want. We’re taught to focus on the external – to chase love, perform for validation, and grasp for attention – but rarely do we pause long enough to ask: What if I gave that same love and attention to myself?

Here’s the thing:
How can you love yourself if you don’t even know yourself?
And how can someone else love you – truly love you – when you’re wearing a mask, holding back, living in fear, and calling it connection?
It’s a loop. A painful, lonely loop.
That’s why this work matters.

When you begin to peel back the conditioning, the fear, and the protection, you rediscover the version of you who’s been buried underneath. That’s the version of you who stops chasing and starts receiving. That’s the version who becomes magnetic to real love and connection, not because they’re trying, but because they’re finally “home” in themselves.

Unstuckself exists to give you that space. A place to pause, reconnect, release what’s been weighing you down, and return to your truth. Because healing isn’t just about you — it touches every area of your life: your relationships, your career, your confidence, your peace.
If your inner world feels like a mess, your outer world will reflect it, and once you realize that, once you truly understand it, everything begins to change. That’s when the life and love you’ve always desired starts to meet you.

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Q: You’ve made journaling a central part of Unstuckself. Why is that?

Journaling saved me. It was how I got clear on what I was feeling, why I was feeling it, and how to move forward. It’s such a simple but powerful tool when used correctly (and yes, there is a correct way). Writing for a quick cathartic release is great, but it doesn't help you release the root cause of your pain, and the limiting beliefs that you've been carrying.

That’s why I'm creating the "Unstuck" journaling course (coming soon!), it’s not blank pages, prompts and affirmations, it’s a guide and a companion to teach you how to get to the root of your emotions. Whether you’re navigating tough emotions or dreaming of a better future, the journal is there to help you take the steps to get you there. 

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Q: There are so many self-help platforms out there. What makes Unstuckself different?

UnstuckSelf isn’t about productivity hacks, toxic positivity, or spiritual bypassing. This is real healing work. The kind that meets you in the mess, sits with your truth, and helps you transform from the inside out.

Most self-help platforms focus on surface-level fixes. They’ll tell you to shift your mindset or “just love yourself”, but they never teach you how. They don’t talk about the root: the unhealed wounds, the limiting beliefs, the patterns shaped by your past that quietly run your life.

That’s where UnstuckSelf is different.
Here, we go deep. We focus on self-awareness as the key to changing your life.
This is a space where you learn how to actually understand yourself – emotionally, energetically, and relationally. Through coaching, guided journaling, relatable blogs, and soul-centered content, you're not just inspired, you're fully equipped to heal and change your life. 

And everything I offer comes from experience. I created Unstuckself because I was once where you are: in pain, lost, and overwhelmed by the word “healing.” Overwhelmed (or underwhelmed) by love and relationships. No one was breaking it down. No one was giving real answers. It was all just surface-level fluff.

So I built the space I needed, and now offer it to you. A space that doesn’t just speak to your potential, but teaches you how to reach it with honesty, depth, and compassion.

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Q: Finally, what’s your ultimate hope for Unstuckself?

My hope is that UnstuckSelf helps people break free from what’s been holding them back — emotionally, energetically, and relationally — so they can reconnect with their worth and remember who they truly are.

We’ve grown up believing that love, happiness, and validation exist outside of us. So we chase. We compare. We perform. And we forget that everything we’ve been looking for has always lived within.

I created Unstuckself to be a space that brings you home. Back to the self you abandoned, the self you doubted, the self you buried beneath other people’s expectations. Because when you find that version of you, the one who knows their worth, honors their truth, and chooses peace over performance, everything else becomes icing on the cake.

The love, the career, the friendships, the beauty of life… it all flows more freely when you’ve already baked your cake… when you already know you are the substance, the sweetness, the thing that truly matters.

So if even one person finds the courage to stop searching outward and start coming home to themselves because of Unstuckself, it’s all worth it.

That’s my hope.

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Lauren’s vision is clear, her passion contagious. Unstuckself isn’t just a platform; it’s a movement. It’s about finding yourself, healing deeply, living and loving authentically.

Are you ready to get unstuck? Start your journey today.