Living in Alignment: Identity, Self-Worth, and the Power of Self-Awareness with Amy Lenius

Rita Mercer Author

Discover Amy Lenius’ journey of healing, self-worth, and alignment—turning pain into purpose on The Daring Well Podcast.

Life rarely unfolds in a straight line. More often, it’s a winding road filled with detours, obstacles, and unexpected turns. But within those challenges lies the opportunity to grow, heal, and realign with our truest selves. In this episode of The Daring Well Podcast, I sat down with Amy Lenius, director of group coaching at Next Level University, professional speaker, certified personal development coach, and passionate advocate for women’s wellness.

Amy’s story is one of resilience, identity rebuilding, and finding alignment between self-worth and purpose. From navigating chronic illness to embracing cyclical living, Amy’s journey reminds us that healing is not about perfection—it’s about persistence, self-awareness, and redefining success on our own terms.

From Pain to Purpose: Amy’s Journey into Wellness and Coaching

Amy’s background is deeply rooted in both personal and professional experience. For years, she lived with chronic illness that required countless doctor visits, surgeries, and medication. Through that struggle, she discovered the importance of advocating for her own body and seeking healing that addressed both internal and external environments.

Her story isn’t about a quick fix or miracle cure. Instead, it’s about turning pain into purpose—transforming lived experiences into a foundation for helping others. Amy’s why is simple yet powerful: she believes in empowering people to live in alignment with their version of success, not society’s definition.

Key highlights from Amy’s journey:

• Healing is a long-term process requiring patience, persistence, and adaptability.
• Pain can become a source of purpose when we choose to learn and grow from it.
• Success is not universal—it’s deeply personal and should reflect your values.

The Messy Middle: Why Hard Days Are Part of the Process

When we imagine healing or personal growth, we often picture a linear, upward journey. Amy reminds us that it’s anything but. The hardest part of her journey wasn’t just the pain—it was continuing forward on the days when nothing seemed to work.

Those “messy middle” moments are frustrating, but they’re also natural. Growth requires discomfort, and identity work often brings us face-to-face with doubt, impatience, and setbacks. Amy shares that healing—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—happens gradually, often beneath the surface where we can’t yet see it.

Important takeaways about the messy middle:

• Hard days are not a sign of failure—they are proof you’re doing deep work.
• Healing doesn’t happen overnight; it unfolds in layers, often starting internally.
• Impatience can be an obstacle; true progress requires long-term commitment.

Two Pivotal Moments of Self-Discovery

Amy identifies two turning points in her journey that reshaped her sense of identity and self-worth:

1. Letting Go of Medications and Rebuilding Trust in Her Body
   After years of taking multiple medications, Amy realized she had lost touch with her natural rhythms. By safely stepping away from interventions and tuning back into her body, she discovered which practices truly supported her wellness.
2. A Life-or-Death Experience That Reinforced Self-Advocacy
   Following complications from a ruptured ovarian cyst, Amy was initially dismissed by doctors who assumed her pain was linked to her existing condition. Trusting her intuition, she persisted until her situation was taken seriously—saving her life in the process.

These moments taught her the importance of self-belief and self-advocacy. They also underscored the truth that no one knows your body better than you do.

Self-Belief and Self-Worth: Foundations for Growth

At the core of Amy’s coaching philosophy is the belief that self-belief and self-worth are non-negotiable foundationsfor any personal or professional growth. Without them, no strategy, tool, or habit will stick.

• Self-belief is about what you think you’re capable of achieving. It’s external and action-oriented.
• Self-worth is internal—it’s about how much you value yourself and whether you believe you deserve what you desire.

Together, they determine how consistently you show up, how resilient you are in setbacks, and how aligned you feel in pursuing your goals.

Coaching applications Amy uses:

• Assessing clients’ levels of self-belief and self-worth through reflection and scaling.
• Identifying mismatched core values that hold people back.
• Teaching consistency and the compound effect—how small, repeated actions create transformation over time.

Honoring Your Cyclical Nature

One of Amy’s unique perspectives comes from teaching women how to honor their cyclical nature. Unlike men, who operate on a 24-hour hormonal cycle, women shift through different phases monthly. Recognizing these natural rhythms allows women to work with their energy instead of against it.

Instead of shaming yourself for not being as energetic or articulate every day, Amy encourages self-compassion. Your 100% looks different from day to day—and that’s normal.

Practical ways to honor your cyclical nature:

• Recognize when you’re in a high-energy season and schedule outward-facing tasks.
• Allow rest and inward reflection during lower-energy phases.
• Avoid comparison with others—or with past versions of yourself.

This perspective reframes productivity and consistency, reminding women that success is not about forcing uniformity, but about aligning with natural cycles.

Redefining Success in Alignment with Your Values

For Amy, success is subjective and seasonal. What counts as success today may not look the same five or ten years from now. For example, as a homeschooling mother of two, her current version of success involves balancing family with her coaching and speaking work. Later, her definition will evolve as her children need her less.

She emphasizes the importance of aligning core values with aspirations. If your values and goals don’t match, frustration and burnout are inevitable.

Questions to reflect on when defining success:

• What does fulfillment mean to you right now, in this season?
• Are your goals aligned with your deepest values, or are they shaped by outside pressures?
• How can you honor today’s priorities while laying the foundation for future dreams?

The Circle of Control: Letting Go and Leaning In

One of the most empowering concepts Amy shared was the circle of control. Imagine a target with three rings:

• The smallest circle is what you can control—your thoughts, actions, and beliefs.
• The middle circle is what you can influence—people, opportunities, and circumstances.
• The outer circle represents what you cannot control—external events, other people’s choices, and larger systems.

Too often, we exhaust ourselves trying to control what’s beyond our reach, leaving little energy for what we cancontrol. By focusing inward and taking ownership of daily actions, we build consistency, self-belief, and resilience.

Building Habits That Stick: Sustainability, Adaptability, and Grit

Amy breaks down habit-building into three essential qualities:

• Sustainability: Start small. It’s better to build a habit you can maintain than to aim too high and burn out.
• Adaptability: Life is reactive. Habits must bend and shift with the seasons of life while still moving you forward.
• Grit: Sometimes you just need to push through, even when you don’t feel like it. Those moments strengthen self-belief.

Consistency, even at 30% effort, will always outpace occasional bursts of 100%.

Final Words of Wisdom

As we wrapped up, Amy offered a powerful reminder: self-awareness is everything. The more you understand about your values, beliefs, and natural rhythms, the more aligned and successful your life becomes.

Her advice is both simple and profound:

• Start small.
• Embrace the unglamorous daily actions.
• Trust the compound effect—those small steps build extraordinary futures.
• Give yourself permission to evolve and redefine success as you grow.

Connect with Amy

You can connect with Amy Lenius on Instagram and Facebook at @AmyLenius. She also leads Next Level Nation, a free daily self-awareness group on Facebook where members are encouraged to grow 1% each day through reflective questions and supportive community.

Connect with Amy Lenius: Instagram/Facebook @AmyLenius
Join her community: Next Level Nation on Facebook

Keywords

identity and self worth, personal growth coaching, Amy Lenius interview, cyclical living for women, redefining success, self-belief and self-worth, circle of control habits, building sustainable habits, self-awareness and alignment, Next Level University coaching

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Categories: : Healing, Identity, Personal Development, Self Worth, Success