Subconscious Programming: The Invisible Force That Shapes Our Success (and Self-Sabotage)

“Why can I succeed in business, but my relationships fail over and over again?”
“I know better—so why do I keep ending up in the same situation?”
“I’ve made it this far... why can’t I reach the next level?”
“Why am I standing in my own way?”

If you’ve ever found yourself asking similar questions, you’re not alone. I hear these reflections from leaders and high-performing professionals all the time. And they make complete sense to me—because at one point in my life, I was asking them too.

It was before I truly understood how much our subconscious mind runs the show—quietly, invisibly, and often outside of our awareness. (Of course, I knew the subconscious existed—but I didn’t grasp how much it was influencing my life and results.) That is, until I experienced it firsthand.

Today, I want to share a personal story that changed everything for me—and explain why every leader and executive should care about their subconscious programming if they want to unlock the next level of success, fulfillment, and well-being.

When Knowing Isn’t Enough: My Own Battle with Self-Sabotage

When I first stepped out of the corporate world to start building my own business, I struggled with self-sabotage far more than I ever expected.

I wasn’t lacking ideas, knowledge, connections, or motivation.
I wasn’t afraid to work hard.

But when it came to the key actions that would truly move the needle... somehow, I would freeze, procrastinate, or find ways to avoid them. It felt like there was an invisible wall between me and the results I knew I was capable of achieving.

Logically, I knew what to do. But something was keeping me stuck.

That’s when I decided to explore subconscious work—and booked my first RTT (Rapid Transformational Therapy) session to address what I thought was simply a “self-sabotage” issue.

What unfolded was eye-opening.

A Childhood Memory I Didn’t Even Know Existed

During the RTT session, after entering a deeply relaxed state, the practitioner guided me to access the root cause behind my self-sabotage.

Suddenly, I found myself back in a scene from my childhood—sitting on the living room floor of the apartment where I lived until I was about seven years old.
I couldn’t see the scene clearly, but I could feel it vividly. (Everyone experiences subconscious memories differently.)

I heard my parents having an intense conversation at the dining table. My mother was upset with my father, criticizing his decision to leave a safe job to pursue a new business opportunity—and worrying that now our family’s financial situation was at risk and everything was falling apart because of it.

It’s important to note: I had no conscious memory of this conversation before the session.

Later, I learned the background story. My father and a friend had left stable jobs to start a business, risking financial security.
They didn’t win the big contract they were aiming for and had to find alternative ways to make money for a couple of years before ultimately succeeding.

But to my 4- or 5-year-old self, who didn’t understand the complexities of entrepreneurship, the message was simple—and deeply emotional:

“When you go after what you want, bad things happen.”

Like all children, I didn’t have the ability to analyze or question the situation.
My mind simply absorbed what I heard—and it became a subconscious "truth."

Decades later, that belief was still running quietly in the background—causing me to sabotage my own growth the moment things started getting “too good” or “too risky.”

Why Understanding Changes Everything

Understanding is power.
Once I understood what I had been subconsciously believing, it immediately lost its power over me—because, of course, the adult me knew that belief wasn’t true.

The practitioner guided me through a few additional scenes and used subconscious reprogramming techniques to create new, empowering beliefs.
I also listened to a personalized transformation audio daily for 21 days after the session, as instructed.

But honestly, the “light bulb” moment during the session was so powerful that changes began almost immediately.

Within days, I noticed shifts in my attitude, energy, and behavior. The invisible wall was gone. Taking the actions that once felt heavy or blocked suddenly became natural—and results started flowing.

It was such a profound experience that I later trained in RTT myself, integrating it into the deep work I now do with leaders and high-level professionals around the world.

A Quick Note About My Father’s Story

(For anyone curious about how that family story turned out...)

Despite early setbacks, my father and his partner didn’t give up.
They built a successful business after having to take a bit of a sidetrack for a few years—and my mother actually ended up working in the company for most of her career.

Yet as an adult, it wasn’t my father’s ultimate success that influenced me. It was the belief my younger self had formed during a single emotional moment—one that unconsciously shaped my behavior for decades.

Why This Matters for You

Whether you are aware of it or not, your subconscious mind formed its core beliefs about life and yourself in early childhood—when you didn’t yet have the adult ability to filter, question, or analyze what you heard and experienced.

If you have a pattern you can’t seem to break...
If you know what you should do, but find yourself resisting it...
If you feel stuck at a certain level despite all your effort and skills...

It’s rarely because you lack ability, motivation, or effort.
It’s usually because your subconscious mind is running old programming you didn’t even realize was there.

And here’s the thing about the subconscious mind:

• It doesn’t distinguish between what’s good or bad for you.

• It doesn’t really know what’s true or false.

• It simply tries to keep you “safe” by replaying the familiar—even if the familiar is limiting you.

Understanding and shifting those subconscious patterns is often the missing piece that unlocks real, lasting success—whether in business, leadership, relationships, or life.

If this story resonates with you—and you’re ready to clear what’s standing between you and the changes you want to create—drop me an email or WhatsApp message, and let’s talk.