We were lucky to catch up with Alison Wills recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alison, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

The best advice I ever gave a client was this: “What if you stopped trying to be everything for everyone—and started being everything for yourself?”

One of my clients, a busy working mom, came to me feeling completely drained. She was running on empty, trying to juggle work, family, and expectations, yet feeling like she was constantly failing. She believed that if she could just be more organized, more disciplined, more productive, she’d finally feel at peace.

But peace doesn’t come from doing more—it comes from giving yourself permission to do less.

I guided her through identifying the invisible “shoulds” that were running her life—the guilt-driven obligations that were stealing her time and energy. Through our work together, she learned how to set boundaries without guilt, listen to her own needs, and prioritize herself without feeling selfish.

The transformation? She went from feeling constantly overwhelmed to feeling clear, calm, and in control. She stopped apologizing for taking up space. She learned to say no—without explaining. And best of all, she started loving the life she was living, instead of just pushing through it.

This is exactly why I do what I do. Women deserve to stop surviving and start thriving.

And if that’s the kind of shift you’re looking for, I’d love to help.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Alison Wills, a Mindset and Wellness Coach, and I help women stop living by the “shoulds” so they can finally love the life they live.

I got into this work because I was my own first client. I spent years trying to do it all—juggling work, motherhood, and expectations—until I hit rock bottom. I was completely burned out, overwhelmed, and exhausted from constantly trying to meet everyone else’s needs while ignoring my own. My body literally forced me to stop, and that moment changed everything.

I realized that most women aren’t struggling because they aren’t doing enough—they’re struggling because they’re doing too much of the wrong things. The things that drain them, the things they feel obligated to do, the things that keep them stuck in a cycle of stress, guilt, and exhaustion.

That’s when I started my journey of learning to listen to myself, set boundaries, and prioritize my well-being. It led me to coaching, where I now help women do the same.

Through my coaching programs, I work with women who feel overwhelmed and stretched too thin. Whether they’re struggling with stress, burnout, confidence, or just the feeling of never quite being enough, I help them quiet their inner critic, reclaim their time and energy, and create a life that actually feels good to live.

I offer:

Seeds of Positivity (6-week foundational program): Learn how to identify and overcome the inner critics running your life.
Buds of Transformation (10-week 1-on-1 coaching): Personalized coaching to help you break free from stress and limiting beliefs.
Blossom Beyond Limits (1-year coaching membership): Deep, ongoing mindset coaching for long-term change.
What sets me apart is that I’ve lived this transformation—I know what it’s like to be stuck in the cycle of overdoing, overthinking, and never feeling like it’s enough. I don’t just teach mindset shifts; I help my clients embody them in real, tangible ways that change their daily lives.

What I’m most proud of? The aha moments my clients experience when they realize they don’t have to keep living this way. When they start setting boundaries without guilt, stop feeling like they have to prove themselves, and finally breathe.

If you’re reading this and feeling like you’re constantly on a hamster wheel—spinning but never arriving—know this: It doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to do it all. You just have to do what matters—and I’d love to help you figure out what that is.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

If I had to pick one moment that truly tested my resilience, it would be the time I completely crashed.

For years, I prided myself on being able to do it all. I was the go-to person—the one who had everything organized, who showed up for everyone, who never let anyone down. I thought if I just tried harder and pushed through, I’d be fine.

But I wasn’t fine.

I was running on empty, ignoring every signal my body was giving me, and eventually, it all caught up. I hit full adrenal fatigue. My body forced me to stop. I had no energy, no motivation, and no idea how I had let it get this bad.

That moment changed everything.

I had to learn—really learn—how to slow down. Not just for a weekend, not just as a ‘self-care’ checkbox, but as a way of being. I had to break the cycle of perfectionism, overachieving, and constantly putting everyone else first.

That journey wasn’t easy. It meant unlearning years of conditioning that told me my worth was tied to how much I could do. It meant confronting the fear that if I stopped hustling, I’d somehow fall behind or let people down. And it meant getting really honest about what I needed, instead of just meeting everyone else’s expectations.

Now, this is the exact work I help my clients with.

I know what it’s like to feel like you can’t stop, even when you know you need to. I know what it’s like to carry the weight of expectations, to feel like no matter what you do, it’s never enough. And I also know what it feels like to finally let go of that weight—to create space for yourself, to say no without guilt, and to actually enjoy your life instead of just surviving it.

That’s resilience. Not pushing through until you break—but learning how to stop before you do.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The Biggest Lessons I’ve Unlearned
For most of my life, I believed that my worth was tied to how much I could do. The more I achieved, the more valuable I was. The more I took care of others, the more I felt like I was enough. Rest was for people who had finished their to-do list (which, of course, never happened). Slowing down? That just meant I wasn’t trying hard enough.

And for a while, this worked—until it didn’t.

I hit a point where my body shut down. Full adrenal fatigue. Exhaustion so deep that no amount of coffee or motivation could push me through. I had spent years ignoring the warning signs, dismissing stress as something I just needed to manage better. I thought if I could just get more organized, more disciplined, more efficient, I’d finally feel in control.

But the real lesson wasn’t about doing more. It was about unlearning.

Here’s what I had to unlearn:
👉 Busy ≠ Productive. I used to believe that the busier I was, the more successful I’d be. The truth? Being busy is often just another form of avoidance—avoiding rest, avoiding hard emotions, avoiding making real change. Productivity isn’t about how much you do; it’s about doing what actually matters.

👉 Saying yes to everything is just another way of saying no to myself. I used to think I was being helpful by saying yes to every request, every favor, every opportunity. But each time I said yes to something I didn’t truly want to do, I was saying no to my own peace, energy, and priorities. Learning to say no—without guilt—was one of the most freeing things I’ve ever done.

👉 Self-care isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. I used to roll my eyes at the idea of self-care. I thought it was indulgent. Now I know that taking care of myself isn’t about luxury; it’s about survival. I can’t pour from an empty cup, and neither can you.

👉 Perfection is an illusion. I spent years trying to be perfect—thinking that if I could just do everything right, I’d avoid failure, judgment, or disappointment. But perfection isn’t real, and chasing it only left me exhausted and anxious. Now, I embrace progress over perfection—and let me tell you, it’s so much lighter on the other side.

The backstory? I learned all of this the hard way. I burned out. I hit rock bottom. And I had to rebuild my life in a way that felt sustainable, fulfilling, and aligned with who I truly am—not just who I thought I should be.

Now, this is exactly what I help my clients do. If you’re feeling exhausted from trying to keep up, if you’re constantly putting yourself last, if you know something needs to change but don’t know where to start—this is your sign. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wellnesswithwisdom.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonwillscoaching/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wellnesswithwisdom
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-wills-52109023/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alisonwillscoaching
• Other: Podcast: https://www.sweetinsights.ca/

Image Credits

Aida Photography