Your Story Matters | Michaela Elizabeth + Dawn Baumgartner
Jan 21, 2026KEY THEMES
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Reframing "stuckness"
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Viewing life in seasons
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Creative purpose vs. reactive living
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Radical responsibility and the power of words
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TRANSCRIPT
Michaela Elizabeth: Welcome back to the Your Story Matters podcast. I am your host, Michaela Elizabeth, and today I am sitting down with Dawn Baumgartner. Dawn is a coach and consultant at Cornerstone, and she specializes in helping people get unstuck. Dawn, I am so glad you’re here.
Dawn: Thank you so much for having me. I am thrilled to be here and to dive into some of these stories with you.
Michaela Elizabeth: We always start in the same place because I believe our stories are the most powerful tool we have. Why do you think personal stories are so pivotal to how we move through the world and how we grow?
Dawn: I think we spend a lot of our lives trying to outrun our stories or hide the parts that feel messy or unfinished. But the reality is, our stories are the roadmap. When I am working with a client and they feel stuck, we almost always find that the "blockage" is actually a chapter of their story that hasn't been fully processed or integrated yet. Understanding where you’ve been and the narrative you’ve been telling yourself is the only way to get clear on where you’re actually going. Your story isn't just a list of things that happened to you; it's the foundation of how you see the world.
Michaela Elizabeth: That is so true. You talk a lot about family dynamics and how those early years shape us. Can you share a bit about your own upbringing and how that led you to the work you do now at Cornerstone?
Dawn: Absolutely. I grew up in an environment where I learned very early that life is not a straight line. We had a lot of moving parts—navigating different education systems and dealing with mental health challenges within the family. It taught me that "stuckness" isn't a character flaw. It’s usually just a lack of resources or being in a season of life that you weren't quite prepared for.
I look back at my own time in school, and I wasn't the person who had it all figured out. I struggled with certain transitions, and I had to learn how to advocate for myself and ask for help. That really is the "Cornerstone" of my philosophy today. We aren't meant to do this alone. If I hadn't had people step in to help me navigate those messy chapters, I wouldn't be where I am. Now, I get to be that person for others.
Michaela Elizabeth: You mentioned mental health, which is a topic that can feel very heavy or even taboo for some people. How do you integrate that into your coaching in a way that feels approachable?
Dawn: It really comes down to self-awareness and normalizing the seasons of life. In my own journey, I had to come to the realization that my productivity or my "output" wasn't the same thing as my value as a human. When we face mental health hurdles, our natural instinct is often to shut down or feel ashamed that we aren't "performing" at 100%.
In my coaching, I help people recognize the season they are in. I’ll tell a client, "It’s okay to be in a winter season." You don’t expect a garden to grow in the middle of a blizzard. If you are stuck because you are genuinely burnt out or struggling with your mental health, the "action step" isn't to work harder; it's to create the space to heal. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop and acknowledge that you’re hurting.
Michaela Elizabeth: I love that. Let’s talk about "Creative Purpose." I think people hear that and think they have to be a painter or a writer. What does creative purpose mean to you?
Dawn: I believe every single person is a creator. You are creating a business, you are creating a family culture, you are creating a home, or even just a specific way of being in the world. Creative purpose is just the "why" behind what you are building.
When people get stuck, it’s usually because they’ve stopped creating and they’ve started just "reacting." They are reacting to emails, reacting to problems, reacting to other people's needs. We get back into purpose when we take a step back and ask, "What am I actually trying to build here?"
Michaela Elizabeth: You’ve mentioned that mentorship and books played a big role in your growth. Are there any specific resources that changed the game for you?
Dawn: Mentorship was huge. Having someone who could see my blind spots was essential. As for books, The Enemies of Excellence by Greg Salciccoli is one I recommend constantly. It explores how the very traits that make us successful—like being a high achiever—can actually become the things that trap us if we don't have a solid foundation.
Another one is The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. It’s all about radical responsibility. It moves you from a place of "life is happening to me" to "I am the creator of my experience." Those shifts in mindset are what actually get people moving again.
Michaela Elizabeth: For someone listening who feels like they are just spinning their wheels today, what is the first step to getting unstuck?
Dawn: Communication. That is the first and most important step. Tell someone. Whether it is a coach, a trusted friend, or a partner. The moment you take that feeling of being stuck out of your head and put it into words, it loses so much of its power. Once it’s out in the open, we can look at it objectively and start breaking it down into small, manageable pieces.
And I always remind people: be kind to yourself. You didn't get stuck overnight, and you don't have to get "unstuck" in a single day. It’s a process, and it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Michaela Elizabeth: Dawn, this has been so insightful. Thank you for sharing your story and your heart with us. Where can people find you?
Dawn: It has been an absolute pleasure. You can find everything we do at coachcornerstone.com. I’d love to connect with anyone who is ready to start moving forward again.
Michaela Elizabeth: Thank you, Dawn. And remember to our listeners, your story matters. We’ll see you next time.
