94. Stop Forcing, Start Flowing: Manifest from Alignment, Not Fear — How to Hold What You Pray For

Feeling like your prayers, goals, and dreams keep getting stuck? You might be manifesting from lack, not alignment. This episode is your wake-up call to stop forcing, start flowing, and step into blessings that are meant for you.

Hazel sits down at the intersection of faith, gratitude, and growth to explore the real meaning of manifestation — beyond vision boards and Instagram quotes. From Beyoncé’s resilience to Tasha Cobbs’ faith through depression, this conversation uncovers how even the strongest people face misalignment on their journey to purpose.

Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

• The true definition of manifestation — and why most people get it wrong
• How to spot when you’re manifesting from fear instead of faith
• Why protecting your peace is more important than proving your worth
• The bridge between belief and follow-through
• Three alignment tools Hazel personally uses when life feels heavy
• Powerful real-life examples from Beyoncé, Tasha Cobbs, Mariah Carey, and more

This episode is for anyone who has ever:

• Felt frustrated that their prayers or dreams aren’t showing up
• Wondered if they’re “doing it wrong” or missing a step
• Wanted to manifest with faith, not fear
• Needed practical tools to stay aligned while holding blessings

Reflection Prompts:

• Am I asking for what aligns with my peace — or what validates my pain?
• Who around me supports my growth — and who silently resists it?

Affirmations:
💭 I no longer manifest from fear — I manifest from faith
💭 I’m becoming the kind of person who can hold what I’ve prayed for
💭 What’s aligned with me will always find its way back

If you’ve been praying, hoping, or waiting for life to feel easier — this episode is your roadmap. It’s time to stop forcing, start flowing, and receive what’s meant for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:59

And nuggets that'll help you to grow and glow.

SPEAKER_01: 1:12

Hey, hey, hey, you are now tuned in to the It's the Human Experience podcast. I'm your host, Hazel Brown. Today I wanted to really pause. Yes, we're pausing again. We're talking real time, the experiences that we're feeling right now, today, in the world that we're living in. And so I sound like a little reporter, but if you're anything like me, you're somewhere between the intersection of noise, reflection, gratitude, and faith. And it has me in a chokehole, y'all. Like really, it does. Because I feel like we don't even know how we're supposed to measure success at this point. Everything just feels so relative. And under these current circumstances we're living through, I just keep thinking if you've got good health, shelter, love, and a peace of mind, like that's wealth. And maybe that's always been wealth, but yeah, sorry for that. But we definitely measured wealth and success a little bit different in the previous years. But nowadays you really have to think about that. And it almost makes me want to have like a good old reset cry. Y'all know what a reset cry is? Child, I love a good reset cry. That reset cry to where I just, oh God, I just don't know. I just cannot. Oh my god, forget it. Oh Lord. And then you just have that sense of release, and you're like, okay, I'm good to go now. I need one of those. I keep thinking about people like Beyonce who performs through pain, goes through the growth process and reinvents herself like nothing ever happened. Talk about making it look easy from the outside looking in. And I am not a beehive girly, but I do love her resilience. And then there's people like Tasha Cobbs, who I do love, like I am a Tasha Cobbs girly, who like truly like sings through depression and still believes in God for the plan for her voice that has also helped to shape so many of our lives. Like I definitely listen to Tasha Cobbs all the time when I need a kid through something. And I realize that that's not perfection, it's really faith emotion. And that's why it's a part of my intersection. Because it's still something that I look to. And listen, I thought I kind of had that level of faith, but man, some days I'm looking around like, what is this economic separation we're watching in real time? Like the middle class is slipping, these prices are climbing. And if you don't have the grit or alignment, it like will swallow you. And we're not gonna have that. Like, we're not gonna do that. Because here's what I know every time you doubt yourself and still show up, every time you lose something and still choose to believe there's more coming, you're manifesting real alignment in real time, and that's what it means to be human. AF. But what does manifest even mean? You know, because I'm back to defining stuff. I feel like when I first started the podcast, I used to absolutely define things, and then I stopped. Like, why did I stop? So we're gonna go back to the basics. We're going back to the basics, but rewind, let's figure out what manifest even means. Because I feel like early on in the podcast, I would always define things, and then somehow I moved away from that. But we're kind of going back to that because it's really important to make sure we're on the same page. So we kind of throw out terms like I'm manifesting this, I'm manifesting that. But do we even know where it came from? I'm gonna go back because it actually goes back to like Latin manifestus. I'm trying to read at this point, and it means to make clear. So, like not wishing for something or hoping your Amazon package gets there tomorrow, but it really means becoming evidence of what you believe. Our grandparents didn't call it manifestation, they probably just called it faith. And you know, I like to call it faith too, because that's exactly what it is. You're like borrowing faith, the size of a mustard seed, if you will. And they spoke things into existence pray without seeing, work the land, trusted the process. When I say work the land, like planting the seeds, all the things, watering, all the things we talk about all the time, right? And they trust the process that they will actually bear fruit and they will see it in the next season come to fruition. They didn't just want better, they prepared for better. So when we're talking about manifesting, it's seeing what you want, believing in what you want, but still working through it. So when we talk about like a Beyoncé in terms of going through her pain, growing through her pain, she is continuing to plant the seeds, work the land, and trust the process. She's not just wanting better, she's preparing for better. So when we talk about manifesting, we're talking about the same thing, turning conviction into reality, not just a vision board, but from true alignment, because we're doing the things necessary to make sure that things actually happen. And I really want to sit in that a little bit because you know, in our current state, for me, right, maybe a year ago, maybe two years ago, what alignment and preparing and putting things into existence meant is means something completely different to me now. And it's based on everything that's happening. So it's all relative, if you will. So maybe a year, two, three years ago, I can work for 18 hours a day, right? I can work eight hours in my nine to five, and I could work a whole nother 10 hours in my business, right? And I can get six hours of sleep and be fine, right? And maybe one hour, two hours comes back to being a wife, a mom, and all the things, right? A friend or whatever I gotta do. And you know, but the point is I can do that. But in these days, maybe I only have two hours to give to my business. Maybe I only have one hour to give to myself. Whatever the case may be, give yourself grace and realize things are relative. Because the reality is when things change, like the environment, worldly things shift, you have to remember that it's going to affect you subconsciously, even if you feel like it doesn't. So you're like, okay, God, it's happening in the moment. And instead of like just really celebrating where you are, we're focused on where we think we should be. And I know that this is common for most people because when I think about where I think I should be current day today, we always feel like we should be further, especially when we feel like we have been further in the past, right? I feel like the things that I used to be able to do three years ago, five years ago, seven years ago, ten years ago, was a lot more advanced and better for where I feel like I am today. And it's crazy from the outside looking in, people look at me as though I am doing things more than I was doing five, seven, ten years ago. Where for me, it's like, yeah, no, I feel like my craft has just been perfected, right? I'm just stronger in the things that I used to do three, five, and seven years ago, but I'm not further. And that really goes to the planting the seeds part of it, right? The fact that you are better, you are a better steward of the thing, you are good in the way that you can stand things up compared to your initial season of planting the seed, right? Year 10, you can do so much more, you can do such a better job. And I really wanted to sit in that because the other day I saw a trend on social media, like kind of comparing 2020 to 2025, and it had me go back a little bit to like 2019, and I kind of created a real the semi-drafts. And you know, if you've heard previous episodes, I got issues with the drafts and not putting it out, but that's a whole nother story. We we're not gonna touch on that. But what we are gonna touch on is the fact that when I look at 2019, I was in Tampa, I was doing small meetup events, right? Then I moved to Vegas in 2019, continued doing these meetup events, and so when I kind of looked at the progress of my events and seeing all of these people and the support, the conversations, I see how much it's expanded, right? And when I think about the fact that from the middle of 2020 through 2023, there's a big pause in in-person events. So you have to think to yourself, like during that time, that wasn't even happening. And I had a few little virtual meetups, but nothing to talk about. But I share that to say that if I just look at what my expectations are versus the fact that when you compare what it was in 2019 to what it is today in 2025, and then factor in a gap, you actually should be really, really proud of where you are. And I share that example for you to reflect and look at yourself in a five-year increment. On the previous episode, we talked about the fact that when you do vision casting, you should look ahead in five years, 10 years, and think about what you want, and then you should work to make it happen, right? Bring that to life, manifest it, believe it, and bring it into your current day reality. But you should also think to yourself, hey, if I was to pass in five to ten years, is this what I would really want? And then we also are now talking about if we look back at five years ago to where we are today and measure that success in terms of it being relative, we should be a little bit more proud of where we are, but many times we're just thinking about where we want to be. So I wanted to make sure I tie that in because I feel like many times we're not looking at that, we're really not celebrating our wins by looking at, man, I've come so far, I've done so much. I remember when this was a baby seed and didn't know if this was gonna grow. But being able to look and realize, man, I've actually made this grow. And if I keep at it, I could actually continue to make it flourish and grow and really look at the impact that you're making in your life and the lives of others and all the things. And so I wanted to sit in that really, really deep because I know if I'm over here, like, yeah, I ain't nowhere. I know you're over there too, thinking you're nowhere, especially with the noise, especially with the glass ceilings that are being created internally and externally, internally, in terms of areas that you've previously felt like an expert in. It may no longer feel like you're an expert in that area, whether it be because of AI, whether because of different things that have come into play, not because AI is necessarily taking over the thing, but you have to have a learning curve when it comes to bringing AI in the mix or whatever the case may be, right? All the worldly problems that kind of creates that internal glass ceiling, but then externally, different factors that happen, that maybe things are not being done in a certain location anymore by a certain set of people, or whatever the case may be. We're not gonna sit in that for too long, but I just wanted to make sure we're able to sit into what could potentially be making you feel like you're not as far as you should be because as things shift, you have to shift, and we just have to remember that hey, child, look in the mirror and remember who you are. Remember who you are. And I think for me, I just realized that sometimes it wasn't that I wasn't aligned, it was that I maybe I'm afraid of taking it a step further, and and it might be interesting to admit to yourself that sometimes we're afraid of taking things a step further, afraid to lose something that, you know, I may feel like I'm not ready for yet, right? To lose your comfort of where you are when I think about what you're not ready for yet. I think the important thing to call out here is that you cannot call in abundance while you're living in survival mode, when you're coming from a place of scarcity. And most of us start manifesting from need, not belief, right? And so, an example that I could share with you is recently back in August, so maybe not as recent, but recent enough. I was on a job hunt, I was applying for jobs, doing all the things. I had got my number one, made it to the fourth interview, super, super happy. Got to the fourth interview, and I feel like something shifted in my mindset, right? I feel like interview one, two, three, it was mine. So I knew it. I was closing the deal. I manifested, I knew it was happening. When it was happening, I didn't feel like it was a shock. I knew it was happening, I manifested it. I belonged there, but after the third interview, I feel like I let it slip away in my mind, right? It slipped away in my mind before it slipped away in reality. And so I look back in retrospect and I recognize that I let it slip away in my mind. And when I think about like the interview, I'm like, okay, this maybe was off. This was off. And I'm like, hey, did I not do a good job at sealing it up a little bit better? I know I have all the skills necessary for it. I know I'm not the kind of person to apply to a job if I'm not interested, if I don't feel like I can make an impact, if I don't feel like it's a line. But I feel like I had to recognize that they don't know who I am in terms of my character. And so you always have to show who you are in an interview. You cannot just assume that it's yours until it's yours, right? And so I feel like in reality I drop the ball, but in my mindset, I drop the ball. And so I wanted to share that like openly, transparently, and all the ease, because so many times we do that ourselves, right? We think it's ours before it's ours, and we don't close the deal the way we should close the deal. And so we can't assume that something is going to come to us when you're in a space of surviving or working on something from need, not belief, right? Because I feel like when I say, if I get this, then I'll feel secure. No, no, no, we can't say that, right? If I get that, then I'll finally be happy. Like, no, that's not true. That's chasing peace instead of creating it. Alignment sounds different. It's like I am already enough. This next chapter is just expansion, like it's a steady, soft, secure state of mind. So for me, it's like when I think about that interview, if I was more focused on showing who I am and that feeling like people know who you are and what you're capable of, they don't know you. And I have to show that example full true. For example, people will come to me and ask me, how come I didn't make them a speaker at my event? But then you go on their social media page, they have nothing that they're speaking. They have nothing that demonstrates what their values are, what things are important to them. You don't even know if they can captivate you on a little reel, let alone a whole audience. You can't tell if they're transparent, you can't tell if they're just doing it for performance and to show that they're the thing. They're not believing in their self enough to demonstrate it on their page, but they want you to put them on your stage. Yeah, that's not how it works. And so it's the same concept with my interview, is that you have to play full out. And that's what we have to do in life. If we are going to be chasing anything, we have to play full out. We have to stop once we catch the ball. We have to catch. Why do I ever talk about football sports and all the things? And I know nothing because clearly you might not stop when you catch the ball. I know that, right? You gotta actually get to what, like wherever you go. Listen, we're gonna change the subject because I don't know enough about football to run this analogy all the way through. The point is you don't stop until you win the game. And so many of us drop the ball before we ever win the game. And it's not because we didn't have the endurance, it's not because we didn't have the resources, it's not because it was too much noise, it's because we stopped before it was time to stop. And I need you to stop stopping before the time to stop. It is okay to pause, it is okay to cool down, it's okay to get maintenance, but it's not okay to give up on you. Like I said before, what you may have been able to do three and five years ago by giving something 12 hours, eight hours, six hours in your current capacity, you might not be able to give it that, but you can give it two minutes, you can give it five minutes, you can give it 15 minutes and work your way back up. Stop giving up on your dream, work the land, keep growing through the pain. None of these people and these things and these ideas that you have are bigger than you. It's that you're allowing your doubt, your lack to be bigger than you. When you move from lack, you're trying to prove yourself. When you move from alignment, you're protecting your peace. Like the real flex isn't getting what you want, it's staying at peace. It's being at peace while it's on the way, while it's on the way. And I could share that through my events, I could share that in my last year of life. When I talked about the amount of peace that I have felt, it is because you are in alignment. And guys, here is the catcher. Even when you've been in alignment for a while, moments of doubt, moments of noise, moments of distraction, moments of confusion still can creep in. It's such a muscle that you have to work every day, every hour, sometimes, depending on the noise and the chaos that's going on around you. Ask yourself, am I asking for what aligns with my peace or for what validates my pain? Even when you've been good, even when you know the formula, you still have to work the muscle. So if right now you're in a place of doubt, you're in a place of unknown, you're in a place of I can't go, it's okay. It is normal to get to a point where you need to reset, you need to replenish your cup, you need to pour back into you. It is okay. Give what you can, don't expect the same you because you're living in a different environment, a different time. Different energy is being exuded onto you and out of you to do what you can. And I try to be as transparent as I can so that you can recognize that it's not just you, it is completely human AF, right? It is completely human AF. And I think something that we need to recognize is often these are cycles that repeat itself because there were seasons in my life when everything I spoke over my life started showing up the clients, the doors, the recognition. Yet I was exhausted. Like that was back in 2016. I was over-delivering, over-explaining, trying to figure out who I was, going to therapy, trying to make sure that I loved my life, right? I showed up in the driver's seat of my life. And until I did that, I just wasn't, and belief became the bridge. Tapping into the Holy Spirit and your inner voice is the bridge. You can't receive through faith and maintain through fear. It just doesn't work that way. When you start your stretching season, your alignment has to shift. Because the more you heal, it's true, the less noise you can tolerate. Because the more you need to align, the fewer people will understand your pace. And that silent isn't rejection, it's redirection. Who around you supports your growth? Who silently resists it? Make sure that you're creating spaces that allow you to be human AI. I had to sit in that quiet space and face myself. Like, who is Hazel? Am I chasing a version of success that's mine's? That alignment really is all about growing and glowing and being confident. But sometimes alignment is like crying on your floor and still getting up tomorrow or later. Like, we think about just different people who move the needle and built a legacy for themselves, and you can't skip your way through misalignment. You have to move through it. It's not magic, it is a muscle. Every time you show up tired but faithful, you are building. Every time you take a pause and then you keep going, you're moving along with traction. I need you to believe you are worthy before it arrives. Prepare your heart so that you don't panic when it comes. Because guess what? Trouble don't last always. I'm trying to think of the song. Trouble don't last always. I can't think of the song. You know what? Whatever. Forget the song. But I need you to know trouble does not last always. Protect your peace. Stop explaining your alignment to people who benefit from your confusion because it's a whole thing. And just keep moving like it's already yours. Faith is in the follow-through. You don't have to force what's coming. Just do the things you know you need to do. I want to talk to you guys about some affirmations because I'm in the process of creating some affirmation cards. So I want you to say these three affirmations with me. I no longer manifest from fear, I manifest from faith. I'm becoming the kind of person who can hold what I prayed for. What's aligned with me will always find its way back to me. You are not behind your becoming. Take a breath, trust the process, and remember the world doesn't need you to be perfect. It just needs you to be human AF.

SPEAKER_00: 24:19

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