Do The Work!

Only You Can Do the Work

By Kasey Pacheco

Over the last five years, I’ve pivoted—a lot. At first, it felt foreign. I used to be someone with laser focus, the kind of person who didn’t veer off course once I set my sights on something.

So, when I found myself exploring many paths—some fruitful, others not—I had to pause and ask myself what I was really doing. The truth is, I was giving myself grace. Space. I was allowing myself to learn, to explore, and to uncover what was true for me.

And along the way, I learned something that changed everything:

Only you can do the work on yourself!!!!

Let me explain. With each pivot, I wasn’t just trying something new on the outside—I was being called to do the inner work.

That term gets thrown around a lot, but for me, inner work isn’t some abstract, spiritual mystery. It’s a raw, honest, cold—even nonjudgmental—look at the truth about yourself, as revealed through your experiences.

Most people fear change. I don’t. I actually welcome it. I believe my openness to change comes from years of tending to my inner life—examining, questioning, healing. Life is full of things—some accidents, some intentional—that bruise and batter our inner being. And while we can’t always control what happens to us, we are the only ones responsible for what happens inside of us because of it.

Let me give you a visual.

My mother grew up without wearing shoes. Over time, walking barefoot made the soles of her feet thick and calloused. To her, this wasn’t a problem. She loved the earth under her feet—it grounded her. But those same callouses? They were rough, even painful when they brushed against others.

Now, her calloused feet weren’t meant to hurt anyone. But the effect? It was real. And the only person who could address it—if it became a problem—was her. She could avoid contact. Or she could soak and scrub and treat her feet. But the choice, the work, was hers.

This is how I view inner work. The “callouses” are not always visible. They’re in our personality. Our patterns. Our perspectives. And just like with my mother’s feet, these rough edges might not hurt us—but they can absolutely wound others.

It doesn’t matter if the trauma or hardship that left a mark on you was intentional or accidental. What matters is that it affected you. And if you want to move through life in meaningful relationships—romantic, familial, professional—you must take responsibility for how your inner wounds are showing up.

That’s inner work.

You don’t do it because you’re broken. You do it because you care enough about your impact. You care enough about becoming whole.

And sometimes, doing the work requires help. I found that out when I became a certified hypnosis coach. I learned that many traumas are buried deep in the subconscious mind—far beyond what prayer, journaling, or “positive thinking” can reach. That’s why I paid for therapy. That’s why I trained to help others reprogram their unconscious mind.

I’ll admit, it was uncomfortable. Sometimes it felt unfair. Why should I have to pay thousands to fix something that wasn’t my fault?

But here’s the truth:

It may not have been your fault, but it is your responsibility.

Because it’s your personality.

Your presence.

Your energy.

Your legacy.

And those things affect every room you walk into.

Healing is not a one-time event. It’s a rhythm. A reset. A way of tending to yourself that shifts your thoughts, your energy, your entire aura. That light people feel around certain individuals? That’s not random. That’s the result of someone who chose to do the work.

Some people may start life with softer “feet,” so to speak. But life has a way of toughening us all up. And if we don’t pay attention, those hardened places can make us abrasive, isolated, or stuck.

So after every blow from life, I return to the same truth: It’s my job to get to work!

The inner work is my most important work.

Because it’s the one thing that touches everything.

That’s why I don’t discount my services anymore.

When I discounted my work, my clients began to discount themselves.

But the ones who paid full price? They didn’t just invest money—they invested themselves. And they got the transformation they came for.

Some tripled their income. Some reshaped their relationships. Some walked into entirely new versions of themselves.

And the best part? When I needed support, they were whole enough to show up for me too.

Why?

Because they did the work!

And only you can do that work when you are ready.