From Stuck to Inspired: How Ho’oponopono Cleaning Transforms Your Stories and Coaching Business

Introduction: The Storyteller's Block

Imagine this: you're sitting with a coaching client who feels completely stuck. They're repeating the same old story about why they can't succeed—"I'm not good enough," "My past mistakes define me," or "I'll never reach my goals." Or perhaps you're the one feeling blocked, struggling to find the right words to inspire or create meaningful content for your business.

What if the key to unlocking these blocks wasn't about learning something new, but about cleaning something old?

This is where ho'oponopono, an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, becomes revolutionary for coaches, storytellers, and creators. At its heart, ho'oponopono is a powerful cleaning process that clears the negative memories and limiting beliefs stored in our subconscious mind. These memories act like invisible filters, coloring how we see ourselves, our clients, and our possibilities.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how this simple practice of four phrases can transform your coaching practice, amplify your storytelling, and unlock levels of creativity and impact you may have thought were out of reach.

What Is Ho'oponopono? Understanding The Practice

The Meaning and Origins

Ho'oponopono (pronounced ho-oh-pono-pono) translates from Hawaiian as "to make right" or "to correct an error". The repetition in the word suggests making "doubly right" or restoring balance thoroughly.

Traditionally, it was a family practice in Hawaiian culture where elders would mediate conflicts between family members. Through prayer, discussion, confession, and mutual restitution and forgiveness, families would "set right" broken relationships. They believed that illness and misfortune could be caused by the stress of anger, guilt, and lack of forgiveness.

The modern version we practice today was adapted by Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona, a Hawaiian kahuna lapa'au (healing priest) recognized as a Living Treasure of Hawaii in 1983. She transformed the traditional group practice into a personal meditation that could be done individually.

The Evolution to Modern Practice

Simeona's updated version, called Self I-Dentity through Ho'oponopono (SITH), focuses on the idea that we are the sum total of our past experiences, and our present lives are colored by this "memory bank". Her student, Dr. Ihaleakalá Hew Len, helped bring wider attention to the practice, famously through the stories of healing an entire ward of mentally ill criminals at Hawaii State Hospital without direct treatment.

The profound shift from traditional to modern ho'oponopono is summarized below:

Table: Traditional vs. Modern Ho'oponopono

The Core Mechanics: How Ho'oponopono Cleaning Actually Works

The Philosophy of 100% Responsibility

The foundational principle of modern ho'oponopono is taking 100% responsibility for everything in our reality. This isn't about accepting blame or fault in the conventional sense. Rather, it recognizes that our experience of the external world is filtered through our internal state.

If something shows up in our experience—whether a difficult client, a business challenge, or a creative block—we take responsibility for the internal data or memory that is attracting or perceiving this problem. This is actually empowering news because it means we have the ability to change our inner world and, by extension, our outer experience.

Memory versus Inspiration

According to ho'oponopono teachings, we live from one of two spaces: memory or inspiration.

• Memory: Where past information constantly replays in our subconscious, creating triggers and reactive patterns.

• Inspiration: Where divine ideas and fresh insights can come through when we've cleared enough memories.

The "cleaning" process of ho'oponopono helps us clear these memories so we can operate more from inspiration. Think of it as defragmenting your mental hard drive so new, innovative ideas can flow freely. This is the essence of how Cleaning Transforms our state from Stuck to Inspired.

The Four Healing Phrases

At the heart of the practice are four simple but profound phrases:

• I'm sorry: Acknowledging that a problem or error exists within your consciousness.

• Please forgive me: Asking for release from the bondage of these memories.

• Thank you: Expressing gratitude for the healing.

• I love you: Using love to reconnect and restore balance.

These phrases aren't directed at another person but toward the divine, life itself, or the memories that need cleansing. As one practitioner describes it, you might say: "I'm sorry for my participating in the energy of destruction. Please forgive me and clean this space inside of me. I thank you for bringing this information to my awareness so I can clean and clear it. And I surround you with love. I love you".

How to Practice Ho'oponopono: A Step-by-Step Guide

Basic Practice Instructions

Practicing ho'oponopono is beautifully simple and requires no special equipment or environment:

1. Find a quiet space where you won't be disturbed.

2. Bring to mind a situation, person, or feeling that needs healing. This could be a creative block, a difficult client, a financial worry, or even a physical discomfort.

3. Repeat the four phrases silently or aloud with intention and presence:

   • "I'm sorry"

   • "Please forgive me"

   • "Thank you"

   • "I love you"

4. Allow any emotions to arise without judgment, continuing to repeat the phrases.

5. Practice regularly—this isn't a one-time fix but an ongoing cleaning process.

Practical Applications for Coaches and Creators

The real power comes when we apply this cleaning to specific challenges in our coaching and creative businesses:

• Before client sessions: Clean on any preconceptions or anxieties you have about the upcoming session. This allows you to show up more present and open.

• When facing creative blocks: Instead of forcing solutions, clean on the frustration and stories of "I'm not creative enough." This creates space for genuine inspiration.

• During business challenges: Clean on financial worries, marketing struggles, or difficult conversations with team members.

• When triggered by a client: If a client's resistance or behavior triggers you, clean on your reaction rather than trying to change them.

One coach shares a powerful example: "Instead of reacting or overthinking, clean with the emotion the person brings up in you. Example: 'I'm sorry for the anger I feel toward this person. Please forgive me for attracting this energy. Thank you for showing me what I need to heal. I love you.' You'll notice the energy shift—sometimes they even start behaving differently without a word spoken".

Integrating Ho'oponopono Into Your Coaching Practice

Transforming Client Relationships

When you incorporate ho'oponopono into your coaching practice, you shift from trying to "fix" clients to creating space for their own healing and insights. By cleaning your own reactions and judgments about your clients, you become a clearer channel for their transformation.

A corporate coach describes the impact: "I've seen people go from stuck to starting their dream business, from overwhelmed to launching a new income stream, from insecure to leading with powerful presence".

Earning Through Cleaning: A Business Model

One of the most challenging aspects of building a coaching business is the feast-or-famine cycle that many experience. Ho'oponopono offers a radical approach to transforming your financial reality.

Cleaning for Clients and Income

When you notice anxiety about where your next client will come from or whether you'll meet your financial goals, instead of frantically taking action from a place of lack, try this cleaning practice:

"I'm sorry for the fear around money. Please forgive me for believing I'm not worthy of success. Thank you for the lessons these blocks bring. I love you, abundance".

This isn't about magical thinking—it's about clearing the internal blocks that may be preventing you from seeing opportunities, taking aligned action, or showing up confidently with potential clients.

Case Study: From Stuck to Six Figures

One of my students, Shweta, cleaned daily with feelings of guilt, fear of failure, and old career wounds. In 5 months, she went from uncertain to launching her own coaching business, from financially insecure to hitting her first $10K month—and she didn't hustle harder. She cleaned smarter. This is one of many powerful stories that show how Cleaning Transforms a business.

Ho'oponopono and The Art of Transformational Storytelling

Your Inner Story Shapes Everything

As coaches and creators, stories are our primary tool. But we often don't realize that the most important stories are the ones we tell ourselves—our "inner story." This inner narrative, composed of our memories and beliefs, determines how we show up for clients, what we create, and what we believe is possible.

Ho'oponopono gives us a tool to clean and transform these inner stories without denying our experiences or past challenges.

Cleaning Your Origin Story

Many coaches build their marketing around a powerful "origin story"—often about a challenge they overcame. However, if we haven't cleaned the emotional charge around these stories, we can unconsciously transmit the energy of victimhood or struggle rather than true transformation.

When you apply ho'oponopono to your origin story, you don't change the facts, but you clear the emotional residue, allowing you to share from a place of wisdom and empowerment rather than unresolved pain. This is a key way Cleaning Transforms your narrative.

The Four Archetypes of Coach Storytelling

Based on the ho'oponopono principles, I've identified four storytelling archetypes that emerge as we clean different aspects of our narrative:

Table: Storytelling Archetypes in Coaching

As you clean your stories, you naturally evolve through these archetypes, and your messaging becomes more magnetic and authoritative.

Advanced Ho'oponopono Techniques for Coaches

Heart-Centered Cleaning

For deeper cleaning, try this heart-centered practice:

1. Place your hand over your heart.

2. Bring to mind a challenging situation.

3. Feel the physical sensations in your body.

4. Direct the four phrases to these sensations.

5. Continue until you feel a shift toward peace.

This technique is particularly powerful when dealing with physical symptoms of stress or anxiety related to your business.

Cleaning Through Writing

Another powerful method is to write out the four phrases repeatedly while holding a situation in mind. You might write "I'm sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you" while thinking about a project that isn't gaining traction or a client who isn't getting results.

The physical act of writing can deepen the cleaning effect, especially for those who have strong kinesthetic learning styles.

Cleaning Tools and Variations

While the four phrases are the core of the practice, some modern teachers offer variations:

• "I love you" repeated by itself as a powerful cleaning tool.

• "Water of Life" practice: drinking water with the intention that it cleans memories with each sip.

• "Blue Solar Water": placing water in a blue bottle in sunlight, then drinking it throughout the day.

Remember that these are all extensions of the same fundamental principle: using intention and love to clear subconscious memories.

Common Questions and Challenges

"Do I Need to Believe in Anything Specific?"

No. Ho'oponopono is not tied to any religion or belief system. It works as an internal practice of taking responsibility and clearing emotional residue. Whether you conceptualize the recipient of your phrases as God, the Universe, your higher self, or simply the intelligence of life itself, the practice remains effective.

"How Long Until I See Results?"

Some people experience immediate shifts, while for others, it's a gradual process. The key is consistency rather than intensity. As one practitioner beautifully explains, it's like taking a shower—we need to do it regularly to stay clean.

"What If I Don't Feel Anything?"

The effectiveness of ho'oponopono isn't measured by dramatic emotional releases or immediate external changes. Sometimes the shifts are subtle and noticed only in hindsight. Trust the process and continue cleaning.

"How Can This Possibly Affect Other People?"

This is one of the most common questions. From the ho'oponopono perspective, when you clean your own memories about a person or situation, you're affecting the only place where you can truly create change—your own consciousness. Since we're all interconnected, as your inner world shifts, your relationships and outer world naturally shift as well.

The Ripple Effect: How Your Cleaning Transforms Your Clients

When you consistently practice ho'oponopono in your coaching business, something remarkable happens: your clients begin to transform in ways that seem to have little to do with your specific techniques or methodologies.

This occurs because as you clean the memories and beliefs you hold about your clients—their limitations, their capabilities, their potential—you create space for their true nature to emerge. You begin to see them not as broken or needing fixing, but as whole and complete, exactly as they are.

This shift in perception is palpable. Clients feel seen in a new way, and this often allows them to see themselves differently. Your cleaning doesn't just transform you—it creates a field of possibility that benefits everyone in your orbit. This is the powerful ripple effect of how Cleaning Transforms your entire coaching business.

Conclusion: Your Journey From Stuck to Inspired

Ho'oponopono offers coaches, storytellers, and creators a radical yet simple path to transformation—one that begins not with adding new tools or techniques, but with clearing what's already there.

The practice reminds us that our most powerful instrument for change is our own healed and cleaned consciousness. When we take 100% responsibility for our inner world, we reclaim our power to shape our outer world—our client relationships, our businesses, our stories, and our impact.

As you begin or deepen your ho'oponopono practice, remember that every moment of irritation, every creative block, every challenging client, and every business struggle is simply another opportunity to clean. Each repetition of "I'm sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you" is another step toward the clarity, creativity, and impact you were meant to have. This is the proven path from stuck to inspired.

Your success—and your clients' transformation—is waiting on the other side of your next clean breath.