Join Bethany Valenti as she chats with Nicole Byrne, a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in people pleasing and burnout. In this episode, they discuss the signs of people pleasing, the impact of being a people pleaser on personal fulfillment, and the role of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Nicole shares her five-point checklist for identifying trustworthy relationships and offers insights into managing people pleasing behaviors. They explore actionable strategies for self-compassion, setting boundaries, and fostering authentic connections.

To learn more about Nicole:

Website: https://counselingwithnicole.com/

Is This Person Trustworthy? A 5-Point Checklist for People-Pleasers: https://counselingwithnicole.com/new-blog/2025/9/17/is-this-person-trustworthy-a-5-point-checklist-for-people-pleasers

YouTube video: 5 traits of trustworthy people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNmb17LUdG8

General blog page: https://counselingwithnicole.com/new-blog

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NicoleByrne-LMFT

To learn more about Bethany Valenti, PsyD:

Bethany's Website

Say Hello to Your Therapist Podcast Instagram

Bethany's Instagram

Bethany's Facebook Page

Things we talked about:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

The Resident on Netflix

Kpop Demon Hunters on Netflix

The Big Year Film

Surface Pressure from Encanto

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

House of the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast

01:07 Meet Nicole Byrne: Journey to Becoming a Therapist

03:31 Understanding People Pleasing and Burnout

05:19 Defining People Pleasing

10:35 Challenges of People Pleasing in Motherhood

14:30 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Insights

24:30 Balancing Kindness and Self-Care

35:20 Distinguishing Between Good and Kind

35:53 The Hollow Nature of Niceness

36:31 Authenticity in Relationships

37:37 The Challenge of Simple Truths

38:28 Recovering from People Pleasing

39:57 Building Balanced Relationships

40:17 Traits of Trustworthy People

40:52 The Importance of Consideration

49:33 Sincerity and Responsibility

51:58 Reliability and Competence

55:06 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up