Tricia Rose Stone interviews Kori Strobl about the difficulty of becoming more fully yourself when others react negatively, focusing on people-pleasing as “self-abandonment” driven by anxiety and other-referencing. Kori describes growing up emotionally unmet, learning to read and manage others to feel connection, and later realizing in a long relationship that her partner was clearly uninterested in growth; accepting this removed a villain-victim story and revealed a mismatch in needs. They discuss how people pleasers often bring empathy and positivity but withhold their own perspective, and how healing involves turning inward to feel emotions, pausing before responding, and reclaiming agency. Kori distinguishes setting boundaries (demanding others comply) from holding boundaries (knowing yourself, believing yourself, and taking responsibility for your actions). For dating, she advises moving slowly, prioritizing “capacity” revealed in tension over chemistry.

00:00 When Growth Disrupts

01:19 Kori’s People Pleasing Journey

02:49 Self-Abandonment and Anxiety

04:43 Origins in Childhood

05:38 No Villain Realization

08:28 What People Pleasers Add

10:47 Mismatch and Letting Go

13:35 Holding Boundaries and Agency

17:54 Practicing Inner Awareness

23:25 Daily Tools: Pause and Tend

26:21 Dating Chemistry vs Capacity

30:08 Course Links and Closing

31:12 Final Takeaways: Authentic Integration

Learn more about Kori Strobl here.