Welcome to Episode 8 of The Rise Room! Today, we’re stepping into the quiet but powerful world of words, the ones spoken over us, the ones we absorb without realizing it, and the ones we end up repeating back to ourselves for years.

We’re talking about how the messages we hear from childhood through adulthood shape our identity, our confidence, our self-worth, and even the way we love.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain phrases still echo in your mind, or why someone’s comment from years ago still influences how you show up today, this episode is your reminder: the stories you were told are not the stories you have to keep.

Episode Highlights

What people repeatedly tell you becomes the voice you talk to yourself with, and how early messages shape identity.

Why seemingly small comments linger, and how words shape confidence, safety, belonging, and self-worth.

How childhood messaging shows up in adulthood: apologizing before speaking, shrinking, overachieving, self-doubt, emotional suppression.

References

Here are scholarly sources you can reference for the research on words and mental health discussed in this episode:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Violence against children: Key facts.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2021). Child abuse and neglect statistics. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Lieberman, A. F., & Van Horn, P. (2008). Childhood trauma and its effects: Studies in emotional development. Guilford Press.

Lieberman, M. D., Eisenberger, N. I., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428.

Teicher, M. H., Samson, J. A., et al. (2016). The effects of childhood maltreatment on brain structure and connectivity. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 17(10), 652–666.