Feeling stuck doesn’t mean you’re unmotivated — it usually means you don’t feel safe enough to move. Fear, shame, and self-doubt can quietly trap us in loops of overthinking, avoidance, and perfectionism, especially when past experiences have taught our bodies that taking risks isn’t safe. In this episode, Mary explores why fear often feels stronger than logic, how trauma trains us to freeze, and what it actually takes to begin moving again.

You’ll learn how to create safety before action, why supportive relationships are essential for unfreezing, and how micro-steps — not big leaps — build lasting courage. This episode is for anyone who’s tired of being stuck but too scared to push forward alone. You’ll walk away understanding that healing isn’t about forcing yourself to “just do it” — it’s about learning to trust your body, your timing, and the safe people who can help you move again.

Three Takeaways

1. Fear and paralysis are signs of an unsafe nervous system — not a lack of willpower.

2. You can’t move forward until you feel safe enough to — safety is the foundation for courage.

3. Real change happens when safety meets support, one small step at a time.

Healing begins the moment

we let someone see

the parts we’ve been hiding —

and discover we’re still safe.

Get your FREE Boundaries Ebook here!

If you're ready to find your voice, set healthy boundaries, and create more fulfilling relationships, this guide is your roadmap!

Need more? Check out the Masterclass on Reclaiming Your Voice:

https://www.findyourvoicecourse.com/beyond-words

Hey! My signature course is live! I am so excited to also offer a free upgrade to the group coaching program. Be sure to click here to check it out:

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/

Need coaching? Sign up here for your Power Hour, where you and I can get you started on your confidence journey!

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/power-hour

In this episode we talk about how Letting go of control, comfort, and old coping patterns isn’t easy. Change asks us to allow, to trust, and to let in — all things that can feel terrifying if we’ve spent years surviving by keeping walls up.

In this episode, we talk about how to know when it’s time to loosen control, why “fine” isn’t the same as fulfilled, and what helps us feel safe enough to soften. Because true courage isn’t about forcing change — it’s about allowing growth to happen where safety and honesty meet.

THREE TAKEAWAYS

1. Letting go isn’t giving up — it’s trusting yourself enough to stop forcing outcomes.

2. Safety comes from consistency, empathy, and ownership — not control.

3. Real courage begins when we allow vulnerability to meet safety.

The courage to stop

managing everything

begins with one brave thought:

maybe I’m safe enough

now to let go.

Get your FREE Boundaries Ebook here!

If you're ready to find your voice, set healthy boundaries, and create more fulfilling relationships, this guide is your roadmap!

Need more? Check out the Masterclass on Reclaiming Your Voice:

https://www.findyourvoicecourse.com/beyond-words

Hey! My signature course is live! I am so excited to also offer a free upgrade to the group coaching program. Be sure to click here to check it out:

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/

Need coaching? Sign up here for your Power Hour, where you and I can get you started on your confidence journey!

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/power-hour

Resources:

Join the private Facebook group! It’s a great group of people working on themselves…and supporting each other. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1212485642262143

Thank you for tuning in to this podcast. Please remember to leave a positive review on your podcast platform and let us know how this episode has been helpful. Also don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify so you don’t miss a thing!

In this episode we’re talking about the truths we often avoid — the ones that feel too heavy, too risky, or too painful to face. These are the truths about ourselves, our relationships, and our lives that we push aside in the name of comfort, control, or keeping the peace. But avoiding them doesn’t make them disappear. It only keeps us stuck in the very patterns that drain us.

Together, we’ll explore why these truths are so hard to look at, how they show up in everyday life, and what begins to shift when we stop running from them. If you’ve ever felt that quiet nudge that something isn’t working — but you’ve been afraid to name it — this conversation is for you.

Three Takeaways

1. Clarity is freeing, even when it hurts. Avoiding truth costs you more than facing it.

2. Truth builds self-trust. Every time you admit reality, you strengthen your ability to handle it.

3. Facing truth is an act of courage. And it opens the door to healing, better choices, and peace.

Avoiding truth

doesn’t protect us.

It only drains us,

leaks out sideways,

and keeps us living smaller

than we’re meant to.

Get your FREE Boundaries Ebook here!

If you're ready to find your voice, set healthy boundaries, and create more fulfilling relationships, this guide is your roadmap!

Need more? Check out the Masterclass on Reclaiming Your Voice:

https://www.findyourvoicecourse.com/beyond-words

Hey! My signature course is live! I am so excited to also offer a free upgrade to the group coaching program. Be sure to click here to check it out:

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/

Need coaching? Sign up here for your Power Hour, where you and I can get you started on your confidence journey!

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/power-hour

Thank you for tuning in to this podcast. Please remember to leave a positive review on your podcast platform and let us know how this episode has been helpful. Also don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify so you don’t miss a thing!

When you begin doing deeper work on yourself, the questions start coming: Why do I feel guilty when I take care of myself? Why does setting boundaries suddenly feel so frustrating? Why do I feel like I can’t tolerate certain people anymore? These moments can feel unsettling—but they’re actually signs that you’re waking up to yourself in new ways.

In this episode, I invite you into a gentle reflection process with questions designed to spark curiosity, not anxiety. Through real-life examples, we’ll explore boundaries, emotional honesty, self-care, belonging, and confidence—helping you notice where you are on your journey without judgment. These aren’t tests. They’re invitations.

Three Takeaways

1. Questions are data, not verdicts. The feelings that surface when you reflect—guilt, frustration, relief—are clues to your growth, not proof of failure.

2. Intimacy starts with honesty. Pay attention to when your words and your heart line up—and when they don’t. That gap reveals where safety is missing.

3. Small promises build trust. Even tiny acts of follow-through (like going to bed when you said you would) lay the groundwork for deeper confidence.

Looking away

kept you safe before.

Looking honestly will

set you free now.

Get your FREE Boundaries Ebook here!

If you're ready to find your voice, set healthy boundaries, and create more fulfilling relationships, this guide is your roadmap!

Need more? Check out the Masterclass on Reclaiming Your Voice:

https://www.findyourvoicecourse.com/beyond-words

Hey! My signature course is live! I am so excited to also offer a free upgrade to the group coaching program. Be sure to click here to check it out:

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/

Need coaching? Sign up here for your Power Hour, where you and I can get you started on your confidence journey!

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/power-hour

Resources:

Join the private Facebook group! It’s a great group of people working on themselves…and supporting each other. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1212485642262143

Thank you for tuning in to this podcast. Please remember to leave a positive review on your podcast platform and let us know how this episode has been helpful. Also don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify so you don’t miss a thing!

In this week’s episode, I answer some of the most common questions I’ve heard as both a therapist and coach. From knowing when you’re settling, to why we ignore red flags, to what to do when boundaries aren’t respected, these struggles show up for almost everyone at some point in their relationships.

Through plain-spoken answers and real-life examples, you’ll learn what these dynamics look like in everyday life and why they’re so hard to recognize. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re giving too much, staying quiet to keep the peace, or struggling to show up authentically, this episode is for you.

Three Takeaways

1. The questions we ask about relationships often reveal where we’re struggling with boundaries and self-trust.

2. Patterns from childhood can make unhealthy behavior feel familiar—and easy to excuse.

3. Building healthier connections starts with noticing what feels off and having the courage to honor it.

Settling isn’t always about things

being terrible—it’s about

silencing yourself so it feels fine.

Get your FREE Boundaries Ebook here!

If you're ready to find your voice, set healthy boundaries, and create more fulfilling relationships, this guide is your roadmap!

Need more? Check out the Masterclass on Reclaiming Your Voice:

https://www.findyourvoicecourse.com/beyond-words

Hey! My signature course is live! I am so excited to also offer a free upgrade to the group coaching program. Be sure to click here to check it out:

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/

Need coaching? Sign up here for your Power Hour, where you and I can get you started on your confidence journey!

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/power-hour

Resources:

Join the private Facebook group! It’s a great group of people working on themselves…and supporting each other. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1212485642262143

Thank you for tuning in to this podcast. Please remember to leave a positive review on your podcast platform and let us know how this episode has been helpful. Also don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify so you don’t miss a thing!

Sometimes what we call “helping” is actually about managing our own anxiety or steering someone else’s choices. In this episode, we explore how love and care can get tangled with control—often without us realizing it. We’ll look at how this shows up in long-term relationships, and how it can sneak in early with new partners or friends through behaviors that feel supportive on the surface but chip away at our independence underneath.

Together, we’ll unpack the subtle differences between support that strengthens us and control that weakens us. You’ll walk away with practical tools to spot the difference, reflect on your own patterns, and learn what healthier support really looks like—so you can offer it, and recognize it when it’s given to you.

Takeaways

1. Why intentions and impact don’t always match when it comes to “helping.”
2. The subtle signals that distinguish genuine support from hidden control.
3. How to show up in ways that build trust and independence in any relationship.

Real support builds trust.

Control chips away at it.

Get your FREE Boundaries Ebook here!

If you're ready to find your voice, set healthy boundaries, and create more fulfilling relationships, this guide is your roadmap!

Need more? Check out the Masterclass on Reclaiming Your Voice:

https://www.findyourvoicecourse.com/beyond-words

Hey! My signature course is live! I am so excited to also offer a free upgrade to the group coaching program. Be sure to click here to check it out:

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/

Need coaching? Sign up here for your Power Hour, where you and I can get you started on your confidence journey!

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/power-hour

Resources:

Join the private Facebook group! It’s a great group of people working on themselves…and supporting each other. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1212485642262143

Thank you for tuning in to this podcast. Please remember to leave a positive review on your podcast platform and let us know how this episode has been helpful. Also don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify so you don’t miss a thing!

Not all unhealthy relationships announce themselves with yelling, cheating, or dramatic fights. Many of the most damaging ones chip away at us quietly—through subtle behaviors we often brush off or explain away. In this episode, Mary unpacks the small but powerful signs that can leave you feeling drained, doubting yourself, and unsure why something feels “off.”

You’ll learn why it’s so easy to miss these quiet warning signs, how they impact your confidence and boundaries over time, and what you can begin doing differently. This conversation is about tuning back into your own gut, trusting what you feel, and deciding what belongs in your life—and what doesn’t.

Three Takeaways

1. Some of the most harmful relationship patterns are the ones that don’t look obvious at first.

2. Your body often senses the truth before your mind is willing to admit it.

3. Paying attention to the “small stuff” is what protects your peace of mind in the long run.

A healthy person

listens.

An unhealthy one

gets defensive.

That’s your clue.

Get your FREE Boundaries Ebook here!

If you're ready to find your voice, set healthy boundaries, and create more fulfilling relationships, this guide is your roadmap!

Need more? Check out the Masterclass on Reclaiming Your Voice:

https://www.findyourvoicecourse.com/beyond-words

Hey! My signature course is live! I am so excited to also offer a free upgrade to the group coaching program. Be sure to click here to check it out:

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/

Need coaching? Sign up here for your Power Hour, where you and I can get you started on your confidence journey!

https://findyourvoicecourse.com/power-hour

Resources:

Join the private Facebook group! It’s a great group of people working on themselves…and supporting each other. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1212485642262143

Thank you for tuning in to this podcast. Please remember to leave a positive review on your podcast platform and let us know how this episode has been helpful. Also don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify so you don’t miss a thing!