In this episode of The Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly Marshall sits down with author and advocate William Allen to explore the personal and often unspoken journey of being a highly sensitive man. From cultural conditioning to emotional suppression, this conversation shines a light on the challenges and quiet power of high sensitivity in men.

William shares:

• His personal journey later in life of discovering he's an HSP.
• The cost of growing up in a culture that suppresses male sensitivity.
• How he transitioned from IT to writing, advocacy, and community-building.
• The challenges HSP men face with vulnerability and emotional expression.
• Why he believes HSP men can lead the way in redefining modern masculinity.

Topics covered:

• What it means to be a highly sensitive man.
• Emotional suppression and the “man code.”
• The lack of male representation in HSP spaces.
• Creating safe spaces for sensitive men to connect.
• Cultural implications of ignoring male sensitivity.
• The impact of societal expectations on mental health.

About William Allen:

William Allen is a thought leader and educator dedicated to redefining masculinity through the lens of high sensitivity. After a 30-year career in corporate IT leadership, he founded BrainPilots, a hypno-coaching and neurofeedback practice in Bend, Oregon, focused on mental and emotional well-being.

His personal journey as a highly sensitive man led to the creation of TheSensitiveMan.com, a global platform offering resources, community, and support for sensitive individuals. William’s writing — including his acclaimed books Confessions of a Sensitive Man and On Being a Sensitive Man — has helped reframe sensitivity as a strength.

He leads an online men’s group, offers a self-paced course, and co-hosts the podcast Men with S.T.Y.L.E. He also appears in the documentary Sensitive Men Rising, amplifying the voices of sensitive men worldwide.

Follow along with William’s journey:

Website: www.thesensitiveman.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesensitiveman

https://www.facebook.com/zallenw

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/zallenw

Let’s Connect:

🤍 Share your biggest takeaway or follow us on Instagram @happyhsppodcast — we’d love to hear from you!

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to help more HSPs find this space: thehappyhsppodcast.buzzsprout.com

📩 Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out to Kimberly at: kmarshall@happyhspcoaching.com

📖 Learn about Kimberly’s work: happyhspcoaching.com

About Kimberly:

After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.

• Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
• Edited by Fonzie Try Media
• Artwork by Tara Corola

*Content Warning: This episode includes mentions of suicide, which may be sensitive for some listeners.

If you’ve ever felt like you couldn’t speak up for your needs in the workplace, doctor’s office, classroom, this episode is for you. Today, I speak with Dr. Sandra Clifton who shares her personal journey realizing she was an HSP after a gift from her sister changed her life. This led to a mission: advocating for highly sensitive students and reframing sensitivity in education and mental health.

Our conversation uncovers how can show up better in the world when we feel comfortable advocating for our needs.

Dr. Clifton shares:

• The gift that changed her entire understanding “self.”
• How naming her sensitivity led to healing, confidence, and purpose.
• The challenges sensitive students face in traditional education systems.
• Her work supporting gifted and twice-exceptional learners.
• What she wants educators, therapists, and doctor’s offices to understand about HSPs.

Topics covered:

• HSP self-discovery and identity.
• High sensitivity often goes unrecognized or misunderstood.
• HSPs in education and student advocacy.
• Tools and support for improved self-acceptance and resilience.
• Building a supportive community for highly sensitive people.
• The importance of safe, validating spaces for HSPs.
• The language and tools needed to thrive as an HSP.

About Dr. Sandra Clifton:

Sandra Clifton is a Board-Certified Educational Therapist, life coach, and former high school English teacher with over 18 years of experience. She has worked with Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence and now runs Clifton Corner, a private practice supporting gifted, sensitive, and twice-exceptional students.

Sandra specializes in helping overwhelmed learners and their families navigate challenges like perfectionism, organization, and school transitions using tools like mindfulness, creativity, and positive psychology. She holds a doctorate in Cognitive Diversity, with research focused on twice-exceptional highly sensitive individuals and has a deep affinity for artists and athletes who shine beyond traditional academics.

Follow along with Dr. Clifton’s journey:

Clifton Corner: www.sensitivestudents.com

Website: www.sandraclifton.com

Let’s Connect:

🤍 Share your biggest takeaway or follow us on Instagram @happyhsppodcast — we’d love to hear from you!

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to help more HSPs find this space: thehappyhsppodcast.buzzsprout.com

📩 Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out to Kimberly at: kmarshall@happyhspcoaching.com

📖 Learn about Kimberly’s work: happyhspcoaching.com

About Kimberly:

After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.

• Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
• Edited by Fonzie Try Media
• Artwork by Tara Corola

In this episode of The Happy HSP Podcast, I’m joined by HSP life coach Louise Smith who, after realizing she was an HSP in her early forties, encountered mixed emotions about her trait. We talk about how difficult it can be to find your footing and confidence as an HSP, and we also explore how HSPs can benefit from inviting our minds, bodies, and souls to our healing conversation in unison.

Listen in as we discuss the HSP journey and how Louise helps others heighten their confidence, self-acceptance, and mind-body connection so they can thrive.

In this episode, Louise shares:

• How she discovered she was an HSP later in life.
• A realization that her sensitivity was both mental and physical.
• Her personal journey with confidence-building and self-acceptance.
• The importance of breathwork, meditation, and mindfulness.
• How the right environment is key for HSPs to thrive.
• How awareness and self-compassion can help.
• Practices for honoring sensitivity and cultivating presence.

Topics covered:

• The intersection of HSP traits and trauma responses.
• How it can take time to process that you’re an HSP.
• Tools and practices for regulating the nervous system.
• Embodiment and breathwork as part of the healing process.
• Slowing down as a spiritual practice.
• Setting boundaries to build confidence and self-trust.
• Self-care and body-awareness for navigating sensitivity.
• The beauty and enjoyment of vantage sensitivity.

About Louise Smith:

Louise is a women’s life coach and a Highly Sensitive Person. She provides life coaching to sensitive women who feel stuck and that their low self-confidence is holding them back and affecting their well-being.

She supports women to achieve confidence and personal growth, empowers and guides them through small steps of action and mindset shifts to overcome self-limiting beliefs, and helps them learn how to regulate the nervous system. Through her support, Louise helps amazing HSP women to thrive rather than just survive.

Follow along with Louise’s journey:

Intagram: @hsp.time.to.thrive

Email: louisehspcoaching@gmail com

Let’s Connect:

🤍 Share your biggest takeaway or follow us on Instagram @happyhsppodcast — we’d love to hear from you!

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to help more HSPs find this space: thehappyhsppodcast.buzzsprout.com

📩 Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out to Kimberly at: kmarshall@happyhspcoaching.com

📖 Learn about Kimberly’s work: happyhspcoaching.com

About Kimberly:

After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.

• Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
• Edited by Fonzie Try Media
• Artwork by Tara Corola

In this episode of The Happy HSP Podcast, HSP therapist and lightworker Jessica Jade Thompson shares how discovering her HSP trait helped her make sense of her emotions and inner world. She also opens up about how healing — especially through shadow work, therapy, and spiritualism — has allowed her to feel more grounded, openhearted, and aligned with her purpose.

We talk about what it means to be enough, the importance of rest, and the powerful energy that HSPs bring to the world simply by being themselves. Whether you’re navigating burnout, craving a deeper spiritual journey, or struggling to accept your sensitivity, this episode offers plenty of comfort, wisdom, and encouragement to simply “be.”

Jessica shares:

• Why the “HSP” label felt like a relief to her and not a limitation.
• How shadow work helps create space for joy, light, and presence.
• The physical toll of sensitivity and how she navigates burnout in New York City.
• The power of self-compassion and honoring your nervous system.
• Her spontaneous kundalini awakening and how it altered her understanding of reality.
• How simply being yourself can provide a deep service to the world.

Topics covered:

• Sensitivity, spirituality, and the HSP journey.
• Shadow work and self-compassion.
• Collective energy and intuitive gifts.
• Spiritual awakening and integration.
• Energetic boundaries and learning to say “no.”
• Embracing your gifts as an empath or intuitive.

About Jessica Jade:

Jessica Jade is a psychotherapist, counselor, healer, and sensitive soul. She is devoted to holding emotional and energetic space for others. As a lightworker, she is attuned to the transformational power of bringing pain (shadow) to loving awareness (light). Jessica Jade is passionate about supporting other sensitive souls through individual sessions and programs.

Follow along with Jessica’s journey:

Website: linktr.ee/sensitively souled

Instagram: @sensitivelysouled

Let’s Connect:

🤍 Share your biggest takeaway or follow us on Instagram @happyhsppodcast — we’d love to hear from you!

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to help more HSPs find this space: thehappyhsppodcast.buzzsprout.com

📩 Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out to Kimberly at: kmarshall@happyhspcoaching.com

📖 Learn about Kimberly’s work: happyhspcoaching.com

About Kimberly:

After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.

• Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
• Edited by Fonzie Try Media
• Artwork by Tara Corola

Have you ever wondered why you can’t stand bright office lights, long workdays, or feel more emotionally reactive and overwhelmed than those around you?

In this episode of The Happy HSP Podcast, my guest Janelle Lindemuth shares her experience with feeling pressured to keep up in a fast-paced, overstimulating corporate environment, which can led to deep burnout and disconnection from our truest selves.

In this episode, Janelle shares:

• How she discovered she was an HSP after reading Quiet by Susan Cain.
• Her journey from corporate burnout to spiritual reconnection.
• Why denying her sensitivity only intensified her exhaustion.
• The role of introversion, art, and mindfulness in her healing.
• How she now supports high-achieving HSP women through coaching.
• What it really means to reclaim the sacred self.

Topics covered:

• Growing up feeling different and “too sensitive.”
• Burnout and sensory overload in high-pressure work environments.
• Spiritual growth and the power of slowing down.
• Creativity, intuition, and finding joy on the other side of burnout.
• Building a life that honors sensitivity instead of fighting it.
• Coaching sensitive women to return to their authenticity.
• Importance of finding a support system and community for HSPs.

About Janelle Lindemuth:

Janelle Lindemuth is a certified spiritual life and soul purpose coach. She works with high-achieving, highly sensitive women who are overwhelmed and burned out.

As a highly sensitive person herself, she discovered spirituality and experienced its transformative impact. This inspired her to become a coach and help others do the same. Her purpose is to help others organize their lives and thrive.

When she’s not coaching, she’s spending time with her husband and golden retriever. She enjoys reading, singing, and roller skating.

Follow along with Janelle’s journey:

Website: www.janellelindemuth.com
Instagram: @highlysensitivelifecoach

Let’s Connect:

🤍 Share your biggest takeaway or follow us on Instagram @happyhsppodcast — we’d love to hear from you!

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to help more HSPs find this space: thehappyhsppodcast.buzzsprout.com

📩 Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out to Kimberly at: kmarshall@happyhspcoaching.com

📖 Learn about Kimberly’s work: happyhspcoaching.com

About Kimberly:

After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.

• Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
• Edited by Fonzie Try Media
• Artwork by Tara Corola

Have you ever felt stuck ruminating and overthinking every possible catastrophic outcome in a relationship or big decision?

If you’re a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), making major life decisions — especially in love — all the “what if?” rabbit holes can feel overwhelming. In this episode of the Happy HSP Podcast, therapist Ella Ozer shares how discovering she was highly sensitive changed the way she shows up in both her personal and professional life, but even more importantly, how she helps other HSPs find more clarity in love by answering one of the biggest questions in relationships: “Should I stay, or should I go?”

In this episode, Ella shares:

• How a client’s HSP journey led her to realize she was an HSP herself.
• What it felt like to finally validate her sensitivity.
• Why rumination and overthinking can block clarity.
• How learning to trust her intuition changed everything.
• Her experience shifting careers to support other HSPs.

Topics covered:

• Emotional depth, intuition, and self-acceptance as an HSP.
• Overthinking vs. inner knowing in decision making.
• The power of community and validation for sensitive people.
• Mindfulness and presence as tools for clarity.
• Embracing creativity and joy as part of the HSP journey.

About Ella Ozer:

Ella is a highly sensitive person and Relationship Clarity Therapist who empowers individuals to break free from unsatisfying relationships and make confident decisions about whether to stay or leave. Based in Las Vegas, she combines therapeutic expertise with personal experience to guide clients through their relationship doubts. On Instagram, Ella shares empowering insights and practical tools to support your journey towards finding clarity in your love life.

Follow along with Ella’s journey:

Instagram: @clarityinlove

Let’s Connect:

🤍 Share your biggest takeaway or follow us on Instagram @happyhsppodcast — we’d love to hear from you!

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to help more HSPs find this space: thehappyhsppodcast.buzzsprout.com

📩 Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out to Kimberly at: kmarshall@happyhspcoaching.com

📖 Learn about Kimberly’s work: happyhspcoaching.com

About Kimberly:

After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.

• Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
• Edited by Fonzie Try Media
• Artwork by Tara Corola

In this episode of the Happy HSP Podcast, Dr. Kaaryn Cater, an educator and researcher in the field of high sensitivity, discusses her journey discovering she was a highly sensitive person (HSP) and how it influenced her life and work.

The conversation explores Dr. Kaaryn’s research of HSPs in education, her own experiences as an HSP, and how she manages her sensitivity in both her personal and professional life. Dr. Kaaryn also highlights the importance of understanding and accommodating high sensitivity in educational and work environments.

In this episode, Dr. Kaaryn shares:

• How her exploration of Dr. Elaine Aron’s research affected her life and work.
• Her experience with research and literature on high sensitivity over the past decade.
• What her own research uncovered about the impact of high sensitivity on learning.
• How connecting with nature is a source of energy and grounding for HSPs.
• Sensation seeking HSPs and their desire for new and novel experiences.
• The many challenges of managing sensory and emotional overwhelm.
• Information about her upcoming book, Understanding the Highly Sensitive Learner.

Topics covered:

• Impact of high sensitivity on student learning and classroom dynamics.
• Importance of recognizing and supporting HSP learners in schools.
• Effects of sensory sensitivity in professional and learning environments.
• Need for autonomy and meaningful work settings for HSPs.
• Advocacy for scent-free workplaces due to HSP sensitivities.
• Role of self-awareness in managing high sensitivity.

Dr. Kaaryn's experiences and research highlight the necessity of understanding high sensitivity, not only for HSPs but also in broader educational and work settings.

About Dr. Kaaryn Cater:

Dr. Kaaryn Cater is a Learning Advisor at a tertiary learning institution in New Zealand. Her research interests include sensitivity, environmental impacts on learning, neurodiversity, inclusion, equity, empowering learners through intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy and metacognitive monitoring, and promoting education sector change through sensitivity education.

Follow along with Dr. Kaaryn’s journey:

Instagram: @dr.kaaryncater_sensitivity

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-kaaryn-cater-b373103b

Let’s Connect:

🤍 Share your biggest takeaway or follow us on Instagram @happyhsppodcast — we’d love to hear from you!

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to help more HSPs find this space: thehappyhsppodcast.buzzsprout.com

📩 Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out to Kimberly at: kmarshall@happyhspcoaching.com

📖 Learn about Kimberly’s work: happyhspcoaching.com

About Kimberly:

After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.

• Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
• Edited by Fonzie Try Media
• Artwork by Tara Corola

Are you a highly sensitive person (HSP) who struggles with self-confidence among friends or in the workplace? Maybe you’re unsure of who you are or what you’re truly meant to do for a living, and you’re wondering how to gain more clarity.

Today on The Happy HSP Podcast, Iris Pilleri — an HSP coach and psychology student based in Italy — shares how reclaiming her voice and sense of self after years of working in fields that didn’t align with her true calling brought her happiness and peace. From chronic exhaustion and people-pleasing to finally giving in to her purpose, Iris’s journey is a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to come home to yourself.

In this episode, Iris shares:

• How years of people-pleasing disconnected her from her calling.
• Her experience with intense information processing and rich inner world.
• How pivoting to a new career helped her align with her true self.
• Her experience of high sensitivity in childhood compared to adulthood.
• The importance of therapy and self-acceptance along her journey.
• Finding her calling and purpose through the Japanese concept of Ikigai.

This episode will inspire you to embrace your inner child and take more risks as an HSP with common sense as your guide. Iris’s transformation will also remind you that honoring your sensitivity is the starting point — not the obstacle — on your path to a more aligned and fulfilling life.

Topics covered:

• Breaking free from burnout and people-pleasing.
• Embracing the HSP trait and honoring your needs.
• Making aligned career choices as an HSP.
• Embracing your creativity and inner world as a gift.
• The importance of rest, slowness, and self-love.
• Redefining success from the inside out.

About Iris Pilleri:

Iris is an HSP coach, psychology student, and language teacher based in Italy. She connects with clients and colleagues from all over the world through her ability to speak English, Italian, German, and French.

She coaches at Iris Sensitive Coaching, and in her business, “Iris” stands for Imagination, Respect, Intention, and Safety — the four pillars of her work.

Follow along with Iris’s journey:

Instagram: @sensitivity_life

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iris-vanessa-pilleri-0304aa322/

Let’s Connect:

🤍 Share your biggest takeaway or follow us on Instagram @happyhsppodcast — we’d love to hear from you!

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to help more HSPs find this space: thehappyhsppodcast.buzzsprout.com

📩 Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out to Kimberly at: kmarshall@happyhspcoaching.com

📖 Learn about Kimberly’s work: happyhspcoaching.com

About Kimberly:

After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.

• Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
• Edited by Fonzie Try Media
• Artwork by Tara Corola