In this milestone 100th episode of the Goddesses of Social Work Podcast, I am honored to welcome Ta’lor L. Pinkston, LSW — widely known as The Heart Advocate. A licensed self-love social worker, creator of Self-Care Matters and Healing Over Everything, and Clinical Practice Program Manager at Healthy Start, Inc. in Pittsburgh, Ta’lor is devoted to helping people choose self-love as a coping skill for mental health and healing.

In this deeply moving and liberatory conversation, Ta’lor reminds us that self-love is a practice, not a feeling, and that perfectionism is a learned survival strategy rooted in systems that teach us we are never enough. Together, we talk about:

💗 Why self-love is an action — a verb — not a feeling 💗 How perfectionism, internalized judgment, and “staying small” shape  ...