Do you ever wonder where your inner critic actually came from?

In this Confessions of a Wellish Girly episode, I’m sharing a realization I had in therapy that completely changed the way I think about self-improvement, self-worth, and identity.

Growing up, friendship rejection taught me to believe I had to manage my image to be accepted. I thought those thoughts were just “me.” But what if that voice in your head isn’t your true self at all? What if it’s simply trying to protect you from being hurt again?

I talk about the therapy exercise that helped me separate my thoughts from my identity, why your protective voice isn’t your enemy, and how getting to know yourself has less to do with becoming someone new and more to do with paying attention to what genuinely makes you feel alive.

If you’ve ever felt trapped trying to be  ...