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Everyone has reasons. Everyone also has excuses. And most people don’t slow down enough to tell the difference.

In this episode, Anna and Tim get real about the uncomfortable gray area between what is actually true and the stories people tell themselves to avoid discomfort, effort, or responsibility. From athletic training to business, relationships, and personal growth, they unpack how excuses quietly protect identity, offer short-term relief, and keep people stuck, even when they swear they want change.

Join Anna and Tim for a direct conversation that challenges listeners to look honestly at their patterns, recognize when a real limitation turns into a self-protective story, and take ownership without shame. This discussion is grounded in lived experience, including moments where quitting would have made sense, but didn’t.

This Episode Covers:

• The real difference between excuses and reasons.
• Why excuses are often wrapped in truth but driven by avoidance.
• How relief can be a warning sign you chose comfort over progress.
• The role of self-awareness in catching excuses in real time.
• Why high performers struggle with excuses just as much as anyone else.
• Capacity limits, burnout, grief, and when this conversation does not apply.
• How to make adjustments without opting out entirely.
• Asking the hard question, is this a fact or a story protecting me.

Ready to get out of your own way and finally feel grounded in who you are?

Join the Emotional Mastery Group Coaching Cohort this January and learn how to regulate your nervous system, stop second-guessing yourself, and move through life with more clarity and power.

 www.annamarcolin.com/coaching-packages/p/emotional-mastery-group-coaching-january-2026-cohort

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

Emotional maturity is not about being calm, evolved, or getting it right all the time. It is about what happens in the moments when you are triggered, defensive, or uncomfortable, and what you choose to do next. In this episode, Anna and Tim break down what emotional maturity actually looks like in real life, including the ways people react, avoid, overexplain, or shut down when things get hard.

The conversation covers pausing before reacting, owning your part without tearing yourself apart, sitting with uncomfortable emotions, and telling the truth before resentment takes over. They explore boundaries without drama, listening without trying to win, and repairing quickly after conflict. This episode is grounded, personal, and clear about one thing: emotional maturity is not perfection. It is practice, awareness, and a willingness to do your part.

This Episode Covers

• Pausing before reacting instead of handing control to a trigger.
• Owning your part without collapsing into shame or self-attack.
• Sitting with discomfort rather than outsourcing emotions.
• Telling the truth early before resentment builds.
• Adding nuance and moving away from black and white thinking.
• Holding boundaries calmly without overexplaining or threatening.
• Listening to understand rather than trying to win.
• Repairing quickly after rupture and cleaning up your side of the street.

Ready to get out of your own way and finally feel grounded in who you are?

Join the Emotional Mastery Group Coaching Cohort this January and learn how to regulate your nervous system, stop second-guessing yourself, and move through life with more clarity and power.

 www.annamarcolin.com/coaching-packages/p/emotional-mastery-group-coaching-january-2026-cohort

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

Confidence gets misunderstood all the time. People assume it’s something you’re born with, something loud, something fearless. But that version of confidence usually falls apart under pressure. What actually lasts is built quietly, through repetition, discomfort, and follow-through.

In this episode, Anna breaks down what confident people are really doing differently, how they think, how they behave, and how they recover when things go sideways. From keeping promises to themselves, to taking action before they feel ready, to learning how to carry anxiety instead of letting it run the show, this conversation cuts through the myths and gets honest about what confidence actually requires. Join Anna and Tim as they explore the difference between cocky and grounded, why humility matters, and how earned confidence grows from emotion regulation, structure, and practice.

This Episode Covers:

• Why confidence is built through reps, not motivation.
• The difference between confidence and cockiness, and how humility fits in.
• How confident people think when they don’t know the answer yet.
• Why taking action before feeling ready is non-negotiable.
• How keeping small promises to yourself becomes the hidden engine of confidence.
• What it really means to recover after failure instead of spiraling or quitting.
• Why confidence is rooted in self-trust, not self-love.
• How learning to regulate emotions changes everything about confidence.

Ready to get out of your own way and finally feel grounded in who you are?

Join the Emotional Mastery Group Coaching Cohort this January and learn how to regulate your nervous system, stop second-guessing yourself, and move through life with more clarity and power.

 www.annamarcolin.com/coaching-packages/p/emotional-mastery-group-coaching-january-2026-cohort

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

Anger is loud. It fuels action, creates clarity, and gives a sense of control. But what happens when the anger fades, and the crisis is over, yet something inside still feels heavy?

In this episode, the conversation moves beyond rage and into the quiet aftermath that nobody prepares you for. The sadness, the grief, the identity shift that comes when family members disappoint you in moments that mattered most. Join Anna and Tim as they unpack what it really feels like when the people you counted on did not show up, and why that realization can change how you see your family forever. They explore ambiguous loss, the emotional hangover after conflict, and the painful acceptance that some relationships will never be what you hoped they would be.

This Episode Covers:

• What happens emotionally after intense anger subsides.
• Why family disappointment often turns into grief.
• Ambiguous loss and grieving people who are still alive.
• The emotional hangover after conflict and confrontation.
• Accepting people’s limitations without emotional amnesia.
• The difference between boundaries and cutoffs.
• Letting relationships evolve without creating villains.
• Finding self-trust and authority after family pain.

Ready to get out of your own way and finally feel grounded in who you are?

Join the Emotional Mastery Group Coaching Cohort this January and learn how to regulate your nervous system, stop second-guessing yourself, and move through life with more clarity and power.

 www.annamarcolin.com/coaching-packages/p/emotional-mastery-group-coaching-january-2026-cohort

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

There are moments when life cracks open, and someone has to step forward. A parent lands in the hospital. A sibling relapses. A marriage falls apart. And suddenly it becomes painfully clear who shows up and who disappears. The anger that follows is not mild frustration; it is rage, shock, grief, and a deep sense of betrayal that cuts into how family is understood.

Join Anna and Tim as they unpack what happens when family members fail to show up during crisis, especially around the holidays. They explore why these moments feel unrecoverable, how attachment and unspoken family contracts shape expectations, and why anger often masks something far more painful underneath.

This Episode Covers:

• Why the holidays amplify family anger, disappointment, and old wounds.
• The shock of realizing someone’s character does not match who you thought they were.
• Attachment, unspoken family contracts, and expectations that go without saying.
• Moral outrage and moral injury when family values are violated.
• The loneliness and abandonment felt when you are the one who shows up.
• Common family roles in crisis, including the hero, avoider, minimizer, and intellectualizer.
• Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses during family emergencies.
• How anger becomes a protective cover for grief, fear, and pain.

Ready to get out of your own way and finally feel grounded in who you are?

Join the Emotional Mastery Group Coaching Cohort this January and learn how to regulate your nervous system, stop second-guessing yourself, and move through life with more clarity and power.

 www.annamarcolin.com/coaching-packages/p/emotional-mastery-group-coaching-january-2026-cohort

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

There are the things people can see on the surface, and then there are the things that live underneath, the stuff that feels too heavy or too messy to name out loud. This episode digs into the quiet weight of shame and guilt, the parts of ourselves we think disqualify us from being powerful.

Join Anna and Tim as they unpack what it means to look at your life without fear of the dark corners. They talk about the difference between a rap sheet and a resume, how past mistakes can become strength, and why the things a person has survived are often the real markers of capability. This conversation moves through discomfort, honesty, and the unexpected liberation that comes from telling the truth about your own history.

This Episode Covers:

• The tension between who people see and who someone feels they really are.
• How guilt and shame shape identity and influence behavior.
• Looking at your past through the lens of resilience instead of failure.
• The power of owning your story without apology.
• How lived experience becomes credibility and clarity.
• Why vulnerability can feel risky but creates deeper connection.
• The difference between being defined by your past and being informed by it.
• What it means to rewrite the meaning of your own experiences.

Ready to get out of your own way and finally feel grounded in who you are?

Join the Emotional Mastery Group Coaching Cohort this January and learn how to regulate your nervous system, stop second-guessing yourself, and move through life with more clarity and power.

 www.annamarcolin.com/coaching-packages/p/emotional-mastery-group-coaching-january-2026-cohort

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

Sometimes control shows up long before anyone notices it, slipping into conversations as overexplaining, micromanaging, or trying to keep every moment calm. It can feel protective or helpful, even when it quietly disconnects people from themselves and each other. Join Anna and Tim as they sit with the real tension of recognizing controlling behavior, especially when it comes from a place of fear or old patterns that once made sense.

They dig into how control takes root, what it costs in relationships, and why it is so hard to name without shame. The conversation stays honest and grounded, making space for the parts that want to keep everyone safe and the parts that are tired of carrying so much.

This Episode Covers:

• The subtle ways control shows up in everyday interactions.
• How control can feel like caretaking or protection.
• The pressure of managing everyone’s emotional experience.
• What it feels like to be on the receiving end of control.
• The link between conflict avoidance and controlling patterns.
• Noticing when anxiety or fear is driving behavior.
• The impact of shrinking to keep the peace.
• How awareness opens space for change.

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

There is a particular tension that shows up when someone is trying to manage a moment, a schedule, or an entire group. Maybe it is the person urging everyone to hurry up, maybe it is the one correcting the plan, or maybe it is the quiet frustration building inside when things are not going the way they pictured. This episode looks at what is really happening beneath that urge to take charge.

Join Anna and Tim as they unpack why controlling people exhausts us, why so many of us slip into control without realizing it, and how much of it traces back to fear, safety, and old wounds that still echo. They talk through the moments when control feels like competence, when order becomes oxygen, and when trying to manage everyone else becomes a quiet prison. With stories from travel mishaps, work dynamics, and their own relationship, they shine light on how control shows up and what it costs.

This Episode Covers:

• The trip planner energy that takes over vacations and why it sparks so much tension.
• The way predictability calms the nervous system when life feels chaotic.
• How control becomes a shield for people who grew up with volatility or inconsistency.
• The difference between emotional immaturity and fear-based reactions.
• Why some controlling behaviors are really attempts to avoid disappointment or feeling unimportant.
• How friends, partners, and kids respond by going quiet, backing away, or rebelling.
• The illusion of control and what happens when life throws curveballs.
• Tools for shifting from control to influence, including naming the real fear and separating control from preference.

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

There are moments when life demands something big and visible from us, and there are moments when the bravest thing we do is in complete silence. This episode breaks open the difference between courage and bravery, especially the way most of us mix them up without ever really questioning why.

Join Anna and Tim as they talk through the surprising definitions they didn’t know, the stories that shaped their understanding, and the everyday ways we all face ourselves. From firefighters running toward danger to the kind of courage it takes just to say I need help, they explore how fear, vulnerability, and inner alignment shape the actions we take.

This Episode Covers:

• The real difference between courage and bravery.
• How bravery is outward and situational while courage is inward and enduring.
• Why so many people confuse fearlessness with strength.
• Quiet courage in everyday life, like going to therapy or asking for help.
• Bravery as aligned action that grows from internal values.
• How fear and courage run along the same neural pathways.
• Personal stories that reveal the spectrum of fear, courage, and action.
• Why courage comes first and bravery follows.

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

Send us a text

What happens when your brain tells you to stop, when fear, anxiety, or self-doubt take the wheel? In this final part of the Emotional Mastery series, the conversation unpacks what it means to train your nervous system and override the internal voice that says “you can’t.” From performance anxiety to everyday overwhelm, it explores how to move from protection to power by understanding what’s really happening in the body and mind.

Join Anna and Tim for a grounded and honest look at emotional mastery, where science meets lived experience and the work is all about practice, not perfection.

This Episode Covers:

• How the brain protects you by creating false “danger” signals.
• The central governor theory and why the mind limits performance.
• Training your nervous system to push past fear.
• The STOP skill for responding instead of reacting.
• Using cold water, breath, and movement to calm the body.
• The power of cognitive reframing and the stress mindset effect.
• Generational differences in emotional regulation.
• Why mastery is practice, not perfection.

Until next time, here's to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!

The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email [email protected]
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com