At age thirty-two, Tara Cousineau, PhD, had it all. But when a mysterious illness disrupted her life, her doctors blamed it on stress. Knowing something else was at play she searched until she discovered a pinched nerve that was indeed a physical ailment, but also exacerbated by stress.

Looking inward and discovering her own perfectionistic tendencies, Tara knew she wanted to help high achievers prevent burnout and illness. As a therapist, she set out on a path to improve the mental health of others and to educate those striving for excellence at all costs.

In this episode we learn Tara's working definition of perfectionism and how it can have a severe impact on one's quality of life.

Today, Tara works with students at Harvard University and she leads groups on Befriending the Inner Critic and Overcoming Perfectionism through Self-Compassion. She breaks down the parts of ourselves--that self-talk that includes the inner judge, inner bully, inner detective, and the inner joy thief.

She offers insight on how procrastination is linked to perfectionism, how perfectionism has a 40% genetic cause, and how internal family systems can be a breakthrough treatment for many--and how recovery begins by simply learning to sit in one's body, take inventory, and begin to feel.

Tara's The Perfectionist Dilemma, shares research and practical tools for striving for excellence with room for discovery, curiosity, and healthy mistakes along the way.

Listeners can find Dr. Tara’s book, The Perfectionist's Dilemma: Learn the Art of Self-Compassion and Become a Happy Achiever, at online book retailers and access to free Happy Achiever tools at https://perfectionistsdilemma.com.

They can also find more in "The Peaceful Perfectionist" Substack, https://taracousphd.substack.com

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Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping