People-pleasing, fear of failure, and how your mom’s voice became your inner critic.

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Why is it so hard to say “I don’t know”?

In this episode of Second Hand Therapy, we unpack people-pleasing, fear of failure, and the invisible ways our parents shape our inner critic. One host shares what therapy is revealing about his need to be “nice,” his terror of messing up, and how his relationship with his mother quietly programmed his fear of rejection.

We talk about:

People-pleasing as a trauma response

Fear of failure and perfectionism

Why being “nice” blocks real connection

Feelings vs facts (and the stories we tell ourselves)

Productivity as a substitute for self-worth

Learning to say no without guilt

Wanting your parent to be more — and turning that disappointment inward

This episode explores how abandonment fear, emotional control, and self-worth get tangled together — and what it looks like to start unlearning those patterns in real time.

We’re not therapists. We’re just two people in therapy, talking honestly about what we’re learning.

If you struggle with people-pleasing, approval-seeking, fear of being disliked, or feeling like you’re never enough, this episode will hit close to home.

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