Movement, Mind, & Meaning Podcast

Freeze Mode: Why You Say Yes When You Mean No

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Understanding the Biology Behind People-Pleasing, Overthinking & the Freeze/Fawn Response

Welcome to part 3/3 of the Survival Mode Series: The Sneaky Stress Patterns That Might Be Running Your Life

In this episode, we explore how people-pleasing, overthinking, and self-abandonment are not personality traits—they’re nervous system survival strategies. Specifically, we break down the Freeze and Fawn responses from a polyvagal perspective.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Freeze vs. Fawn: What these stress responses really are—and how they quietly drive people-pleasing and overthinking.
  • Why Saying “Yes” Feels Safer Than “No”: The biology behind people-pleasing as a subconscious survival strategy.
  • Overthinking = Dysregulation: How your nervous system creates mental loops, indecision, and analysis paralysis.
  • Stuck But Wired: Signs you’re in a sympathetic freeze state—charged up but shut down.
  • Real Tools for Real Shifts: Practical, body-based regulation techniques so you can say “no” without guilt—and actually mean it.

    • Curious if this is playing out for you or your team? Take the free Burnout Risk & Resilience Quiz Get personalized insights into how stress may be quietly impacting your—and what to do instead. 👉 https://bit.ly/burnoutriskquiz

    About Your Host, Megan Nolan: Helps People First, Purpose Driven Companies That Want To Build Emotionally Resilient Teams That Perform At Their Best Without Time Consuming Strategies By Using Practical Science-Based Strategies That Work In Just Minutes A Day

    With 20+ years as a yoga instructor & personal trainer, she teaches mind-body tools to break free from stress and thrive with impact, freedom, and joy.

    📚 Bestselling Author | 🎙 Podcast Host | 🌎 Stress & Resilience Coach

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    Movement, Mind, & Meaning PodcastBy Megan Nolan