Do you catch yourself writing paragraph-long texts just to say “no”?

Do you feel the urge to explain every decision, anticipate every reaction, or soften your truth with a long-winded disclaimer?

That’s not overthinking. That’s overexplaining—and it’s a trauma response.

In this episode, we’re talking about the exhausting cycle of overexplaining yourself, especially if you grew up with a narcissistic or otherwise toxic parent. I’ll walk you through why it started, why it still feels so necessary, and how to start letting it go.

You’ll learn:

• How childhood invalidation trains us to justify our existence
• Why toxic parents weren’t misunderstanding you—they were never interested in knowing the real you
• How overexplaining becomes a codependent pattern that follows us into adulthood

This one’s for the cycle breakers who are tired of holding their breath after hitting send.

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Support the show

A huge thank you to our first podcast sponsors:

STAK Marketing
A woman-owned agency that acts like a fractional marketing director for your business: https://www.stakmarketing.com/

Jess Gleim

Marketing Strategist and Meta Ads Expert. Smart, data-backed strategy that actually makes you money: https://www.jessgleim.com/

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Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.

You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.