This is Part 2 of The Belonging Series.

Fitting in asks, Who do you need me to be?
Belonging asks, Can I be who I am and still stay?

In this episode, Lisa explores the wilderness between those two questions—where authenticity and approval often collide.

Drawing on Brené Brown’s research, Polyvagal Theory, and an IFS lens,  she unpacks the loneliness that comes from performing for acceptance and the courage it takes to show up as your unedited self.

You’ll explore:

• The key difference between true belonging and fitting in
• How early attachment and nervous system safety shape your need for approval
• The emotional cost of performing for connection
• Simple ways to practice belonging to yourself in daily life

Because when you belong to yourself, you give everyone around you permission to do the same.

About The Belonging Series:
Belonging is one of our most essential human needs. In this special series of The Liberated Middle, Lisa explores belonging from the inside out—from coming home to yourself, to the difference between true belonging and fitting in, to the loneliness epidemic, the art of gathering, the neuroscience of connection, and how belonging shifts across the lifespan.

Music by RA, upbeat.io