Ever feel like no matter what you do, you end up back in the same place?

Same doubts. Same fears. Same patterns that leave you questioning yourself.

In this episode, we get into the real reason it happens and why it’s not about willpower or working harder.

We’ll talk about survival strategies that once protected you but are now keeping you stuck in cycles you’re ready to break.

If you’re tired of feeling like you're living on repeat with patterns that aren't helping you in your life or your relationships anymore, this is where something different can finally start for you.

Come and join us in the worlds premier hub for therapeutic content and personal growth for LGBTQ+ women

www.braverwomen.com

Connect with me on YouTube

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Connect with me on Instagram

Connect with me on Facebook

Most lesbian and queer women aren’t walking around saying, “I feel shame.”
They’re saying, “I don’t feel good enough.”
“I overthink everything.”
“I’m scared to be fully myself - even now.”

In this powerful and personal episode, I take you deep into the hidden layers of internalised shame - what I call the master emotion. It’s not loud. It doesn’t announce itself. But it silently shapes everything from your self talk to your style choices, your anxiety, and even your attachment patterns.

I break down how shame gets encoded in your nervous system as a child, how it fuses with your queer identity, and how it’s been running the show without you realising it. This episode includes my own story - growing up queer in a strict religious home, the emotional fragmentation that followed, and what I’ve learned through years of therapeutic work with LGBTQ+ women around the world.

We’ll unpack:

• Why anxiety is often shame in disguise

• The difference between guilt and shame (and how most of us get it wrong)

• How people-pleasing, perfectionism, and fear of rejection are survival strategies

• The concept of double internalisation and how your nervous system stacks risk

• How to begin softening shame’s grip and reconnect with your real self

If you’ve ever struggled with not feeling enough, hiding parts of yourself, or feeling emotionally off even after coming out, this might be the episode that finally gives you the language and clarity you’ve been searching for.

It’s not a quick fix.
But it might just be the beginning of something real for you

🔗 Join us in the Braver Women Facebook group if you’re ready to learn to start showing up as the real you, not the you you've been thinking you need to be.

www.braverwomen.com

"Inauthenticity is like choosing to breathe through a straw, rather than breathing freely..."

Those words stopped me in my tracks and they came from a hugely inspirational client I’ve had the honour of working with.

In this episode, I’m joined by a courageous, thoughtful, and deeply honest gay woman from North America who’s completed her Braver Women journey with me. And today, she’s here to share her story with you.

Amanda opens up about how she broke free from the grip of 20 years of stress, anxiety, and people pleasing... how she unpicked the storylines that once kept her boxed in by other people’s expectations... and how she stopped chasing her worth through overworking, perfectionism, and trying to ‘earn’ acceptance.

Like so many LGBTQ+ women, Amanda was existing not living. But that’s not where her story ends.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in the past, responding to scripts you never wrote... if you’ve ever silenced yourself just to feel safe... if you’ve ever wondered whether life could feel different - it can. And Amanda is living proof of that.

These stories aren’t just inspiring. They’re necessary. They remind us that transformation is possible and that there is life beyond the coping strategies and scripts we’ve long outgrown.

So join me in this episode as I talk with Amanda and celebrate her phenomenal journey.

Her bravery is a powerful reminder of what’s possible and my hope is that by listening, you feel ready to take some braver steps of your own.

If you want to break your patterns and learn to be braver, then you know where to find me:

https://braverwomen.com/

If you want to be part of the worlds premier hub for therapeutic content and personal growth for LGBTQ+ women - Then join me here

Connect with me:

YouTube

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Love the podcast? Then I'd love to hear about it! Would you be kind enough to rate and leave a review? It helps other LGBTQ+ women around the world, find it too!

Thanks for being here.

Sending much love,

Leanne ;-)