Inner Work With MaryAnn Walker: Stop People Pleasing and Start Honoring You!
Welcome to Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker—the podcast for recovering people pleasers (many of whom are also highly sensitive) who are ready to stop living on autopilot and finally start honoring themselves. I work with those who feel emotionally drained from saying yes when they want to say no, from carrying everyone else’s emotions on their shoulders, and from constantly showing up for others while quietly abandoning themselves. You’ve spent years being the dependable one—the caretaker, the partner, the parent, the professional—and now you’re realizing you’ve lost touch with who you are outside of those roles. You may feel: Burned out from trying to make everyone happy Anxious about disappointing others Unsure of your own needs, wants, and boundaries Overwhelmed by the pressure to keep the peace, even when it costs you your own If this sounds like you, you’re not broken—and you’re definitely not alone. As a certified life coach who specializes in supporting recovering people pleasers and highly sensitive souls, I’ll guide you through tools and practices to help you: Set guilt-free boundaries that stick Reclaim your time, energy, and peace of mind Build authentic connections without self-abandonment Process emotions in a healthy, empowering way Reconnect with who you really are—not just who others need you to be Each week, I’ll share personal stories, practical strategies, and mindset shifts to help you move from over-giving and burned out to clear, confident, and deeply connected—with yourself and with others. If you’re ready to stop people pleasing your life away and start living it fully, hit subscribe and let’s do this inner work together. https://www.maryannwalker.life https://www.tiktok.com/@maryannwalker.life https://www.instagram.com/maryannwalker.life/ https://www.facebook.com/maryannwalker.life https://www.youtube.com/@maryannwalkerlife
Episodes
Understanding the Family Scapegoat: Healing, Identity, and People Pleasing
Today I am joined by Elle Boone, host of The Family Scapegoat Chronicles. Elle dives deep into a role that many empaths and highly sensitive people unknowingly carry—that of the family scapegoat—and how it shapes identity, people-pleasing tendencies, and emotional well-being.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- What it means to be the family sc...
Choosing Joy: How intention, presence, and gratitude can transform your life.
Today, I’m thrilled to talk with Natalie King, British transformational coach, speaker, and podcast host of One Precious Life. We explore how to find joy intentionally, even during stressful or challenging times, and why it’s so important to prioritize joy as part of your emotional well-being.
Whether you’re struggling to feel happiness during...
The Fear Disappointing Others: Healing The Need to be Liked
The fear of disappointing others is so often invisible, yet it drives so many of your choices—what you say yes to, what you stay silent about, and how you show up in your relationships. If you’ve ever worried that someone’s disappointment might cost you connection, safety, or love… this episode will feel like exhaling.
This isn’t an episode about fixing the pat...
Have you ever had a small moment that changed your life trajectory? This week I'm sharing two personal experience with Marissa Campbell from the Art of Heart podcast.
One experience is about learning to release the shame of not always feeling “happy,” and another about is my journey of self-discovery after burnout.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- How to recognize when shame is clouding your emotional truth
- Wh...
Why Your Anger Isn't the Problem- But a Path to Clarity and Solutions
Are you a people pleaser or highly sensitive person who struggles with feeling safe expressing anger? You’re not alone—and in today’s episode, we’re flipping the script on anger. Instead of seeing it as something to suppress or shame, we’ll explore how anger is actually a powerful messenger guiding you toward healthier boundaries, clearer values...
Feeling overwhelmed by the news, politics, or the state of the world? You’re not alone. In this bonus episode, MaryAnn Walker dives into how empaths and highly sensitive people can stay grounded during times of uncertainty — like the current U.S. government shutdown — without shutting down emotionally. She shares practical strategies for transforming overwhelm into hope and meaningful action.
Whether you’re stressed ab...
Why many people pleasers struggle with anger (and how to start feeling it safely)
For many people pleasers, anger feels unsafe, unpredictable, or even shameful. But here’s the truth—anger itself isn’t the problem. It’s actually a signal, like a check engine light, telling us something is out of alignment.
This is part one of a two-part series on anger. In today’s episode, we’ll explore why people pleasers struggle with ...
Are you always showing up for everyone else — yet feeling unseen, unfulfilled, or disconnected from yourself?
In this episode, life coach MaryAnn Walker shares the top 10 struggles she sees most often in highly sensitive people and recovering people pleasers — and how to start reclaiming your joy, balance, and authenticity.
As you listen, take a gentle self-inventory. If even one of these resonates, you deserve support....
3 Life-Changing Lessons About Guilt, Boundaries, and Authenticity.
Today I’m joined by licensed clinical social worker and lifestyle coach, Tricia Corso. Tricia shares her powerful journey of leaving behind the “supposed to’s” of life in New York to create a more aligned, authentic life in Colorado.
Together, we explore the themes of guilt, people pleasing, authenticity, and how to quiet the voices...
Align Your Affirmations: Why They’re Not Working (and How to Fix Them)
Are your affirmations falling flat? You say them every morning, but nothing seems to change. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why don’t affirmations work for me?”—this episode is exactly what you need.
The truth is, affirmations aren’t magic spells. They don’t work just because you repeat them. But when you learn how to align your thoughts, actions, and ene...
Is your “positive mindset” actually emotional avoidance in disguise? In this episode of Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker, I’m joined once again by guest Kellyn Legath for an honest conversation about the difference between true positive thinking and emotional bypassing. Together, we explore how to sit with and process uncomfortable emotions, why they matter, and how shifting your relationship with avoided feelings can u...
This ancient principle could be the missing piece to creating sustainable, reciprocal relationships.
Ayni—the Andean principle of sacred reciprocity.
Unlike the transactional way we often view give-and-take in the West, ayni invites us into a mindful balance of energy, sustainability, and connection in our relationships.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- What ayni means and how it differs from transactional reciproci...
Do you ever feel like no matter how much you give, it’s still not enough to keep people from leaving? If you’ve ever struggled with people pleasing, conflict avoidance, or overgiving, chances are the fear of abandonment has been running the show—and with it, the painful habit of self-abandonment.
In this episode of Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker, we’re diving deep into why self-love is the antidote to the fear of aband...
When we live in fear that others will abandon us, we often end up abandoning ourselves.
In this episode of Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker, we’re exploring the #1 fear of people pleasers: the fear of abandonment. This is part one of a two-part series where we’ll uncover how this fear develops, how it shows up in relationships, and—most importantly—how it leads to chronic self-abandonment.
If you’ve ever caught yourself s...
Do you ever feel like you’re working so hard, but somehow still not making progress? What if the thing that's holding you back smaller than you think?
Self-sabotage is sneaky. It can show up in tiny, everyday choices that keep you stuck, frustrated, and wondering why your efforts aren’t paying off. In this episode of Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker, I share a real-life lesson that turned into a powerful reminder: s...
Trauma Bonds: Why They’re So Hard to Spot, Why They Feel Addictive, and How to Break Free for Good
If you’ve ever wondered “Am I in a trauma bond?” or found yourself walking on eggshells, feeling extreme emotions in a relationship, and clinging to the hope things will go back to how they “used to be,” this episode is for you. We’ll explore how people pleasing as a trauma response can deepen trauma bonding and...
Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds— Intention Does
They say that "Time heals all wounds."
We’ve all heard it. But is it true?
The truth is time alone doesn’t heal. Effort & intention does.
And when you stop waiting and start intentionally tending to your emotional wounds, everything begins to shift.
🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
✨ Why time without intention can keep y...
Are you a highly sensitive person who’s constantly giving but feeling invisible in your relationships? Do you ever catch yourself wondering, “Do they know I’m here?” or feeling like “They are walking all over me”? Maybe you’ve been feeling used or taken advantage of, and deep down you’re thinking, “I just want to be seen and loved.”
In this episode, I open up about my own journey as a helper, healer, and recovering peo...
Do you have a hard time feeling ok when others around you are struggling? Do you find yourself constantly managing the emotions of others or abandoning your own needs in the name of “keeping the peace?” If so, you may be struggling with codependency. Today we’re going to explore what codependency actually is, how it often hides under the mask of kindness, and how to start reclaiming your emotional freedom.
Many reco...
What if what’s happening outside of you is just a reflection of what’s going on inside of you? As a coach for helpers, healers, and recovering people-pleasers, I’ve seen how self-limiting beliefs quietly shape our reality and block us from manifesting the life we truly want.
In this episode, we’ll unpack the limiting beliefs that may be keeping you stuck—and I’ll guide you through a powerful (but simple) process to shi...
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