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July 10, 2025 12 mins

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If you've ever wondered, “Am I being too harsh?” or “Will people still love me if I stop people-pleasing?”—this episode is for you. Today, we're talking about the fear that setting boundaries means you're suddenly a terrible person. (Spoiler alert: you're not.) Whether you've swung from self-sacrificing to "spicy:" or you’re just learning how to say "no" without guilt, we’re unpacking why this discomfort is actually a sign of growth, not failure.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Why helpers and people-pleasers often fear becoming "the bad guy"
  • The real reason boundary setting can feel so uncomfortable at first
  • How burnout can lead to sharper tones and what to do about it
  • Why overcorrecting is normal (and not permanent!)
  • How to self-assess your boundaries without shame
  • Examples of clear, respectful boundary statements
  • Why disruption is part of healing—and how to ride the wave

Challenge for the Week
Practice one boundary this week—even if it’s wobbly. Then take 5 minutes to self-assess. Ask yourself:

  • What went well?
  • What could I improve next time?
  • Did I lead with clarity or frustration?
  • How was my tone?
  • Did I communicate through clarity or emotional confusion?

No shame. Just curiosity and growth.

Work With Me
Tired of feeling burned out and invisible? Ready to start being someone for yourself? Let’s build those boundaries—without burning bridges. I currently have a few one-on-one coaching spots available this month. You can schedule a free 20-minute consultation call here to see if we’re a good fit. I’d love to support you in reclaiming your time, your peace, and your power.

Don’t Forget to Subscribe
If this episode resonated, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you're loving the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a review—it helps others like you find this space of healing and growth.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Well, hello and welcome back.
Have you ever wondered if youwould turn into a big, fat jerk
face if you stop peoplepleasing?
I know a lot of people worryabout this.
In fact, there are groups andthreads and videos all over the
internet where people are askingthe question, am I the a-hole?
Because they're very much intheir heads wondering if they're
the ones in the wrong, ifthey're just not seeing
themselves clearly, if they'recoming across as too harsh or if

(00:23):
they made the wrong decision.
And you know what?
I have totally been there.
I have wondered if I was a bigfat jerk just because I stated a
boundary.
I wondered if I was a horriblehuman for admitting that I also
had needs in relationship.
I have questioned if my tone wastoo strong or if it wasn't
strong enough, or if I was thebad guy in some way and
honestly, sometimes I've evenwondered if things would've just

(00:44):
been easier if I had justaccommodated the other person
like I usually do, becausespeaking up really ruffled some
feathers.
And I know that I am not alonein this.
In fact, many helpers then theycarry that secret fear that,
well, if I do stop accommodatingeverybody, if I speak up, if I
take a break, then I'll hurtsomebody, I'll disappoint
somebody.

(01:04):
And if I become that version ofme, nobody's gonna love me
anymore and I'll end up alone.
But here's the truth.
Setting boundaries doesn't makeyou a big fat jerk, even if
somebody tells you that you're abig fat jerk.
In fact, learning how to honoryour own needs is what allows
you to show up more fully andmore honestly, and also more

(01:24):
sustainably.
In relationship.
I mean, right now you'reprobably feeling super burned
out and that's why you feel theneed to state a boundary in the
first place, right?
Because this is not sustainablefor you.
But when you start to stateboundaries, then things do
actually become significantlyeasier.
Yes, they might be a little bittricky in the beginning, but
ultimately they're going tobecome significantly easier.

(01:47):
Now when you start to stateboundaries, then here's what
usually happens.
First of all, everybody aroundyou has to adapt.
You've never done this before.
If you're listening to thispodcast, this is a new idea for
you.
So this is new for everybodyaround you.
Not only are you learning how tostate boundaries, but the people
that you're engaging with,they're also learning how to

(02:07):
adapt to your boundaries, whichis something that they have
never done before either.
So it can be very uncomfortablefor everybody involved.
You are feeling uncomfortable'cause you're doing something
brand new and they're feelinguncomfortable because they're
also having to learn how to dosomething brand new.
They're having to learn how torespect and respond to your
boundaries.
So basically everybody's feelinga little bit uncomfortable and

(02:29):
when that happens, you mighteven be accused of being a big
fat jerk.
It can get messy when you'retrying to create this change
because other people have gottenused to you being the one who
always says yes.
The one who always picks up theslack.
The one who doesn't complain,the one who doesn't rest, the
one who never pushes back.
And so when you are suddenlysaying, well, actually no, I do

(02:50):
need to take a break right now.
Or maybe you're saying, you knowwhat, yeah, that's not gonna
work for me anymore.
Then people might look at youlike, okay, something must be
deeply wrong.
Are you broken?
What has happened to you?
Because you are the personthat's usually always fixed
everything for me.
And so they may be feeling veryconfused, and they may even tell
you that you are being rudebecause they just want their

(03:10):
needs met.
And this should be simple foryou.
Right.
You should be moreaccommodating.
You should be more kind.
You shouldn't be asking this ofme.
I can't believe that you're notdoing this thing for me that
you've always traditionally donefor me.
And so, yeah, they might callyou selfish, and they might also
say, well, you're being overlydramatic right now.
It's not that bad.
It's not that big of a deal.
You should be able toaccommodate this for me.

(03:33):
Or they might tell you, Hey,you're being really rude right
now, but that doesn't mean thatyou're necessarily doing
anything wrong.
Okay.
It just means that you're doingthings differently than the way
that you used to do them.
And when you're doing that, youare disrupting a pattern.
And disrupting patterns can be achallenge, right?
Anybody who has tried to break ahabit, they know how hard it can

(03:56):
be to break that pattern.
When you have a pattern ofreaching for that late night
snack or of turning to socialmedia, or of turning to whatever
it is that you turn to, it canbe hard to break that pattern.
Even the good patterns, evenwanting to state boundaries,
wanting to work out.
It can be a challenge to breakthe pattern of what it is that's
been not helpful and supportivefor you and step into something

(04:16):
new.
There is a bit of discomfortthat comes from upsetting the
status quo, and honestly, wedon't talk about that enough.
We don't talk about thediscomfort of breaking the
pattern when we're talking abouthelping and serving and being
there for other people, beingthat people pleaser, being
overly giving or overlyaccommodating of other people
being overly self-sacrificing.
So that's one part is justcoming to fully understand that,

(04:39):
yeah, it's going to be a bituncomfortable and also it's
going to be okay.
I know that I've said it here onthe podcast a million times, but
I'm gonna say it again.
You are going to be experiencingdiscomfort in this life no
matter what.
It is just a part of life.
So you can either continue tofeel uncomfortable by
maintaining the status quo, oryou can lean into the discomfort

(05:02):
of creating something that's abit more sustainable for you,
something that might actuallygive you a shot at getting your
own needs met.
Okay, so now let's get back tothis whole, am I a big, fat jerk
thing?
Okay.
So one other thing that startsto happen when the helpers start
to set boundaries is that theymight actually swing really hard
in the opposite direction.
They have been on this extremeside where they've been

(05:23):
overgiving, overserving, and soyeah, they might be over on that
side for a long time where theyjust have this super pleasant
voice and they say yes toeverything and they're always
smiling and they've been reallyextreme on that side.
And so they might swing andbecome the opposite of that,
where now they're not smiling,they're being extremely stern.
They might even be a little bitmore spicy and aggressive in

(05:44):
their explanation of what it isthat they're looking for in that
moment.
So yes, it is possible to swingto the far side, and also it's
kind of like when somebody asks,am I the narcissist?
It's highly unlikely thatsomeone who is truly a
narcissist.
Is even going to ask thatquestion.
On the flip side of that, it'shighly unlikely that someone who
is always wondering, am I beinga big fat jerk?

(06:06):
Probably they're not being ascruel as they think that they
are in their mind.
Okay?
So yeah, they might actuallycome across as being a big fat
jerk for a little bit.
But mostly that happens whenyou've allowed yourself to
become burned out for far toolong.
So when you're feeling thatburnout, that's when things are
a little bit more spicy.
Okay?
So you might find yourselfsaying no to everything.

(06:28):
You're tired, you're over it.
And when this happens, thenyeah, your tone is a bit sharper
than it needs to be.
And that's normal.
That's what happens when you'respeaking through that lens of
burnout.
And the goal is to recognizethat you're approaching burnout
a little bit earlier than youhave previously.
Usually, for you, you probablydon't recognize that you're in

(06:49):
burnout until you're absolutelydone.
You're ignoring all of thesymptoms.
This is just like with physicalpain.
When you're ignoring yourphysical pain until you simply
can't tolerate it anymore,things are probably
significantly worse.
It's the same thing with thepeople pleasing and with the
burnout.
The goal is to recognize thewarning signs earlier so that
you can state a boundary beforeit's gotten out of control for

(07:11):
you.
So if you have discovered thatmaybe you're a little bit more
spicy than you intended, thenacknowledge that, love yourself,
and adapt and change as needed.
Have some self-compassion that,okay, well that was actually
pretty abrupt and that was alittle bit harsh.
Have some self-compassion that,yeah, that was probably a little
bit more abrupt and a little bitmore harsh than I anticipated.

(07:32):
Have that self-compassion.
If things are starting to feel abit more abrupt or reactive,
that doesn't mean that theboundaries are the problem.
It just means that your nervoussystem is recalibrating to this
new way of living and being, andthat's a new thing.
It's a new trick that you'relearning.
Alright?
So you can't always circle backto the conversation.
You can always clarify what itis that you meant to say.

(07:52):
You can always apologize.
You can go and make that repairin the relationship if what you
said was a little bit hurtful.
It is not the end of the worldif you need to apologize.
It's going to be okay.
And also boundaries don't haveto be aggressive to be firm.
And you don't have to be perfectat it before you start.

(08:13):
In fact, you can still be makingprogress even if you're doing
things imperfectly.
So be willing to practice,practice, practice.
Boundaries are a skill, whichmeans that you're probably not
going to nail it on your firsttry and that's okay.
It's kind of like riding a bikeat first, you're a little bit
wobbly, so you might overcorrector overreact.
And when you do that, you mightfall off of your bike

(08:34):
altogether.
You might get a scraped kneethat injures you.
You might crash into somebodyelse and might hurt them as
well.
But eventually, and withpractice, you're going to find
your balance.
So practice and take some timeafter you've stated a boundary
to do a little bit of aself-assessment.
And when you're self-assessing,remember that this is not pass
fail.

(08:54):
It's not did I do a good job ornot.
But it's really looking atthings a little bit more
closely.
It's breaking it down intodifferent categories.
So you might ask yourself, wheredid I do well?
How can I improve for next time?
You might ask questions like,okay, what was my tone like when
I set that boundary?
Was I kind and clear, but firm?
Was I a little bit too spicy andaggressive with them?

(09:16):
What were the words that I choseto use?
Were the words that you chose touse explanatory, like, oh, hey,
I just need you to understandhow this impacts me and what it
is that I'm gonna do movingforward, or were my words
accusatory, like, I can'tbelieve that you did this to me.
Just notice that for yourself.
Ask yourself, did I communicatea boundary clearly or did what I
say sound more like anultimatum?

(09:36):
Now, as a reminder, a boundaryis an if then statement.
So a true boundary is going tostate what it is that you are
going to do if the behaviorcontinues.
So a true boundary might soundlike if you're running late, I'm
just gonna have to meet you atthe concert because I don't
wanna miss the beginning.
Or it might sound like if youraise your voice to me again,
I'm going to be leaving theroom.
Or it might sound like if youchoose to continue to share

(09:58):
things that I've shared with youin confidence with other people,
I'm no longer going to besharing those things with you.
It's not about controlling theother person, but it's about
honoring yourself.
So if you're in that space rightnow, if you're tired of being
everything for everyone, ifyou're ready to start being
someone for yourself, I want youto know that you don't have to
do this alone.
You do not have to be a big, fatjerk face, and you're also

(10:20):
probably doing a bit better thanyou think.
This does take some work.
It does take some courage.
It does take some intention, andsometimes it does require a
little bit of external support.
And that's what I'm here for.
So if you're ready to startsetting boundaries without
burning bridges, if you're readyto reclaim your time, your
energy, and your peace, I wouldlove to work with you.
You can reach out to me throughmy website or DM me on social

(10:42):
media, all the links here in theshow notes, but let's build
those boundaries together, onebrave step at a time.
Additionally, I just want toremind you that I'm currently
gauging interest for a course,specifically designed for the
empaths.
For those that would like tolearn some practical tools
around how to process their ownemotions while also allowing
other people to do the same.
We're gonna be talking about howto set energetic boundaries, how

(11:04):
to distinguish between youremotions and the emotions of
others.
Now for this course, I'm lookingfor just 15 to 20 people.
And so if this interests you,then be sure to join my wait
list so that you can be thefirst to know when doors are
open for registration and snagyour seat for this small group
event.
Now, honestly, I'm unsure if I'mgoing to be doing this course
again, so if this is somethingthat interests you, then take

(11:25):
advantage by joining my waitlist.
You can click the link in theshow notes for more information
about that.
Um, and yeah, I'm excited to seeyou there.
Also, if you're interested in myone-on-one sessions, I do have
some spots opening up for thismonth.
So I encourage you to come andwork with me if you have any
questions about coaching, ifyou're wondering if we'd be a
good fit for each other, ifyou're wondering how coaching
can help you with yoursituation, specifically, I am

(11:46):
offering free consultationcalls.
You can also find that link inthe show notes, so click the
link and it will allow you toschedule a free 20 minute
consultation call where I canjust coach you for 20 minutes,
you can ask questions to see ifwe might be a good fit for each
other, but go ahead and takeadvantage of those free calls.
I do have some time dedicated tothose calls each week and I
would love to visit with you.
Alright, well here's to statingboundaries without being a big,

(12:09):
fat jerk face.
Let's talk again soon.
I hope you have a great week.
Bye now.
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