Why You Feel Responsible for Everyone Else’s Emotions (And How to Finally Stop) with Hailey Magee
New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.
If you’ve ever said yes when you meant no, stayed silent when something bothered you, or felt guilty the moment you tried to set a limit — this episode is going to name exactly what’s been going on. And more importantly, it’s going to give you a way out.
JoAnn sits down with Hailey Magee, people-pleasing coach and author of Stop People Pleasing and Find Your Power, to dig into why so many women become people pleasers in the first place, what’s actually happening when boundaries feel impossible, and the small, practical shifts that make it easier to start standing up for your own needs — without feeling like the villain.
In this episode:
- Why people-pleasing is a safety mechanism, not a personality flaw — and the three kinds of safety it’s trying to protect
- Why neurodivergent women and women from marginalized groups are especially likely to develop people-pleasing as a survival skill
- The crucial difference between a boundary and a request — and why your “boundaries” might not be working because they’re actually requests
- Why boundary guilt is almost universal — and the reframe that makes it survivable
- The “meaning vacuum”: what happens to your identity when a major life chapter ends and the new one hasn’t started yet
- How to tell when you have an unmet need before you even know what it is (Hailey’s need signpost tool)
- Why feeling “too sensitive” or “too demanding” when you set a boundary is actually a sign you’re doing it right
- The post-boundary self-care plan — why you need one and what it looks like in practice
- One small shift to start rebuilding self-trust: track what drains you vs. what energizes you
JoAnn also shares the real dinner table moment that prompted a boundary conversation with her family, and the first time she ever redirected a draining professional relationship by email — and how it felt on the other side.
Find Hailey and her book Stop People Pleasing and Find Your Power at haileymagee.com.
If you’re listening on Spotify, hit the Follow button right now — it’s the best way to make sure you never miss an episode and it helps me reach more moms like you.
Remember: the best mom is a happy mom. Take care of you.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
