The Smart Woman’s Paradox : When You Know Better But Still Can’t Stop!! ( with Psychologist Jacquie)

You’re intelligent, Self-aware and you know how to articulate exactly why they don’t serve you.So why can’t you stop? Why do you still reach for your phone at 6pm instead of being present? Why do you say yes when you mean no? Why do you start fights to avoid what’s really bothering you? Why do you organise the pantry for the tenth time instead of sitting with yourself? In this honest and open conversation, psychologist Jacquie Ward and I dismantle everything you thought you knew about self-sabotage. Spoiler: it doesn’t actually exist.

In This Episode We Explore:The Midlife Reckoning ∙ Why turning 40 hits different (and it’s not just about the number) ∙ The grief of bigger kids and the season shift nobody prepares you for ∙ The known spike in maternal depression when all kids start school - and why it happens ∙ “If not now, then when?” - the delicious freedom and anxiety of finite timeWhat Self-Sabotage Actually Is ∙ Why “self-sabotage” is really maladaptive self-soothing (and why this reframe changes everything) ∙ The behaviors smart women reach for: phone scrolling, conflict-seeking, over-functioning, food, hypervigilance ∙ Starting fights to avoid inner conflict - the pattern nobody talks about ∙ How we use “acceptable” addictions to numb out (and why they’re so accessible)The Patterns Keeping You Stuck ∙ “I’m self-reflective, not always self-aware” - why you can intellectualize everything but still can’t change ∙ The mental load makes better choices practically impossible sometimes ∙ Why you can’t selectively numb (what you’re losing when you disconnect from discomfort) ∙ People-pleasing: the hardest thing to let go of at 40Tiger Energy vs Swan Energy ∙ Why discipline culture and “tough love” keeps burning you out ∙ The masculine energy of Goggins-style motivation (and when it actually works vs when it destroys) ∙ “All tiger energy, zero swan energy” - which one are you? ∙ How to be goals-driven without being rigidThe Uncomfortable Work of Real Change ∙ Being able to tolerate discomfort is the skill of our generation ∙ Naming the feeling dissolves 80% of its power ∙ Why you can’t sit through a full-length movie (and what that’s really about) ∙ The practice: brain dump everything swirling in your head today - not Pinterest-worthy, just rawWhat Actually Works ∙ Why compassion beats discipline for sustainable change ∙ Understanding what’s driving the behavior underneath ∙ How Jacquie broke her pattern of using food to self-soothe (Magnums for breakfast, lolly stashes around the house, managing Crohn’s disease) ∙ The shift from self-contempt to curiosity.

Jacquie Ward is a psychologist based in South Sydney who works with children, adolescents, and their families both in person and online. After the birth of her first child, a deep love of learning combined with a fascination for developmental psychology and attachment theory led her to pursue a complete career change. Almost 10 years, two more babies, and approximately 5,000 textbooks later, she found herself immersed in her dream job.For Jacquie, working with children, teens, and their families as they navigate challenges with mental health and wellbeing is the ultimate privilege. She’s also a mum of three (11, 9, and 5), married to her high school sweetheart Dave, and has lived the midlife transformation she talks about in this episode - from chronic people-pleasing and maladaptive coping to a softer, more sustainable way of being.Connect with Jacquie:Website: jacquieward.com.auInstagram: @jacquie_ward_https://www.instagram.com/sweat.chill.exhale?igsh=MWlvbTdib2pram9haA==


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