#104 Özlem Ôzkan: Why You Doubt Yourself | The Neuroscience of Self-Trust

In this short solo episode, Özlem explores why struggling with self-trust has nothing to do with confidence, strength, or personality.

She explains how self-doubt and the inner critic are often learned patterns rooted in the brain’s survival wiring. When we grow up in environments where mistakes felt unsafe or approval felt conditional, the nervous system learns to stay alert, cautious, and self-monitoring.

Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, Özlem shows how self-trust is not built through logic or achievement, but through safety. When the nervous system feels regulated, the inner critic softens and self-trust becomes steadier and more natural.

This episode is an invitation to understand self-doubt with compassion and to begin rebuilding trust with yourself, one small moment at a time.

In this episode, you will learn about
• Why self-doubt is often a learned neural pattern
• How the inner critic develops as a protective mechanism
• What happens in the brain under stress and uncertainty
• Why success does not automatically create self-trust
• How safety, not certainty, rebuilds trust in yourself
• Small daily practices that help the nervous system update

🎙️ Host: Özlem Özkan

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