Beyond the Good Girl

Gillian Wray
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A podcast about voice, desire, and the cost of staying quiet. Beyond the Good Girl explores what happens when people who have been trained to be palatable, polite, and small begin to speak honestly. Through conversations and solo episodes, we examine self-erasure, social conditioning, and the courage it takes to live differently. This is for anyone who feels their voice stuck in their throat and knows that something needs to change.

  1. 3d ago ·  Bonus

    Where are we now?

    I've been gone for months. So here's an update. In this mini episode, I ramble about how it turned out it was hard to talk about cancer and how I once wrote a 50K novel to explore my feelings about leaving church and how much I love the SpeakEasy. Also I promise new things for the podcast. Link to my website BEYOND THE GOOD GIRL

    Where are we now?

  2. May 19

    What kind of doctor do I need for a breast lump? And other things I googled in Warsaw

    In this Episode of my audio memoir about when good stopped working, I find a breast lump a couple of weeks after starting a new job in Warsaw. I try to navigate this unknown medical system with very little Polish and the help of Doctor Google. I just want to go home, but there's a voice in my head that keeps telling me to stay, to not make a fuss. That I can do this. The same voice that makes me attempt to turn up for work when I can't even stand from a serious leg injury. The same voice that doesn't want to let anyone down and puts her own needs to the side. The Good Girl. Sign up to my newsletter www.beyondthegoodgirlpodcast.com

    What kind of doctor do I need for a breast lump? And other things I googled in Warsaw

  3. May 12

    I just know I'm going to die and other predictions that haven't come true ...yet!

    In this episode, the good girl plans the best death ever without any actual evidence she is dying and totally ignoring any emotions she may feel about her impending doom in a frenzy, of lists, research and practices. BEYOND THE GOOD GIRL

    I just know I'm going to die and other predictions that haven't come true ...yet!

  4. Apr 21

    The Good Girl Gets A B- in Chemotherapy

    Who is the good girl? She's an overachiever, she's a people pleaser and she hates being out of control. In 2020 I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer and my inner good girl tried to win at chemo! She tried to manage and control. She tried to not be a burden. She tried to avoid conflict and confrontation. Sometimes it worked but sometimes it didn't. She also tried to use her powers of prediction to figure out the ending. This episode is about where my mind went while waiting for a routine test result and the moment I realised I really couldn't control the outcomes of the treatment. Some how I had to find the balance between naive optimism and total catastrophizing. Sign up for my newsletter at beyondthegoodgirlpodcast.com

    The Good Girl Gets A B- in Chemotherapy

  5. Mar 31

    Coming Back to Yourself: Healing, Boundaries, and a Raw Conversation with Lea

    Gillian Wray welcomes Lea, who helps women "come back to themselves" — work born from her own journey through people-pleasing, self-abandonment, and the search for external validation. Lea shares her story of leaving home after a painful relationship, initially feeling profound relief from a suffocating environment, only to discover she'd recreated the same patterns abroad. It took hitting rock bottom before she began investing in herself — through the gym, online programs, human design, and past life regression. These tools, particularly hypnosis, helped her access her subconscious, gain perspective, and release deep-seated fears. The conversation explores inner child work, emotional regulation skills Lea developed while nannying, the particular shame that comes from tying identity to others' perceptions, the necessity of boundaries, using isolation as self-protection, and the practice of consciously curating one's environment — from social media feeds to news consumption. Find Lea On instagram @healingmindsetshifts or Facebook Lea Vuga Visit beyondthegoodgirlpodcast.com

    Coming Back to Yourself: Healing, Boundaries, and a Raw Conversation with Lea

  6. Mar 24

    Spilling the Tea on Autism and ADHD with Michaela Silsby

    In this episode, I sit down with the wonderful Michaela Silsby and talk about who her parenting journey, led her to her own diagnosis of Autism and ADHD. She shares the struggles of being a parent to neurodivergent children in a system that often leaves them struggling. Michaela became an advocate for her daughter in the school system and now using her voice to campaign for changes in bills that affect 1000s of parents and children. She shares the reality on her Facebook Page Spilling the tea on autism and ADHD through poetry, reels and posts that help other parents, carers and young people feel seen and heard.

  7. Mar 17

    The Voice of Endurance

    The Voice of Endurance I had a plan for this episode. Diana Nyad, cultural commentary, the mythology of the endurance hero. But something else happened instead. What came out was this: the performance of okayness. The way grief — real grief, the kind that lives in your body — gets quietly managed in private rooms while you hold it together for the world. I talk about stillbirth. I talk about cancer. I talk about what it costs to be the person who endures. This is the episode I didn't mean to make, and probably the one I needed to. For anyone who has ever been privately falling apart while publicly holding on.

    The Voice of Endurance

  8. Mar 10

    The Woman Who Recorded Her First Audiobook Under a Duvet

    The Woman Who Recorded Her First Audiobook Under a Duvet Alice Sockett spent 20 years in corporate life before anxiety and grief brought everything to a halt. What came next: beach walks, a RADA course, a dog clicker, and a cabin bed with duvets — and somehow, a full-time career as an audiobook narrator. This is a story about what joy sounds like when you stop performing the wrong life. Alice talks to Gillian about the breakdown that made her stop, the small daily rituals that brought her back to herself, and the almost accidental audition on ACX that changed everything. She's refreshingly honest about the unglamorous reality of starting out — the improvised duvet studio, teaching herself Audacity, using a dog clicker to mark her retakes — and equally honest about what she got wrong so you don't have to. She also built an Instagram following of thousands, not by performing expertise, but by just telling the truth about the process. That community now includes carers, people with disabilities, and anyone who wondered whether there might be a second act waiting for them. Find Alice on instagram @alicesockettaudio Plus: Gillian shares her own update — she built a booth, started auditioning, and booked her first narration job. In this episode: Why Alice walked away from a 20-year career and what finally gave her permission to stopThe RADA course that cracked something openHow to start recording without spending a fortune on gearWhy your accent is not the problemWhat honest content does that polished content can'tHow to love the work without burning out on it again If you feel burned out and need somewhere to land you can join me in the SpeakEasy. An affordable monthly membership for women finding their way back to joy- more info HERE

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About

A podcast about voice, desire, and the cost of staying quiet. Beyond the Good Girl explores what happens when people who have been trained to be palatable, polite, and small begin to speak honestly. Through conversations and solo episodes, we examine self-erasure, social conditioning, and the courage it takes to live differently. This is for anyone who feels their voice stuck in their throat and knows that something needs to change.

Information

  • Creator
    Gillian Wray
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gillian Wray
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Good Girl