Forgive Yourself

Brenda Reiss

Host Brenda Reiss is a Freedom and Forgiveness coach, and a person just like you that is learning to navigate life and all its challenges. She teaches a forgiveness process like no other. It's a blend of practical and spiritual forgiveness. This process guides you into knowing how unforgiveness can be keeping you stuck in your relationships, both personally and professionally, preventing you from releasing resentment and finding joy. Each week I share practical and some not so practical tips, tools, and advice from myself and other people that are on this journey just like us. This is for you if you are ready to turn your pain into peace. Welcome to the Forgive Yourself podcast.

  1. 117: The Father Wound - How It Shapes the Way You Love, Trust, and Choose

    1 day ago

    117: The Father Wound - How It Shapes the Way You Love, Trust, and Choose

    The father wound isn’t just about your father. It’s about the beliefs you formed about yourself when you didn’t feel fully seen, safe, protected, chosen, or emotionally met. In this second episode of my When Father’s Day Feels Complicated series, we’re exploring how those beliefs can quietly shape the way you love, trust, and choose long after childhood. I’ll share some of my own experiences with people-pleasing, self-doubt, and trying to earn love, while helping you recognize the patterns that may still be influencing your relationships today. We’ll talk about why familiar doesn’t always mean healthy, how the father wound can impact self-trust, and what it means to begin choosing from your worth instead of your wound. What You'll Learn Why the father wound goes beyond your relationship with your fatherThe beliefs that often develop when emotional needs go unmet in childhoodHow the father wound can affect the way you love, trust, and choose in adulthoodWhy familiar relationship patterns can feel so difficult to breakThe connection between father wounds and self-trustHow to recognize when you're choosing from old wounds instead of your worthReflection questions to help you explore your own patterns with compassion Resources: Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/resources/ Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60    Brenda’s Website/Links WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

    20 min
  2. 116: When Father's Day Feels Complicated - Forgiving What You Didn't Receive

    19 Jun

    116: When Father's Day Feels Complicated - Forgiving What You Didn't Receive

    Father’s Day can bring up more than celebration. It can stir grief, longing, anger, confusion, gratitude, or the ache of something that was never fully there. In the first episode of this three-part series, I explore the father wound and the impact of growing up with a father who may have been physically present but emotionally unavailable, absent, critical, inconsistent, or simply unable to give you what you needed. I share parts of my own story and invite you to consider the difference between the father you had and the father you needed. Together, we will explore how unmet needs can shape the beliefs we carry about ourselves, the roles we adopt to earn love and approval, and the patterns that continue to show up in our relationships today. This episode is not about blaming fathers or forcing forgiveness. It’s about telling the truth about your experience, grieving what was missing, and beginning to release the belief that what you didn’t receive says anything about your worth.  What You'll Learn The difference between the father you had and the father you neededHow unmet childhood needs can shape beliefs about worth, love, and belongingThe survival roles many people adopt to earn connection and approvalHow father wounds often show up in adult relationships, work, and achievementReflection questions to help you begin releasing old stories and reclaiming your worth Resources: Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/resources/ Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60    Brenda’s Website/Links WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

    46 min
  3. 115: The Self-Trust Practice That Changes Every Conversation

    12 Jun

    115: The Self-Trust Practice That Changes Every Conversation

    Better conversations don’t begin with perfect words—they begin with a more honest relationship with yourself. In this final episode of the self-trust series, I bring everything we've explored together and focus on what self-trust looks like in real life, especially in the conversations, decisions, and boundaries that feel the hardest. Too often, we overexplain, people-please, or abandon our own needs in an effort to keep the peace. But what if there was another way? I share a simple self-trust practice you can use before difficult conversations, major decisions, or moments when you're tempted to seek permission outside yourself. You'll learn how to recognize the difference between the voice of fear and the voice of self-trust, pause before reacting, and take the next honest step without abandoning yourself in the process. What You’ll Learn Why difficult conversations are often about more than communicationHow fear disguises itself as kindness, patience, or being "low maintenance"The difference between the voice of fear and the voice of self-trustHow to pause before reacting and stop making self-abandoning decisions on autopilotWhy you are not responsible for controlling how others receive your truthHow to measure success in a conversation by your honesty and self-respect rather than someone else's reaction Resources: Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/resources/ Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60    Brenda’s Website/Links WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

    39 min
  4. 114: The 5 Hidden Needs That Shape Your Choices

    5 Jun

    114: The 5 Hidden Needs That Shape Your Choices

    Why do some decisions feel impossible to make? Why do certain conversations leave you overthinking for days? And why do you keep finding yourself people-pleasing, seeking reassurance, or ignoring what you know is true? Beneath avoidance, over-explaining, and self-doubt, there is often an unmet need asking for attention. In this episode, I continue our three-part series on self-trust by exploring the five hidden needs that shape our choices, conversations, and relationships. You’ll hear how needs for safety, belonging, validation, autonomy, and rest can quietly influence the way we show up in our lives. Instead of judging these patterns, I invite you to approach them with compassion and curiosity so you can begin making choices that are aligned with your truth rather than driven by fear. What You’ll Learn The difference between seeking advice and trusting your own inner knowingHow the need for safety can keep you stuck in indecision and fear of making the wrong choiceWhy belonging and connection sometimes lead us to abandon our own truthHow a lack of validation can leave us searching for external approvalThe role autonomy and freedom play in setting boundaries and making aligned choicesWhy guilt isn't always a sign you're doing something wrongHow exhaustion and depletion can impact decision-making and self-trustSmall ways to honor your needs and strengthen self-trust every day Resources: Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/resources/ Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60    Brenda’s Website/Links WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

    52 min
  5. 29 May

    113: You Don’t Need More Advice. You Need More Self-Trust.

    Self-trust is not about having all the answers or never feeling afraid. It’s about learning to stay connected to yourself while taking the next honest step forward. In this first episode of a special three-part series on self-trust, I explore why so many of us keep searching for more advice, more reassurance, and more opinions when deep down, we already know what feels true. I unpack the patterns of overthinking, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and self-doubt that pull us away from our own inner knowing. Old survival patterns can make even small decisions feel overwhelming, but self-trust is rebuilt one honest moment at a time, and I invite you to stop outsourcing your inner authority and begin reconnecting with your own truth. What You’ll Learn Why overthinking and indecision are often rooted in fearThe difference between seeking support and seeking permissionHow old survival patterns can keep you disconnected from your own needsThe role self-forgiveness plays in rebuilding trust with yourselfHow to recognize when you already know what feels true for youWhat it means to take “the next honest step” instead of searching for the perfect answer Resources: Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/resources/ Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60    Brenda’s Website/Links WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

    34 min
  6. 22 May

    112: Finding Yourself Again After Childhood Trauma

    There are some wounds that change the course of a life, and some healing journeys that change it again. In this deeply vulnerable conversation, I sit down with author and memoirist Heather Conn to talk about surviving childhood incest, the long and layered process of healing, and the unexpected path that eventually led her toward forgiveness. Heather shares how years of therapy, body-based healing, creativity, meditation, writing, and spiritual practice helped her reconnect with herself after trauma disconnected her from her body, emotions, and relationships. Together, we talk about the difference between forgiveness and condoning harm, the complexity of family relationships, the courage it takes to tell the truth, and why healing is never linear. Heather also opens up about the backlash she received after publishing her memoir, “No Letter in Your Pocket,” and why she chose compassion anyway. Please take care of yourself as you move through this episode. What You’ll Learn Why forgiveness is not the same thing as excusing harmHow compassion and accountability can coexistWhat “bearing witness” means in healing traumaThe impact of family silence and emotional suppressionWhat survivors should consider before telling or publishing their storyHow forgiveness helped Heather reclaim joy, peace, and self-understanding Heather will send a free copy of “No Letter in Your Pocket” to the first message she receives on her website! Visit: www.heatherconn.com Get your copy of “No Letter in Your Pocket”: https://www.amazon.com/Letter-Your-Pocket-Memoir-Biography/dp/177183787X Follow Heather on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SixStinkyFeetandaSasquatch Connect with Heather LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hconn/ Watch "Journey to Forgiveness": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Ukq86zVdo Resources: Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/resources/ Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60    Brenda’s Website/Links WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

    57 min
  7. 15 May

    111: Trying to Be the Mom You Didn’t Have – The Hidden Pressure No One Talks About

    So many women carry a quiet promise inside themselves: ‘I will be different from my mother.’ Maybe you grew up feeling unseen, emotionally alone, criticized, or responsible for everyone else’s feelings. And when you became a mother yourself, you vowed your children would never feel what you felt. But what happens when that promise turns into pressure? In this episode, I talk about the emotional weight of trying to be the mom you didn’t have and the exhaustion that comes from believing you have to get motherhood “right” in order to break the cycle. I share parts of my own story, the promises I made as a young mother, the wounds that followed me into parenting, and how fear and perfectionism can quietly shape the way we show up for our children. We also explore the role of the inner child, why motherhood can feel so emotionally intense when you’re still healing your own childhood wounds, and how repair, awareness, and self-forgiveness matter more than perfection ever will. What You’ll Learn Why trying to be “different” from your mother can become another form of perfectionismHow childhood wounds can show up in your parenting reactions and relationshipsWhat it means to recognize when your inner child has been activatedWhy repair and honesty matter more than getting motherhood perfectHow fear can quietly drive even the most loving parenting choicesThe difference between conscious motherhood and perfect motherhoodWhy self-mothering and self-forgiveness are essential parts of healing Resources: Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/resources/ Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60    Brenda’s Website/Links WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

    28 min

About

Host Brenda Reiss is a Freedom and Forgiveness coach, and a person just like you that is learning to navigate life and all its challenges. She teaches a forgiveness process like no other. It's a blend of practical and spiritual forgiveness. This process guides you into knowing how unforgiveness can be keeping you stuck in your relationships, both personally and professionally, preventing you from releasing resentment and finding joy. Each week I share practical and some not so practical tips, tools, and advice from myself and other people that are on this journey just like us. This is for you if you are ready to turn your pain into peace. Welcome to the Forgive Yourself podcast.

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