Inner Work With MaryAnn Walker: Stop People Pleasing and Start Honoring You!

MaryAnn Walker: Life Coach for Empaths, Highly Sensitive People & People Pleasers
  • 4.9 (32)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker—the podcast for recovering people pleasers (many of whom are also highly sensitive) who are ready to stop living on autopilot and finally start honoring themselves. I work with those who feel emotionally drained from saying yes when they want to say no, from carrying everyone else’s emotions on their shoulders, and from constantly showing up for others while quietly abandoning themselves. You’ve spent years being the dependable one—the caretaker, the partner, the parent, the professional—and now you’re realizing you’ve lost touch with who you are outside of those roles. You may feel: Burned out from trying to make everyone happyAnxious about disappointing othersUnsure of your own needs, wants, and boundariesOverwhelmed by the pressure to keep the peace, even when it costs you your own If this sounds like you, you’re not broken—and you’re definitely not alone. As a certified life coach who specializes in supporting recovering people pleasers and highly sensitive souls, I’ll guide you through tools and practices to help you: Set guilt-free boundaries that stickReclaim your time, energy, and peace of mindBuild authentic connections without self-abandonmentProcess emotions in a healthy, empowering wayReconnect with who you really are—not just who others need you to be Each week, I’ll share personal stories, practical strategies, and mindset shifts to help you move from over-giving and burned out to clear, confident, and deeply connected—with yourself and with others. If you’re ready to stop people pleasing your life away and start living it fully, hit subscribe and let’s do this inner work together. https://www.maryannwalker.life  https://www.tiktok.com/@maryannwalker.life https://www.instagram.com/maryannwalker.life/ https://www.facebook.com/maryannwalker.life https://www.youtube.com/@maryannwalkerlife

  1. 193: New Year, New You: The Secret to Becoming The Best Version of You

    3D AGO

    193: New Year, New You: The Secret to Becoming The Best Version of You

    Send us a text Your Personality Isn’t Who You Are — It’s What You’ve Practiced What if the parts of your personality you struggle with aren’t “just who you are”… but simply habits you’ve practiced for a long time? As we step into a new year, many highly sensitive people and recovering people-pleasers feel both hopeful and discouraged — wanting change, but quietly wondering if real transformation is actually possible. In this episode, MaryAnn shares a powerful and freeing concept inspired by Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza: your temperament is not fixed — it’s a practiced emotional state. Together, we explore how your thoughts create your moods, how repeated moods shape your personality, and most importantly, how you can intentionally practice new emotional patterns that support the life and relationships you truly want. In this New Year episode, we’re breaking down the difference between mood and temperament, and why understanding this distinction can be one of the most empowering tools for personal growth, emotional healing, and lasting change. What You’ll Learn in This Episode The difference between a temporary mood and a long-practiced temperamentHow your personality is shaped by the thoughts you practice most oftenWhy you are not stuck — just well-practicedHow unconscious emotional habits influence relationships, health, and self-worthReal-life examples of how shifting thoughts can transform:Friendships and social connectionMarriage and family dynamicsOverwhelm, burnout, and self-careWhy identifying your practiced emotional state is the first step toward meaningful changeHow curiosity, gratitude, and consistency can reshape your identity over timeChallenge for the Week: Take a few moments each day to observe your thoughts without judgment. Ask yourself: Where does my mind go when I’m not intentionally thinking?What emotions do these thoughts create?How do those emotions influence how I show up with others — and with myself?Then ask: What emotional state would I need to practice in order to become who I want to be?Remember: your temperament is not your identity — it’s simply a pattern you’ve rehearsed. Work With Me If this episode resonated with you and you’re ready to stop repeating emotional patterns that no longer serve you, you don’t have to figure this out alone. I currently have a few openings available and offer six-week coaching packages designed to help you: Identify the thoughts shaping your current experienceShift emotional habits that keep you stuckBuild a more supportive inner dialogueBecome the person you want to be — on purpose✨ You may be surprised how much change is possible in just six weeks. 📧 Email me at maryann@maryannwalker.life Or click here  to connect: https://maryannwalker.life/contact-me — I would truly love to work with you. Don’t Forget to Subscribe If you found this episode helpful, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss future conversations on emotional awareness, boundaries, self-worth, and creating healthier relationships — especially as platforms continue to change how episodes are delivered. Links Mentioned in This Episode Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza: https://amzn.to/4piO5vHWork with MaryAnn Walker: www.maryannwalker.life ✨ Your

    15 min
  2. 192: The Stories We Tell Ourselves & The Meanings We Create: Separating Fact from Fiction

    12/25/2025

    192: The Stories We Tell Ourselves & The Meanings We Create: Separating Fact from Fiction

    Send us a text Story Telling & The Meanings We Create: Separating Fact from Fiction What if the thing that's actually upsetting you isn't what happened... but the story your mind is telling about it? For highly sensitive people, it can feel like tone, facial expressions, silence, or subtle shifts in energy cause our emotions. But this isn't the case. In this episode, MaryAnn Walker shares one of the most freeing concepts you can learn as a recovering people-pleaser: circumstances are neutral until we assign meaning to them—and that meaning is optional. You’ll learn how to stop emotionally reacting to imagined stories, reclaim your power, and respond to life (and relationships) with more clarity, peace, and confidence. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why circumstances are always neutral—and how thoughts create emotional painHow highly sensitive people become conditioned to over-interpret tone, silence, and microexpressionsThe crucial difference between facts vs. stories (and why your brain loves filling in the gaps)Real-life examples including:A partner not texting backA friend canceling plansA mother-in-law’s holiday commentDivorce and relationship transitionsHow confirmation bias reinforces anxiety, guilt, and people-pleasing patternsA powerful two-highlighter exercise to separate truth from interpretationWhy it’s not your job to intuit what others are thinking or feelingHow letting go of story can reduce anxiety and create more trust in relationshipsWork With Me If you’re tired of your mind creating anxiety, guilt, or emotional exhaustion—and you’re ready to feel calmer, clearer, and more grounded in your relationships—I would love to support you. This is one of my favorite things to do in coaching: helping highly sensitive people untangle thoughts from circumstances so they can choose stories that actually support their well-being. ✨ Wanting to start the New Year off with support?  Click here to apply now! https://maryannwalker.life/contact-me Don’t Forget to Subscribe If this episode resonated with you, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss future conversations on emotional regulation, boundaries, anxiety relief, and healing people-pleasing patterns. New episodes are released regularly, and subscribing ensures they show up automatically in your feed. Links Mentioned in This Episode Explore 1:1 Coaching for Highly Sensitive People & Recovering People-Pleasers https://maryannwalker.life/contact-meMore Episodes to Explore:  Facts vs Stories https://www.buzzsprout.com/2028767/episodes/11068994Boundaries vs Manuals: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2028767/episodes/11236956Holiday Manuals: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2028767/episodes/11604245💛 You deserve to take up space—even in your own mind.

    19 min
  3. 191: How to Enjoy The Holidays Even When Things go "Wrong" with Kellyn Legath

    12/18/2025

    191: How to Enjoy The Holidays Even When Things go "Wrong" with Kellyn Legath

    Send us a text 🎄 Holiday Expectations, Emotional Triggers & Radical Acceptance: How Your “Manuals” Are Ruining Your Holidays What if the thing making the holidays so stressful isn’t your family… but your expectations? In this special holiday episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on something that quietly runs our emotional lives—manuals. These are the invisible rules we carry about how people should behave, how holidays should look, and how we should show up. And during the holidays? These manuals go into overdrive. When technology issues cut short my holiday interview with fellow coach Kellyn Legath, I had a choice: spiral into frustration—or practice what I teach. This episode became a real-time lesson in radical acceptance, emotional regulation, and reclaiming your peace when life doesn’t go according to plan. Together, Kellyn and I explore how holiday manuals create resentment, burnout, and emotional reactivity—and how learning to recognize them can help you feel more grounded, empowered, and emotionally free this season. What You’ll Learn in This Episode What a “manual” really is—and how unspoken expectations create resentmentWhy the holidays intensify emotional triggers for highly sensitive peopleHow manuals silently put other people in charge of your emotionsThe difference between reacting emotionally and responding intentionallyHow to identify your own holiday manuals (for others and yourself)Why communication—not mind reading—is the key to healthier holidaysHow to set realistic, measurable expectations for how you show upPractical ways to navigate family dynamics without people-pleasingHow radical acceptance helps you find peace even when things go “wrong”Why letting yourself be human is more powerful than trying to be perfectChallenge for the Week Before your next holiday gathering, pause and ask yourself: What am I expecting here?Have I communicated that expectation—or am I assuming others should know?What are three realistic ways I can measure that I showed up well—without needing perfection?Notice every time the word should pops into your thoughts. That’s your manual asking for attention. Work With Me If this episode made you realize how much emotional energy you spend managing other people’s feelings—or how often your happiness depends on things going “just right”—you don’t have to navigate that alone. I support highly sensitive people and recovering people-pleasers in learning how to: Regulate their emotionsSet boundaries without guiltStop feeling responsible for everyone else’s experienceApply to work with me here: https://maryannwalker.life/contact-me Don’t Forget to Subscribe If you found this episode helpful, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss future conversations on emotional regulation, boundaries, and creating more peace in your relationships—especially during emotionally charged seasons like the holidays. Links Mentioned in This Episode MaryAnn Walker: life coach for highly sensitive people & recovering people-pleasers Contact MaryAnn: https://maryannwalker.life/contact-me Contact Kellyn: https://www.instagram.com/daydreamercoaching/

    39 min

  4. 12/11/2025

    190: Burned Out? How to Feel 10% Better Today

    Send us a text If you’ve ever felt like you had to keep it all together, even when you were running on empty, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Together, we explore how letting go of perfection and focusing on feeling just 10% better can become a gentle, sustainable path toward healing and self-connection. In this episode, I’m joined by my friend, author, and public speaker, Marissa Campbell, for a heartfelt conversation about burnout, emotional exhaustion, and learning how to come back home to yourself. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why burnout often hides behind busyness and people-pleasingThe power of checking in with your emotional battery before you hit emptyHow to let go of thinking healing takes time and shift to  feeling “10% better” today.Simple, somatic ways to reconnect with your body and emotionsHow to identify your early warning signs of emotional depletionWhat it really means to lead — and live — from the heartChallenge for the Week Pause once today to ask yourself: 🩵 "How full is my battery and what emotion am I experiencing right now?” Then give yourself permission to honor whatever answer arises with no expectations. *Bonus* Ask yourself what might help to charge your battery, and give it to yourself. Small steps count. They build momentum. And they remind you that you are worthy of care, even in the smallest of ways. Work With Me If you’re ready to stop running on empty and start rebuilding from a place of peace and self-trust, I’d love to help. You can book a free clarity call to explore how coaching can support you at calendly.com/maryannwalkerlife/freeconsult Don’t Forget to Subscribe If this episode resonated with you, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Links Mentioned in This Episode Connect with guest Marissa Campbell on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mc.speaks/ Purchase your copy of Lead With Heart: https://amzn.to/3JxdByw

    44 min
  5. 189: Scapegoat vs Golden Child: How Family Role Shape Identity and People Pleasing With Elle Boone

    12/04/2025

    189: Scapegoat vs Golden Child: How Family Role Shape Identity and People Pleasing With Elle Boone

    Send us a text Understanding the Family Scapegoat: Healing, Identity, and People Pleasing Today I am joined by Elle Boone, host of The Family Scapegoat Chronicles. Elle dives deep into a role that many empaths and highly sensitive people unknowingly carry—that of the family scapegoat—and how it shapes identity, people-pleasing tendencies, and emotional well-being. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: What it means to be the family scapegoat and how this role is assigned in dysfunctional and narcissistic family systems.The three key dynamics of scapegoating: blame, shame, and rejection, and how these affect long-term emotional health.The concept of “family mobbing” and how siblings and other family members may unconsciously or consciously participate in scapegoating.Differences between the scapegoat, golden child, and lost child roles—and how these roles can rotate over time.How scapegoating contributes to people-pleasing, overgiving, and identity confusion.Signs that you might have been scapegoated, including minimized successes, silent treatment, backhanded criticism, and heightened responsibility for family dysfunction.Practical strategies for healing: observing patterns, pacing your recovery, and reclaiming your personal identity.Recommended resources, including Rejected, Shamed, and Blamed by Rebecca C. Mandeville, and the documentary The Wisdom of Trauma by Gabor Maté.Challenge for the Week: Take a compassionate pause to observe your patterns. Notice how often you apologize, overgive, or seek approval. Write down at least three recurring behaviors and reflect on where they might have originated. This is the first step toward reclaiming your identity and untangling the people-pleasing and scapegoating patterns in your life. Work With Me: If you’re ready to start identifying the roles that hold you back and learn to set healthier boundaries, you can book a free clarity call with me here: https://calendly.com/maryannwalkerlife/freeconsult Don’t Forget to Subscribe Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Each week, we dive deeper into the practices that help recovering people pleasers create balance, self-worth, and authentic connection. 🎯 email me now at maryann@maryannwalker.life to work with me!  Follow me on my other platforms and join the conversation!  Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannwalker.life/ Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryannwalker.life Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maryannwalker.life Links Mentioned in This Episode: Elle Boone’s podcast: The Family Scapegoat Chronicles https://thefamilyscapegoatchronicles.podbean.com/e/the-family-scapegoat-chronicles-i-true-stories-of-survival-and-healing-after-narcissistic-and-family-scapegoating-abuse/Elle Boone on Substack:https://thefamilyscapegoatchronicles.substack.com/ Book: Rejected, Shamed, and Blamed by Rebecca C. Mandeville – https://a.co/d/7kLN3lG Documentary: The Wisdom of Trauma by Gabor Maté – Watch here https://thewisdomoftrauma.com/

    44 min
  6. 188: Choosing Joy: How Intention, Presence, and Gratitude Transform Your Life with Natalie King

    11/27/2025

    188: Choosing Joy: How Intention, Presence, and Gratitude Transform Your Life with Natalie King

    Send us a text Choosing Joy: How intention, presence, and gratitude can transform your life. Today, I’m thrilled to talk with Natalie King, British transformational coach, speaker, and podcast host of One Precious Life. We explore how to find joy intentionally, even during stressful or challenging times, and why it’s so important to prioritize joy as part of your emotional well-being. Whether you’re struggling to feel happiness during a busy holiday season, or you want to cultivate more joy, gratitude, and self-love in your daily life, this episode is packed with practical strategies and empowering insights for empaths and highly sensitive people. What You’ll Learn in This Episode How to Catch Joy Daily: Recognize and savor joyful moments, even in the small, ordinary experiences of life.Permission to Be Happy: Why giving yourself permission to experience joy is an act of self-love and self-care.Daily Practices for Emotional Well-Being: Simple habits like dancing, walking in nature, laughing, or meditating that boost mood, reduce overwhelm, and enhance resilience.The Power of Gratitude: How cultivating gratitude creates more joy, presence, and appreciation in everyday life.Joy as a Lifestyle for Highly Sensitive People: How consistent practice can make joy a natural part of your temperament and overall emotional health.Avoiding Regrets Later in Life: Why allowing yourself to be happy is one of the most common regrets of the dying, and how to prevent it by prioritizing your joy today.Challenge for the Week Create your “joy list”—a small collection of activities that consistently make you feel happy, fulfilled, or playful. Pick one thing from your list today and notice how it shifts your energy, mindset, and emotional resilience. Work With Me If you’re a highly sensitive person or recovering people-pleaser ready to create more joy, set healthy boundaries, and take up your space fully, let’s connect. Book a free clarity call here: https://calendly.com/maryannwalkerlife/freeconsult . Links Mentioned in This Episode Natalie King’s Podcast: One Precious Life. Listen now on your favorite platform! Natalie’s Women’s Circle: Message Natalie on Instragram to learn more! Follow Natalie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/this.one.precious.life/Don’t Forget to Subscribe If you enjoyed this conversation about finding joy, emotional well-being, and intentional happiness, subscribe to Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. MaryAnn Walker coaching: https:maryannwalker.lifeFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannwalker.life/Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryannwalker.lifeFollow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maryannwalker.lifeJoin my email list and get a FREE GIFT! https://maryannwalker-life.ck.page/3da1fd88a9

    43 min
  7. 187: The Fear of Disappointing Others: Healing The Need to be Liked

    11/20/2025

    187: The Fear of Disappointing Others: Healing The Need to be Liked

    Send us a text The Fear Disappointing Others: Healing The Need to be Liked The fear of disappointing others is so often invisible, yet it drives so many of your choices—what you say yes to, what you stay silent about, and how you show up in your relationships. If you’ve ever worried that someone’s disappointment might cost you connection, safety, or love… this episode will feel like exhaling. This isn’t an episode about fixing the pattern—this is about finally seeing it with compassion and clarity. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why so many HSPs and people pleasers fear disappointing others—and why it makes perfect sense.How this fear subtly impacts your boundaries, your energy, and your authenticity.The emotional toll of over-functioning, overexplaining, and absorbing other people’s feelings.How fear of disappointment shows up differently in friendships, romantic partnerships, and work environments.The deeper nervous system roots behind people-pleasing and why it feels so scary to say no.Real stories (Sarah, Ben, and Maya) that will help you see these patterns in your own life with more compassion.The surprising way avoiding disappointment often causes resentment, burnout, disconnection, and self-abandonment.A gentle mindset shift that can help you move from chasing approval to honoring your truth.Challenge for the Week Notice the moments—big or small—when your choices are driven by the fear of disappointing someone. Don’t fix them. Don’t change them. Just notice. Awareness is the first step toward healing this pattern. Work With Me If this episode hit home and you’re ready to break free from the exhaustion of people-pleasing and learn how to take up space without fear, I’d love to support you. Many people choose to gift themselves a more empowered, authentic life for the holidays—and if that’s you, I invite you to book a free clarity call with me.  This is a 20-minute conversation to explore what you’re struggling with and whether coaching might be your next step. Spaces are limited—so if your heart is nudging you, listen. Book your free clarity call here: https://calendly.com/maryannwalkerlife/freeconsult Don’t Forget to Subscribe Be sure to follow the show so you don’t miss new episode.  Staying connected helps to ensures you never miss a topic that could support your healing. Links Mentioned in This Episode Book your free clarity call: https://calendly.com/maryannwalkerlife/freeconsult MaryAnn Walker coaching: https:maryannwalker.lifeFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannwalker.life/Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryannwalker.lifeFollow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maryannwalker.lifeJoin my email list and get a FREE GIFT! https://maryannwalker-life.ck.page/3da1fd88a9

    14 min

  8. 11/13/2025

    186: From Smiling Through the Pain to Living Authentically: My Journey Out of People-Pleasing Burnout

    Send us a text Have you ever had a small moment that changed your life trajectory? This week I'm sharing two personal experience with Marissa Campbell from the Art of Heart podcast.  One experience is about learning to release the shame of not always feeling “happy,” and another about is my journey of self-discovery after burnout.  What You’ll Learn in This Episode How to recognize when shame is clouding your emotional truthWhy it’s possible (and human) to feel this and that—multiple emotions at onceThe subtle ways people pleasing sneaks into “good intentions”How shame and toxic positivity can block genuine healingWhat it means to reconnect with your mind, body, and spiritHow to create a solo retreat to refill your emotional cup and rediscover who you areChallenge for the Week Take time this week to check in with yourself. Ask: “What am I actually feeling right now?”“What do I need—mentally, physically, and emotionally?” Then, give yourself permission to honor whatever comes up without judgment. Let it be okay to be both this andthat.Work With Me If you’re ready to break free from burnout and people pleasing, I’d love to help you reconnect with your authentic self. Together, we’ll rebuild your confidence, strengthen your boundaries, and help you create a life that feels aligned and fulfilling. 👉 Book your free clarity call here: https://calendly.com/maryannwalkerlife/freeconsult Don’t Forget to Subscribe If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to follow Art of Heart and Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode full of heart-centered insight and inspiration. Links Mentioned in This Episode Marissa Campbell, host of Art of Heart: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mc.speaks/Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/art-of-heart-with-marissa-campbell/id1835497338MaryAnn Walker coaching: https:maryannwalker.lifeFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannwalker.life/Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryannwalker.lifeFollow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maryannwalker.lifeJoin my email list and get a FREE GIFT! https://maryannwalker-life.ck.page/3da1fd88a9

    43 min
See All (196)

4.9
out of 5
32 Ratings

About

Welcome to Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker—the podcast for recovering people pleasers (many of whom are also highly sensitive) who are ready to stop living on autopilot and finally start honoring themselves. I work with those who feel emotionally drained from saying yes when they want to say no, from carrying everyone else’s emotions on their shoulders, and from constantly showing up for others while quietly abandoning themselves. You’ve spent years being the dependable one—the caretaker, the partner, the parent, the professional—and now you’re realizing you’ve lost touch with who you are outside of those roles. You may feel: Burned out from trying to make everyone happyAnxious about disappointing othersUnsure of your own needs, wants, and boundariesOverwhelmed by the pressure to keep the peace, even when it costs you your own If this sounds like you, you’re not broken—and you’re definitely not alone. As a certified life coach who specializes in supporting recovering people pleasers and highly sensitive souls, I’ll guide you through tools and practices to help you: Set guilt-free boundaries that stickReclaim your time, energy, and peace of mindBuild authentic connections without self-abandonmentProcess emotions in a healthy, empowering wayReconnect with who you really are—not just who others need you to be Each week, I’ll share personal stories, practical strategies, and mindset shifts to help you move from over-giving and burned out to clear, confident, and deeply connected—with yourself and with others. If you’re ready to stop people pleasing your life away and start living it fully, hit subscribe and let’s do this inner work together. https://www.maryannwalker.life  https://www.tiktok.com/@maryannwalker.life https://www.instagram.com/maryannwalker.life/ https://www.facebook.com/maryannwalker.life https://www.youtube.com/@maryannwalkerlife

Information

You Might Also Like