Therapist Meg Josephson learned early on to put others’ needs before her own. It was a way for her to stay safe in a home that didn’t feel emotionally stable. But over time, she saw that her people-pleasing habits were eroding her sense of self, and straining the very relationships she was trying to protect. On today’s show, we explore how we can stop asking ourselves if other people are mad at us. Who can we become when we stop trying to please everyone else?

If you liked this episode, you’ll want to check out our episode with Sunita Sah, called, “How To Say No.”

Don’t forget to pre-order Maya’s book, “The Other Side of Change,” at changewithmaya.com/book.

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The world feels especially heavy these days, and it’s easy to feel cynical. So today, Maya is revisiting her conversation with psychologist Jamil Zaki, who offers an alternative to cynicism: a mindset he calls “hopeful skepticism.” Jamil explains why hopeful people are more resilient, more successful in accomplishing goals, and more willing to tackle societal problems head on.

For even more from Jamil, check out our other episode with him: “How to Build Empathy and Avoid Burnout.”

Don’t forget to pre-order Maya’s book, “The Other Side of Change,” at changewithmaya.com/book.

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It’s been more than a decade since Malala Yousafzai, then a 15-year-old student and advocate for girls education, survived an assassination attempt. Malala is 28 now, and she’s written an intimate new memoir called “Finding My Way,” revealing sides of her the world has never seen before. In today’s episode, Maya sits down with Malala to explore the tension that exists between the different versions of ourselves that we carry — who the world expects us to be, who our families raised us to be, and who we’re still in the process of becoming.

Don’t forget to pre-order Maya’s book, “The Other Side of Change” at changewithmaya.com/book.

“Finding My Way: A Memoir” is out now. You can find it wherever you buy books.

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