Ever notice how you set yourself up to succeed, then find a way to wreck it? That’s self-sabotage. For many teens and young adults, it shows up as excuses, procrastination, faking it, or pretending you don’t care — but underneath? It’s fear and self doubt. Left unchecked, it drains your confidence, fuels stress, and chips away at your emotional well-being and self esteem.

In this episode, hosted by Mark Taylor, we’ll explore why sabotage isn’t laziness, but a safety system that your brain runs on autopilot. We’ll talk about how to stop self-sabotage, how it connects to teen mental health, and how short-term comfort, self-criticism, or guilt tripping can turn into long-term setbacks. You’ll also hear why breaking the cycle feels so tough when you’ve already lost motivation.

More importantly, you’ll get practical strategies for building self control, developing self reliance, and making better choices when fear takes over. This is about facing the uncomfortable truths, cutting through mental challenges, and finding advice for teens and honest answers that make sense in the real world. You’ll leave with tools that help you start overcoming fear, create habits that protect your mental well-being, and actually feel safe moving forward.

Want to get involved?
I’d love to hear from you:

• Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contact
• Leave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemail
• Share your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/new

Explore more from Headstraight:

• Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blog
• Find out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/about

Need support right now?
If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page
for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

Season 3 of Headstraight, hosted by Mark Taylor, goes straight into the struggles that keep so many teens and young adults stuck. This season is all about breaking patterns like self doubt, self-sabotage, losing motivation, and the weight of guilt trips that drag down your emotional well-being.

Across ten episodes, we’ll tackle real mental challenges: the habits you can’t seem to build, the distractions that keep pulling you away, the pressure that leads to people pleasing, and the constant comparison that wrecks your self esteem. You’ll hear why these struggles hit so hard, how they connect to teen mental health, and what you can do to move past them.

Each episode starts with a real thought or belief — “I’m always behind,” “I’ll never get it right,” or “I’m just faking it” — and unpacks what’s really going on underneath. With practical tools, grounded advice for teens, and straight talk about making better choices, Season 3 will show you how to build self control, protect your mental well-being, and start overcoming fear instead of running from it.

Want to get involved?
I’d love to hear from you:

• Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contact
• Leave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemail
• Share your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/new

Explore more from Headstraight:

• Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blog
• Find out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/about

Need support right now?
If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page
for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

Season 2 was never about quick fixes. It was about facing fear, breaking toxic cycles, and building the kind of resilience that lasts. Along the way, you’ve battled self doubt, challenged people pleasing, dealt with guilt trips, and learned how to push through even when you’d lost motivation.

In this season finale of Headstraight, we look back at the big shifts: making better choices, resetting after self-sabotage, and protecting your emotional well-being when life gets tough. You’ll see how small steps—setting boundaries, practicing self control, and building routines—help young adults and teens develop real self esteem, self reliance, and confidence without faking it.

This is pure straight talk—a recap of the tools that actually work for teen mental health and a reminder that change isn’t about perfection, it’s about persistence. From lowering the bar to stop burnout, to using real talk mental health strategies when shame creeps in, this wrap-up locks in what you’ve learned.

If you’ve struggled with teen troubles, mental challenges, or just the grind of keeping up, this episode is proof that you’re not broken—you’re building something stronger.

Want the Cheat Sheet? Click the Link or copy and paste the following into your browser:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hfHFFRyW4_LbXia-IrDW_KrLwTyU_cA-/edit?usp=sharing

Want to get involved?
I’d love to hear from you:

• Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contact
• Leave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemail
• Share your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/new

Explore more from Headstraight:

• Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blog
• Find out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/about

Need support right now?
If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page
for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

Click here to view the episode transcript.