Belonging is one of our most basic human needs — but what if the biggest thing standing in the way of feeling like you belong isn’t other people… it’s you?

In this episode, I break down why rejection feels so painful, how micro-rejections accumulate over time, and why so many of us unconsciously reject ourselves before anyone else ever gets the chance to. We explore how rejection is an emotion (not a circumstance), how your brain tries to keep you “safe” by shrinking your life, and what it actually takes to rebuild your capacity for connection.

This is a powerful, compassionate conversation about emotional safety, self-belonging, and learning how to stop turning away from yourself — even when your nervous system wants to hide.

1. Why belonging is a feeling, not something other people give you
2. The difference between direct rejection and micro-rejections
3. How rejection sensitivity builds quietly over time
4. Why avoiding rejection leads to a smaller, lonelier life
5. What it means to reject yourself in advance (and how it shows up)
6. How your brain uses pre-rejection as a protection strategy
7. A simple, practical way to interrupt self-rejection in real time
8. Why you don’t need to “heal everything” to move forward
9. How to build internal belonging: I am lovable. I belong.

If you want to feel more connected, you have to stop abandoning yourself first. Belonging begins internally — and it’s a skill you can practice, moment by moment.

1. The Love Yourself No Matter What coaching method
2. Real-life application vs. theory-based mindset work
3. Nervous system safety, emotional processing, and self-trust

If this episode resonated and you want support applying this work to your real life, I’d love to talk with you.

I currently have space in my 1:1 coaching practice.

Book a discovery call here:

👉 https://amandahess.ca/book-a-call

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

I’ll see you next week. 💛

If you’re listening to this in January (or any other time of the year) and feeling heavy, flat, emotional, or quietly overwhelmed — this episode is for you.

January 1st is supposed to feel hopeful. Fresh. Motivating.

But for so many women, it actually brings pressure, comparison, and a deep sense of “I should be feeling better than I am.”

In this episode, I’m unpacking why January 1st can feel so dysregulating — and why New Year’s resolutions often make things worse, not better.

This isn’t about mindset failure or lack of discipline.

It’s about conditioning, shame-based change, and a nervous system that’s been trained to scan for what’s missing.

We’ll talk about:

1. Why New Year’s resolutions are often fueled by shame
2. How performative change keeps you stuck in all-or-nothing cycles
3. Why willpower always fails (and what actually works instead)
4. The real reason behaviors like overeating, drinking, people-pleasing, or overworking don’t change through control
5. A gentler, more effective way to approach the new year without pressure
6. How self-concept and emotional safety create sustainable change
7. Powerful reframes you can return to all year long

Instead of asking “Who do I need to become this year?”

I invite you to explore questions like:

1. What would make me feel a little safer this year?
2. What do I want more of emotionally, energetically, and relationally?
3. What helps me come back to myself?

You don’t need a big vision.

You don’t need a perfect plan.

And you don’t need to fix yourself.

You just need to be willing to stay with yourself while this year unfolds.

1. Episode 293: You Are Not Who You Think You Are — How to Change Your Self-Concept
2. Join the membership for a free week at 👉 joinamanda.ca
3. (Includes coaching calls + an upcoming full class on self-concept)
4. Book a private coaching discovery call at 👉 amandahess.ca/bookacall

You don’t have to know where 2026 is going yet.

You don’t have to feel motivated.

And you don’t need a resolution to be worthy of change.

What if this year was about trusting yourself instead of forcing yourself?

What if your only intention was to love yourself — and be more you?

I’m so glad you’re here.

And I can’t wait to keep talking with you in 2026.

As the year comes to a close, many of us are taking stock — not just of what we did, but of who we believe we are.

In this episode, we’re talking about self-concept: the thoughts and beliefs you hold about yourself, how they were formed, and how they quietly shape your emotions, relationships, and choices — often without you realizing it.

So many of the things we believe about ourselves feel like facts… but they’re not. They’re thoughts — many of them inherited from childhood, authority figures, culture, or past experiences — and they can be changed.

Inside this episode, I share:

1. What self-concept actually is (and what it’s not)
2. How early experiences shape the way we see ourselves
3. Why “positive thinking” often backfires
4. A powerful question that opens a new path forward: Who would I be without this thought?
5. How to shift self-judgment without forcing yourself to believe something that doesn’t feel true
6. Why changing your self-concept isn’t about becoming someone else — it’s about freeing yourself

If you’ve ever felt like you aren't capable of changing your life, this conversation offers a gentler, more empowering way to look at yourself — one that creates possibility instead of pressure.

If you want support with this work:

✨ Join my membership

You can come into the community this week for a free 7-day trial. You’ll get access to:

1. Weekly group coaching calls
2. My private daily podcast (500+ episodes)
3. A supportive, thoughtful community of women doing this work together

Go to joinamanda.ca to find out more.

✨ 1:1 Coaching

I currently have limited availability for private coaching.

Book a discovery call here:

👉 amandahess.ca/bookacall

If this episode resonated, I’d love to hear from you.

You can find me on Instagram at @theamandahess — send me a DM and tell me what stood out.

Whether you celebrate or not, I’m sending you so much love as this year comes to a close.

You are not stuck. You are not broken.

And you are allowed to change.