217 - The Hidden Career Costs of Fawning

Stop Sabotaging Your Success · May 7, 2026 · 26m

In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores why fawning in the workplace impacts your career. Fawning is that automatic “yes” that shows up before there’s even time to think. She explains how fawning is not just people pleasing, but a nervous system response that activates when fight, flight, or freeze aren’t adequate options. In professional environments, this often looks like overcommitting and constantly scanning for how everyone around us might be feeling. While it can feel like being a good team player, Cindy highlights that fawning is actually rooted in a need to feel safe and how external…