Shows / Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
A podcast for people pleasers and perfectionists ready to drop the masks. Kim Gross shares simple tools to calm the inner critic, set boundaries, and live with confidence, clarity, and inner freedom. www.kimgrosscoaching.com
Episodes
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why You Always Feel Like You Have to Do Something
Do you ever feel like you're constantly moving from one thing to the next, checking things off your list, and thinking about what you need to accomplish—even…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Does Healing Ever End? Why Healing Isn't Linear
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "I thought I was past this. Why am I still struggling with the same pattern?" If you've been doing inner work for…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why Disappointing Someone Feels Like Doing Something Wrong.
Why can someone else’s disappointment make you immediately feel as though you’ve done something wrong? For people pleasers, another person’s unhappiness can…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why You Second-Guess Yourself—even When You Know What You Want
Have you ever known exactly what you wanted—only to talk yourself out of it five minutes later? Maybe you weren’t actually confused. Maybe you became afraid…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Are You Living the Life You Chose—or the Life You Were Supposed to Want?
What if the life you’re living makes perfect sense on paper—but you never consciously chose it? We absorb ideas about what life is supposed to look like long…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
How to Feel Safe When You’re Always Waiting for Something to Go Wrong
Have you ever noticed that even when everything is okay, some part of you is still waiting for something to go wrong? You might worry about your health, your…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop: Why You Can’t Relax When Life Is Good
Have you ever noticed that the moment life feels calm, your mind starts looking for what could go wrong? Your kids are okay. Your health is okay. Nothing needs…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why Discipline Stops Working in Midlife: Finding Your Way Back to Yourself with Courtney Townley
What if the reason you keep struggling to “stay consistent” isn’t because you lack discipline? For so many driven women, the strategies that helped us succeed…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Hidden Cost of Being the Strong One
What if being “the strong one” has become another way of losing yourself? Some of us don’t disappear in relationships by becoming overly dependent on other…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Stop Giving Your Power Away: The Radical Responsibility of Being Yourself
What happens when you finally recognize the ways you've been losing yourself in relationships—but the other person still doesn't change? That's where radical…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Healing The Fear That Makes You Disappear
Have you ever wondered why you keep people-pleasing, over-explaining, fixing, accommodating, or staying silent—even when you know you’re abandoning yourself?…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
When Caring Becomes Control: The Hidden Ways We Lose Ourselves
What happens when caring about someone becomes fixing them, worrying about them, rescuing them—or feeling responsible for how their life turns out? In this…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
“Whatever You Want Is Fine”: The Hidden Way You Lose Yourself
How many times have you said, “Whatever you want is fine,” when it was not actually fine? Losing yourself in a relationship rarely happens through one dramatic…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Real and Unfiltered: The Freedom to Be Your True Self
What would change if you no longer had to perform for love, approval, or belonging? In this episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People Pleasers and…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
When You Have Done Everything and Still Feel Powerless
What happens when you have done everything you can—and you still cannot get the outcome you want? In this episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Judgment Mask- Why We Criticize Others When We Don't Feel Safe Within Ourselves
Have you ever caught yourself judging someone and wondered, Where did that come from? What if your judgment isn't actually about them? In this episode of Masks…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
When Comparison Steals Your Freedom
Comparison is one of the sneakiest ways the inner controller tries to keep us safe. It tells us that if we can figure out where we stand — who is ahead, who is…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Mask We Wear When We're Afraid They'll Judge Us
Have you ever walked into a room and suddenly felt like you had to prove you were okay? In this episode, Kim Gross opens the July series, Real and Unfiltered…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Freedom Begins When You Stop Trying to Control Everything
In this episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, Kim Gross closes out the June Inner Controller series with a powerful…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Prison of Perfectionism in Relationships
What if the very thing you are doing to protect your relationships is actually keeping you from the connection you deeply desire? In this episode, Kim Gross…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
You’re Not Fine — You’re Overriding Yourself
Are you really okay — or are you overriding yourself? In this episode, Kim Gross introduces a new concept on the podcast: override. Override is what happens…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
From Prison to Paradise: How Your Inner Controller Keeps You Trapped
Have you ever wondered why you can’t fully relax, even when life looks good on the outside? In this episode, Kim Gross introduces the “inner controller” — the…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
You're Not a Problem to Fix
In this final episode of Inner Child Month and the six-year anniversary month of Masks Off, Kim Gross welcomes somatic practitioner Lori Montry, creator of the…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
You Can’t Shame Yourself Into Healing
You can’t shame or force yourself into healing—especially if you learned to criticize yourself before you learned to comfort yourself. In this episode, Kim…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why You Keep Chasing Approval — And How to Rewrite the Script
What if your people-pleasing and perfectionism are not who you are — but approval scripts you learned in childhood? In this episode, Kim Gross celebrates six…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
You’re Not “Just This Way”—The Truth About Perfectionism & Control
Perfectionism isn’t who you are—it’s who you became to feel safe. In this opening episode of Inner Child Month, Kim shares how her perfectionism and…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why Peace and Pain Can Exist at the Same Time
If you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected, this episode explores a powerful truth: healing doesn’t come from avoiding your feelings—it comes from…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
You’re Not Powerless- You’re Avoiding This One Thing
If you’ve ever felt stuck, resentful, or powerless in your life… this episode is going to challenge you—in the best way. In this episode of Masks Off: Inner…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Have you ever found yourself crying in your car… wondering what is wrong with you?
Have you ever found yourself crying in your car… wondering what is wrong with you? Nothing is wrong with you. In this episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Your Feelings Aren’t the Problem—This Is
You’re not overwhelmed by your emotions… you’re overwhelmed by the story you’re telling about them. In this episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why You Feel Numb (And It’s Not What You Think)
If you feel nothing lately… this is why. In this episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, we begin what I’m calling The…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
You Know You Need Boundaries...So Why Can't You Set Them?
Why is it so hard to say no… even when you know you need to? In this episode of Masks Off, Kim is joined by returning guest Ashley Bendiksen—healthy…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why You Can’t Relax (Even When You Finally Have Time)
Why does rest feel so uncomfortable—even when you know you need it? In this episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People-Pleasers & Perfectionists, Kim Gross…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Toxic Productivity: When Hustle Becomes Self-Abandonment
Toxic Productivity: When Hustle Is a Mask for Fear Many of us have learned to equate productivity with worth. But what happens when the drive to achieve…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Burnout isn’t a productivity failure. It’s a boundary you didn’t set.
In this episode, I open March’s Burnout Breakdown series by reframing burnout as your body enforcing limits after too many micro-yeses, too much emotional…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
How to Say No Without the Guilt Hangover
If you’re the default planner, reminder, emotional regulator, and peacekeeper in your relationship — this episode is for you. We’re unpacking the invisible…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Do you feel like you disappear in dating, friendships, or at work?
In this episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, Kim Gross explores how self-abandonment, over-adapting, shapeshifting…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why You Feel Guilty for Taking Up Space: Being Low Maintenance in a relationship is not a badge of honor!!!
People-pleasing doesn’t come from weakness—it comes from survival. In this deeply grounding solo episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People-Pleasers &…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Are You Addicted to Approval? (Most of Us Are)
In this solo episode of Masks Off: Inner Freedom for People-Pleasers & Perfectionists, host Kim Gross unpacks the deeply rooted pattern of approval…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Micro Yeses: The Tiny Ways We Self-Abandon Every Day
Self-abandonment doesn’t always look dramatic.Most of the time, it’s quiet. Subtle. Almost invisible. In this episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Awareness of Patterns- Breaking the Auto-Pilot Loop
In this episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, Kim Gross introduces her 5-Step Power Pathway — a grounded, compassionate framework for…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Moment You Realized You’ve Been Living for Everyone Else
Have you ever looked at your life and thought, “Why doesn’t this feel like mine?” In this episode, Kim Gross explores the deep sense of disconnection that…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
New Year, Same You — But This Time You’re Awake
January comes with a lot of pressure. New habits. New goals. A “new you.”But what if the work this year isn’t about fixing yourself at all? In this episode of…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Re-Released by Popular Demand — Our #1 Episode of 2025
✨ Re-Released by Popular Demand — Our #1 Episode of 2025 ✨ This episode was the most listened-to and shared episode of 2025, and for good reason. I’m bringing…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Healthy Motivation or Perfectionist Overdrive? How to Stop Burning Out
Merry Christmas 💛 In today’s special holiday episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, I’m having an honest, heart-centered conversation…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Truth About Restlessness: A Survival Pattern You Can Heal
Do you ever feel restless the moment life slows down? Like your mind and body just won’t let you be still? You’re not alone — and your restlessness is trying…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Moment I Realized Productivity Was My Trauma Response
In this deeply vulnerable episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, host Kim Gross shares a raw, honest, behind-the-scenes look at what real…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Break the Hustle Cycle: How Alignment Beats Perfectionism
Are you stuck in the grind, pushing, striving, and hustling—yet still feeling out of alignment? In this episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
I Stopped Hustling for Worthiness… and Everything Changed
Are you exhausted from constantly striving, pushing, and trying to be perfect? In this vulnerable and intimate episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers &…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Escape the Overwhelm: Real Talk on Burnout for 20-Somethings
Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and like you’re running on fumes? You’re not alone—and you’re definitely not failing. In this powerful episode, Kim Gross…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Eat the Cookie, Say No to the Drama: How to Ditch Holiday Guilt for Good
Do the holidays leave you stressed about food, body image, or saying no to that second helping (or that draining family event)? You’re not alone. 💛 In this…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why Blaming Others Keeps You Stuck
Are you tired of feeling stuck, resentful, or like life keeps happening to you instead of for you? In this episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Freedom in No: Choosing Yourself Without Guilt
Are you constantly saying yes when your heart is screaming no? Do you find yourself seeking approval, even at the cost of your own peace? And have you ever…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Strong on the Outside, Struggling Inside: The Trap of Suppression
Are you the strong one who’s always there for everyone else—but secretly struggling inside? In this episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Break Free from Perfectionism: The Real Cause of Burnout No One Talks About
Are you tired of feeling burned out, overwhelmed, and never “good enough”? In this episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, host Kim Gross…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Freedom from Silence: Speaking Your Truth
Are you done living by everyone else’s expectations? 💔 In this powerful episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, host Kim Gross opens up…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Embracing Change: Overcoming Perfectionism and Aging with Grace ✨
In this heartfelt episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, Kim Gross, opens up about the realities of aging and how perfectionism can make…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Beyond Perfection: Inner Wellbeing for Lifelong Success
🌟 In this episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and Perfectionists, Kim Gross talks with Rocio Aquino & Angel Orengo about reclaiming inner power…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
Why Pushing Harder Isn’t Always the Answer
Are you tired of feeling stuck in resistance and weighed down by the pressure to be perfect? In this heartfelt episode of Masks Off for People Pleasers and…
- Masks Off: Inner Freedom For People-Pleasers and Perfectionists
The Hidden Link Between People Pleasing, Perfectionism & Chronic Illness
"If you have IBS, chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, or anxiety that won't go away - your doctor might be missing something huge. Your illness might not be…