26. People-Pleasing at Work: Why You Can't Stop (And What It's Really Costing You)

You say yes when you mean no. You take on work that isn't yours because saying no feels too risky. You soften feedback until it loses its meaning, apologize for things that aren't your fault, and spend more energy managing other people's emotions than doing your actual job. And the strangest part? You know you're doing it. You can see it happening in real time. And you still can't stop.

People-pleasing at work isn't a habit you can just decide to break. It's a nervous system strategy that your brain developed for very good reasons, and until you understand those reasons, willpower won't touch it. Today you'll get the psychology and neuroscience behind why people-pleasing is so hard to quit, what it's actually costing you at work, and my three steps to change it.

____________________________

Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/people-pleasing-at-work

Get the People-Pleasing Pattern Decoder, your guide to identifying exactly where and why your people-pleasing shows up at work: https://abbymedcalf.com/people-pleasing-decoder

Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack.

You'll get...

✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes

✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations

✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby

_________

Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week!