EP 219 - How to Forgive Anyone Who Hurt You — The Game of Ten | Steve Barton

In this episode of Finding Better, I sit down with high-performance coach Steve Barton to unpack the hidden psychology behind peak performance — and why almost everything holding us back comes down to one thing: awareness.

Steve is the creator of The Game of Ten®, a trademarked coaching framework he’s spent over 40 years developing (recently presented to Harvard Business School’s Case Study Team). We talk about why we hide behind masks of fear, defensiveness, and imposter syndrome instead of showing up as our true selves — and Steve walks me through the exact process he uses to help clients let go of resentment, heal their inner child, and forgive people who hurt them, even if that person never apologizes or even knows they’re being forgiven.

This isn’t theory — Steve gives a step-by-step ”set it and forget it” method for releasing pain at a level where willpower alone can’t touch it, because, as he puts it, you can’t solve a problem at the same level of awareness where it was created.

By the end of this conversation, you’ll have a completely different way of thinking about fear, forgiveness, and what it actually means to operate from self-awareness instead of self-doubt.

🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ The hidden psychology behind peak performance (and why fear masks as ”protection”)

✅ What The Game of Ten® framework is, and how it measures your level of awareness

✅ How to forgive someone who hurt you — without needing an apology

✅ Why willpower can’t heal old pain, and what actually works instead

✅ How to recognize and heal your inner child

✅ The real difference between healthy boundaries and emotional walls

👤 About Steve Barton