Inner Work With MaryAnn Walker: Life Coach for Highly Sensitive People & Recovering People-Pleasers
Welcome to Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker
A podcast for Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) and Recovering People Pleasers.
If you’ve ever been told you’re too sensitive, too emotional, or that you just care too much, this podcast is your reminder that your sensitivity isn’t the problem. And your desire to make others happy isn’t the problem either. The real issue is that your nervous system requires a different set of tools for regulation—and those tools can be learned.
If you’ve found yourself Googling “why am I so sensitive,” “how to stop people pleasing,” or “how to set boundaries without guilt,” you’re in the right place.
Here, we explore how to:
- Recover from people-pleasing patterns without guilt or fear
- Set boundaries that feel safe, sustainable, and aligned
- Regulate your nervous system instead of overriding your emotions
- Build balanced, emotionally healthy relationships
- Learn to trust that your sensitivity becomes a strength when your nervous system is supported
Through personal insights, practical tools, and honest conversations, MaryAnn Walker helps you move from chronic overwhelm to grounded confidence—so you can get your needs met without guilt, speak up without over-apologizing, and stop abandoning yourself to keep the peace.
Most people try to fix or suppress their sensitivity.
Here, you’ll learn how to support it.
Welcome—I’m so glad you’re here.
If you’re ready for more customized support, I would love to work with you. You can have a life filled with peace, clarity, and connection—and I can show you how.
👉 Inquire about availability and next steps here:
https://maryannwalker.life/contact-me
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Episodes
200 episodes
197: Ten Things to Start Doing in 2026 for More Joy & Peace
10 Things to Start Doing in 2026 to Create More Joy and PeaceIf you want more joy, balance, and emotional ease in your life—especially if you tend to over-give, struggle with guilt, or feel responsible for keeping everyone else co...
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Episode 197
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19:40
196: Ten Things to Stop Doing in 2026
10 things to stop doing in 2026 to help you to breathe easier, feel lighter, and take up the space you deserve.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Stop over-owning other people’s emotionsStop saying...
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Episode 196
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16:53
195: Boundary Setting for Highly Sensitive People with Boundary Coach, Kami Orange
Struggling to set boundaries as a highly sensitive person? You’re not alone. In this episode, boundary coach Kami Orange shares 19 years of experience helping people stop people-pleasing and start saying what they mean—with clarity, kind...
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Episode 195
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46:50
194: Why Your New Year’s Resolutions Keep Failing (You're Not Broken. You're Just Well Practiced!)
Ever feel like every January you set the same goals… and by February you’re right back where you started?If you’ve ever told yourself “this is just how I am” or “I’ll try again next year,” this episode is going to...
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Episode 194
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13:41
193: The Surprising Secret to Becoming The Best Version of You | Reinvent Yourself and Win at Life
Your Personality Isn’t Who You Are — It’s What You’ve PracticedWhat if the parts of your personality you struggle with aren’t “just who you are”… but simply habits you’ve practiced for a long time?As we step into a new year...
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Episode 193
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14:58
192: The Stories We Tell Ourselves & The Meanings We Create: Separating Fact from Fiction
Story Telling & The Meanings We Create: Separating Fact from FictionWhat if the thing that's actually upsetting you isn't what happened... but the story your mind is telling about it?For highly sensitive people, ...
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Episode 192
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18:54
191: How to Enjoy The Holidays Even When Things go "Wrong" with Kellyn Legath
🎄 Holiday Expectations, Emotional Triggers & Radical Acceptance: How Your “Manuals” Are Ruining Your HolidaysWhat if the thing making the holidays so stressful isn’t your family… but your expectations?In this special ho...
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Episode 191
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38:46
190: Burned Out? How to Feel 10% Better Today
If you’ve ever felt like you had to keep it all together, even when you were running on empty, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Together, we explore how letting go of perfection and focusing on feeling just 10% better can bec...
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Episode 190
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43:51
189: Scapegoat vs Golden Child: How Family Role Shape Identity and People Pleasing With Elle Boone
Understanding the Family Scapegoat: Healing, Identity, and People PleasingToday I am joined by Elle Boone, host of The Family Scapegoat Chronicles. Elle dives deep into a role that many empaths and highly sensitive people...
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Episode 189
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44:15
188: Choosing Joy: How Intention, Presence, and Gratitude Transform Your Life with Natalie King
Choosing Joy: How intention, presence, and gratitude can transform your life.Today, I’m thrilled to talk with Natalie King, British transformational coach, speaker, and podcast host of One Precious Life. We explore how to find joy...
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Episode 188
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43:07
187: The Fear of Disappointing Others: Healing The Need to be Liked
The Fear Disappointing Others: Healing The Need to be LikedThe fear of disappointing others is so often invisible, yet it drives so many of your choices—what you say yes to, what you stay silent about, and how you show up in your relatio...
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Episode 187
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14:25
186: From Smiling Through the Pain to Living Authentically: My Journey Out of People-Pleasing Burnout
Have you ever had a small moment that changed your life trajectory? This week I'm sharing two personal experience with Marissa Campbell from the Art of Heart podcast. One experience is about learning to release the shame of not alwa...
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Episode 186
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42:55
185: Part 2: Why Your Anger Isn’t the Problem—But a Path to Clarity and Solutions
Why Your Anger Isn't the Problem- But a Path to Clarity and SolutionsAre you a people pleaser or highly sensitive person who struggles with feeling safe expressing anger? You’re not alone—and in today’s episode, we’re flipping the...
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Episode 185
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14:03
Bonus: When You’re Feeling the Weight of the World: Government Shutdown Reflections and Hope
Feeling overwhelmed by the news, politics, or the state of the world? You’re not alone. In this bonus episode, MaryAnn Walker dives into how empaths and highly sensitive people can stay grounded during times of uncertainty — like the current U....
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14:50
184: Understanding Anger & People Pleasers (Part 1)
Why many people pleasers struggle with anger (and how to start feeling it safely)For many people pleasers, anger feels unsafe, unpredictable, or even shameful. But here’s the truth—anger itself isn’t the problem. It’s actually a s...
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Episode 184
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20:55
183: 10 Common Struggles Highly Sensitive People and People Pleasers Face (And How Coaching Can Help)
Are you always showing up for everyone else — yet feeling unseen, unfulfilled, or disconnected from yourself?In this episode, life coach MaryAnn Walker shares the top 10 struggles she sees most often in highly sensitive people and recove...
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Episode 183
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22:15
182: 3 Life-Changing Lessons About Guilt, Boundaries, and Authenticity with Tricia Corso
3 Life-Changing Lessons About Guilt, Boundaries, and Authenticity. Today I’m joined by licensed clinical social worker and lifestyle coach, Tricia Corso. Tricia shares her powerful journey of leaving behind the “supposed to’s” of...
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Episode 182
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37:55
181: Aligning With Your Affirmations: Why Your Affirmations Aren't Working & How to Fix Them
Align Your Affirmations: Why They’re Not Working (and How to Fix Them)Are your affirmations falling flat? You say them every morning, but nothing seems to change. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why don’t affirmations work for me?”<...
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Episode 178
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14:26
180: How to Feel Your Feelings: A Cheat Code for Life, with Kellyn Legath
Is your “positive mindset” actually emotional avoidance in disguise? In this episode of Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker, I’m joined once again by guest Kellyn Legath for an honest conversation about the difference between true positive ...
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Episode 180
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47:39
179: Ayni: Sacred Reciprocity in Relationships
This ancient principle could be the missing piece to creating sustainable, reciprocal relationships.Ayni—the Andean principle of sacred reciprocity. Unlike the transactional way we often view give-and-take in th...
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Episode 179
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16:36
178: Fear of Abandonment Part 2: Moving From Fear to Love
Do you ever feel like no matter how much you give, it’s still not enough to keep people from leaving? If you’ve ever struggled with people pleasing, conflict avoidance, or overgiving, chances are the fear of abandonment has been running ...
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Episode 178
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14:56
177: The #1 Fear of People Pleasers Part 1: Fear of Abandonment
When we live in fear that others will abandon us, we often end up abandoning ourselves.In this episode of Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker, we’re exploring the #1 fear of people pleasers: the fear of abandonment. Thi...
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Episode 177
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13:46
176: The Surprising Ways You’re Self Sabotaging Without Even Knowing It
Do you ever feel like you’re working so hard, but somehow still not making progress? What if the thing that's holding you back smaller than you think?Self-sabotage is sneaky. It can show up in tiny, everyday choices that keep you ...
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Episode 176
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10:36
175: How to Recognize a Trauma Bond and Break Free for Good
Trauma Bonds: Why They’re So Hard to Spot, Why They Feel Addictive, and How to Break Free for GoodIf you’ve ever wondered “Am I in a trauma bond?” or found yourself walking on eggshells, feeling extreme emotions in a relationship...
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Episode 175
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21:11
