The Lulu Essey Podcast
Welcome to The Lulu Essey Podcast — a raw, unedited space for honest conversations about building a life that feels deeply aligned with who you truly are.
Here we explore the full spectrum of well-being: mental fitness, emotional resilience, authentic confidence, and the courage to create a life on your own terms. Through lived experience and evidence-informed approaches, you'll discover that transformation is truly an inside job.
Each episode offers practical tools and tiny, consistent steps for navigating anxiety, uncertainty, and life's challenges. You'll learn how to build confidence from within, find calm in chaos, and deepen connection with yourself and others — one small, powerful action at a time.
Come as you are — no judgment, no quick fixes. Because creating a meaningful life isn't about perfection; it's about progress with self-compassion, acceptance, and the willingness to embrace both light and shadow on your journey.
The Lulu Essey Podcast
Self-Love, Comparison, and Showing Up Imperfectly | 50 Episodes of What is Actually Working
Self-Love, Imperfect Action, and Comparison vs Modeling — what 50 episodes taught me about consistency, external validation, and showing up anyway.
Fifty episodes. Still no music. Still showing up anyway.
This milestone episode isn’t about what I’ve “figured out.” It’s about what’s become clearer through the practice of just keeping going. If you’ve ever felt “not ready,” compared yourself to others, or wondered what Self-Love really means beyond a shallow definition, this honest reflection is for you.
What you’ll discover
- Why imperfect action means showing up without the thing you thought you needed
- What Self-Love actually is (far deeper than the dictionary)
- The crucial difference between modeling vs comparison — and how comparison slides into criticism
- How to receive external validation (like hitting #36 on Goodpods) without needing it as fuel
- Why consistency and practice create transformation, not perfection
Powerful Quotes:
"People don't come for the jingle. They come for the content, the honesty, the connection."
"Self-acceptance is crucial - but acceptance and love are not the same thing. We can accept things we don't love."
"Modeling is generous and asks 'What can I learn?' Comparison is harsh and asks 'Why am I not enough?'"
"External validation is wonderful. But it's not the reason I'm here."
Timestamps:
00:00 - Why showing up matters more than perfection
02:44 - The ‘no music’ story: embracing imperfect action in real time
06:54 - What Self-Love actually means (beyond dictionary definitions)
11:40 - Modeling vs comparison (and how it slips into criticism)
16:28 - Goodpods recognition & the truth about external validation
20:39 - What 50 episodes taught me about practice & consistency
This episode is for you if:
- You’ve been waiting to feel “ready”
- You compare yourself to others and feel stuck
- You want a deeper understanding of Self-Love
- You crave external validation and use it as fuel
- You need permission to show up imperfectly
Join the Conversation:
What’s the one thing you’re waiting to feel “ready” for? Let me know - and share this episode with someone who needs permission to start before they’re perfect.
Reviews and shares genuinely help more people find these conversations.
This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛
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Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/
Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool
Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨