003 The Uplift Podcast: Break free from self-sabotage with Kristen Gattens

The voice in your head is lying to you.

You know the one. The constant commentary telling you you're not good enough, you've let yourself go, everyone else has it together except you. The one that catastrophises a wrinkle into an existential crisis. The one that says "I ate one cookie so the day is ruined, might as well eat everything."

That voice isn't truth. It's programming. And in this episode, we're dismantling it.

I chat with Kristen Gattens, a Therapeutic coach specialising in High Performance, Anxiety, Self-Belief & Imposter Syndrome. Kristen works with accomplished clients who, despite their external success, are trapped in brutal cycles of negative self-talk, comparison, and self-sabotage.

Instagram @Kristingattens

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The psychology of comparison thinking—why your brain compulsively measures you against others (especially on social media) and why it feels impossible to stop
• How catastrophising works—why your brain leaps from "new wrinkle" to "my life is over" 
• The roots of all-or-nothing thinking—where binary thinking comes from and why it sabotages women who are successful everywhere else
• Body-checking rituals—what function obsessive monitoring serves psychologically and when normal awareness crosses into harmful rumination
• The "I'll be happy when..." trap—why we bargain with the future, what happens when we achieve goals and still feel empty, and what actually creates sustainable happiness
• The imposter syndrome-body image connection—how professional self-doubt and body dissatisfaction feed each other in a vicious cycle
• Why we self-sabotage—the psychological mechanism behind blocking our own goals, even when we genuinely want to change
• Practical pattern interrupts—the specific therapeutic tools and cognitive techniques to use the moment you catch yourself in a destructive thought loop
• Building a new narrative—how to develop healthy, realistic, supportive self-talk without lowering your standards or abandoning your goals

What Makes This Episode Different

This isn't a "just think positive" pep talk. Kristen brings in depth and therapeutic expertise to explain exactly what's happening in your brain when you're caught in these loops and more importantly, what to do about it. in a very easy to understand way

You'll walk away with:

• Recognition: "That's what's happening in my head I'm not crazy"
• Understanding: "Here's WHY I do this it's not a character flaw"
• Hope: "This is changeable, not permanent"
• Action: "Here's what I can do about it TODAY"

If you've ever felt trapped by your own thoughts, exhausted by the mental energy drain of negative self-talk, or frustrated that you can't seem to get out of your own way this episode will give you the tools to finally break free.

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