Welcome to the Breakdown to Breakthrough podcast.

My name is Lisa A. Romano.

I am a life coach, best-selling author, YouTube vlogger, meditation teacher, an expert in the field of codependency and narcissistic abuse.

I am a believer in the power of an organized mind.

My aim is to help people learn what it means

to live above the veil of consciousness rather than living a reactive life. May your heart

feel blessed, your mind feel expanded, and your spirit find hope as you spend time with me here

at the Breakdown to Breakthrough podcast.

So today we're going to be talking about a codependent myth that I believe many of us need to address.

And it has to do with this idea that if you're a good person, if you are a normal person, then you're happy all the time.

If you're a normal person, you don't have needs. Everything's just fulfilled. Things just work out

for you. If you're a normal person, then you never have to ask for your needs to get met. If you're a

normal person, you're never sad. If you're a normal person, you're never angry. If you're a normal

person, there's this idea that you should always be happy. Things are always working out for you.

And if you're a codependent person,

chances are that you struggle with your identity. You don't believe that you're worthy. If you've come

from a dysfunctional home, there's the sadness about you. You've lost childhood experiences.

You were forced to grow up sooner than you should have.

You were forced to live a hypervigilant life, observing the people around you, being

very careful about what you say.

You may have lost yourself in trying to anticipate the next move of the adults in your life.

And you've lost the ability to just be playful.

...