Decoding the People Pleaser w/ Caroline Middelsdorf

Mama Knows

Cloud10

Parenting, Kids & Family

5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this conversation, Nina and Caroline delve into the complexities of people pleasing, exploring its roots in childhood trauma and its impact on identity and self-esteem. They discuss how people pleasing manifests in various areas of life, including work and family, and the importance of setting boundaries. Caroline shares practical steps for overcoming people pleasing tendencies, emphasizing self-love and emotional regulation. The discussion also highlights the significance of parenting in shaping children's emotional health and the journey towards finding one's true self. 00:00: Understanding People Pleasing 03:50: The Roots of People Pleasing 10:08: Manifestations of People Pleasing 14:10: Impact of Childhood on People Pleasing 22:47: People Pleasing and Identity Crisis 29:04: Overcoming People Pleasing 36:30: Finding Your True Self Caroline is a German-born international psychologist, trauma expert, and devoted single mom, currently based in Amsterdam. Known for her warm, authentic approach and deep commitment to mental health awareness, Caroline has become a trusted guide for celebrities, athletes, coaches, and individuals from all walks of life. Her own healing journey fuels her passion, making her work deeply relatable, authentic and impactful. Caroline has dedicated her life to helping others navigate their healing paths. She’s the creator of a transformative trauma healing program Phoenix—rooted in her personal experiences—that has already helped countless people around the world break free from pain and step into their true selves. As the host of her own inspiring podcast (the Caroline Middelsdorf podcast). Caroline travels the globe, sitting down with experts, thought leaders, and public figures to share real, raw stories that remind us all: we each have a story worth telling. Her mission? To help 1 million people heal and create a ripple effect of awareness, compassion, and growth. Caroline leads with heart and soul, offering a guiding light for those who feel stuck in the dark. Her work is more than a profession—it’s a calling to make healing accessible, authentic, and to bring back connection, kindness, and care into the world. Above all, she strives to bring people closer together, reminding them that they are never alone in their struggles Episode Sponsors: Get started at factormeals.com/mamaknows50off and use code mamaknows50off to get 50% off plus FREE shipping on your first box. Visit activeskinrepair.com to learn more about Active Skin Repair and to get 20% off your order, use code: MAMAKNOWS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:02.9	I feel like there is a fine line, or at least that people believe that there's a fine line between being kind and being an easygoing person and people pleasing.
1:10.4	I personally, I don't know if I would call myself a people
1:13.6	pleaser necessarily. I'm actually curious to hear what you have to say about that, but I tend to
1:19.3	have some people pleasing tendencies and I know that comes from childhood trauma. And I also know that I
1:26.5	have people very close in my life who have people pleasing
1:29.6	tendencies and then one of my good friends actually openly talks about how she's such a
1:34.4	people pleaser. She does everything to make sure everyone is happy and forgets to put her
1:39.8	own thoughts and feelings and desires in the forefront. So I'm excited to talk to Caroline today about
1:46.9	people pleasing and what it looks like, what it means, how to navigate it, how it actually
1:52.0	affects our own identity. So today we're going to talk about people pleasing. But before we
1:56.6	jump in, Caroline, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do? Thank you,
2:02.1	Nina, then I can be on your podcast today. I'm really excited. It's a topic that is, well, hits
2:07.6	close to home. All the people please are myself. A little bit about myself. I'm a psychologist.
2:12.4	I'm a coach. I work internationally. And, well, if I can say that I am a mental health influencer
2:19.2	if such a thing exists I really wanted to bring the topic of trauma a topic that is
2:26.7	very very important to me that I just find very important that we normalize that
	...

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