How To Let Go of Self-Doubt and Transform Your Life with Elena Brower

The One You Feed

Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed

Education, Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Buddhism, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Elena Brower explores how to let go of self-doubt to transform your life. She shares her journey to sobriety, the power of self-compassion, and the importance of apology and inner safety. Elena discusses how Zen practice and guiding principles can foster healing, freedom, and deeper connection to oneself and others, offering listeners practical tools and heartfelt wisdom for personal growth. Exciting News!!!Coming in March 2026, my new book, ⁠⁠How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life is now available for pre-orders!⁠⁠ ⁠We need your help!⁠ We all know ads are part of the podcast world, and we want to improve this experience for you. Please take 2 minutes and ⁠complete this survey⁠. It’s a quick and easy way to support this podcast. Thank You! Key Takeaways: Exploration of Zen practice and its relevance to modern life Discussion of self-doubt as a mental stall and its impact on action The concept of "no self" and the idea of emptiness in Zen philosophy The importance of releasing attachments to identity and fixed narratives Personal journey of recovery from addiction and its transformative effects The role of self-empathy and the phrase "how human of me" in healing The significance of apologies and their impact on relationships Creating inner safety and the realization that true security comes from within The importance of guiding principles in maintaining integrity and making conscious choices The connection between reducing self-concern and spiritual practice in recovery For full show notes,⁠⁠ click here⁠⁠! Connect with the show: ⁠⁠Follow us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@TheOneYouFeedPod⁠⁠ Subscribe on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ Follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Have you ever ended the day feeling like your choices didn’t quite match the person you wanted to be? That’s exactly why I created The Six Saboteurs of Self-Control—a free guide that helps you recognize the hidden patterns that quietly derail your progress and offers simple, effective strategies to move past them. If you’re ready to take back control and make meaningful, lasting change, download your free copy at oneyoufeed.net/ebook. Let’s make those shifts happen, starting today. By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you! This episode is sponsored by: ⁠⁠Uncommon Goods ⁠⁠has something for everyone – you’ll find thousands of new gift ideas that you won’t find anywhere else, and you’ll be supporting artists and small, independent businesses. To get 15% off your next gift, go to ⁠⁠UNCOMMONGOODS.com/FEED⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠: Post your job for free at linkedin.com/1youfeed. Terms and conditions apply. ⁠⁠Persona Nutrition ⁠⁠delivers science-backed, personalized vitamin packs that make daily wellness simple and convenient. In just minutes, you get a plan tailored to your health goals. No clutter, no guesswork. Just grab-and-go packs designed by experts. Go to ⁠⁠PersonaNutrition.com/FEED⁠⁠ today to take the free assessment and get your personalized daily vitamin packs for an exclusive offer — get 40% off your first order. ⁠⁠Grow Therapy ⁠⁠– Whatever challenges you’re facing, Grow Therapy is here to help. Sessions average about $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0, depending on their plan. (Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plans. Visit ⁠⁠growtherapy.com/feed ⁠⁠today! ⁠⁠AGZ⁠⁠ – Start taking your sleep seriously with AGZ. Head to ⁠⁠drinkag1.com/feed⁠⁠ to get a FREE Welcome Kit with the flavor of your choice that includes a 30 day supply of AGZ and a FREE frother. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Here's the person that I would like to show up as. Here's the energy even thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts we have.
0:28.3	Quotes like, garbage in, garbage out, or you are what you think, ring true. And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us.
0:38.1	We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear.
0:42.6	We see what we don't have instead of what we do.
0:45.7	We think things that hold us back and dampen our spirit.
0:49.1	But it's not just about thinking.
0:51.1	Our actions matter.
0:52.6	It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a
0:55.9	life worth living. This podcast is about how other people keep themselves moving in the right
1:00.9	direction, how they feed their good wolf. I used to think self-doubt was some kind of humility,
1:09.1	proof that I was thoughtful, careful,
1:11.7	self-aware, but the truth is, it turns out to be very rarely useful.
1:17.2	Doubt doesn't deepen us. It just keeps us circling the same questions instead of living
1:22.4	into an answer. Elena Brower, teacher, poet, and author of the new book Hold Nothing, An Invitation to Let Go,
1:29.9	and Come Home to Yourself reminded me of that. Talking with her felt a little like talking with my
1:35.0	twin sister. We're both 55, we're both longtime Zen students, and we seem to know half of the same
1:41.1	people. She said that self-doubt isn't even a feeling, though. It's a stall.
1:45.7	And she's right. It's the mind's way of pretending to be wise while quietly avoiding action.
1:51.7	What helps isn't more certainty. It's having more principle. Deciding what matters most and moving,
1:58.3	even when we're still unsure. Because growth doesn't come from thinking harder.
2:03.3	It comes from acting on what we already know. I'm Eric Zimmer and this is the one you feed.
2:10.0	Hi, Elena. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much, dear Eric.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 13 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.