How To Overcome Perfectionism & Self-Criticism w/ Expert Dr. Ellen Hendriksen

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Dear Media

Health & Fitness, So Much To Say, Athlete, Taylor Swift, Perfectionist, Eating Disorder, Friendship, Self Help, Self-improvement, Self Care, Athletes, Mental Health, Overcoming Eating Disorders, Body Neutrality, Sports, Education, Body Image, Recovery, Perfectionism, Real Talk

4.8 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If perfectionism is your favorite weakness, this one’s for you. Dr. Ellen Hendriksen, clinical psychologist and author of How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists, joins Vic to unpack the roots of perfectionism, how it shows up in everyday life, and why so many of us feel like we have to earn our worth. They explore the difference between healthy ambition and toxic self-criticism, how to find that middle ground where you’re still growing without burning out, and what it really means to practice self-compassion. Vic opens up about her own struggles with perfectionism—from how playing D1 volleyball enhanced her inner critic to why she regrets overplanning Max’s 30th birthday—and shares the tools she’s learning to prioritize presence over performance. Whether you overthink, overachieve, or feel like you’re never quite doing enough, this conversation will help you let go of the pressure and embrace the messiness of being human.

Website: ellenhendriksen.com

Instagram: @ellen_hendriksen

Book: How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists by Dr. Ellen Hendriksen

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The following podcast is a dear media production.
0:04.4	Welcome to RealPod. It's your host, Victoria Garrick Brown, and this is the podcast where we hold nothing back.
0:11.4	Oh, so we're getting deep, huh? I really cried for 12 days straight.
0:15.9	Why do I want to be perfect? There's nothing in my life that is perfect.
0:19.2	Every week, I'll bring you honest, unfiltered,
0:22.0	and eye-opening conversations to help uncover the real in all of us. I crave the type of content
0:27.5	that you're talking about. I actually felt insecure. Oh my God, I'm not going to cry. Let me just
0:31.8	unload everything. New episodes every Wednesday. Leave those filters at the door because it's time to get real.
0:44.0	Hello and welcome back to RealPod. Come in, come in. My people who are perfectionists, who
0:52.2	overthink, who feel like they have social anxiety, who struggle to feel
0:57.2	good enough to know your worth, who attach themselves to external validation, all the things,
1:04.2	right? Okay, you and me both. That's why I'm having this episode today with expert guest,
1:10.6	Dr. Ellen Hendrickson, so that we can all feel
1:14.0	like we are better understood, our questions are answered, and we can understand some of the tools
1:21.0	and healing mechanisms that we can adapt in our own lives when perfectionism feels like it's
1:25.9	overwhelming us and interfering with our enjoyment
1:29.4	of life. Dr. Hendrickson is a clinical psychologist from Boston University Center for
1:34.9	Anxiety and Related Disorders. Her first book was How to Be Yourself, Quiet Your Inner Critic
1:40.2	and Rise Above Social Anxiety, which sold almost 200,000 copies. And her new book,
1:46.8	How to Be Enough, Self-Exceptance for Self Critics and Perfectionists is out now. When I saw this book
1:52.9	title, I literally felt like it was written for me. I love Dr. Hendrickson because she not only is
1:59.5	so smart and she has obviously the clinical
	...

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