S5 E9 - The Prison of Perfect (and how to break free)

The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs, LCSW

Nicole Sachs, LCSW

Alternative Health, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 31 October 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Learn how to JournalSpeak ➡️ LEARN HOW: https://www.yourbreakawake.com/journalspeak⁠ In this episode, we take a deep dive into what I call the prison of perfect—the exhausting pattern of trying to get everything right so you can finally feel safe, loved, or in control. Join us as we explore where this need comes from, how it shows up in our bodies as pain and anxiety, and why perfectionism is really just protection in disguise. Through inner inquiry, self-compassion, and staying consistent in our JournalSpeak, we begin to shake free of its shackles. When we let go of the pressure to be perfect, we can learn to feel safe being human instead. Join us for a really important reminder about how you might be seeing life - without even meaning it! XOOX n. For the month of OCTOBER, if you'd like a free 20 minute call with one of our coaches to see if coaching is a fit for you, click here! 1:1 COACHING WITH TRAINED COACHES SUPERVISED DIRECTLY BY NICOLE PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW THE PODCAST HERE TO HELP OTHERS FIND IT! Producer: Lisa Eisenpresser ~~~~~ SUPPORT: 🟠 Struggling with chronic pain? Check out my Freedom From Chronic Pain course GET THE FIRST LESSON FREE: https://www.yourbreakawake.com/painfree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🟠 Anxiety controlling your life? Try my Freedom From an Anxious Life course GET THE FIRST LESSON FREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.yourbreakawake.com/anxietyfree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🧠 Learn more about the brain science and clinical experiences in my book MIND YOUR BODY: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.yourbreakawake.com/book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💛 Receive support, guidance, connection, and direct access to Nicole with MEMBERSHIP: https://www.yourbreakawake.com/membership⁠ ~~~~ THE CURE FOR CHRONIC PAIN JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON INSTAGRAM 👉 https://www.instagram.com/nicolesachslcsw⁠ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 https://podfollow.com/the-cure-for-chronic-pain-with-nicole-sachs-lcsw⁠ LEARN ABOUT ANNUAL OMEGA RETREAT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 https://www.yourbreakawake.com/work-with-nicole Podcast music by the beautiful and talented Danielle Furst: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@musicfurst⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Cure for Chronic Pain podcast with me, Nicole Sacks.
0:08.1	You are here.
0:14.0	Hello, everyone. This is Nicole, and you have reached my podcast, The Cure for Chronic Pain.
0:19.5	Welcome to it.
0:24.1	Welcome to the very last day of October, if you are watching slash listening to this, when it drops. And so happy Halloween.
0:31.4	And I wanted to let you know before we complete this month that because this podcast is dropping on October 31st,
0:39.6	we are extending the offer for a free 20-minute call with our coaches to determine if the
0:47.3	coaching program is the right program for you through Sunday, November 2nd. So if you are listening to this and you were thinking about taking
0:57.0	advantage of it, you do have this weekend. I want to help you in any way to get better, get
1:03.3	perspective. And that's one of the reasons why we are going to talk about this topic today.
1:09.1	Something I've decided to call the prison of perfect.
1:14.3	And I was inspired to do this podcast, actually, by a conversation I was having with my 17-year-old
1:22.1	daughter, who is a dancer. She dances to the extent that you might call her an elite athlete.
1:29.9	You know, some kids are D1 at whatever their sport is.
1:34.1	She has been dancing classical ballet for 10 years.
1:38.4	She dances about 25 hours a week.
1:40.1	But the reason I'm even sharing this is because she was recently injured.
1:45.3	She tore a tendon and she's out for about 12 weeks rehabbing it. Thank God she doesn't need surgery. But in the
1:52.3	meantime, even though I always want to make this clear, acute injuries are not chronic injuries.
1:59.4	Acute injuries require care, rest, physical therapy,
2:04.3	maybe medication, whatever it is. So I am never throwing out the baby with the bathwater in this work.
2:10.9	She hurt herself. We had an MRI. The finding was that she had this particular issue. We are treating it because everyone involved, great doctors say she needs eight to 12 weeks of rest and rehab and then she's going to be fine.
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