If you’ve been trying to “fix” yourself for years… this episode might change everything.

So much of the emotional wellness space is focused on one thing:

Getting rid of what’s wrong.

The anxiety.

The stress.

The overthinking.

The guilt.

The burnout.

The trauma.

And while support matters, here’s what’s missing:

You cannot build a thriving life by only trying to eliminate what hurts.

In this episode, I’m teaching a core concept I walk my private clients through — the emotional teeter-totter — and why balance, not eradication, is the real goal.

Because life is 50/50.

Your brain is wired to scan for danger.

And trying to remove every uncomfortable emotion will keep you stuck in survival mode.

Instead, we need to learn how to build the other side.

Joy.

Pleasure.

Excitement.

Belonging.

Desire.

Purpose.

When you intentionally build those, everything changes.

1. Why “fixing yourself” can actually make you feel worse
2. How self-help sometimes overemphasizes what’s broken
3. The 50/50 nature of emotional life (and why it’s normal)
4. How your primitive brain keeps you in survival mode
5. The emotional teeter-totter analogy that explains everything
6. Why eliminating stress isn’t the goal
7. How to build emotional capacity instead of avoidance
8. The difference between tolerating emotions and processing them
9. Why creating joy is a skill (not a luxury)
10. How doing hard, scary things on purpose builds empowerment
11. Why pleasure, excitement, and fulfillment are your responsibility

Your life won’t feel better because you finally eliminate anxiety.

It will feel better because you’ve learned how to:

1. Feel anxiety without collapsing
2. Create joy on purpose
3. Build balance instead of chasing perfection
4. Empower yourself emotionally

You don’t need to become stress-free.

You need to become emotionally stronger and more intentional about building what you want.

If this resonates and you want help applying this to your real life:

📍 Book a consultation: amandahess.ca/bookacall

You don’t have to keep running on the “fixing” treadmill.

Share it with someone who’s tired of trying to repair themselves.

And if this podcast supports you, leaving a review helps more women find this work.