In this deeply personal solo episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider explores the hidden cost of hyper independence — the pattern of doing everything alone while quietly carrying exhaustion, loneliness, and emotional weight.

Drawing from her own lived experience as a leader, single mom, and entrepreneur, Kari unpacks why hyper independence isn’t a personality trait — it’s a coping mechanism shaped by survival, early responsibility, and environments where vulnerability didn’t feel safe.

• How hyper independence is formed through early neglect, cultural conditioning, and survival-based control
• Why capable leaders are often the most overlooked and misunderstood
• The emotional and relational cost of “handling everything” alone
• Why “let me know if you need anything” doesn’t actually help
• How to support a hyper-independent partner, friend, or teammate in ways that truly build trust
• What creates safety, reliability, and connection for people who struggle to ask for help

Kari also shares powerful real-life stories — from asking a neighbor for help during a brutal winter to learning how hyper independence quietly isolates even the strongest among us.

You are not broken — you’re adaptive. And true strength isn’t doing everything alone… it’s learning how to let others in.

🎧 Listen now and share this episode with someone who carries more than they let on.

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

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