The Addiction to Being Needed | The Real Podcast – Mindset Rehab Series

What if one of the most praised traits in women—being helpful, reliable, and selfless—is actually one of the biggest reasons we feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and stuck?

In this powerful episode of The Real Podcast, Sally Luehman explores The Addiction to Being Needed, one of the most subtle and socially rewarded mindset patterns affecting high-achieving women, entrepreneurs, leaders, and mothers.

This episode is part of Sally’s 10-part Mindset Rehab Series, where she breaks down the unconscious thought habits that quietly run our lives—addictions to struggle, comfort, excuses… and now, being needed.

Being needed feels like purpose. It feels like love. It feels like leadership.

But for many women, especially overachievers and entrepreneurs, the need to be needed becomes an identity—and eventually a trap.

In this episode, Sally shares personal stories from motherhood, leadership, entrepreneurship, and coaching to uncover how:

• Over-helping turns into control
• Oversharing becomes a way to feel relevant
• Doing other people’s work blocks their growth—and ours
• Being “the fixer” creates burnout instead of fulfillment

Who This Episode Is For

This episode is for you if you:

• Are a high-achieving woman or entrepreneur who feels constantly needed
• Struggle to rest without guilt
• Often step in to “save” situations that aren’t yours
• Feel exhausted from being everything to everyone
• Notice resentment creeping in even though you “love helping”
• Wonder who you are when no one needs you

Topics Covered in This Episode

• What the addiction to being needed really is (and why it’s so sneaky)
• How motherhood trains our brains for constant responsibility
• Why oversharing is often about validation, not connection
• The difference between helping and taking over
• How being needed feeds the ego while draining the soul
• Why high-performing women struggle the most with this pattern
• How control disguises itself as leadership
• Why empowering others requires stepping back
• How to detox from being needed without losing your identity
• The difference between trained vs. untrained brain responses
• How to shift from fixing to coaching
• Why rest feels unsafe for so many women
• How this addiction impacts relationships, teams, and families

A Real Conversation About Identity

Sally speaks candidly about the identity shift many women face when life changes—when kids grow up, businesses evolve, or roles shift.

If you’ve ever thought:

• “If I’m not needed, am I still valuable?”
• “Who am I when I stop fixing everything?”
• “Why do I feel anxious when I’m not busy?”

The Real is a podcast for women who want to grow—personally, professionally, emotionally, and financially—without pretending, performing, or burning out.

Hosted by Sally Luehman, entrepreneur, real estate broker, and mindset coach, the show explores:

Visit coachingworks.net to schedule a free coaching session and explore how mindset coaching can help you.

Mindset Rehab: Excuse Addiction

Your brain is the best liar you’ve ever met — and excuses are its favorite trick. In this episode, we break down why your brain creates “logical” reasons to avoid discomfort… and how those micro-moments quietly sabotage your confidence, your business, and your future self.

From AM Sally vs. PM Sally battling over a bag of Lay’s potato chips to the seven excuses entrepreneurs make at every growth edge, this episode will help you spot the exact thoughts that keep you stuck.

You’ll Discover:

• Why excuses feel good (that tiny “emotional nicotine” hit)
• How excuses destroy self-trust
• The 7 most common entrepreneurial excuses
• Why “time excuses are priority lies”
• How procrastination feels productive but steals your peace
• The simple awareness practice to break your excuse cycle

Listener Favorites:

• “Every ‘later’ is a smaller version of you.”
• “When you make an excuse, you’re not lying to others — you’re lying to yourself.”
• “Excuses are the emotional nicotine of entrepreneurship.”

If you’re ready to catch your excuses in real time, rebuild your self-trust, and finally stop bargaining with your own brain — this one’s for you.

Download the Trained Brain Program & learn how to retrain your thoughts for growth, confidence, and success- completely free at Coachingworks.net.

If you want help training your brain, head to CoachingWorks.net and schedule a free session. If this episode hits home, share it with a friend and leave a review — it helps more women train their brains and change their lives.

Your Brain Is the Best Liar You’ve Ever Met

with Sally Luehman – The REAL Podcast

Your brain is clever — maybe too clever. Our brains are great at protecting us, but sometimes they lie. They make fear sound like common sense — and that keeps us stuck. This week on The REAL, Sally gets honest about how our own brain can be the most convincing liar we’ll ever meet.

If you’ve ever felt like your brain flips a switch and suddenly you’re nine years old again — reacting instead of responding, craving comfort, control, or validation — you’re not alone. In this episode, Sally breaks down the difference between an untrained brain (reactive, fear-based, driven by old stories) and a trained brain (intentional, disciplined, and calm under pressure).

You’ll learn how to spot when your mind is hijacking your business, your relationships, and your peace — and how to retrain it to work for you, not against you.

This episode is especially for the driven businesswoman who looks successful on paper but still feels like she’s fighting her own mind. Maybe you know what to do, but your brain talks you out of it every time. It’s not willpower — it’s training. And the good news? You can train it.

💡 Free Resource

Download the Trained Brain Program and learn how to retrain your thoughts for growth, confidence, and success — completely free at coachingworks.net.

🔍 What You’ll Learn

• How your brain creates believable lies that keep you stuck
• The moment your “nine-year-old self” takes the wheel — and how to take it back
• The simple mindset shift that turns fear into strategy

Headquarters Coaching LLC, All Rights Reserved, Sally Luehman November 10, 2025