When something triggers your perfectionism or people-pleasing, who helps you stay true to yourself? Do you have role models who show you what authentically pursuing your dreams looks like? Are there people in your life who celebrate rather than judge when you step outside society's 'good girl' expectations?
In this latest podcast episode, we explore three important elements that can support you in breaking free:
Building Your Foundation
Breaking free of good girl beliefs requires us to first understand how we respond when feeling threatened or overwhelmed. When we're triggered, our nervous system either goes into overdrive - rushing to please others - or shuts down to protect ourselves. Learning to recognize these patterns and respond with self-compassion rather than criticism builds a foundation for showing up more authentically in all areas of our lives.
To help women develop this essential foundation, we've created the Perfectly Imperfect Women's Journal, available in February 2025. It offers 36 evidence-based tools to help you recognize and shift these patterns, including the powerful "Check Your Safety Dial" practice below.
Try this now: Check your nervous system:
Are you in the Green Zone—feeling safe, grounded, and able to access your wisdom?
Are you in the Red Zone—rushing to please others, abandoning yourself, or feeling desperate to control situations?
Or are you in the Blue Zone—disconnecting, withdrawing, or shutting down to protect yourself?
Naming your state without judgment is the first step to regaining your calm and staying true to yourself. Click here for more.
Finding Your Role Models
Our research has found that seeing other women successfully break free from their ‘good girl’ mindsets made the journey feel possible for others. These role models and mentors demonstrate that we can navigate challenges while staying authentic—even when it feels overwhelming. Yet too often, we hesitate to seek guidance, believing we should figure everything out alone or fearing judgment for asking for help.
To bring these insights to life, Season 2 of the Good Girl Game Changers Podcast features diverse women sharing their journeys. You'll hear from diverse women sharing how they've broken free, including the practical tools that helped them stay grounded in challenging moments, like this simple but powerful practice below.
Try this now: When you need to stay true to yourself in difficult situations, use the "Act With Integrity" tool:
Choose a word that captures who you want to be (calm, honest, courageous)
Pick a word that reflects how you want to connect (kind, direct, open)
Add a grounding gesture, like placing your hand over your heart, to anchor yourself in these intentions
Growing Together
Research shows that when women gather in supportive spaces, they build resilience, confidence, and a sense of belonging that fuels personal growth. To help women create these vital support systems, we're launching the Tour of Love in 2025 - bringing women together through in-person and virtual gatherings to create their own huddles. You'll learn practices for building trust and growing together like the one below.
Try this now: Invite 2-3 trusted friends to start a monthly "Run A Learning Loop." Together, reflect on:
What's working as you strive to be more yourself?
Where are you struggling right now?
What are you learning about what helps you stay grounded?
We took away so many insights about these essential supports that we've recorded an after-party podcast to dive deeper into how you can access them. Just hit play above to join us.
For more information about our journal, podcast, and Tour of Love, visit thegoodgirlgamechangers.com.
Please note: We are mindful that ‘girl’ and ‘woman’ are socially constructed ideas of gender that can fall painfully short of defining the fabulous complexity of who we each are. If these words resonate with part of how you have previously or currently identified yourself, we’d love to hear about your lived experiences.
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