We have made it to 200 episodes of the Self-Growth Nerds podcast! In this celebratory episode before a well-deserved break, I continue last week’s retrospective and open up about the obstacles I had to overcome and the wisdom I have gathered after 4 years of weekly podcasting. If you have a creative project in mind and you’re waiting for a sign to get started, this is going to help you find the inspiration and confidence needed to pursue your dreams. 

We’re almost at 200 episodes of the Self-Growth Nerds podcast, after which I’ll take a long break to reflect and realign. In this episode, I open up about the challenges and lessons from committing to such a consistent practice. This retrospective is packed with helpful insights for anyone who wants to start a creative project but is filled with self-doubt. Tune in to learn about what it takes to keep showing up week after week.

Have you ever stayed in a job, relationship, or commitment where the joy was gone, but fear of change held you back? In this episode, I introduce a powerful approach to help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Whether you’re facing a big decision or seeking alignment with your deeper values, this episode offers tools to embrace change with empathy and clarity, at a pace that makes sense to you.

We’ve all made a pros and cons list to tackle a big decision, but what if this trusted tool is actually keeping you stuck? From our brain’s bias for the familiar to fear-driven assumptions about the unknown, these lists often tip the scales unfairly toward staying comfortable rather than choosing growth. In this episode, I’ll share 5 surprising reasons why this approach falls short, along with real-life stories that show how it can mislead us—and what to do instead.

Half-hearted efforts create half-hearted results. That’s why committing fully to your goals is essential for success, and the only way to discover what you’re really capable of. If you're prone to analysis paralysis or struggle to finish what you start, this episode is a must-listen. Discover what true commitment means, learn strategies to follow through when challenges arise, and uncover key pitfalls to avoid for an enjoyable journey.

When we’re facing a new challenge, it’s important to assess our skill set accurately to make progress toward our goals. In this episode, I talk about how to spot the signs of overconfidence as well as underconfidence so you can replace them with the calm grounded confidence that will allow for more growth.

If you wish you could make parts of you disappear - like your perfectionism, laziness or addiction - this episode is for you. I’ll introduce you to Internal Family Systems, a therapeutic model developed by Dr. Richard C. Schwatz to help us heal our relationship with ourselves by making all the parts of us feel seen and understood, thus replacing inner conflict with self-compassion. With IFS, you can reclaim your power and start reconnecting with your joyful playful self.

Instead of relying on feeling confident before trying something new or making a change, we can develop self-confidence, which is when you trust yourself to handle the situation no matter what and when you know you will have your own back even if (especially if) you fail. In this episode, I explore the 3 skills to cultivate in order to strengthen your self-confidence.

Are you making big decisions from a place of risk aversion? You might be unconsciously limiting your success by trying to avoid failure or looking at what you have been capable of doing or not in the past. In this week's episode, I teach you how to make courageous decisions that are aligned with who you want to be, instead of what other people's opinions or expectations of you are.

Feeling confident comes from the belief that it's safe for you to share who you really are more openly. In this episode, I share 5 skills you can practice to stop letting insecurity take over and strengthen your confidence so you can show up as your true self wherever you go and come home feeling proud.

We all want an exciting life... but too often we expect our jobs, our people, the things we buy and even the place where we live to generate that excitement for us. In this episode, I encourage you to take back the responsibility and explore how you can be an active creator of passion instead of passively depending on the outside world.

You have to take yourself, your time and your dreams seriously if you want to create a life in which you feel free. If you don't take the lead, others will. Don't wait for people to respect you, respect yourself first. Start seeing yourself as the professional that you are, instead of sitting in the corner hoping someone will see your genius. Show them your magic now!

How do we know if we've made the right decision? What if we're going the wrong way? How can we even be certain? This episode answers these burning questions that many of you have about the big decisions you have made or are trying to make in your life.

What you believe about yourself, about the people around you and about the world in general have a massive influence on the reality you create around yourself. So if you want to feel more confident, form deeper connections and have an adventurous life, you have to make sure your beliefs align in that direction.

We all want to feel important... Like we are doing good work and making a difference in the world. Like our voice deserves to be heard. So why is there so much shame behind this basic human need? How can we fulfill this desire in a way that serves us all?

How would your life transform if you could show up confidently no matter where you went and how people welcomed you? How would you show up if you didn't have to fit in anywhere?

Confidence doesn't come from accomplishments but from our thoughts about ourselves and what we accomplish. This week - I explore the power hidden behind this important nuance.

You know those moments when you feel down on yourself and getting out of bed seems impossible? In this week's episode, I look at how we create a good portion of our own misery, why we do this to ourselves and how we can start feeling better.

What does it mean to be confident? Where does it come from and is there a magical place in the faraway mountains when we can go and get some more of this elixir? In this episode, Marie shares what she believes confidence truly is and how we can get better at embracing our true self, no matter who's looking.