Love Yourself Loudly

Why Do I Stay When I Know It's Time to Leave? Burnout, the Freeze Response & Loving Yourself When You Feel Stuck

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 05:00:00 GMT

You already know. Some part of you has known for a while, about the relationship, the job, the situation that stopped fitting a long time ago. So why are you still there? In this episode, psychologist Dr. Nina Polyné explains why staying too long is not weakness, it's biology, and how to love yourself in the stuckness, even when you can't yet see what comes next.

In this episode:

The fair metaphor: why we keep buying tickets long after the lights dim, and how the sunk cost fallacy keeps us stuck
Fight, flight, freeze: why feeling stuck in a job or relationship is often a nervous system response, not a character flaw
What intuition actually sounds like (the Sunday dread, the stomach drop) and why burnout turns the volume all the way down on your inner voice
Why vacation never fully works when chronic stress is your baseline, and the truth about rest guilt
Ambivalence as a choice: reframing "I'm trapped" into "I'm navigating a hard season with intention"
Five small practices for loving yourself while you're still in it, including one real rest day and one thing that's just yours

“You can't hear your own voice in a room that never gets quiet.”

A note before you listen: this episode speaks to emotionally stagnant relationships and situations where leaving is a choice. If you are in an abusive relationship, please know that staying is not a personal failing. Your safety comes first, and help is available. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) | thehotline.org | Text START to 88788

Sit with these after you listen:

Is there something in your life right now where you already know, but you haven't said it out loud yet?
What would it mean to give your nervous system one real day of rest this week? Not a guilty one, a real one.
What is one small thing you could do, just for you, that has nothing to do with being productive?
If staying is your choice right now, what would it feel like to own that instead of just endure it?

Free workshop: The Daily Gaze, a guided mirror work practice for self-love and self-compassion.

Watch it free here: https://love-yourself-loudly-podcast.kit.com/723d2719e0

Connect with Dr. Nina Polyné:

All links (Linktree): https://linktr.ee/loveyourselfloudlymedia

Podcast Instagram: @loveyourselfloudlypodcast (https://www.instagram.com/loveyourselfloudlypodcast/)

Personal Instagram: @drninapolyne (https://www.instagram.com/drninapolyne/)

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nina-polyné-48494934a

Creative Direction, Producing + Editing by Dr. Nina Polyné ⚡

Audio/Visual Engineering & mix by Joel Edinberg @joeledinberg (https://www.instagram.com/joeledinberg/)

Podcast Advisor: Marisa Bramwell, MBA https://solas-creative.com/

Remember: Loving yourself loudly is a daily practice. Embrace your imperfections, honor your emotions, and speak your truth with confidence. Start today, unapologetically.

DISCLAIMER

The content shared on Love Yourself Loudly is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not therapy, counseling, or a substitute for professional mental health care. Listening to this podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you are in crisis or need support, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or contact a licensed professional in your area.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Can't I Feel Satisfied With What I've Done?

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 05:00:00 GMT

You finish the project, get the promotion, hit the milestone. And within thirty seconds your brain is already asking what's next. If you're a high achiever who can't feel satisfied no matter what you accomplish, it's not ingratitude. It's perfectionism, hustle culture, and a pattern nobody ever taught you to break. In this episode, psychologist Dr. Nina Polyné explains why your wins never land and how to build the skill of self-celebration.

In this episode:

The high achiever hamster wheel: why your wins barely land for thirty seconds before your brain jumps to the next thing
Perfectionism is a mountain with no peak: why the summit keeps moving and satisfaction never arrives
The three layers of never feeling enough: your gap-seeking brain, the systems built on hustle culture, and the generational patterns you absorbed watching people who never sat down
Why grad school, medicine, law, tech, and corporate life are structured to make rest feel irresponsible and celebration feel premature
Three small, doable practices for burnout-prone achievers: the 24-Hour Rule, saying “I did that” out loud, and keeping a private Win File
Why self-celebration is a skill you can practice, and one of the most radical acts of self-love

“Satisfaction isn't something you find at the peak. It's something you practice on the way up.”

Sit with these after you listen:

What's one thing you've done recently that you never actually stopped to celebrate? Drop it in the comments.
What would it feel like to sit in a win for a full 24 hours before moving to the next thing?
What if satisfaction isn't something you find, but something you practice?
And from the episode: who was the person growing up who never sat down?

Connect with Dr. Nina Polyné:

All links (Linktree): https://linktr.ee/loveyourselfloudlymedia

Link to Free Daily Gaze Workshop: https://love-yourself-loudly-podcast.kit.com/723d2719e0

Podcast Instagram: @loveyourselfloudlypodcast

Personal Instagram: @drninapolyne

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nina-polyné-48494934a

Creative Direction, Producing + Editing by Dr. Nina Polyné ⚡

Audio/Visual Engineering & mix by Joel Edinberg @joeledinberg

Podcast Advisor: Marisa Bramwell, MBA https://solas-creative.com/

Remember: Loving yourself loudly is a daily practice. Embrace your imperfections, honor your emotions, and speak your truth with confidence. Start today, unapologetically.

DISCLAIMER

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your Weird Is Your Superpower: Shadow Work, Self-Love & Reclaiming the Parts of Yourself You’ve Been Hiding

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever been told you’re too much… too loud, too sensitive, too emotional, too extra, and spent years making yourself smaller because of it, this episode is for you.

Dr. Nina breaks down shadow work in the most human way possible: not as something heavy or scary, but as a love story about reclaiming the parts of yourself you put away. Because you cannot fully love yourself while whole pieces of you are living in exile.

In this episode:

What the “shadow self” actually is - Carl Jung, the inner child, and why the parts we hide don’t disappear, they just go quiet
The highly sensitive person who became magnetic: how the traits we were shamed for are often our greatest gifts
The shadow someone else planted - how secondhand shame and overheard comments become the rules we silently live by
Ms. Rachel’s story: what one of the most influential children’s educators alive teaches us about the power hiding inside what the world called a flaw
Four shadow work questions to find what you’ve been hiding - including the one about projection you won’t see coming
Dr. Nina’s personal story: the spiritual psychologist who kept two versions of herself in separate rooms, until now

“Shadow work isn’t about becoming a new person. It’s about reclaiming the one you already are.”

Sit with these after you listen:

“What’s something about you that you’ve been told is too much, that might actually be a gift?”
“Is there a part of yourself you’ve been keeping quiet? and what would it feel like to let them out?”
“What would change in your life if you stopped apologizing for who you are?”

Connect with Dr. Nina Polyné:

All links (Linktree): https://linktr.ee/loveyourselfloudlymedia

Podcast Instagram: @loveyourselfloudlypodcast

Personal Instagram: @drninapolyne

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nina-polyné-48494934a

Creative Direction, Producing + Editing by Dr. Nina Polyné ⚡

Audio/Visual Engineering & mix by Joel Edinberg @joeledinberg

Podcast Advisor: Marisa Bramwell, MBA https://solas-creative.com/

Remember: Loving yourself loudly is a daily practice. Embrace your imperfections, honor your emotions, and speak your truth with confidence. Start today, unapologetically.

DISCLAIMER

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Am I the Problem? How to Stop Absorbing Other People’s Emotions as a People Pleaser & Set Boundaries That Stick

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever Googled “am I the problem” at 3am, this episode is for you.

Dr. Nina breaks down what’s really happening when someone projects their insecurities onto you, why people pleasers and highly sensitive people absorb emotions that were never theirs to carry, and exactly what to do about it...in the moment, and after.

This is not an episode about being defensive or avoiding accountability. It’s for the ones who apologize when they didn’t do anything wrong. The ones who shrink to keep the peace. The ones who feel other people’s bad days in their own bodies. If that’s you, keep listening.

In this episode:

The psychology of projection: why people deflect their insecurities and why sensitive people absorb them
How your nervous system receives criticism before your mind catches up, and the body-based reset that changes everything
Boundary-setting phrases that exit toxic dynamics without confrontation or debate
How to process your feelings after the moment passes, and why self-compassion has to come first
People pleasing, resentment, and the real cost of staying silent in relationships
A personal story about a friendship that ended when Dr. Nina chose herself over the dynamic, and why she’d do it again

“The longer you wait to have the conversation, the resentment builds. And eventually it becomes your weight to carry — not theirs.”

Reflect on these after you listen:

“Where in your life are you absorbing something that was never yours to carry?”
“Is there a relationship where you’ve been holding your tongue — and what’s that costing you?”
“What’s one small way you can practice having your own back this week?”

Connect with Dr. Nina Polyné:

All links (Linktree): https://linktr.ee/loveyourselfloudlymedia

Podcast Instagram: @loveyourselfloudlypodcast

Personal Instagram: @drninapolyne

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nina-polyné-48494934a

Creative Direction, Producing + Editing by Dr. Nina Polyné ⚡

Audio/Visual Engineering & mix by Joel Edinberg @joeledinberg

Podcast Advisor: Marisa Bramwell, MBA https://solas-creative.com/

Remember: Loving yourself loudly is a daily practice. Embrace your imperfections, honor your emotions, and speak your truth with confidence. Start today, unapologetically.

DISCLAIMER

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You're Not Ungrateful, You're Grieving: The Hidden Loss Inside Every Life Transition

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT

You've been told to "count your blessings". To focus on the good. To be grateful. And, you are... but what nobody prepares you for is the grief that lives right next to the joy.

Whether you just became a mom (or parent/caregiver), stepped into a new career, or leveled up in any way - if you're feeling a quiet sense of loss in the middle of something you've always wanted, this episode is for you. This episode is also for you if the change in your life was unexpected.

Grief doesn't mean you're not grateful. It means you're human moving through the complexity of life. Let’s explore together!

IN THIS EPISODE, DR. NINA COVERS:

* Why every major life transition carries grief alongside the celebration, even the ones you chose and worked hard for

* The two unhealthy responses to transition grief - toxic positivity and staying stuck - and why neither one actually heals you

* A personal story: the morning routine Dr. Nina grieved when she became a mother, and how she learned to hold both loss and love at the same time

* The career transition lens: what it looks like to grieve an identity tied to a role, a title, or a way of being seen in the world

* What it actually means to "meet yourself" in a hard moment - and how that's what loving yourself loudly really looks like

JOURNAL QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

Take these with you. Sit with them. You don't have to have the answers right away.

What part of your old self, your old routine, identity, or life are you silently grieving right now? Have you given yourself permission to name it?
When you feel grief alongside something good, do you tend to bypass it (tell yourself you should just be grateful) or do you get stuck in it? What does that pattern cost you?
What would it look like to validate your own grief? Not to wallow in it, but to simply say: "This loss is real, and I'm allowed to feel it"?
What are the two things that are both true for you right now? The joy AND the grief. Can you hold both without letting one cancel the other out?
Who in your life makes you feel safe enough to say "I'm struggling with this transition", even when the transition looks like a blessing or incredible from the outside?

REMEMBER:

Loving yourself loudly is a daily practice. Embrace your imperfections, honor your emotions, and speak your truth with confidence. Start today, unapologetically.

CONNECT WITH DR. NINA POLYNÉ:

All links: https://linktr.ee/loveyourselfloudlymedia

Podcast Instagram: @loveyourselfloudlypodcast

Personal Instagram: @drninapolyne

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nina-polyné-48494934a

CREDITS:

Creative Direction, Producing + Editing: Dr. Nina Polyné

Audio/Visual Engineering + Mix: Joel Edinberg | @joeledinberg

Podcast Advisor: Marisa Bramwell, MBA | https://solas-creative.com/

DISCLAIMER

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Love Yourself Loudly Podcast | New episodes every Sunday

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introduction to Loving Yourself Loudly - Embracing Self-Worth and Authenticity

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Title: Loving Yourself Loudly - Embracing Self-Worth and Authenticity

Explore the transformative power of self-love and authenticity with Dr. Nina Polyné. This episode delves into the concept of loving yourself loudly, challenging societal norms, and embracing your true self.

In this episode:

Understanding the deeper meaning of loving yourself loudly.
Reclaiming your voice amidst societal pressures.
Dr. Nina’s journey from high achiever to self-acceptance.
The impact of cultural and professional influences on self-love.
Overcoming perfectionism and the need for external validation.
Practical strategies for embracing self-love today.
The role of emotions and imperfections in genuine self-love.
Setting boundaries in personal and professional life.
Reflection prompts for self-awareness and growth.
Astrology's influence on Dr. Nina’s self-discovery.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction: Why loving yourself loudly matters

00:42 - Celebrating self-love

02:05 - Showing up for yourself

03:10 - Dr. Nina’s personal story

04:37 - Societal voices and self-expression

06:29 - Reclaiming your voice

07:41 - Professional journey and boundaries

08:41 - Living life in color

09:38 - Astrology and self-love

10:34 - Emotional validation and societal expectations

12:29 - Overcoming perfectionism

13:58 - Boundaries and self-care

16:22 - Challenging self-critical messages

17:22 - Embracing imperfection

18:59 - Stress, health, and workplace boundaries

22:11 - Eczema and self-acceptance

24:01 - Burnout and resilience

26:44 - Healing skin insecurities

28:29 - Authentic self-acceptance

29:53 - Embracing emotions

30:50 - Final encouragement: Love yourself today :)

Thoughtful Questions for the Audience:

Why do we throw a party when someone falls in love with another person — but call it narcissistic when someone says they love themselves?”

“What if loving yourself loudly has nothing to do with feeling good about yourself — and everything to do with showing up for yourself when it’s hard?”

What if the most powerful thing you could do isn’t wait until you’re ready, or better, or further along — but choose to love yourself loudly, today, unapologetically, as you already are?”

Journal Questions for the Audience:

When did you last say “I love myself” out loud — and how did it feel?
What stories were you told about self-love growing up? Were they empowering or shaming?
What would it mean for you to start loving yourself loudly?

Connect with Dr. Nina Polyné:

All links (Linktree): https://linktr.ee/loveyourselfloudlymedia

Podcast Instagram: @loveyourselfloudlypodcast

Personal Instagram: @drninapolyne

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nina-polyné-48494934a

**Remember: Loving yourself loudly is a daily practice. Embrace your imperfections, honor your emotions, and speak your truth with confidence. Start today, unapologetically.**

DISCLAIMER

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing: Love Yourself Loudly | Premiering June 7th

Tue, 19 May 2026 17:53:57 GMT

Love Yourself Loudly with Dr. Nina Polyné

Why is it that we can say "I love my kids" or "I love my friend" out loud without flinching — but the moment someone says "I love myself," the room goes weird, and it feels cringe?

I've been thinking about that for a long time.

I'm Dr. Nina Polyné — couples psychologist, relationship expert, and someone who believes the most important relationship you will ever have is the one with yourself.

Every week on Love Yourself Loudly, we get into the real stuff: the things that make self-love feel scary, pretentious, or just plain hard. Short episodes. Real talk. A new lens on something you already feel. And hopefully, permission to define what loving yourself actually looks like — on your terms.

This is not a destination I've arrived at. I'm in it too — figuring it out loud, right here with you, every week.

This podcast is for personal reflection and real conversation — not therapy or clinical advice. If you're in a hard place, please reach out to a licensed professional.

*New episodes every Sunday starting June 7th.* Let's do this — loudly and unapologetically.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @loveyourselfloudlypodcast

Follow Dr. Nina on Instagram @drninapolyne

We want to hear from you! DM with questions or suggestions for the show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.