EN 43 Why you never feel good enough

Do you ever feel that no matter how much you achieve, how much you give or how hard you try, you are still somehow not good enough? 

🎙️ In this episode of #JanaTalk, I'm very happy to welcome Dr. Zoe Shaw - licensed psychotherapist, author, speaker, relationship coach and Complex Shame™ expert. 

Dr. Zoe holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and has more than 20 years of experience helping women navigate difficult relationships. She specialises in helping women overcome Complex Shame™ and codependency so they can develop greater confidence, experience healthy love and build stronger relationships with themselves and others.

 She is the author of "Stronger in the Difficult Places: Heal Your Relationship with Yourself by Untangling Complex Shame" and "A Year of Self-Care". She is also the host of the podcast "Stronger in the Difficult Places", and her work and expert insights have been featured in People, Psychology Today and Oprah Daily. Although our time together was limited, Dr. Zoe shared powerful insights that make this conversation truly worth watching and listening to. 🌿

About this episode

In this conversation you will discover:

🔹 Why we can feel "not good enough" even when our lives appear successful
🔹 The difference between guilt, shame and Complex Shame™
🔹Why perfectionism and achievement can hide feelings of inadequacy
🔹 How self-worth influences the partners we choose and what we tolerate
🔹 Why we may confuse emotional intensity, uncertainty or anxiety with love
🔹 The connection between Complex Shame™, people-pleasing and codependency
🔹 Why setting boundaries can trigger guilt, fear or anxiety
🔹 How to start rebuilding self-worth and trusting your own voice
🔹 …and much more

▶️ TOPIC: WHY YOU NEVER FEEL GOOD ENOUGH — How Shame Shapes Your Relationships
▶️ WHEN: Sunday 11. 10. 2026 od 19:00
▶️ WHERE: YouTube channel @Jana_Talk

I'm looking forward to seeing you in the next episode.
Wishing you a beautiful day.

With love,
Jana

Feeling not good enough can influence who we choose, what we tolerate and how much of ourselves we abandon in a relationship. Your level of self-worth influences not only whom you choose, but also what you are willing to tolerate.

About the guest: Dr. Zoe Shaw

Dr. Zoe Shaw is an American licensed psychotherapist, author, speaker, relationship coach and Complex Shame™ expert based in Southern California. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and has more than 20 years of experience helping women navigate difficult relationships—including the relationship they have with themselves.

Throughout her professional career and personal journey, Dr. Zoe has explored how deeply held shame can influence our identity, self-worth, decisions and relationships. She developed the concept of Complex Shame™ to describe the layered and internalised shame that can develop through childhood experiences, emotional wounds and repeated relational patterns.

Complex Shame™ does not always appear as obvious insecurity. It can hide behind perfectionism, achievement, extreme independence, people-pleasing or the need to be useful and needed by others. Even people who appear confident, capable and successful may quietly carry the belief that they are somehow not good enough.

Dr. Zoe is the author of Stronger in the Difficult Places: Heal Your Relationship with Yourself by Untangling Complex Shame, in which she helps readers understand the origins of shame, recognise how it affects their lives and begin developing a more compassionate relationship with themselves. She is also the author of A Year of Self-Care: Daily Practices and Inspiration for Caring for Yourself.

She is the host of the podcast Stronger in the Difficult Places, where she explores challenging relationships, emotional healing, self-worth, codependency and personal growth. Her work and expert insights have also been featured in People, Psychology Today and Oprah Daily.

At the heart of Dr. Zoe's work is the understanding that many of our behaviours once developed as ways of protecting us from pain, rejection or abandonment. Rather than asking, "What is wrong with me?", she encourages people to explore what happened to them, how they learned to adapt and whether those patterns still serve them today.