2. The Validation Pattern: Why Being the Strong One Is Quietly Burning You Out

If Episode 1 was about being chosen, this one is about being needed. Same engine. Different costume.For years I was the person people came to — the colleague who could carry, the friend who could hold space, the partner who absorbed everyone else's emotional weather. I called it leadership, loyalty, or just being a good person. None of those names were accurate.In this episode of Boys & Boardrooms, I introduce a specific shape validation dependency takes — emotional containment — and walk through how it shows up at work, in the people we love, and in the work I am still doing in my own life.I share:— What containment actually is, and the one-word tell that gives it away every time — The colleague who burned out trying to hold her direct report up, and what her story tells you about yours — The three questions I use to figure out whether you are supporting someone or quietly carrying themEpisode 1 named the pattern. This episode shows you one of the shapes it takes in capable, generous, high-functioning people. There will be more.Follow me on @advance_with_andi to catch when new episodes drop, and check out the Validation Pattern Quiz referenced on the show here.CONNECTHost: Andi Johnson — Instagram @advance_with_andiTake the Validation Pattern Quiz — link in bio.