Discernment + Trusting What You Know

This podcast is for anyone who's ever been told they're wrong about themselves by people who don't actually know them.I'm talking about the moments when your clarity becomes threatening to others in the room, even when you're not competing with, or threatening them, and when your self-trust is treated like arrogance because the people in power need you to doubt yourself so they can feel secure in their authority.I'm a therapist, but this isn't therapy. This is me telling you what happened when I got too good at my job, when my clients' feedback became a problem, when my knowing was labeled as ego because of their inability to monitor their own. This projection became violent and I had to choose myself, my intuition, and self preservation.If you've ever been gaslit by people with degrees, certifications, and titles but no integrity, this is for you. If you're learning to trust yourself in spaces that punish self-trust, especially as a Black woman or person of color in academic or professional settings, this is for you.We're talking about discernment, projection, workplace toxicity, and what it actually looks like to walk away when staying would cost you yourself, your mental and emotional health, and everything you worked for.In this episode, I share what happened at my last job when my effectiveness as a therapist became a threat. My clients were affirming me - telling me they'd never felt so seen, so safe, so regulated in therapy. Instead of celebrating that clinical success, my supervisors told me I was misinterpreting the feedback. That I needed to be "corrected."This is about what happens when discernment gets labeled as ego. When self-trust in professional settings - especially for Black women therapists and clinicians - is treated as insubordination. When your clarity threatens the people who need you to stay uncertain.I break down:The difference between ego and discernmentHow projection shows up in clinical supervisionRed flags in toxic workplace cultures for mental health professionalsWhy your self-knowledge is valid even when authority figures question itWhen walking away is the most grounded choice you can makeFor therapists, social workers, counselors, and anyone navigating workplace dynamics where your competence is a problem, this one's for you.