ep 30: why saying yes to everything is slowly killing you

Kate Whelan is an educator, author, artist, and facilitator whose work explores boundaries, self-trust, emotional healing, and personal transformation. For more than 20 years, she has worked with children, teens, and adults through education, music, creativity, communication, and well-being practices, helping people reconnect to the parts of themselves they learned to suppress in order to survive. With a background in teaching, mindfulness education, communication, leadership development, and trauma-aware facilitation, Kate bridges expressive arts, emotional awareness, somatic insight, and honest conversation in a way that is both grounded and deeply transformative.She is the creator of The Sacred No - a body of work centered on ending self-abandonment, rebuilding self-trust, and learning how to honour the inner voice before burnout, resentment, or collapse force the change.connect with KateKate’s website: https://www.katewhelan.com.au/ Kate’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katewhelan1111/The Sacred No Book: www.thesacredno.comThe Sacred No instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesacrednoreclammation/ ~📺watch and subscribe on youtubeKate Whelan spent decades being the good girl, the life of the party, the teacher who showed up for everyone and the person who said yes when every cell in her body was screaming no. she numbed it with alcohol, with drugs, with keeping busy, with over-giving.. until the cost became impossible to ignore. in this episode we get into the childhood wound that made saying no feel dangerous, what people pleasing actually costs you in your body, your relationships and your sense of self, why the sacred no is not about being selfish but about being honest, the creative healing journey that changed everything for Kate, and what it actually feels like in the nervous system when you finally start choosing yourself. this one will stay with you. enjoy 💙what we explored this episode00:00 why saying yes to everything is costing you03:10 where the belief that something was wrong with her began06:55 the moment she started abandoning herself09:03 being bullied at six foot tall in year seven and starting to smoke just to belong11:30 fifteen years of numbing14:20 standing in front of children every day and the big realisation17:00 the abortion at 34 and untangling the christmas lights22:00 creative expression was a doorway to healing!26:30 writing the book without a single like or comment31:15 what actually changed when she started saying the sacred no37:00 the one question you can ask yourself in any situation right now42:10 what the sacred no actually is46:00 the project connecting David and Kate48:30 what liberation means to Kate connect with me👉take the root cause auditfree five minute assessment - answer a few honest questions about what's showing up in your life right now. i'll personally review your responses and send you back a detailed breakdown of the specific emotional pattern driving your behaviour within 48 hours. no call and no pitch. just clarity on what's actually keeping you stuck.👉free resourcespractical tools, guided practices and resources to help you create more clarity, confidence and alignment - all 100% free. no catch - just high-impact support for high performers & purpose-driven humans ready to grow. enjoy! 👉need more support?if you’re interested in coaching programs and more support.👉linkedin👉facebook👉instagram👉tiktok👉youtube👉websitelots of love,david 💙