EPISODE · Apr 24, 2026 · 23 MIN
The Fear of Outshining Others
from Creative Overflow with Jenny Kiehn · host Jennykiehn
This podcast is about a sneaky fear that a lot of artists have and which can cause definite blocks to your success. The fear of outshining others is the fear that your talent, humor, beauty etc will somehow have a negative effect on someone else. For instance, it could make a younger sibling feel bad about themselves, or your parents might have gotten grumpy and uncomfortable because they didn’t have the bandwidth to support you. This fear usually forms early in childhood and can be an unknown cause of blocks in your professional life.In the podcast, I tell my story with my fear of outshining others and how I’ve healed it. Once you identify that you have an fear of outshining others, I offer two ways of healing it:1). Notice the part of your body that the younger version of you is located in. This will be wherever the pain is coming from. Make safe space for the younger version of you that is in pain, and allow it to tell its story. It helps if you can imagine the pain flowing out and down into the ground. Just hold safe space for that part of yourself and let it all out. By doing this, you become the parent you always needed. 2). Flip the belief and let it sink in. Instead of "When I outshine others, my family stops loving me" flip it to "When I shine, I inspire others"This fear can also create a block against receiving money for your creations. You may be willing to make them, but unconsciously think you need to punish yourself somehow for doing so. Or you might just simply think you can’t make your creations AND receive ample money for them because that is shining too brightly. The beautiful thing is once you identify the problem, you can start to heal it and let it melt away. This is life changing!!I also referred to “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks because it has an incredible section about the fear of outshining others.If you enjoyed this episode, definitely tune in every Friday because I will be releasing a new episode each week. If you're interested in a conversation on how you can bring more abundance into your creative life, leave a review of this podcast, take a screenshot of it and email it to [email protected]. I'll invite you to a free group coaching class about exactly that!If you’re interested in deeper weekly support, go to jennykiehn.com/podcast-coaching to find out more about the Creative Abundance Circle.
What this episode covers
This podcast is about a sneaky fear that a lot of artists have and which can cause definite blocks to your success. The fear of outshining others is the fear that your talent, humor, beauty etc will somehow have a negative effect on someone else. For instance, it could make a younger sibling feel bad about themselves, or your parents might have gotten grumpy and uncomfortable because they didn’t have the bandwidth to support you. This fear usually forms early in childhood and can be an unknown cause of blocks in your professional life.In the podcast, I tell my story with my fear of outshining others and how I’ve healed it. Once you identify that you have an fear of outshining others, I offer two ways of healing it:1). Notice the part of your body that the younger version of you is located in. This will be wherever the pain is coming from. Make safe space for the younger version of you that is in pain, and allow it to tell its story. It helps if you can imagine the pain flowing out and down into the ground. Just hold safe space for that part of yourself and let it all out. By doing this, you become the parent you always needed. 2). Flip the belief and let it sink in. Instead of "When I outshine others, my family stops loving me" flip it to "When I shine, I inspire others"This fear can also create a block against receiving money for your creations. You may be willing to make them, but unconsciously think you need to punish yourself somehow for doing so. Or you might just simply think you can’t make your creations AND receive ample money for them because that is shining too brightly. The beautiful thing is once you identify the problem, you can start to heal it and let it melt away. This is life changing!!I also referred to “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks because it has an incredible section about the fear of outshining others.If you enjoyed this episode, definitely tune in every Friday because I will be releasing a new episode each week. If you're interested in a conversation on how you can bring more abundance into your creative life, leave a review of this podcast, take a screenshot of it and email it to [email protected]. I'll invite you to a free group coaching class about exactly that!If you’re interested in deeper weekly support, go to jennykiehn.com/podcast-coaching to find out more about the Creative Abundance Circle.
NOW PLAYING
The Fear of Outshining Others
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Jan 2, 2026 ·47m
Dec 21, 2025 ·46m