Zahra Ciardi - The True Self, Limiting Beliefs & Why Photographers Crave Validation, E118

Matt talks with psychologist Zahra Ciardi, founder of Ascendant Bali, to explore the inner life of the creative person: why so many photographers feel their work isn't truly theirs, the limiting beliefs that keep artists stuck, and how to put your work into the world without being ruled by validation.By the end of this episode you'll understand why your photography stops feeling like yours, and what it takes to create from your true self instead of your need to be seen.Zahra works in trauma recovery and peak performance, and she breaks down the psychology of high achievers, the anatomy of avoidance, the inner critic, and how childhood shapes the way we create as adults.Other things discussed:The "bus" model of the self and why the inner critic ends up drivingHighly sensitive people and why creatives feel everything so intenselyOver-diagnosis, self-diagnosis, and the bigger problem of under-treatmentSelf-neutrality as the realistic first step before self-loveGraded exposure for photographers afraid to share their workUsing social media intentionally instead of being used by itWhether healing costs you your creative edgeHow childhood memory is stored in the body, not just the mindThe single values exercise Zahra says works every timeZahra's links:www.ascendantbali.comwww.zahraciardi.comhttps://www.instagram.com/zahra_ciardi/____________________Message me, leave a comment and join in the conversation!Support the showThank you for listening and for being a part of this incredible community. You can listen and watch full extended and ad-free episodes in my community - The MOOD Insiders - where I also share insights, photography tips and behind-the-scenes content on my channel as well as meet with the community on book club weekly events, special guest features, bonus content, open forum access, free resources and so much more. The MOOD Insiders Communityhttps://www.mattjacob.co/insidersLearn with mehttps://mattjacob.co/learnMy Newsletterhttps://www.mattjacob.co/archiveWebsite:https://themoodpodcast.comSocials:IG | X | TikTok | Threads | YouTube | @mattyj_ay