The Stories We Carry: Healing Through Shame

Have you ever felt weighed down by a story no one else could see?

In this episode of the Andrea Kay Wellness Podcast, I recorded from home - in a softer space, cat in my lap, cozy and grounded. Because this topic needed comfort. It needed tenderness. It needed truth.

We talked about shame - the invisible burden so many of us carry quietly.
The kind that doesn’t always come from others, but from inside our own stories.

The shame of…

• not doing enough

• wanting more

• being “too much” or “not enough”

It’s subtle. It’s sticky. And it can shape the way we move through the world - often without us realizing.

When Shame Becomes Armor

For years, I didn’t even realize I was carrying shame.
It looked like:

• Overachieving

• People-pleasing

• Perfectionism

• Constantly proving my worth

But eventually, my body said “enough.”
My nervous system tapped out. My energy crashed.
And that’s when the real healing began.

Naming the shame was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever done.
Because here’s the truth:
Shame thrives in silence.
It grows in the dark.
But when we speak it - even just to ourselves - we take away its power.

You Are Not Alone

If you’ve ever felt like your healing journey is one big unraveling, you are not broken.

You are becoming.

This episode is a gentle reminder that:

• You’re allowed to set the shame down

• You can rewrite the stories that no longer serve you

• You don’t have to carry what was never yours to begin with

Ready to go deeper? 

My self-led workshop, Perfectly Unbalanced, dives past shame into the roots of why so many women feel trapped in exhaustion, guilt, and that constant “never enough” feeling. It’s about the system that pushed us to shatter glass ceilings but never showed up with support — the same system that taught men to lean on women’s unpaid labor to get ahead. If you’re done holding it all together while quietly falling apart, this is your permission to let go, do it differently, and create space for yourself.

Explore the workshop here → Perfectly Unbalanced Workshop

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Have you ever carried shame that wasn’t yours?
What helped you start to let go?

✨ I'd love to hear your story - send me a DM, reply to one of my love notes, or drop a comment if this episode resonated with you.

Unlearning Shame: A Self-Trust Starter Kit

A quick guide to help you release the shame you inherited — and return to who you were before the world told you to shrink.

This post is based on Episode 8 of the Andrea Kay Wellness Podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.