What does it really mean to know that you matter — and how does that shape the impact you have on your relationships and the world?

In this episode, I explore how reclaiming a sense of worth can be a powerful source of energy, agency, and relational influence — especially when we’re feeling shut down, disconnected, or powerless. Through my own experience, I reflect on how depression often shows up as disconnection from self, others, and the world, and how that disconnection can quietly erode our sense that we matter.

Drawing on an Imago and nervous system informed lens, I share a working theory: people who don’t know they matter often don’t know their impact. When worth is unclear, power can feel distorted, either expressed through collapse and withdrawal, or through attempts to assert dominance. Both are understandable nervous system responses to deep relational injury.

This conversation focuses primarily on dorsal shutdown, the immobilized nervous system state where self-care, connection, and engagement with the world feel out of reach. I reflect on how beginning with the assumption that I mattered, rather than waiting for proof, helped restore energy, curiosity, and capacity for connection in my own life.

I also share how being accurately seen and mirrored within the Imago community became a healing experience, allowing growth to layer on top of safety. As my sense of worth strengthened, I became more able to notice my impact on others and to influence the quality of connection without collapsing or exerting control.

This episode is an invitation to consider how small, intentional shifts in the quality of our connections — first with ourselves, then with those closest to us, and eventually with the wider world — can become a meaningful source of personal and collective change.

In this episode, we explore:

• Depression as disconnection from self, others, and the world
• How not knowing you matter impacts nervous system regulation and energy
• The link between worth, impact, and our relationship to power
• Dorsal shutdown and why lack of energy isn’t a personal failure
• Beginning with worth as a foundation for healing and agency
• “I matter because I am here” as a way of interrupting old narratives
• How accurate mirroring supports relational repair and growth
• Why reclaiming worth restores capacity for connection and contribution
• How small relational shifts can ripple outward into larger systems

This episode is an invitation to slow down, question old narratives of worthlessness, and remember that when we know we matter, we’re better able to stay present, relational, and engaged — and that’s how small connections begin to shape the world.

If you and your partner are ready to co-create the roadmap to the relationship of your dreams, join us for the next in-person "Getting the Love You Want" Weekend Couples Retreat!

For support in how to have deeper connections and better communication in the relationships that matter most in your life, follow the host, Trish Sanders on Instagram , Bluesky or LinkedIn.