What if you’re not broken—just exhausted from trying to be palatable?

In this deeply honest January episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Heidi and Ashley opt out of "New Year New Me" and fix-yourself culture that tells women they’re perpetually unfinished. As part of our Goals, Not Resolutions series, we’re challenging the idea that growth has to come from self-criticism, endless healing, or constant self-editing.

Ashley shares what she’s not fixing this year—from her sensitivity and emotional depth to her need for rest, her changing opinions, and her refusal to romanticize resilience. Together, we unpack the Fix-It Industrial Complex, the wellness-to-self-help pipeline that disguises self-rejection as empowerment and rewards women for being manageable, agreeable, and “easy.”

This episode is for the high-achieving woman who’s tired of interrogating every reaction, questioning every boundary, and shrinking herself in the name of growth. If you’ve ever wondered whether healing has turned into another performance—or felt both relief and grief at the idea of stopping—this conversation will feel like a deep exhale.

Listener takeaway: You don’t need to be fixed. You need permission to stay.

✨ In this episode, we explore:
– Why January fuels self-improvement pressure and self-worth anxiety
– The cost of constant self-editing and emotional self-surveillance
– Sensitivity, fatigue, and emotional depth as data—not flaws
– Why “being palatable” is not the same as being powerful
– How to name one thing you’re not fixing this year

If this episode resonates, share it with the woman in your life who’s exhausted from becoming.

High heels. Higher standards.

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Until next Wednesday, keep your head, heels and standards high! Please follow along for more on TikTok and Instagram: @higherheelspodcast

Thank you for listening, lovelies!