When you decide to step into something new, a new role, a new level of visibility, a more expansive version of yourself, the inner critic often gets louder, not quieter.

In this episode of Banish the Lies, Tania explores why those familiar doubts tend to surface precisely when you’re growing. She shares personal reflections on launching the podcast, the resurgence of old fears, and why the return of self-doubt isn’t a sign of failure, but a sign that you’re stretching beyond your comfort zone.

You’ll learn how many of the beliefs that hold us back began as forms of protection, why trying to argue with fear rarely works, and how awareness of both the cost and the payoff of a belief can loosen its grip. Tania introduces a simple but powerful framework for working with the inner critic with compassion rather than resistance.

This episode is an invitation to stop interpreting fear as regression and start seeing it as evidence of expansion. If the voices in your head have been louder than usual lately, this conversation will help you understand why, and how to keep moving forward anyway.

Journal prompts from this episode:

• What is a belief that’s been getting in the way of what I want for my life, or of me expanding or taking the next step?
• What is this belief costing me?
• What does this belief protect me from?
• What does this belief help me avoid feeling?
• What am I truly committed to right now?
• Does this thought move me toward or away from my North Star?

In this short, unfiltered episode, Tania reflects on what happened after recording the first episode of Banish the Lies.

What began as excitement and pride quickly gave way to self-doubt when feedback started rolling in, even thoughtful, well-intended feedback. This episode explores the emotional whiplash that can follow creative vulnerability, what Tania calls a “vulnerability hangover.”

She shares how easily the inner critic can steal joy, pull focus toward fixing and pleasing, and tempt us to define our worth by other people’s opinions. Through real-time reflection, Tania names the fragile edge between trusting joy and spiraling into self-correction, especially when we’re committed to doing things imperfectly.

This episode is a reminder that creating is vulnerable, that feedback doesn’t get to outrank joy, and that we’re allowed to feel proud of ourselves simply for showing up. It’s an invitation to notice the inner critic without giving it the keys, and to keep choosing courage, even when it feels messy.

In the first episode of Banish the Lies, Tania Cervoni shares the story behind the podcast and the moment she realized how much “playing it safe” was quietly shrinking her life.

What begins as a reflection on perfectionism and self-criticism unfolds into a deeper exploration of how the inner critic disguises itself as protection, productivity, and ambition. Tania traces the roots of these patterns, from early childhood moments to years of striving, burnout, and self-betrayal that looked like success from the outside.

This episode is for anyone who feels stuck on the hamster wheel of doing everything “right,” hustling for worthiness, or following invisible rules that no longer feel true. You’ll hear an honest account of how safety can become a cage, why perfectionism is often self-protection, and what it means to redefine safety in a way that allows for joy, creativity, and aliveness.

Tania invites you to reflect on where you may be playing it safe in your own life, and how loosening that grip, even slightly, might help you feel more present, authentic, and free.