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Not Good Enough Stuff

Not Good Enough Stuff

Written by: Mary Beth Fox
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Who would you be if nobody had ever told you who you were supposed to be?

If you've spent your life feeling like you're not good enough, wondering why you don't know who you are, struggling to recognize your own needs, or feeling like you're living a life that doesn't quite fit, you're in the right place.

I'm Mary Beth Fox, Licensed Professional Counselor.

You weren't born believing you weren't enough. Those messages were planted by family, society, culture, sometimes religion, and life experiences. Over time, they shaped the voice in your head, your identity, your self-worth, your relationships, your decisions, and nearly every part of your life.

Using the Not Good Enough Stuff Framework, we'll trace those messages back to their roots so you can understand how you became who you are, why you see yourself the way you do, why your own needs can feel so difficult to recognize, and how to separate who you truly are from who you were shaped to be.

We'll question the childhood messages that shaped your self-worth, fueled negative self-talk, left you carrying shame, made boundaries feel difficult, and convinced you that you had to earn love, approval, or your worth.

Sometimes we'll call bullshit on those messages.

Because they deserve to be questioned.

This podcast isn't about becoming someone new.

It's about returning to your True Soul Identity.

You are not lost.

Your True Soul Identity became covered by the layers of family, society, culture, sometimes religion, and life experiences.

Together, we'll peel back those layers, trace the roots that shaped your identity, and uncover the truth about who you've been all along.

Whether you're trying to understand your inner child, emotional neglect, childhood experiences, self-worth, relationships, emotional needs, identity, or the voice in your head, Not Good Enough Stuff will help you understand how you got where you are so you can return to who you truly are.

2026 Mary Beth Fox Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • Life Coach vs. Therapist: Who’s Qualified to Help You Heal?

    Life Coach vs. Therapist: Who’s Qualified to Help You Heal?
    Oct 6 2026

    Does “certified trauma coach” mean someone is qualified to treat trauma? What’s the difference between a life coach and a licensed therapist, and why does it matter when you’re looking for help?

    In this episode of Not Good Enough Stuff, I’m Mary Beth Fox, a licensed professional counselor, explaining the differences in education, clinical training, credentials, confidentiality, and professional accountability.

    You’ll learn:
    • What training is required to call yourself a life coach
    • Why certified does not mean licensed
    • How coaching experience differs from supervised clinical training
    • Why being trauma-informed does not automatically qualify someone to treat trauma
    • What to question when someone promises to heal your inner child, rewire your brain, or fix what years of therapy couldn’t
    • What to ask before trusting someone with your mental health

    Coaching can be valuable. Consumers also deserve to understand what someone’s qualifications actually prepare them to do. If you’ve tried therapy and still feel not good enough, a compelling promise deserves careful questions.

    Mental health professionals can email me to request the slides featured in this episode. Please credit Mary Beth Fox and Not Good Enough Stuff and keep the slides unaltered.

    Share this episode with someone deciding between therapy and life coaching, and follow Not Good Enough Stuff for more conversations about the roots of why you feel not good enough.

    00:47 Therapist vs. Life Coach: What’s the Difference?

    02:44 What Training Does a Life Coach Need?

    04:36 What Does It Take to Become a Licensed Therapist?

    06:42 Coaching Hours vs. Clinical Training Hours

    09:22 Certified Does Not Mean Licensed

    10:38 Who Regulates Life Coaches?

    13:23 Licensing Boards and Professional Accountability

    14:57 What Does Confidential Actually Mean?

    16:21 Trauma-Informed vs. Qualified to Treat Trauma

    17:42 Coaching and Therapy Are Different Services

    18:50 Life Coaching Marketing Claims Worth Questioning

    21:09 When “Therapy Didn’t Work” Becomes a Sales Pitch

    25:02 Knowing About Trauma vs. Being Qualified to Treat It

    26:28 Questions to Ask Before Hiring Someone

    27:37 Know Their Training, Credentials, and Accountability

    29:17 How Mental Health Professionals Can Request the Slides

    Resources & Links: 🌐 Visit: https://www.theinnerchildtherapist.com/

    Download your FREE Not Good Enough Guide here: https://www.theinnerchildtherapist.com/free-guide-to-feeling-enough/

    Connect with Me:


    ▶️ YouTube: @notgoodenoughstuff


    📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/theinnerchildtherapist


    🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theinnerchildtherapist


    📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/TICT.MaryBethFox


    If this episode resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps more people begin questioning the messages they never chose to believe.

    Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for educational and personal growth purposes only. It is not a substitute for therapy, mental health treatment, or medical advice, and listening does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you need support for your unique situation, please connect with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

    Music Attribution: Music licensed through Soundstripe Code: CDAA5GJA2635SEHS
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • Why Do I Feel Not Good Enough No Matter What I Do? | The Inner Critic and Childhood Messages

    Why Do I Feel Not Good Enough No Matter What I Do? | The Inner Critic and Childhood Messages
    Sep 29 2026

    You reached the goal you thought would finally make you feel good enough. So why is your inner critic already telling you it doesn’t count?

    In this episode of Not Good Enough Stuff, I explore how messages from family, society, and culture can shape what we believe about ourselves in childhood. We may not realize we’re still carrying those messages as adults. They can show up in our work, relationships, boundaries, and even our ability to rest.

    I share how childhood comments about my appearance followed me into adulthood, and why accomplishments couldn’t change what I had come to believe about myself. Then I offer a place to start: noticing when your inner critic turns something that happened into a statement about who you are.

    What’s one thing your inner critic says about you that you’re beginning to wonder if you learned?

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Why reaching achievements doesn't always boost self-worth

    00:35 The roots of not good enough feelings

    01:02 Exploring childhood influences on self-image

    01:40 The metaphor of the tree and its roots

    02:14 How environment shapes our beliefs

    02:41 Messages from family, school, and society

    04:52 Beliefs as roots and their visible branches

    05:29 The impact of childhood messages on adult life

    08:45 Messages as reflections of identity

    09:42 Recognizing messages versus who we are

    11:16 Healing childhood messages about appearance

    15:34 Challenging the inner critic and beliefs

    17:27 Practical steps to question your inner critic

    18:20 The importance of self-acceptance and healing

    🌐 Visit: https://www.theinnerchildtherapist.com/

    Download your FREE Not Good Enough Guide here: https://www.theinnerchildtherapist.com/free-guide-to-feeling-enough/

    Connect with Me:


    ▶️ YouTube: @notgoodenoughstuff


    📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/theinnerchildtherapist


    🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theinnerchildtherapist


    📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/TICT.MaryBethFox


    If this episode resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps more people begin questioning the messages they never chose to believe.

    Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for educational and personal growth purposes only. It is not a substitute for therapy, mental health treatment, or medical advice, and listening does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you need support for your unique situation, please connect with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

    Music Attribution:

    Music licensed through Soundstripe

    Code: CDAA5GJA2635SEHS
    Show More Show Less
    22 mins
  • Why You Can’t Move On After an Argument When You Don’t Feel Heard

    Why You Can’t Move On After an Argument When You Don’t Feel Heard
    Sep 22 2026

    Have you ever walked away from an argument and replayed it for hours? Thinking about what you should've said, wondering how they could possibly not understand you, or waiting for them to make things okay?

    Sometimes the argument is over, but something in you still doesn’t feel resolved.

    In this episode of Not Good Enough Stuff, I’m talking about what happens during and after disagreements when you don’t feel heard or understood. Why do we explain more, get louder, cry, get angry, shut down, or apologize just to make it end? Why is it so hard to move on afterward?

    We’ll explore how conflict can bring us back to younger versions of ourselves when a disagreement touches old experiences of not being heard, believed, or allowed to have feelings and needs.

    I also share a personal story about realizing an adult disagreement had taken me emotionally back to about 4 years old, and how I gave that younger part of myself the repair I wasn’t getting from the other person.

    There’s a difference between wanting someone to understand you and needing them to understand you before you can feel okay.

    An argument ending is not the same thing as an argument being repaired.

    If certain disagreements stay with you long after they’re over, this episode helps you understand what you’re actually waiting for and where that need began.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction
    01:53 When the fight becomes about being heard
    02:11 Wanting vs. needing someone to understand you
    03:22 Why we revert to younger ages during conflict
    04:16 My experience of becoming my 4-year-old self
    07:12 How to recognize the age you revert to
    10:21 Overexplaining, shutting down, and replaying arguments
    13:01 When your inner child is waiting for repair
    17:42 Ending an argument vs. repairing it
    18:09 When the other person won’t repair with you
    19:37 Learning to validate your own experience
    20:34 How to recognize this in your own conflicts

    Resources & Links:

    🌐 Visit: https://www.theinnerchildtherapist.com/

    Download your FREE Not Good Enough Guide here: https://www.theinnerchildtherapist.com/free-guide-to-feeling-enough/

    Connect with Me:

    
▶️ YouTube: @notgoodenoughstuff


    📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/theinnerchildtherapist

    
🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theinnerchildtherapist


    📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/TICT.MaryBethFox

    If this episode resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps more people begin questioning the messages they never chose to believe.

    Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for educational and personal growth purposes only. It is not a substitute for therapy, mental health treatment, or medical advice, and listening does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you need support for your unique situation, please connect with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

    Music Attribution:

    Music licensed through Soundstripe

    Code: CDAA5GJA2635SEHS
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
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