What if the moment you start shrinking—doubting yourself, over-explaining, trying harder, feeling “not good enough”—isn’t a personality flaw… but a nervous system warning light?
In Part 1, Brandi sits down with Dr. Paige Roberts (LICSW, CLT, PhD)—a trauma recovery expert and high-performance coach who helps athletes reset from mental and physical trauma to return to alpha flow state (optimized performance, reaction time, and calm confidence). Paige shares her own story of navigating sports culture where coaches hold the power, women often feel pressured to fawn and perform, and criticism becomes the currency—until it turns toxic.
They unpack the hidden trauma response that shows up as “being a good athlete” (or “being a good partner”): fawning—people-pleasing, seeking approval, checking the coach’s face to decide if you did “good or bad,” and internalizing shifting goalposts as truth. Paige connects this to unhealthy relationship dynamics too: persistent criticism, minimizing, jealousy, “you’re too sensitive,” and the slow erosion of identity when your world gets smaller.
And then Paige drops the mic: sensitivity is not a weakness—it's a superpower. Healing begins when you know yourself so well that your gifts aren’t up for negotiation. The episode goes deep into why crying is biologically healing (“cleaning the brain”), how unprocessed emotion locks the nervous system into fight/flight/freeze/fawn, and why athletes who are “toughening up” are often actually stuck in a trauma response—showing up as performance anxiety, the yips, blocks, and delayed reactions.
This is the episode for high achievers, athletes, parents, and anyone who’s tired of mistaking criticism for love. Because yes—growth matters. But not at the cost of your nervous system, your identity, or your peace.
You can find more about Dr. Paige and her services on her website at www.robertsneurotraining.com or on socials @sportspsychpaige
Feb 17 202621 mins