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What if the most profound gift you could give your clients is something you struggle to give yourself? For those of us dedicated to helping others, there's a strange paradox at play: we excel at building trust with clients, yet often fail to extend that same unwavering trust to ourselves.
Unconditional self-trust isn't about blind confidence or ignoring feedback. Instead, it represents an unshakable belief in your capacity, judgment, intuition, and resilience—even when facing self-doubt, challenging outcomes, or professional setbacks. This episode examines why trust erosion happens specifically in helping professions, from the high-stakes nature of our work to the empathic overload we experience absorbing others' anxieties.
With refreshing honesty, Dr. Merriman shares her own moments of professional self-doubt and maps out six core components of unconditional self-trust: deep self-awareness, embodied wisdom and professional intuition, radical self-compassion, competence paired with continuous learning, boundary-setting, and inner validation. These elements create a foundation that transforms how we show up for ourselves and those we serve.
The episode offers practical strategies for building this inner fortress—from mindful self-check-ins and journaling to embodied practices that strengthen the mind-body connection. You'll learn why trusting yourself might be the most profound act of self-care available to helping professionals, creating both resilience against burnout and a more grounded presence for clients. Plus, access a downloadable worksheet designed to help you identify areas of self-doubt and actively cultivate stronger professional self-trust.
Ready to transform your relationship with yourself and enhance your impact as a helper? Subscribe, leave a review, and visit juliemerrimanphd.com to download the companion worksheet for this episode.