Have you ever wondered if you are too much or too needy? 

We carry a lot of baggage around our needs, others’ needs, and the many mixed messages about having needs but doing everything possible to not be seen as ‘being needy’.

The result? A relentless pursuit to keep our needs hidden, fueling feelings of scarcity, shame, and worry.

But needs are an inherent part of being human.

In a society that has weaponized needs so that if you need, you are “needy,” the idea of expressing our needs even evokes fear and shame.

And we’ve created a moral binary around needs–good to have needs, bad to be needy, or good to help people but bad to be helped–which is exhausting and only serves to prop up the myth of rugged individualism.

Today’s guest joins me for a deep dive exploring our complicated relationship with needs and neediness. Mara Glatzel is the author of the book Needy, and we’re digging into how we come to see our needs as problems, as objects of shame, as feelings to heal or to banish, instead of as natural and normal.

Mara Glatzel, MSW (she/her) is an author, intuitive coach, and podcast host who helps humans stop abandoning themselves and start reclaiming their humanity through embracing their needs and honoring their natural energy rhythms. Her superpower is saying what you need to hear when you need to hear it and she is here to help you believe in yourself as much as she believes in you. 

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How expressing our needs is rooted in a desire to be known, prioritized, and to feel like we matter
• The social and cultural barriers to truly claiming and expressing our needs
• How prioritizing and centering your needs challenges the narrative that your value is in what you can do
• How we can validate others’ needs without necessarily having the capacity to meet them
• Key practices for identifying and honoring your needs and building your capacity for discomfort
• Differentiating between self-responsibility and hyper-individualism

Learn more about Mara Glatzel:

• Website
• Instagram: @maraglatzel
• Needy Podcast
• Needy: How to Advocate for Your Needs and Claim Your Sovereignty

Learn more about Rebecca:

• rebeccaching.com
• Work With Rebecca
• Sign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader Email

Resources:

• Say It Out Loud: Using the Power of Your Voice to Listen to Your Deepest Thoughts and Courageously Pursue Your Dreams, Vasavi Kumar
• Emily King – “Remind Me”
• Shrinking
• Madam Secretary