242. Social Anxiety, Self-Worth, and the Real Reason You Overthink Every Conversation w/ Claire Eastham | The Not Too Sensitive Podcast

This week, Alissa sits down with social anxiety coach and author Claire Eastham to unpack where that fear really comes from and what it takes to stop performing your way through every interaction.

Claire shares how years of masking and people-pleasing led to a nervous breakdown, and how embracing the very traits she'd been told were "too much" became the turning point. Together they explore why sensitive, empathic people are especially prone to over-scripting social situations and why the goal was never to stop feeling uncomfortable.

This conversation is equal parts honest and light, full of personal stories, practical strategies, and the kind of permission-giving reframes that change how you show up. The real shift isn't becoming someone who doesn't get anxious. It's becoming someone who doesn't need to hide it.

In this episode:

• Why social anxiety develops from early experiences of being told you're "not okay" the way you are, and how the brain starts treating social situations as threats
• The two patterns people fall into: total avoidance or over-preparing and scripting every interaction, and why neither leads to real connection
• How naming your anxiety out loud in the moment can cut it in half and why the shame of being "found out" is often worse than the anxiety itself
• Claire's approach to gradual exposure with a specific goal, broken into small steps, paired with genuine rewards
• The power of replacing small talk with real questions and why curiosity is a better social strategy than performance
• Why the most magnetic version of you isn't a polished persona but the one who's actually comfortable being themselves

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://substack.com/@thatsocialanxietycoach?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5bv5ps

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claireeasthamuk/ 

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wereallmadhere00

My new book 'Party with Panic: How to Conquer Panix Attacks (for good)' Is available to pre-order now and will be published on 11th May. For every copy sold I will donate 50p to the charity MQ . https://amzn.eu/d/06xOHhPO


Uncover your sneaky internal belief that’s stopping you from being your most confident self TAKE The FREE Shadow Archetype Quiz NOW

Learn my 6-step process for managing & neutralizing your triggers as an HSP in our FREE UN-Botherable Workshop!

Join the Not Too Sensitive Club 🦋 My group coaching container for highly sensitive women where self-doubt becomes certainty, second-guessing turns into self-trust, and overthinking transforms into rock-solid intuition. CLICK HERE to learn more!

Follow Alissa on Substack: https://substack.com/@lifebyalissa

 As a special bonus, I want to give you FREE access to my workshop for HSPs called Not "Too Sensitive" (usually $35)!

All you have to do is:

• Leave a written review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Email a screenshot of your review to [email protected]

That's it! 😊

🦋🦋🦋

Listen on Apple | Listen on Spotify