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Finding My Mic-Drop Moment: The Day I Stopped Apologizing for My Own Voice

  • 2 days ago
  • 3 min read

By Joanne S. Williams, LCSW

Host of Anxiety Simplified – Beyond Psychology

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My mic-drop moment happened on Mother’s Day 2022, during Episode #94 of my podcast, Anxiety Simplified – Beyond Psychology.

 

It was supposed to be a sweet, sentimental idea: three generations of mothers—my 94-year-old mother, myself, and my daughter—coming together to have a conversation on motherhood with lessons and laughter. What could possibly go wrong, right?

 

The microphones were barely warmed up before the tone shifted from what started as a tender exchange quickly revealed deep, generational patterns—the unspoken expectations ON the children, instead of ON the parent, the subtle dismissals and after the mic stopped, the gaslighting that cut to bone from my own mother.

 

I’ve spent three decades as a therapist helping others handle tough truths. But that day, I wasn’t Therapist Joanne or Podcast Host Joanne—I was daughter Joanne, shrinking under my mother’s unsolicited review… of me. The mic had barely cooled when she said, “Why do you have to be so dramatic on your podcast? And that hairstyle—it’s just too much.” Double ouch.

 

That was it. My moment of clarity. I realized I had a choice: tone it down to meet others’ expectations, or I could keep showing up as my authentic, unapologetic self.

 

Somewhere between my mother’s “constructive feedback” and not so subtle gaslighting moments, I realized the episode was no longer about motherhood. It was about finding my own voice.

 

My inner voice said: Enough. I will finally stop apologizing for being “too much.”

 

The Power of Permission

That Mother’s Day episode changed more than my podcast—it changed me.


For years, I’d shaped my voice to be “professional,” “palatable,” or “pleasant.” I filtered my opinions to sound balanced and safe—never too “woo-woo,” never too emotional, never too real.

 

But podcasting has a way of showing who you really are. When you hit “record,” your energy, truth, and humanity all come through the mic. And listeners know the difference between someone who’s performing… and someone who’s present.


After that episode, I decided to stop performing.

 

Beyond Therapy—Into Truth

In both my therapy sessions and my podcast, my mission is the same: to help people move beyond anxiety by blending neuroscience, intuition, and down-to-earth tools that build real calm and lasting confidence.

 

But that episode reminded me: the best therapy often starts with honesty.


Afterward, I added Beyond Psychology to my podcast name. I began speaking more openly—not just about anxiety and trauma—but about spiritual growth and what it means to live authentically.


Listeners began writing in: “Thank you for saying what I feel but couldn’t put into words.”


That’s when I realized authenticity isn’t just good for the soul—it’s good for podcasting. It’s what builds connection.

 

People don’t connect with perfect hosts. They connect with honest humans.

 

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My Message to Fellow Podcasters

If you’ve ever edited out the messy parts of your story, or worried your truth might be “too much,” let me say this: your mic-drop moment is waiting just on the other side of fear.

 

Speak boldly. Speak freely. Let your voice shake if it needs to—but don’t silence it to make others comfortable.


The moment you stop cringing, second-guessing, or toning yourself down… that’s when your real podcast—and your real self—begin.


 Because the most powerful sound in any episode… is your authentic voice.


Connect With Joanne

 
 
 

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