What happens when you stop living to meet everyone else’s expectations and finally reclaim what is already yours—your time, your energy, and your love?
In this episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jenna talks with author, TEDx speaker, and coach Caroline Garnet McGraw about her breakthrough book You Don’t Owe Anyone. With raw honesty and practical wisdom, Caroline shares how perfectionism, “good girl” conditioning, and cult-like environments taught her to abandon herself in the name of politeness, compliance, and approval. Her message is a game-changer: you don’t owe anyone your compliance, your explanation, your time, or your brave face—you owe yourself first.
Highlights from this episode:
How “good girl” conditioning starts early, shaping our sense of worth and teaching us to put others’ comfort ahead of our own safety and intuition.
Why so many of us feel guilty when we set boundaries—and how to reframe guilt as a sign that we are breaking unhealthy patterns, not doing something wrong.
The difference between excellence and perfectionism, and why perfectionism is really fear disguised as achievement.
Practical ways to re-parent yourself, heal wounded inner parts, and learn to treat yourself with the same compassion you’d show a child.
The power of self-protection and why saying no—or walking away—is an act of love for yourself.
How love, not fear, is the real force that heals past wounds and unlocks authentic freedom.
Caroline also shares deeply personal stories about growing up in a fundamentalist environment, struggling with boundaries in relationships, and the moment she realized she didn’t owe anyone an interaction. Together, Jenna and Caroline unpack how letting go of guilt and reclaiming your energy creates more space for joy, authenticity, and love.
If you’ve ever felt exhausted from over-giving, struggled with perfectionism, or believed you “owed” others your time and attention at the expense of yourself, this episode will resonate deeply.