What if one of your greatest strengths is also making it difficult to hear yourself?

You can walk into a room and immediately sense who's uncomfortable. You anticipate what people need. You may trust your intuition completely at work.

But when someone you love is disappointed by your decision, suddenly you're questioning something you felt perfectly clear about five minutes ago.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda shares 10 signs that your empathy may be running your life instead of supporting it—and why the answer isn't to become less sensitive.

The goal is to let your empathy include YOU.

The 10 signs

1. You know what you want until someone else has feelings about it.

2. You feel responsible for emotions nobody asked you to manage.

3. You confuse someone else's discomfort with evidence that you've done something wrong.

4. You anticipate everyone's needs but struggle to identify your own.

5. You say yes before checking in with yourself.

6. You seek reassurance about decisions that originally felt clear.

7. You struggle to distinguish intuition from emotional overwhelm.

8. You feel guilty resting when someone else might need something.

9. You explain your boundaries until they sound like requests for permission.

10. You feel deeply connected to everyone else but disconnected from yourself.

Through examples from relationships, work, family life and her own experiences, Brenda explores how these patterns can show up even in confident, accomplished women.

You'll also hear why someone else's reaction isn't necessarily information about whether your decision is right for you, and how to begin recognizing the difference between seeking perspective and seeking permission.

Try this

Think about a recent moment when you felt clear about something—until another person had feelings about it.

Ask yourself:

• What did I know before their reaction?

• What am I feeling now?

• What might I be feeling that isn't mine?

• Has my knowing changed, or has honoring it become uncomfortable?

You don't have to stop caring deeply about other people to start honoring yourself.

Ready to practice this with support?

POWER: Self-Trust for Empaths is Brenda's six-week live foundation with a full year of coaching, community and opportunities to revisit the work through three live POWER rounds.

You'll also receive a private coaching session during your first cohort and lifetime access to the curriculum and replays.

Enrollment closes Thursday, October 1, 2026. The first content call is Tuesday, October 6.

Explore POWER and enroll: https://BrendaWinkle.com/power

If this episode helped you recognize a pattern, share it with someone who cares deeply about others and is learning to include herself, too.

Download your free energy audit: https://www.brendawinkle.com/audit 

Keywords: empath, empathy, signs of an empath, self trust, self trust for empaths, highly sensitive person, HSP, intuition, emotional overwhelm, emotional boundaries, setting boundaries, people pleasing, self abandonment, overgiving, intuitive development, trusting your intuition, empath boundaries, emotional regulation, somatic coaching, how to stop people pleasing, how to say no, decision making, guilt and rest, women's personal growth, POWER Self Trust for Empaths, Brenda Winkle, Your Yes Filled Life