Negotiate Anything End the People-Pleasing Cycle: 3 Tips That Actually Work
Feb 3, 2026
Amy Green Smith, a life coach and hypnotherapist who helps women build leadership and self-worth, breaks down people-pleasing. She explores its evolutionary roots and when it can be useful. Short, practical conversations cover emotional intelligence, subconscious habits, saying no, and concrete entry points for change.
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People-Pleasing Is A Safety Strategy
- Amy Green Smith defines people-pleasing as shaping yourself to others' opinions at a cost to you.
- She highlights fawning as an evolutionary defense linked to safety, not just weakness.
Befriending Staff Was A Safety Tactic
- Amy recounts a Black new mother's tactic of befriending hospital staff to stay safe during childbirth.
- She frames that behavior as strategic safety, not self-worth outsourcing.
Check Your Motive Before You Placate
- Ask whether you seek approval for self-worth or for a tangible goal like a promotion before placating someone.
- Use that clarity to decide if acquiescing is strategic or self-defeating.