Her Starring Role with Michele Lamoureux

Fawning: Learn About This Little Understood Trauma Response with Dr. Ingrid Clayton

Her Starring Role with Michele Lamoureux

Show Notes

In this episode, Dr. Ingrid Clayton, licensed clinical psychologist, transpersonal psychology specialist, and author of Fawning joins us to discuss her groundbreaking insights into an often-overlooked trauma response: fawning. Most of us are familiar with the three F's of trauma—fight, flight, or freeze—but there's a fourth response, fawning, that's rarely discussed. Unlike codependency or people-pleasing, fawning is a survival strategy that drives us to seek approval, appease, and draw closer to people who may hurt us—even when it's detrimental to our well-being. If you've ever found yourself apologizing to those who hurt you, obsessing over approval, befriending bullies, or suppressing your voice to maintain peace, this episode is for you. Dr. Clayton offers hope, tools, and compassion for anyone ready to break free from the cycle of chronic fawning and step into their authentic life.

key topics: · Defining Fawning: Beyond People-Pleasing and Codependency (0:00) · The Power of Relational Therapy for Complex Trauma (8:59) · How to Recognize Fawning: It's Not Just 'Not That Deep' (15:05) · The Unfawning Journey: Building Internal Safety from Within (27:06) · How to Find the Right Support for Your Healing Journey (43:30)

RESOURCES + BOOKS MENTIONED: Join Michele's Newsletter + Get a List of 52-Selfcare Tips Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@herstarringrole Follow + Listen, + Review: APPLE PODCASTS Follow + Listen, + Review: SPOTIFY PODCASTS

GUEST INFORMATION Website: https://www.ingridclayton.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/ingridclaytonphd/Website/ Book: Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves–and How to Find Our Way Back

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it with a friend. Also, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast player!

*The Good Life with Michele Lamoureux podcast and content provided by Michele Lamoureux is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It does NOT constitute medical, mental health, professional, personal, or any kind of advice or serve as a substitute for such advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. Always consult a qualified healthcare or trusted provider for any decisions regarding your health and wellbeing. This episode may contain affiliate links.

More from Her Starring Role with Michele Lamoureux

Oct 21, 2026

Ashley Koff, RD, is the USA Today bestselling author of Your Best Shot (HarperOne), founder of The Better Nutrition Program (BNP), and a pioneering voice behind the emerging weight health movement. We discuss weight health, digestion, hydration, how to think about movement and nutrition and much more!

Oct 14, 2026

Kathy O'Reilly shares about her breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and her work in patient advocacy as a result of her experience. We discuss what it means to have dense breasts and why a mammogram may not be enough to detect cancer. We also discuss the differences in screenings between the US and Ireland. Kathy is an Assistant Professor in the Business School at University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland, where her research spans management consulting, healthcare service design, and higher education policy. Since beginning her own breast cancer journey in 2024, Kathy has become a passionate advocate for patient education and empowerment — drawing on her academic background to help newly diagnosed patients become informed, active partners in their own care. Please share this episode with every woman you know. Let your light shine!

Oct 7, 2026

Learn how to live longer, healthier, and happier by learning the 6 pillars to Bioharmony with Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist. These easy to implement tips provide a better understanding of how to connect to our environments to improve your health. for spearheading a science-based approach to applying lifestyle as medicine. She has helped lead numerous clinical trials, including the Emory Healthy Aging Study and the NIH funded Emory Healthy Brain Study. Dr. Bergquist is widely published in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to over 200 news segments, including Good Morning America, CNN, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR. She hosts The Whole Health Cure podcast and her popular Ted-Ed video on how stress affects the body has been viewed over six million times. She received her degrees from Yale College and Harvard Medical School.

Sep 30, 2026

What does it really mean to age well? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Stephanie Rogers, a board-certified geriatrician, internal medicine physician, and Associate Chief of Geriatric Clinical Programs at UCSF. She's also the Founder and Medical Director of UCSF's Age-Friendly Health System and the voice behind @AgeWellWithDrSteph. We talk about the habits that can help us age well, protect our brain and bones, maintain muscle, and preserve independence. We also discuss medications, bone density, advocating for aging parents, health misinformation, and what caring for older adults has taught Dr. Rogers about living a meaningful life. If you want to live not just a longer life, but a healthier, stronger, more fulfilling one, this conversation is for you.

Sep 23, 2026

Hello beautiful stars, today on Her Starring Role podcast we are doing a deep dive into breast health with Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky, a leading, board-certified medical oncologist specializing in breast and gynecologic oncology. In this episode, we take a closer look at breast cancer risk, prevention, screening, and what women need to know to advocate for their own health. We discuss why more younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer, how to understand breast cancer risk factors, what having dense breasts means for your risk, and how a breast cancer risk calculator can be a helpful tool in understanding your individual risk. We also talk about current breast cancer screening guidelines, when to ask about genetic testing, and when additional screening with breast ultrasound or breast MRI may be appropriate. We explore lifestyle modifications that are worth considering, what women should know about breast self-exams, how to support someone going through a breast cancer diagnosis, and the role artificial intelligence (AI) may play in the future of breast cancer screening and detection. Dr. Teplinsky is the author of the new book, Beyond the Pink: Navigating Life, Health, and Breast Cancer, and shares insights throughout the conversation on navigating breast health, risk, screening, and life after a diagnosis.

See all episodes →