Episode 46: You’re Not Broken — The Fastest Way Off the Perfectionism Hamster Wheel — Quick Bite

What if the thing you’ve been trying to fix… isn’t actually broken?

In this Relish Quick Bite, Alyssia Sheikh offers a simple but radical shift: the fastest way off the perfectionism hamster wheel isn’t more self-improvement—it’s stopping the belief that you’re broken.

So many of us live as if perfection is real—like we’re supposed to earn our way into being “enough” through productivity, healing, success, or becoming a better version of ourselves. But perfection is a moving target. And the pain underneath “not being perfect” is usually not a fact—it’s a shame-based feeling: something is wrong with me.

In this episode, Alyssia reframes wholeness as a state of being—not an achievement. She explores how the belief “I’m broken” turns life into a fixing project, why discomfort becomes evidence against us, and what becomes possible when we shift from self-correction to self-compassion.

✨ In this episode, you’ll explore:

• Why “perfect” is a concept—not a truth
• How shame fuels perfectionism and constant self-fixing
• The real problem: believing you’re not enough
• A powerful question that shifts you from judgment to care
• Why wholeness includes your cracks (Kintsugi metaphor)

💭 Reflection:

What would change if you stopped relating to yourself as a problem to be solved?

If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs the reminder. Sometimes the deepest shift isn’t fixing—it’s remembering you were never broken.

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• Email me: [email protected]
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• Book a Self-Trust Session with Alyssia

• The Hoffman Institute (Alyssia is a Hoffman Process teacher; podcast is not affiliated)

Relevant Episodes: 

• Episode 45: When Achievement Isn't Enough
• Shame Series: Part 1
• Shame Series: Part 2
• Shame Series: Part 3
• Episode 39: Is Life Already Enough?