Karen Mills

Group therapy didn’t just help Claudia reflect, it held her accountable. In that discomfort, something shifted: from seeing herself as a passive recipient of life, to recognising her own agency and responsibility to others. Years later, when she couldn’t find a space that recreated that same transformative dynamic, she built it. This is a story about accountability, impostor syndrome, and why lived experience isn’t a limitation, it’s a foundation.

Self-sabotage at work rarely looks like failure, it looks like overthinking, perfectionism and delay. In this blog, Geoff and Maggie explore how these patterns act as protective strategies shaped by past experiences, yet misaligned with modern professional demands. Drawing on cognitive, behavioural and psychodynamic theory, they unpack how self-sabotage impacts individuals and teams, increasing cognitive load, reducing confidence and eroding psychological safety.

For many psychologists, coaches, and consultants, visibility doesn’t feel difficult because of a lack of confidence, but because of a conflict of values. This article explores the psychology behind that discomfort and offers a more aligned way to be visible through sharing, clarity, and connection rather than self-promotion.