True to You

A Therapist's Guide to Stop Pleasing Others and Start Being Yourself

By: Kathleen Smith

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

A Guide to The Theory and Practice of Creating Authentic Relationships

When’s the last time you felt as composed as you portray to your boss, family, and friends? If there’s a discord between the two, you’re not alone. Humans are master pretenders—we often seem stronger, calmer, and more mature than we really are, while the truth is we’re full of doubts and self-criticism that pushes us to borrow reassurance from friends, beliefs from strangers on the internet, or attention that, in the moment, makes us feel successful, but leaves us totally hollow and burnt out.

True to You is a relatable self-help guide for people who want to learn to live less focused on others’ reactions and more confidently by their own principles. Listeners will learn how to:

· Interrupt relationship patterns that keep you stuck.

· Rely less on praise and approval from others.

· Develop a solid sense of self in anxious times.

· Build more authentic and rewarding relationships.

Dr. Smith uses examples from the lives of her therapy clients to explain how we borrow confidence, calmness, and beliefs from our relationships and offers actionable steps and exercises for building a life with your own best-thinking. With a healthy dose of humor, she unpacks the science of our social nature, explaining why we try so hard to be what others want us to be and how we can start living from the inside out. By learning how to be more responsible for yourself, rather than over-responsible for everyone else, you can find the freedom to develop richer relationships, pursue what’s important to you, and feel steadier in this very anxious world.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press Essentials.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Kathleen Smith (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"True to You is a beautiful blend of storytelling, science and practical tools. Smith uses her expertise to introduce true boundary setting tools to build (and rebuild) our relationships to others and ourselves."—Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play

"True to You is the book you want when you're ready to figure out how to change relationship patterns that aren't working. I learned so much, I might just flip back to page one and start it again!"—Mary Laura Philpott, author of Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives

“If you long to have relationships that don't make you feel anxious or beholden to another person, Smith's book will help you get unstuck. This book truly offers a new way to be yourself in the world, have healthier relationships at home and work, and live the life that you want to live.”—Morra Aarons-Mele, author of The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower

Great narrator!

Practical, helpful and timely information to help us better think through some of today’s most anxious moments.

Full of practical wisdom!

This is the most practical book on differentiation I have read. The questions posed gave me more clarity on how I can better self-define while remaining connected to others. A must for anyone seeking to apply Bowen theory in very digestible ways.