Done Pretending

The end of the year has a quiet way of asking us to pause, even when the world is telling us to hurry up and move on. Before I jump headfirst into 2026, I wanted to sit with what 2025 actually brought up for me and why that matters more than another list of resolutions. In this episode, I talk about why reflection is a necessary part of moving forward. If you’ve ever felt tired before February eve...

Being around people doesn’t always mean you feel connected, and that quiet kind of loneliness can sneak up on you fast. I’m talking about crowded loneliness, those moments when you’re in a room full of people but still feel invisible or out of place. I share some very real experiences where I felt that disconnect firsthand, even when I thought I “should” feel connected. This conversation starts by...

Healing is rarely neat or linear, and most of the time it doesn’t look like progress at all. I talk about what it’s really like to begin healing when you still feel messy, unsure, and very much in the middle of things. This episode is a reminder that you don’t need to look healed to start healing. If you’ve ever thought, “I should be further along by now,” this conversation is for you. I share a s...

The holidays have a way of pulling us right back into old roles, especially when family dynamics start testing your patience and your sense of self. I talk about how to stay grounded and calm in the middle of the chaos, using simple, science-backed tools that actually work when emotions run high. If you’ve ever felt judged, triggered, or completely exhausted after a family gathering, this will fee...

It still amazes me how our brains shift the moment we stop pretending and start showing up as our real selves, and I share a little story about that spark of authenticity that changes everything. In this episode, I break down the brain science behind being true to yourself: how self-awareness, emotional regulation, and social prediction work together in everyday life. You’ll hear how understanding...

It’s wild how much judgment, both fearing it and dishing it out, can quietly shape our lives without us realizing it. Today, I’m breaking down how those tiny moments of “What will they think?” slowly pull us away from who we really are. You’ll hear the real reasons we start shrinking ourselves to fit other people’s comfort zones and why it leaves us feeling disconnected and exhausted. This episode...

I’ve spent so much of my life trying to outrun other people’s opinions, and in this episode, I open up about the moment I finally realized I was done pretending. I share the childhood memory that taught me how quickly judgment can shape the way we shrink or show up. You’ll hear how that old story followed me into adulthood and built a life that looked “fine” but didn’t feel aligned. And you’ll get...

What if the most exhausting thing you've ever done was pretending to be fine for too long? Welcome to Done Pretending, where healing meets authentic living. Hosted by Susan Houston, this podcast is a movement for anyone who's tired of hiding, for the people pleasers, the perfectionists, and the ones who've spent their whole lives being strong for everyone else. Susan knows what it'...