Just Be: Understanding Your Social Brain

When everyone in the room is the same, your body feels it before your mind explains it. In this episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer unpacks what happens inside the social brain when you’re the “only one” in a space, the only woman, the only person of colour, the only person with an accent, the only one who doesn’t fit the mould. You’ll learn how your amygdala and social rank systems scan...

Why does rejection feel so painful, sometimes even years later? In this episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer unpacks the science of social trauma and the emotions that come with it: shame, humiliation, guilt, and embarrassment. You’ll learn about: Social Trauma — how exclusion and humiliation can overwhelm your nervous system. Social Emotions — why shame and humiliation exist to protect b...

Why do certain relationships, or moments of connection, feel both comforting and terrifying? In this episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer explores how your earliest caregiving experiences shaped your nervous system’s sense of safety, and why those early lessons still echo in adulthood. You’ll learn about: Attachment Theory — how early relationships taught your amygdala what safety feels l...

Why does being left out of a group chat or team meeting sting so deeply? In this episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer explores how the social brain decides who feels like “us”, and who feels like “them.” You’ll learn about: In-Group / Out-Group Dynamics — how our brains form tribes through similarity and safety. Social Identity Theory — why our self-esteem is tied to group membership. Soc...

Why do some rooms make you feel smaller, even when you know you belong there? In this episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer unpacks the psychology of inferiority — that quiet, often painful sense of being less than others — and explores how it develops, why it’s not always a problem, and when it becomes one. Drawing on Alfred Adler’s original concept of inferiority and linking it with mode...

Why do we overthink what to say, rehearse every line, or avoid certain moments altogether? In this episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer explores how the amygdala — your brain’s alarm system — doesn’t just cause anxious thoughts or physical symptoms, but also drives behaviour . Through the lens of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) , Sophia explains the concept of safety behaviours : the...

Why do your thoughts disappear the moment all eyes are on you? Why does your body react to visibility as if you’re in danger? In this episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer explores the amygdala — the brain’s internal alarm system — and how it drives anxiety, social fear, and performance blocks. You’ll learn: What the amygdala is — the emotional centre of the brain and its role in survival....

Why do some people make you feel confident, while others trigger self-doubt? In this episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer unpacks Social Rank Theory and Social Comparison Theory — explaining how your brain subconsciously scans hierarchies for safety and belonging. Discover why modern conditioning amplifies this instinct, how comparison overload affects confidence, and how to shift from ra...

Why do we care so much what others think of us — even when we know it shouldn’t matter? In this first episode of Just Be , therapist Sophia Spencer unpacks the psychology behind social anxiety and self-consciousness. You’ll learn how your social brain evolved to treat belonging as a survival need, why certain environments trigger visibility fears, and how empathy itself can sometimes turn into ove...