The Fawn Response: Why the Smartest People in the Room Go Silent

Have you ever left a meeting furious at yourself for going along with something you knew was wrong? Or watched a talented colleague completely fold in front of a powerful leader?

That's not a character flaw. That's fawning — and it might be the least understood dynamic in communication.

Dr. Ingrid Clayton is a licensed clinical psychologist, trauma expert, and author of Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves, and How to Find Our Way Back.

I am closing Season 6 of my podcast with this conversation, and let me tell you ... we get INTO IT! 

🧠 What fawning actually is — and why calling it "people-pleasing" has kept millions of people stuck in shame instead of healing

⚡ Why high achievers are especially vulnerable — and how fawning can look exactly like success until it doesn't

🏢 What's really happening in your meetings — when brilliant people go silent, fold, or suddenly can't stop praising the boss

💪 The path out — practical, embodied tools for building an internal sense of safety that doesn't depend on the room agreeing with you

🔥 What "un-fawning" actually feels like — and why it's less about setting boundaries and more about finally coming home to yourself

 

Find Dr. Ingrid Clayton:

🌐 ingridclayton.com

📸 instagram.com/ingridclaytonphd

📘 facebook.com/IngridClaytonPhD

▶️ youtube.com/channel/UC3PvWTgJMirURfgHWj3h28g

✉️ substack.com/@ingridclaytonphd