Anna Marcolin Coaching & Counseling, Highland Park, IL (2026)

01/24/2026

You’re not lazy. You’re avoiding an emotion.

When people procrastinate, they think it’s a discipline problem.
But most of the time, it’s an emotional problem.

Because when you avoid a task, you’re not avoiding the task.
You’re avoiding the feeling: anxiety, discomfort, fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of success, overwhelm.

That’s why you scroll.
That’s why you snack.
That’s why you suddenly clean the house.

Not because you don’t care — but because your nervous system doesn’t want discomfort.

What emotion are you trying not to feel?

Your Power Move:
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Do the task while letting yourself feel uncomfortable.
You don’t need motivation — you need tolerance.

For coaching inquiries, DM me COACHING or book a discovery call through the link in

01/22/2026

Some relationships don’t explode. They quietly wear you down. You walk away feeling tense, confused, guilty, or just exhausted, and you can’t quite put your finger on why. Over time, those interactions start to chip away at your confidence, your peace, and your sense of self.
In this episode, Anna shares the conversation she wishes she had heard decades ago. Drawing from her personal experience and decades of clinical work, she breaks down the patterns of people who consistently dysregulate your nervous system and erode your mental health, often without obvious cruelty or bad intent. Join Anna and Tim as they explore how compassion can turn into self-abandonment, why some dynamics feel familiar even when they hurt, and how wisdom sometimes looks like stepping back instead of leaning in. This is not about being mean. It is about being honest with yourself and protecting your mental and emotional well-being.
This Episode Covers:
Why feeling emotionally exhausted after certain interactions is important data.
How repeated personality patterns quietly impact your nervous system.
The difference between supporting someone and becoming their emotional dumping ground.
Chronic victimhood and why endless empathy without action drains you.
Drama as stimulation and how chaos can masquerade as connection.
Boundary pushers and how they train people to self-abandon.
Criticism, sarcasm, and contempt as subtle confidence killers.
Hot-and-cold relationships and why inconsistency is destabilizing.
Until next time, here’s to deeper connections and personal growth.
Mad love!
The podcast is now on YouTube! If you prefer to watch, head over to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw3CabcJueib20U_L3WeaR-lNG_B3zYqu
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Badass Confidence Coach podcast on your favorite podcast platform!
CONNECT WITH ANNA:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askannamarcolin/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/tag/askannamarcolin
Email hello@annamarcolin.com
Website https://www.annamarcolin.com

01/21/2026

High functioning anxiety doesn’t look like panic attacks. It looks like productivity.

This is the kind of anxiety most women miss.
Because you’re not falling apart — you’re performing.

High functioning anxiety looks like:
overpreparing, checking everything twice, difficulty relaxing, doing more to feel safe, guilt when resting, being everyone’s emotional support person.

And people think you’re ‘so strong.’
But you’re actually exhausted.

This isn’t a personality.
It’s a coping strategy.

What are you doing every day that looks impressive… but is fueled by fear?

Your Power Move:
Tonight before bed write: “What am I afraid will happen if I slow down?”
That answer changes everything.

For coaching inquiries, DM me COACHING or book a discovery call through the link in my bio.

01/20/2026

If you have anxiety, I’m going to say something that might change everything: you don’t have anxiety… you have a pattern.

After 30 years as a therapist, here’s what I know.
Anxiety isn’t random. It’s not your personality. It’s not just “how you are.”

It’s a predictable loop:
thought → body sensation → interpretation → more fear → more scanning → more control → exhaustion.

The problem isn’t that you get anxious — it’s that you treat anxiety like an emergency.
And once your nervous system learns, “This is dangerous,” it keeps repeating the loop.

Your job isn’t to eliminate anxiety.
Your job is to interrupt the pattern.

What do you do every time anxiety shows up—control, avoid, overthink, or seek reassurance?

Your Power Move:
Next time you feel anxious, say: “This is discomfort, not danger.”
Then breathe out longer than you breathe in.

For coaching inquiries, DM me COACHING or book a discovery call through the link in my bio.

01/16/2026

If you’re tired of overthinking and want real confidence, this is exactly what I help women do.

I want to speak directly to the woman who:

Looks like she has it together…
but inside she’s anxious.
Overthinking everything.
Second-guessing herself.
People-pleasing.
And secretly exhausted from trying so hard to be “fine.”

If that’s you, I want you to hear this:
You’re not broken.
You’re not weak.
You’re just stuck in a pattern — and patterns can change.

I’ve spent 30 years as a psychotherapist and I’m also a high-performance coach.
And I created a coaching method for women who want emotional mastery and real confidence — not fake hype confidence.

It’s called The Emotional Mastery & Confidence Method.

This is where you learn to:
• regulate your nervous system
• stop overthinking
• build self-trust
• set boundaries without guilt
• and show up strong and grounded in your life

You don’t need more insight.
You need tools.
And you need support while you practice.

Your Power Move:
Stop waiting to “feel ready.” Decide.

If you want coaching, DM me the word READY and I’ll send you details. No pressure — just info.

01/15/2026

Everyone has reasons. Everyone also has excuses. And most people don’t slow down enough to tell the difference.
In this episode, Anna and Tim get real about the uncomfortable gray area between what is actually true and the stories people tell themselves to avoid discomfort, effort, or responsibility. From athletic training to business, relationships, and personal growth, they unpack how excuses quietly protect identity, offer short-term relief, and keep people stuck, even when they swear they want change.
Join Anna and Tim for a direct conversation that challenges listeners to look honestly at their patterns, recognize when a real limitation turns into a self-protective story, and take ownership without shame. This discussion is grounded in lived experience, including moments where quitting would have made sense, but didn’t.
This Episode Covers:
The real difference between excuses and reasons.
Why excuses are often wrapped in truth but driven by avoidance.
How relief can be a warning sign you chose comfort over progress.
The role of self-awareness in catching excuses in real time.
Why high performers struggle with excuses just as much as anyone else.
Capacity limits, burnout, grief, and when this conversation does not apply.
How to make adjustments without opting out entirely.
Asking the hard question, is this a fact or a story protecting me.
Ready to get out of your own way and finally feel grounded in who you are?
Join the Emotional Mastery Group Coaching Cohort this January and learn how to regulate your nervous system, stop second-guessing yourself, and move through life with more clarity and power.
www.annamarcolin.com/coaching-packages/p/emotional-mastery-group-coaching-january-2026-cohort

01/13/2026

If you’re body-checking all day, your confidence will never feel stable.

Let’s name a habit that quietly wrecks women’s confidence.

Body checking.

It’s not always obvious. It looks like:
• constantly looking in mirrors
• changing outfits three times
• pulling at clothes
• checking angles in photos
• scanning your stomach, legs, face
• comparing yourself to everyone else

And listen — this isn’t vanity.
It’s anxiety.

Body checking teaches your brain:
“My worth depends on how I look.”
So of course your confidence feels fragile.

Because if confidence is built on appearance…
it will rise and fall every single day depending on mood, lighting, hormones, and stress.

That’s not confidence.
That’s a shaky foundation.

Real confidence comes from what I told you yesterday:
self-trust and body respect.

Your body is not a project.
It’s a partner.

How many times a day are you checking yourself like you’re being graded?

Here’s Your Power Move:
Today, choose ONE two-hour block where you do a “no body-check challenge.”
And when your brain tries to pull you into critique, shift to this question:
“What can my body DO today?”

If you want tools to break this cycle, DM me BODY.

01/12/2026

The #1 reason women struggle with confidence isn’t insecurity… it’s self-betrayal.

Let’s talk about what confidence really is.

Confidence isn’t loud.
Confidence isn’t being the prettiest in the room.
Confidence is self-trust.

And self-trust is built one way:
By keeping your promises to yourself.

Most women I work with aren’t failing because they lack talent.
They’re struggling because they’ve spent years overriding themselves.

You don’t rest when you need rest.
You don’t speak up when something bothers you.
You people-please.
You ignore your own needs.
And then you wonder why you don’t feel confident.

Of course you don’t.

If you don’t trust yourself to show up for you… confidence collapses.

Here’s the truth:
Every time you keep a small promise to yourself, you rebuild your identity.
You become a woman who follows through.
And that creates confidence from the inside out.

Where have you been abandoning yourself lately?

Your Power Move:
Pick ONE promise for the next 24 hours and keep it.
One walk. One boundary. One workout. One hard conversation.
Small is fine — consistent is everything.

If you’re rebuilding self-trust, comment PROMISE — and if you want support, DM me READY.

01/09/2026

I didn’t learn confidence from a mirror. I learned it from what my body can do.

Script:
Let me tell you something I wish more women understood.

Confidence isn’t about loving your body every day.
Even as a triathlete — I’ve had good body image seasons and bad ones. I’ve had days where I feel strong and proud… and days where I don’t.

But triathlon taught me something deeper than body positivity.

It taught me body respect.

Because when you train for a race, your body stops being something you critique…
and becomes something you partner with.

You don’t have to love your thighs to run.
You don’t have to feel pretty to be powerful.
You just have to show up.

And every time you do hard things — long runs, cold swims, tough workouts — you start to trust yourself in a different way.

That’s where real confidence comes from:
self-trust.
Not the scale. Not the mirror. Not approval.

Your Power move:
This week, do one thing that builds trust with your body — not to change it, but to honor it. Walk, lift, stretch, breathe.
Then say: “Thank you, body.”

If you want to build that kind of self-trust and emotional strength, DM me CONFIDENCE.

01/09/2026

Emotional maturity is not about being calm, evolved, or getting it right all the time. It is about what happens in the moments when you are triggered, defensive, or uncomfortable, and what you choose to do next. In this episode, Anna and Tim break down what emotional maturity actually looks like in real life, including the ways people react, avoid, overexplain, or shut down when things get hard.
The conversation covers pausing before reacting, owning your part without tearing yourself apart, sitting with uncomfortable emotions, and telling the truth before resentment takes over. They explore boundaries without drama, listening without trying to win, and repairing quickly after conflict. This episode is grounded, personal, and clear about one thing: emotional maturity is not perfection. It is practice, awareness, and a willingness to do your part.
This Episode Covers
Pausing before reacting instead of handing control to a trigger.
Owning your part without collapsing into shame or self-attack.
Sitting with discomfort rather than outsourcing emotions.
Telling the truth early before resentment builds.
Adding nuance and moving away from black and white thinking.
Holding boundaries calmly without overexplaining or threatening.
Listening to understand rather than trying to win.
Repairing quickly after rupture and cleaning up your side of the street.
Ready to get out of your own way and finally feel grounded in who you are?
Join the Emotional Mastery Group Coaching Cohort this January and learn how to regulate your nervous system, stop second-guessing yourself, and move through life with more clarity and power.
www.annamarcolin.com/coaching-packages/p/emotional-mastery-group-coaching-january-2026-cohort
Until next time, here’s to deeper connections and personal growth.

01/08/2026

Here are three simple ways to turn your magnetism back on — without pretending to be someone else.

You don’t have to become loud, extroverted, or performative.

Magnetism isn’t about doing more.
It’s about removing the brakes.

Here are three small practices:

1️⃣ Eye-softening + gaze-lifting
Lift your gaze off the ground.
Let your eyes actually meet the world instead of scanning for exits.
Presence reads as confidence.

2️⃣ Un-shrug your body
Drop your shoulders.
Unclench your jaw.
Let your breath move lower into your belly.
Your body will signal safety long before your brain does.

3️⃣ Permission phrase
Quietly say to yourself:
“I am allowed to be here.”
Say it until your body believes you.

These aren’t acting tips.
They’re nervous system retraining. Your body learns that visibility doesn’t equal danger anymore.

Which one do you want to practice today?

Your Power move:
Pick one of the three and do it the next time you walk into a room, a store, or a meeting.
Notice how people respond — and more importantly, how you feel.

If you want support practicing this in real life, DM me the word MAGNETIC and I’ll send you details about The Emotional Mastery & Confidence Method.

01/07/2026

Before we talk about magnetism, we have to talk about why so many women learned to disappear in the first place.

Most women weren’t born shy, quiet, or small.

They were trained.

Trained by comments like:
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“You’re too much.”
“Be a good girl.”
“Tone it down.”
“Who do you think you are?”

So they learned to:
• soften their voice
• hunch their shoulders
• apologize for existing
• make other people comfortable first
• disappear in rooms where they should have been seen

And the nervous system learned:
Visibility = danger
Attention = criticism
Taking up space = rejection

So of course you don’t “glow” when you walk into a room.
Your body is busy trying to keep you safe, not magnetic.

Nothing is wrong with you.
Your system has just been wired for self-protection instead of self-expression.

When did you first learn that taking up space wasn’t safe?

Your Power move:
Start noticing when you shrink — the laugh, the apology, the shoulder roll — and instead of judging yourself, say,
“Of course my body did that. It was trying to protect me.”

Compassion first. Change second.

If you’re ready to unlearn shrinking and step into confident presence again, DM me the word UNSHRINK and I’ll send you details on my confidence coaching.

Anna Marcolin Coaching & Counseling

01/24/2026

01/22/2026

01/21/2026

01/20/2026

01/16/2026

01/15/2026

01/13/2026

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01/07/2026

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