Well, hello anxiety with Dr Jodi Richardson

Have you ever said yes when every part of you wanted to say no? Or laughed off a comment that didn’t sit right? Maybe you’ve said “I don’t mind, whatever you like” so often that you’ve lost track of what you actually want.
In this solo episode, Dr Jodi talks about fawning, the lesser-known fourth stress response that sits alongside fight, flight and freeze. Fawning shows up as agreeableness, helpfulness and keeping the peace. It isn’t a weakness or a conscious choice. It’s a clever survival response that kept many of us safe. For anyone who lives with anxiety, it may feel very familiar.
Drawing on Dr Ingrid Clayton’s book Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves and How to Find Our Way Back, as well as other research and her own lived experience, Dr Jodi gently explains where fawning comes from, how it can follow us into adulthood, and how to start “unfawning” at a pace that feels safe.
In this episode:
What fawning is, and why it’s called the fourth F
How fawning is connected to complex trauma, and why it often begins in childhood
The difference between fawning and kindness, and the one clue that can help you tell them apart
Everyday signs of fawning, from the automatic yes to saying sorry when someone else bumps into you
How fawning and anxiety are connected
What fawning can look like in children and teens, and how parents can encourage kids to share opinions and disagree safely
Practical, low-stakes ways to begin unfawning
When and where to reach out for extra support

Mentioned in this episode:
Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves, and How to Find Our Way Back by Dr Ingrid Clayton
Pete Walker, the psychotherapist who coined the term “fawn”: Codependency, Trauma and the Fawn Response
Sarah Schlote: History of the term “appeasement”, European Journal of Psychotraumatology
Rebecca Bailey, Stephen Porges and colleagues: Appeasement: Replacing Stockholm syndrome as a definition of a survival strategy, European Journal of Psychotraumatology
Shreya Mandal: Demystifying the Fawn Response, Psychology Today

Support:
Your GP, to talk about a mental health treatment plan
Blue Knot Foundation Helpline: 1300 657 380
1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732
Lifeline: 13 11 14
In an emergency, call 000
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Can anxiety, depression, OCD and other mental health diagnoses be viewed differently?
In this thought-provoking and deeply respectful conversation, Dr Jodi Richardson sits down with psychiatrist, author and speaker Dr Fred Moss, who spent more than four decades working in mental health before challenging many of the assumptions that underpin modern psychiatry.
Dr Fred shares why he entered psychiatry despite disagreeing with much of the system, what led him to question diagnoses and medication, and why he believes that communication, connection and self-expression sit at the heart of human healing.
Together, Jodi and Fred explore:
Why Dr Fred believes there may be "nothing wrong with you"
The role of anxiety as part of the human experience
Mental health diagnoses, identity and labels
Medication, therapy and differing perspectives on treatment
The importance of communication and authentic human connection
The "Moss Method" and practices that support wellbeing
Creativity, self-expression and finding your true voice
Why suffering is a universal part of being human
This conversation presents one clinician's perspective and is designed to encourage curiosity, reflection and discussion. It is not intended as medical advice.
Resources & Links
📖 Welcome to Humanity by Dr Fred Moss
https://welcometohumanity.net
Connect with Dr Jodi Richardson:
Website: https://drjodirichardson.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjodirichardson
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Does your tween or teen ask “why am I like this?” Maybe they freeze when given a simple task, fall apart after school, or feel like they’re “too much”. In this episode, Dr Jodi and author and educator Sharon Witt explore what’s really going on inside a neurodivergent brain, and how to help young people understand themselves, ask for what they need and thrive. Sharon’s new book, My Brain Works Differently, is a colourful, easy-to-dip-into guide for tweens, teens and the adults who love and support them.
Dr Jodi Richardson and Sharon Witt discuss:
Why simple tasks can feel impossible, and how to help
Giving young people the words to self-advocate
Easing sensory overload at home and school
Rejection sensitivity and catching “thought thieves”
Seeing neurodivergence as a discovery, not a disorder
Connect with Sharon Witt:
https://www.sharonwitt.com.au/
Connect with Dr Jodi Richardson:
Website: https://drjodirichardson.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjodirichardson
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever left something to the last minute and promised yourself that next time you’ll start well ahead? Maybe there’s a task you’re putting off right now, and you can’t quite work out why getting started feels so hard.
It isn’t because you’re lazy, and it isn’t because you’re not capable.
In this episode, Dr Jodi Richardson is joined by Brendan Mahan, an internationally recognised ADHD and executive function expert, host of the ADHD Essentials podcast, and author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful. Brendan has given a name to the invisible emotional barrier that builds up between us and the tasks we struggle with, and once you understand it, so much starts to make sense.
Whether it’s you, or a child or teen you parent or teach, this conversation offers fresh language, a lot of reassurance and some simple ways to get moving.
In this episode, they explore:
What the Wall of Awful is, and why everyone has one
How emotions like disappointment and rejection build the wall, with anxiety holding it together
Why “just do it” doesn’t help, especially for young people
Simple strategies to get moving, from music and movement to body doubling
Why the wall never disappears, but we get stronger at getting past it
Connect with Brendan Mahan:
https://brendanmahan.com/
Connect with Dr Jodi Richardson:
Website: https://drjodirichardson.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjodirichardson
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anxiety can arrive out of nowhere, leaving us confused, overwhelmed and wondering why now. In this episode, Dr. Jodi Richardson is joined from London by Lily Felton, trainee clinical psychologist at King’s College London and author of Outsmart Anxiety: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Empowering Your Mind. Lily brings a rare blend of research, clinical training and lived experience to a conversation about why anxiety isn’t something to eliminate, and how we can stop it from keeping our lives small.
In this episode, we discuss:
What Lily would tell her younger self, who felt anxiety in her body and carried shame about it for years
The case of SM, a woman who couldn’t feel fear, and what it teaches us about why we need anxiety
How “worry time” with a worry book can help settle racing thoughts at night
Recognising when it’s time to seek professional support, and why that step takes real courage
Why confidence follows action, and how repetition turned Jodi’s nerves about live radio into something she now looks forward to
Graded exposure and willingness: taking small steps toward the things we love
The anxiety cycle explained, and why avoidance keeps us stuck
The meaning behind the name Well, Hello Anxiety
Connect with Lily Felton:
LinkedIn
Connect with Dr Jodi Richardson:
Website: https://drjodirichardson.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjodirichardson
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.