Today we welcome Whitney Goodman, the radically honest psychotherapist behind the hugely popular Instagram account Sit With Whit. She is the owner of The Collaborative Counseling Center, a private therapy practice in Miami. Whitney has her own column in Psychology Today and has been featured in The New York Times, Teen Vogue, NY Magazine, Instyle, Good Morning America, and other publications. Her most recent book is called Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy.

In this episode, I talk to Whitney Goodman about toxic positivity. A happy outlook in life is a strength; but when taken too far, it can backfire and work against us. Positivity stops becoming helpful when we deny the realities of hardship and trauma. Whitney believes positivity is not the panacea to our problems—it needs to be applied in the right time, place, and purpose. She shares with us ways on how to be supportive without being dismissive of our own well-being and of others. We also touch on the topics of authenticity, gratitude, hope, relationships, and work.

Website: sitwithwhit.com

Instagram: @SitWithWhit

Topics

03:14 When positivity becomes toxic 

04:36 Pretending to be happy

08:20 Do positive people always succeed?

11:53 Changing toxic positivity

15:33 Well-being > positive thinking

21:31 Stop shaming yourself

23:19 Realistic affirmations and organic gratitude 

27:11 How to complain effectively

29:15 Ingredients of communication

31:28 Discrimination with a smile

35:10 A value-driven life

40:20 It’s okay to just be

41:18 Positive fantasy can be helpful