Case Study 07: From People Pleasing to Powerful Self love

Client Profile

Name: Annette J.
Age: 34
Profession: Holistic Therapist
Primary Concerns: Difficulty setting boundaries in both personal and professional relationships, frequent emotional exhaustion, undervaluing herself, co-dependency patterns, and low self-worth.
Session Goals: Introduce self-love practices to break people-pleasing cycles, strengthen self-worth, explore shadow work to uncover root beliefs, establish healthy boundaries in all areas of life, and develop emotional resilience.

Initial Assessment

Annette came to One Call Away feeling “tired in her bones.” Despite being a healer herself, she found it nearly impossible to say “no” to clients, friends, and family — even when she was running on empty. Her tendency to over-give came from a deep-rooted fear of rejection and the belief that her value came solely from what she could do for others.

Key observations:

Chronic overextension and burnout.
A pattern of tolerating poor treatment in personal relationships to “keep the peace.”
Internal guilt whenever she prioritised her own needs.

Energetically, the Solar Plexus Chakra (personal power, self-worth) was significantly blocked, the Sacral Chakra (emotional well-being, relationships) showed imbalances, and the Heart Chakra was open but unprotected — allowing energy to flow out without healthy boundaries.

Energy Blockage Analysis

Solar Plexus Chakra: Blocked from years of self-abandonment, leading to diminished confidence and a weak personal boundary field.
Sacral Chakra: Imbalanced from over-identification with others’ emotions, creating emotional dependency and instability.
Heart Chakra: Overactive in giving, underdeveloped in receiving — a common imbalance in empaths and healers.

Client’s Vision / Goals

Annette wanted to:

Value herself beyond what she gives to others.
Develop healthy, guilt-free boundaries with clients, friends, and family.
Break co-dependency patterns and stand in her personal power.
Increase emotional resilience so she could give from overflow, not depletion.

Plan of Transformation

Energy Healing Focus:

Solar Plexus Clearing & Strengthening to reclaim self-worth and inner authority.
Sacral Chakra Balancing to create healthy emotional boundaries and restore joy.
Heart Chakra Protection Practices to give from a grounded, replenished state.

Spiritual Empowerment Coaching Tools:

Self-Love Framework: Daily affirmations, mirror work, and self-celebration practices.
Shadow Work Integration: Identifying and releasing the childhood belief that “love must be earned through sacrifice.”
Boundary-Building Strategies: Role-play scenarios for saying “no” and redirecting requests.
Emotional Resilience Practices: Energy-clearing meditations, grounding rituals, and emotional processing techniques.

Holistic Support Tools:

Flower Essences: Centaury (for saying no), Pine (release guilt), Walnut (support personal transitions).
Cord-Cutting Visualisations: Weekly rituals to energetically release overattachment to draining relationships.
Energy Shielding Techniques: Morning protective field activation to prevent emotional depletion during client work.

Session Breakdown & Transformation Timeline

Weeks 1–3: Awareness & Emotional Clearing

Introduced daily self-love affirmations such as “My needs are valid, my boundaries are sacred.”
Solar Plexus energy clearing to release old guilt patterns.
Shadow work journaling to uncover memories where she felt punished or abandoned for speaking up.
By Week 3, Annette began declining requests that didn’t align with her energy — without apologising excessively.

Weeks 4–6: Boundary Building & Emotional Detachment

Role-play exercises to strengthen her confidence in saying “no” in both personal and client settings.
Implemented “24-Hour Response Rule” — creating space before agreeing to any request.
Sacral Chakra balancing through sound therapy and creativity exercises (painting and dancing).
Annette reported a noticeable shift: she no longer felt responsible for everyone’s happiness.

Weeks 7–9: Self-Value Integration & Relationship Reset

Heart Chakra shielding practice to maintain compassion without absorbing others’ emotions.
Reframing co-dependency as “misplaced compassion” and learning how to redirect it into healthy interdependence.
Journaling prompt: “How do I feel when I choose me first?” helped her embrace self-prioritisation without shame.
She noticed certain relationships naturally shifted — some friends began respecting her more, while others drifted away.

Weeks 10–12: Embodiment & Long-Term Maintenance

Final energy alignment to reinforce Solar Plexus strength.
Creation of a “Personal Power Manifesto” — a written declaration of her boundaries, values, and non-negotiables.
Integration plan: weekly check-ins with herself, continued flower essence support, and monthly “energy maintenance” sessions.
Annette shared that she now felt “lighter, freer, and finally in charge of my life.”

Outcomes & Breakthroughs

By the end of the program, Annette had:

Reclaimed her self-worth and stopped linking it to over-giving.
Established healthy boundaries in her client work, leading to better time management and less burnout.
Reduced guilt when prioritising her needs.
Released co-dependency patterns, creating space for healthier, mutual relationships.
Developed emotional resilience and learned to give from a place of abundance.

Client Testimonial

*"I’ve spent most of my life pouring into others until there was nothing left of me. This process was like finding the missing pieces of myself. I’ve learned to honour my needs without guilt, to say no without fear, and to give from a full cup instead of an empty one.

I feel stronger, clearer, and more grounded than I ever have — not just as a therapist, but as a woman. For the first time, I’m not afraid to take up space and protect my energy. That is a freedom I can never put a price on."*

Coach’s Insight

Annette’s journey highlights one of the most important truths in holistic healing: you cannot serve from depletion. Her transformation was not about becoming less compassionate — it was about directing her compassion inward first, creating a stronger foundation from which to give.

Conclusion

Through deep energy clearing, shadow work, and practical boundary-setting tools, Annette shifted from chronic self-abandonment to empowered self-leadership. She now lives and works from a place of authenticity, where her giving is balanced with self-love, and her worth is no longer up for negotiation.

Back to Case Studies