Not Too Sensitive - Empowering Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) To Own Their Sensitivity

In this episode, Alissa sits down with writer and speaker Case Kenny for a conversation about self-expression, confidence, and what it really means to stop shrinking yourself.
They explore why embracing your “cringe,” intensity, and nonconforming traits is actually magnetic, and why the fear of being judged keeps so many Highly Sensitive People playing small.
The conversation expands into relationships. How to know if someone amplifies you, why “low maintenance” is often code for self-abandonment, and why we should aim to “settle up,” not settle down.
This episode is an invitation to raise your standards, trust your essence, and choose relationships that expand you.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why accepting judgment is more empowering than avoiding it
How your “cringe” attracts aligned people
What confidence really is (a willingness to be uncomfortable)
How to use regret as a decision filter
The difference between settling down and settling up
Why healthy relationships amplify who you already are
The truth about being “high maintenance” vs. having high standards

Connect with Case Kenny:
https://www.casekenny.com/
https://www.instagram.com/case.kenny/
Join us for Sensitive & Steady! My free 3-day workshop for highly sensitive women happening March 2nd, 4th, & 6th. CLICK HERE to register for free.
Follow Alissa on Substack: https://substack.com/@lifebyalissa
Uncover your sneaky internal belief that’s stopping you from being your most confident self TAKE The FREE Shadow Archetype Quiz NOW
Learn my 6-step process for managing & neutralizing your triggers as an HSP in our FREE UN-Botherable Workshop!
Join the Not Too Sensitive Club 🦋 My group coaching container for highly sensitive women where self-doubt becomes certainty, second-guessing turns into self-trust, and overthinking transforms into rock-solid intuition. CLICK HERE to learn more!
As a special bonus, I want to give you FREE access to my workshop for HSPs called Not "Too Sensitive" (usually $35)!
All you have to do is:
Leave a written review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts
Email a screenshot of your review to [email protected]

That's it! 😊
🦋🦋🦋
Follow along on Instagram:

Season 2.0 of the Not Too Sensitive Podcast is officially here, and Alissa is back after a much-needed break with a renewed vision for the show.
In this episode, Alissa shares what shifted during her time away. Then from there, the conversation turns to one of the most common (and painful) patterns Highly Sensitive People experience in relationships: betraying themselves in order to keep the peace.
Alissa breaks down how people-pleasing, over-giving, and self-silencing often stem from low self-worth and abandonment wounds, and why relationships that require you to abandon yourself were never sustainable to begin with.
This episode is an honest invitation to take ownership of your role in relationship dynamics and to step fully into the version of yourself who no longer self-abandons for approval or safety.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why Alissa took a break and what inspired Season 2.0 of the podcast
How living as your future self changes what you attract and tolerate
The subtle ways HSPs betray themselves to avoid conflict or abandonment
Why low self-worth fuels people-pleasing and over-giving patterns
What it means to “teach people how to treat you” (without self-blame)
Why some relationships fall apart when you stop self-abandoning
How choosing yourself becomes less painful than staying silent
What reciprocal, aligned relationships actually require from you

Follow Alissa on Substack: https://substack.com/@lifebyalissa
Uncover your sneaky internal belief that’s stopping you from being your most confident self TAKE The FREE Shadow Archetype Quiz NOW
Learn my 6-step process for managing & neutralizing your triggers as an HSP in our FREE UN-Botherable Workshop!
Join the Not Too Sensitive Club 🦋 My group coaching container for highly sensitive women where self-doubt becomes certainty, second-guessing turns into self-trust, and overthinking transforms into rock-solid intuition. CLICK HERE to learn more!
As a special bonus, I want to give you FREE access to my workshop for HSPs called Not "Too Sensitive" (usually $35)!
All you have to do is:
Leave a written review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts
Email a screenshot of your review to [email protected]

That's it! 😊
🦋🦋🦋
Follow along on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@lifebyalissa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As 2025 comes to a close, Alissa shares a reflective and personal episode about endings, rebirth, and learning how to live in true alignment, especially as a Highly Sensitive Person.
This year held profound milestones and massive shifts: signing a book deal, welcoming a new baby after pregnancy loss, navigating postpartum life while writing a book, and feeling the internal pull to realign how she shows up creatively and professionally.
Alissa also shares what’s been lighting her up lately, from writing long-form essays on Substack to witnessing the depth, courage, and growth happening inside the Not Too Sensitive Club.
At the heart of this conversation is a powerful reminder: alignment isn’t about forcing consistency. It’s about listening closely to what feels true now.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Reflections on the major personal and professional shifts of 2025
What it’s been like writing a book while postpartum and raising two young children
Why Substack has become a creative home for deeper, slower, more meaningful connection
How the Not Too Sensitive Club supports identity, growth, and living as your future self
Why Highly Sensitive People are uniquely suited for this next era of depth, authenticity, and connection
The intuition-led decision to pause and reimagine the podcast before returning in 2026

Follow Alissa on Substack: https://substack.com/@lifebyalissa
Uncover your sneaky internal belief that’s stopping you from being your most confident self TAKE The FREE Shadow Archetype Quiz NOW
Learn my 6-step process for managing & neutralizing your triggers as an HSP in our FREE UN-Botherable Workshop!
Join the Not Too Sensitive Club 🦋 My group coaching container for highly sensitive women where self-doubt becomes certainty, second-guessing turns into self-trust, and overthinking transforms into rock-solid intuition. CLICK HERE to learn more!
As a special bonus, I want to give you FREE access to my workshop for HSPs called Not "Too Sensitive" (usually $35)!
All you have to do is:
Leave a written review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts
Email a screenshot of your review to [email protected]

That's it! 😊
🦋🦋🦋
Follow along on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@lifebyalissa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, Alissa gets real about one of the biggest struggles Highly Sensitive People face: the constant overthinking, analyzing, and self-editing that comes from worrying what others might be thinking.
She breaks down how this pattern can quietly run your life—influencing your choices, your boundaries, your energy, and even your self-worth— and why learning to unhook from other people’s perceptions is essential for emotional freedom.
Through personal stories and client experiences, Alissa explores why sensitive, empathetic people often end up shapeshifting, people-pleasing, and abandoning themselves in order to feel liked or safe, and what needs to change in order to stop that cycle for good.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
The difference between healthy empathy and self-erasing empathy
Why HSPs often feel responsible for how others react
How obsessing over others’ perception slowly erodes your self-worth
Why shapeshifting to be liked never creates real connection
The two core skills that free HSPs from external validation traps
What it looks like to feel safe being judged, misunderstood, or disliked

Uncover your sneaky internal belief that’s stopping you from being your most confident self TAKE The FREE Shadow Archetype Quiz NOW
Learn my 6-step process for managing & neutralizing your triggers as an HSP in our FREE UN-Botherable Workshop!
Join the Not Too Sensitive Club 🦋 My group coaching container for highly sensitive women where self-doubt becomes certainty, second-guessing turns into self-trust, and overthinking transforms into rock-solid intuition. CLICK HERE to learn more!
As a special bonus, I want to give you FREE access to my workshop for HSPs called Not "Too Sensitive" (usually $35)!
All you have to do is:
Leave a written review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts
Email a screenshot of your review to [email protected]

That's it! 😊
🦋🦋🦋
Follow along on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@lifebyalissa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This week’s episode is a gentle reminder for all of us: you’re doing more than you realize, and it’s okay to acknowledge it. 💛
Alissa dives into a practice that she often share with her 1:1 clients and in the Not Too Sensitive Club. The practice is all about zooming out on yourself to witness all that you’re holding and doing. This is especially helpful during busy seasons (hello, holidays!) when it’s easy to get stuck in the “what’s missing” or “I’m not enough” mindset.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
How to show yourself compassion in the middle of overwhelm.
A simple visualization practice to observe yourself from the outside.
Why self-compassion is so much more effective than self-criticism, especially for highly sensitive people.
How small acts of noticing, validating, and softening toward yourself can shift your energy and make your day feel lighter.

Uncover your sneaky internal belief that’s stopping you from being your most confident self TAKE The FREE Shadow Archetype Quiz NOW
Learn my 6-step process for managing & neutralizing your triggers as an HSP in our FREE UN-Botherable Workshop!
Join the Not Too Sensitive Club 🦋 My group coaching container for highly sensitive women where self-doubt becomes certainty, second-guessing turns into self-trust, and overthinking transforms into rock-solid intuition. CLICK HERE to learn more!
As a special bonus, I want to give you FREE access to my workshop for HSPs called Not "Too Sensitive" (usually $35)!
All you have to do is:
Leave a written review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts
Email a screenshot of your review to [email protected]

That's it! 😊
🦋🦋🦋
Follow along on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@lifebyalissa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠