Dr. Laura Gallaher | Stress is a Choice: The Radical Truth Behind Your Inner Critic

🎧 Episode Summary

In this episode of Women Choosing Growth, host Tina Sue sits down with Dr. Laura Gallaher—bestselling author, speaker, and organizational psychologist—to explore one of the most transformative ideas for driven women: you can improve without beating yourself up.

Laura, whose incredible career includes working with NASA, Disney, and Yahoo, unpacks her Paradox Theory, which shows us that self-acceptance and self-improvement are not at odds—they thrive together. Through vulnerable storytelling, science-backed wisdom, and some laugh-out-loud valley girl impressions, Laura gives us permission to pursue growth with grace, not judgment.

If you’ve ever struggled with an inner critic, burnout, or the pressure to be perfect, this episode will meet you exactly where you are—and show you how to choose a better way forward.

🗝️ Key Topics Covered

The Paradox Theory: self-acceptance and self-improvement can coexist
How inner judgment creates stress—and how to choose differently
Why your reactions say more about you than the situation
Lessons from NASA, Disney, and Laura’s own leadership journey
The role of psychological safety in teams and within yourself
Inner critics, impostor syndrome, and the gap vs. the gain
How high performers can lead with both strength and softness

✅ Actionable Takeaways

Start a “credit” journal to acknowledge your daily wins and disrupt patterns of self-judgment
Name your inner critic to separate from her harsh voice and stop letting her lead
Ask yourself: “What’s the story I’m telling myself right now—and is it even true?”
Recognize when you're in the ‘gap’ and shift to celebrating the ‘gain’
Use curiosity over criticism when you feel triggered or stressed
Embrace progress over perfection—stress fades when identity isn’t on the line