{"podcast":{"title":"Get Messy with Maddie","slug":"get-messy-with-maddie-7067574","podcast_index_feed_id":7067574,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/f2e24c24/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getmessywithmaddie","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/40649169/40649169-1724766562033-6dcd4fdeb5fac.jpg","author":"Maddie McGuire","episode_count":88,"summary":"Get Messy is the mindset podcast for creatives who want sustainable, successful careers — without losing their sanity. Hosted by Maddie McGuire, a performer of 10+ years and currently in grad school to become a therapist, each episode goes deep on the mental side of the creative grind: core beliefs, mindset blocks, facing obstacles, making a living as a creative, chasing dreams, and what it takes to stay in the game.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-24T22:19:19.788599+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/get-messy-with-maddie-7067574"},"episode":{"title":"78. The Toddler in Your Head | Why Killing Your Ego Isn't the Answer","slug":"78-the-toddler-in-your-head-why-killing-your-ego-isn-t-the-answer","published_at":"2026-08-10T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/get-messy-with-maddie-7067574/78-the-toddler-in-your-head-why-killing-your-ego-isn-t-the-answer","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/get-messy-with-maddie-7067574","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getmessywithmaddie/episodes/78--The-Toddler-in-Your-Head--Why-Killing-Your-Ego-Isnt-the-Answer-e3n62u2","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/f2e24c24/podcast/play/123980162/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-7-9%2F429509645-44100-2-c0a465412485b.mp3","summary":"What if your ego isn't the villain you've been told it is? In this mini episode, I'm offering a reframe I got from my friend Sasha Feldman (actor-turned-therapist and a past Get Messy guest): the ego isn't something to defeat, it's more like a toddler — scared, overwhelmed, and desperately needing someone to hold it together, not shame it into submission. I get into what it actually looks like when the \"toddler\" shows up — that defensive, reactive flare when something feels threatening or small — and why the goal isn't to eliminate that reaction, but to bring in \"the adult\": the part of you that can witness the reaction without being consumed by it. I also connect this to the window of tolerance, a concept from my grad school work, and why creatives specifically are constantly in situations designed to trigger the ego. This one's a short but powerful reframe for anyone who's been trying to \"kill\" their ego instead of learning how to hold it. In This Episode: Why the ego isn't the enemy — it's more like a scared toddler Where this reframe came from: a conversation with Sasha Feldman What it looks like when the \"toddler\" flares up (and how to notice it) The role of \"the adult\" — holding the reaction instead of being run by it The window of tolerance, and why the toddler blows you right out of it Why creatives are constantly in ego-triggering situations Hold the toddler, let the adult lead RESOURCES: Get Messy episode with Sasha Feldman ✨Connect with Maddie✨ Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie","meta_description":"What if your ego isn't the villain you've been told it is? In this mini episode, I'm offering a reframe I got from my friend Sasha Feldman (actor-turned-t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":322,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/get-messy-with-maddie-7067574/episodes/78-the-toddler-in-your-head-why-killing-your-ego-isn-t-the-answer/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/get-messy-with-maddie-7067574/78-the-toddler-in-your-head-why-killing-your-ego-isn-t-the-answer.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}