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 greater than 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 Subscribe to The Psychology Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/psychology-podcast-dr.-scott/id942777522 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-psychology-podcast-with-scott-barry-kaufman/the-psychology-podcast-with-dr-scott-barry-kaufman?refid=stpr See past episodes and join in the Discussion: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepsychologypodcast?ref=br_tf Twitter: https://twitter.com/psychpodcast #ThePsychologyPodcast