08-13-2026 I Got a Bad Review

08-13-2026 I Got a Bad Review

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode of Levelheaded Talk zooms in on emotional sobriety and what happens when feedback clashes with old self-beliefs. Dr. Andrea Vitz shares a recent "nasty" book review that told her she "needs to get over herself"—a phrase she actually uses all the time with clients, but in a very different way.

You’ll hear her break down how feedback used to feel like a personal attack: criticism meant she wasn’t lovable, good enough, or important. She describes that mindset as "like a prison" because "no one can ever tell you anything about you that'll make you better if you can't handle feedback." From there, she talks about training herself to receive both one-star and five-star reviews without letting them rewrite her worth.

The heart of the episode is Andrea’s redefinition of "get over yourself." Instead of a harsh put-down, she uses it to mean getting above the self—stepping out of the centre where everything is filtered through insecurity, fear, and victimhood. She shares a powerful visual from her work: it’s "like a drone flying over your own head," letting you see yourself and the situation from a calmer, more mature angle.

Andrea explains how shame, criticism and rejection can calcify into self-beliefs that *feel* like facts. Your job, she suggests, is to spot those beliefs by noticing what triggers you and asking, "What did I make that mean about me?" Once you see the story, you can reframe it from a kinder, more objective viewpoint—the same compassion you’d offer a friend. She also calls out the ego as "the gatekeeper of your perspective," keeping you stuck in painful but familiar beliefs.

Getting over yourself is about challenging that ego so you can see both your goodness and your "development gap"—the places you’re ready to grow. If emotional sobriety means anything here, it’s this: are you ready to step above the old story you’ve been telling yourself?