What It Looks Like to Truly Apologize
From Good Movement Draws Good Movement by Terryn Drieling
March 3, 2026 · 12 min · Episode 124
About this episode
This episode discusses the elements of a true apology and the importance of safety in admitting mistakes.
In today’s episode, I’m talking about what it looks like to truly apologize. If the apology includes a “but,” it’s usually not a repair. It’s more like deflection and self-protection. If admitting mistakes didn’t feel safe when we were young, of course it’s going to feel hard now. Safety HAS to exist for honesty and accountability to grow! If this conversation resonates and you’d like to explore your own patterns around apologizing or admitting mistakes, I’d love to support you on your journey. You can schedule a free 30-minute 1:1 Good Movement Guidance call - don’t forget to mention “cast pod” for 10% off! In this episode, I cover: What my SM community polls revealed about emotional recognition & apologies in childhood What a true apology is + why “I’m sorry, but…” isn’t real repair How apologies can be used to deflect blame and avoid admitting mistakes Why safety is essential for accountability and honest repair The importance of modeling genuine apologies for our kids Embracing progress over perfection as we heal and do it differently Make sure to hit subscribe/follow so you never miss an episode! Find the complete show notes here…
People in this episode
Host: Terryn Drieling
Topics covered
- apology
- emotional recognition
- accountability
- childhood
- self-improvement
- communication
Keywords
- apology
- emotional recognition
- accountability
- deflection
- safety
- genuine apologies
- self-protection
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