Why Everything Feels Like Your Responsibility (The Hidden Belief That Was Quietly Running My Life)
From Relationship Renovation: Why Couples Get Stuck & How They Find Their Way Back by EJ and Tarah Kerwin
July 10, 2026 · 28 min · Episode 287
About this episode
EJ shares his journey of uncovering the hidden beliefs that shaped his sense of responsibility and emotional burden in life.
Have you ever felt like you're carrying everything? Your family's emotions. Your marriage. Your business. Your finances. Your future. For years, EJ believed it was his job to hold everything together. The result wasn't more peace—it was more pressure, striving, and a growing inability to receive love, joy, and even rest. In this deeply personal conversation, Tarah interviews EJ about the inner work he's been doing over the past several months. What begins as a conversation about journaling, gardening, and daily practices becomes something much deeper: uncovering the old beliefs that quietly shaped his identity for decades. Together they explore: Why everything started feeling like an assignment. The hidden belief that everything was his responsibility. The difference between trying to fix yourself and learning to understand yourself. Why receiving love can feel harder than giving it. How old stories continue to shape marriages, parenting, finances, and self-worth. The surprising role that gardening, journaling, and slowing down have played in discovering a new way of living. Why real personal growth isn't about becoming someone new—it's about uncovering who you've always been…
People in this episode
Host: Tarah
Guest: EJ
Topics covered
- responsibility
- personal growth
- self-understanding
- relationships
- emotional well-being
- journaling
- gardening
Keywords
- responsibility
- emotions
- personal growth
- self-worth
- journaling
- gardening
- relationships
- joy
- pressure
- compassion
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