Lori HarderFounder of glōci | Bestselling Author

The Real Impact of Carrying Shame With You

24 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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In this excerpt from Lori Harder's YouTube video, two speakers discuss the nature of shame and its effects on personal well‑being. Speaker A describes shame as a dense, false belief about oneself that saps energy and forces people to hide, creating feelings of unworthiness and the fear of being exposed. Speaker B expands the metaphor, likening each shame‑induced belief to a heavy suitcase that must be carried everywhere, leaving no room for vitality. When those shame “suitcases” are set down, the speakers report feeling more alive, awake, connected, and less anxious—experiencing a newfound willingness to engage with others and the world. The dialogue emphasizes that while private boundaries are okay, carrying hidden shame limits presence and joy, and releasing it can restore energy and confidence.

Chapters

Shame is like the deepest lie that we hold about ourselves. It's so dense, it sucks your energy, and you walk around like hiding. And so shame, it's okay to have things that we hold private from the world, but the idea is that anything that we're holding back, this thing that I'm holding that happened to me, that if people found out, they would know I'm not really who I say I am. I'm not really lovable. I'm not really enough. I don't really deserve to be here.
Every single one of those, it weighs something, like it's baggage. Picture like every time you go to do something even challenging, you're like, nope, you gotta pick up every one of those shame suitcases and carry it with you. There's just no energy for that. And so as you put them down, you're like, oh my God, I had no idea that I'd feel more alive, awake, more connected to people, more willing. Like when I walk in the room, I don't feel as scared. I don't have as much anxiety because you're just like, here I am.