What if I told you that getting feedback and truly receiving it could be the key to your personal growth and emotional freedom? For many of us, there’s an instinct to avoid feedback. We feel vulnerable, scared of judgment, or simply unsure of how to handle it. But feedback can give us insight and learning opportunities to become stronger, more confident, capable and resilient people.
This blog post shares the important lessons from a recent podcast episode with Robbie Spier Miller of Hypnosis Training Canada with Tree Ryde from the Burlington Hypnosis Centre. Listen to the episode on our YouTube channel & read below to learn more about developing confidence in accepting feedback and improving yourself. We’ll offer you some inspiring stories, valuable metaphors, and practical takeaways to help you reframe how you see and welcome this crucial aspect of personal growth.
Robbie Spier Miller & Tree Ryde - The Root Of It All Podcast
Why Feedback Feels Scary (& Why You Should Lean Into It)
Feedback often feels like walking into a surprise test we haven’t studied for. Why? Because we worry it’ll highlight our flaws or shortcomings. Robbie Spier Miller, Director of Hypnosis Training Canada, explains that avoiding feedback is like walking around all day with spinach stuck in your teeth.
Think about it: when someone points out that speck of spinach, they’re not trying to embarrass you. They’re giving you the opportunity to clean up, look polished, and feel like your best self. The same goes for constructive criticism.
Whether it’s a blind spot about our work, or attitudes or behaviours in our personal life and relationships, feedback can be a crucial catalyst for self-awareness and change. Often people already sense something might be “off,” even if they can’t put their finger on it. Feedback shines a light on these areas, offering clarity and direction. And, isn’t it better to know and have a chance to do something about it than to unknowingly keep spinach in your teeth?
Confidence in Taking Feedback Starts with Self-Acceptance
A recurring theme in the podcast is that self-acceptance frees us to truly grow from feedback. Without self-acceptance, feedback can feel like a personal attack. But when we commit to the mindset of learning and growing, it becomes an opportunity rather than a trigger.
One beautiful story shared during the podcast is the “Kid in the Lunchroom” metaphor which was created by Scott McFall of the Master Hypnotist Society.
Imagine a kid walking into the lunchroom with a tray of food. He accidentally slips on a banana peel, sends everything flying into the air, and lands on his back while other kids laugh at him. The kid runs off humiliated.
In another lunch period, a second kid has the same experience but reacts differently. He slips the same way, gets up smiling, and says, “Thank you, thank you! The next show will be at 3 o’clock!” Instead of being crushed by the moment, he leans into it with humour and confidence.
This serves as a powerful reminder that how you feel about feedback often depends on how safe and accepting you feel within yourself.
Modeling Openness Creates a Culture of Growth
What’s even more inspiring is how modelling openness to feedback can have a ripple effect on others. It’s contagious! If you confidently and openly accept feedback in your work or personal life, you create an environment where others feel safe to do the same.
At Hypnosis Training Canada there is an open-feedback culture where experienced individuals lead by example. Tree Ryde, Director of the Burlington Hypnosis Centre, was a pioneer in modelling this for others. She has demonstrated how to take constructive criticism without defensiveness. When people feel safe, transformation and growth are inevitable.
Feedback isn’t about focusing on what’s wrong, it’s about uncovering opportunities to improve. As the podcast mentions, when new people experience this kind of culture, they often transition from being nervous or defensive to feeling relieved, supported, and excited about becoming better versions of themselves.
Why the Fear of Judgment Holds Us Back
For many, the fear of being judged is the biggest roadblock to welcoming feedback. From childhood, societal norms, the ways we adapt to our circumstances, or family rules can create pressure to appear perfect in various ways—to colour inside the lines.
Robbie shares personal stories of growing up in environments where judgment loomed large. The "white picket fence" mentality pushed her to maintain an illusion of perfection, making it hard to experiment, stumble, and learn from mistakes. Breaking free from these expectations allowed her to break this habit, paving the way for authentic growth.
Tree explores how she adapted to life as a young person by people pleasing. So her fear of feedback was rooted in a fear of disappointing people or being abandoned. When she began to realize that she could be safe while getting feedback, everything changed.
Feedback can feel scary because it challenges us to shed these facades. But the truth is, that perfection isn’t the goal. Self-improvement and authenticity are.
Practical Steps to Build Confidence in Taking Feedback
If taking feedback makes you cringe, don’t worry. You're not alone. With some practice and the right mindset, you can make friends by getting feedback. Here are some actionable steps inspired by the podcast:
Reframe Feedback as a Gift
Think of feedback not as criticism but as a tool that helps you grow, just like the heads-up about spinach in your teeth. The more you normalize this perspective, the less intimidating feedback feels.
Find Safe Feedback Spaces
Surround yourself with people who provide honest, constructive insights with care. Receiving feedback from a place of respect and support makes all the difference.
Model Openness Yourself
Be the person who accepts feedback with grace and confidence, even when it’s uncomfortable. By doing this you will inspire others to follow suit and build a culture of better communication and collective growth.
Keep a Sense of Humor
Learn from the “Kid in the Lunchroom.” When you take yourself less seriously, you’ll handle feedback (and life) with more lightness and resilience.
Celebrate Growth
Remember, there’s no “arrival point” in self-improvement. Every piece of feedback brings you closer to becoming a better version of yourself, so honour even small wins.
Stay Curious and Engaged
Curiosity is your best ally when receiving feedback. Ask questions, dig deeper, and see every critique as a signpost that points the way to improvement.
Feedback Builds Us and Brings Us Together
When we are open to feedback, and reveal our messy human selves, it is easier for others to feel connected to us. A healthy relationship with feedback allows us to respect and uplift one another in ways that lead to progress. Remember, this is about appreciating it when we realize we have spinach in our teeth, and removing it with grace.
If you want to learn more about how hypnosis training can help encourage personal growth, contact Hypnosis Training Canada today to schedule your free consultation.
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