What Causes Covert Narcissism? The Childhood Origins Researchers Trace It To
What causes covert narcissism? This post explores the childhood roots researchers have traced, from insecure attachment and parental shaming to inherited patterns and trauma exposure. Understanding these origins can help you see the complexity behind the behavior without excusing it. This view supports compassionate clarity for women healing from covert narcissistic abuse.
- A Quiet Morning and the Weight of Unseen Wounds
- What Causes Covert Narcissism?
- The Neurobiology of Childhood Origins
- How Childhood Wounds Shape the Covert Narcissist
- Parental Patterns and Intergenerational Echoes
- Both/And: His Childhood Was Real and Doesn’t Excuse Him
- The Systemic Lens: How Patriarchy and Narcissistic Parenting Reproduce Each Other Across Generations
- How to Heal
- Frequently Asked Questions
A Quiet Morning and the Weight of Unseen Wounds
It’s 6:45 a.m., and Nadia, a 42-year-old corporate counsel, stands at the kitchen sink. Her navy blazer, still slightly crumpled from last night’s late meeting, brushes against the chipped ceramic mug she’s rinsing. The water feels cold on her hands, and the silence of the house hums softly around her. In this quiet moment, her chest tightens, memories rising unbidden—sharp criticisms from childhood, delivered with cold precision, still echoing like a relentless storm inside her.
Nadia’s body remembers what her mind tries to push away: the long hours spent trying to earn approval, the invisible bar set impossibly high by a mother whose love felt tied to performance and silence. These unseen wounds—etched deep beneath the surface of everyday life—are the roots of covert narcissism.
Women like Nadia often arrive in therapy carrying this invisible weight. Their struggles with self-worth, emotional safety, and identity trace back not to who they’re now, but to what they endured as children. These early experiences of conditional love, parental shaming, neglect, or emotional unpredictability shape how covert narcissistic traits develop.
Over the course of this article, we’ll explore what causes covert narcissism by tracing the childhood dynamics researchers highlight as its source. We’ll also meet Leila, a 35-year-old design director, whose story adds another layer to understanding these hidden legacies. Together, their recoverys reveal the complex blend of biology, environment, and relational trauma that mold covert narcissism.
For a thorough grounding in covert narcissism’s nature, see our comprehensive guide on covert narcissistic abuse, which lays the foundation for understanding these behaviors.
What Causes Covert Narcissism?
Covert narcissism etiology refers to the origins and developmental pathways that lead to the emergence of covert narcissistic traits, typically rooted in early life experiences. Researchers such as Daniel Shaw, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of Traumatic Narcissism, emphasize insecure attachment, parental emotional neglect, and trauma exposure as foundational factors. Heinz Kohut, MD, psychoanalyst and founder of self psychology, highlighted the failure of parental mirroring as a core developmental disruption that impairs the child’s self-cohesion and idealization capacities.
In plain terms: Covert narcissism often starts in childhood when a child’s emotional needs aren’t met consistently. When parents don’t see or accept the child’s feelings and struggles, the child learns to hide their true self and protect themselves by building a fragile inner world that looks like humility but hides a deep wound.
Covert narcissism grows out of a complex mix of early relational experiences and innate temperament. From birth, a child’s environment—especially the emotional availability and responsiveness of primary caregivers—interacts with biological factors like temperament to shape personality. John Bowlby, MD, psychiatrist and founder of attachment theory, showed how insecure-anxious attachments form when caregivers respond inconsistently or unpredictably to the child’s needs.
When a child doesn’t feel safe or consistently understood, they develop defenses that protect their fragile sense of self. Unlike overt narcissism, which often looks like loud grandiosity and entitlement, covert narcissism wears a quieter mask: vulnerability, hypersensitivity to criticism, and a deep but hidden need for validation. This difference reflects the interaction of early trauma and parenting with the child’s temperament, often leading to a self that appears humble or self-effacing but is deeply wounded inside.
Another key factor is parental conditional love. When love is given only if the child behaves a certain way or meets expectations, the child learns to hide their true feelings and present a false self to gain approval.
Parental conditional love refers to a pattern where a child’s worth and acceptance are tied to meeting specific expectations or behaviors, rather than unconditional acceptance. Karyl McBride, PhD, psychotherapist and author of Will I Ever Be Good Enough?, describes how conditional love often leads to children feeling they must perform or hide parts of themselves to gain parental approval.
In plain terms: When your parents only showed love when you behaved a certain way or achieved certain things, you learned to hide your real feelings and be someone you thought they wanted. This can create deep confusion about who you really are.
Temperament also plays a role. Some children are naturally more sensitive or prone to anxiety, which can make them more vulnerable to the effects of inconsistent or neglectful parenting. Vernon et al.’s research on narcissism heritability confirms that genetic factors influence personality traits but are always shaped by environment.
In sum, what causes covert narcissism isn’t a simple cause-and-effect but a web of early emotional experiences, temperament, and relational trauma that shape a child’s developing self.
The Neurobiology of Childhood Origins
To understand covert narcissism fully, we need to look at how early experiences shape the brain’s development. Allan Schore, PhD, a clinical psychologist and pioneer in the neuroscience of affect regulation, shows that early attachment relationships directly influence the development of the right brain, which governs emotional regulation and social connection.
When a child experiences emotional neglect or inconsistent caregiving, the neural circuits responsible for managing stress and forming secure attachments don’t develop properly. This means the child’s nervous system becomes wired to expect rejection or emotional unavailability. The result? Heightened emotional sensitivity, difficulty trusting others, and trouble managing feelings.
Daniel Shaw, PhD, in his work on traumatic narcissism, notes that covert narcissists often have a nervous system tuned to anticipate shame and rejection. This leads them to withdraw defensively and harbor internalized self-criticism. The brain learns to protect itself by building a fragile inner world that hides vulnerability behind a mask of humility or invisibility.
A central concept here is mirroring, introduced by Heinz Kohut, MD, founder of self psychology. Mirroring happens when a caregiver reflects the child’s feelings and sense of worth back to them, helping the child build a cohesive and stable self.
Mirroring is a developmental process described by Heinz Kohut, MD, where a caregiver validates and reflects the child’s emotions and sense of self, allowing the child to build a stable, cohesive identity. Failure of adequate mirroring disrupts self-cohesion and contributes to narcissistic vulnerabilities.
In plain terms: When your parents didn’t really see or understand your feelings, you couldn’t grow into a strong sense of who you are. Instead, you might have built a fragile self that depends on others to feel okay.
When mirroring fails—through neglect, emotional unavailability, or shaming—the child’s self-structure doesn’t develop properly. They may struggle to understand or accept their own emotions, leading to the hidden vulnerabilities typical of covert narcissism. This neurobiological perspective clarifies why healing isn’t just about changing thoughts or behaviors but also about retraining the nervous system.
For those wanting to explore this further, Allan Schore’s Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self offers a detailed look at how early emotional experiences shape the brain.
How Childhood Wounds Shape the Covert Narcissist
Leila, a 35-year-old design director, sits quietly at her desk after lunch. She wears a soft gray cashmere sweater, her shoulders slightly hunched as she scrolls through emails. A familiar wave of exhaustion and self-doubt washes over her. Her mother’s voice echoes in her memory: “If you’re not perfect, you’re not enough.”
Leila’s story is a window into the hidden world of covert narcissism. Her mother’s love was tied to achievement and perfection, a classic example of parental conditional love. This taught Leila to suppress her vulnerabilities and present a polished exterior. But beneath that surface, she carries wounds of shaming, emotional neglect, and parentification—the experience of taking on adult responsibilities too early.
Otto Kernberg, MD, a leading psychiatrist on personality disorders, describes how covert narcissists internalize harsh and critical mental images of caregivers, called internalized object relations. These internal voices are often unforgiving and demanding, fueling shame and self-criticism that remain invisible to others but dominate the covert narcissist’s inner world.
Parental shaming around natural narcissistic strivings—such as seeking autonomy, recognition, or validation—teaches the child to hide these needs or feel guilt for them. Daniel Shaw explains that covert narcissism often develops as a defense against early emotional invalidation, turning vulnerability into a hidden grandiosity disguised as humility or self-criticism.
This defensive stance looks like low self-esteem to outsiders, but inside, it’s a fragile fortress built to protect an injured self. Leila learned to be self-critical and humble on the outside, while secretly craving admiration and control as a survival strategy.
Leila’s experience isn’t unique. Many covert narcissists are shaped by childhoods where their needs were dismissed or punished, leaving them with a conflicted sense of self and a deep fear of exposure.
Parental Patterns and Intergenerational Echoes
Back in her quiet kitchen, Nadia reflects on her mother’s unpredictable moods and long silences at the dinner table. She remembers the unspoken rules about what feelings could be expressed and which had to be buried. Her mother, shaped by her own covert narcissistic mother, passed down these patterns unconsciously.
Karyl McBride, PhD, psychotherapist and author of Will I Ever Be Good Enough?, highlights how covert narcissism often runs in families. It’s transmitted across generations through parenting styles, emotional availability, and survival strategies learned in childhood. These patterns don’t guarantee fate but show how hard it’s to break free without conscious effort.
The research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), led by Vincent Felitti, MD, and Robert Anda, MD, connects childhood trauma such as neglect, emotional abuse, and household dysfunction to long-term emotional and physical health challenges. Many covert narcissists carry elevated ACEs scores, showing the depth of trauma they endured.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) refer to potentially traumatic events occurring before age 18, including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, linked to increased risk for physical and mental health problems. Vincent Felitti, MD, and Robert Anda, MD, led foundational research revealing these connections.
In plain terms: Difficult or harmful things that happen in childhood, like neglect or abuse, can affect how your brain and body develop and how you handle emotions and relationships as an adult.
This intergenerational echo can make it harder for women like Nadia to recognize covert narcissism for what it is. The same patterns that shaped the abuser’s childhood also shape their behavior toward their partner, creating a cycle of harm that can feel impossible to break without help.
Understanding this inheritance helps survivors see the problem as systemic, not personal. It also points to areas where healing and change are possible, offering hope beyond victimhood.
A PATH THROUGH THIS
There is a way through covert narcissistic abuse.
Annie built Clarity After the Covert, an online course, for women exactly like you — driven, ambitious, and ready to do the real work of healing from covert narcissistic abuse.
Both/And: His Childhood Was Real and Doesn’t Excuse Him
It’s tempting to think that understanding the childhood origins of covert narcissism means excusing the harm caused. But as Daniel Shaw, PhD, reminds us, etiology is explanation, not justification. The trauma and neglect that shaped him are real, and they explain why he struggles, but they don’t erase the damage done to you.
Camille, a 38-year-old neurosurgeon, folds her white coat over a chair as she speaks cautiously about her husband. She knows his childhood was filled with neglect and impossible expectations. Yet that knowledge doesn’t soften the sting of his emotional withdrawal or the gaslighting she endures. She’s learning to hold both truths: his suffering and her right to safety and respect.
This both/and framing is vital. You can acknowledge his wounds without rescuing him or denying your own pain. Healing starts when you stop trying to fix what wasn’t your job to fix.
“Both/And thinking is the antidote to the false choice between blame and forgiveness.”
Daniel Shaw, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Traumatic Narcissism
The Systemic Lens: How Patriarchy and Narcissistic Parenting Reproduce Each Other Across Generations
Looking beyond the individual, the systemic context is critical. Patriarchy shapes the roles and expectations placed on men and women, often encouraging emotional suppression in men and conditional love dynamics in families. This system creates fertile ground for narcissistic parenting styles to flourish and repeat across generations.
Otto Kernberg, MD, discusses how cultural factors influence internalized object relations—the mental images and feelings about caregivers that children carry into adulthood. Karyl McBride, PhD, connects patriarchal values to the challenges daughters face with covert narcissistic mothers and fathers. The emotional neglect that fuels covert narcissism isn’t only personal but also cultural.
In families shaped by rigid gender roles and emotional unavailability, children learn to adapt by masking vulnerability and performing compliance. The covert narcissist’s hidden shame and fragile self are both a product and a perpetuator of these systemic forces.
Understanding this systemic lens can help you see that the problem isn’t you, and that the patterns you face are part of a larger cultural inheritance that you can choose to break.
How to Heal
Trauma-informed therapy is an approach that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and integrates knowledge about trauma into clinical practice to avoid retraumatization and support healing. Janina Fisher, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors, emphasizes safety, empowerment, and mind-body regulation as core principles.
In plain terms: Therapy that understands what trauma does to your brain and body and focuses on helping you feel safe, regain control, and rebuild a strong sense of self.
Healing the impact of covert narcissism often means reclaiming your emotional safety and rebuilding your identity outside the distorted mirrors of your past. Trauma-informed therapy recognizes how early experiences shaped your nervous system and supports you in developing new patterns of trust, connection, and self-compassion.
Working with a skilled therapist can help you process childhood wounds, learn to set healthy boundaries, and rewire emotional responses that were shaped by neglect or shaming. This work isn’t about excusing harmful behavior but reclaiming your life and power.
You can also explore resources like Annie’s online course, Recovery for Driven Women, which offers practical tools and guidance to understand covert narcissism and its effects more deeply.
Remember, healing is possible. It takes time and commitment, but with the right support, you can build a life that feels authentic and free.
For ongoing insights and community support, consider signing up for Annie’s Sunday newsletter, Strong & Stable, where she shares clinical wisdom and encouragement for women healing from covert narcissistic abuse.
You don’t have to carry these hidden wounds alone. Help is available, and the path forward is within reach.
Tracing the Roots: How Early Experiences Shape Covert Narcissism
Understanding what causes covert narcissism means looking closely at the earliest years of life, where patterns of attachment, emotional safety, and validation are formed. Researchers like Dr. Craig Malkin, a clinical psychologist and author specializing in narcissism, emphasize that covert narcissism often emerges from a childhood environment where emotional needs were inconsistently met or outright dismissed. Unlike the overt narcissist who craves attention loudly, the covert narcissist may have learned early on that expressing vulnerability or needs openly could lead to neglect, shame, or even punishment.
Dr. W. Keith Campbell, a professor of psychology with extensive research on narcissistic personality traits, notes that covert narcissism is frequently linked to a paradoxical experience of feeling both invisible and hyper-aware of one’s own emotions in an unsafe environment. This creates a kind of internal tension where the individual is constantly scanning for approval but simultaneously guarding against exposure and rejection.
For driven women, this dynamic often translates into a relentless inner critic paired with a deep-seated fear of being truly seen or understood. The body carries this tension in subtle ways—tightness in the chest, shallow breathing, or a persistent knot in the stomach during social interactions. These somatic signs are the body’s early warning system, a reminder of past emotional dangers that were never fully processed.
The Somatic Imprint of Emotional Neglect and Conditional Love
Take Maya, for example, a 34-year-old marketing director. On the surface, she’s confident and articulate, but in private moments—especially after intense presentations—she feels a sinking heaviness in her shoulders and a fluttering in her stomach. Maya’s childhood was marked by emotional distance; her parents praised achievements but dismissed emotional expression. This conditional love taught her to equate worth with performance, while her body remembers the times she felt invisible or inconsequential.
Clinically, these somatic experiences are more than just metaphors. Trauma therapist Bessel van der Kolk describes how early relational trauma imprints itself in the body’s autonomic nervous system. For covert narcissists, this often leads to a chronic state of hypervigilance or emotional shutdown, both of which serve as protective responses to unpredictable or neglectful caregiving.
In practical terms, this means that healing covert narcissism isn’t just about changing thought patterns or behaviors—it requires tuning into the body’s signals. Techniques such as breath work, mindful movement, or somatic experiencing can help unlock these stored tensions and create new pathways for emotional regulation. You might notice, for instance, that grounding your feet firmly on the floor during moments of self-doubt helps interrupt the cascade of anxious thoughts and reconnects you to present safety.
How Ambition and Covert Narcissism Intersect
Ambition in driven women often masks the underlying vulnerabilities of covert narcissism. The relentless push for success can be both a shield and a source of distress. When self-worth depends on external validation, any perceived failure can trigger intense shame and withdrawal. This cycle reinforces the covert narcissist’s belief that their true self is unlovable, so they must keep striving—and hiding.
Consider how Maya’s body reacts after a tough day at work. The adrenaline that fueled her throughout meetings now leaves her feeling exhausted and emotionally depleted. Her shoulders slump, and she finds herself holding her breath unconsciously. The physical toll is a sign that the body is still carrying the weight of early emotional wounds.
Addressing covert narcissism means learning to recognize these bodily cues as invitations to pause and nurture yourself rather than push harder. Practical exercises, like the ones outlined in Somatic Recovery for Covert Narcissistic Abuse, offer concrete tools for reconnecting with your body’s wisdom. These methods help quiet the inner critic and build a more compassionate relationship with yourself.
Rewiring the Inner Dialogue: From Criticism to Compassion
Covert narcissism thrives on a harsh internal narrative that constantly judges and diminishes. This voice is often a reflection of childhood messages—those moments when a child learned that being “not good enough” was safer than expressing real feelings. For Maya, this voice sounds like a relentless taskmaster, urging her to prove her worth through achievement.
Psychotherapist Dr. Elinor Greenberg highlights that healing requires deliberately cultivating a kinder inner dialogue. This doesn’t mean ignoring shortcomings but rather shifting from self-condemnation to curiosity and acceptance. For example, when Maya notices her chest tightening before a presentation, she practices naming the fear and reminding herself that vulnerability isn’t weakness.
Incorporating exercises from Exercises to Rebuild Reality After Covert Narcissistic Abuse can support this process by helping you challenge distorted beliefs and replace them with balanced, realistic affirmations. Over time, this rewiring reduces the need for external validation and softens the somatic symptoms tied to stress.
Building Emotional Safety: The Foundation for Lasting Change
Emotional safety is the cornerstone of healing covert narcissism. This might feel elusive if your early environment was unpredictable or dismissive, but it’s a skill that can be developed. Creating safe spaces—whether through therapy, supportive friendships, or intentional self-care—helps recalibrate your nervous system and strengthens your capacity for authentic connection.
Maya’s therapist encourages her to notice moments when she feels safe in her body, such as during a quiet morning walk or while journaling. These small but consistent experiences help build a reservoir of calm that counters the chronic tension that covert narcissism often generates.
If you’re dealing with covert narcissistic abuse or its aftermath, resources like Covert Narcissistic Abuse Recovery for Driven Women and Healing Covert Narcissistic Abuse Roadmap offer structured guidance to cultivate emotional safety and rebuild trust in yourself and others.
Practical Steps Forward: Integrating Body and Mind
Healing covert narcissism involves a blend of insight, self-compassion, and somatic awareness. Here are some practical steps you can take today:
- Notice your body’s signals. When you feel anxious, tense, or shut down, pause and check in with what you’re physically experiencing. Is your breath shallow? Are your shoulders tight? Naming these sensations can reduce their intensity.
- Practice grounding techniques. Simple actions like planting your feet firmly on the ground, feeling your weight in the chair, or gently stretching your neck can help interrupt cycles of anxiety and disconnection.
- Challenge the inner critic. When you hear that harsh voice, ask yourself what a compassionate friend might say instead. Use affirmations rooted in reality, not perfectionism.
- Create safe relational spaces. Whether in therapy or with trusted friends, practice expressing your feelings and needs without fear of judgment or rejection.
These steps echo the principles found in somatic recovery approaches and can be combined with therapeutic support to deepen healing.
Looking Ahead: From Survival to Thriving
Recovering from the childhood origins of covert narcissism isn’t about erasing the past but learning to live differently with it. Women like Maya show us that it’s possible to transform the conditioned self into one that embraces vulnerability, authenticity, and self-compassion.
By attending to the body’s messages, rewriting the inner narrative, and building emotional safety, you create a foundation where ambition no longer serves as a mask but as one part of a richly felt, fully embodied life. This path forward requires patience and kindness, but with each step, the weight of early wounds lifts, making space for genuine connection and peace.
Understanding the Roots to Move Forward
Covert narcissism often traces back to early childhood experiences where emotional neglect, inconsistent caregiving, or subtle forms of invalidation shaped a child’s sense of self. For driven women, these early wounds can manifest as an internalized belief that their worth depends on pleasing others or suppressing their own needs. This dynamic builds a private struggle with self-doubt and emotional exhaustion, even as they achieve outward success.
A Window into Private Struggles: Sarah’s Story
Consider Sarah, a 34-year-old marketing executive who spends her days crafting persuasive campaigns but retreats each evening to a quiet apartment where she battles a persistent sense of invisibility. Despite her professional achievements, Sarah often feels emotionally drained and disconnected from her own desires. She notices tension in her shoulders and a tightness in her chest during social interactions, signs of chronic stress that she’s learned to dismiss. These physical sensations aren’t just stress—they’re echoes of a childhood where her feelings were minimized and her accomplishments were met with silence rather than praise.
Body Awareness as a Healing Tool
For women like Sarah, reclaiming a sense of self often begins with tuning into the body’s signals. Chronic muscle tension, shallow breathing, or a sinking feeling in the stomach can reveal where emotional pain has been held. Recognizing these sensations creates a foundation for healing beyond cognitive understanding. You might find it helpful to explore somatic recovery techniques tailored to covert narcissistic abuse, which you can learn more about here. These approaches focus on releasing stored tension and reconnecting you with your authentic emotional experience.
Rebuilding Emotional Boundaries and Self-Compassion
Another critical step is learning to establish healthy emotional boundaries. Many women affected by covert narcissistic abuse have been conditioned to prioritize others’ feelings over their own, often at the cost of their well-being. Setting boundaries isn’t about pushing people away—it’s about protecting your energy and honoring your needs. This shift requires patience and practice but leads to greater emotional resilience and a clearer sense of identity.
Integrating Clinical Support and Personal Practice
While self-awareness and somatic practices are crucial, clinical support can deepen the healing process. Therapeutic approaches that validate your experiences and offer strategies for managing complex emotions can be transformative. Combining professional guidance with exercises designed to rebuild your reality after covert narcissistic abuse strengthens your capacity to trust yourself again. You might want to explore practical exercises focused on this recovery process, available here, to complement your therapy sessions.
Moving Toward Empowerment
Healing from covert narcissistic abuse is a gradual process that invites you to reclaim your voice, your body, and your emotional landscape. With consistent effort, the patterns of self-silencing and emotional confusion can give way to clarity and self-respect. For ambitious women who’ve long prioritized external validation, this transformation empowers you to align your inner truth with your external life, building a more grounded and fulfilling sense of self.
CONTINUE YOUR HEALING
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Annie built Clarity After the Covert, an online course, for women exactly like you — driven, ambitious, and ready to do the real work of healing from covert narcissistic abuse.
Q: Can covert narcissism develop without obvious childhood abuse?
A: Yes. While abuse and neglect are common contributors, covert narcissism can also arise from emotional invalidation, inconsistent caregiving, or lack of attuned parental mirroring. These experiences may not be overtly abusive but still disrupt healthy self-development.
Q: Is covert narcissism inherited genetically?
A: Research indicates that genetics play a role in personality traits, including narcissism, but environment and early relationships are critical in shaping covert narcissistic behaviors. It’s a combination of inherited temperament and childhood experiences.
Q: How does insecure attachment relate to covert narcissism?
A: Insecure attachment, especially anxious attachment, can lead to fear of abandonment and hypersensitivity to rejection, common in covert narcissism. These attachment patterns contribute to defensive behaviors like withdrawal and hidden grandiosity.
Q: Can understanding his childhood help me heal?
A: Understanding the origins of covert narcissism can provide compassionate clarity but doesn’t mean you have to tolerate harmful behavior. It helps you separate his struggles from your own healing recovery.
Q: What is parentification and how does it relate to covert narcissism?
A: Parentification occurs when a child takes on adult responsibilities prematurely, often emotionally supporting a parent. This can contribute to covert narcissism by blurring boundaries and building a false self focused on approval and control.
Q: Are covert narcissists aware of their childhood wounds?
A: Many covert narcissists have limited conscious awareness of their childhood trauma or how it shapes their behavior. Their defenses often keep painful memories out of reach, maintaining the fragile self they rely on.
Q: How do cultural and systemic factors influence covert narcissism?
A: Cultural norms around masculinity, emotional expression, and parenting shape how covert narcissism develops and is expressed. Patriarchal systems can reward emotional suppression in men and conditional love in families, perpetuating these patterns.
Q: Can therapy help with the effects of covert narcissistic parenting?
A: Absolutely. Trauma-informed therapy helps survivors process childhood wounds, develop healthy boundaries, and rebuild self-esteem. It supports healing from the complex effects of covert narcissistic parenting.
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Annie Wright is a licensed psychotherapist (LMFT #95719) and trauma-informed executive coach with over 15,000 clinical hours. She works with driven, ambitious women — including Silicon Valley leaders, physicians, and entrepreneurs — in repairing the psychological foundations beneath their impressive lives. Annie is the founder and former CEO of Evergreen Counseling, a multimillion-dollar trauma-informed therapy center she built, scaled, and successfully exited. A regular contributor to Psychology Today, her expert commentary has appeared in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc., NBC, and The Information. She is currently writing her first book with W.W. Norton.
