Episode 67: Get Curious Instead of Critical with Rose Ann Cerofeci
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You’ll want to listen if…You’ve been living like it’s your job to fix everything—worrying, over-managing, and carrying the emotional labor—only to realize it’s exhausting and not actually working. In this episode, professor and coach Rose Ann Cerofeci shares how curiosity can interrupt shame, soften control patterns, and help you shift from fixer to witness—at home, at work, and in your own body.
In this episode, Kathy & Rose Ann discusse:
People-pleasing and “fixer” identity patterns
Curiosity to interrupt shame and self-criticism
Anxiety, isolation, and “failure to launch” after COVID
Smartphones, attention, and social disconnection
Surrender vs giving up (emotional resilience)
Identity shifts that create self-advocacy
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Fixing, worry, and control myths
00:04:00 “Fix everything” origin story
00:08:37 Surrender tattoo and meaning
00:10:26 Worrying vs unconditional love
00:15:31 Students changing over 20 years
00:18:19 Anxiety, masks, and social crutches
00:21:28 Curiosity as a shame interrupter
00:23:06 Rewiring neural pathways
00:29:56 No phones and changing classroom culture
00:31:56 Social masks and connection loss
00:35:51 Beliefs → behaviors → lived experience
00:43:58 Identity shifts and self-advocacy
00:49:28 Unsolicited advice as criticism
00:50:48 “I love you and I’m here for you” practice
00:56:00 The pill question: compassion + humor
Connect with Rose Ann Cerofeci
For over twenty years, I’ve had the privilege of working with young adults as a Community College English Professor. I’ve seen firsthand both the struggles and the resilience that this generation carries. After watching my students and my own two sons navigate the unique anxieties of a post-COVID, hyper-connected world, I realized that young adults need a non-judgmental space to help them navigate these critical years and build a strong foundation for their future.
This understanding—combined with my dual Master’s degrees in English and Counseling—led me to further my studies and become a Certified Life and Health Coach. I created Just Get Curious to be a safe, judgment-free space to grow. By using research-based strategies in neuroscience, habit change, and mindfulness, I help my clients tackle challenges like smartphone use, motivation, and stress while finding their true purpose.
I’m a Southern California native who enjoys running, cooking, and traveling, and a firm believer in the mind-body-soul connection.
Connect with Kathy Washburn
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