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Posts by Mike

Mike Palm is a change management consultant with over 20 years leading transformation across 60 corporations. After discovering his stuttering was inherited anxiety from his father—who inherited it from his grandfather—he developed frameworks for breaking generational patterns. He leads a nonprofit supporting 12-step programs and is the author of The Legacy of Emotionally Immature Parents. Learn more here.

Break the Cycle: How to Heal the Patterns You Didn’t Choose

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“We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” ~Native American Proverb

For years, I blamed my parents for my anxiety, my defensiveness, and my need to be right. Then I learned they inherited the same patterns from their parents. And theirs before them.

This wasn’t about blame. It was about breaking a cycle nobody chose.

The Stutter That Taught Me Everything

As a teenager, I developed a stutter. Not just occasional hesitation—paralyzing anxiety about speaking.

I’d anticipate making mistakes when reading aloud. Starting conversations felt like walking through a minefield. The fear of stuttering …