Gwyneth Paltrow Says Turning 40 Taught Her to Stop People-Pleasing, Start Speaking Her Truth: 'It's So Self-Honoring…'

Actress and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow says hitting 40 marked a major shift in her career and personal growth, as she learned to stop prioritizing others' approval over her own voice.

Paltrow Confronts People-Pleasing In the Workplace

On Tuesday's episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Paltrow reflected on her longtime struggle with people-pleasing, particularly in professional settings.

"Well, I'm a recovering codependent. So, I used to do anything and everything not to say the thing that would make the waters choppy," she told host Amy Poehler.

Learning To Set Boundaries

The Goop founder explained that avoiding conflict often caused more problems than it prevented.

"When you don't say what needs to be said in the moment to spare somebody else’s feelings, first of all, like, you're rejecting the truest part of yourself," Paltrow said.

She added, "You'll end up being dishonest. You’ll end up not saying what needs to be said. You'll end up stringing out some lame relationship for eight extra months and treating them not so nicely because you have stuck yourself in something."

Around age 40, Paltrow worked with a coach to confront her fear of disappointing men and learned to hold uncomfortable feelings while staying true to herself.

"It's so self-honoring when you just speak the truth, and you can do it very kindly," she said.

She added, "It's also not your responsibility to take care of somebody's feelings when you've simply said the truth."

Companies End Work-Life Balance Era

Last year, the era of work-life balance appeared to end as companies prioritized performance over flexibility.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), and Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) required employees to return to the office full-time, while AT&T warned that those needing flexible schedules might struggle to align with its culture.

The debate over extreme work hours also reached Europe after venture capitalist Harry Stebbings urged founders to adopt a seven-day workweek.

Many European investors, including Balderton Capital's Suranga Chandratillake, criticized the push as unnecessary and called overwork a "fetishization…rather than smart work."

They contrasted this approach with China's 996 culture at firms like Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) and TikTok.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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