Shows / The Anxious Achiever
The Anxious Achiever
Host Morra Aarons-Mele is on a mission to reframe how we think about anxiety and mental health in the workplace. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. We desperately need better models for leadership and a more holistic view of mental health. Our culture tells those of us who suffer from anxiety and depression that we can’t succeed, but we tell a different story — without sugarcoating the tough stuff. We feature stories from people who’ve been there and experts who…
Episodes
- The Anxious Achiever
Therapy Makes You A Better Leader with Dr. Vikas Shah
How can you turn anxiety into an opportunity to understand yourself and become a better leader? In this classic episode, I talk with Dr. Vikas Shah…
- The Anxious Achiever
What Does Belonging At Work Really Mean? With Sebastian Buck
What makes a workplace somewhere people genuinely want to be? In this episode, I sit down with Sebastian Buck, CEO and co-founder of Enso, to talk about what…
- The Anxious Achiever
What Can A Financial Therapist Do For You? With Amanda Clayman
How can you make meaningful career and financial decisions without letting money anxiety hold you back? In this classic episode, I talk with Amanda Clayman, a…
- The Anxious Achiever
Shannon Watts on Neurodivergent Leadership and Burning It All Down
You can be an accomplished leader and still be terrified of what people think of you. Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action and author of Fired Up…
- The Anxious Achiever
Marc Brackett On How To Talk About Your Feelings When You're a Leader
Your emotional triggers could be affecting your team more than you realize. In this classic episode of The Anxious Achiever, I'm revisiting one of my favorite…
- The Anxious Achiever
This Media Entrepreneur Can't Feel Anxious, Really | Mike Pesca
Imagine going through life without constantly worrying about things outside your control. Sounds pretty great, right? Veteran journalist and The Gist host Mike…
- The Anxious Achiever
Managing Anxiety When Passion Drives Your Work with Poppy Jaman, OBE
How can you build a mentally healthy workplace while still managing the pressure, expectations, and emotional challenges of mission-driven work? In this…
- The Anxious Achiever
How to Recenter Yourself With Dr. Liane Davey
Do you ever feel exhausted at the end of the workday without being able to point to what you actually accomplished? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Liane…
- The Anxious Achiever
How to Handle Anxiety About Difficult Conversations with Amy Gallo
Do you avoid difficult conversations because you don't want to make things worse? You're not alone. Many of us avoid conflict because it feels uncomfortable…
- The Anxious Achiever
Ambition And Motherhood Are a Magic Combination with Dr. Anne Welsh
Do you feel like you're constantly choosing between your career, your children, and yourself? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Ann Welsh, a therapist and…
- The Anxious Achiever
How To Work And Lead With Intention with Jacqui Brassey & Vivek Bapat
How can leaders create healthier, more intentional workplaces while navigating anxiety, uncertainty, and remote work? In this classic episode, I talk with…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Psychology of Leadership With Sébastien Page
What if anxiety isn't something you need to eliminate, but something you can learn to work with? In this episode, I sit down with Sébastien Page, Chief…
- The Anxious Achiever
A C-Suite Exec On Finding Growth After Battling Depression with Paul Greenberg
What does it take to keep leading when depression tells you that you can’t go on? In this classic episode, I talk with Paul Greenberg, CEO of Butter Works…
- The Anxious Achiever
What Is Post Traumatic Growth? with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
What if the parts of yourself you feel most ashamed of are not things you need to hide or fix, but parts you need to learn to accept? In this episode, I sit…
- The Anxious Achiever
Depression Can Be So Funny, With John Moe
Can depression make success feel like something you have to keep earning? In this episode, I sit down with John Moe, host of The Hilarious World of Depression…
- The Anxious Achiever
How To Lead 106,000 People Without Losing Yourself with Dr. John D'Angelo
How do you lead at the highest level while still taking care of yourself? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. John D’Angelo, CEO of Northwell Health, to talk…
- The Anxious Achiever
Understand Your Family Ghosts At Work with Deborah Ancona
What if the patterns that helped you succeed are also holding you back at work? In this episode, I sit down with MIT professor Dr. Deborah Ancona to talk about…
- The Anxious Achiever
Rebranding the Brain With Neurodiversity Expert Dave Thompson
Could your workplace be making it harder for you to do your best work? In this episode, I sit down with author and neurodiversity advocate Dave Thompson to…
- The Anxious Achiever
Penn and Kim Holderness on Neurodivergence And The Creative Journey
Do you ever feel like you're forcing yourself to work in ways that just don't fit how your brain works? In this episode, I sit down with Penn and Kim…
- The Anxious Achiever
Learn How To Handle Uncertainty With Simone Stolzoff
What if your biggest advantage isn't knowing what's coming next, but trusting yourself to handle whatever comes? In this episode, I sit down with author Simone…
- The Anxious Achiever
How To Make Space For Your Soul In Midlife with Olivia F. Scott
Does starting over in midlife feel exciting or terrifying? In this special crossover episode, I joined Olivia F. Scott from Freedom at the Mat to talk about…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Four Factors Every Neurodistinct Leader Needs To Understand
Have you ever wondered why the way everyone else works just doesn't seem to work for you? In this episode, I introduce my TAAM framework and share what I…
- The Anxious Achiever
NBA Great Kevin Love on Trying to Achieve His Way Out of Depression
Have you ever tried to achieve your way out of anxiety or depression? What happens when reaching your biggest goals still doesn't make you feel like you're…
- The Anxious Achiever
HeartMath: The Science of HRV with Dr. Deborah Rozman
Do you know how to bring yourself back to balance when stress and anxiety take over? In this episode, I sit down with HeartMath president and co-CEO Dr…
- The Anxious Achiever
Toxic Bosses, Perfectionism, And Healing At Work with Susan Schmitt Winchester
Does perfectionism feel like the reason you're successful and the thing that's exhausting you at the same time? In this episode, I sit down with author and…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Hard Work of "Daughtering" With Dr. Allison Alford
Do you ever wonder if you're doing enough for your parents? In this episode, I sit down with Baylor University professor Dr. Allison Alford to talk about the…
- The Anxious Achiever
Anxiety and Trust In The New Media Economy With CEO Dan Granger
Are you worried about what AI means for your job and the future of work? How do you stay grounded when technology is changing faster than you can keep up? In…
- The Anxious Achiever
How to Build a Culture Where It's Safe to Not Be Okay: Jed Foundation CEO John MacPhee
Do you want to become the kind of leader people genuinely trust? Could kindness be one of the most overlooked leadership skills today? In this episode, I sit…
- The Anxious Achiever
"My Anxiety" With Legendary Art Critic Jerry Saltz
Can your greatest struggles become the foundation for your best work? What if the way through anxiety isn't eliminating it, but creating something meaningful…
- The Anxious Achiever
"On The Internet, Everyone Looks Rich" with Jenny Blake
What happens when the strategies that always worked for you suddenly stop working? How do you keep believing in yourself when success no longer feels certain?…
- The Anxious Achiever
"Death, Sex, and Money": Talking Smart About Hard Things With Anna Sale
Which conversations have you been avoiding at work? In this classic episode, I sit down with Death, Sex & Money host Anna Sale to talk about why conversations…
- The Anxious Achiever
Exploring Liminal Spaces with HBS's DJ DiDonna
Would you take four months away from work? Have you ever wondered who you'd be without your job for a while? In this episode, I sit down with Harvard Business…
- The Anxious Achiever
Unpacking Money Trauma with Shannah Game
Could the way you think about money have more to do with your childhood than your bank account? In this episode, I sit down with personal finance expert…
- The Anxious Achiever
Leading When Nothing Feels Certain With Scott D. Anthony, Lisa Kay Solomon, and Chris Shipley
How do you lead when the future refuses to give you certainty? In this episode, I sit down with leadership experts Scott D. Anthony, Lisa Kay Solomon, and…
- The Anxious Achiever
Can Passion For Your Work Drive Burnout? With Jon Jachimowicz
Can loving your work make burnout more likely? In this episode, I sit down with Harvard Business School professor Jon Jachimowicz to talk about the downside of…
- The Anxious Achiever
Haley Moss: "My Autism Is Not the Center of the Universe"
How do you ask for what you need at work when the system still makes disability feel risky to name? In this episode, I sit down with attorney, author, and…
- The Anxious Achiever
Deepa Purushothaman On "Acting In" Stress, Anxiety, and Overwork
How much of yourself should work be allowed to cost you? In this episode, I sit down with author and former Deloitte partner Deepa Purushothaman to talk about…
- The Anxious Achiever
Surfing Through the AI Apocalypse with Jacob Ward
How do you stay grounded when technology is changing work faster than any of us can keep up with? In this episode, I sit down with journalist and CNN…
- The Anxious Achiever
A Unicorn Tech Exec's Complicated Legacy of Childhood Trauma with Andy Johns
Can achievement become a coping mechanism? In this classic episode, I sit down with entrepreneur, investor, and former Facebook and Twitter growth leader Andy…
- The Anxious Achiever
"It's Just So Enjoyable." Jodi Kantor On The Power Of Craft In A Digitized World
How do you build a meaningful career when AI is rewriting the future of work? In this episode, I sit down with New York Times investigative reporter Jodi…
- The Anxious Achiever
This U.S. Congressman Gives His Anxiety A Job To Do with Adam Smith
What if achievement doesn't have to come from suffering? I sit down with Congressman Adam Smith to talk about the complicated relationship between anxiety…
- The Anxious Achiever
Exploring Gender At Work And "Work Life Conflict" With Dr. David Smith
Why does modern work feel impossible for so many families? In this episode, I talk with sociologist, former Navy pilot, and workplace researcher Dr. David…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Freedom Of Not Knowing with HBS's Martin Sinozich
How much of your life is being driven by fear without you even realizing it? In this episode, I sit down with Harvard Business School lecturer, entrepreneur…
- The Anxious Achiever
Is Therapy The Best We've Got? Megan Cornish Wants More
Have you started expecting therapy to do too much? In this episode, I sit down with therapist and writer Megan Cornish to talk about the pressure we place on…
The Anxious AchieverHow To Take Psychedelics for Your Mental Health with Dr. Will Van Derveer
This week we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at How To!, the 2026 Ambie Award-nominated “Best Personal Growth Podcast” that’s back with a new…
- The Anxious Achiever
Perfectionism Is Not The Healthy Pursuit Of Excellence: Dr. Thomas Greenspon
Why do so many capable, high-performing people end up exhausted, and emotionally drained even when they’re doing everything “right”? In this episode, I sit…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Power of Divergent Thinking With David Flink
What if the problem isn’t your brain, but the systems you’ve spent your life trying to fit into? In this episode, I sit down with David Flink, founder of the…
- The Anxious Achiever
"We Have Emotional Relationships With Our Technology," Nilay Patel On AI
Why does AI feel so personal to so many professionals right now? In this episode, I talk with Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, about the emotional…
- The Anxious Achiever
Time, Agency, Attention, Motivation: The Neurodivergent Leader's Power Recipe with Amy Wilson
What happens when a leader realizes the traits they spent years hiding are actually their greatest strengths? In this episode, I talk with Amy Streater Wilson…
- The Anxious Achiever
Cultivating Resilience With Dan Ariely
What happens when stress, uncertainty, and lack of control start to take over your brain? In this episode, I sit down with renowned behavioral economist Dan…
- The Anxious Achiever
Ego Death Is The Only Way Through with Meredith Arthur
What happens when the version of success you built your life around suddenly stops working? In this episode, I sit down with Meredith Arthur to talk about ego…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Upside of Imposter Syndrome with Basima Tewfik
Think imposter syndrome means something is wrong with you? Think again. In this episode, Basima Tewfik shares research on anxiety, self-doubt, and the traits…
- The Anxious Achiever
Letting Go Of The Need To Know: Charlene Li on Leadership And AI
Feeling unsure about your role in a world where AI seems to know more than you do? In this episode, Charlene Li is back to talk about how the most effective…
- The Anxious Achiever
How Can You Improve Your Team's Mental Health? It's Not Rocket Science! with Rita McGrath, Poornima Luthra & Andrew Barnes
What if burnout isn’t something you fix with better habits, but something built into the way we work? In this episode, I’m bringing back one of my favorite…
- The Anxious Achiever
Managing the Emotional Drain of Work and Leadership with Dina Denham Smith
What if the difference between reacting and responding was just a few seconds? In this episode, I sit down with executive coach Dina Denham Smith to talk about…
- The Anxious Achiever
Do You Speak Mental Health? Exploring Mental Health Literacy with Kent Coules & Donna Volpitta
What if the habits you rely on to cope with anxiety are keeping you stuck? In this episode, we explore what it really means to be “mentally healthy” and why…
- The Anxious Achiever
The CEO Who Doesn't Want You To Leave Your Problems At Home with Dan Simons
What if better performance at work didn’t come from pushing harder, but from being more honest? In this episode, Dan Simons shares how he built a $100M+…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Twisted Comfort of Overthinking with Meredith Arthur
Is your overthinking actually helping you or draining your energy? In this episode, I talk with Meredith Arthur, Chief of Staff of the Pinterest Innovation…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Gifts And Struggles of a Bipolar General with Gregg Martin
What if the qualities that make you successful are the ones keeping you from getting the help you need? In this episode, I talk with General Gregg Martin, a…
- The Anxious Achiever
Break The Anxiety Habit with Dr. Jud Brewer and Charles Duhigg
What if your anxiety isn’t just something you feel, but something you’ve been practicing? In this episode, I talk with psychiatrist Dr. Jud Brewer and Charles…