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
Anxiety Is a Habit
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Dr. Judson Brewer, author of “Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your…
- The Anxious Achiever
Huma Abedin on Private Pain and Public Struggle
As a political staffer for Hillary Clinton, Huma Abedin was under immense pressure to achieve, while staying out of the public eye. That all changed when her…
- The Anxious Achiever
Neurodiversity at Work
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Danny Lakes, a Procter & Gamble employee who is on the autism spectrum, as well as Todd Ballish, a neurotypical manager at…
- The Anxious Achiever
What You Want Matters
Anxious achievers are often hyper-attuned to other people and how to please them. New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims argues that many of us…
- The Anxious Achiever
How Family Dynamics Play Out at Work
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Kathleen Smith, an associate faculty member at the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, about how family systems theory…
- The Anxious Achiever
Even Public Figures Have Social Anxiety
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with New York Times bestselling author Lindsey Pollak about how she maintains a public speaking career while dealing with…
- The Anxious Achiever
Understanding Our Roots to Find the Path Forward
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Anu Gupta, founder and CEO of educational tech company BE MORE with Anu, about immigrating to the U.S. with his family, why…
- The Anxious Achiever
Why Conflict Is Necessary and How to Manage It (with Amy Gallo)
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks to HBR contributing editor and podcast host Amy Gallo about why conflict is so hard and how to make conflict a force for good in…
- The Anxious Achiever
Handling the “Mental Fire”
For many of us, the world can feel like too much right now – a never ending cascade of anxiety-inducing news. It’s something that Christina Blacken, founder…
- The Anxious Achiever
Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the Anxiety of Unfulfilled Dreams
Welcome to Season 5! Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with the actor, writer, and director about media and film portrayals of people with mental health issues…
- The Anxious Achiever
Bonus: Talking about Self-Awareness and Anxiety (with Hello Monday’s Jessi Hempel)
There’s another podcast we love: "Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel." The show explores how to make work happier, healthier, and more human. In this special bonus…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Great Re-Norming
Jessi Hempel is constantly thinking about the state of work. She’s senior editor at large at LinkedIn and host of the podcast Hello Monday. In the final…
- The Anxious Achiever
ADHD, Neurodiversity, and Bias
There’s a stereotype that most people who struggle with ADHD are white, male, and often young. In this episode host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks to Stephanie Ozuo…
- The Anxious Achiever
Anna Sale on Money, Shame, and Tough Work Conversations
Podcast host and author Anna Sale has built her career on difficult conversations. On her podcast, she focuses on the hardest topics we deal with as humans…
- The Anxious Achiever
Mental Health and Media
Chris McCarthy, president of MTV Entertainment Group, speaks with host Morra Aarons Mele about the role TV shows can play in changing how people view mental…
- The Anxious Achiever
Creating Boundaries in Our Everyday Work (with Roxane Gay)
When you’re struggling with mental health, the day-to-day routines of a work environment can be a lot – even for a famous author and academic, like Roxane Gay…
- The Anxious Achiever
How Kayak Co-Founder Paul English Manages and Thrives Through His Bipolar Disorder
Paul English is an entrepreneur, founder, and philanthropist. But throughout his many career successes, he’s battled internally with his mental health. And…
- The Anxious Achiever
Why Therapy Can Make You Better at Your Job
Investor and philanthropist Vikas Shah has been an entrepreneur since he was a young teenager. And throughout much of his career, he struggled with anxiety and…
- The Anxious Achiever
Social Anxiety and Work
How do we listen to ourselves and know when to address our social anxiety, especially when it comes into play with colleagues? Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks…
- The Anxious Achiever
Back to Work: Post-Covid Social Anxiety
As offices in the U.S. begin reopening after more than a year, many people – especially those of us with social anxiety – are feeling uneasy about the return…
- The Anxious Achiever
Shopify President Harley Finkelstein on Anxiety and Entrepreneurship
For Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify, anxiety has always been his super power – even when he didn’t know how to put a label on it. Host Morra…
- The Anxious Achiever
The Power and Peril of Working on a Video Screen
The nature of work is changing, and more and more of us have been working behind screens even before the pandemic. That brings both downsides – and some…
- The Anxious Achiever
Back to Work: Calm Body, Calm Mind
This last year has been rough on everyone, in so many different ways. But as we look toward recovery and adjust to life after the pandemic, it’s important to…
- The Anxious Achiever
Bonus: Finding a New Balance with Esther Perel
After a year of collective trauma and private losses, stress, and heartbreaks, how do we even start to think about returning to a more normal working…
- The Anxious Achiever
Bonus: How to Stop Remote Work Burnout
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with the TED Business podcast about how she protects her energy and boundaries while working remotely.
- The Anxious Achiever
Succeeding with ADHD
A military pilot, an entrepreneur, and a business professor discuss how they cope with their ADHD, how it’s helped them be successful in their careers, and…
- The Anxious Achiever
Understanding Envy Part 2: Facing Professional Envy
Tanya Menon, a professor at Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, says envy comes up a lot in the workplace – though it’s often misunderstood. But…
- The Anxious Achiever
Understanding Envy Part 1: How Envy Impacts Anxiety and Leadership
Executive coach Nihar Chhaya explains how envy, FOMO, and the illusion of scarcity can contribute to anxiety and depression, and how leaders can cope. It’s…
- The Anxious Achiever
Lessons in Uncertainty, Anxiety, and Resilience
Journalist and author Aarti Shahani tells host Morra Aarons-Mele how she managed overwhelming uncertainty during her father’s 14-year legal battle and…
- The Anxious Achiever
Anxiety, Depression, and Working Moms in a Pandemic
Sociologist Jessica Calarco has been studying women struggling to balance work and parenting during the Covid-19 pandemic – and how workplaces can help. She…
- The Anxious Achiever
Why Start-Up Culture Still Hides Mental Health Struggles
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with veteran tech journalist Catherine Shu, of TechCrunch, about improving mental health culture in Silicon Valley. And Shu…
- The Anxious Achiever
Kevin Love on Trying to Achieve His Way Out of Depression
For a long time, the NBA star hid his battle with mental health. But after a very public panic attack in 2017, he started speaking out. Love talks with host…
- The Anxious Achiever
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the Stress of Creativity
Aaron Harvey is a successful advertising industry executive – but for many years of his life, he struggled with a form of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)…
- The Anxious Achiever
Finding the Funny – and Embracing the Pain – of Depression
John Moe took a bold step when he decided to start a podcast featuring frank, but funny, conversations about depression. Moe was recently laid off, and his…
- The Anxious Achiever
Success, Stress, and Money: Lessons from a Financial Therapist
Amanda Clayman, a psychotherapist specializing in financial wellness, helps her clients uncover the motivations and roots underlying their money anxieties, so…
- The Anxious Achiever
Why Learning to Label Your Feelings Makes You a Better Leader
Many managers and leaders misunderstand what emotional intelligence really means, despite the trendiness of the phrase. Marc Brackett, director of the Yale…
- The Anxious Achiever
Notes to My Future Manager Self
Priska Neely, the new Managing Editor of NPR’s Gulf States newsroom, has always wanted to manage people, and she’s long thought about the best way to…
- The Anxious Achiever
Art Critic Jerry Saltz’s Reckoning with Trauma and Anxiety
Early on in the pandemic, Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz wrote a piece about his unusual eating habits that grabbed the attention of many with…
- The Anxious Achiever
How a Rising Political Star’s PTSD Fueled His Addiction to Work
Jason Kander was on track to be a major force in American politics. But for him, working – and succeeding – was a way to escape the pain of PTSD and…
- The Anxious Achiever
How the Cult of Sleep-Deprivation Affects Work and Mental Health
Many high-powered jobs require people to work long hours and give up sleep. But for people who suffer from anxiety and depression, lack of sleep can also…
- The Anxious Achiever
How to Stop the Cycle of Overachieving
Many people who end up in prestigious careers choose their professions, consciously or subconsciously, in order to seek the approval of others. But that can…
- The Anxious Achiever
Facing Reality, Modeling Positivity
For managers struggling with anxiety and stress right now -- or worrying about their employees feeling that strain -- it can be hard to find the right mix of…
- The Anxious Achiever
Millennials, Gen Z, and Generational Anxiety
In this episode, we hear from two young professionals. Both of them have worked hard and carefully planned their careers, but now they’re confronting the…
- The Anxious Achiever
Discomfort, Anxiety, and Grief: Confronting Racism with Colleagues
Amelia Ransom, Senior Director of Engagement and Diversity at Avalara, offers advice for how people of color can get what they need from their employers to…
- The Anxious Achiever
When Leaders Model Openness About Their Mental Health
Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who used meditation to address the trauma and anxiety he experienced while working as…
- The Anxious Achiever
Managing Mental Health When Working for a Mission
Poppy Jaman OBE struggled with postpartum depression after the births of her children. Now she’s on a mission to promote mental health awareness to the…
- The Anxious Achiever
Substance Abuse, Success, and Self-Realization
We speak with MIT’s Seth Mnookin, a writer and ex-addict who has been clean for 20 years, about the connection between substance abuse and underlying mental…
- The Anxious Achiever
Goop’s Chief Content Officer on Balancing Self-Care at Work
What’s it like to lead a team when optimizing self-care and emotional wellness is the point of their work? Goop, a company founded by actress Gwyneth Paltrow…
- The Anxious Achiever
How Vulnerability Can Be a Leadership Superpower
Jason Rosario discusses his own journey with depression and anxiety, and the lessons he’s learned about vulnerability, masculinity, and leadership. Rosario…
- The Anxious Achiever
Leading Through Grief in Life and Work
Throughout our lives, we will all experience grief in one form or another. It can also translate into depression, anxiety, and other emotional strain. But as…
- The Anxious Achiever
Wading Through the Imperfect Mess of Parenthood
In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with organizational psychologist Stew Friedman and tech entrepreneur Sehreen Noor Ali about the ways parenting…
- The Anxious Achiever
Freelancing, Self-Employment, and Mental Health
Working for yourself – and working outside an office – can have a lot of benefits for people struggling with mental health issues, including flexibility when…
- The Anxious Achiever
Gabrielle Union on Toxic Workplaces, PTSD, and Social Anxiety
With great success can come even greater stress and anxiety. But Gabrielle Union is using her success to stand up for her truth. A sexual assault survivor…
- The Anxious Achiever
Managing the Stress and Uncertainty of Coronavirus
The rapid onset of the coronavirus is changing our work – and our lives. For those who own businesses or work in the gig economy, the stress and financial…
- The Anxious Achiever
Strategies for Managing Day-to-Day Anxiety
Anxiety can affect so many aspects of our work – from how we make decisions to how we receive feedback and behave in meetings. In the final episode of Season…
- The Anxious Achiever
Designing the Mentally Healthy Workplace
In earlier episodes of this show, we’ve talked about how to open a dialogue about mental health and work, and how both employees and leaders can navigate a…
- The Anxious Achiever
Mental Health in the Office: Difficult Conversations
How should you approach difficult conversations about mental health with your colleagues and boss? In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Amy…
- The Anxious Achiever
Building Mental Resilience While Building a Business
Anxiety shows up in all kinds of business situations — especially when you’re starting your own company. In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with…
- The Anxious Achiever
Tackling Leadership Struggles, Burnout, and Performance Anxiety
Leading a group of people can produce chronic anxiety, but many leaders who suffer from anxiety don’t even realize it. In today's episode we explore anxiety…
- The Anxious Achiever
What No One Tells You: The Emotional Strain of Startup Life
We hear the stories of successful Silicon Valley startups all the time. But entrepreneurship can also have a dark side, especially when it involves going…