Be honest. You secretly love how much you can endure. Like it’s a badge of honour that you can take on more, stay longer, push harder, and still (kinda) look put together?
But here’s the kicker: What if that “unstoppable drive” isn’t grit at all?
What if it’s your nervous system running on a decades-old operating system — one that learned, way back when, that proving yourself was the only way to stay safe, loved, or valuable?
That would explain some things, wouldn’t it?
Like why you:
Secretly check emails on holiday… in the bathroom… while everyone else is having fun.
Stay in jobs, relationships, and projects way past their expiry date because nobody’s gonna underestimate you.
Celebrate big wins by immediately asking, “Cool, what’s next?” instead of, you know, celebrating.
If you’re nodding (and maybe wincing), this episode is your mirror.
I’m joined by Anna Runkle (aka The Crappy Childhood Fairy, YouTube queen, and new author of Re-Regulated) and Dr Sarah Madigan, psychologist extraordinaire, to ask one big question: What’s really driving your drive?
We’ll poke at the shiny, high-achiever veneer and ask whether your ambition is actually joy-fuelled — or just a trauma pattern in designer shoes.
You’ll learn:
How over-achievement can be a sneaky trauma response (and why that doesn’t make you “broken”).
The surprising body tells that your drive has tipped from energising to dysregulating.
Why noticing your patterns is the most subversive act of self-preservation you can do.
How to make your ambition sustainable instead of soul-scorching.
This is not about “fixing” your drive. It’s about untangling it, so it stops running you into the ground and starts fuelling the life you actually want.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why am I like this?” — press play.
LINKS
Anna Runkle’s website, book(s), and free resource she mentions
Dr Sarah Madigan was a guest on episode 63 of Enough, the Podcast Listen HERE
The Three Circles Model by Paul Gilbert
What’s Driving Your Drive QUIZ
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
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