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September 17, 2025 β€’ 34 mins

What if the hustle culture you've been taught to admire is actually a trap, and the constant demand for more is keeping you from true peace and happiness?

In this episode of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, host Erica Rooney sits down with Israa Nasir, a psychotherapist, mental health advocate, and author of Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World that Always Demands More. Israa is a leading expert in emotional intelligence and sustainable self-care, guiding high-achieving women to dismantle the perfectionism that keeps them stuck.

Israa shares her personal journey from overachiever to psychotherapist, revealing how she used psychological research to find a missing link in the self-help world: the emotional drivers behind our unhealthy behaviors. She offers powerful, actionable strategies to break free from the not-enough mindset and build a life that feels aligned and fulfilling, not just productive.

Inside the Episode:

  • The Promised Land of Happiness: Israa's personal story of hitting rock bottom despite checking off every milestone, and how it led her to question the toxic beliefs of hustle culture.
  • Toxic Productivity Defined: Understanding this mindset as an obsession with external validation and achievement that leaves you feeling empty and disconnected.
  • The Performance Culture of Social Media: How the pressure to perform on social media has bled into our real lives, turning our hobbies, friendships, and daily routines into performative acts.
  • Permission to Be Mediocre: A powerful strategy for finding peace by identifying areas of your life where it's okay to be "good enough," freeing up energy for what truly matters.
  • Rest as a Requirement: The truth about rest and why it's a fundamental part of healthy productivity, not a reward you have to earn. Israa offers tangible tools for integrating "micro-rest" into your day.
  • The Chanel Rule for Your Calendar: A brilliant tip for the over-scheduled woman: setting a rule to take something off your calendar every time you feel overwhelmed.
  • The Core Invitation: A call to introspection and self-reflection to redefine your values and build a life that is intentional and fulfilling, not just a series of milestones.

If you've ever felt guilty for slowing down or believed that your worth is tied to your output, this conversation is a revolutionary wake-up call to reclaim your time, energy, and life.

πŸ”— Resources:

  • Learn more about Israa Nasir and her work at https://www.google.com/search?q=well-guide.com.
  • Find her book, Toxic Productivity, wherever books are sold.
  • Connect with Erica Rooney on LinkedIn.



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