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 can help you thrive. Listen in your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1480904163
Episodes
January 22, 2026 • 44 mins
What do a combat pilot, a $250M entrepreneur, and a world-renowned academic have in common? ADHD. In this episode, I revisit one of my favorite conversations about how ADHD shows up in high-performing leaders who live different lives. I sit down with Nate Swan, a combat pilot who thrives in high-stress environments, Dan Bastian, co-founder of Boom Chicka Pop, and Johan Wiklund, a professor who studies ADHD in entrepreneurship. We t...
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January 20, 2026 • 56 mins
What if the very differences you’ve been trying to smooth out are actually your greatest leadership strengths? In this episode, I’m joined by renowned leadership coaches and Fixable hosts Frances Frei and Anne Morriss for a conversation about anxiety, being a neurodivergent leader, and what it really takes to lead well. We talk about how partnership at work and in life has taught them to communicate clearly, embrace conflict, and b...
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January 15, 2026 • 66 mins
Most of us are unknowingly over-breathing all day long, and it’s quietly keeping our nervous systems stuck in fight or flight. In this episode, I sit down with breathwork coach Zsombor Szabo to talk about how breathing can radically change your energy, focus, and emotional state anywhere you are. Zsombor guides us through live breathing exercises designed to calm your body, find your optimal energy zone, and even intentionally acti...
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January 13, 2026 • 62 mins
What if peak performance isn’t about grinding harder but mastering your inner world? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Gervais, high-performance psychologist and expert to elite athletes and leaders, to talk about what truly drives motivation, focus, and sustainable success. We dive into the science behind activation and anxiety, how to find your intrinsic drivers, and why self-discovery is the foundation of mastery. Mic...
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January 8, 2026 • 68 mins
Perfectionism often looks like ambition, discipline, and excellence until it quietly turns into anxiety, burnout, and relentless self-criticism. In this episode, I’m joined by Jordana Confino, former Yale-trained lawyer turned coach, to talk about the cost of maladaptive perfectionism and why so many high-achieving professionals mistake self-criticism for motivation. We dive into the difference between sustainable excellence and fe...
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January 6, 2026 • 58 mins
Asking for what you need at work wasn’t an accommodation, but a leadership skill. In this episode, I sit down with Stew Friedman, the pioneer of Total Leadership and founding director of Wharton’s Work-Life Integration Project, to rethink how we approach work, life, and leadership. We talk about why so many high performers feel guilty asking for flexibility, time, or support and why leaders who understand their whole lives are actu...
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January 1, 2026 • 44 mins
We throw the word toxic around a lot at work, but how do you actually know when an environment is truly toxic versus just uncomfortable, stressful, or not the right fit? In this episode, I'm bringing back this conversation with my late friend and colleague Benish Shah to talk about workplace toxicity, psychological safety, covert bias, weaponized vulnerability, and more. Benish shares tips for identifying toxic patterns, protecting...
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December 30, 2025 • 62 mins
Is Taylor Swift an anxious achiever? In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Evers, editor at Harvard Business Review Press and author of "There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift", to talk about Taylor Swift’s career through the lens of anxiety, ambition, and strategic brilliance. We dive into how Taylor’s striving energy, emotional vulnerability, and relentless work ethic fueled one of the most extraordinar...
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December 23, 2025 • 40 mins
Many older workers complain that younger generations don’t work hard enough or don’t want their jobs to define them. But what if that behavior is actually a rational response to an economy that no longer delivers on its promises? In this episode, I talk about the economic reality facing millennials and Gen Z, featuring voices from young professionals navigating uncertainty, debt, layoffs, and housing insecurity, along with journali...
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December 18, 2025 • 57 mins
Burnout isn’t just about working too hard, and stress isn’t always the enemy. In this episode, I talk with Jessica Neal, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix and now venture capitalist, about why the biggest workplace problems refuse to improve. We talk about why high-performing cultures often forget to acknowledge what’s working, how fear quietly drives burnout, and why honesty and clear expectations might be the most underrated...
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December 16, 2025 • 45 mins
Uncertainty isn’t something to fix, but something that actually makes you sharper, more resilient, and more innovative. In this episode, I sit down with Maggie Jackson, to talk about why our brains react the way they do to the unknown, and how leaders can transform uncertainty into focus, creativity, and better decision-making. We dive into why discomfort can be good stress, how curiosity boosts well-being, and practical shifts to ...
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December 11, 2025 • 49 mins
What if the things you feel most ashamed of at work are actually your superpowers? In this conversation, I sit down with bestselling author and Founder & CEO of Working Genius, Patrick Lencioni. We dive into his Working Genius framework to discover why certain kinds of work light you up while others reliably drain you. Using his six types of “genius” we explore why differently wired (aka “spiky”) brains can be massive assets in lea...
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December 9, 2025 • 55 mins
The most powerful leadership tool you have isn’t authority or expertise, but attention. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ravi Kudesia, Associate Professor of Management at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, to break down the science and practice of mindful leadership. We talk about how leaders can regulate their attention, reset your energy between meetings, disrupt habitual scripts, and guide teams through ambiguity w...
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December 4, 2025 • 49 mins
The shame you feel at work isn’t a personal flaw, but a kind of violence acting on your story, your body, and your worth. In this episode, I sit down with psychologist David Bedrick, whose pioneering work on unshaming helps us understand how shame interprets the world for us and how you can reclaim your own internal witness. We talk about why shame is not just a feeling but a lens, how childhood interpretations stick with us for de...
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December 2, 2025 • 43 mins
What if your AI anxiety isn’t a flaw, but a signal to evolve how you work? In this episode, I sit down with Lee Gonzales, engineering leader and creator of BetterUp’s AI Flight School, to talk about why AI feels existential, why it threatens your craft and identity, and how you can move from fear to agency. We dive into how psychological safety, values, and collective sensemaking help people shift from “AI will replace me” to “AI c...
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November 25, 2025 • 48 mins
What if the problem in America isn’t just political? What if our collective nervous system is overloaded? In this episode, I sit down with Kate Woodsome, journalist turned civic resilience researcher and trainer, to talk about how personal trauma, chronic stress, and media-driven threat responses scale up into polarization, civic dysfunction, and even openings for authoritarianism. Tune in for tools leaders and citizens can use to ...
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November 20, 2025 • 37 mins
Layoffs do more than drain your bank account, they shake your sense of worth, belonging, and identity. In this episode, Yowei Shaw, an emotional investigative journalist shares what it felt like to get laid off from NPR, why the experience upends identity and dignity, and how the social systems around unemployment actually make healing harder. We talk about the strange behaviors that show up before and after a layoff, how companies...
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November 18, 2025 • 54 mins
Is your anxiety about AI actually trying to help you? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Tracy Dennis Tiwary to talk about AI anxiety, overdiagnosis, ADHD, and why we’ve medicalized so much of our emotional life that we’ve lost sight of what it means to be human. Tracy shares why we were unprepared for the mental health fallout of social media, why we’re just as unprepared for AI, and how leaders can support teams through technol...
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November 13, 2025 • 59 mins
Stigma loses its power when leaders tell the truth. In this episode, venture investor and Techstars co-founder Brad Feld shares why he went public about depression and OCD, how a 2013 crash led to a decade of deep therapy, and why aligning what you feel, say, and do is a leadership advantage. We talk about the “inappropriate anxiety spikes,” the trap of calling mental health a “superpower,” and the difference between passive and ac...
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November 11, 2025 • 60 mins
Feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and still unsatisfied? In this episode, psychologist and author Dr. Diana Hill is back to share how to transform anxious over-effort into meaningful action. Based on her new book Wise Effort, Diana breaks down how to align your drive with your values, use your body as a source of wisdom, and stop wasting energy on fear, guilt, and proving yourself. We talk about why achievement alone won’t fulfill y...
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