The Anxious Achiever

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 about building a successful career while living with severe, chronic depression and suicidal thoughts. Paul shares how he kept showing up for work, why connecting with other people gave him a sense of purpose, and what happened when decades of traditional treatments failed to bring relief. We also talk about ECT, ketamine treatment, mental health stigma, and how leaders can create workplaces where people feel safer asking for help. Get ready to rethink what strength and success can look like when mental illness is part of the picture.

Check out our sponsors:

ElevenLabs - If you run a business or handle customer operations across support, sales, or marketing, you can start with a demo at elevenlabs.io/achiever.

Granola - If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free - just head to granola.ai/ACHIEVER.

IM8 - Go to IM8HEALTH.com/achiever RIGHT NOW or click on the link in the description and use code achiever for a Free Welcome Kit, five free travel sachets, plus ten percent off your order

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch. Use code ACHIEVER at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.

Shopify - Head over to SHOPIFY.COM/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today.

Upwork - Visit upwork.com right now and post your job for free.

Brevo - Get started for free today—or use code ACHIEVER50 to save 50% on Starter and Standard Plans for the first three months of an annual subscription.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 How can someone build a successful career while living with severe depression?

03:45 What does a “slog day” with severe depression actually feel like?

06:00 Can depression make you more sensitive to what other people are feeling?

08:15 How depression created a constant and destructive inner narrative.

10:45 Why achievement and responsibility can’t make depression go away.

12:45 What happens when therapy and medication aren’t enough?

15:00 What did it feel like to experience happiness for the first time after treatment?

17:30 How ketamine treatment offered relief when severe depression returned.

21:00 Why mental illness needs to be treated like any other medical condition.

23:45 How being open about treatment shaped the culture at Paul’s company.

25:15 What should you do if your workplace doesn’t support your mental health?

28:15 How leaders can help make conversations about mental health feel more normal.

Resources + Links

Find more about Paul Greenberg on his website https://paulgreenberg.com

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can find support through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline suicidepreventionlifeline.org

If you're concerned about a young person in your life, find support and resources through the JED Foundation jedfoundation.org

You can also reach out for support through the Crisis Text Line crisistextline.org

Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever

Watch the podcast on YouTube

Find more resources on our website morraam.com

Follow

Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam

Follow Paul on LinkedIn: @paulgreenberg

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 down with psychologist and author Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman to talk about self-compassion, neurodivergence, shame, and what it means to find growth and meaning in the face of adversity. Scott shares why you create so much unnecessary suffering by ruminating over how others perceive you, how trusting your intentions can help you stop beating yourself up, and why you can accept and love yourself without necessarily liking every part of who you are. Tune in to discover how to stop reducing yourself to your mistakes or your past and build a more compassionate relationship with your whole self.

Check out our sponsors:

ElevenLabs - If you run a business or handle customer operations across support, sales, or marketing, you can start with a demo at elevenlabs.io/achiever.

Granola - If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free - just head to granola.ai/ACHIEVER.

IM8 - Go to IM8HEALTH.com/achiever RIGHT NOW or click on the link in the description and use code achiever for a Free Welcome Kit, five free travel sachets, plus ten percent off your order

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch. Use code ACHIEVER at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.

Shopify - Head over to SHOPIFY.COM/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today.

Upwork - Visit upwork.com right now and post your job for free.

Brevo - Get started for free today—or use code ACHIEVER50 to save 50% on Starter and Standard Plans for the first three months of an annual subscription.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Why self-actualization isn't something you achieve once and for all.

05:45 What is human-centered leadership?

09:00 What Maslow meant by self-actualization.

15:00 Why no one type of mind should be considered superior.

18:30 How to think about the different parts of yourself.

23:30 Can you accept all the different parts of yourself?

26:00 Why being your authentic self can feel so difficult.

30:30 How neurodivergence can contribute to rumination and feeling different.

35:00 How self-compassion changes your relationship with yourself.

36:00 Why trusting your intentions can help you stop overthinking.

39:30 What is post-traumatic growth?

42:00 Can you really grow from trauma and adversity?

47:30 What does it mean to choose growth instead of fear?

49:30 Shame, authenticity, and the courage to ask for what you need.

53:30 What does Maslow mean by being love?

55:30 Why are you more than the worst thing that happened to you?

Resources + Links

Check out Dr. Scott’s books, including Choose Growth, Rise Above, and Leading for Tomorrow HERE

Learn more about Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman HERE

Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever

Watch the podcast on YouTube

Find more resources on our website morraam.com

Follow

Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam

Follow Dr. Scott on LinkedIn: on LinkedIn @scottbarrykaufman + Instagram @scottbarrykaufman

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, to talk about depression, anxiety, and the ways mental health shapes how you work and see yourself. John shares how he learned to recognize “magical thinking” and the unreliable narrator of depression, why achievement can’t fill the gap between success and self-worth, and how therapy helped him challenge distorted thinking. We also talk about getting laid off, separating your identity from your work, performing normalcy, and knowing when it’s time to ask for help. Tune in to separate your worth from your achievements.

Check out our sponsors:

ElevenLabs - If you run a business or handle customer operations across support, sales, or marketing, you can start with a demo at elevenlabs.io/achiever.

Granola - If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free - just head to granola.ai/ACHIEVER.

IM8 - Go to IM8HEALTH.com/achiever RIGHT NOW or click on the link in the description and use code achiever for a Free Welcome Kit, five free travel sachets, plus ten percent off your order

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch. Use code ACHIEVER at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.

Shopify - Head over to SHOPIFY.COM/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today.

Upwork - Visit upwork.com right now and post your job for free.

Brevo - Get started for free today—or use code ACHIEVER50 to save 50% on Starter and Standard Plans for the first three months of an annual subscription.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Why depression and anxiety affect work in very different ways.

03:15 What humor shows about depression and mental health.

05:00 What’s the difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder?

07:30 What depression can teach you about perspective, creativity, and warning signs.

10:15 Can achievement actually make you feel better?

13:00 What does the “unreliable narrator” of depression sound like?

15:00 How therapy helps identify and challenge distorted thinking.

17:15 What remains when you separate depression from your sense of self.

18:45 How getting laid off challenged John’s relationship with work and achievement.

21:15 When your identity becomes too closely tied to your work.

24:00 Do you still have to perform normalcy when you’re depressed?

27:15 How to show up at work when depression makes everything harder.

29:45 What creative professionals teach us about working with mental illness.

32:30 Why creative work can accompany mental health struggles without replacing treatment.

34:00 How does depression show up across different professions?

Resources + Links

Get a copy of John Moe’s book, The Hilarious World of Depression HERE!

Find more resources on John’s website https://www.johnmoe.website/

Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever

Watch the podcast on YouTube

Find more resources on our website morraam.com

Follow

Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam

Follow John on LinkedIn: @johnemoe

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 about what it means to lead through uncertainty, pressure, and enormous responsibility without losing sight of your own wellbeing. John shares how his emergency medicine background shaped his approach to leadership, how anxiety has fueled his drive to succeed, and why purpose, healthy boundaries, and taking care of yourself can make you a stronger leader. We also talk about burnout, psychological safety, navigating mistakes, protecting time to think, and building a trusted inner circle you can be vulnerable with. Tune in to discover how to lead through pressure and uncertainty while protecting your energy, wellbeing, and sense of self.

Check out our sponsors:

ElevenLabs - If you run a business or handle customer operations across support, sales, or marketing, you can start with a demo at elevenlabs.io/achiever.

Granola - If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free - just head to granola.ai/ACHIEVER.

IM8 - Go to IM8HEALTH.com/achiever RIGHT NOW or click on the link in the description and use code achiever for a Free Welcome Kit, five free travel sachets, plus ten percent off your order

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch. Use code ACHIEVER at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.

Shopify - Head over to SHOPIFY.COM/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today.

Upwork - Visit upwork.com right now and post your job for free.

Brevo - Get started for free today—or use code ACHIEVER50 to save 50% on Starter and Standard Plans for the first three months of an annual subscription.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 What does leadership mean to you?

03:45 How an emergency medicine mindset helps leaders navigate uncertainty.

06:30 How do you manage worry and stay composed under pressure?

10:30 Do leaders need to make space for emotion after high-stakes moments?

16:00 How to create more effective meetings and protect time to think.

19:30 Why taking care of yourself can make you a better leader.

23:00 How to handle imposter feelings during major career transitions.

30:00 What’s putting the most pressure on healthcare today?

32:00 What does mentally healthy leadership look like?

34:15 How do you protect your energy, family time, and well-being?

38:30 How to create psychological safety in high-stakes environments.

43:45 Who do you need to surround yourself with?

Resources + Links

Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever

Watch the podcast on YouTube

Find more resources on our website morraam.com

Follow

Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam

Follow John on LinkedIn @john-dangelo-md

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 how the “family ghosts” you carry from childhood can shape the way you handle authority, conflict, responsibility, perfectionism, and asking for help. We dive into how recognizing these patterns helps you understand your triggers, change behaviors that keep you stuck, and lead with greater intention. Tune in to discover how your past may be influencing the way you work, lead, and relate to others.

Check out our sponsors:

ElevenLabs - If you run a business or handle customer operations across support, sales, or marketing, you can start with a demo at elevenlabs.io/achiever.

Granola - If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free - just head to granola.ai/ACHIEVER.

IM8 - Go to IM8HEALTH.com/achiever RIGHT NOW or click on the link in the description and use code achiever for a Free Welcome Kit, five free travel sachets, plus ten percent off your order

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch. Use code ACHIEVER at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.

Shopify - Head over to SHOPIFY.COM/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today.

Upwork - Visit upwork.com right now and post your job for free.

Brevo - Get started for free today—or use code ACHIEVER50 to save 50% on Starter and Standard Plans for the first three months of an annual subscription.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 What are “family ghosts,” and how do they follow us into adulthood?

04:45 Can the patterns from your childhood become your greatest strengths?

09:30 Why some behaviors are easier to change than others.

14:45 How familiar family roles can shape the way you lead.

18:15 How reconnecting with forgotten parts of yourself can strengthen your leadership.

23:45 Which “good ghosts” help ambitious people succeed?

28:00 How avoiding conflict and refusing to ask for help can create anxiety.

30:30 How do you identify the ghosts you want to change?

32:45 How feedback can reveal patterns you may not see in yourself.

37:00 How role models can help you try on new ways of leading.

40:15 Are your workplace relationships repeating old family patterns?

42:00 How thinking in “triangles” can change difficult workplace dynamics.

43:30 When is it time to step away from a relationship or workplace?

Resources + Links

Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever

Watch the podcast on YouTube

Find more resources on our website morraam.com

Follow

Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam

Follow Deborah on LinkedIn: @deborahancona123