The Anxious Achiever

You can be an accomplished leader and still be terrified of what people think of you. Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action and author of Fired Up, knows what it takes to lead through fear, criticism, and self-doubt. In this episode, I talk with Shannon about how she built a movement with millions of supporters while navigating ADHD, anxiety, and a fear of public speaking, and what she learned about the personal cost of being a passionate leader. We explore how to stop letting other people's opinions dictate your decisions, recognize when your ambition is leading to burnout, and find the courage to pursue what you actually want instead of what you think you should want. Shannon also shares powerful lessons on letting go of control, knowing when it's time to move on, and building something that can thrive without you.

Check out our sponsors:

HeyPolo - Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to heypolo.com/achiever or use code ACHIEVER and get 40% off your first year!

Life at the Speed of Play - Go to getmarksbook.com/anxious to get two copies for the price of one - one for you and one for a friend.

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch and save 50% off your first year at monarch.com with code ACHIEVER.

Notion - Learn more about how Notion can support your business, at notion.com/achiever

Shopify - Ready to start your business before Black Friday? Go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today!

Vinted - Try Vinted and give your clothes a second life. Download the Vinted app for free and start selling with no seller fees.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 How Shannon Watts built a national movement while navigating anxiety and self-doubt.

03:00 Facing threats and criticism while leading a passionate cause.

04:15 Letting go of achievement, approval, and the fear of failure.

05:00 Why you don't have to be a natural-born leader to make an impact.

06:45 How empowering others creates stronger leaders.

09:30 Leading with ADHD, OCD, anxiety, and introversion.

11:00 How self-awareness helps neurodivergent leaders manage their energy.

13:15 When intense passion and hyperfocus become a recipe for burnout.

15:30 Why successful leaders must learn to delegate and let go of control.

17:30 Recognizing founder syndrome and knowing when to step away.

19:15 The passion tax and why women undervalue their work.

22:00 Overcoming shame around getting paid for meaningful work.

27:30 How to align your values, abilities, and desires to lead with purpose.

32:00 A practical framework for discovering what you really want.

33:15 Why chasing a single purpose can keep you from feeling fulfilled.

35:30 The hidden desire for recognition and external validation.

38:00 Overcoming guilt about pursuing your ambitions.

40:00 Why it's never too late to redefine success and pursue a new chapter.

44:00 How to handle criticism without letting it silence you.

47:00 Separating constructive feedback from other people's projections.

48:45 Using self-compassion and mindfulness to build resilience.

50:45 Why community is essential for sustaining your leadership and ambition.

Resources + Links

Get a copy of Shannon Watts’ book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age

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

Your emotional triggers could be affecting your team more than you realize. In this classic episode of The Anxious Achiever, I'm revisiting one of my favorite conversations with Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of Permission to Feel. Marc reveals how experiences from your past can shape the way you react to challenges, conflict, and difficult people at work, often without you even realizing it. We explore how to recognize and manage your emotional triggers, why understanding your feelings is an essential leadership skill, and how to create a workplace where people feel motivated, supported, and heard. You'll walk away with practical strategies to become a more self-aware leader, navigate difficult conversations, and make better decisions under pressure.

Check out our sponsors:

HeyPolo - Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to heypolo.com/achiever or use code ACHIEVER and get 40% off your first year!

Life at the Speed of Play - Go to getmarksbook.com/anxious to get two copies for the price of one - one for you and one for a friend.

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch and save 50% off your first year at monarch.com with code ACHIEVER.

Notion - Learn more about how Notion can support your business, at notion.com/achiever

Shopify - Ready to start your business before Black Friday? Go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today!

Vinted - Try Vinted and give your clothes a second life. Download the Vinted app for free and start selling with no seller fees.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 How your emotional triggers influence the way you lead.

03:00 Using the Mood Meter to identify and understand your emotions.

06:00 Why emotional awareness is a critical leadership skill.

07:30 How your emotional intelligence affects employee motivation and performance.

10:15 Becoming an emotion scientist instead of an emotion judge.

11:00 How to create a team culture where employees feel supported and heard.

14:15 Why some executives resist emotional intelligence training.

16:00 How emotional intelligence helps emerging leaders gain influence.

17:15 The hidden costs of overlooking emotional challenges within your team.

18:45 How personal experiences can shape your reactions to difficult employees.

21:00 Recognizing the emotional triggers that influence your leadership decisions.

23:00 How to turn frustration with an employee into empathy and understanding.

24:15 Why your team's emotional well-being directly impacts performance.

25:15 Managing workplace conflict when your own emotions are running high.

27:30 Why effective leadership sometimes requires difficult decisions and firm boundaries.

30:45 How to use your emotions to improve decision-making and creativity.

34:00 The power of emotional connection to restore motivation and inspiration.

Resources + Links

Get a copy of Marc Brackett's Book: Permission to Feel

Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence: Explore the center's research and resources

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

Imagine going through life without constantly worrying about things outside your control. Sounds pretty great, right? Veteran journalist and The Gist host Mike Pesca says his unusually high levels of anandamide, sometimes called the "bliss molecule," give him exactly that experience. But what happens when the same trait that makes you fearless, curious, and outspoken also makes it harder to recognize threats to your career? Mike joins me to explore the surprising downsides of not feeling much anxiety, how his professional strengths contributed to a painful career upheaval, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself as an entrepreneur in midlife. We also get candid about the pressure to become your own brand, the changing economics of podcasting, and how to protect the work you love when the rules of your industry keep changing.

Check out our sponsors:

HeyPolo - Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to heypolo.com/achiever or use code ACHIEVER and get 40% off your first year!

Life at the Speed of Play - Go to getmarksbook.com/anxious to get two copies for the price of one - one for you and one for a friend.

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch and save 50% off your first year at monarch.com with code ACHIEVER.

Notion - Learn more about how Notion can support your business, at notion.com/achiever

Shopify - Ready to start your business before Black Friday? Go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today!

Vinted - Try Vinted and give your clothes a second life. Download the Vinted app for free and start selling with no seller fees.

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Meet the journalist who experiences anxiety differently.

03:00 How the "bliss molecule" affects Mike's ability to worry.

06:45 When being fearless becomes a professional liability.

08:30 How workplace disagreements led to a career-altering experience.

13:30 When your greatest strength becomes your Achilles' heel.

16:00 Reinventing your career and becoming an entrepreneur at 47.

18:15 The challenges of rebuilding a business after losing institutional support.

20:45 Why being great at your work isn't enough to succeed independently.

23:00 How video and social media changed the economics of podcasting.

26:00 The growing pressure for journalists and entrepreneurs to become content creators. 29:15 Why great creative work is becoming harder to sustain financially.

32:30 Can talent and expertise still win in a world driven by personal brands?

34:15 The struggle to build an audience without sacrificing your integrity.

39:45 What it really takes to run multiple podcasts independently.

41:45 The hidden isolation of working for yourself.

43:15 How audience expectations are changing the future of journalism.

46:15 Finding hope in an increasingly divided world.

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

How can you build a mentally healthy workplace while still managing the pressure, expectations, and emotional challenges of mission-driven work? In this episode, I talk with Poppy Jaman, OBE, founding CEO of Mental Health First Aid England and CEO of the City Mental Health Alliance, now known as MindForward Alliance UK, about creating workplaces where people can bring their whole selves to work while maintaining healthy boundaries. We break down how stigma prevents people from seeking support, and the mental health challenges that come with caring and mission-driven work. Poppy also opens up about her experience with postnatal depression, how meaningful work supported her mental health, and the practices she uses to protect her mental well-being. Tune in to learn how to recognize your own stress signals, check in with yourself, and build a personal toolkit for staying mentally well.

Check out our sponsors:

HeyPolo - Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to heypolo.com/achiever or use code ACHIEVER and get 40% off your first year!

Life at the Speed of Play - Go to getmarksbook.com/anxious to get two copies for the price of one - one for you and one for a friend.

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch and save 50% off your first year at monarch.com with code ACHIEVER.

Notion - Learn more about how Notion can support your business, at notion.com/achiever

Shopify - Ready to start your business before Black Friday? Go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today!

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 What does a mentally healthy workplace look like?

03:45 Creating a culture where people can bring their whole selves to work.

05:15 Balancing authenticity with healthy boundaries at work.

07:45 Why compassion can be more helpful than empathy in leadership.

10:00 What happened to inspire your journey into workplace mental health?

15:45 How meaningful work can provide purpose, identity, and support during difficult times.

18:45 The stigma that makes mental health and leadership difficult to talk about.

21:00 Why mission-driven and caring professions can create unique pressures.

23:30 Protecting relationships and personal time when your work is your mission.

26:00 What’s the cost of giving your whole self to your work?

27:30 How to check in with yourself and name what you’re feeling.

29:15 Building a personal well-being toolkit around the things that make you feel good.

30:30 How to use your stress signature to recognize when you need extra support.

Resources + Links

Learn more about MindForward Alliance UK (formerly City Mental Health Alliance) HERE

Learn more about Mental Health First Aid England 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 Poppy Jaman on LinkedIn: @poppyjaman

Do you ever feel exhausted at the end of the workday without being able to point to what you actually accomplished? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Liane Davey, an organizational psychologist, about the invisible cognitive and emotional load that keeps you distracted, anxious, and stuck in the swirl. We break down the connection between thoughtload and conflict, why modern workplaces create so much mental noise, and what happens when you outsource too much of your thinking and feedback to AI. We also share the difference between useful stress and generalized anxiety, the power of “doing more nothing,” and how taking one small action can help you get unstuck. Tune in to learn how to create more space in your brain and get back to doing meaningful work.

Check out our sponsors:

HeyPolo - Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to heypolo.com/achiever or use code ACHIEVER and get 40% off your first year!

Life at the Speed of Play - Go to getmarksbook.com/anxious to get two copies for the price of one - one for you and one for a friend.

Monarch - Write your own money story with Monarch and save 50% off your first year at monarch.com with code ACHIEVER.

Notion - Learn more about how Notion can support your business, at notion.com/achiever

Shopify - Ready to start your business before Black Friday? Go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever to start your free trial today!

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 What is thoughtload, and how does it affect your work?

03:45 How thoughtload affects your ability to have a good fight.

06:00 The invisible tax that drains your attention, emotions, and energy.

09:30 Why modern workplaces create so much mental noise.

13:00 What happens when feedback becomes constant and impersonal?

15:30 Can AI actually help us become better at giving and receiving feedback?

19:15 What’s the difference between using AI to think and using it to avoid thinking?

22:30 What does deeper processing have to do with better work?

25:15 Why high thought load makes creativity and presence harder.

27:15 Is all stress and anxiety actually harmful?

30:00 What your emotional reactions can reveal about what matters to you.

33:45 The first step to getting off the hamster wheel.

36:00 Could doing less actually help you access more insight and creativity?

42:45 Ways to create more space for your brain.

45:45 What is conflict debt, and what happens when you avoid difficult conversations?

48:00 How a triggered state can change the way you interpret an email.

52:15 What conflict patterns did you learn from your family?

Resources + Links

Get your copy of Thoughtload by Liane Davey HERE

Get your copy of The Good Fight by Liane Davey HERE

Learn more about Liane Davey 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 Liane on LinkedIn: @lianedavey