The Anxious Achiever

Does starting over in midlife feel exciting or terrifying? In this special crossover episode, I joined Olivia F. Scott from Freedom at the Mat to talk about career pivots, identity, ambition, and what it means to rebuild in midlife. We share our own experiences with burnout, rebuilding our careers, redefining what success means, letting go of external validation, and why sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit you don't have all the answers. Tune in to discover how to navigate midlife with more courage, purpose, and self-trust.

Check out our sponsors:

Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial, just go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever

Monarch - Use code ACHIEVER at monarch.com to get 50% off your first year

Whatnot - Get free shipping on your first order. Just search W-H-A-T-N-O-T in the app store and start scoring amazing deals

Pebl - Take advantage of Pebl’s limited-time offer before it’s gone. Visit hipebl.ai today.

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

DripDrop - Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code ACHIEVER

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

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

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Midlife can be the beginning of something new.

04:00 What does it mean to rebuild your life and career?

07:45 Reinvention is possible at any stage of life.

14:15 How do you let go of your past without letting go of yourself?

16:45 What happens when you stop chasing external validation?

19:45 How slowing down changes the way you experience life.

22:30 Is your ambition serving you or driving you?

26:00 How understanding your motivations help prevent burnout.

29:15 How trusting your instincts can lead to unexpected opportunities.

35:15 What happens when you give yourself permission to rest?

38:15 What gets better about life in midlife?

39:45 What younger women need to know about midlife.

44:30 Why you should reach out to 3 people every day.

Resources + Links

Learn more about Olivia F. Scott 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 Olivia: on LinkedIn @oliviafscottmarketing + Instagram @olivialove901fm

Have you ever wondered why the way everyone else works just doesn't seem to work for you? In this episode, I introduce my TAAM framework and share what I learned from my Neuro Strength Survey of more than 1,200 neurodistinct professionals. I talk about how time, attention, agency, and motivation shape the way you work and why understanding those patterns can help you build a career that feels more aligned. Plus, I share questions to help you identify your own TAAM profile and start designing work that fits you better. Tune in to discover how understanding the way your brain works can help you build a career that works for you.

Check out our sponsors:

Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial, just go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever

Monarch - Use code ACHIEVER at monarch.com to get 50% off your first year

Whatnot - Get free shipping on your first order. Just search W-H-A-T-N-O-T in the app store and start scoring amazing deals

Pebl - Take advantage of Pebl’s limited-time offer before it’s gone. Visit hipebl.ai today.

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

DripDrop - Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code ACHIEVER

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

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

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Why traditional work advice doesn't fit every brain.

04:15 Why understanding your individuality matters more than labels.

06:45 What more than 1,200 neurodistinct professionals revealed about work.

10:00 Why your brain is both a strength and a challenge.

12:15 The strengths neurodistinct professionals bring to the workplace.

15:15 Why flexibility matters more than productivity hacks.

17:15 What is the TAAM framework?

20:15 Rethink your relationship with time at work.

24:15 What helps your attention thrive instead of drain.

26:30 How agency shapes your experience at work.

30:30 What drives your motivation at work?

33:30 How to create your own TAAM profile.

38:00 Example of the TAAM framework in action.

42:15 Answering common questions about TAAM, values, and accommodations.

Resources + Links

Take the Neurostrength Survey HERE

Download the TAAM Profile Worksheet HERE

Pre-order The Atypical Achiever 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

Have you ever tried to achieve your way out of anxiety or depression? What happens when reaching your biggest goals still doesn't make you feel like you're enough? In this episode, I sit down with NBA champion and mental health advocate Kevin Love to talk about the anxiety, depression, and constant sense of dread that existed alongside his extraordinary success. Kevin opens up about the panic attack that changed his relationship with mental health, the pressure to prove himself, and why achievement, fame, and money could never fill the void. We also break down perfectionism, overwork, social anxiety, vulnerability, and the complicated relationship between ambition and mental health. Tune in to learn how changing your relationship with achievement can create more room for self-acceptance, connection, and joy.

Check out our sponsors:

Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial, just go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever

Monarch - Use code ACHIEVER at monarch.com to get 50% off your first year

Whatnot - Get free shipping on your first order. Just search W-H-A-T-N-O-T in the app store and start scoring amazing deals

Pebl - Take advantage of Pebl’s limited-time offer before it’s gone. Visit hipebl.ai today.

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

DripDrop - Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code ACHIEVER

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

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

In This Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Why Kevin Love decided to speak publicly about his mental health.

04:15 The panic attack that forced Kevin to confront his mental health.

05:00 What happens when you try to achieve your way out of depression?

12:45 Can understanding your mental health make you a better teammate?

14:15 The freedom that comes from separating yourself from your performance.

16:00 When the thing you love becomes your only source of identity.

18:00 What high achievers can learn from failure.

23:15 The fear of being judged after opening up about mental health.

26:15 Why overwork can't fill the emotional void.

27:30 What social anxiety looks like when you're constantly in the public eye.

30:45 Learning to give yourself permission to experience joy.

32:15 How do you redefine achievement without losing your ambition?

Resources + Links

Learn more about the Kevin Love Fund 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 Kevin Love Fund: @kevinlovefund

Do you know how to bring yourself back to balance when stress and anxiety take over? In this episode, I sit down with HeartMath president and co-CEO Dr. Deborah Rozman to talk about how stress, anxiety, and emotions affect your heart, brain, and nervous system. Deborah breaks down what heart rate variability measures, what it means to move into a state of coherence, and why staying activated by stress for too long can drain your energy and performance. We also did the Quick Coherence Practice to reset when you're triggered or regain clarity during a stressful day. Tune in to learn how to feel calmer, clearer, and more resilient under pressure.

Check out our sponsors:

Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial, just go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever

Monarch - Use code ACHIEVER at monarch.com to get 50% off your first year

Whatnot - Get free shipping on your first order. Just search W-H-A-T-N-O-T in the app store and start scoring amazing deals

Pebl - Take advantage of Pebl’s limited-time offer before it’s gone. Visit hipebl.ai today.

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

DripDrop - Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code ACHIEVER

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

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

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 How nervous system regulation supports focus and performance at work.

05:30 What is the relationship between your emotions and your nervous system?

08:00 How stress and positive emotions create different heart rhythm patterns.

12:00 What’s the difference between heart rate and heart rate variability?

17:15 How frustration shifts your heart rhythm and stress response.

20:15 The Quick Coherence practice you can use when you're triggered.

26:30 Can anxiety actually help you perform better?

30:00 How staying stuck in stress drains your energy over time.

33:15 Ways to bring heart-brain coherence into your workday.

38:00 Is emotional regulation the same as suppressing your feelings?

Resources + Links

Learn more about HeartMath HERE!

Learn the Quick Coherence Technique 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. Deborah on LinkedIn: @deborahrozman

Does perfectionism feel like the reason you're successful and the thing that's exhausting you at the same time? In this episode, I sit down with author and workplace expert Susan Schmitt Winchester to talk about the roots of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the constant need for external validation. Susan shares how childhood experiences follow you into the workplace, why everyday triggers send you into old patterns of fear and self-doubt, and ways to regulate your response. Tune in to learn how to loosen perfectionism's grip without giving up your ability to do great work.

Check out our sponsors:

Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial, just go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever

Monarch - Use code ACHIEVER at monarch.com to get 50% off your first year

Whatnot - Get free shipping on your first order. Just search W-H-A-T-N-O-T in the app store and start scoring amazing deals

Pebl - Take advantage of Pebl’s limited-time offer before it’s gone. Visit hipebl.ai today.

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

DripDrop - Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code ACHIEVER

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

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

In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 When perfectionism makes you feel like nothing is ever good enough.

03:15 When the need to prove yourself becomes a pattern.

07:45 How fear of failure keeps perfectionists chasing external validation.

11:45 Can your purpose become bigger than your fear of judgment?

16:15 Turning the workplace into a laboratory for emotional healing.

18:15 What “bumper car moments” can teach you about your emotional triggers.

21:15 How to regulate your response before anxiety takes over.

26:15 Are you reacting to reality or a story you've created?

27:15 The 3 steps for changing your automatic reactions at work.

33:45 Perfectionism can move mountains, but it comes at a cost.

36:00 What makes perfectionism so brittle?

38:15 Separating your adult self from the patterns that once kept you safe.

42:15 Tools for managing perfectionism at work.

45:00 Giving yourself permission not to react immediately.

Resources + Links

Learn more about Susan Schmitt Winchester 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 Susan: on LinkedIn @susanschmittwinchester + Instagram @susanjschmittwinchester