The Anxious Achiever

What if your biggest advantage isn't knowing what's coming next, but trusting yourself to handle whatever comes? In this episode, I sit down with author Simone Stolzoff to talk about why your need for certainty keeps you stuck and how tying your identity too closely to work leaves you vulnerable when life changes. Simone shares why uncertainty isn't something to eliminate, but a part of being human, how values and relationships provide stability when the future feels unclear, and why adapting matters more than predicting what comes next. Tune in to discover how uncertainty can become a source of growth instead of something to fear.

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 your job shouldn't become your entire identity.

08:15 What it means to commit despite doubt.

13:00 How AI is changing the way we think about work and identity.

16:45 What is a diversified identity?

18:45 How to cultivate the practice of not knowing.

21:15 What keeps you trapped in the need for certainty?

26:30 What to do when you're stuck waiting for an answer.

30:30 Advice to anyone worried about being laid off.

33:15 Finding stability in your values when everything else feels uncertain.

37:45 Can preparing for the worst reduce anxiety?

40:00 Are your fears based on facts or assumptions?

44:00 Why uncertainty makes life worth living.

48:30 Why your future self is more capable than you think.

Resources + Links

Get a copy of How to Not Know HERE

Get a copy of The Good Enough Job HERE

Learn more about Simone Stolzoff 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 Simone: on LinkedIn @simonestolzoff + Instagram @thepizza_bagel

Do you avoid difficult conversations because you don't want to make things worse? You're not alone. Many of us avoid conflict because it feels uncomfortable, but avoiding it often creates even more stress, uncertainty, and anxiety. In this episode, I sit down with workplace conflict expert Amy Gallo to talk about why healthy conflict is an essential leadership skill and how you can approach difficult conversations with more confidence. We talk about how emotional flooding affects difficult conversations, why shame often keeps us from speaking up, and Amy's 4-step framework for handling difficult conversations with more clarity and confidence. Tune in to discover a healthier way to approach difficult conversations.

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 does avoiding conflict make you even more anxious?

03:15 How Amy Gallo became fascinated by workplace conflict.

06:00 Can healthy conflict actually strengthen your relationships?

07:30 How emotional flooding can derail difficult conversations.

10:15 Why avoiding conflict creates long-term stress and anxiety.

12:00 What's stopping you from speaking up?

14:15 Shift from winning the argument to solving the problem together.

18:15 Ways to practice conflict in everyday situations.

23:30 Amy Gallo's 4-step framework for difficult conversations.

27:15 How to identify what really matters before the conversation begins.

30:00 When should you compromise, let it go, or walk away?

33:00 What to do after a difficult conversation doesn't go as planned.

Resources + Links

Get a copy of Amy Gallo's book, Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) 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 Amy: on LinkedIn @amyegallo + Instagram @amyegallo

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