The Anxious Achiever

• What Neurodistinct Professionals Really Think About Their Careers with Dr. Diane Biray Gregorio

  If you’ve ever wondered how to lead and thrive with a different brain, this conversation will help you feel less alone and better understand your neurodistinct strengths and challenges. I unpack findings from my "Neurostrength survey" taken by 1286 professionals with ADHD, Autism, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, learning differences, and other brain differences. I'm joined by sociologist, research scientist, and leadership coach Dr. Diane Biray Gregorio. We cover the real advantages (pattern recognition, creative problem-solving, empathy, hyperfocus), the common friction points (processing speed mismatches, focus, emotional regulation) of someone whose brain works differently at work. You’ll learn practical ways to self-advocate, how to job-craft for your strengths, and a simple framework to design your best workday. You’ll leave with strategies to make thrive at work, get what you need, and build psychologically safe, high-performing teams. Read the survey report here, for free: https://morraam.com/neurostrength-survey Check out our sponsors: Northwest Registered Agent - Protect your privacy, build your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes! Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/achieverfree In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 Science behind thriving at work: breaking down the results of my NeuroStrength survey. 16:15 What we learned about the leaders who responded to our survey. 21:00 Revealing the MYTH that neurodistinct people aren’t good at managing people. 24:30 How many people that completed the survey identified themselves as neurodivergent or neurodistinct? 28:45 How many survey participants who identify as neurodivergent/neurodistinct have been diagnosed? 35:30 Ways having a different brain has impacted careers (from challenges to strengths.) 39:00 Superpowers neurodistinct people have reported that are advantages in the workplace. 43:15 How to self-advocate and set up your environment to perform at your best. 52:30 Common task-related challenges of our survey participants. 57:00 The TAAM framework to best manage your time. 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 Dr. Diane Biray Gregorio: @drdbgregorio

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• Self Compassion For Overachievers with Attorney Mark Goldstein & Dr. Kristin Neff

  Today we’re exploring the skill that ambitious, anxious brains often resist: self-compassion. You’ll hear attorney Mark Goldstein’s candid story of OCD, depression, panic attacks, and the leave of absence that helped him rebuild a career and a life with support, therapy, mindfulness, and (yes) compassion. Then, Dr. Kristin Neff, pioneer of self-compassion research, teaches practical tools you can use today. We cover how to handle rumination, reframe “perfection” into being a “compassionate mess,” and when to turn on fierce self-protection versus tender care. If you hold yourself to impossible standards, this conversation will give you language, strategies, and permission to be human and still perform. In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 Why self-compassion is a performance skill for anxious achievers. 02:00 Learn from Mark Goldstein on perfectionism, OCD, and the billable-hour trap. 05:45 “I couldn’t stop checking”: the 2017 spiral and panic attacks. 09:30 When did you decide you needed help and where did you start? 13:00 Taking a leave of absence, the fear of perception, and the reality of support. 18:45 Reframing “weakness” and treating mental health as a disability. 21:00 Dr. Kristin Neff on why our brains default to self-criticism. 23:30 The hack to turn caregiving inward. 25:15 Tips for practical self-talk (authentic compassion, NOT empty affirmations.) 27:30 When to deploy fierce vs. tender compassion and harnessing anger for protection. 30:00 How to stop rumination. 32:15 How to create room for compassion and grow without fear. 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

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• Muriel M Wilkins: Get Unblocked, Lead With More Ease

  Ever feel like the very habits that made you successful are now holding you back? In this episode, I sit down with executive coach Muriel Wilkins, author of Leadership Unblocked: Break Through The Beliefs That Limit Your Potential, to talk about the hidden beliefs that drive overachievers to perfectionism, micromanagement, and control. She breaks down how deeply rooted beliefs about worth, control, and safety shape your behavior at work. Tune in to learn how to rewire your thinking so you can lead with more ease, clarity, and confidence. In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 Meet Muriel Wilkins, Executive Coach and Founder & CEO of Paravis Partners. 07:00 How performance-based beliefs shape your sense of worth and leadership identity. 10:30 Ways to “break out of the matrix” and rewrite beliefs that keep you stuck in perfectionism. 13:30 The three most common “blockers” that high-achieving leaders face. 18:15 The belief that traps high-performing leaders in frustration and conflict. 21:15 Coaching exercise that helps leaders see their blind spots. 26:45 How over-caring and over-consensus quietly become leadership paralysis. 30:30 Ways to set limits and “contracts” that help reel in perfectionism. 35:45 How “I need to be involved” thinking keeps leaders stuck in the weeds and blocks growth. Resources + Links Read Muriel's book, Leadership Unblocked 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 Muriel: on LinkedIn @murielwilkins + Instagram @coachmurielwilkins

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• Gabrielle Union on PTSD, Social Anxiety, and Navigating Fame

  What does it take to tell the truth when the world punishes you for it? In this conversation we're bringing back from 2021, Gabrielle Union talks about living with PTSD and social anxiety, the experiences in toxic workplaces, and what it means to keep speaking out even when fear follows close behind. She shares how activism triggers anxiety, the coping tools to keep you grounded from therapy to mindfulness, and how to redefine success through truth, purpose, and self-acceptance. Get ready to see how courage and healing can coexist and how learning to be alone doesn’t mean being lonely. In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 What does a toxic workplace look like, then vs. now? 06:30 The emotional cost of telling the truth in an industry built on silence. 11:00 How trauma survivors navigate social anxiety, boundaries, and life in the public eye. 16:00 Tools to calm anxiety and regain control. 21:45 How intentional alone time restores peace, clarity, and self-trust. 24:30 The powerful distinction between being alone and being lonely. 28:15 How Gabrielle’s 2012 Essence speech became a turning point toward truth and self-acceptance. 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 Gabrielle: on LinkedIn @gabrielleunion + Instagram @gabunion

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• He Built Coach Into a $5 Billion Company, But Feared Failure Every Day | Lew Frankfort

  What happens when one of America’s most admired CEOs admits that fear of failure never left him, even after building a multi-billion-dollar brand? In this episode, I sit down with Lewis Frankfort, the former CEO who transformed Coach from a small leather goods company into a global powerhouse and coined the term “accessible luxury”. Lew shares about the lifelong anxiety that drove him to excel, the depressive episodes that followed high-pressure seasons, and the methods to stay grounded, from meditation and exercise to cognitive coaching and “magic and logic” leadership. Get ready to see how even the most accomplished leaders are powered by the same fears and how facing them with purpose, curiosity, and compassion unlocks greatness. In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 Meet Lew Frankfort, former CEO of Coach, Inc. 02:00 How was the term “accessible luxury” born? 06:15 How do high-performing leaders manage depression? 10:00 Ways to turn fear of failure into fuel for growth. 14:00 The discipline that turned Coach into a best-in-class business. 19:30 What happens when success leads to disconnection and burnout. 23:30 Daily practices that restore energy and emotional balance. 26:00 Lew’s first mental health toolkit. 30:00 Interviewing method to uncover self-awareness and potential blind spots. 36:15 Why great leaders hire for complementarity, not similarity. 40:30 Lew’s “Three-Bucket Framework” for CEOs. 43:00 Why therapy and mental health care should be normalized for every leader. Resources + Links Get your copy of Lew’s book, “Bag Man: The Story Behind the Improbable Rise of Coach” 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 Lew Frankfort on LinkedIn @lewfrankfort

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