Severance and split identities at work

Dr Julie Smith joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation on the psychology of emotion, mental health, and what it really means to feel better. A clinical psychologist and international bestselling author, Dr Smith dismantles the idea that difficult emotions are problems to be solved and challenges James on everything from catastrophising and shame-based motivation to the surprising emotional cost of success.

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James opens up about his experience of lockdown, being cut off from Australia, the relief (not happiness) of hitting major milestones, and why he uses financial goals as a psychological permission slip to keep overworking.

She explains:

◼️ Why wanting to feel better is sometimes part of the problem

◼️ How to recognise when distress is situational vs something deeper

◼️ The double standard we apply to ourselves vs others

◼️ Why self-compassion isn't weakness (it's the harder skill)

◼️ What status loss does to mental health and identity

Chapters:

00:00 The Problem With Trying to Feel Better

04:20 When Anxiety Means You're a Good Parent

07:23 Is Low Mood Situational or Something Deeper?

12:10 When Should You Actually Get Therapy?

13:52 James Being Locked Out of Australia

15:36 Not Feeling Like You Qualify for Help

17:34 The Workaholics Trap and Honest Feedback

18:45 Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy — Where Does Dr Smith Stand?

20:23 James's LSD Day in the Park

21:49 The Periodic Table of Emotions

27:12 Vulnerability, Fatherhood and Opening Up

29:08 Redefining Success Beyond the Metrics

32:26 Giving Good Advice You Don't Take Yourself

34:49 Severance and the Work-Life Split

38:07 The Hidden Cost of Living a Very Public Life

41:24 When Followers Tell You You've Saved Their Life

44:28 How a Relationship Changed James's Relationship With Work

45:13 Status, Mental Health and the Fear of Losing It

53:01 The Double Standard We Have for Ourselves

55:42 Using Financial Goals as a Coping Mechanism

57:28 Catastrophising as Motivation

01:00:04 Why Every Goal Feels Empty After You Hit It

01:02:51 Fear of Success vs Fear of Failure

01:08:30 The Journey Is the Point — Not Just the Outcome

01:09:18 Sneak Peek: Dr Smith's New Book

01:10:21 Generational Amnesia and the Young People of Today

01:15:08 Closing Takeaways: What Actually Helps

This conversation takes a candid look at the psychology behind overwork, the emotional emptiness that can follow achievement, and the courage required to actually let people in. Dr Smith's clinical perspective on self-compassion, attachment, and the standards we hold ourselves to offers a grounding counterweight to James's trademark candour — and the result is one of the most honest conversations on mental health the podcast has produced.

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