The Anxious Achiever Great Leaders Have Anxiety– And They Know How To Manage It
52 snips
Oct 2, 2025 
Morra Aarons-Mele, author and mental health advocate, shares insights from her extensive research on leadership and anxiety. She emphasizes that anxiety is valuable data rather than a flaw, arguing that leaders often experience higher levels of mental health challenges. Morra discusses the importance of self-compassion, grounding techniques for anxiety management, and practical tools to combat procrastination. She also highlights how organizations can better support neurodiverse employees and the necessity of 'banking joy' to draw on during tough times.
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Work Roles Mirror Family Systems
- Bowen family systems theory explains repeated workplace roles as learned family roles.
- Over-functioning at work often mirrors the 'hero' role learned to manage childhood anxiety.
Find Your Optimal Arousal Window
- Monitor your arousal and aim for your personal optimal stress window to perform well.
- Use the window of tolerance to notice when anxiety moves from energizing to paralyzing.
Give Anxiety A Job
- Give your anxiety a concrete job to stop rumination and shift into action.
- Get up, make lists, plan, or do a small task to reduce anticipatory worry.
