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When enough is enough | Andy Johns (ex-FB, Twitter, Quora)

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Sep 10, 2023

Guest

Andy Johns

Andy Johns, a former tech executive and VC at giants like Facebook and Twitter, is now a mental health advocate dedicated to helping high achievers and veterans. He candidly shares his journey from burnout to self-discovery, discussing the importance of mental well-being over career success. Listeners will learn about his four-step process for personal transformation, the necessity of acknowledging suffering, and why a writing practice can foster healing. He also offers tips on finding a good therapist and emphasizes the value of self-compassion in the healing journey.

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ADVICE

Embrace Transformation

Embrace deep personal transformation, even if it means confronting difficult emotions.
This involves suffering, seeking truth, self-compassion, and compassion for others.

volunteer_activism

ADVICE

Seek Therapy

Consult a therapist to understand the root causes of your suffering.
Therapists can act as routers, guiding you to appropriate specialists for deeper work.

volunteer_activism

ADVICE

Finding the Right Therapist

Find a therapist who makes you feel safe, ideally one with similar or greater intelligence.
Speed date therapists to find one you connect with intuitively.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Balancing Success and Mental Health

04:55 • 17min

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Navigating Personal Transformation with Clues for Wellness

22:23 • 2min

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Navigating Personal Transformations

23:57 • 24min

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Recognizing the Signs of Burnout and the Need for Transformation

47:47 • 3min

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Enhancing Team Collaboration with Innovative Tools

51:13 • 1min

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Journey to Self-Awareness and Compassion

52:29 • 14min

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Journey of Self-Discovery

01:06:05 • 20min

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#63

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In 'The Power of Now', Eckhart Tolle discusses the importance of living in the present moment to achieve spiritual enlightenment. The book draws from various spiritual traditions, including Buddhism and mysticism, to explain how people's emotional problems are rooted in their identification with their minds. Tolle argues that the present moment is the only truly real time and that past and future are mere mental constructs. He provides methods for relaxation and meditation to help readers anchor themselves in the present, such as avoiding multitasking, spending time in nature, and letting go of worries about the future. The book also introduces concepts like the 'pain-body' and the distinction between one's thoughts and true self, emphasizing the need to recognize and separate from the destructive influence of the mind.

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The Body Keeps the Score

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In this book, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma reshapes both the body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores various treatments, including neurofeedback, meditation, sports, drama, and yoga, which activate the brain’s natural neuroplasticity to aid in recovery. The book emphasizes the power of relationships in both causing and healing trauma and offers hope through descriptions of novel approaches to treatment. It is based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists in the field.

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When Things Fall Apart

Heart Advice for Difficult Times

Pema Chödrön

In this book, Pema Chödrön offers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual ease and boundless joy. Drawing from traditional Buddhist wisdom, she advises moving toward painful situations with friendliness and curiosity, rather than trying to escape them. The book emphasizes the importance of embracing uncertainty, impermanence, and groundlessness, and provides practical advice for dealing with difficult emotions like fear, anger, and sadness. Chödrön encourages readers to stay present with their feelings and to cultivate nonaggression and compassion, leading to deeper healing and understanding.

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Moby Dick

Herman Melville

Moby-Dick is a novel that tells the story of Captain Ahab's maniacal quest for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg. Narrated by Ishmael, the story follows the crew of the whaling ship Pequod as they embark on a journey that explores themes of obsession, man vs. nature, and the existential questions of good and evil. The novel is rich in detailed descriptions of whale hunting and life aboard a culturally diverse crew, and it has become a cornerstone of American and world literature.

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Andy Johns is a former tech exec and VC who had a successful run at several startups—including Facebook, Twitter, Wealthfront, and Quora—but left it all behind a few years ago to take a new direction in life. Now a mental health advocate, he aids military veterans with PTSD, guides burnt-out high achievers to new paths, and shares his healing journey from childhood trauma and mental illness through his newsletter, Clues Dot Life. In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Andy left his seven-figure VC career behind

• The four-step process of deep personal transformation

• When suffering is necessary vs. unnecessary

• Tips for finding a good therapist

• How a writing practice can help you heal

• When you’re in need of radical transformation

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/when-enough-is-enough-andy-johns

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Where to find Andy Johns:

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/cluesdotlife

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjohns/

• Website: https://www.clues.life/

• Newsletter: https://andyjohns.substack.com/

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Andy’s background

(04:45) His personal burnout story

(12:55) The high incidence of mental health struggles in tech

(14:41) Why Andy walked away from a seven-figure VC job

(20:29) His work in mental health advocacy

(23:32) The four-step process of deep personal transformation

(31:40) The ego’s involvement

(33:23) Necessary vs. unnecessary suffering

(37:01) First steps in understanding your suffering

(38:59) Advice on finding a therapist

(42:11) How a writing practice can help you heal

(43:47) Two methods for writing to gain self-understanding

(47:47) Signs you’re dealing with more than just typical job stress

(52:22) How to move into a place of self-compassion

(57:16) The unpredictable timeline of healing

(59:59) How to develop compassion for others

(1:02:19) Why not everyone needs a radical transformation

(1:04:10) The story of Pema Chodron’s transformation

(1:06:06) What holds people back from making changes

(1:13:29) Finding your own unique path to healing

(1:17:32) Andy’s closing message to anyone feeling pulled toward a new chapter

(1:18:59) How Andy is doing now

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Referenced:

• How to know when to stop: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-know-when-to-stop

• Heroic Hearts Project: https://heroicheartsproject.org/

• Panic attacks and panic disorder: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4451-panic-attack-panic-disorder

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748

• Vipassana meditation: https://www.dhamma.org/en/index

• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808

• Moby Dick: https://www.amazon.com/Moby-Dick-Herman-Melville/dp/1503280780

• When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times: https://www.amazon.com/When-Things-Fall-Apart-Difficult/dp/1611803438

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

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