260: Are You an Anxious Achiever? Turn Your Fears into Your Superpower with Morra Aarons-Mele

Anxiety in the workplace is far more common than many of us are willing to admit. And by refusing to normalize it we are making it even more difficult for people to navigate mental health issues and thrive at work. Our guest today, Morra Aarons-Mele, is no stranger to anxiety in the workplace and is the author of The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower. Morra has done powerful work in raising awareness for mental health in the workplace and has a long list of achievements to her name. In addition to being a best-selling author, global speaker, and consultant, she is also an entrepreneur and communications executive. She is the founder of Women Online, an award-winning social impact agency and she created its database of female influencers, The Mission List, both of which were sold in 2021. Morra is also the host of the award-winning podcast, The Anxious Achiever, where she helps listeners rethink the relationship between their mental health and leadership. In today’s conversation with Morra, we discuss what inspired her to pursue her work as an advocate for workplace mental health and why anxiety in the workplace needs to be normalized and understood differently from the way it is today. She shares the details of her own complex mental health journey and unpacks how our biased systems aren’t actually designed to serve large groups of the population — like minority groups, women, and neurodivergent individuals — and what steps you can take to make work work for you (and how to identify what you need to help you get there). We also explore why self-awareness is essential to good leadership, what it means to make anxiety your ally, and how to assess when anxiety is a response that will be productive or counter-productive for you. To learn more about anxiety at work and how to shift your relationship with your mental health, be sure to tune in to this thought-provoking conversation with Morra Aarons-Mele!   Key Highlights From This Episode:  • Introducing today’s guest, Morra Aarons-Mele, her complex mental health journey, and why she was compelled to write on the topic of being an anxious achiever. [00:58] • Reframing mental health issues not as something to be overcome or cured but as something that you can learn to manage. [06:22] • The one message Morra would like people to take away from her work. [10:57] • What Morra has learned about incorporating anxiety and making it an ally. [13:49] • Asking how to make work work for you and identifying what you need to help you get there. [15:27] • Taking a strengths-based approach and how to navigate systems that aren’t aligned with what you need and want. [17:58] • Why self-awareness is a pivotal part of good leadership. [22:02] • Understanding the different ways that anxiety can manifest, the importance of acknowledging it, and advice on the next steps to take. [24:23] • Tools and tips for how to assess when anxiety is a productive response. [30:47] • How to access Morra’s work and get in touch. [32:00]   For More Information: Guest links - hyperlinked & underlined Morra Aarons-MeleMorra Aarons-Mele on LinkedIn Morra Aarons Mele on Twitter Morra Aarons-Mele on Instagram   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Morra’s Latest Book: The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower Morra’s Podcast: The Anxious Achiever Podcast Companies founded by Morra: The Mission List and Women Online Morra’s TED Talk: 3 Steps to stop remote work burnout   Are you ready for a BIG positive shift in how you’re working and what you’re capable of achieving today in your career and leadership? Let’s work together and make that happen! While you might know me best as a podcast host and writer, a key focus in my work is career and leadership coaching for mid- to high-level professional women around the globe. In my top-rated Career & Leadership Breakthrough 1:1 program, I help women get what they want most, which includes more confidence, impact, recognition, advancement, financial reward, well-being, and fulfillment. And I also help them close their power gaps and embrace their most exciting visions for the future. In the past 16 years, I've worked with over 20,000 women across 6 continents, and before that, I served as a therapist, and prior to that, I was a corporate VP managing multi-million-dollar budgets and global initiatives. I leverage all of that experience to help women build a new chapter of work to reach their highest and happiest potential in careers they love. Check out kathycaprino.com/careerbreakthrough and I hope you'll register now. I'd love to support you!   ———————- Calling all coaches! Do you run a coaching business that focuses on supporting professional women? If so, I’ve got some exciting news about supporting your coaching growth, success, and impact. Right now, we’re opening the enrollment of my private (1:1) coaching training program called The Amazing Career Coach Certification, which is a 17-week, hands-on training program that certifies female coaches in my proprietary 16-step career growth model, which is perfect for coaches who want a deeper dive into learning powerful, proven coaching frameworks, concepts, and skills that teach the 16 most essential steps to building an amazing career that your clients need to know. And this training will help you become far more effective and impactful in supporting women to thrive today in their jobs, roles, and careers. And through the program, you’ll get access to a powerful Small Business Acceleration program called The Rapid Growth Academy, delivered by my friend and colleague, award-winning business growth expert Matthew Pollard. Through Matthew’s program, you’ll be taught critical business and sales growth info that will help you grow your business success in the quickest way possible. In my view, there’s nothing on the market like for both new and more seasoned coaches because it targets the two critical aspects of success: how you support your clients to thrive, and just as importantly, how to grow your own business to the next level. For more information, visit certification.amazingcareerproject.com and check out the details. Join me this Winter!   ——————— Order Kathy’s book The Most Powerful You today! In Australia and New Zealand, click here to order, elsewhere outside North America, click here, and in the UK, click here. If you enjoy the book, we’d so appreciate your giving the book a positive rating and review on Amazon! And check out Kathy’s digital companion course The Most Powerful You, to help you close the 7 most damaging power gaps in the most effective way possible.  Kathy’s Power Gaps Survey, Support To Build Your LinkedIn Profile To Great Success & Other Free Resources Kathy’s TEDx Talk, Time To Brave Up & Free Career Path Self-Assessment Kathy’s Amazing Career Project video training course & 6 Dominant Action Styles Quiz   ——————— Sponsor Highlight I'm thrilled that both Audible.com and Amazon Music are sponsors of Finding Brave! Take advantage of their great special offers and free trials today!   Audible Offer Amazon Music Offer   Quotes:  “I learned at a young age that being special was a great way to get people to see me, to value me, to talk about me, to feel the bask of my mom's admiration and love for me.” — @morraam [0:09:40] “We work in systems that don't serve us, that weren't created for us. They're racist, they're patriarchal, they're biased. And why do a lot of women feel anxious? Why do a lot of people of color feel anxious? Because they are in places that aren't welcoming.” — @morraam [0:13:27] “We don't make systems for the neurodivergent brain.” — @morraam [0:15:49] “People like me, we need independence. But we [also] need teams and support. Now, if I'm in an organization that values me, I should be able to carve out some of those. But first, I have to know what I need.” — @morraam [0:19:56] “Self-awareness is, I think, the biggest key to leadership. [And] there's been data that supports that.” — @morraam [0:22:11] “Pay attention to your body throughout the day because anxiety really shows up in our body.” — @morraam [0:27:09]   Watch our Finding Brave episodes on YouTube! Don’t forget – you can experience each Finding Brave episode in both audio and video formats! Check out new and recent episodes on my YouTube channel at YouTube.com/kathycaprino. And please leave us a comment and a thumbs up if you like the show!