In this week's Episode I take a look at something that plagues a lot of smart humans: Perfect Student Syndrome.

Unmanaged 'PSS' can result in massive anxiety, exhaustion as well as boredom and feeling trapped.

You'll learn how being praised for being smart as a child can encourage you to use being the perfect student as a coping mechanism. One that works - but it comes at a high cost.

I look at how this then shows up in adulthood, as well as the steps you can take to overcome it - to become a free, frequently failing human being again.

I also look at how Perfect Student Syndrome can show up in coaching/mentoring/teaching relationships. If your client is trying to be perfect they stop showing up as their true selves - and you both lose.

On this week's podcast I look at the dark and harmful side of the whole 'self-improvement' concept.

I explain how it can create a very vicious cycle that undermines your self-worth, self-trust and self-confidence.

I show you what is keeping you stuck there, and how to break out of it, so you can start loving yourself where you're at.

Whenever you set goals or make plans, do it not from a desire to 'fix' or 'improve' yourself.

Those are the worst reasons because they simply reinforce to your brain that you're broken.

I explain how to set goals in a different, much more compassionate and fun way, at the end of the podcast - and I invited you to also (re)visit Episode 18, which is all about this process of goal setting.

In this Episode I talk about something that overachievers, over-improvers and other over-enthousiasts tend to forget in their urge to stretch themselves, improve processes or - let’s keep it real - save the world: having FUN.

How do you rate on the daily joy scale?

If it’s anything lower than an 8/10 you want to check out this episode for tips on how to invite more joy into your life without making it yet another ‘to do’.

In this final instalment of the Procrastination Saga I give you tons of tools to beat the Procrastination Beast.

We look at Environmental strategies, as well as seven Behavioural tools:

• Task Triage

• Compassionate self-talk

• Using emotions as a lever

• Smart time management

• Gamification

• Rules

• Reducing starting- and finishing - friction

In this follow-up to Episode 20, I dive into the underlying causes of procrastination, and what you can do to fix them.

In this Episode you'll learn:

• how your brain will want to move away from feelings that you actually need to move towards

• how thoughts you have about projects and tasks make it even harder to get started or keep going, and what to do about that

• what the standard saboteurs are that we all have in our heads

Check it out - and then TRY it out, and let me know how you get on.

Welcome to the first of a series on one of our biggest dream-stealers: procrastination.

It’s a topic that is so enmeshed with things like perfectionism, identity, self-trust, self-regulation and time management that it will take at least two Episodes to tease it all apart.

In this first part I cover

What procrastination is

What happens when you procrastinate

When it becomes a problem

Whether everyone procrastinates

Why smart humans have a higher risk of procrastination

How to overcome procrastination

At the end of this Episode I have an assignment for you, which you want to complete before listening to the second part of this series, which is a deep dive into strategies to overcome procrastination.

This week I look at something that is often stigmatised: smart people's need to be alone.

Society tends to frown upon this - especially if you're a woman - and you may have internalised this and feel guilty about your desire to spend time on your own.

In this Episode I cover:

• How and why the desire to be alone is often stigmatised;

• why smart people often need more alone time;

• how to figure out whether you’re avoiding social contact because of other issues, or just genuinely need alone time;

• how to effectively communicate your need for alone time and organise it.

It's time to start owning your desire to be alone so you can recharge and do deep work - and to help others do the same!

In this follow-up to last week's Episode on Goal Setting, I take you to the three ingredients that are usually missing when people set goals:

1. Feelings

2. Obstacles

3. Small steps

In this Episode, you'll learn

• how to tap into your feelings to check whether you're setting the right goal

• how to start feeling into your goal and realising it in your life on a daily basis

• how to find and plan for obstacles

• why it's important to break it down into small, doable chunks

Together with Episode 17, this gives you a complete recipe for goal setting - now it's up to you. Set those goals and go after them - with LOVE rather than self-hatred.

In this Episode I dive into goal-setting.

I explain why it's massively important to set goals and not just coast, or live in the present (hint: it's your brain).

I also look at some self-sabotaging ways people use goal-setting, and how you can recognise these, like escapism and self-flagellation.

I also share tips on making goal-setting actually work for you in a fun way.

Give it a listen en then set yourself some super specific juicy goals!