Faith Saly is the author of Approval Junkie.

It started as a memoir, and then she turned it into a one-woman show of the same name off-Broadway.

And that title, Approval Junkie, really stuck with me, because when I talked to people

who have struggled with depression and anxiety, people who had neglectful or traumatic

childhoods, or just people who are super achievement oriented, I often hear about the need

for outside approval. External validation, if we want to add more syllables to it.

Now, maybe one of the reasons I hear a lot about it is that I'm around performers a lot. I

interview them on the show. I'm friends with performers in my own life. I've been in a zillion

plays and shows and bands myself. I mean, I'm doing it right now. I'm performing

on this podcast for you right now. Hey, look at me. Hey, look at me. It's depression mode.

I'm John Moe. I'm glad you're here. I often wonder if I or anyone in that kind of work is doing

it because they're good at it and it's meaningful,

or if they're looking for applause to provide the validation they can't generate for themselves.

I mean, what is Carrotops motivation? What is Charo really after?

Faith Saly is a regular contributor to CBS News Sunday morning and a regular

panelist on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. She's got a bunch of acting credits on her IMDB

hosted on PBS and Sundance channel. On the mental health front, Faith has dealt with

anorexia and depression, has struggles, just like a lot of us,

but I kept coming back to that phrase, approval junkie.

Faith Saly, welcome to Depression Mode.

Thank you, John Moe. I'm very excited to be here and have been walking around for days trying to think of what I have to say about mental health.

Ah, well, we'll figure that out in due time.

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