I'm Mora Aronsmeli, and this is The Anxious Achiever.

Each episode, we look at stories from business leaders who have dealt with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges.

How they fell down, how they pick themselves up, and how they hope workplaces can change in the future.

Yeah. how they pick themselves up and how they hope workplaces can change in the future. You know, showing up at work every day can make you really anxious for really common and really understandable reasons.

Am I doing well enough?

Did I make the right decision?

Will I be a success?

Do people like me?

Did I say the wrong thing?

Our next guest actually argues that that kind of anxiety that comes with the package of success and advancement and leadership can contribute to another common problem, burnout.

In fact, our guest Steve Cuss says burnout has less to do with workload and more to do with internal and external leadership anxiety, which was news to me.

But it makes a ton of sense because making decisions creates anxiety for most of us and people are exhausting.

And no matter what level you are in an organization, being in charge

of things, of something, is really stressful. Steve offers a tool set that allows leaders to

become more self-aware about our own anxieties and those of our teams. He says if a leader can think about the way she

thinks, not only can she become a powerful presence, but she can stay strong and manage leadership

anxiety for the long haul. Steve Cuss is the lead pastor of Discovery Christian Church in

Broomfield, Colorado, and he teaches leadership

development classes and conduct self-awareness seminars for all kinds of teams.

So, Steve, I found your work by literally Googling anxiety and leadership.

And I came across your book and your podcast managing leadership anxiety.

And I was intrigued.

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