LinkedIn Presents.

I actually turned to performance and achievement as a drug of sorts.

If I got every blue ribbon or every trophy or I hit home runs or I got straight A's,

whatever it was, that made me feel good.

That's how my brain as a kid came to internalize the collection

of messages around me in conjunction with the messages that society gives. That if I achieved,

I was lovable. And if I wasn't achieving, I wasn't inherently lovable for who I was.

I'm Maura Arons-Mili and this lovable for who I was.

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

We look at stories from business leaders who've dealt with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges, how they fell down, how they pick themselves up, and how they

hope work will change in the future.

We know that entrepreneurs, especially the most successful ones, have many traits in common.

The ability to see new opportunities,

imagine the future, and to take risks are just some of them. Mental health struggles are another

thing that many of these successful people have in common. We've talked to some of them on the show,

like Kayak co-founder Paul English, Bonobos co-founder Andy Dunn, and Emma McElroy,

CEO at Wildfing. And many of us high achievers, entrepreneurs or not, have another trait in

common. We just can't stop. We have to go for the trophy, be the best always, even if it's at a cost to our health.

Today, we'll hear from someone in the tech and entrepreneurial space who's come face to face with how his drive to achieve reflects past childhood trauma and PTSD.

Andy Johns previously worked for nearly two decades at companies like Facebook, Twitter, Quora, and more.

His work, especially in the early stages, led him to be tied to eight companies worth a billion dollars or more.

Johns is now an independent advisor, consultant, an investor in the tech space, and he's an advocate for mental health.

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