LinkedIn Presents.

I'm Maura Aaron's Mealy, and this is the Anxious Achiever, the show that looks at the intersection of mental health and work and how we can all do both better.

You're not good enough. You're lazy. Why would anyone care what you have to say?

These are phrases that echo in the mind of today's guest, and they probably feel a little familiar to you, too.

As I've gotten out there to tell my story, I struggle with imposter syndrome. And so when I get up to tell my story, even though I've gotten so much positive feedback, there is a very loud voice going,

no one cares. I've kind of decided it may be there forever, and I kind of just need to treat it as, we'll just call it an annoying roommate, who I have to love because they're not moving out.

Newton Chang is an executive. He serves as director of health and performance at Google, and he's a world and national champion

powerlifter. And yet, he hears, often in his own mind, all of the things he should do,

all of the things he is not. I got to hear Newton speak a few months back in person at a Google event.

I wasn't expecting to hear someone who stopped me in my tracks, but he did.

Newton's energy felt transformative to me.

And that's reflective of a transformation he's undergone himself, after months of mental health leave from his job, therapy, and a lot of reflection.

Newton and I started by talking about how powerlifting, his passion outside the workplace, helps him frame the rest of his life.

I am a world champion powerlifter, a four-time national champion, and I hold records at the world national and state level for my age and weight class.

And so for those who don't know too much about power lifting, you do three lifts.

You do the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift.

And you do this up on a platform.

And you only need to lift each of those one time.

So what you're essentially doing is you need to get up in front of an audience and you need to lift a weight that is technically probably pretty dangerous to you because you are at your maximum ability and you need to be dialed in

physically mentally emotionally and spiritually in order to really perform at that level.

And so for me, powerlifting, it's not just been a way to stay healthy.

It's not just a way to achieve.

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