The Anxious Achiever

How does growing up in foster care shape you as a leader? Chéla Gage is the former Vice President Global Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, workforce mental health advocate, inclusion expert, and host of the 1 Million Fosters podcast. Gage joins Morra to share how her childhood in foster care shaped her strengths as a leader, her reflections on anxiety and hypervigilance as an asset, and how she’s transforming trauma into purpose. Chéla’s journey from foster homes and group homes to senior leadership roles at Nissan, Raytheon, and Starbucks is a testament to the power of claiming your story. She shares how her upbringing honed her ability to read a room, anticipate challenges, and build belonging, skills that have made her invaluable in corporate spaces. Learn more about Chéla Gage: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelagage/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelagage/] Key Themes: ✅ Hypervigilance as Leadership Strength: Growing up navigating new homes and caregivers taught Chéla to read the room quickly, identify influencers, and trust her intuition—skills she now uses to drive business impact. ✅ Reframing Trauma into Purpose: Chéla discusses how she once felt shame about her foster care past but now sees it as her superpower, providing her with empathy and perspective leaders need. ✅ Parenting as Reparenting: Motherhood allowed Chéla to give the love she didn’t receive as a child back to herself. ✅ The Role of Anxiety: Anxiety kept Chéla alert and prepared, but she learned to manage in therapy, to reduce constant threat scanning and burnout while embracing her “hypervigilance” as a leadership tool. ✅ Creating Belonging in Corporate Spaces: Through her career in recruiting and DEIB leadership, Chéla discovered the importance of recognizing and honoring people’s whole stories, not just their resumes, to create true inclusion. Timestamps: 07:09 Hypervigilance as a Superpower 12:59 Transforming Pain into Purpose 18:40 The Role of Anxiety: A Double-Edged Sword 24:14 Inclusion and Belonging 29:51 The Impact of Personal Stories 34:50 Empowering the Foster Community

What happens when a late ADHD diagnosis meets the powerful potential of AI? Writer, strategist, and sleep coach Lindsay Scola joins Morra to share how she uses AI as a personal productivity partner to manage ADHD challenges, perfectionism, and executive dysfunction—while preserving creativity and rest. Diagnosed with ADHD at 41, Lindsay discovered that AI could act as an accountability buddy, thought partner, and creativity booster. From using AI to overcome the dread of the blank page to automating follow-up emails, Lindsay shares practical ways she leverages AI without losing her humanity. Buy Lindsay’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/AI-ADHD-Practical-Starting-Finishing-ebook/dp/B0F5T9QKMH [https://www.amazon.com/AI-ADHD-Practical-Starting-Finishing-ebook/dp/B0F5T9QKMH] Listen to our interview about the stimulant shortage, narcolepsy and ADHD: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ritalin-and-adderall-shortage-and-how-it-impacts-work/id1480904163?i=1000611595946 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ritalin-and-adderall-shortage-and-how-it-impacts-work/id1480904163?i=1000611595946] Key Themes: AI as an ADHD Copilot: Lindsay explains how AI helps her manage executive dysfunction, tackle writing tasks, and avoid the overwhelm of perfectionism while maintaining her unique voice. Reducing Shame and Preserving Brain Space: Using AI for small but stressful tasks frees up cognitive space, letting her focus on big ideas and creative work without getting stuck in spirals of self-criticism. Permission to Play: Lindsay urges people with ADHD to experiment with AI and other tools to find what actually works for their brains instead of following rigid systems that suppress creativity. Scheduling for Neurodivergent Brains: From building “dopamine deadlines” to respecting personal circadian rhythms, Lindsay shares how she structures her week to maximize focus while honoring energy dips. AI for Burnout and Loneliness: We discuss how AI can help solo workers feel less isolated and provide accountability without judgment, acting like a team member who says, “let’s keep going.” Timestamps: 03:28 ADHD, Midlife, and AI Solutions 08:13 Balancing Perfection and Completion 11:07 Childhood Injustice and Self-Awareness 18:30 Optimize Productivity by Time Awareness 19:37 Embrace Napping for Productivity 25:40 AI-Assisted Writing for Quick Posts 29:06 Podcasting Inspiration for Writing Newsletter 32:32 Flexible Time Management Strategy 35:50 Improvised Charging Solution

Everyday Better with Leah Smart is a show that helps listeners level up - in their careers and their lives. In this episode, Leah speaks with Anxious Achiever host Morra Aarons-Mele about her research and work around having a understanding your own unique brain and embracing a big career, from introversion, mental health, and neurodivergence. Morra explains what she’s learned about leadership and organizations through the lens of studying these topics.  Check out Everyday Better: * On Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3G8zjY1 [https://bit.ly/3G8zjY1] On Spotify: https://bit.ly/3HRpNsQ [https://bit.ly/3HRpNsQ]

It might not be that easy to talk to your boss about mental health. But having close friends at work - on your team or elsewhere - where you can have open, honest dialogues can go a long way. In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with three work friends about how they started talking mental health, how it helped them in their jobs, and what they hope managers can better understand in the future.

We all have hang ups when it comes to money - but do you know where yours come from? In a time when many people feel economically insecure, Morra speaks with personal finance expert Shannah Game about the root of money issues and how we can recognize and grow from our trauma around money. Your money history doesn’t have to be your financial future! Shannah is the author of the book Unraveling Your Relationship with Money: Ditch Your Money Trauma So You Can Live an Abundant Life. Check out her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-Your-Relationship-Money-Abundant/dp/1394299850 [https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-Your-Relationship-Money-Abundant/dp/1394299850] Shannah’s podcast: https://everyonestalkinmoney.com/episodes/ [https://everyonestalkinmoney.com/episodes/]