You Gotta NO!
Burnout. External validation. The cost of building a life that was never really yours. What happens when you spend a decade producing for everyone else — and then your body finally says no? Kasim Hardaway is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in Kansas City whose work is rooted in mental health and the human condition. After more than a decade in digital marketing as a strategic content consultant and social media influencer, burnout turned into depression — and therapy became the thing that pulled him back to himself. His debut film, The UNBecoming, is currently on the film festival circuit with official selections including Best Experimental Film at the Tokyo Film Awards 2025. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Kasim Hardaway get into what it actually costs to build a career on external validation, why so many leaders and creators never get out of the cycle of just building, and what unbecoming everything that was never meant for you actually looks like in practice. This is a conversation about identity, capacity, and what it means to finally give yourself permission to just exist. What we cover:— Why brands need to stop treating people like brands— How unresolved childhood wounds show up in your leadership and work— The connection between productivity, self worth and burnout— What it took to walk away from a decade-long career to start over— Why mental health is a journey, not a destination— The UNBecoming — Kasim's debut film and what it represents Connect with Kasim Hardaway:Website: https://www.kasimhardaway.com/ [https://www.kasimhardaway.com/]LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasimjhardaway/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasimjhardaway/]Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kasimjhardaway/ [https://www.instagram.com/kasimjhardaway/] Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ [https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/]Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com [https://ygnpodcast.com] Topics to keep: Leadership, Mental Health, BurnoutTopics to add if available: Identity, Personal Development, Creativity, Entrepreneurship
35 episodes
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