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I’ve long seen myself as a high achiever—focused, driven, determined to outwork any shortcoming.
That mindset has shaped every chapter of my life: as an athlete, student, writer, and now, podcaster.
But with that drive came a cost. Beneath it was fear—unprocessed pain and a scarcity mindset born of old wounds. And while it pushed me forward, it also narrowed my view, leaving blind spots in the areas of life that matter most. Sometimes, at a cost to myself—and to those I love.
My guest today is Dr. Judith Joseph, a Harvard-educated psychiatrist, NYU Medical School professor, and expert on high-functioning depression. As Principal Investigator and owner at Manhattan Behavioral Medicine, she researches why accomplished people struggle to experience joy. Her work explores the relationship between achievement and anhedonia—the inability to feel pleasure despite success—and helps deconstruct the masochistic patterns that drive productivity while blocking satisfaction.
“You were built with the DNA for joy. It is literally built into your DNA, but you just forgot how to access it.”
– DR. JUDITH JOSEPH
Today, we discuss:
- High Functioning Depression & Anhedonia
- The Hidden Masochism Beneath Achievement
- Brain Chemistry & The Joy Connection
- The Revolutionary “5 V’s” Framework
- Technology’s Impact On Mental Health
For those who prefer a visual experience, the conversation is available on YouTube. As always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Peace + Plants,
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- Connect with Dr. Judith: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | TikTok
- Book: High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy
- Psychology Today: Judith Joseph, M.D.
- Today: How to identify high functioning depression and how to reclaim joy
- Los Angeles Times: Avoiding your problems with work? You might have ‘high-functioning’ depression
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Thank The Team: I do not do this alone. Send your love to Jason Camiolo for audio engineering, production, show notes and interstitial music; with additional audio engineering by Cale Curtis and additional music by Moby; Dan Drake & Morgan McCrae for video, & editing; graphics by graphics by Alejandro Ribadeneira & Bryan Lawrence; portraits by Davy Greenberg; copywriting by Ben Pryor; and theme music by Tyler Piatt, Trapper Piatt & Hari Mathis.
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