13: Amy Morin: The Therapist Who Wrote the List That Helped 50 Million People

For deeper reflections on work, resilience, and redefining the way we live, subscribe to the Success, Rewritten newsletter.Mental health and mental strength are not the same thing.Amy is a psychotherapist, host of the Mentally Stronger podcast, and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. Her TEDx Talk has been viewed over 24 million times. But the part of her story most people skip is where that list actually came from.She wrote it after losing both her mother and her husband by age 26. The viral article started as a letter to herself on one of her worst days. “I didn’t write this from the top of the mountain,” she told me. “I wrote it from the bottom of the valley”.What struck me most was that she almost let the world believe she had mastered the list. Instead, she decided to tell the truth about struggling with every single thing she wrote.We talked about why mental health and mental strength are not the same thing, why emotions aren’t positive or negative, and how your brain consistently underestimates what you can handle.This episode felt like an honest conversation about what helps when life breaks your heart.You’ll Learn:[00:00] Introduction[05:59] Only three days of bereavement leave, and America wonders why we can't grieve [10:08] What Amy’s coworkers did right when she came back to work as a widow [14:25] The absence of tears is not a sign of strength [17:05] The physical toll of grief that nobody warns you about[21:46] From a $15 internet article to seven books: how the mental strength franchise was built[29:58] Why mindfulness alone isn't enough, and what to do instead [35:15] Name it to tame it, the labels keeping you stuck [37:52] The two-minute gratitude flash that can turn your entire day around[41:46] Most executives can only name five feeling words, and that's a problem [46:09] Mental health and mental strength are not the same thingCheck out Amy's books here.Find more from Amy:Amy Morin, LCSW | Website | LinkedIn | Instagram Mentally Stronger Podcast | YouTubeFind more from Emily:Success, Rewritten | Website | InstagramEmily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | InstagramBipolar Brought Balance | Website | Instagram