Success, Fully Podcast

What if taking yourself - and your work - less seriously actually made you more effective?Before speaking to a room of MBA students at INSEAD, Catherine found herself acting from an old identity: polished, controlled and focused on performing well. Then during the Uber ride there, she made a different choice - to stop performing, have fun and just be present.The result was one of the most connected and enjoyable speaking experiences of her life.In this episode, Catherine and Ariana explore:• The difference between performance and presence• Why we believe seriousness makes us more credible• How external validation disconnects us from ourselves• Letting go of the outcome without letting go of excellence• Learning to receive recognition instead of deflecting it• Why play, authenticity, and enjoyment often create better resultsYou can care deeply about your work without sucking the joy out of your life. The real win isn’t only reaching the destination - it’s becoming someone who actually enjoys the journey on the way there.Where in your life could you stop performing and let yourself play?

What if the difference between discipline and self-abandonment isn’t what you’re doing - but what's driving it?In this episode, Ariana and I explore what happens when the same action can come from fear and pressure - “I have to do this” - or from choice, devotion and genuine desire - “I want to do this.”We talk about how to feel the difference in your body, why listening to yourself doesn’t always mean doing less, and whether it’s possible to work hard toward something meaningful without making yourself miserable along the way.

What happens when pushing through stops serving you?In this episode, Ariana and I talk about listening to your body, not optimizing every part of your life, and noticing when discipline starts to become self-abandonment. We explore the tension between what your mind says you should do and what your body is actually asking for.

I went from Princeton to Facebook to building and selling a company, achieving nearly everything I thought I wanted. But somewhere along the way, I lost connection with myself.In this first episode, Ariana and I talk about ambition, productivity, self-worth, and what happens when success doesn’t feel the way you expected it to. We explore how to keep pursuing meaningful goals without postponing your happiness or losing yourself in the process.