Depresh Mode with John Moe Felicia Day on Depression, Anxiety, Achievement, Burnout, and Failed Prodigies
May 19, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Felicia Day, a celebrated writer and actor, opens up about her struggles with depression, anxiety, and burnout while navigating her high-achieving career in the entertainment industry. She shares insights from her audiobook, Third Eye, reflecting on her life as a prodigy and the pressures of perfectionism. Felicia discusses how turning her gaming experiences into creativity helped her regain purpose. She also emphasizes the importance of boundaries and self-care, especially after the challenges of parenthood and a pandemic.
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Failed Chosen One As Personal Mirror
- Felicia Day wrote Third Eye as a fantasy comedy about a chosen one who fails and later is forced to confront that low life.
- The story channels her own struggles with depression, anxiety, perfectionism, and self-image.
From TV Pitch To Solo Audio Project
- Felicia started Third Eye in 2015, pitched it to TV, shelved it, then wrote the entire audio version alone during COVID.
- She found the process unexpectedly transformative and better suited to her voice than TV development had been.
Prodigy Roots And The Guild Rescue
- Felicia traces lifelong anxiety to homeschooling, early prodigy identity, and sudden exposure in Hollywood at 20.
- She turned depressive gaming into The Guild, which temporarily restored purpose but later fueled burnout.
