Guilt, imposter syndrome & doing good: 16 past guests share their mental health journeys
Apr 11, 2025
auto_awesome
This conversation features Tim LeBon, a perfectionism therapist; Hannah Ritchie, a data researcher; Christian Ruhl, a grantmaker and stutterer; Will MacAskill, a moral philosopher; and Ajeya Cotra, a grant maker addressing research challenges. They discuss how moral perfectionism can harm self-identity, the toll of imposter syndrome in high-stakes environments, and the necessity of self-acceptance. They share personal struggles with guilt, anxiety, and the balance between making an impact while maintaining mental well-being. Their insights offer a roadmap for navigating emotional barriers in the pursuit of doing good.
Moral perfectionism often leads to harsh self-criticism and a distorted sense of self-worth, fostering anxiety and shame.
High-achieving individuals commonly experience imposter syndrome, which can severely affect their productivity and mental health.
Understanding the evolutionary purpose of emotions like anxiety and depression can promote better emotional regulation and acceptance.
Creating supportive work environments and prioritizing self-care are essential for maintaining mental health in high-impact jobs.
Deep dives
Understanding Moral Perfectionism
Moral perfectionism revolves around linking one's identity to moral worth, where individuals set exceedingly high and inflexible standards for themselves, often striving to do the maximum good at all times. This relentless pursuit can lead to fears of failure and a tendency to procrastinate or avoid challenging tasks altogether. Such high aspirations often result in harsh self-criticism when goals are not met, fostering feelings of shame and self-loathing. It's crucial to acknowledge that shame is generally counterproductive while guilt can sometimes lead to positive changes; thus, individuals must learn to differentiate between constructive and destructive emotional responses.
The Challenges of High-Achieving Individuals
High-achieving individuals often grapple with profound feelings of inadequacy, as discussed by a former CEO who experiences daily mental health struggles, including anxiety and imposter syndrome. This constant self-doubt can severely impact productivity, leading to a decline in performance as they fixate on their perceived failures. Even routine tasks can become overwhelming, with anxiety manifesting in physical symptoms that hinder concentration. The importance of self-reflection and the acknowledgment of intrinsic self-worth are essential for coping with these feelings and maintaining motivation.
The Function of Anxiety and Depression
Addressing the evolutionary roots of emotions, a psychiatrist explained that feelings like anxiety and depression serve crucial survival functions, adapting humans to respond effectively to threats. Anxiety, for instance, alerts individuals to potential losses or dangers, whereas depression can indicate the need for rest or reevaluation of life's goals. Understanding these emotions through an evolutionary lens can help people accept their presence while also promoting constructive emotional regulation. This shift in perspective can lead to improved mental health by reframing emotional responses as adaptive rather than merely detrimental.
Impact of Optimization Culture
The culture of optimization, where high-impact individuals continuously strive for the most effective methods and outcomes, can create a detrimental cycle of self-criticism and feelings of inadequacy. Questions surrounding performance invariably lead to internal dialogues focused on deficits and how one could do better, thereby amplifying imposter syndrome. Addressing this requires a fundamental shift in mindset, where individuals learn to separate their self-worth from their performance metrics. Striving for excellence rather than perfection can alleviate pressure and foster a healthier relationship with one’s work.
Navigating Work-Related Guilt and Shame
Many individuals, particularly those in impactful jobs, struggle with pervasive feelings of guilt and shame tied to their productivity levels and the perceived goodness of their work. A charity director shared experiences of debilitating guilt when not meeting personal expectations, which ultimately hindered their capacity to perform. The realization that guilt and shame are often counterproductive led to a strategic shift towards understanding and addressing one's emotional responses rather than ignoring them. Creating a supportive work environment that encourages discussions on mental health can minimize these feelings and foster healthier coping strategies.
Emphasizing Self-Care in Challenging Work
In high-stress roles that confront difficult realities, such as factory farming, prioritizing self-care is essential for maintaining mental health. The former CEO of an animal welfare organization shared her experiences with despondency due to the scale of suffering witnessed in her work, which ultimately prompted significant lifestyle changes to regain her mental well-being. Implementing routines that emphasize physical and mental health, such as regular exercise and sufficient sleep, is vital. Encouraging open discussions and providing resources for mental health support are critical components of sustaining individuals in challenging work environments.
Redefining Success and Personal Goals
Individuals facing mental health challenges often need to redefine their personal goals and expectations to maintain a sense of well-being. A former CEO discussed the importance of not delaying living life to the fullest due to ongoing struggles with mental health, emphasizing that one's purpose should not be forfeited for the sake of an elusive 'fix.' Finding a balance between personal responsibilities and mental health needs can create a sustainable path forward, wherein individuals can pursue fulfilling lives without the pressure of perfection. Recognizing the value in achieving a minimal viable project can help maintain motivation while prioritizing mental wellness.
"We are aiming for a place where we can decouple the scorecard from our worthiness. It’s of course the case that in trying to optimise the good, we will always be falling short. The question is how much, and in what ways are we not there yet? And if we then extrapolate that to how much and in what ways am I not enough, that’s where we run into trouble." —Hannah Boettcher
What happens when your desire to do good starts to undermine your own wellbeing?
Over the years, we’ve heard from therapists, charity directors, researchers, psychologists, and career advisors — all wrestling with how to do good without falling apart. Today’s episode brings together insights from 16 past guests on the emotional and psychological costs of pursuing a high-impact career to improve the world — and how to best navigate the all-too-common guilt, burnout, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome along the way.
Mental Health Navigator is a service that simplifies finding and accessing mental health information and resources all over the world — built specifically for the effective altruism community
80,000 Hours’ former CEO Howie on what his anxiety and self-doubt feels like (00:03:47)
Evolutionary psychiatrist Randy Nesse on what emotions are for (00:07:35)
Therapist Hannah Boettcher on how striving for impact can affect our self-worth (00:13:45)
Luisa Rodriguez on grieving the gap between who you are and who you wish you were (00:16:57)
Charity director Cameron Meyer Shorb on managing work-related guilt and shame (00:24:01)
Therapist Tim LeBon on aiming for excellence rather than perfection (00:29:18)
Author Cal Newport on making time to be alone with our thoughts (00:36:03)
80,000 Hours career advisors Michelle Hutchinson and Habiba Islam on prioritising mental health over career impact (00:40:28)
Charity founder Sarah Eustis-Guthrie on the ups and downs of founding an organisation (00:45:52)
Our World in Data researcher Hannah Ritchie on feeling like an imposter as a generalist (00:51:28)
Moral philosopher Will MacAskill on being proactive about mental health and preventing burnout (01:00:46)
Grantmaker Ajeya Cotra on the psychological toll of big open-ended research questions (01:11:00)
Researcher and grantmaker Christian Ruhl on how having a stutter affects him personally and professionally (01:19:30)
Mercy For Animals’ CEO Leah Garcés on insisting on self-care when doing difficult work (01:32:39)
80,000 Hours’ former CEO Howie on balancing a job and mental illness (01:37:12)
Therapist Hannah Boettcher on how self-compassion isn’t self-indulgence (01:40:39)
Journalist Kelsey Piper on communicating about mental health in ways that resonate (01:43:32)
Luisa's outro (01:46:10)
Audio engineering: Ben Cordell, Milo McGuire, Simon Monsour, and Dominic Armstrong Content editing: Katy Moore and Milo McGuire Transcriptions and web: Katy Moore
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
