In this episode of the Impostor Syndrome Files, we talk about unhappy achievers. We talk far more often about impostor syndrome than we do unhappy achievers yet both are rooted in an unhealthy relationship with achievement. This week, I’m talking with Josh Dodes, a psychotherapist who coined the term “unhappy achievers” to describe professionals who feel unsatisfied, or even empty, despite their high levels of success. Here we talk about the similarities and differences between unhappy achievers and those who struggle with impostor syndrome. We also talk about what we can do as parents to minimize the threat of unhealthy attachments to achievement. And we explore how to know when it’s time to seek help.
About My Guest
Josh Dodes is a psychotherapist in private practice in the Philadelphia area. He studied psychology at Yale, received his master’s degree from NYU, and trained at the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center in New York. He coined the term "Unhappy Achievers" in 2017 and was asked to write a blog on the topic for Psychology Today-- a blog which has now connected with more than 150,000 readers. Josh is also a former professional musician who toured internationally with his own band (the Josh Dodes Band, which starred on VH1’s Emmy-nominated Bands on the Run) and as a band member for dozens of other artists. This experience before becoming a psychotherapist led him to be particularly familiar with the emotional struggles of high-achieving performers.
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Connect with Josh:
Website: www.unhappyachievers.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joshdodes
Fast Company article: https://www.fastcompany.com/91228056/why-some-of-the-highest-achievers-are-painfully-unhappy-according-to-a-yale-trained-psychotherapist
Psychology Today blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/unhappy-achievers
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