
PLAYING-IT-SAFE
I'm Dr. Z., a clinical psychologist and an author. In PLAYING-IT-SAFE I will share with you research based-skills, interviews, readings, insights, tips, and all types of curated info to get unstuck from worries, anxieties, fears, obsessions, and ineffective playing-it-safe actions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Jan 13, 2021 • 15min
13. Dr. Z. on Mindfulness
Do you have to have a puppy face or a poker facer when practicing mindfulness? Is mindfulness different than meditation?Mindfulness is all over; in academic settings, social media, low-key conversations, tv shows, media news, and more. We're living in a mindfulness revolution. Yet, despite all the dissemination, there are still misconceptions about it. In this episode, Dr. Z discusses common myths about mindfulness, how to practice it, and how you can put it into action in your day-to-day life.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 9, 2020 • 15min
12. Dr. Z. on perfectionism (part 5)
In this episode, Dr. Z. speaks briefly about the intersection of procrastination and perfectionism. How, although they may seem to be different and isolated problems, they are in fact not.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 25, 2020 • 36min
11. Three micro-skills you need to know to make a pivot in your career
New episode: Interview with Dr. Cheryl Robinson, @embracethepivot, also known as the Queen of Pivoting.We chatted about how people make pivots in their careers and in their mindsets.In her research, Cheryl has identified 3 processes that help people to make a pivot; she shared the specifics of each one of them in our conversation. We also chatted about self-confidence and discussed how we think of it, what's similar, and what's different in our views.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 11, 2020 • 10min
10. Dr. Z. on perfectionism (part 4)
Is it wrong to pay attention to details? How does it really work? In this episode I discuss how selective attention leads us to perfectionistic behaviors and invite you to check the impact of those actions when doing things that you deeply care about.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 24, 2020 • 24min
9. How to approach perfectionistic behaviors without losing yourself
In this episode I chat with Clarissa Ong, a predoctoral intern at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. We discussed the difference between values and pliance, how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy approaches perfectionistic behaviors, what's unique about it, and how to pay attention to rules when wanting to do things right and perfect.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 8, 2020 • 10min
8. Dr. Z on perfectionism (part 3)
This is part 3 of a series of perfectionism. In this episode, I share five skills you can practice to handle the fear of making mistakes when it's getting in your way of living a rich, purposeful and meaningful life.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 30, 2020 • 30min
7. How to "get things done" in a sustainable, livable, and enjoyable way
In this episode, I chat with Elizabeth Saunders, a Time Coach that specializes in helping her clients to "get things done" in a way that is sustainable, livable and enjoyable. Elizabeth shares with us how she was playing-it-safe by working as much as she could, how she made the shift from being a human-doing to a human-being, how she approaches projects by considering seasonal distress, how she handles her fears of not doing things right, and how she overcomes anxious moments by taking action and getting experiential knowledge.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 16, 2020 • 7min
6. Dr. Z on perfectionism (part 2)
Are you invested in doing things right and perfect? Are you spending hours and hours getting things done to the point that you get trapped in your mind and don't take action. If the answer is yes, this is a series you can listen to. In this episode, I discuss what's behind those perfectionistic behaviors and what you can do to handle them effectively.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 28, 2020 • 34min
5. How to break the imposter syndrome cycle
In this episode I chat with Paul Jarvis, author of Company of One, and a proponent that "less is more" when running your business. In this conversation, you will hear how Paul handles his fears of making mistakes, impostor syndrome, how he went from writing a cooking book to writing Company of One, how he approaches larger projects, and who he would like to have a cup of coffee with.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 13, 2020 • 8min
4. Dr. Z on perfectionism (part 1)
Are you invested in doing things right and perfect? Are you spending hours and hours getting things done to the point that you get trapped in your mind and don't take action. If the answer is yes, this is a series you can listen to.(*) Show notes and resources of this episode(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.