Right now, the world feels like it’s moving a mile a minute. News cycles are relentless, the pressure to keep up—professionally, personally, financially—is overwhelming. And beneath all that hustle, so many of us are quietly struggling. We feel disconnected, depleted… yet on the surface, everything looks “fine.”

That’s why today’s guest and conversation feel especially urgent.

Dr. Judith Joseph is a renowned psychiatrist, researcher, and media personality. Her new book, High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy, is putting a name to what so many high-achieving, outwardly successful people are feeling on the inside.

She introduces us to the concept of high-functioning depression—where you're still performing, still showing up, but joy and meaning are missing. And in this episode, Judith helps us understand the roots of this experience—trauma, relentless self-sacrifice, even our relationship with money—and how we can begin to heal using her powerful, evidence-based framework: the Five V’s.

What I especially love is her invitation to slow down—to pause, reflect, and reconnect with who we are beyond our productivity. In a time when everything feels uncertain and fast-moving, her message is a reminder that stillness is not weakness—it’s where clarity and joy can return.

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