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Overcoming Perfectionism with Social Psychologist Thomas Curran
Kat talks to social psychologist Thomas Curran for a fascinating exploration into perfectionism, productivity, and the pressure to constantly achieve more. Kat and Thomas challenge the societal obsession with constant growth and explore why we feel we're never "good enough." From the surprising economic roots of perfectionism to practical strategies for breaking free from its grip, they share tips on finding balance in a world that demands perfection. Thomas also shares his thoughts on the power of doing nothing and his life changing decision to give up alcohol.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The feeling of "not being good enough" is partly driven by our economy's need for constant consumption, which requires people to feel perpetually insufficient to drive purchasing behaviour.
- Success stories like Gymshark shouldn't be our only measure of achievement. We need to recalibrate and redefine what success means, recognising that making a decent living is enough.
- Perfectionism creates a gap between who we are and who we think we should be, this is driven more by the pressure to constantly achieve more.
- True rest and "doing nothing" can paradoxically be our most productive moments, allowing for creativity and lateral thinking that busy work prevents.
- Early morning exercise, even just 15 minutes, can transform your day - the key is making it easy and accessible rather than setting unrealistic expectations.
- Parents can integrate positive habits with family life rather than seeing them as separate activities, this can be anything, from family book clubs to exercise and walks.
- Phone addiction and constant screen time pull us away from being comfortable in our own skin, contributing to perfectionism and hyperactivity too.
- Small changes, like giving up alcohol, can have transformative effects on energy, presence, and productivity that exceed expectations.
BEST MOMENTS
"Growth doesn't thrive in abundance, it thrives under scarcity... In order to have growth, there has to be deficit."
"We live in supply side economies where consumption is a big part of everything... if we need to consume all the time to keep our economy growing, that means that we need to feel inferior all the time."
"I think we should be lounging about wasting days more, human beings need to be contemplative, resting just as much as they need to work."
"When you become a parent, you realise that you're reduced to nothing more than a helpless spectator. So ultimately they're in control anyway."
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Thomas Curran
ABOUT THE HOST
Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.
She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.
View all episodes
By Kat ThorneKat talks to social psychologist Thomas Curran for a fascinating exploration into perfectionism, productivity, and the pressure to constantly achieve more. Kat and Thomas challenge the societal obsession with constant growth and explore why we feel we're never "good enough." From the surprising economic roots of perfectionism to practical strategies for breaking free from its grip, they share tips on finding balance in a world that demands perfection. Thomas also shares his thoughts on the power of doing nothing and his life changing decision to give up alcohol.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The feeling of "not being good enough" is partly driven by our economy's need for constant consumption, which requires people to feel perpetually insufficient to drive purchasing behaviour.
- Success stories like Gymshark shouldn't be our only measure of achievement. We need to recalibrate and redefine what success means, recognising that making a decent living is enough.
- Perfectionism creates a gap between who we are and who we think we should be, this is driven more by the pressure to constantly achieve more.
- True rest and "doing nothing" can paradoxically be our most productive moments, allowing for creativity and lateral thinking that busy work prevents.
- Early morning exercise, even just 15 minutes, can transform your day - the key is making it easy and accessible rather than setting unrealistic expectations.
- Parents can integrate positive habits with family life rather than seeing them as separate activities, this can be anything, from family book clubs to exercise and walks.
- Phone addiction and constant screen time pull us away from being comfortable in our own skin, contributing to perfectionism and hyperactivity too.
- Small changes, like giving up alcohol, can have transformative effects on energy, presence, and productivity that exceed expectations.
BEST MOMENTS
"Growth doesn't thrive in abundance, it thrives under scarcity... In order to have growth, there has to be deficit."
"We live in supply side economies where consumption is a big part of everything... if we need to consume all the time to keep our economy growing, that means that we need to feel inferior all the time."
"I think we should be lounging about wasting days more, human beings need to be contemplative, resting just as much as they need to work."
"When you become a parent, you realise that you're reduced to nothing more than a helpless spectator. So ultimately they're in control anyway."
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Thomas Curran
ABOUT THE HOST
Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.
She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.