You’re showing up, doing the work, checking the boxes, but something feels…off. You’re not falling apart, but you’re not really okay either. And you’re certainly not alone. This week on Hello Monday, Dr. Judith Joseph joins Jessi Hempel to name and unpack this experience: high functioning depression.

Dr. Judith is a board-certified psychiatrist, researcher, and educator at Columbia and NYU. Her new book, High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy, offers a roadmap for understanding and addressing a kind of mental health struggle that often goes unnoticed—and untreated.

Together, Dr. Judith and Jessi explore:

• What high functioning depression looks like—and how to recognize it in yourself and others

• The five Vs method for healing: Validation, Values, Venting, Vitals, and Vision

• The power of naming hard feelings like anhedonia

• Why we must treat mental health as proactively as physical health

• How small steps can help us reclaim joy

This episode is a starting point for anyone who feels stuck in the motions but wants more from their life.