Success Reimagined with Amna Shabbir MD

What does excellence actually look like, and when does pursuing high standards cross the line into perfectionism?

In this episode, Dr. Amna Shabbir sits down with success coach, author, TEDx speaker, and podcast host Brian Bartes to explore what nearly four decades of studying high achievers has taught him about meaningful success.

Brian explains why excellence happens long before anyone sees the results, why perfectionism can actually prevent us from performing at our best, and how our response to failure and feedback can reveal whether we're pursuing excellence or chasing perfection.

They also discuss why consistent action matters more than motivation, how to separate your identity from your outcomes, and what high performers do differently when things don't go according to plan.

Key Takeaways

• Excellence is built through the work no one sees.
• Perfectionism can prevent us from taking action and sharing our work.
• People pursuing excellence welcome feedback instead of fearing it.
• Failure is an event and an opportunity to learn, not an identity.
• Consistency matters more than waiting until you feel motivated.
• Focus on the few actions that create the biggest results, then do them repeatedly.

About Brian Bartes

Brian Bartes is a success coach, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and host of LifeExcellence with Brian Bartes. For decades, he has studied success, personal development, and the habits of high performers.

Through his results-driven coaching, Brian helps executives, entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals clarify what they want, develop effective success habits, and take consistent action toward meaningful goals.

He is also the author of four books, including Life Lessons: A Guide to Creating and Living Your Best Life.

Connect With Brian Bartes

Website: https://www.brianbartes.com
LifeExcellence Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zxe2G3kqgdEXJBwyLOssk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianebartes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbartes/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianbartes
X: https://x.com/BrianBartes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/brianbartes

About the Host

Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

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P.S. The sports references made in this episode correspond with the time of the recording

⚠️ Content Note: This episode discusses infertility, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, IVF, and reproductive health. Please take care while listening if these topics are difficult for you.

We plan for our careers, finances, and futures, but fertility is often left out until it feels urgent.

In this episode, Dr. Amna Shabbir speaks with fertility expert Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni about reproductive planning, the biological clock, and the myths that can shape fertility decisions. They discuss why high-achieving women may delay these conversations, how social media can create unrealistic expectations, and why infertility or pregnancy loss should never be viewed as personal failure.

They also explore perfectionism, control, and the importance of making informed fertility decisions based on accurate medical guidance rather than fear, shame, or someone else's timeline.

Key Takeaways

• Why fertility planning deserves proactive attention
• What the biological clock means for fertility
• How social media can create misleading expectations
• Why fertility struggles are not personal failures
• How perfectionism and control affect the fertility journey
• Why informed conversations with fertility experts matter
• How workplaces can better support reproductive health

About Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni
Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni is a double board-certified fertility physician, academic leader, and national speaker on reproductive empowerment for professional women. Originally from Greece, she trained at Cornell, Drexel, Georgetown, and Harvard Medical School before joining Johns Hopkins, where she serves as Medical Director of the Fertility Center and founder and director of the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Center.

Through her clinical work, leadership, and LEAD Framework™, she helps high-performing women turn fertility uncertainty into strategic clarity while helping organizations create more supportive cultures around reproductive health.

Connect with Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmoragiannifertility/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moragianni/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasiliki-a-moragianni-md-ms-facog-40632957

About the Host
Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.

What makes someone a true thought leader?

Dr. Amna Shabbir sits down with Allison Potts, Senior Director of Content at Community.co (the team behind renowned communities such as Forbes Councils), to talk about authenticity, expertise, AI, creativity, and perfectionism.

Allison shares what makes thought leadership stand out, why expertise requires more than sounding confident, and how AI can support content without replacing the human voice. She also reflects on her journey from electrical engineering to publishing, leadership, and writing seven fiction books.

Together, they explore why you don’t need a huge platform, or perfect ideas, to start sharing something meaningful.

Key Takeaways

• Thought leadership should inspire people to think or act differently.
• Expertise can come from credentials, experience, or both—but honesty matters.
• Authentic stories and personality make content more memorable.
• Perfectionism can hold people back from sharing valuable ideas.
• AI is a useful tool, but it should not replace your voice or perspective.
• You don’t need a big audience to start building thought leadership.
• Strong leadership means helping people shine without making them copies of you.
• Success can mean feeling confident and comfortable with the choices you’ve made.

About Allison Potts

Allison Potts serves as the Senior Director of Content at Community.co, where her team of editors publishes hundreds of executive thought leadership articles every week. It's a role that requires a balance between publishing, strategy, and people management. After more than twenty years working across content, sales, and marketing, it's also one she's well suited for.

What makes her background a little unexpected is where it started: a degree in Electrical Engineering from NC State. While self-described as being a geek and a reformed engineer, that foundation never really went away. It shows up in how she thinks about AI, technology trends, and the mechanics of why content either works or doesn't, with a perspective that tends to be more grounded than the conversation usually gets.

Outside of her work helping executives find and sharpen their professional voice, Allison writes fiction under the name Allie Potts. She's produced seven books, contributed to multiple short story anthologies, and has appeared on a handful of literary podcast appearances to promote her science fiction, mystery, and contemporary fiction. While on the surface this may come across as a diverse range of interests, throughout her professional and personal experience is a genuine curiosity about what makes people want to engage with ideas in the first place. Sometimes she’s funny. Occasionally, it is even intentional.

Connect with Allison Potts

• Website: https://alliepottswrites.com/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliepottswrites/
• Mastodon: https://alliepottswrites.com/2022/11/12/so-you-decided-to-join-mastodon-now-what/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alliepottswrites

About the Host

Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.

Your child’s schedule can be full while their joy is disappearing.

In this episode of Success Reimagined, Dr. Amna Shabbir welcomes back Dr. Stuart Slavin, pediatrician, medical educator, and author of The Success Trap, for an honest conversation about achievement pressure, perfectionism, and youth mental health.

Dr. Slavin explains why conversations about teen anxiety and depression need to look beyond smartphones and social media to the academic demands, competitive activities, and constant comparisons shaping childhood. Together, they explore how children begin tying their worth to their grades—and why parents can feel just as trapped by the pressure to succeed.

They also discuss practical ways to create a healthier balance: making room for play, celebrating qualities beyond achievement, and helping children respond to disappointment with self-compassion. 

This conversation offers parents permission to reconsider what success looks like—and explore a path that makes room for ambition, well-being, and joy.

Key Takeaways

• How achievement pressure and social media can reinforce each other.
• Why perfectionism, comparison, and tying identity to performance can leave children feeling inadequate.
• How to shift conversations from grades toward learning, effort, kindness, and creativity.
• Why children need to hear that your love does not depend on their performance.
• What Dr. Slavin’s work in medical education reveals about supporting well-being and academic success together.

About Dr. Stuart Slavin
Stuart Slavin, MD, MEd, is a pediatrician, medical educator, nationally recognized leader in well-being, and author of The Success Trap: How the Pressure to Stand Out Is Fueling Anxiety, Depression, and Burnout in Teens—and the Fundamental Fix They Deserve. For more than four decades, he has worked to create healthier environments where children, students, and physicians can learn, grow, and thrive. Through his research and educational leadership, he helps parents, educators, and communities rethink achievement pressure and support young people in flourishing—not simply achieving.

Listen to my first episode with Dr. Slavin - Ep 10. Dr. Stuart Slavin on Medical Training, Mental Health & Culture Change - Unmasking Perfectionism Series - https://dramnashabbir.transistor.fm/episodes/ep-10-dr-stuart-slavin-on-medical-training-mental-health-culture-change-unpacking-perfectionism

Connect with Dr. Stuart Slavin

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drstuartslavin/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-slavin-md-med-5b64106
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrStuartSlavin
• Website: https://drstuartslavin.com/
• Book: The Success Trap

About the Host

Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.

In this episode, Dr. Amna Shabbir sits down with bestselling author, speaker, and entrepreneur Jess Ekstrom to explore how we can pursue meaningful success without losing ourselves in the process.

Jess explains why reaching the next milestone rarely creates the lasting fulfillment we expect, how the “post-achievement letdown” keeps high achievers chasing more, and why deciding what is enough is essential for sustainable ambition.

They also discuss perfectionism, imposter feelings, motherhood, and Jess’s experience with postpartum depression. Jess shares how becoming a mother changed her identity, priorities, and relationship with productivity, and why successful women should be more transparent about the support that makes their work possible.

Jess also reflects on her entrepreneurial journey, the importance of leading with clarity instead of trying to be liked, and her mission to help more women share their ideas from the stage.

This conversation is an honest reminder that ambition itself isn’t the problem. What matters is who you become along the way, and whether you view the space between where you are and where you want to be as a painful deficit or an exciting experiment.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why accomplishments don’t always create fulfilment
• What causes the post-achievement letdown
• How to define what “enough” means in your current season
• Why caring less about others’ perceptions can improve your work
• How motherhood can reshape identity and ambition
• Why clarity is one of the kindest qualities a leader can offer
• How to view your ambitions as an experiment rather than a deficit

About Jess Ekstrom
Jess Ekstrom is the founder of Headbands of Hope and Mic Drop Workshop, investor in women, best selling author, Forbes Top Rated Speaker and mom.

Her first brush with success was selling all of her toys on eBay when she was twelve. Since then, Jess and her companies have been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America and more. More importantly, her companies have helped millions of women and girls around the world.

She’s the bestselling author of Chasing the Bright Side and Making it Without Losing it. Her hobbies include writing, hiking, board games with her husband,

Connect with Jess Ekstrom
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jess_ekstrom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessekstrom

X: www.twitter.com/jess_ekstrom

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jessekstrom

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-ekstrom-59160342/

Mic Drop Workshop: https://micdropworkshop.com/

Website: https://jessekstrom.com/

About the Host

Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.

A great workplace culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built intentionally.

In this episode, Dr. Amna Shabbir sits down with Sandy Ball, Chief People Officer and award-winning HR executive, for a practical conversation about workplace culture, leadership, career growth, and creating environments where people can actually thrive.

Sandy shares what she has learned from more than two decades in HR, including why employees need to own their careers instead of waiting for their managers to do it for them, how connection builds trust and collaboration, and why company values have to be more than words on a wall.

They also explore the leadership mistakes that can contribute to burnout, including unclear expectations, poor feedback, and promoting high performers without teaching them how to lead people. Sandy explains why leaders need intentional development and why listening to employees is essential as workplace cultures evolve.

Plus, Sandy opens up about her own experience with perfectionism, why taking risks and experiencing failure can make us stronger, and how her definition of success has shifted from titles and recognition to making a meaningful difference in someone else’s life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why and how to take ownership of your own career
• The unwritten workplace rules that can shape career growth
• How connection creates collaboration, trust, and innovation
• Why company values need to influence hiring, feedback, and accountability
• How unclear expectations can contribute to leadership burnout
• Why new managers need support and leadership development
• How perfectionism can prevent high achievers from taking necessary risks
• Why progress, failure, and adversity are essential for growth
• How Sandy has reimagined what success means to her

About Sandy Ball

Sandy Ball, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is a seasoned Human Resources executive, culture builder, and talent strategist who has spent more than two decades helping organizations grow by investing in their people. As Chief People Officer, Sandy Ball is the Queen of Culture 👑. She leads Aspida’s core HR functions—benefits, payroll, employee relations, and recruiting—while also overseeing marketing, communications, social media, community outreach, and learning and development. Her big-picture vision brings a true wow factor to Aspida’s culture of collaboration, ownership, development, and exploration.

Sandy’s career spans HR leadership roles at the American Red Cross, General Electric, and Genworth Financial. Her work has earned multiple honors, including the TBJ Community Champion Award (2025), a Bronze Stevie Award for CHRO of the Year (2024), and recognition as a Digital Insurance Women in Insurance Leadership winner (2019). Sandy is also a speaker, author, and passionate advocate for helping people navigate the transition from college to career.

Connect with Sandy Ball

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spark_4impact/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-ball-sphr-shrm-scp-ab844a11/ 

Aspida LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspida-insurance 

About the Host

Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.

⚠️Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of suicide, mental health conditions and death. Listener discretion is advised. Please call or text 988 for support.

A child can look okay on the outside and still be struggling.

In this episode, Dr. Amna Shabbir sits down with child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Zheala Qayyum for an honest conversation about youth mental health, suicide prevention, parenting, perfectionism, and the emotional toll patient suicide can have on physicians.

Dr. Qayyum shares what she is seeing on the front lines of child and adolescent psychiatry, including the growing pressure young people face from social media, academics, world events, family stress, and the constant stimulation of modern life. She explains why parents should lead with curiosity, pay attention to subtle changes, and create a home environment where difficult conversations about mental health feel safe.

They also explore what happens when a physician loses a patient to suicide. Dr. Qayyum opens up about the guilt, self-doubt, and grief she experienced after losing young patients and why clinicians need support rather than silence after these losses. She also shares three important steps for physicians navigating patient suicide: acknowledge the loss, rebuild confidence, and give yourself permission to grieve.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Talking about suicide does not put the idea in your child’s head. Asking directly can give them the language and safety to share what they are already thinking or feeling.
• Lead with curiosity instead of judgment. Saying, “I noticed something is different. What’s going on?” can open the door to a deeper conversation.
• Every behavior can be a form of communication. What looks like attention-seeking, avoidance, or a “mental health day” may be a child trying to express distress they do not yet know how to explain.
• Your job is not to protect your child from every uncomfortable experience. It is to support them as they learn how to handle stress, disappointment, anxiety, and setbacks.
• Physicians need space to grieve patient loss too. Losing a patient to suicide can deeply affect confidence, identity, and clinical decision-making, and clinicians should not have to navigate that grief alone.

About Dr. Zheala Qayyum

Dr. Zheala Qayyum is a child and adolescent psychiatrist based in Boston, with faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Yale School of Medicine. She completed fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry and consultation-liaison psychiatry, followed by a Master’s in Medical Education at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Qayyum’s scholarly work spans medical education, the impact of patient suicide on psychiatrists, autism spectrum disorders, inpatient care of early psychosis, and youth suicide risk, including firearm-related risk. Her academic and clinical interests include supervision and mentorship, as well as psycho-oncology and palliative care.

In addition to her academic roles, she serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve Medical Corps. She was deployed to Afghanistan and was later mobilized in support of the COVID-19 response in New York.

Connect with Dr. Zheala Qayyum
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zheeque/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zheala-qayyum-md-mmsc-b950b336

X: https://x.com/ZhealaQayyum

About the Host
Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.

Your child can look successful and still be struggling.

In this episode, Dr. Amna Shabbir sits down with mother-daughter duo Teri and Ella Macduff, founders of Chasing Red Flags, for an honest conversation about perfectionism, parenting, mental health, and the pressure young people face today.

Ella shares how anxiety, unhealthy relationships, social media, and the need to appear “fine” affected her mental health. Teri reflects on what she learned as a parent, including the importance of moving from fixing to listening and creating a space where kids feel safe being themselves.

They also explore how parents can unintentionally pass down perfectionism, why failure helps build resilience, and how honesty can create stronger relationships. Plus, they share the story behind their Let’s Get Real guided journal and its therapist-approved prompts for deeper self-reflection and connection.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• A child can look successful and still be struggling. Good grades, achievements, and a busy schedule do not always reflect what is happening internally.
• Stop fixing and start listening. Ask, “Do you want me to listen, or do you want me to help?” before jumping into problem-solving.
• Parents can unintentionally pass down perfectionism. Pressure to do things “the right way” can teach children that mistakes are unacceptable.
• Failure helps build resilience. Kids need space to make mistakes, recover, and learn that they can handle setbacks.
• Your child is not you, and that’s a good thing. The goal is to guide them while still allowing them to develop their own identity, path, and way of doing things.

About Teri and Ella Macduff

Teri and Ella Macduff are the mother-daughter founders behind Chasing Red Flags, a mental wellness brand built on the belief that the “red flags” in our lives are often the signals pointing us toward growth and self-awareness. Together they co-wrote Let’s Get Real, a 364-page guided journal with 240 therapist-approved prompts designed to help people reflect more honestly, understand themselves better, and have deeper conversations with others. Through their work, they encourage people to stop hiding their struggles and start turning those red flags into roadmaps for healing and change.

Connect with About Teri and Ella Macduff

WEBSITE https://chasingredflags.com/

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFFBJDJ6

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/chasingredflagsofficial/

TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@chasingredflagsofficial?_t=ZT-8ypXChI3QlR&_r=1

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/share/1YdN7v8PxV/?mibextid=wwXIfr

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@chasingredflags

Where to Get The Book “Let’s Get Real”

You can find Let’s Get Real in a few different ways depending on where you live:

Digital journal available worldwide (instant download): https://chasingredflags.com/

Hardcover on Website (US): https://chasingredflags.com/

Hardcover on Amazon  (US, Mexico & Canada): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFFBJDJ6

About the Host
Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.

What if workplace wellness is failing because we keep trying to fix people instead of fixing the systems around them?

In this episode, Dr. Amna Shabbir sits down with Derek Bell, MS, CWP, Vice President of Solutions and Clinical Operations at Vital WorkLife, to rethink what well-being really means at work.

Derek explains why yoga classes, mindfulness apps, resilience training, and wellness perks can only go so far when employees are dealing with understaffing, heavy workloads, limited autonomy, and poor leadership. They explore what organizations can do differently to create workplaces where people actually feel seen, supported, and able to thrive.

They also discuss purpose, “deep gladness,” perfectionism, and why progress, experimentation, and connection may matter more than chasing an ideal version of wellness.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Workplace wellness must address root causes, not just symptoms of burnout.
• Resilience training cannot compensate for broken systems, understaffing, or overwhelming workloads.
• Leadership, autonomy, psychological safety, and feeling heard are critical to employee well-being.
• Organizations should measure outcomes like retention, burnout, patient experience, and performance, not just wellness-program participation.
• True well-being is deeply connected to meaning, purpose, identity, and contribution.
• Perfectionism can limit experimentation and growth; progress requires accepting some messiness.
• Wellness is less about constantly doing more and more about creating conditions where people can truly flourish.

About Derek Bell
Derek Bell is Vice President of Solutions and Clinical Operations at VITAL WorkLife and a nationally recognized expert in workplace health and well-being. He has led enterprise-wide well-being strategies and previously served in leadership roles with the National Wellness Institute and Ascension.

Derek also teaches “Finding Purpose and Meaning in Our Work” in the MBA program at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and hosts the podcast Highway to Well with Derek Bell. He is a Certified Wellness Practitioner with decades of experience helping organizations build healthier, more connected cultures.

Connect with Derek Bell

Derek Bell Wellness - Connect. Create. Contribute. Care. Listen to the Highway to Well podcast here.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-bell-64040172/

VITAL WorkLife: Posts | LinkedIn

About the Host
Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.

⚠️Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of death, divorce and postpartum depression. Listener discretion is advised.

We don’t know how to allow grief in our modern society. 

You can keep achieving, stay productive, and appear completely fine, but that does not mean you are not grieving.

In this deeply honest conversation, Dr. Amna Shabbir sits down with certified grief support specialist and Grieve Leave founder Rebecca Feinglos to explore why high achievers often feel they are not allowed to pause, fall apart, or acknowledge loss.

Rebecca explains that grief is not limited to death. It can accompany divorce, illness, career changes, identity shifts, graduation, motherhood, and even positive life transitions. She shares how losing both of her parents, ending her marriage, and stepping away from work for a year forced her to stop trying to outperform her pain and finally make space for it.

Together, Dr. Shabbir and Rebecca examine the powerful intersection between grief and perfectionism, including the pressure to appear strong, grieve “correctly,” and return to normal as quickly as possible. Rebecca also offers practical advice for supporting someone through loss, from what to say instead of “everything will be okay” to why specific offers of help are more valuable than “let me know if you need anything.”

This conversation is a compassionate reminder that grief is not weakness, sadness is not its only expression, and healing does not require you to leave your loss behind.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why grief can arise from any meaningful loss or life transition
• How high achievement and perfectionism can become forms of emotional avoidance
• Why there is no correct timeline or “right” way to grieve
• What not to say to someone experiencing loss
• How to offer practical, specific support instead of placing the burden on the grieving person
• Why checking in months or years later can be more meaningful than reaching out only during the immediate aftermath
• How accepting grief can create more authenticity, connection, and emotional freedom

About Rebecca Feinglos

Rebecca Feinglos is a certified grief support specialist, founder of Grieve Leave, and host of the podcast Grief’d Up. After losing her mother as a teenager, her father suddenly in 2020, and her marriage in a drawn-out divorce, Rebecca took a year-long “grief sabbatical” — a journey that sparked a global community helping thousands make space for loss with honesty, humor, and practical support.

Today, Grieve Leave reaches millions worldwide through education, storytelling, and workplace training, all aimed at building a more grief-informed world. Rebecca’s work has been featured in TIME, LA Times, Fortune, Slate, and more for her raw, relatable voice on grief. A former educator and senior policy advisor, Rebecca holds degrees from Duke University and the University of Chicago. She splits her time between Durham, North Carolina, and Montreal, with her senior dogs, Daisy Duke and Ralphie.

Connect with Rebecca Feinglos

Website - Grieve Leave Website
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/grieveleave/?hl=en
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/grieveleave/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/grieve-leave/posts/?feedView=all 

About the Host
Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Workplace Wellness, Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the well-being of High Achievers.

✅Want to explore Corporate Wellness Consulting and Fractional Well-being Officer work With Dr. Shabbir?

Learn More:

https://dramnashabbir.com/corporate-wellness-consulting/ 

Connect with Dr. Shabbir

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

📹 Watch Dr. Shabbir's TEDx Talk

Perfectionism Has A Solution - It is Not What You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNIzzM4Vg3s&t=3s  

🌍 Want to Book Dr. Shabbir to Speak at your event or organization?

Reach out at: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/Speaking 

✨ What Type of Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Success?

Take the FREE 3-minute quiz and discover your predominant perfectionism pattern (Self-Critic? Frustrated Fixer? Performer? Sustainable High-Achiever?). You'll get a personalized podcast episode designed for YOUR type + a complete resource guide with tools for boundaries, impostorism, nervous system regulation, and more.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://www.dramnashabbir.com/quiz 

❌ Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect those of any employer or institution.

❤️ Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

Share it with a colleague, peer, or friend who needs this message.