My guest today asked herself a question a lot of us are afraid to ask: was she building a life that was truly hers, or one designed to prove she had overcome her past?

She grew up below the poverty line, in a home without running water and shaped by instability, and she put herself through school as a single parent. On top of that, she built a career of more than twenty-five years in the financial industry, leading strategy for multinational corporations, global risk management teams, and large-scale technology programs. She holds an MBA in Leadership and a Master of Arts in Humanities, holds numerous coaching accreditations, teaches leadership and risk management at two universities, and is completing her training as a Student Therapist in supervision through the Ontario Psychotherapy and Counselling College. Today she is the founder of Percepta Leadership, which provides psychotherapy for leaders and executives, and the Center for Applied Psychodynamics, which provides specialized coach training.

She left the corner office to help other high achievers understand what is really driving them. Join me as we think outside the lines with Tanna Brodbar.

In this episode, we explore:

Achievement as a survival strategy, and the shame that can quietly power a whole career

The difference between "it's not enough" and "I'm not enough," and why success can't fix the second one

Growing up below the poverty line and building an executive life on top of it

The moment she realized she was genuinely good, that she had enough

Why most people don't lack ambition, they lack support and self-permission

The one mentor who treated her like a human being, and the difference it made

Leadership versus management: people as human beings, not human capital

How the pandemic cracked open bigger ques

tions about the human cost of success

Severance as an uncomfortably familiar picture of leaving your whole self at the office door

Building an internalized sense of security that no title, salary, or status can take away

Retraining as a psychotherapist mid-career, and letting two worlds collide

Resources & Links:

Connect with Tanna and learn more about her work → perceptaleadership.com and centerforappliedpsychodynamics.com

Ready to step off autopilot? Visit thinkoutsidethelines.com to access free worksheets designed to help you cut through the noise, ask the right questions, and finally hear yourself clearly

Explore 1:1 coaching and other resources at thinkoutsidethelines.com

Follow along on all platforms → @thinkoutsidethelines

Enjoyed the episode? Please share it with someone who might need to hear it, and subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.