Episode 023
Taking off the mask, being a high achiever with depression
with Emmy Rousseau
Emmy Rousseau is a high achiever that has depression (yes, both can be true).
For most of her life, people would look at her and think "she has it all." But behind the scenes, Emmy was drowning. She felt completely misunderstood and unseen, she felt like everything was so difficult, and she felt depressed.
But when she told people close to her what she was experiencing, they brushed it off. They gave her a reason (anything they could think of, really) why she was wrong. "You're not depressed, you're just _____." They used her results, achievements, and accolades as evidence that she wasn't depressed.
Now in her forties, Emmy is on "the brighter side" of her depression. She has accumulated so many incredible tools over the years that help her to get out of bed when she's feeling like crap (95% of the mornings) and have a meaningful, impactful, and positive day as often as she can. She also speaks openly about her depression to inspire others and help normalize the conversation.
In this episode, Emmy talks about:
Drowning at 14 while being a high achiever
Being told she was wrong and that her feelings weren't valid
Suppressing who she was to try to be the perfect student, person, etc.
Experiencing and expressing deep anger towards loved ones unintentionally
Being (mis)diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a 20-minute conversation
Trying to "fix" what was wrong with her
How comparing depression to diabetes completely shifted her perspective
Opening up about her depression to inspire others and normalize the conversation around it
Living life as her true, authentic self and why she'll never go back
Where you can find Emmy, her company, and resources she mentioned:
Emmy Speaker Reel
Book - Our Yellow Brick Road (Emmy is co-author): Amazon
Book - Limitless by Jim Kwik: Amazon
Learn more about Emmy's work with intenSati spiritual fitness
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