Shows
About ProgressWhy You Don’t Need to “Kill” Your Inner Critic || H&K with Nancy Jane SmithWhat if your anxiety wasn’t just about your thoughts—but your unfelt feelings? In this powerful clip, counselor Nancy Jane Smith breaks down why our inner critic (aka the “monger”) might feel like it's helping us succeed, but is actually holding us back. She shares how acknowledging your emotions—even for just 90 seconds—can change everything. If you’ve ever wrestled with perfectionism, burnout, or anxiety, this one will hit home.
Listen to the full episode here: https://www.aboutprogress.com/blog/https:%2F%2Faboutprogress-com%2Fnancy-jane-smith%2F
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2025-08-2310 min
Close the Chapter Podcast with Kristen Boice222.Understanding High Functioning Anxiety and the Keys to Working Through It with Nancy Jane Smith, Ms.Ed.In this episode, Kristen interviews Nancy Jane Smith, a licensed professional counselor and high functioning anxiety expert. They delve into the topic of high functioning anxiety, discussing its impact, strategies for coping with it, and the importance of self-loyalty. Nancy shares her personal journey and insights, offering valuable perspectives on understanding and navigating high functioning anxiety. www.nancyjanesmith.com Subscribe and get a free 5-day journal at www.kristendboice.com to begin closing the chapter on what doesn't serve you and open the door to the real you. This information is being provided to y...
2023-07-1946 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyWintering: Extended Conversation with Katherine MayWe hope you enjoy this super special bonus episode, here to tide you over until our next season begins in a few months. This is my extended conversation with Katherine May, author of the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. We talk about how to get through our winters, what we love about winter, and why different people need to rest in different ways.Listen to the full episode to hear:Nancy's extended conversation with Katherine May, author of Wintering and the forthcoming book Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age...
2023-02-0344 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyRest For All SeasonsHere it is, our final episode in our season all about rest! Remember in the first episode when Nancy talked to her friend Stephanie Pollock about the seven different types of rest? Well, for our last episode, we're coming full circle and talking to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith-- the physician, author, and researcher, who literally came up with that concept! We'll learn all about the seven different types of rest and how we can treat ourselves kindly when we feel exhausted.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal relationship with the...
2023-01-2026 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyHigh Functioning Anxiety and our Rules for RestOne thing you should know about people with High Functioning Anxiety-- we love our rules! Even when they don't help us live happy and healthy lives. In particular, I have A LOT of rules around rest. When I can rest, how I can rest, if I've earned the rest I'm taking. You get the idea. In this episode, I talk with one of my clients, Michelle, whose rules for rest are similar to my own. We talk about how we're learning to loosen up our rules, one step at a time.Listen to the full...
2023-01-0621 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyRest: WinteringHave you ever been through a period of your life where you felt like nothing was going right? And during that period, did you think: "Oh my god, what is WRONG with me?? I have to get out of this as fast as I can!!" Well, Nancy's been there. But after talking with Katherine May, author of the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, she learned that these difficult, dark periods are just a part of life. And it's the grace that we show ourselves as we get through them that really matters.
2022-12-0230 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyRest: The Dreaded Napping ExperimentMost people think that napping is great! A little break during the middle of the day. But Nancy HATES naps, with a fiery passion. They don't help her feel refreshed, and she just wakes up feeling yucky. But! She has a sinking suspicion that if she gave the whole napping thing a try her way, then maybe she could make napping work for her. So Nancy embarks on the dreaded NAPPING EXPERIMENT... DUN DUN DUN. And chats again with Dr. Sara Mednick to learn: what's so great about napping?Listen to the full episode to hear:
2022-11-1821 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyRest: Vacationing with High Functioning AnxietyWhen most people think of vacation, their thoughts are simple: awesome, great, I love to go on vacation, and this will be THE BEST. For people with High-Functioning Anxiety, vacation can be a lot more complicated than that. Resting sounds delightful, but it can cause anxiety to go even higher! Nancy shares why she both loves and hates vacations. Plus, she answers listener questions and gives concrete advice about how to actually have fun on your next vacation, even if you have High Functioning Anxiety.Listen to the full episode to hear:Nancy's personal r...
2022-11-0422 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyRest: Imagination, Mindfulness, and RestNancy has tried and tried again to be a consistent meditator. Everyone says it's the key to getting rid of anxiety! But the "traditional" ways of meditating that she's tried-- sitting on a pillow for 5 minutes a day thinking about *nothing*-- have NOT worked for her. That's why she got in touch with Jessica Snow. Jessica is a spiritual teacher and writer of guided meditations whose approach to mindfulness is anything but rigid. Jessica shares some tips for using your imagination to help make mindfulness work for you and even shares a short guided meditation with Nancy.
2022-10-1434 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyRest: SleepNothing hits harder over the age of 30 than a bad night of sleep. When Nancy thinks about rest, she automatically thinks about sleep, and how hard it can be to give ourselves the space to actually allow ourselves to get the full amount of sleep we need. Nancy talks about her personal "sleep rules" and how she's learning to bend them. And we talk to Dr. Sara Mednick, a cognitive neuroscience, author and sleep researcher about the truly magical things that our bodies do while our eyes are shut.Listen to the full episode to hear: N...
2022-09-3023 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyIntro to RestIn the first episode of our new season (!) Nancy wades into a topic that's both frustrated and fascinated her over the years-- rest. She grapples with why it's so hard for people like her with HFA to truly rest, and talks with her friend, Stephanie Pollock, about why rest is such a hot topic these days. This is just the first of our eight episode season all about rest-- so stay tuned for more!Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal relationship to rest, including why COVID has made resting even harder.
2022-09-1623 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyChange: Dear NancyIn our final episode of Season 3, Nancy reflects on all the thinking and learning she's done around change this season. She writes a letter to her younger self, looking back on how the big changes in her life have often come at her fast and furious, but always for the better. Then Nancy checks in with her husband Doug, about how they've both changed throughout their lives together. Finally, we hear a very special letter to Nancy's older self, 20 years in the future.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's reflections on change...
2022-06-1017 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyChange and ComparisonIn this episode Nancy reveals that she's *always* had a business nemesis. A person that she compares herself to when she feels like things aren't going great. And that really gets her Monger AND her BFF going at it! Nancy tells the story of how she confronted this comparison behavior head-on and speaks to Regan Walsh-- Chief Renegade Officer at Renegade Global-- about how tricky comparison can be when we're trying to make meaningful change.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal experiences with comparison and its negative effects on creating change.
2022-05-2719 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyChange and the BFFIn this episode, Nancy shares a relatable tale: her struggle to stay off social media. She made that change a while ago, but her BFF is always gunning for her to get back on. Especially when a really special opportunity presents itself... In this episode, we hear an exclusive interview between Nancy's BFF and her Biggest Fan, hashing out the pros and cons of social media, and how hard it is to make a lasting change when confronted with a decision between false self-compassion or true self-loyalty.Listen to the full episode to hear:...
2022-05-1316 minThe Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyChange in the BodyIn this episode Nancy shares the story we've all been waiting for... a little tale about a rogue Segway. But it's actually about a lot more than that. The Segway story brings Nancy to think about how she's viewed her body over the years, and the way that changes around our physical self can be tough. Then she talks to an expert practitioner and teacher of the Feldenkrais Method-- a movement practice that encourages gentle movement and bodily awareness to promote overall wellness. Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal story about c...
2022-04-2918 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyChange in the Emotion OceanNancy talks to a leading psychologist and expert in emotions, who tells her all about how our emotions can help us create change in our lives. She learns about the kind of self-reflective emotions-- like pride, jealousy, and embarrassment-- that can be a real challenge to untangle. Then she shares a story about a time when she felt totally lost in a sea of her own messy emotions, and how she learned how to pop her head out from under the water and float to shore. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's personal experiences with getting lost i...
2022-04-1515 min
A Therapist Can't Say ThatEp 02 - The Myth of the "Good Therapist" with Nancy Jane SmithIf you’re a therapist, even if you’re far from your practicum days, you can probably relate to the feeling of sitting in a session and being distracted by the thought of whether you’re living up to the standard of a good therapist.And you’ve probably had a moment where you’re sitting with a client or group and you heard something come out of your mouth and immediately thought, “That doesn’t sound like something a good therapist would say.”Who is this mythical good therapist? What are their qualities and where do those i...
2022-04-0552 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyBelieve in ChangeIn this episode, Nancy talks to an expert in creativity, who had to reevaluate her whole life and career when everything fell apart, then re-learn what she valued as she rebuilt her life from the ashes. But first, she tells us a story that illustrates some entrenched beliefs she had about herself for a long time, that she had to let go of in order to move forward. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's personal experiences with shaking off entrenched beliefs. - Tips and advice from Melissa Dinwiddie, Founder and CEO of Creative Sandbox Solutions. - How t...
2022-04-0115 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyChange in the BrainIn honor of my new course Self Loyalty School, this season we are looking at how to make change. In this episode, Nancy learns how hard it is to form habits and goals all from a psychologist and neuroscience expert! She tells us about her journey to accept her new physical limitations in her workouts, and why learning about how change works on a scientific level, can make space for kindness and grace. Nancy talks with Dr. Elliot Berkman, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon who studies the science of habits. He'll tell us what's really going on...
2022-03-1824 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyBut Can I Change?In the first episode of our new season, Nancy brings us on a personal journey of change through self-loyalty. She describes how she embarked on the most self-loyal year she's ever had, both in her business and her personal life, which culminated in the creation of Self Loyalty School. Nancy speaks with her friend and business collaborator, Hillary Rea. They discuss Hillary's storytelling philosophy and the work they've done together to cultivate self-loyalty through story. Then Nancy checks in with our favorite recurring guest, her husband Doug, to get his read on how she's been able to pivot toward self-loyalty over...
2022-03-0425 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyBonus Episode: The Time I Hired a MatchmakerIn this extra-special bonus episode, Nancy tells a super personal story of self-loyalty with appearances from the Monger, the BFF, and finally, the Biggest Fan. She describes how she created her new course: Self Loyalty School. She tells us how you can start looking to the inside rather than to what other people think is right, to cultivate self-loyalty and quiet your anxiety. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's super personal story of self-loyalty. - Tips for quieting your anxiety through self-loyalty. - How to sign up for Self Loyalty School. Learn more about Self Loyalty School: - Go t...
2022-02-1813 min
Crunchy Mom ClubEpisode #52: High Functioning Anxiety, Addressing the Inner Critic, and Practicing Self-Loyalty with Nancy Jane Smith LPCDescription:
Nancy Jane Smith, a Licensed Professional Counselor, coach, and author specializing in High Functioning Anxiety, joined the show to chat about how to calm the inner critic (Monger), release perfectionism and shame, practice self-loyalty, and accomplish your goals while being kind to yourself. This is for you, if you feel the constant need to push harder, do more, and achieve greater things in order to be “okay.” Or if you feel, externally, you're keeping everything together, but inside have this voice always telling you you’re not “good enough.” Nancy’s approach to working with High Functioning...
2022-01-1348 min
Second Breaks171. Self-Loyalty: What it Looks and Sounds Like with Nancy Jane SmithIN THIS EPISODE:What does it look like and how does it feel when we have our own backThe three internal voices that we haveWhy the third voice – our biggest fan – is the one we really want to strengthenThe role that self-loyalty plays when dealing with our inner criticWhy Nancy avoids thinking “I deserve this” and how this thought-process may lead to false self-loyaltyABOUT MY GUEST:Nancy Jane Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Coach specializing in High Functioning Anxiety and has spent 20+ years working as a counselor/coach. Nancy first joined me on this...
2021-11-1142 minSecond Breaks171. Self-Loyalty: What it Looks and Sounds Like with Nancy Jane SmithIN THIS EPISODE:What does it look like and how does it feel when we have our own backThe three internal voices that we haveWhy the third voice – our biggest fan – is the one we really want to strengthenThe role that self-loyalty plays when dealing with our inner criticWhy Nancy avoids thinking “I deserve this” and how this thought-process may lead to false self-loyaltyABOUT MY GUEST:Nancy Jane Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Coach specializing in High Functioning Anxiety and has spent 20+ years working as a counselor/coach. Nancy first joined me on this...
2021-11-1142 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietySquare PegIn this episode, Nancy recounts a story of a moment where she didn't feel like she fit in her surroundings at all, but was able to find a very solid moment of connection with her inner voice of self-loyalty. Nancy shares a conversation with her childhood pastor, and friend, Gary Ritts. Gary tells the story of how he switched denominations partway through his ministerial career and never looked back. Finally, we get to hear a little more about Nancy's dad Ted, and how he inspired friends like Gary by being their human personification of the Biggest Fan. ...
2021-08-1324 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietySpiraling UpThis episode traces a familiar circle, pun intended! Nancy explores the idea of "spiraling" through a personal story about living the same lessons about high functioning anxiety over and over again. Then, she talks to movement educator and expert on the mind body connection, Jenn Pilotti, about ways to combat anxiety by using your brain to tune into bodily sensations. Jenn shares some movement exercises, tips and tricks for calming the nervous system through movement. At the end of the episode Nancy puts what she learned from Jenn to the test, by taking a walk through a labyrinth.
2021-07-3027 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyAnti-GratitudeIn this episode, we tackle a subject that Nancy has VERY strong opinions about. Gratitude. People with High Functioning Anxiety tend to use the idea of gratitude as a way to wipe away the pains and sorrows of life. But that isn't very effective and can end up making us feel worse. Nancy talks to journalist and author Rob Walker about how we can use the art of noticing the everyday as a way to tap into a deeper sense of gratitude for the world around us. Rob shares some tips, prompts, and suggestions for using simple attention as a...
2021-07-1623 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyAll the FeelsIn this episode, we learn all about feelings. How they show up in our brains and in our bodies, and how they can affect the way we interact with the world around us. With High Functioning Anxiety the LAST thing we want to do is acknowledge what we are feeling. Nancy tells us about trying to conquer her Monger during a stressful time, and how feeling her emotions in her body and naming them, helped her to feel better in the moment. We also hear from science journalist and health advocate Donna Jackson Nakazawa who explains to us from...
2021-07-0226 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyThe Biggest FanIn this episode, we'll learn about the final character in the Happier Approach cast-- the wise, self-loyal, and sometimes elusive, Biggest Fan. The Biggest Fan always is the key to quieting High Functioning Anxiety. She has your back, but that doesn't mean that listening to her is easy. Nancy shares her experience of learning to tap into the voice of the Biggest Fan through the encouragement of her husband Doug. Then, she speaks with actor Victor Warren, who embodies what it means to listen to that self-loyal voice in order to make your dreams come true. Finally, Nancy shares...
2021-06-1823 min
Body Truth with Katelyn Parsons067. High Functioning Anxiety & Living Happier With Nancy Jane SmithIn this episode, we sit down with Licensed Professional Counselor, Nancy Jane Smith. We discuss the journey of finding peace in your body, common anxiety coping mechanisms, healing high functioning anxiety, and more. For the full show notes and resources that we discussed in this episode, click here.
2021-06-081h 16
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyThe BFFIn this episode, we get close and personal with another central character in the Happier Approach: the overindulgent BFF. The BFF has good intentions-- she's often jumping in to argue with the Monger when that mean voice of self-criticism gets too loud. But the BFF can push us over the line from self-care to self-indulgence very quickly. High Functioning Anxiety lives in the arguing between the Monger and the BFF. Nancy walks us through a typical tug-of-war between her Monger and BFF, and tells us how she's able to quiet those voices.Nancy also s...
2021-06-0418 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyThe MongerIn this episode, we take a trip into Nancy's brain and learn all about her inner self-critique. The voice that tells her every day that all the things she's doing just aren't good enough. Nancy calls that voice The Monger.The Monger is at the root of why Nancy started on her quest to quiet her High Functioning Anxiety and write the Happier Approach. She realized that her Monger's voice is particularly loud. Nancy wonders: do other people, people who really seem to have it together, have loud Mongers too? To answer that question...
2021-05-2118 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyHi I'm NancyIn this episode, the first of our new season, we go back to the beginning to learn how The Happier Approach all started. This is a great episode to listen to if you're just learning about the podcast. If you're a longtime listener, you'll get the in-depth story of how Nancy started her journey toward quieting her High Functioning Anxiety with self-loyalty, catalyzed by a public talk at a wine shop, as well as a personal tragedy. You'll hear from all the major characters in Nancy's life, her husband Doug, her best friend Mary, her mom Jane, and even...
2021-05-0718 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyNew Season TrailerTrailer for the new season of the Happier Approach. Starts May 7th!Visit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
2021-04-2501 min
Therapy Chat262: High Functioning Anxiety with Nancy Jane Smith Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In this week's episode, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Nancy Jane Smith about high functioning anxiety. Anxiety isn't always obvious. Sometimes it shows up in subtle ways. Nancy Jane Smith talks about this and how she works with high functioning anxiety when it arises. Resources Find The Happier Approach book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3sMWUSJ Link to resources on transformative justice from listener Andy: https://bit.ly/367SVX7 Sign up to get the registration info for my Trauma Therapist Consultation groups - registration opens 2/1/21 and groups beg...
2021-01-2948 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyPracticing Self-Loyalty in the New Year - Part 2The beginning of any new year often hyperactivates our “Shoulds.” I should lose weight.I should start meditating more.I should be kinder to myself.I should put myself out there more.I should, I should, I should.I am no stranger to the Shoulds that my Monger promotes every new year. Like clockwork, those shoulds and New Year, New Me attitudes drift away. My Monger always has a heyday with this—convincing me that I was failing.But the concept of self-loyalty—the notion that true...
2021-01-2830 min
Your Brilliant Difference Podcast with Finka Jerkovic: Personal Branding for Career AdvancementBe Loyal to Yourself, Even if You don't Always Get it Right With Nancy Jane SmithIn my book Sell From Love I do a deep dive into the five protector strategies we use when we feel fear, uncertainty, doubt, guilt or the pressure to meet expectations. The 5 protector strategies are perfection, pleasing, proving, performance and punishment. I've fallen prey to these more often than I'd like to talk about, and overtime have learned what I need to pay attention to and the triggers that activate one of these protection strategies. It's made it easier to manage and even avoid because I know whenever I do something outside my comfort zone, inadvertently I c...
2021-01-2648 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 164: Practicing Self-Loyalty in the New Year - Part 1For years, the month of December was my month of debauchery. My BFF (the voice of false self-compassion) ran the show. After months of being told what I “should” do by my Monger in December, I could throw all the rules out the window. December was the one month out of the year that I gave myself permission to not listen to the shaming voice of the Monger: I gave myself the free pass of December because I knew come January, my Monger would drop the hammer and criticize me into submission. I believed, on January 1st (well, 2nd reall...
2021-01-2133 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 163: Lou Blaser and the Performative Nature of High Functioning Anxiety - Part 2Anyone with High Functioning Anxiety knows what I mean when I talk about the Swan Effect. It basically boils down to the feeling of being so on top of it and accomplishing everything we set our sights on… compared to the overwhelm and exhaustion that we feel under the surface that no one can see. My guest on this series about the performative nature of high functioning anxiety is no stranger to the Swan Effect. In part one of this podcast, Lou Blaser from the Second Breaks Podcast and I talked about the Swan Effect and...
2021-01-1423 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 162: Lou Blaser and the Performative Nature of High Functioning Anxiety - Part 1Well, we made it to 2021! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I know I’m excited to be back at the podcast after a short break. One of the most challenging aspects of High Functioning Anxiety is the Catch-22 of the positive affirmations you receive for being so on-it and accomplishing so much versus the overwhelm and exhaustion you feel under the surface. Does this sound familiar? This Catch-22 causes those of us with HFA to be extremely performative in how we approach our lives. The never-let-them-see-you-sweat idea permeates everything we do. On...
2021-01-0726 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 161: Experimenting with Meditation and Mindfulness - Part 2About a month ago, I challenged myself to a month of practicing meditation. As I shared in Part One of this series, I didn’t have a consistent meditation practice prior to this experiment. In fact, I was pretty resistant to it in the first place. (Be sure to go back and listen to this episode if you haven’t yet!) But I was inspired to give meditation another try because of all the stress and anxiety in the world right now. As I share in the episode, I made it to 30 days of practicing medita...
2020-11-2639 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 160: Successfully Navigating Decision Fatigue, COVID, and the Holidays with Michelle FlorendoAs if navigating the holidays wasn’t already hard enough, 2020 has turned our holiday traditions on their head. In my family, we’re making some tough decisions about the holidays, and emotions are running high. We’ve already canceled our traditional Thanksgiving trip to Chicago to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins—and it looks like we’ll need to reimagine our Christmas as well, which has been pretty much the same my whole life. Making decisions this year has been hard. I’m sure you feel it, too. Do we have a holiday celebration with family? Do we travel? Do we...
2020-11-1942 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 159: A Weekend in the Life of High Functioning AnxietyFor many of us with High Functioning Anxiety, we have a hard time noticing when we are anxious. Our anxiety is usually swimming around in our heads WELL before we consciously notice it. For me, I can say I’m fine, I’m not feeling anxious then poof—I explode at my husband for leaving something out of place and realize how high my anxiety is and I didn’t even realize it. In a similar vein, my clients tell me their HFA shows up when they can’t sleep at night because of their racing thoughts. The truth is: we all...
2020-11-1220 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 158: What is Self-Compassion with Gary RittsThe self-help industry is FULL of concepts that are meant to inspire you into a better version of yourself—go big or go home, love yourself, rewrite your past—but what happens when they’re overused and lose all their meaning? How can they then motivate you to live happier and more fulfilled? And what about self-compassion? I remember reading Tara Brach’s book, Radical Acceptance, where she tells a story about a woman’s mother who was dying. On her deathbed, the mother opened her eyes and said, “You know, all my life I thought something was wrong with...
2020-11-0532 min
Eat for LifeHigh Functioning Anxiety and the Practice of Self-Kindness and Joy with Nancy Jane SmithBe a boss. Hustle hard. Love yourself. Make it happen. You decide the outcome.Do these phrases and mantras sound familiar?Usually, these sayings are used in the self-help world to boost your confidence both in life and work. The self-help industry makes us believe that we can make anything happen—but what if these mantras we hear repeated in the self-help industry actually make you feel worse?Enter High Functioning Anxiety.High Functioning Anxiety—HFA for short—is when you experience anxiety but instead of freezing you up from making progre...
2020-11-0245 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 157: Unhooking the Lie that You Need to be Mean to YourselfFor those of us with high functioning anxiety, the voice of our inner Monger is loud. It’s the voice that tells us we’ll never succeed. It’s the voice that tells us we’re an imposter and we’re mere moments away from being found out. It’s an internal voice of belittling and nastiness. It consistently makes us feel like we aren’t enough. For those of us with exceptionally loud Mongers, we can’t WAIT for the day that our Monger disappears. And while we’d like to silence that inner critic once...
2020-10-2925 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 156: What Is Happy?What is happy? This is a loaded question—but it’s something I want to explore in this episode because happiness is the #1 thing my clients say they want. But how do we get to happiness? What is the path there? Lately, I’ve been on a quest to go deeper. To ask questions. To get clear. In episode 153, I explored how asking and studying into a question helps you to really get to the heart of the issue. What does happiness look like? What does happiness feel like? How will we...
2020-10-2226 min
She Finds JoyEp. 34 | The Value of Self-Loyalty with Nancy Jane SmithEp 34 | The Value of Self-Loyalty with Nancy Jane Smith
In this episode of the She Finds Joy podcast, Kim has the distinct pleasure of talking with Nancy Jane Smith. Nancy is a Licensed Professional Counselor with thirteen years in private practice, and has spent an impressive 20-plus years working as a counselor and coach. She has written three books on living happier, most notably The Happier Approach: Be Kind to Yourself, Feel Happier and Still Accomplish Your Goals. Nancy is also a certified Myers-Briggs®, Strong Career Assessments®, and Daring Way™ Facilitator.
In this epis...
2020-10-2147 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 155: Experimenting with Meditation and Mindfulness - Part 1I don’t have a meditation practice of my own. In fact, I’m pretty resistant to it. I have a lot of rules around meditation and I’m pretty rigid in how I think about it. But, with all the stress in the world recently and my own anxiety, I thought it might be helpful to revisit meditation. Meditation, after all, puts our anxiety front and center. It encourages us to make space for it so that we can soften our feelings of anxiousness and stress. Maybe it could help? That’s why I decide...
2020-10-1536 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 154: How to Be the Caretaker of Your Own Radical Personal Empowerment and Self-Love with Amy E. SmithHow often are you apologizing, regardless if you hurt someone or if the situation truly necessitated an “I’m sorry”? People-pleasing includes a lot of apologizing, and it doesn’t always express what we really mean which, sometimes, isn’t so much I’m sorry as it is I’m so thankful. I used to say I’m so sorry all the time. I’d apologize for everything—even when it’s not really what I meant. Here’s an example from my own life. When I published my book, The Happier Approach, some of my friends and family hosted book par...
2020-10-081h 04
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 153: How the Conventional Happiness Formula Is Keep Us Stuck with Kim StobelFrequently we will ask ourselves—why am I unhappy? But the key component is the question underneath the question. What is making you unhappy? Or better yet, what would you know if you were happy? A friend, former guest, and storytelling expert, Hillary Rea, shared that it might come down to asking a more beautiful question—a question that helps you get to the heart of the question to uncover the answer. Often, Hillary uses the phrase—ask a more beautiful question—to prompt her to get to the heart of an issue. Throug...
2020-10-0159 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 152: Therapy: Committing to Doing it Differently with Riva StoudtI didn’t always know I wanted to be a therapist. It took me a while to ADMIT it out loud that I wanted to be a therapist (I was 34 before I got my license). I honestly have a love-hate relationship with the world of therapy and psychology. It endlessly fascinates me—and yet the industry as a whole is notoriously dysfunctional and, at times, archaic. At 25, I was getting ready to start my second year of my Masters in Counseling. I had registered for classes and was less than a week from starting when out of the blue, I dec...
2020-09-241h 02
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 151: How We Store Trauma In Our Bodies with Sarah DionneFor those of us with anxiety, it’s pretty common to go into research mode and ask ourselves: why am I feeling this way? And if you already enjoy thinking, analyzing, and solving problems like me, well, then thinking and researching why you’re anxious is your go-to pattern. When I was writing my book, The Happier Approach, I learned that my default pattern—researching and asking why—didn’t actually serve me. The solution to my anxiety had nothing to do with the why. So what’s the solution to anxiety if it isn’t figuring out the why?
2020-09-171h 04
Engineering Calmer Agencies & Consulting Firms: Calm is the New KPIWhen Your Values & Opportunities Collide with Nancy Jane Smith & Bonnie GillespieHow do you decide what to invest in? How do you examine the opportunity costs of that investment? How do you make sure you're giving your investments every chance to succeed? That's what we've been talking about in the Is It "Worth It"? Series. In the last part of this series, I spoke with Michelle Mazur about how to approach investments in your business and with Beryl Young about deciding WHAT to invest in. In this episode, I want to talk about when an investment seems like a pretty straightforward payoff—bu...
2020-09-151h 06
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 150: How to Let Go of the PastYour past matters—even though the personal growth industry is obsessed with the future you at the expense of the past you. In that world, the only real change and movement in your life come from looking forward, setting goals, and just doing it as I talked about in Episode 148. But I believe that it’s OK to have a past. It’s OK to be perfectly imperfect. It’s OK to share stories from your past. It’s OK to have trauma and pain in your past. It’s OK to have a joyfu...
2020-09-1014 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 149: How To Recognize Trauma and Show Up for Our Inner Kiddo with Nicole Lewis-KeeberTrauma. This word is loaded for so many of us. When we think of trauma, we think of what we call Big T Traumas: images of war, combat, natural disasters, physical or sexual abuse, terrorism, or catastrophic accidents usually come to mind. There are also Little T Traumas. These are often personally traumatic because of the timing, the place, or our emotional state: interpersonal conflict, divorce, infidelity, legal trouble, financial worries, moving, and many more. Although something could be considered a “Little T” Trauma, that doesn’t mean it’s less traumatic or less damaging. Instead, it allows us...
2020-09-0357 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 148: The Adventure of Fully Showing Up As A Human BeingGo big or go home. Dream big! Do big things. That’s what all the self-help gurus and Pinterest tell us to do. But is it really the answer? We can all think of a time where we thought that going big—moving somewhere new, going after that new career, or buying the awesome house or car—would be the solution to all of our problems. Yet more often than not, we find that those big moves aren’t the answer to our inner happiness nor our problems. I’ve found in my own expe...
2020-08-2714 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 147: How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Get What You Want with Sarah K. PeckHave you been feeling a bit stuck lately, wondering what comes next? Saying to yourself that there has to be more? If so, you’re not alone. That’s because I’ve been asking myself these questions lately, too. I’ve noticed that whenever I’m in this place for too long, it usually means I’m looking for the “right answer.” I’m trying to find the “perfect” next step. I’m wrapped up in fear, doubt, and insecurity. Those feelings are not uncommon when you’re stuck. But when it becomes a pattern—fear, dou...
2020-08-201h 01
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 146: Embracing a Life of Imperfection and AcceptanceDoes this sound like you? Your to-do list is a mile long—yet, logically, there’s no way you could complete it; you drive yourself so hard, pushing, hustling, head down working toward a goal—and beat yourself up when you don’t reach it. You might even sacrifice sleep and your own well-being in pursuit of this goal. If so, then your Monger might be running the show and holding you to an impossible superhuman standard. Your Monger convinces you that you have to do these things. There is no choice. You push yoursel...
2020-08-1314 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 145: How Embracing Your Humanness Can Lead to More Success with Tara McMullinBeing human is messy and imperfect—and, we’re bound to make mistakes. It’s part of the deal. We’re not going to get everything right, every time. But we learn as we go. That’s what being human is all about. For some, being human—the messiness of it—is totally anxiety-provoking. It makes things feel harder to do and accomplish. But what if embracing your humanness could actually result in more ease and more success… with a whole lot less anxiety to boot? Is it possible? Not only is it possi...
2020-08-0647 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 144: How to Avoid Passing Your Anxiety on to Your Kids with Renee Mattson - Part 2There is so much pressure to be the perfect parent. My clients tell me all the time that they consistently feel they have to be “perfect” and be all the things to their children. That anxiety infiltrates everything they do—and that anxiety can also impact their children. One thing we can do to decrease not only our own anxiety but our kids’ anxiety, too, is by being honest about what we have time for, what our expectations are, and own up when we fail. It’s important not only for our children but also for ourselves. This we...
2020-07-3039 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 143: How to Avoid Passing Your Anxiety on to Your Kids with Renee Mattson - Part 1In these unprecedented times… In these uncertain times… Now more than ever… UGH. The language of 2020 is getting old. But it’s getting old because we are running out of words to describe the anxiety, overwhelm, fear, and uncertainty that we are living through right now in July of 2020. It’s not just anxiety-provoking for us as adults but also for the next generation. Statistics show that the strain of our world is taking a toll on our children. A few months ago, one of my clients asked if I’d se...
2020-07-2347 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 142: Finding Freedom Through Our Personal Stories with Hillary ReaIn the self-help/personal development world, the idea of stories—and the stories we tell ourselves—is seen as a negative thing. The message is: if we were better people, then we would know all of our “stories”—and if we are honest about them, they wouldn’t get in our way and hold us back from living our full potential. Instead, we could change our limiting beliefs by simply “changing the story.” That phrase drives me crazy. As if it’s that easy to change your story! And while the self-help world might portray stories...
2020-07-161h 04
Invisible Not Broken - Chronic Illness Podcast Network(HumanCare podcast) How to Manage Anxiety & Chronic Illness While Supporting a Loved One with a Chronic Illness: Nancy Jane Smith Be as loyal to yourself as you are to others - Nancy Jane SmithNancy’s LinksWebsite: Live-happier.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancyjane_livehappier/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJaneSmith/Other LinksBrene Brown’s talk with Tim Ferris (SO AMAZING, A MUST LISTEN!)What is your profession? Counselor/coach specializing in high functioning anxietyWhat is your illness(es)? ankylosing spondylitisWhat types of patients/conditions do you work with? High functioning anxietyHow...
2020-07-1259 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 141: Setting Healthy Boundaries as an Act of Kindness with Randi BuckleyThere are numerous definitions of boundaries. One of them is that boundaries serve as expectation management. At its core, it’s quite simple: boundaries create an expectation for what I can expect from you and, conversely, what you can expect from me. Healthy boundaries create healthy expectations and are truly essential for any kind of relationship—but people with high functioning anxiety really struggle with setting them for a number of reasons. They think that people won’t like them. There might be conflict. It might mean they hurt someone’s feelings.
2020-07-0954 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 140: Why I Am Leaving FacebookHanging with a friend in the backyard. Cooking dinner. Relaxing with my husband. Driving to pick up food and sitting at the traffic light. During a conference call with a colleague. Countless times throughout the day when I’m feeling uninspired, vigilant, or bored. These are just a few of the times social media has infiltrated my life in the past few days. Social media continually takes me away from the experiences and relationships I really value—over and over again. The thing about social media is t...
2020-07-0212 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 139: Why Bother, What's the Point, and What To Do Next with Jennifer LoudenWhat’s the point? Why bother? Who cares? It will never change… Have you ever caught yourself uttering those words? Perhaps you’ve said these to yourself when considering a career change or launching a creative project or even making a self-care plan. I know I have! These questions can also be considered along the lines of what’s happening across the nation right now with social justice and equality. Sometimes, we are so afraid of taking imperfect action and doing it wrong that we simply don’t bother at all...
2020-06-2554 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 138: The Catch-22 Of "I Got This"My Monger is always in my ear, saying: You got this. And while, to some, “I got this” might sound like empowered thinking, when it’s coming from my Monger, it certainly is not. Instead, it’s a clue that I’m on auto-pilot mode. Here’s what I mean: Recently, after a full day of work, I was making dinner for my husband and doing a load of laundry at the same time. Telling my husband to plate up, I rushed downstairs to “flip a load,” as I call it. This is when my Mong...
2020-06-1811 min
The Dr. Leaf ShowHigh Functioning Anxiety: Signs, Symptoms, and Solutions + How to Silence Your Inner Critic, Overcome Perfectionism and People-pleasing, and Avoid Burnout with Therapist Nancy Jane SmithWe all know those people that are always on the go: they never seem to rest, they are always busy doing something and they seem to accomplish so much. Perhaps you are one of those people! But did you know that this could also be a sign of high-functioning anxiety? In this podcast, I speak to therapist and licensed counselor Nancy Jane Smith about the signs and symptoms of high-functioning anxiety and how to overcome it, as well as how to deal with perfectionism, people-pleasing and avoid burnout. High functioning anxiety is a form of anxiety that y...
2020-06-1844 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 137: Redefining Self-Care and Reclaiming Sovereignty with Mara GlatzelWhich of these examples looks like a day of self-care for you? A hike through the woods with your nearest and dearest and a picnic lunch. A rambunctious night of games, drinks, and pizza with friends. Sleeping in and having coffee in bed, followed by a granola bowl on the back deck. A chance to read your new fiction book, some yard work, and a barbeque on the grill. Canceling plans to go canoeing because you just don’t feel good and need to rest. Staying in bed all day...
2020-06-1154 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 136: Learning the Practice of Joy with Danielle Brooker“You should be grateful,” they say. “It isn’t that bad. I’m just whining,” you tell yourself. “I shouldn’t be so negative. I have so much to be positive about in my life.” Man, oh, man! We really beat ourselves up for not being able to stick with positive thoughts all the time. The minute we start to feel negativity—like fear, anger, or doubt—we’re trained to step in with positivity. Yet anger, sadness, and doubt have things to teach us. If we skip right over these “negative emotions,” we never get to experience life...
2020-06-0455 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 135: The Myth Of The "Right Way"Today, we’re talking about doing things the “Right Way” and—surprise!—how there’s no such thing. Unsurprisingly, many of my clients live for “doing it right.” For them, there is nothing more amazing as hearing: Yes, you’re doing it right. In fact, one of the most popular phrases I hear from clients is: I did okay, right? They’re always looking for affirmation that they did it right. So why is the need to do things the “Right Way” such a common experience of people with High Functioning Anxiety? Doing it right, following the rule...
2020-05-2815 min
Shameless LeadershipNancy Jane Smith: The Happier Approach To Living With High Functioning AnxietyNancy Jane Smith, MSEd., LPC is a licensed professional counselor and trainer. She graduated with her BA in Psychology from Miami University and earned Masters of Science degrees in both Counseling and Higher Education from the University of Dayton.With 13 years in private practice and more than 20 years working as a counselor and coach, Nancy has established herself as an expert in High Functioning Anxiety. Combining her years of research, countless hours working with clients, and first-hand experience in her own life, Nancy developed the Happier Approach, a three-step system to help you motivate yourself, accomplish your...
2020-05-2748 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 134: How Anxiety and Perfectionism Can Get In The Way Of Creativity with Beryl YoungHonestly, I have always had a mixed relationship with creativity. I have almost always loved it and thought to myself, I want to do that more! And then months, years pass before I actively pursue something creative. Why? My Monger’s message of perfectionism and practicality always gets in the way: “She tries but she has no talent”. “What are you going to do with it? You are going to have all these art projects and nowhere to put them.” “You have to drag all the art supplies out and spend MORE money on...
2020-05-2147 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 133: The Value of Self-LoyaltyDevoted, constant, and committed – all my clients would list loyalty as one of their highest values. Loyalty to their mothers, fathers, spouses, kids, friends, work, and the world in general. They are the listeners, supporters, lovers, givers, cheerleaders, and fans. They are the caregivers for their aging parents. They are the backbone of their families, relationships, and workplaces. The dark side of this loyalty to others is the exhaustion, the never-ending to-do list, the never feeling good enough, whole enough, satisfied enough. The anxiety. All this month we are exploring the uni...
2020-05-1410 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode132: Working Brighter In The Hustle Culture with Brittany BergerGo Go Go is addicting. During this social distancing time, I keep hearing people say that we can finally stop hustling and use this time to get in touch with ourselves. The problem with that thinking is it implies that hustling is something that was forced upon us. But in reality, hustling is something we choose to do as a coping mechanism against our uncomfortable feelings of sadness, grief, anger, doubt, and uncertainty. For those of us with High Functioning Anxiety, these mechanisms can lead to even greater levels of anxiety. We all rail against hus...
2020-05-0750 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 131: The Surprising Connection Between Avoidance and AnxietyLet me check Instagram one more time. Maybe I got an email? I haven’t checked for 10 minutes. My glass of what is almost empty. Let me go downstairs for a refill. Stretching would be good right now, anyway. Well, that break took a lot longer than I had planned. I got sucked into pulling some weeds while talking to my husband and then decided to make a snack. Oh geez, I forgot to actually refill my glass. Okay. Back at my desk. Before I start writing, let me check Instagram one mor...
2020-04-3016 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 130: Alcohol, Anxiety, & Avoidance With Author Andrea OwenIs it too early to pour a glass of wine? I'm just going to have one drink while I read my book outside. Okay, well, one more while I cooked dinner. Oh, a glass of wine would taste so good with this pasta. I think I'm just going to do half a glass. Well, there's just a little bit left in the bottle. I'm just going to finish that up… And then at 3:00 AM, waking up with a headache and unable to go back to sleep, my monger starts chiming...
2020-04-2359 min
Rebel TherapistHigh Functioning Anxiety In Your Business With Nancy Jane SmithI deal with a lot of anxiety. Sometimes people don't know that because I usually appear calm. And I tend to get a lot done. I cope with my anxiety BY getting things done. But my anxiety isn't only helpful. It's also kind of nasty. I have an inner critic that speaks up when I'm anxious, and I don't like that. It hurts. Still, me and anxiety are such old friends, and we've gotten so much done together. My productivity is fueled by my anxiety. How am I gonna give that up? Who...
2020-04-2134 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 129: Avoiding Through Social Media with Founder of SkillsCamp Bailey ParnellSocial media is one of my personal favorite methods of avoiding and as you can imagine it has only gotten worse in recent weeks. I often find myself obsessively making the rounds on social media: Twitter to Facebook to Instagram to email and back again. Stories about being isolated at home, questioning the seriousness, tips for cooking during a crisis, hoarding TP... UGH! This has to stop! This is a conversation I was having with myself even before the pandemic crisis. It has only gotten worse since the shelter in place orders went down. S...
2020-04-1643 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 128: Eating Your Anxiety With Dietitian Erica DrewryChocolate, ice cream, chips, cheese balls, Ho-Hos, and Junior Mints. My list was packed with all the necessities for surviving a global pandemic–at least all the necessities for one who emotionally eats. When the governor of Ohio announced that he was closing all non-essential businesses, my first thought was: Oh no! Do we have enough food? I did a mental scan of our fridge and our pantry, wondering if we had enough to make it through a couple of weeks, if not longer, under lockdown. I immediately opened an Instacart account and started making my list.
2020-04-0956 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 127: Anxiety, Avoidance, and Money With Financial Behaviorist Jacquette TimmonsThere is one thing almost everyone does when their anxiety gets high. They avoid. Whether through food, alcohol, social media, or money–we avoid. All this month I am talking with experts in these four areas of avoiding. We’re pulling back the curtains on our avoiding ways and how we can make small manageable changes to bring intention to our lives. We're kicking this off this month talking with Jacquette Timmons about money. Money and avoidance go hand in hand. Money is a very loaded topic for people in general, but espec...
2020-04-0244 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 126: Setting and Keeping Habits With Sarah Von BargenHabit is one of those words I have a negative reaction too. Like a lot of people, I have tried to create healthy habits and tried to be super militant about maintaining them, only to fail miserably. What are we supposed to do? On one extreme we have the voice of the Monger who is constantly beating us down for this failure – not exactly motivating – and on the other, we have our BFF who encourages to rebel against anything habitual. So, yeah, the word habit brings up all kinds of stuff for me. This is...
2020-03-2651 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 125: Acknowledging Feelings When They Don’t Seem AppropriateWhen my mom told me she wouldn’t be visiting for Easter this year – choosing to visit a friend instead – I experienced a flood of emotions. I immediately felt disappointed and sad. Easter isn't a big deal in our family – we don't even go to church – but I was still looking forward to seeing her. I was bummed. And then my Monger started sounding off: “What's the big deal? She’s allowed to go to visit her friend and it isn’t like you are a deeply religious family or anything. You are so uptight and rigid! This sh...
2020-03-1911 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 124: The 2 Biggest Fears About Feeling Your FeelingsHere is a common scenario in my world: I had a lot to get done – back to back client meetings and deadlines looming. My anxiety was through the roof! I kept telling myself, “you need to acknowledge your feeling,” knowing that it helps when I am stuck in anxiety. But it wasn’t working. I kept coming up sad and overwhelmed. No matter how many times I tried I wasn’t getting any relief. At the end of the day – meetings over, deadlines met – I was still spinning with anxiety. I realized I had gone through the whole day with...
2020-03-1217 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 123: Helping Women Design A Life They Love While Avoiding Burnout With Rebelle's Shannon Siriano GreenwoodWe have all heard this story: A woman has hit rock bottom. She is burnt out and is experiencing her dark night of the soul. Cornered by life, she feels like she has nowhere to turn. And then, miraculously, she has some major ah-ha moment–lightning strikes and everything is fixed. Birds sing, everyone breaks out into song, and the struggle is gone. I used to be addicted to these transformational stories. These stories gave me hope that permanent change was possible. That one day I would be healed. I would be perfect. The...
2020-03-0556 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 122: How To Implement A.S.K. When There Aren't Enough Hours In The DayFor many years I believed that I could fix my High Functioning Anxiety I thought that if only I could find the right way to do it, that if I just found the right hack, I could be healed. But this isn’t how it works. The truth is that we will never be done with our High Functioning Anxiety. There isn’t a hack that can fix everything. Yes, we can loosen its grip and live a life without it controlling everything but it takes work. High Functioning Anxiety is an on-going issue and learning...
2020-02-2714 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 121: The 3 Steps of A.S.K.: Kindly Pulling BackNo matter how hard we try to keep up the veneer of perfection, every now and then we make a mistake. Mistakes happen and when they do, we can be absolutely horrible to ourselves–telling ourselves things like: I'm such a failure, I deserve to be fired, I am a terrible parent. Sometimes we can even rationalize our way back to knowing that it was a small mistake that truly doesn't matter in the long run. But then there are the times when we really mess up. When we legitimately make a mistake in a way t...
2020-02-2016 min
Building Psychological StrengthHigh-Functioning Anxiety and The Happier Approach with Nancy Jane SmithSometimes, the most difficult issues to work on are the ones that are in our blind spots. The ones that are masked by external factors or achievements that make us believe that we’re ok….when we aren’t. This week, we’re talking about one of those potential blind spots: high-functioning anxiety. This week we’re speaking with Nancy Jane Smith. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with eleven years in private practice and has spent 20+ years working as a counselor/coach. She has written three books on living happier, most notably The Happier Approach: Be Kin...
2020-02-1251 min
Second Spring PodcastLiving Happier with Anxiety with Nancy Jane Smith“Get up, wiggle, reach for the sky, touch your toes. Do something that gets your whole body into it in order to change your state. Because when we change our state, things start moving differently.” Nancy Jane Smith This Monday, Kit is joined with Nancy Jane Smith, a Licensed Professional Counselor and therapeutic coach who works with people suffering from high functioning anxiety. Our guest explains what high functioning anxiety is, how it is linked with our Monger (a.k.a. inner critics), and how to deal with it. More specifically, you will learn the difference between ever...
2020-02-0341 minEngineering Calmer Agencies & Consulting Firms: Calm is the New KPIHow Voxer Can Save You And Your Client Time With Ashley Gartland & Nancy Jane SmithClient meetings can easily fill up your entire calendar–sucking away all of your available time. This time is a valuable asset and it is often the single most limiting factor to the growth of service-based businesses.So what if there was something you could do to reduce this time-suck?All this month on the show we are looking at alternatives–unique ways to communicate with clients and opt-out of meetings, email, and conventional communication methods.Today, we’re talking about using Voxer with clients. Primarily a voice messaging app that harken...
2020-01-1447 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyEpisode 101: Positive Thinking Vs Radical AcceptanceLive your best life, think positively, high vibes only! Frankly, it’s become toxic. Over the next few episodes of The Happier Approach, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the personal growth industry just might be making your anxiety worse. I’ll be sharing the tools and resources I use with myself and clients to quiet the cacophony of positive thinking messages that come our way on a daily basis--and listen in to our own inner peace. Listen to the full episode to find out: How the self-help industry is especially dangerous for those...
2019-10-0314 min
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyIntroducing The Happier ApproachHappiness Hacks is now The Happier Approach! Join licensed professional counselor and coach, Nancy Jane Smith, as she shares tools, resources, and inspiration for women living with High Functioning Anxiety. If you’ve ever felt like the world might fall apart around you if you took a minute to rest, this is the show for you. For more information on High Functioning Anxiety, The Happier Approach, and Nancy Jane Smith visit: http://live-happier.comVisit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
2019-10-0202 min
Less Stressed Life: Helping You Heal Yourself#066 Living Life with High Functioning Anxiety with Licensed Professional Counselor Nancy Jane SmithSend us a textNancy Jane Smith has a Masters Degree in Higher Education and in Community Counseling from the University of Dayton. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with eleven years in private practice and has spent 20+ years working as a counselor/coach. She has written three books on living happier, most notably The Happier Approach: Be Kind to Yourself, Feel Happier and Still Accomplish Your Goals. A certified Myers-Briggs®, Strong Career Assessments®, and Daring Way™ Facilitator, Nancy has brought her light-hearted, practical speaking style to corporations and nonprofits as both a keynote and workshop facilitator like...
2019-07-0330 min
About ProgressControlling Our Inner Critic (+how to start) || with Nancy Jane SmithMany of us suffer from a runaway train-brain. We have good intentions to work on our thoughts and mindset, but it can be so difficult to break long-practiced patterns and start anew.Nancy Jane Smith is a certified counselor or expert on how to shift your inner critic (she nicknamed it, "the monger") into your "biggest fan." Where she wants you to start? By acknowledging and actually feeling our emotions.This is the key to everything! Nancy explain why and how you can do this to move forward to a much happier version of your life...
2018-12-1935 min
Live Happy NowLess Stress for the Holidays With Nancy Jane SmithIt’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and for many people, that’s accompanied by a lot of holiday headaches and seasonal stress. Nancy Jane Smith, author of The Happier Approach: Be Kind to Yourself, Feel Happier and Still Accomplish Your Goals, has some helpful (and often humorous) tips on how to survive the holidays with your happiness intact.
2018-12-0422 min
Second Breaks[55] Taming Your Inner Critic | Nancy Jane SmithIn this episode, I’m joined by professional counselor, Nancy Jane Smith, who wrote the book The Happier Approach: Be Kind to Yourself, Feel Happier and Still Accomplish Your Goals.Nancy and I talk about the happier approach, a simple way to quiet our Mongers, be kinder to ourselves, while also achieving our goals and intentions. We also talk about the mistake we make when we attempt self-compassion, and the more productive approach we can take instead.Highlights of Episode 55The 3 voices (Monger, BFF, and Biggest Fan) that are in our headsWhy and when doe...
2018-06-2127 minSecond Breaks[55] Taming Your Inner Critic | Nancy Jane SmithIn this episode, I’m joined by professional counselor, Nancy Jane Smith, who wrote the book The Happier Approach: Be Kind to Yourself, Feel Happier and Still Accomplish Your Goals.Nancy and I talk about the happier approach, a simple way to quiet our Mongers, be kinder to ourselves, while also achieving our goals and intentions. We also talk about the mistake we make when we attempt self-compassion, and the more productive approach we can take instead.Highlights of Episode 55The 3 voices (Monger, BFF, and Biggest Fan) that are in our headsWhy and when doe...
2018-06-2127 min
Speak Up. Show Up.Releasing Anxiety and the Journey to Thought Leadership with Nancy Jane SmithThis week, I am to bring to you my conversation with brilliant speaker and thought leader Nancy Jane Smith. Nancy Jane is a licensed professional counselor, speaker, author and trainer who helps individuals and organizations quiet their inner monger so they can be more productive and less overwhelmed. Join us as Nancy Jane shares very accessible tips that you can apply to your speaking and thought leadership journey. Get full show notes and more information here: https://michellebarryfranco.com/episode5
2018-06-0648 min
Everyday Leadership for Smart WomenWhy your BFF is keeping you from being brave with Nancy Jane SmithToday I’m thrilled to welcome my friend and newly published author, Nancy Jane Smith, to the Beyond PRO Podcast to continue our exploration around doing more brave things. Nancy and I met back in 2012 at Chris Guillebeau’s World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon where we got to hear Brené Brown speak (and sing) live. It remains a stand-out memory of mine. Nancy’s here to help deal with your inner monger, understand why your BFF might be secretly sabotaging your success, and guide you to access your biggest fan (really important!). And she...
2018-03-0532 min