Laura Gassner Otting on Why Success Doesn't Feel Like It Should and What to Do About It

LEAVE YOUR MARK: Freshly Brewed Career Advice with Aliza Licht

Laura Gassner Otting's superpower is seeing your greatness and reflecting it back on you so that you can get "unstuck" and achieve extraordinary results. In her book, Wonderhell, Laura explores "why success doesn't feel like it should and what to do about it." Wonderhell offers a roadmap to creating the mindset that lets you move forward in life, even when your success tells you to stop right there. Did you know fear and excitement manifest in our bodies in exactly the same way? The reason that success feels stressful is because we feel the burden of what else we can achieve. Wonderhell is the sign that you are made for more. The book draws from Laura's experiences and interviews with successful entrepreneurs, activists, and artists who have faced similar challenges and come out on the other side. One of Laura's suggestions is that instead of pursuing endless growth, people should determine what they are maximizing for, whether it is profits, impact on the world, or personal freedom and flexibility.

Laura frequently contributes to Good Morning America, the TODAY Show, Harvard Business Review, and Oprah Daily. Her entrepreneurial edge defines Laura's 30-year resume. She served as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton's White House, helping shape AmeriCorps; left a leadership role at a respected national search firm to expand a tech start-up; and founded, ran, and sold her own global search firm. Her first book, Limitless, was a national bestseller.

In this episode, we discuss the definition of success and why it isn't an endpoint but a waypoint. Why working hard doesn't end when you succeed; every time you succeed, it just gets harder. We dive into the dangers of comparison culture but the importance of surrounding yourself with people who won't let you settle for mediocrity. And the reason you feel like an impostor is because you are somewhere you never thought you'd be.