The higher you rise, the more pressure you carry. But how much of that pressure comes with the job, and how much comes from the rules you've subconsciously learned to follow to become successful in the first place?
Neeltje van Horen had reached the top of her profession as a professor of financial economics. Yet behind her success was relentless self-doubt, mounting pressure, and a persistent feeling that she wasn't doing enough. For years, she assumed this was simply the price of ambition.
Then a friend told her she didn't seem like herself anymore, prompting her to question what she'd come to accept as normal. Neeltje's search for a different way led her into neuroscience and psychology, and ultimately to writing her book, Ignite.
In this conversation with Anastasia Leng, Neeltje explores why the qualities that make us successful can eventually become liabilities, and how to recognise and change the patterns that are holding us back.
In this conversation:
- Why high achievers can become trapped by their own reliability and conscientiousness
- How to recognize your personal "pressure signature" before stress starts distorting your judgement
- What challenging an established way of working taught Neeltje about workplace norms
- How to change your relationship with your inner critic without abandoning your ambition
We don’t have to become less ambitious to reduce the price that can come with growing professional success.
Download The Ambition Tax, the leadership framework inspired by Neeltje: https://creativex.docsend.com/view/5gtznsqe4enrk3ej
About Neeltje van Horen:
Neeltje is a professor of financial economics, speaker and author of *Ignite*, which explores how understanding the brain can help us change the way we think, work and live.
