Q&A With Mary E. Anderson, Ph.D. 

I am excited to be doing this Q&A with psychologist, speaker & author Dr. Mary E. Anderson. Dr. Anderson is the author of the book The Happy High Achiever: 8 Essentials To Overcome Anxiety, Manage Stress, And Energize Yourself For Success-Without Losing Your Edge. I recently read an early copy of the book and while it’s not an overly long book, there is a wealth of great information that I am putting into practice. There’s so much about it that I enjoyed that I had to shorten my review or else I would spoil the book. This book did turn on another creative idea, doing separate blog posts about each section in the book and talking about what I enjoyed and learned after reading each section & possibly a story behind it after the book comes out. 

Q: Dr. Anderson, would you please give the readers who haven’t read The Happy High Achiever a brief description of the book?

A: The Happy High Achiever is a practical guide, detailing 8 essential principles, to help ambitious people reduce their stress and anxiety and enjoy both happiness and high achievement. It’s based on my work as a clinical psychologist for well over a decade, helping high-achieving patients, like: successful business professionals, doctors, lawyers, and grad students.

Q: How long did it take for you to research & write The Happy High Achiever?

A: It’s been a long, fantastic journey! My love of psychology and learning science-backed strategies to help people actually started in high school–– when I took my first psychology class. My teacher was wonderful, and he encouraged me to get a Ph.D. in psychology. And I did! I earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Florida, completed my internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the VA Boston Healthcare System with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine, became a licensed psychologist in 2008, and then eventually became chief of behavioral medicine at a group practice in Boston. 

While working with patients in Boston, I had the idea for the book and began writing. I based the book around a concept I call the 8 Essentials, formulated with insights garnered from my clinical training, research in the field of psychology, direct work with patients, and expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). And now, after many years, I am thrilled and thankful to share my book, The Happy High Achiever, with the world!

Q: I know you said in the book you always wanted to write & you were worried if no one would enjoy this book. Why was now the right time to write & release The Happy High Achiever? 

A: I was motivated to write and release The Happy High Achiever because so many amazing high-achieving patients have sat across from me (on my couch or virtually), dropped their flawless facades, and described struggling with chronic anxiety, stress, self-doubt, worry, perfectionism, and burnout. Overwhelmed attorneys, dedicated doctors with overextended schedules, burnt-out analysts, chronically stressed law school students, and more, who think they should always be working or doing something, perpetually feel “behind,” and are often stymied by perfectionism-fueled procrastination. 

I kept teaching the same cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)-based skills and strategies to these high achievers with anxiety. Specifically, ways they could conquer cognitive errors that were fueling their distress. I found three self-talk traps, I call the Troublesome Trifecta, that were essential to target. Also, I showed them how to optimize their self-care and achieve better work-life balance. 

It was a privilege to assist my patients as they accomplished exciting life transformations. They reported less anxiety and worry, better sleep, improved self-worth, and stronger relationships.

So, after many years, the efficiency-loving lady that I am, I thought: there must be a book I could recommend to them to help teach these strategies. But there really wasn’t. So, I decided to write one––providing science-based, actionable strategies busy high achievers could read and immediately start benefiting from. And I knew it needed to be concise––because my patients often say, “Bullet point it for me, Dr. A. ” I knew I needed to keep the book under 300 pages, so they’d read it.

And focusing on my main goal in life, which is to help as many people as possible, is what helped me overcome any worries about what the future might hold or others’ opinions. Reminding myself of my “why” gave me the courage to act, sit down and write, and ultimately decide to share my book with everyone. And I truly believe it will help countless readers transform their lives for the better. 

Q: One of my many favorite parts in the book was when you mentioned how important it was for us to have faith in a higher power & as a Catholic myself, I appreciate this very much. What research did you come across that was true?

A: In my book, I discuss the fantastic insights that Steve Jobs shared in his Stanford University commencement speech. He said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you must trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You must trust in something––your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

Trust is a powerful, crucial ingredient for being a happy high achiever. And like Steve Jobs, I’ve found from working with myriad patients that it doesn’t matter what their particular belief system is; they just need to trust in something. The Universe, God, a Higher Power, nature, reason, the laws of physics––I encourage people to use whatever works for them. I’ve just absolutely found that trusting in something bigger is incredibly helpful for people. Additionally, it’s equally important to trust yourself. That’s another topic I cover in The Happy High Achiever that I think is key for sustainable high achievement. Truly, I’ve found that when you trust the dots to connect and trust yourself to keep moving forward toward accomplishing your meaningful goals––you are setting yourself up for happiness and success.

Q: What important lessons do you want readers to learn after reading The Happy High Achiever? One important lesson (out of many) that I learned is to poke holes in negative anxious thoughts so that way they don’t control me because I can never figure out the outcome & many times like you said things don’t end up as bad as I think they would and sometimes end up great. 

A: There are so many important lessons I’m hopeful readers will learn and benefit from after reading The Happy High Achiever. A major lesson is that anxiety is not the price of admission for your success. You have the capacity and power to be both happy and high achieving. 

My book shares research-based, actionable ways you can optimize your thoughts and behaviors, so you can be your best and live as a happy high achiever. A few specific lessons are striving for perfection will limit you, gratitude is rocket fuel for your success and prioritize SELF-care. 

I use the SELF-care acronym to help people focus on self-care fundamentals that will keep them energized. S is for Sleep, aim for 7 to 9 hours a night. E is for Exercise, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days––walking is one of my favorite ways to exercise because it’s great for stress management and has a low risk of injury. L is for Look Forward, plan at least 1 pleasant activity per week––having something to look forward to provides a powerful mood boost. Finally, F is for Fuel, fuel your body with hydration and good nutrition and fuel your mind with quiet––taking even a minute or two each day to do deep breathing, meditate, or be in nature can help relax and recharge your mind.

Q: For your second book, will it be in the same vein as The Happy High Achiever, or will it be something different entirely? 

A: There are more books on the way! The vision is for it to be a series––with books sharing strategies to specifically help certain types of readers enjoy both happiness and success, like: The Happy High Achiever Writer, The Happy High Achiever Overcomes Heartbreak, The Happy High Achiever Mom, The Happy High Achiever Athlete. I’d love to hear any ideas readers have for what they’d like to see next in the series!

If you are interested in reading The Happy High Achiever, you can order it on Amazon. You can also stay connected with Dr. Anderson by signing up for her newsletter and receiving a free gift (5 Actionable Tips You Can Use Today: In The Moment And Overwhelmed? Do This!) here. I know I already subscribed to her newsletter!