121. Charlie Hoehn: Curing Anxiety Through Work/Life Integration

Charlie Hoehn (@charliehoehn) was on top of the world. He was working with popular authors like Tim Ferriss and Ramit Sethi, and he was helping launch books to the top of the New York Times best-seller list.

The problem was, Charlie was miserable. His need to succeed drove him to sacrifice sleep and abuse performance-enhancing drugs. His body was breaking down, and he became crippled with anxiety.

Eventually, Charlie found a way out of anxiety, and a way into not just a healthy work/life balance, but a healthy work/life integration.

Charlie's secret weapon: Play. If you're anything like me, your initial thought is: Huh? Play? I don't need to play, I'm an adult!

Charlie is such an advocate of play that he's written two books about it: Play it Away and Play for a Living.

In this playful conversation with Charlie, you'll find out:

What does Charlie mean by "play?" I hadn't realized how central play was to my life and work until I had this conversation. How can play actually help you build skills? Being playful can sharpen your skills in reaching goals. How did Charlie overcome workaholism and adjust to a healthy relationship with a high-profile life?

We'll also talk about what Charlie learned working with Tim Ferriss, how to think up irresistible book titles, and the power of improv.

 

 

Sponsors

http://skillshare.com/loveyourwork
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http://theprepared.com

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/charlie-hoehn-podcast/