The Dark Side of Success: When Achievement Turns on You with Dr. Ashley Cerda (Trigger Warning)

The Dark Side of Success: When Achievement Turns on You with Dr. Ashley Cerda⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation, catastrophic thinking, burnout, shame-based self-talk, and nervous system dysregulation.What happens when the very skills that made you successful begin to work against you?In this deeply honest and necessary conversation, Lauren sits down with Dr. Ashley Cerda, behavioral scientist, clinical leader, and founder of a multi-location mental health organization, to unpack a pattern many high-achieving women experience but rarely name: the dark side of success.Together, they explore how intelligent, capable, adaptive women can unknowingly slip into survival-based achievement, where productivity becomes identity, safety becomes conditional, and the nervous system never truly stands down. The result? Panic, shame loops, emotional shutdown, and in some cases, passive suicidal ideation that feels frightening, confusing, and deeply isolating.This episode dismantles stigma and replaces it with clarity. You’ll learn why these thoughts don’t mean you’re broken, how the brain behaves under prolonged pressure, and why awareness, not willpower, is the first step to creating safety for yourself.This is not a conversation about failure, it’s about what happens when achievement starts to feel unsafe.Learn more about Dr. Ashley Cerda's work here. or follow her work on Instagram.Explore Lauren's world: www.laurendegolia.com