1293: You Can Find Your Way Out Of Fear: Scott Berkun's Personal Story Part 1
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- Bestselling author Scott Berkun shares his personal journey of overcoming a mental breakdown and nearly constant fear and anxiety during the pandemic.
- Physical energy experienced before public speaking or athletic competition can be reframed as preparation rather than a signal to stop.
- Scott's book 'How to Live: Rules for People Who Don’t Like Rules' combines philosophy, humor, and personal experience to offer practical guidance for daily life.
- The first rule of the book, 'Don't die,' emphasizes recognizing the value of being alive and appreciating ordinary, everyday experiences.
- The second rule, 'Wake up,' encourages readers to notice mistakes, learn from them, and focus on present actions rather than dwelling on the past.
In today's episode, Gina shares part one of her interview with author Scott Berkun who shares his personal story of overcoming fear and anxiety. Scott is the best selling author of nine books covering topics from design through self-help. Scott is a long time listener of The Anxiety Coaches Podcast and was a client of Gina's after having what he describes as a mental breakdown. Listen in and learn how Scott overcame his nearly constant fear and anxiety!
Find out more about Scott and his work at
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Chapters
0:27 Scott Birkin on Living with Fear
4:28 Fear, Anxiety, and Unexpected Lessons
7:39 Finding Ways to Manage Anxiety
10:11 How Crisis Changed the Book
12:08 The Book’s Rules for Living
16:38 Wisdom, Humor, and Waking Up
Summary
Author and speaker Scott Berkun discusses his career, his experience with fear and anxiety, and his book *How to Live: Rules for People Who Don’t Like Rules*. He describes starting in software, then leaving that career to try writing despite not having formal journalism or English training. His first book did well, leading to a career as an author.Berkun says he learned to manage the physical energy he felt before public speaking and athletic competition, interpreting it as preparation rather than a signal to stop. After a mental health crisis near the end of the pandemic in 2021, however, anxiety became persistent and affected him physically and mentally.
He describes going to the gym for hours as a way to reduce that energy. He also says the crisis changed how he understood people and influenced the more personal focus of his book.He explains that *How to Live* draws on philosophy, other writers’ ideas, and his own experience. The book contains 26 short rules and aims to be honest, accessible, and humorous rather than presenting its author as having everything figured out.
Berkun says many self-help books can feel difficult to apply in daily life, and he wanted to write something that readers could engage with more easily.The first rule, “Don’t die,” is about recognizing the value of being alive and appreciating ordinary experiences. The second, “Wake up,” encourages readers to notice when they have learned something or recognized a mistake, and to focus on what they can do now rather than dwell on lost time. Berkun and host Gina Ryan discuss humor as a way to shift perspective, and the value of drawing on the long history of philosophical and spiritual guidance while recognizing that simply encountering advice may not be enough to create lasting change.
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Stillpoint Fridays is my once-a-week Friday note — a slower, more personal reflection that’s different from what I share on the podcast.
If you’d like a quiet place to land as the week winds down, you can join here: http://eepurl.com/bR2F9P or on our website anxietycoachespodcast.com and sign up for the newsletter.
Please visit our Sponsor Page to find all the links and codes for our awesome sponsors! https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.com/sponsors/
Website https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.com
Join our community Group Coaching Join our Group Coaching Full or Mini Membership Program
1:1 Coaching Learn more about our One-on-One Coaching
If you prefer to listen AD-FREE, try our Supercast premium access membership:
Learn more about anxiety What is anxiety?
Free Guided Meditation for Calming Your Anxious Mind 10-Minute Body-Scan Meditation for Anxiety
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Be Well and Aloha!
Gina🌺
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Scott Berkun on The Anxiety Coaches Podcast?
Scott Berkun is a bestselling author of nine books, a longtime listener of the podcast, and a former client of host Gina Ryan who shares his personal recovery story from a mental breakdown and persistent anxiety.
What is Scott Berkun's book about?
His book, 'How to Live: Rules for People Who Don’t Like Rules,' features 26 short, humorous, and accessible rules drawing on philosophy and personal experience to help readers navigate life without feeling weighed down by rigid self-help advice.
How did Scott Berkun manage his anxiety during his crisis?
During his mental health crisis in 2021, Scott used extended visits to the gym for hours at a time as a physical outlet to help reduce the overwhelming anxious energy he was experiencing.
