We live in strange times. I founded the Anxious Millennial Podcast in the midst of COVID-19, when I needed a safe outlet and required connection with human beings again. I cover important issues on my show that we are all facing right now, including mental health, wellness and anxiety. A millennial myself, I have struggled with anxiety almost all of my adult life, and I finally wanted to provide a platform to be able to do away with the stigmas about mental health and *gasp* talk about it!
I love empowering entrepreneurs to share what it is like to run a business, platform or organization in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and open up on how they deal with their stressors. I have interviewed a beautiful array of professionals in the realm of mental health, coaches, marketers, mentors, and organization founders. The common thread? They all want to create a space that is both fulfilling, authentic and healthy. Right now, the podcast is a labor of love as I am growing it organically, but I am witnessing so many business leaders that want to come on the podcast just to share their journeys and be part of a safe, non judgmental space. Interviewees can also leverage air time to talk about their business missions, a win-win!
It’s been so busy that my website is still in the midst of being updated (www.anxiousmillennial.ca), but I believe that this is a telltale of one thing: It’s high time we start talking about our anxiety, and best of all, how we can cope. So, let’s cope together.
I have meaningful conversations with amazing people from all over the world about issues that face wellbeing and mental health today. I always “pre-interview” my guests and get to know them and their journeys. We then talk about their respective businesses and platforms and I get to unravel their life stories in meaningful ways for listeners. It is truly one of the most gratifying and rewarding spaces to be! We cover everything from perfectionism, to depression, to quarantine, to relationships, to coping mechanisms, mindfulness … the topics and conversations run an incredible gamete.
I am anxious. Always have been.
My struggle became “real” as I hit my twenties and I was studying a field that didn’t love me back as tenderly as I adored it – Psychology. I was studying at an aggressively competitive school and I became debilitatingly anxious in university, but I eventually found ways to cope and successfully graduate. My academic and career journeys took me to a whole new world: communications and PR – where I had to “fake it till I made it” on the job with my self confidence. I found only true meaning when I started to connect with others about stress, panic and anxiety, and eventually learned that I wasn’t alone. After working in digital entertainment, several PR agencies, pharma and management consulting, and discussing my career with supportive parents and a loving fiancé, it took two things to mobilize me to start my own podcast : the Empire Building Masterclass and the pandemic. Isn’t that crazy? 🙂
I genuinely feel good and happy when I connect with others. I am what is deemed as an “hsp” (a highly sensitive person) and I usually find the deepest fulfillment when someone opens up to me about their life and THEIR “why”, ironically enough. Journeys mean something to me. I know psychology wasn’t for me because I became disenchanted with so many of life’s small miracles, and so I had to find another way to get the “goosies” and connect to others in my day to day. I have a hard time only executing a task without knowing there is a larger purpose, I am very spiritual that way. And if my goal in life is to end the stigmas and taboos facing mental health, where we can all finally admit we are all battling our own demons, then maybe I can rest easy knowing I have made some kind of difference on this planet.
To build a space that people can “go” and feel better and less lonely. To create a safe spot in your day where you don’t have to be famous to be interviewed and where it’s possible for just about anyone with a story to talk about their business! The goal is to create awareness on even the humblest of passion projects, because they too should get exposure. I hope to keep leveraging small businesses and platforms that contribute positively to the bettering of our world through climate change awareness, mental wellness, equality and physical health. The pillars of our lives right now, really. Also, two future #goalinterviewees for me on a personal level would be Michelle Obama and Jameela Jamil – total rockstars in every sense, because they hold their values close to their hearts and live their lives accordingly.
Oh my. It’s very difficult to answer this because I was raised to be humble, but I’ll just be authentic and blunt: to reach to the furthest depths of this earth and find meaning and connection with just about anyone, through the podcast. I know how difficult it is for many to be outgoing and put themselves out there without fear of rejection and judgement, but to you all I say this: what do you have to lose? Do that thing you’re afraid to do. The worst enemy to creation is ego. I know this is totally easier said than done, but try (please try!) and put the pride aside and take a leap of faith. It took me so long to launch this podcast because I kept telling myself “it has to be perfect”. I definitely did NOT succeed at everything, but it took lots of failing to learn that those dark times make for incredible fuel to JUST. KEEP. GOING. If human beings tapped into their potential without fear or judgement, we’d be living in a far more different reality than we do now.
I am gratefully an employee of a beautiful management consulting team of brilliant minds. My 9-5 mostly consist of helping our communications strategy, providing IT support and aiding our marketing efforts. After work I shift gears and nurture my podcast, read up on sound editing, research potential topics and interviewees and of course, get to know my guests! I do a ton of research when on my guests so that usurps a lot of time. Plus, I work on myself too in order to stay authentic in the realm of anxiety, so I keep my life balanced with mental health breaks, staying properly nourished, exercising and spending time with loved ones (these days a lot of that is done virtually, but we do what we can).
My dad is a business owner and an entrepreneur. He is in a tough business and always gave the most sound advice, of which was always: keep going. Don’t stop. Even if you have been humbled with whatever you deem to be a so-called “failure”, you keep going. You pick yourself up, spend exactly zero time feeling bad about yourself (because that’s an energy waste, let’s be honest) and you just put one foot in front of another. He is incredibly inspiring, and I have learned all of my business acumen from him. My entrepreneurial spirit is definitely all him! He is also vastly different from me, so he takes on a much more pragmatic business coach role to balance me out because I tend to be driven by feeling and emotion (#HSPLIFE) . He helps me clear all that mental space junk from my brain and reminds me of my resilience, even when I don’t see it myself. Works every time.
Also, I read a book that single handedly pivoted how I viewed taking (calculated) risks: Do cool SH*T, by Miki Agrawal. It is unequivocally the most inspiring page turner on pushing you to just get out there and get out of your comfort zone. It pays off!
Obviously due to the nature and theme of my podcast, I always end my shows with the phrase “Go conquer”. It’s meant as a motivator to remind you that you can conquer anything you work hard at: your anxiety, your insecurities, your self doubt, your negative talk. Plus, fun fact: Due to the recency effect on our brains, we tend to remember the most recent words or occurrences that happen in most contexts – the main reason I decide to END my podcasts with this phrase “Go conquer!” – it’s more likely to stick that way and become a self-fulling prophecy.
But all the issues I mentioned before, they are all pervasive in our culture, especially anxiety, and I think the notion that we are meant to be “cured” of these necessary growing pains needs to stop. Maybe approaching our day with self compassion rather than the “tough talk” we assume works would be a healthier option. All the self work I have to do on myself always starts and ends with self compassion. It’s a proven anxiety crusher. People tend to naturally assume that we have to be hard on ourselves to achieve immeasurable success. I am here to tell you: that is simply not true, and in fact those who approach their tasks, work and lives with compassion for themselves and others are far happier and fulfilled than those who “drill sergeant” their way through life.
Of course it was helpful! I joined the Empire Building Masterclass early this year (before the pandemic hit) and I felt immediately connected to the community and a bigger purpose. The course taught me the importance of a concrete sales funnel and the importance of a solid social media plan. The Facebook group is also a collection of brilliant and creative people who continue to inspire me. You will never feel shy or intimidated with this lovely group of women, as they always open the door to communication, questions and to share what it is that you are building. Trust me when I say there is nothing more helpful than a supportive community.
Be gentle and kind to yourselves. Your mind is your ally and you have to treat it with respect and dignity. You have every right to feel frustration and sadness, it’s an undeniable part of the human condition. But speaking as someone who ongoingly feels the brunt of anxiety and all its sharp edges, I ask: why contribute to your suffering? This is something I also hope to impart to my interviewees and listeners: You would never talk to a friend the way I am certain you berate yourself when you “mess up”, right? So why do you deserve to be spoken to like that? Take breaks, eat meals mindfully if you can, move your body, be present when someone you love is opening up to you. And most of all: GO CONQUER! 🙂
To listen to the Anxious Millennial Podcast, all episodes are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Play! Feel free to also subscribe and follow for the latest episode “drop”.
Also, if you and your business want to be featured on the podcast and be part of a brilliant community of entrepreneurs who are conquering their anxiety and stressors, you can always email me at alexandra@anxiousmilliennial.ca or DM me on IG at @anxiousmillennialpodcast or even on my own channel at @alexandravincelli – I love making connections, so even if you just want to reach out and talk anxiety, I would love to hear from you!
Thank you to the lovely team at Girls Building Empires for doing a feature on my podcast journey! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this and how excited I have been to share my story and connect with all of you. Your class has done so much to motivate me toward starting my podcast. Please don’t forget to sign up for their courses and follow them on IG @girlsbuildingempires for some ambition and morale boosts on the daily!
XOXO Alexandra Vincelli AKA Gal Host & Founder of the Anxious Millennial Podcast
