What happens when success comes at the cost of your sanity? At 24, Dorothy Herson had achieved the dream: a training contract at one of London’s most elite law firms. But behind the polished exterior was an insecure overachiever battling bipolar disorder, addicted to validation, fuelled by long hours, and quietly self-medicating with Adderall, Xanax, and alcohol. That path led her to a psychiatric hospital and the question: how do you rebuild when everything you worked for collapses?

This conversation is not just about addiction. It’s about the hidden cost of ambition, the culture of workaholism, and the courage it takes to move from shame into recovery. Dorothy and I also explore what it really means to be an insecure overachiever, the reality of addiction for young people in high-pressure careers, and how stereotypes about the 12 steps can hold people back from getting help. We talk about the journey of moving beyond shame, why Gen Z are already redefining the way work and stress are managed, and what true sober inclusivity in the workplace could look like.

More on Dorothy -

Dorothy Herson is a former lawyer turned journalist, mental health advocate, and editor for a Cambridge University Press journal focused on mood disorders. She is the author of The Rag Doll Contract and is about to begin a PhD in Literature and Medicine, where she will explore the intersection of narrative and mental health. Dorothy has written about addiction amd mental in various newspapers around the world.

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Topics -

0:00 Trailer & Intro

4:15 Dorothy's rock bottom moment

6:00 Addiction to work & validation

8:45 Dealing with having neurological episodes as a child

10:15 Adderall was my gateway drug!

12:55 Xanax & wine to come down

15:00 Using drugs and alcohol to function

17:40 Prescription drugs & sleeping tablets

20:30 WE ARE NOT DOCTORS & FREE LAPSE!

23:30 Finding recovery & healing

26:00 Addiction doesn't discriminate?

28:30 Stereotypes of 12 step fellowship & managing bipolar

34:15 What is an insecure overachiever?

40:15 Gen Z, work and managing stress

43:45 Addiction and young people

47:05 Sponsor

48:10 Sober inclusivity in the workplace

52:45 The Rag Doll Contract

54:00 Moving on from shame and guilt

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