Unstuck with Jay Abbasi

In our last episode, we met Maria, who was struggling with negative self-talk and imposter syndrome. Jay spoke with author and TEDx speaker Kristel Bauer to explore how Maria—and so many others—can work through these challenges. Now, host Jay Abbasi dives deeper into the realities of imposter syndrome, which studies suggest impacts 70% of people, especially high achievers and leaders. Jay introduc...

Meet Maria. It’s 10 p.m. on a Tuesday, and as she stares at an empty wine bottle, she questions, “What am I doing with my life?” On the surface, her career seems perfect. Eight months ago, Maria became a sales manager at a SaaS company in San Francisco, consistently ranking as a top performer. However, she’s plagued by self-doubt. This week has been typical for Maria. After an early gym session an...

In our last episode, we met Adam, an ambitious sales leader whose mental health is deteriorating. Jay met with bestselling author and keynote speaker Ambreen Nadeem to discuss how Adam can start to address his struggles. Now, host Jay Abbasi dives deeper into the underlying issues that so many face in high-pressure roles. Jay introduces a compelling study from Dr. Sonja Lyubomisrky, a distinguishe...

Meet Adam. It’s 1 a.m. on a Monday, and he’s staring blankly at his Salesforce dashboard. After ten flights in 30 days, exhaustion has set in, and his team’s third-place ranking feels like a failure. Sleepless nights have led to a 15-pound weight gain, and he's back on anxiety medication after a year off. As a VP of sales at a major company, Adam has always aimed for an executive role. But constan...

Meet Danesha. It’s 11 p.m. on a Monday, and she’s sitting at her kitchen table, laptop open, staring blankly at her LinkedIn profile. Three months have passed since she was let go from her job at a top tech company, and she hasn’t applied for a single position. She knows she should start looking, but she feels completely stuck. After dedicating over a decade to her company, Danesha’s position was...

Meet David, a Senior VP at a telecommunications company, who’s at his breaking point. After a frustrating Zoom call, he loses his temper, accidentally shattering a picture frame. The tension stems from clashing with Simon, a newly hired Senior VP with 20 years of leadership experience. Simon’s rigid, bottom-line-focused leadership style constantly undermines David’s more empathetic approach. The f...

Meet Jay. This is a special episode where I’m telling you my story. On the morning of June 22, 2014, my life changed forever. I got a phone call from my mother that I’ll never forget—it was the devastating news that my father had a heart attack. In that moment, it felt like everything around me stopped. At the time, I was stuck. I was overweight, uninspired by my job, and living without any real s...

Meet Madison. It’s dinner time, and her family is taken aback by her sudden outburst. Her daughters fall silent, and her husband, with a concerned look, gently asks, “Honey, are you okay?” Forcing a smile, Madison replies, “Yeah, I’m fine,” and excuses herself to the bathroom. Alone, she gazes into the mirror as tears flow uncontrollably. Madison is the general manager of a luxury hotel in downtow...

Meet Ali, a data scientist in Dallas, Texas, who’s been dreaming of starting his own business for over a decade. At a family dinner, Ali listens to his brother-in-law, Samir, proudly share the success of his digital marketing agency. Though Ali smiles, doubt gnaws at him as he wonders, "Will I ever build a business of my own?" Ali has explored various business ideas—from opening a coffee shop to s...

Meet Tim. It’s Friday night, and Tim is still at the office, grappling with a harsh reality. Earlier in the day, he discovered his colleague, with just two years at the company, received the promotion Tim had been striving for. To top it off, his phone buzzes with missed calls and a breakup text from his girlfriend of four years: “It’s over.” Tim, an engineer at a major tech company, has dedicated...

Meet Natalia. It’s 6 p.m. on a Friday, and she’s still at the office, gritting her teeth and holding back tears. She has just replied “yes” to her manager’s Slack message asking if the Monday presentation will be ready. She sees that the message was read, but received no response. Overworked and understaffed, Natalia feels increasingly underappreciated. Rewind to 5 a.m. that Friday. Natalia, a cus...

Meet Bryant. He’s just landed a new Senior Director role at a pharmaceutical company, but instead of feeling elated, he’s staring out the window, consumed by nerves and self-doubt. Over the past 5 years, Bryant has faced 3 layoffs, each one forcing him to ask hard questions: What went wrong? Was it office politics, bad luck, or something he’s missing? Now, as he prepares for his new role, Bryant r...

Meet Sal, a Program Manager, who’s filled with self-doubt, sinking into the sofa after reading a LinkedIn notification on his phone. It’s 6:30 p.m., and after a quiet family dinner, he’s scrolling through LinkedIn. A notification from Devin, his college buddy, announces a promotion to director, accompanied by a flood of congratulatory comments. Sal’s heart sinks. They’re the same age, same degree,...

Meet Priya. A dedicated palliative care physician and single mother who finds herself lying in a hospital bed completely baffled by how everything spiraled out of control. From unsettling whispers at her hospice center to battling dizziness and chest tightness during her ER shift, Priya’s relentless commitment has brought her to this breaking point. Jay sits down with Dr. Jonathan Fisher, a renown...

Real people. Real stories. Real solutions. I’m Jay Abbasi, host of Unstuck, and as a former leader at Tesla, I understand the whirlwind of challenges in the modern work scene. In this podcast, we reveal how to thrive in demanding work environments through relatable, real-life stories.   Each episode starts with a true story of modern professional challenges, followed by expert insights to help you...