# 456: You're Successful…So Why Does It Feel So Empty? An interview with author, speaker & founder of Headbands of Hope Jess Ekstrom Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/dream-think-do-motivation-encouragement-strategy-1095025/456-you-re-successful-so-why-does-it-feel-so-empty-an-interview-with-author-speaker-founder-of-headbands-of-hope-jess-ekstrom Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/dream-think-do-motivation-encouragement-strategy-1095025/456-you-re-successful-so-why-does-it-feel-so-empty-an-interview-with-author-speaker-founder-of-headbands-of-hope-jess-ekstrom.md Podcast: [DREAM THINK DO | Motivation, Encouragement & Strategy](https://stenobird.com/podcast/dream-think-do-motivation-encouragement-strategy-1095025) Published: 2026-06-10T07:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://mitchmatthews.com/456 Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/dreamthinkdo/456_-_AUDIO_ONLY.mp3?dest-id=243915 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/dream-think-do-motivation-encouragement-strategy-1095025/episodes/456-you-re-successful-so-why-does-it-feel-so-empty-an-interview-with-author-speaker-founder-of-headbands-of-hope-jess-ekstrom Duration seconds: 3953 ## Resource What if the dream you worked so hard to build… is now also the thing slowly draining you? DREAM THINK DO favorite Jess Ekstrom returns to the podcast for her THIRD appearance - and this might be our deepest conversation yet. You probably know Jess as the founder of Headbands of Hope, the company she launched out of her dorm room that went on to impact millions of lives around the world. Since then, she's launched other successful businesses, become a bestselling author, and sought-after speaker. But this conversation goes beyond business growth, productivity hacks, or hustle culture. Because Jess's new book, Making It Without Losing It, tackles a tension so many high achievers quietly wrestle with: What happens when you finally achieve success… but still feel anxious, exhausted, restless, or strangely unfulfilled? If you've ever: Felt successful on paper… but empty in real life... Wondered if your ambition is costing you too much... Struggled to slow down because success feels tied to safety... Or felt pressure to keep achieving… even when you're tired... This episode is going to hit home. Read the full shownotes at https://mitchmatthews.com/456 ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/dream-think-do-motivation-encouragement-strategy-1095025/episodes/456-you-re-successful-so-why-does-it-feel-so-empty-an-interview-with-author-speaker-founder-of-headbands-of-hope-jess-ekstrom/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/dream-think-do-motivation-encouragement-strategy-1095025/456-you-re-successful-so-why-does-it-feel-so-empty-an-interview-with-author-speaker-founder-of-headbands-of-hope-jess-ekstrom.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.