What if the thing that helped you succeed is not the thing that can sustain you?

In Episode 5 of Season 2, I sit down with clinical psychologist Dr Matt Slavin for a deep and practical conversation about mental health, high performance, burnout, change, rest, self-awareness and what it really takes to build a life that is sustainable.

Matt returns to The Modern Journey after moving his family from London to New Zealand, and we talk about what that move has taught him about pace, patience, family, health and learning to live with more intention.

We also unpack the shift from “The Burnout Psychologist” to Mental Advantage, and why real transformation is not just about tips, hacks or performance content. It is about understanding yourself, building actual skills, and learning how to change patterns that may have once protected you but no longer serve you.

Matt opens up about why flexibility is a sign of strength, why change often feels worse before it feels better, why rest can feel unsafe for high performers, and why insight alone does not create lasting change.

This episode is for anyone carrying a lot, trying to grow, trying to change, or learning that success without sustainability eventually becomes expensive.

Please note: this conversation is for reflection and education, not a substitute for therapy or professional mental health support. If you are struggling, please speak to a qualified professional or someone you trust.

Follow Dr Matt Slavin:

Website: www.drmattslavin.com

Newsletter: www.drmattslavin.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmattslavin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmattslavin/

Follow The Modern Journey:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernjourneyhq

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@modernjourneyhq

Newsletter: https://modernjourneyhq.com

Hamza Idris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamzaidris

Chapters:

00:00 Preview

00:38 Welcome back Dr Matt Slavin

00:58 Moving to New Zealand

03:18 Building a sustainable life

05:39 Why balance comes in seasons

07:19 Flexibility as strength

07:52 From burnout to Mental Advantage

10:04 What Mental Advantage means

11:19 Why performance advice is not enough

13:57 Psychology and high performance

15:54 Old survival techniques

18:28 When success strategies stop sustaining you

20:20 Why change feels uncomfortable

22:47 Rewiring the brain through repetition

24:43 Change inside organisations

27:09 Why rest can feel unsafe

28:22 Noticing old thoughts and patterns

32:39 Why progress is not linear

34:20 Why we need mirrors and support

35:30 Why change feels worse before better

39:48 Fear, excitement and the stories we tell

42:39 Processing after the fact

44:40 What to do if you cannot journal

47:08 Insight is not the same as change

49:29 Insight, behaviour and reflection

50:32 What psychological strength looks like

52:39 Where to start if you are carrying a lot

54:16 Permission to stop and pause

55:09 What life is asking of Matt now

57:38 Choosing family, health and what matters

59:08 Matt’s final encouragement

01:01:41 Final thoughts

If this conversation resonates with you, follow The Modern Journey and share the episode with someone who needs to hear it.

#TheModernJourney #MentalHealth #Burnout #PersonalGrowth #PsychologicalStrength

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to keep creating before the rewards show up?

In Episode 4 of Season 2, I sit down with Marvellous Michael Anson, solutions architect, filmmaker and author of Firstborn of the Sun, for a conversation about storytelling, discipline, Yoruba mythology, creative identity, publishing, imposter syndrome and what it really takes to build a sustainable creative life.

We talk about writing across deadlines, balancing a full time career with creativity, why stories need to be lived as much as written, and the journey from self publishing to landing a fantasy trilogy with Penguin Michael Joseph.

Marve also opens up about the cultural foundation behind Firstborn of the Sun, the importance of Yoruba oral storytelling, writing for Yoruba readers first, her relationship with her grandmother, the pressure of book two, and why rest matters when you are building something meaningful.

This episode is for anyone trying to create anyway, even when life is busy, the industry is hard, the doubts are loud, and the work still needs to be done.

Follow Marvellous Michael Anson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justmarvewrites

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justmarvewrites

Website: https://www.justmarve.org/home

Preorder Marve’s new book, The Heir of the Shadow:

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/462761/heir-of-the-shadow-by-anson-marvellous-michael

Follow The Modern Journey:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernjourneyhq

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@modernjourneyhq

Newsletter: https://modernjourneyhq.com

Hamza Idris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamzaidris

Chapters:

00:00 Preview

00:46 Welcome to Marvellous Michael Anson

03:13 Watching TV as a filmmaker

06:03 Congratulations on submitting book two

07:28 Little Marv and the beginning of storytelling

10:30 What kept her faithful to writing

12:45 Wearing many hats

13:05 What balance looks like in real life

16:49 Why life outside writing matters

20:18 From self publishing to Penguin Michael Joseph

21:38 Learning to negotiate creative decisions

24:31 When she felt like an author

26:38 Choosing business school over film school

31:13 What aspiring authors misunderstand

35:57 Discipline behind the writing life

37:37 Firstborn of the Sun

38:44 Yoruba mythology and world building

40:20 Oral storytelling and cultural memory

43:25 Writing for Yoruba readers first

46:19 Reverence, imagination and creative freedom

49:03 When characters surprise you

52:45 Her grandmother’s influence

57:30 What to expect from book two

59:20 The Heir of the Shadow

01:01:45 What makes a story unmistakably Marv’s

01:02:36 Imposter syndrome and the final chapter

01:04:04 Researching fight scenes

01:07:15 What she will protect as a writer

01:08:53 Diversity in publishing

01:11:36 What this season requires from her

01:13:27 Final thoughts

If this conversation resonates with you, follow The Modern Journey and share the episode with someone who needs to hear it.

#TheModernJourney #Writing #Creativity #YorubaMythology #FirstbornOfTheSun

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content warning: this conversation includes discussion of childhood trauma, abuse within the home, alcoholism, drug addiction, family breakdown, homelessness and the emotional weight of parenting through difficult circumstances.

Please listen with care and feel free to pause, skip ahead or stop listening if you need to.

If this conversation brings anything up for you, or if you are worried about someone you know, support is available. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please contact your local emergency services.

Support resources:

Samaritans: 116 123

NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000

Talk to Frank: https://www.talktofrank.com

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

In Episode 3 of Season 2, I sit down with Ollie Harris for one of the most honest and vulnerable conversations we have had on The Modern Journey.

This episode is about fatherhood, childhood trauma, becoming a single dad, growing up around abuse, learning boundaries, raising a child with autism, and trying to break cycles instead of repeating them.

Ollie opens up about becoming a father during Covid, the emotional weight of being separated from his son straight after birth, being forced to take on adult responsibilities too young, and how fatherhood changed the way he sees himself as a man.

We also talk about his son Oscar, autism, labels, emotional capacity, saying no, protecting peace, and what it means to grow through failure.

This episode is for anyone who has had to grow up too quickly, anyone trying to break cycles, and anyone learning that being present is not always easy, but it matters.

Follow Ollie Harris:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-m-harris-6a0b37134

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olliej21

Follow The Modern Journey:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernjourneyhq

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@modernjourneyhq

Newsletter: https://modernjourneyhq.com

Hamza Idris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamzaidris

Chapters:

00:00 Content warning

00:35 Preview

01:26 Welcome to Ollie Harris

03:42 What season of life is Ollie in?

11:57 When fatherhood became real

12:19 Becoming a dad during Covid

18:09 How fatherhood changed him as a man

18:51 Boundaries and learning to say no

20:40 Emotional capacity and protecting peace

24:21 Being a single dad

24:49 Growing up around abuse, alcohol and drugs

26:46 Being relied on too young

27:34 Peace and guilt after detaching from family

30:46 Choosing himself and his son

33:49 Finding out who his father was

37:32 Being told the truth through a DNA test

41:52 Protecting himself through distance

43:43 How childhood shaped his fatherhood

44:57 Not becoming what hurt you

46:48 Understanding pain without excusing harm

51:43 Why he apologises so much

55:20 Raising a child with autism

58:03 Hearing his son speak for the first time

01:02:44 Asking himself who he really is

01:05:00 Labels, ADHD and seeing children differently

01:08:28 The beauty of an organic personality

01:14:56 Advice for parents navigating autism

01:17:04 Finding community and trusting the process

01:22:37 What this season requires from him

01:23:15 Growth disguised as failure

01:26:17 Final thoughts

If this conversation resonates with you, follow The Modern Journey and share the episode with someone who needs to hear it.

#TheModernJourney #Fatherhood #TraumaHealing #AutismAwareness #BreakingCycles

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.