Ep. 15 - Talking Perfectionism with Gaby Kogut

On Episode 15 of The End of the Day Podcast, I talk to special guest, Gaby Kogut, about perfectionism and anxiety. Gaby is an art history lecturer from New York City, and the founder of Irreverent Art History, where she teaches weekly art history classes via Zoom in her own "irreverent, silly, weird but really informative and critical manner." (Her tagline: "Because art is more than old, dead crap.")

Gaby and I connected through Kara Loewentheil's group coaching program, The Clutch. After chatting, we discovered that our growth journeys were similar in that we both spent a good portion of our lives struggling with perfectionism and anxiety.

On this episode, Gaby shares her own journey with perfectionism, and how part of her healing required her to look to her past and let go of unhealthy thought patterns that were passed down from previous generations.

Gaby's story is fascinating. To me, it's one of resilience and overcoming. From deep meditation to body-oriented (somatic) therapy to mindset work (specifically, causal self-coaching), Gaby shares how each played a role in reducing her perfectionist thinking and ultimately helped her to start experiencing the fun and enjoyment of life again in a much more healthy and compassionate way.

I learned a lot from Gaby on this episode. Her story reaffirms my belief that inner work is the most important work, and the number one gift we can give ourselves to live a healthier, happier life.

------

Where to find Gaby Kogut

Irreverent Art History
FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/irreverentarthist/
Twitter:@ArtIrreverent
IG: @ArtIrreverent

Podcast recommendations (Gaby & Kari)
1. Mental Illness Happy Hour Podcast with Paul Gilmartin
2. Unf*ck Your Brain Podcast with Kara Loewentheil
- Ep. 90: Perfectionist Fantasies and Tomorrow Thinking
- Ep. 36: Antidotes to Perfectionism (Other Focus + Minimum Baseline)
3. WorkLife: A TED Podcast with Adam Grant (Ep: How to Love Criticism)

Information on Body-Oriented Therapy (Gaby)
https://www.bodyorientedtherapy.com/

Books (Gaby)
-Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
-Radical Compassion by Tara Brach (Brach teaches the 4 step process called RAIN)
-Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen

Links to Resources on Meditation (Gaby)
Jack Kornfield
DharmaSeed
Insight Timer

Original intro/outro music by JMW.

------

To learn more about what I do, my coaching philosophy and how to work with me, email me at [email protected] or visit my website at https://kariwatterson.c