"When we do what brings us joy, we fuel our energy, and we have more to give — we can have a greater positive impact on people around us." In this edition of You've Got This, speaker, author, and serial entrepreneur Nataly Kogan discusses what inspired her to start her company Happier, ways you can boost your emotional resilience and joy, and why creativity is so important. You can read her answers below, along with announcing our next guest, author of Inclusion On Purpose Ruchika Tulshyan .

Victoria: "Can you share with us how your career journey catalyzed the start of your company, Happier?"

Nataly: "I built a very successful career in tech and finance, including at large companies like Microsoft & McKinsey, venture capital, and 5 startups. I loved my work—and found a lot of meaning in it. 

But I was on the 'I’ll be happy when…' treadmill. I kept thinking that once I launch this company or create this kind of impact, or have a greater leadership role then I’ll be happy. And every launch and promotion did feel good for a short while, but the happiness bubble would always burst and my answer was to push myself harder, do more, try to achieve more.

I equated happiness with achievements and thought that eventually, I would achieve 'enough' and reach some kind of state of happiness euphoria. But instead, I burned out.

My burnout caused me to stop —I couldn’t function, so I had no choice—and I began to look for a different way to feel happier, more fulfilled. I did a lot of research, tried many things, and eventually learned a powerful lesson:

"Achievements could never bring happiness, but I could cultivate it through gratitude, kindness, self-awareness, and connecting to my sense of purpose."

I started Happier to share these skills and practices with million of other Awesome Humans, so they can get off the 'I’ll be happy when…' treadmill and truly thrive in their lives and work."

Victoria: "In your recent book THE AWESOME HUMAN PROJECT: Break Free from Daily Burnout, Struggle Less, and Thrive More in Work and Life , you outline a five-week plan on how to recharge and prioritize. What are some small ways that someone can proactively fight burnout in their day-to-day?"

Nataly: "Recognize that you’re a human being and you don’t have unlimited energy. Energy is your fuel and everything you do requires it. So you need to regularly refuel your emotional, mental, and physical energy. My favorite way to be consistent at this is by scheduling Mini Fuel-Ups throughout the day: 10-15 minute breaks when I do something to fuel my energy. It can be as simple as going outside for a walk!

Do things outside of work that bring you joy! We think having too much work causes burnout, but that’s just one of the reasons. Over-identifying with your work is another huge factor. It’s great to have a hobby or a craft that has nothing to do with work, make time to spend with friends and family, read books that have nothing to do with your job. 

Practice gratitude. Your brain has a natural negativity bias, so you notice things that are wrong or negative more than anything that’s good. This can cause increased stress and anxiety, increasing your chances of burnout. Practicing gratitude reminds your brain to not ignore things that are good, OK, or comforting, which improves resilience."

Victoria: "You're also an artist launching your first collection of NFTs very soon . What inspired you to want to adopt this approach, and how do you see creativity as a force for happiness and fighting burnout?"

Nataly: "I began to paint after I burned out. I always wanted to do it, but I never let myself because it felt like an indulgence —it didn’t have anything to do with my work or my family, so I felt guilty to take time for myself.

But when I began to paint, it brought me so much joy. It helped me heal from burnout, and it helped my family, my colleagues, and my work, too.

"When we do what brings us joy, we fuel our energy, and we have more to give — we can have a greater positive impact on people around us."

My NFT collection is made up of 100 original abstract drawings of Awesome Humans. I want it to inspire people to embrace their awesomeness but also their humanity and to recognize that we’re all masterpieces in progress.

To be human is to be creative. This is why doing something creative is linked with increased happiness —it allows us to express something that is part of our essence. And doing something creative allows us to disconnect from work and the reality around us, allowing our brain to reset, refresh, and help us process feelings we might not be able to articulate. It’s essential to avoiding burnout and to feeling more joy in our daily life!"

Follow Nataly on LinkedIn.

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Our next guest: Ruchika Tulshyan

I'm looking forward to our next guest,  author, keynote speaker and founder of inclusion strategy practice Candour , Ruchika Tulshyan. In our conversation, I'll be asking her these questions:

• Can you tell us about your professional journey, and what are some of the pivotal experiences that have shaped your career?
• In your new book Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work , you discuss the importance of centering the workplace experiences of women of color, and break down concepts such as hiring for the principal of "culture add" versus "culture fit." What do you hope readers take away from the book?
• March is International Women's Month in the United States, with March 8th being International Women's Day (#IWD2022 ). As someone who focuses on gender and intersectional equity, what other books, authors, and programs would you recommend learning from to help #breakthebias this month and beyond?

If you have a question for Ruchika, join in the comments below, and thank you for being a part of You've Got This.