182. You Are the Greatest Project You'll Ever Work On - Dr Marny Lishman and Prina Shah on Self-Awareness, Solitude & Emotional Agility
What if the most important relationship you'll ever build isn't with your partner, your colleagues or your team—but with yourself? In this episode of Ways to Change the Workplace, Prina Shah sits down with psychologist, workplace wellbeing expert and author Dr Marny Lishman for a deeply honest conversation about one of the most overlooked workplace skills: self-awareness. Drawing on her latest book, Only You, Marny challenges the common belief that being alone automatically means being lonely...
What if the most important relationship you'll ever build isn't with your partner, your colleagues or your team—but with yourself?
In this episode of Ways to Change the Workplace, Prina Shah sits down with psychologist, workplace wellbeing expert and author Dr Marny Lishman for a deeply honest conversation about one of the most overlooked workplace skills: self-awareness.
Drawing on her latest book, Only You, Marny challenges the common belief that being alone automatically means being lonely. Instead, she explores how periods of solitude can become powerful opportunities for growth, emotional agility and personal transformation.
Together, Prina and Marny discuss why so many high-performing professionals stay busy to avoid themselves, how uncomfortable emotions can become valuable data rather than something to suppress, and why learning to understand yourself ultimately makes you a better leader, colleague and human being.
This conversation is a reminder that before we can lead others, influence culture or change workplaces, we must first understand the person doing the work.
After all...
You are the greatest project you will ever work on.
In this episode we discuss
- Why you are the greatest project you'll ever work on
- The difference between solitude and loneliness
- Why busy professionals often avoid self-reflection
- Emotional agility as an essential workplace skill
- Listening to your emotions instead of distracting yourself
- Why uncomfortable emotions contain valuable information
- The importance of metacognition and observing your own thinking
- How self-awareness improves leadership and workplace performance
- Practical ways to reconnect with yourself
- Why connection with yourself strengthens your connection with others
- Building resilience before life forces you to slow down
- Why emotional agility should be taught in every workplace
Reflection Questions
- What part of yourself have you been too busy to listen to?
- What discomfort have you been trying to outrun?
- If your emotions are data, what are they trying to tell you?
- Are you leading your life—or reacting to it?
- What would change if you invested in yourself the same way you invest in your career?
- How can you create more intentional moments of reflection each week?
About Dr Marny Lishman
Dr Marny Lishman is a psychologist, workplace wellbeing expert, keynote speaker and author who helps individuals, leaders and organisations improve mental health, resilience and performance.
Her work focuses on supporting the person behind the professional—helping busy people better understand stress, anxiety, burnout and emotional wellbeing while building healthier and more sustainable lives and careers.
Her latest book, Only You, explores how learning to embrace solitude can become a catalyst for greater self-awareness, emotional wellbeing and meaningful connection.
Connect with Dr Marny Lishman
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Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah
