What if anxiety isn’t the enemy – we’ve just been using it wrong?

Sometimes the tools we build for others are the ones we needed to invent for ourselves.

—

I’ve always struggled with anxiety. My brain can turn an unresolved text message into a full-blown crisis. But what I never realized is that if our minds can rehearse disaster, we can also train them to rehearse something different.

That insight is at the heart of my conversation with James Veraldi. James didn’t just help build TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat—he helped design the algorithms that made them addictive.

Then something big happened at TikTok. And he couldn’t look away.

James walked away from one of the most powerful jobs in tech to try something radical: building tools that improve mental health instead of exploiting it.

And along the way, he discovered something shocking:

Anxiety isn’t the enemy. We’ve just been using it wrong. And we can use the power of visualization to address it.

In this episode, we get into:

✅ The 3-step framework for reclaiming focus when you’re stuck in the comparison trap

✅ The TikTok incident that made James rethink his entire career

✅ The risks people face today when using chatGPT for therapy

✅ How to use the power of visualization – and why it works better than willpower for achieving success and managing anxiety

And in this week’s How-To, I break down:

→ A new definition of failure: It’s not about falling short

→ Why visualizing neutral outcomes can stop anxiety from hijacking your brain—and how to use it in high-stakes moments

→ Why postmortems matter just as much as planning—and how to do them well

→ The mental reframe that keeps you from spiraling when your competition gets loud

Because here’s the truth:

Anxiety built civilization. It’s what kept our ancestors alive. The problem isn’t anxiety—it’s that we’ve let social media companies turn it against us.

There’s more ahead. There always is.

—Molly

🧠 Get the takeaways straight to your inbox. My newsletter ‘What I Wish I Knew’ shares all the research + tools I use in my own life: mollykawahata.com/join

—

🔗 View the full show notes at mollykawahata.com/podcast

🎥 Video episodes available on YouTube

—

🔗 Follow for more:
YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn

—

Connect with James:

LinkedIn

Kairo: Harnessing the power of visualization to up your athletic performance - You can try the web-beta today

—

🕒 Timestamps

00:22 – Sun protection, witness-protection vibes, and thirties energy

03:17 – Enter James Veraldi: Guest introduction and background

06:26 – Building technology for positive mental health outcomes

12:01 – Early career and finding entrepreneurship

14:09 – Lessons from getting fired and moving into startups

16:11 – The genesis of Loop

21:20 – The birth of Scenario: visualization for social anxiety

25:20 – How visualization works

36:13 – Diving and entrepreneurship: Lessons from the deep ocean

44:05 – Managing failure, setbacks, and maintaining hope

49:03 – The How-To: Action

Send us a text