In this episode I talk with Jason Adam Katzenstein, a cartoonist from The New Yorker, who just published his book “Everything is an Emergency.” Jason shared his creative process, successes dealing with obsessions, how he faces his fears as they pop up, how he finds themes for his cartoons, how he handles different types of fears, in particular fears about uncertainty, making mistakes, and not doing things right & perfect.⁠

I hope you enjoy the episode. Let me know what you think of it!​

Show notes with time-stamps

Here is are some highlights of this conversation with Jason:

​5:12 How Jason handles the fear of making mistakes
9:59 The shifts he experienced after facing his fears with exposure practices⁠
13:13 How Jason distinguishes a distressing thought from an obsession⁠
17:18 Jason’s message for teenagers⁠
22:18 How Jason handles the fear of being an impostor as an artist⁠
24:17 How Jason handles the overwhelming sensations that come with obsessions⁠
28:39 How Jason thinks of his creative process as cartoonist⁠
30:21 How Jason comes up with ideas for his cartoons⁠
33:45 A person that Jason would like to have a cup of coffee with …⁠ ⁠

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About Dr. Z.

I’m originally from Bolivia, South America, and am a psychologist by training. I’m formally trained in empirically supported treatments, and when I say “formally,” I mean that since 2004 I have received intensive training in them, particularly in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). 

Over the past 18 years, I have created resources for and worked with overthinkers and overachievers dealing with all types of anxiety-related struggles: perfectionism, procrastination, productivity anxiety, uncertainty intolerance, indecision, impostor phenomenon, overthinking, phobias, rumination, panic, worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I absolutely love my job!

In 2019, I was nominated as a fellow by the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science because of my contributions related to the applications of ACT for anxiety-based struggles. I’m the author of seven books and the co-author of three (see the section on previously written books).

I’m the founder and director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, a boutique private center in the San Francisco Bay Area that offers therapy and coaching for anyone experiencing anxiety-based struggles.

In 2023, I gave a TEDx talk, “Stop playing-it-safe and start living” that has more than 264K downloads.

While I’m a psychologist by training and science-based by passion, my style is jargon-free, accessible, caring, and lighthearted; teaching ACT skills doesn’t have to be boring or inaccessible, so I do my best to make every skill I teach—in any format—as engaging as possible. 

I believe that learning to navigate anxiety-based reactions is one of the key skills of the 21st century, and I’m passionate about it.

I'm passionate about disseminating ACT skills for anxiety-based struggles.

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