Helping burned out high-achievers go from striving to thriving
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ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Dr. Paula Freedman-Diamond, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, author, speaker, and the founder and Clinical Director of the Chicago-based group practice HumanKind Psychological Services.
I help high-achievers, overthinkers, and people-pleasers stop tying their self-worth to achievement so they can build more meaningful, rewarding lives. I work with individuals and organizations who want to break free from burnout and perfectionism without giving up ambition or impact.
I wrote the book Toxic Striving after a decade of watching women (and people of all backgrounds) chase a target that never stops moving. No matter how productive, attractive, likeable or accomplished they became, it never felt like enough.
I bring a down-to-earth and non-jargony style to my work, drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Intuitive Eating, mindfulness, and positive psychology. I use evidence-based psychology to give you accessible insights that challenge productivity-driven definitions of success.
My expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Reebok, Parade, and more. I am a frequent podcast guest and love bringing my perspective to shows about mental health, dating and relationships, success and entrepreneurship, wellness, fitness, and hustle culture.
Speaking Topics
Click "read more" to view details. All talks are tailored to audience and organizational goals.
For Corporate, Wellness, and Leadership Organizations:
Toxic Striving: The Moving Target of Achievement Culture
Audiences learn a practical framework for redefining ambition without sacrificing wellbeing. Thanks to Hustle Culture, high achievers often chase a moving target, discrediting accomplishments and immediately shifting to the next goal. This talk will change the way you think about success and achievement, and teach you how to pursue goals without burning out.
The Cost of Being “A Pleasure to Work With”: How People-Pleasing Prevents Real Connection
Learn how to tolerate disappointment, set effective boundaries, and use your voice to deepen trust and collaboration. People-pleasers are often praised for being easygoing and reliable, yet these traits frequently come at a hidden cost: self-silencing, resentment, burnout, and strained relationships. This talk explores why people-pleasing is so socially reinforced and offers the audience real-world strategies to stop pleasing and start showing up more honestly, so trust, collaboration and connection can actually grow.
You Are Not a Machine: Reclaiming Meaning in a Metrics-Driven World
Learn how to loosen the grip of constant self-optimization and make choices guided by meaning, not metrics. In a culture obsessed with optimization of everything, from our productivity to our health and relationships, it’s easy to live by formulas and lose touch with what truly matters. This talk explores how algorithmic thinking and “life-hacking” erode meaning and presence, and offers the audience a grounded path back to living and working in ways that are fully human: values-driven, satisfying and sustainable.
For Jewish Organizations & Communities
L’Dor v’Dor, Without the Pressure: Letting go of generational anxiety and reclaiming what matters
Learn how to let go of legacy pressure and guilt, so you can live a meaningful Jewish life rooted in values and connection. Jewish trauma and anxiety are often passed down through generations, along with an unspoken responsibility to live an exceptional life—one that makes our ancestors’ perseverance feel worthwhile. This talk helps audience members recognize how legacy pressure shapes their relationship with achievement, guilt, and responsibility, and offers practical tools for reclaiming a sense of meaning, connection, and continuity that honors our heritage without being driven by endless performance.
Leading Without Overfunctioning: Living Jewish Values without Losing Yourself
Learn how to lead and contribute to Jewish community in ways that are values-driven, sustainable, and life-giving (not self-sacrificing). For many Jewish adults (especially women), values like service, community and responsibility are deeply meaningful, yet they can easily become laced with guilt, self-sacrifice, and the pressure to overfunction. This talk helps participants distinguish between performative leadership and values-driven leadership, offering practical tools for showing up with clarity and integrity without depleting themselves in the process.
Speaking Formats:
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Keynotes
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Lunch & Learns
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Retreats
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Leadership Development
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Board Trainings
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Professional Networks
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Panel Facilitation
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Community Gatherings
Dr. Paula is known for her down-to-earth, relatable speaking style that resonates with both professional and casual audiences.
Media clips available upon request. Contact to discuss rates and availability.
The Big Idea Here: Toxic Striving
In Toxic Striving, Dr. Paula Freedman-Diamond challenges the cultural belief that more effort, discipline and self-optimizing will eventually lead to feeling “good enough.”
Drawing from over a decade of clinical work and cultural observation, she blends powerful storytelling with psychologically grounded, evidence-based insights to reveal how perfectionism, people-pleasing, and hustle culture destroy our wellbeing and keep us chasing moving targets. Toxic Striving offers a practical path forward, to a life well lived on your own terms.
Many of Dr. Paula’s talks expand on the core ideas in Toxic Striving, tailored for engaging conversations with live audiences.