Morra Aarons-Mele

I am a (mostly) happy, successful person. I’m also an extremely anxious overachiever. To normalize anxiety and help others manage theirs, I host The Anxious Achiever podcast for LinkedIn Presents, which was a 2020 Webby Awards Honoree and is a top 50 business podcast and 10 management podcast. I’m passionate about helping people rethink the relationship between their mental health and their leadership. My upcoming book on the subject will be published by Harvard Business Review Press in April 2023. I am an expert in marketing with a unique understanding of online community and digital-first strategic communications. I helped Hillary Clinton log on for her first Internet chat, and have launched digital campaigns for four Presidential candidates, Malala Yousafzai, the United Nations, and many other leading figures and organizations. I help clients create campaigns that inspire action and behavior change. I love helping organizations solve problems. After ten years working for startups, large companies, and a Presidential campaign, I founded the marketing agency Women Online and its influencer database, The Mission List, in 2011. Women Online created digital-first strategic communications campaigns that mobilize women. At one point our all-virtual firm worked for the world’s largest NGO, the U.S’s largest financial corporation, the U.S’s largest advocacy organization, the U.S’s largest foundation, and America’s largest not for profit organization. We built Women Online based on values of social impact, flexibility, and a vision to support women’s advancement above all. In May 2021, I sold Women Online and The Mission List to a larger firm. Now, I’m focused on amplifying the conversation around mental health and leadership, and I consult with organizations who want to create more mentally healthy teams and speak widely. My first book, Hiding in the Bathroom: How to Get Out There (When You'd Rather Stay Home) is an Amazon bestseller and is available in five languages. I’ve written for the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, O the Oprah Magazine, the Wall St Journal, Forbes, and the Guardian. Since 2005, I’ve covered the campaign trail, the White House, the lactation room, and the office cubicle as a blogger on women, politics, and work.