The Psychology of Ambition | Dr. Gena Gorlin | Substack

A different and better way to live

An exposition of the "builder's mindset" and its contraries

Jul 14, 2023 • Dr. Gena Gorlin

1:05:47

Gena Gorlin and Linda Mann on building a life of art

A recording from Dr. Gena Gorlin's live video

Jul 17 • Dr. Gena Gorlin and Linda Mann

Everything you’ve been told about burnout is wrong

Burnout is caused by a lack of believable motivation—not working too hard. Breaks won’t help. Engineering motivation will.

Published on Blake Scholl • Jul 10

Agency IS a virtue, actually

The hardest part of “just doing things” is HAVING THINGS YOU WANT TO DO.

Jun 15 • Dr. Gena Gorlin

Two origin stories in one 2020 blog post

May 9 • Dr. Gena Gorlin

Most Popular

From “walking in the desert” to Escaping Flatland

Feb 25, 2025 • Dr. Gena Gorlin and Matt Bateman

On being married to Gena

Mar 19, 2025 • Matt Bateman

My journey from ADHD skeptic to Adderall enthusiast

Aug 16, 2025 • Dr. Gena Gorlin

The builder's mindset: a way out of the "drill sergeant" / "Zen master" dichotomy

Feb 2, 2022 • Dr. Gena Gorlin

The Psychology of Ambition

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