About this Podcast:

When I invited Dr. Foojan Zeine onto Vision with Execution, I thought we’d talk theory. I didn’t expect to get emotional, or go through a mini therapy session right on the show. But that’s exactly what happened, and honestly, I’m grateful it did.

Dr. Zeine is a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience, and she created a system called Awareness Integration Theory (AIT). It combines cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and trauma-informed approaches into something powerful and fast. That’s what caught my attention. Most therapy is a long road, but her process promised real breakthroughs in a short amount of time.

So, I decided to go for it. I told her about something that’s been weighing on me for years: this inner belief that I’m not valuable unless I’m constantly producing. It’s tough for me to relax. Even when I try, guilt creeps in unless I feel like I’ve earned it with productivity. That belief, “I’m worthless if I’m not doing enough,” drives a lot of my behavior and I was curious to see what she’d do with it.

What followed was one of the most insightful and emotional 20 minutes I’ve ever spent. Dr. Zeine helped me trace that feeling of worthlessness back to a childhood memory I hadn’t revisited in decades. I was about five years old, and I accidentally ruined a car engine by pouring sand into it. I remember standing in front of my grandfather, full of shame, convinced that I’d messed up beyond repair not just the engine, but my value in their eyes.

That moment, it turns out, was formative. Dr. Zeine helped me see how much of my adult life had been built around trying to prove I was worthy after that experience. But here’s the kicker: no matter how efficient I became or how much I achieved, that deep-rooted belief still lingered. It wasn’t working.

She had me talk to that younger version of myself—out loud, on the podcast—and thank him. Thank him for being resilient, for being curious, for not breaking under pressure. Then she helped me “integrate” that younger self into who I am today. It was powerful.

By the end, I didn’t magically erase the feeling of worthlessness. But it had shifted. The charge behind it was lighter. I understood where it came from. And now, I can start to rewrite that script;not with a child’s survival strategy, but with an adult’s intention and self-compassion.

If any part of this episode resonates with you, I highly recommend checking out Dr. Zeine’s work. Her app, Foojan, includes guided journaling and even an AI assistant called Mira to support you through the same framework. Visit AwarenessIntegration.com to dive deeper.

This wasn’t the episode I expected—but it might be the one I needed most.