Are you unknowingly addicted to stress? Do you have anxiety about work deadlines or keeping up with the hustle culture lifestyle? You may want to take a moment and then listen to what today’s guest has to say.

In this episode, Chris talks with multidisciplinary designer, Taylor Cashdan, about what too much stress can do to your body. Spoiler alert: Nothing good. Taylor shares his frightening (and enlightening) story about a trip to the hospital at the young age of 24. And about how important rest, recovery and reflection really is to your personal and creative success.

‘Hustle culture’ has become an increasingly popular phrase these days. But its impact on the people who partake in it is more detrimental than meets the eye. If you subscribe to the hustle culture, chances are you’re working endlessly each day, without giving yourself room to breathe, relax, or even sleep. Work is your all-day, every day routine, and anything else comes secondary.

While the creative industry is somewhat synonymous with ‘hustling,’ we’d like to start a conversation on why things should change. And we think Taylor’s the perfect person to have this talk with.

Taylor is a full-time senior designer, Raleigh AIGA board member, and freelancer. But before we get into what Taylor does today, we need to learn how he got here.

Back in 2018, Taylor woke up from what he thought was just a nightmare. He could feel his heartbeat was more rapid than usual, but brushed it off and got ready for work. Next thing he knows, he’s in the hospital with a resting heart rate of 180 beats per minute. To put that in perspective, the average resting heart rate for an adult is somewhere between 60-90.

Taylor’s heart was beating completely out of sync. The overload of stress physically ailed him to the point where he was basically approaching a stroke—and mind you, Taylor’s a pretty young guy.

So, is this just how things are in the creative industry? Should designers just accept their fate that they’ll forever be stressed?

We don’t think so. Tune in to the full conversation to hear more about how Taylor lived to overcome his stress addiction, and find a happy—and healthy—work/life balance.