Overthinking The Awesome

About Overthinking The Awesome

You've tried meditation. You've tried breathing exercises. You've been told to "just relax" or "stop worrying so much." And yet here you are—3 AM, wide awake, racing thoughts on repeat, your brain running worst-case scenarios about something that happened years ago or might never happen at all. Your brain isn't broken. It's brilliant and bored. Overthinking the Awesome is a podcast for anyone drowning in anxiety, rumination, self-doubt, and the mental spirals that steal your sleep and hijack your peace. Instead of trying to silence your restless mind—spoiler: it doesn't work—you'll learn to redirect all that mental horsepower into clarity, confidence, and calm. In this series, you'll discover how to catch "the click"—the split-second before anxious thoughts spiral into full-blown catastrophic thinking. You'll learn why your inner critic won't shut up and how to finally fire your negative narrator. You'll retrain your mental algorithm so it stops feeding you worst-case scenarios and worry on a loop. You'll understand why compliments feel suspicious, why imposter syndrome kicks in the moment things go right, and how to let positive things actually be true about you. And you'll get real strategies for quieting a racing mind—without toxic positivity or empty affirmations. Season 1 laid the foundation. Season 2 goes deeper. This is a self-help podcast for overthinkers, chronic worriers, perfectionists, and anyone whose brain treats 2 AM like prime problem-solving time. If analysis paralysis has ever frozen you in place—or you've wished you could just turn your mind off for five minutes—start here. Topics covered include: overthinking, anxiety, self-doubt, spiraling, rumination, racing thoughts, inner critic, negative thinking, worry, anxious thoughts, catastrophic thinking, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, analysis paralysis, intrusive thoughts, cognitive reframing, mental wellness, and building real confidence. Based on the book Overthinking the Awesome: How to Turn Anxiety, Spiraling, and Self-Doubt Into Clarity and Confidence by David Cosgrove, available on Amazon (Kindle + Paperback) and Audible.

Publisher

David Cosgrove

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Dec 2025

Latest episode

10 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

17 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Jul 2026

   Everything Else Is Weather: The Two-Person Reason I Wrote No Clean Hands

   Novelist and composer David Cosgrove returns for a summer catch-up on why he writes for exactly two people — himself and one brutally honest friend. A funny, unguarded look inside his Kirkus-reviewed LA noir No Clean Hands, the detective who ruins everything he touches, and the eerie moment his fiction started writing his real life. Everything else is weather. You've been told to "stop overthinking." David Cosgrove wrote a book — and now a detective series — arguing you should point that bra...

2. 

   25 Mar 2026

   Episode 10: Overthinking Creative Work (Bonus Episode)

   The paralysis before you start. The perfectionism while you're working. The comparison trap after you ship. Creative block hits overthinkers uniquely hard because there's no objectively right answer—and that uncertainty is torture for a brain that wants guarantees. David, a musician and author with decades of creative work behind him, shares hard-won lessons about separating creation from evaluation, giving yourself permission to make garbage drafts, and redirecting your analytical mind to se...

3. 

   18 Mar 2026

   Episode 9: Using the Tools Together (Season Finale)

   Real life doesn't come in neat categories—sometimes you're overthinking three things at once. In this season finale, David demonstrates how the four core cognitive tools work as an integrated system: The Click (catching the spiral early), The Narrator (changing the voice), The Algorithm (redirecting what your brain searches for), and The Awesome (turning mental energy into a superpower). Walk through layered real-world scenarios combining work stress, relationship anxiety, and sleepless night...

4. 

   11 Mar 2026

   Episode 8: When Good News Feels Dangerous

   You got the job, the yes, the win—and instead of celebrating, you're spiraling. Success anxiety is real: when good things happen, the stakes suddenly feel higher and the fear of losing everything kicks in. This episode explores why achievement triggers imposter syndrome and self-sabotage, how to actually let a victory land before rushing to the next worry, and how to build a "Compliment Bank" of evidence against your inner skeptic. You're allowed to have good things. You're allowed to stay wh...

5. 

   4 Mar 2026

   Episode 7: The 3AM Brain

   The lights go out and your brain wakes up. Suddenly that email you sent, that thing you said three years ago, your finances, your future—everything demands attention at the worst possible time. Insomnia and racing thoughts at night aren't random; they're what happens when a tired mind loses its filters and starts processing without supervision. This episode offers practical tools for nighttime overthinking: body relaxation techniques, mental redirection games, and the "leftover dishes" refram...

6. 

   25 Feb 2026

   Episode 6: Overthinking Health and Body Signals

   Your heart skips a beat and suddenly you're deep in a symptom-searching spiral, convinced something is seriously wrong. Health anxiety turns normal body sensations into alarm bells, and your pattern-seeking brain starts treating every twinge as a diagnosis. David explains why overthinkers become hyper-focused on physical symptoms, how to shift from catastrophizing to simple observation, and why one weird sensation isn't a pattern worth panicking over. This episode helps you trust your body ag...

7. 

   18 Feb 2026

   Episode 5: Overthinking Relationships

   Someone you love is struggling, and suddenly their pain lives in your chest. Empaths and overthinkers often blur the line between caring and carrying—absorbing other people's emotions until there's nothing left. This episode explores the roots of codependency and caregiver burnout, how to separate genuine support from emotional over-responsibility, and why maintaining your own stability is a gift to the people you love—not a betrayal. Learn to set healthy boundaries, offer presence without se...

8. 

   11 Feb 2026

   Episode 4: Overthinking Work and Performance

   You finished the project and got positive feedback—so why do you still feel like you didn't do enough? The invisible scoreboard of perfectionism never stops running. David explores why high-performers struggle with imposter syndrome and relentless self-doubt, how self-criticism masquerades as professional diligence, and how to fire your inner critic and hire a coach instead. Discover the "wins file"—a practical tool for building counter-evidence against workplace anxiety—and learn to redirect...

9. 

   4 Feb 2026

   Episode 3: Decision Paralysis

   Two options. Maybe twelve. And you've been stuck for weeks. Analysis paralysis hits overthinkers hard because we don't just see choices—we see branching timelines of consequences. This episode unpacks why waiting for certainty keeps you trapped in indecision, how to set a thinking deadline and actually honor it, and the game-changing shift from overthinking the choice to overthinking the execution. Decision fatigue is real, but here's the truth: most decisions are recoverable. The only one yo...

10. 

    28 Jan 2026

    Episode 2: The Replay Loop

    You leave the room and your brain hits rewind. That thing you said. The pause before they responded. The joke that didn't land. Social anxiety loves the replay loop—your mind's post-game analysis gone wrong, scanning for threats instead of letting conversations end. David explains why rumination keeps you stuck rewatching interactions, how to identify the moment the mental replay starts, and how to redirect your harsh inner critic toward a neutral observer. This episode helps you break the cy...

11. 

    21 Jan 2026

    Episode 1: The Space Between Send and Reply

    You hit send—and then your brain decides that silence is a threat. Why does waiting for a text response trigger such intense anxiety spirals? In this Season 2 premiere, David Cosgrove unpacks the psychology behind overthinking unanswered messages. Your pattern-seeking mind treats every minute without a reply as evidence of something wrong, catastrophizing silence into rejection. Learn to catch the "Click"—the exact moment the spiral starts—fire the mental mind-reader, and practice assuming ne...

12. 

    30 Dec 2025

    Episode 1: The Awesome Intro

    Your brain isn't broken—it's brilliant and bored. If you struggle with overthinking, anxiety, or a racing mind that won't shut off, this episode is your starting point. Discover why overthinking isn't a flaw to fix but a superpower to redirect. You'll learn the core concept of "The Awesome" and why trying to stop spiraling thoughts is like standing in front of a river. The good news? You can redirect all that mental energy into something that actually serves you. 📖 Read the book on Amazon: Ov...

13. 

    30 Dec 2025

    Episode 2: Catching the Click

    Episode 2: Catching the Click There's a split second between a thought and a spiral—a tiny "click" where everything could go differently. If you've ever wondered how to stop anxiety before it takes over, this episode is for you. Learn how to recognize that moment before the overthinking loop, rumination, and worst-case-scenario thinking take hold, giving you the power to interrupt the pattern and choose a new direction. 📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback ...

14. 

    30 Dec 2025

    Episode 3: Firing Your Narrator

    That voice in your head that critiques every move, predicts disaster, and reminds you of every mistake? It's time for a performance review. If you struggle with negative self-talk, self-doubt, or an inner critic that never lets up, this episode teaches you how to replace that harsh narrator with a supportive coach—without toxic positivity or pretending the voice doesn't exist. 📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthink...

15. 

    30 Dec 2025

    Episode 4: Training Your Algorithm

    Your mind works like a search engine, serving up results based on what you've been feeding it. If your default setting is worry, catastrophic thinking, and mental spirals, this episode shows you how to reprogram your mental feed. Shift from anxiety and worst-case scenarios to curiosity, clarity, and possibility. Same brain, better results. 📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confi...

16. 

    30 Dec 2025

    Episode 5: Your Overthinking Superpower in Action

    This is where it all comes together. See how the tools from previous episodes work as a system for managing anxiety, stress, and overwhelm in real-world situations—from 3 AM spirals to work pressure to relationship worries. When you know how to direct it, overthinking becomes strategic thinking, problem-solving, and a genuine competitive advantage. 📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Do...

17. 

    30 Dec 2025

    Episode 6: The Compliment Autopsy

    Why is it so hard to accept good things about yourself? If you struggle with low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, or dismissing your own accomplishments, this episode is for you. Explore why compliments feel suspicious, why success can trigger anxiety, and how to build genuine self-confidence by finally letting positive truths land. 📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-eb...

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings