Sunday Mar 02, 2025

E28: The Myth of Being the Greatest with Joanna Lohman

Greatness isn’t about medals or rankings. It’s about showing up fully, embracing who you are, and meeting the moment with everything you’ve got.

How often do high performers and high achievers chase success but still feel like they’re falling short? Joanna Lohman, a former professional soccer player and performance igniter, knows that struggle firsthand. In this episode, she sits down with Zovig Garboushian to talk about breaking free from perfectionism and redefining what it really means to be great.

Joanna calls perfectionism the “anti-resilience,” a mindset that keeps people stuck in fear, comparison, and self-doubt. She shares how she moved beyond the pressure of external validation and found a deeper sense of fulfillment. Her journey offers a powerful lesson: success isn’t about chasing an impossible ideal. It’s about recognizing your own unique strengths, stepping fully into your role, and trusting that your contributions matter.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like they weren’t doing enough, despite giving everything they had. Joanna challenges listeners to rethink personal development, embrace the messy parts of growth, and shift their focus from being the best to showing up as their best.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

01:35 The Concept of Being Great Without Being the Greatest

02:17 Joanna’s Soccer Career and Challenges

04:44 Personal Identity Crisis and Coming Out

07:03 Family Reactions and Self-Acceptance

09:45 Nomadic Soccer Career and Realizations

12:10 Acknowledging Greatness in the Journey

13:04 Team Dynamics and Individual Contributions

15:20 Letting Go of Comparisons and Embracing Individual Greatness

17:38 Compassion vs. Comparison

20:00 Performance-Based Identity and Its Pitfalls