74: Hannah Eden : The Dark Side of Success: Why Reaching Your Goals Feels… Off
The Dark Side of Success: Why Reaching Your Goals Feels... Off (with Hannah Eden)
Ever achieved a huge goal only to feel empty afterward? Learn about post-goal blues, dopamine crashes, and how to stay fulfilled after success with fitness entrepreneur Hannah Eden.
You did it. You crushed that massive goal you've been working toward for months (or years). You should feel on top of the world, right? So why do you feel... lost? Empty? Like something's missing?
If you've ever experienced this confusing letdown after achieving something huge, you're not alone, and you're not broken. The post-goal blues are real, and they can hit even harder than the challenge itself.
In this week's episode of the Broads podcast, Tara sits down with Hannah Eden, fitness coach, entrepreneur, and ultra-endurance athlete, to talk about what really happens after you achieve something massive. Hannah opens up about completing an Ironman just months after giving birth, the dopamine crash that followed, and how she rebuilt herself physically and mentally.
This conversation is raw, real, and packed with insights about the dark side of success that nobody talks about. If you're a high-achiever who's constantly chasing the next big thing just to feel something, this one's for you.
The Post-Goal Blues: Why Success Can Feel Empty
Hannah's story is intense: she completed a full Ironman, that's a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run, just months after giving birth. It's the kind of achievement that should feel incredible, right?
But instead of feeling fulfilled, she crashed. Hard.
The dopamine crash is real.
When you're working toward a big goal, your brain is flooded with dopamine every time you make progress. You're getting that hit of feel-good chemicals from training, seeing improvement, moving closer to your goal. But once you achieve it? That dopamine supply gets cut off, and you're left feeling flat and directionless.
It's not just Hannah. This happens to high-achievers across all areas, athletes after competitions, entrepreneurs after big launches, anyone who's been intensely focused on a goal and then suddenly has nothing to chase.
The problem isn't that you achieved your goal. The problem is that you tied your entire sense of purpose and identity to reaching it, and now that it's done, you don't know who you are or what you're doing anymore.
The Identity Crisis That Comes with Achievement
Here's something nobody warns you about: achieving a major goal can trigger an identity crisis.
When you spend months or years identifying as "someone training for an Ironman" or "someone building a business" or "someone working toward X goal," what happens when you're no longer that person?
Hannah talks about this shift, going from "I'm preparing for the Ironman" to "I'm someone who completed an Ironman", and the emptiness that came with it. The journey gave her purpose, structure, and identity. The achievement? It just left her wondering, "Now what?"
This is especially common for people who define themselves by their accomplishments. If your entire sense of self is wrapped up in what you achieve, reaching the goal can feel less like a celebration and more like an existential crisis.
The solution isn't to stop setting big goals. It's to build an identity that isn't solely dependent on achievement, to find fulfillment in the process, not just the outcome.
Why High-Achievers Keep Chasing the Next Thing
If you're someone who constantly needs the next challenge, the next goal, the next thing to work toward, you're probably a high-achiever who's addicted to that dopamine hit.
There's nothing inherently wrong with being driven and ambitious. But when you're only ever focused on the next achievement, you miss out on appreciating where you are right now. You never feel satisfied because satisfaction is always one goal away.
Hannah and Tara dive into this pattern: the constant need to prove yourself, to achieve more, to feel worthy through accomplishment. It's exhausting, and it's unsustainable.
The shift that needs to happen? Learning to find fulfillment in the daily process, not just the end result. Building a life where you're not constantly running from one achievement to the next just to feel something.
How Hannah Rebuilt Herself: Strength Training, Recovery, and Longevity
After the Ironman crash, Hannah had to rebuild, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Here's what helped her:
Returning to Strength Training
Endurance training had taken a toll on Hannah's body. She was depleted, exhausted, and had lost muscle mass. Returning to strength training helped her rebuild physically and gave her a new focus that wasn't about chasing extreme achievements.
Strength training became about building a strong, resilient body that would serve her for the long haul, not just about the next competition or goal.
Using Creatine for Recovery and Performance
Creatine isn't just for bodybuilders. Hannah talks about using creatine to support her recovery, improve her performance, and help rebuild muscle. It's one of the most researched and effective supplements for anyone doing strength training, and it played a role in her physical comeback.
Cold Plunges and Contrast Therapy
Recovery became a priority, not an afterthought. Hannah incorporated cold plunges and contrast therapy (alternating between hot and cold exposure) to support her recovery, reduce inflammation, and improve her overall resilience.
These tools helped her body recover from the extreme stress she'd put it through and taught her the importance of balancing hard training with intentional recovery.
The Importance of Muscle as We Age
One of the most important takeaways from this conversation? Building and maintaining muscle isn't just about aesthetics, it's about longevity, resilience, and quality of life as you age.
Here's why muscle matters:
1. Metabolic health: Muscle is metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate, which supports healthy body composition and metabolic function.
2. Injury prevention: Strong muscles protect your joints, bones, and connective tissues. They reduce your risk of injury and help you stay active and independent as you age.
3. Longevity and quality of life: Muscle mass is one of the strongest predictors of longevity and quality of life in older adults. The stronger you are, the better you can handle the physical demands of daily life, and the longer you can maintain independence.
4. Resilience: Having a strong, capable body gives you the physical and mental resilience to handle life's challenges, whether that's recovering from illness, bouncing back from injury, or just keeping up with your life.
Strength training isn't about vanity. It's about building a body that serves you well for decades to come.
Shifting from Achievement to Fulfillment
So how do you avoid the post-goal crash? How do you stay fulfilled without constantly needing to chase the next big thing?
1. Find joy in the process, not just the outcome
Stop treating your daily training as just a means to an end. Find ways to enjoy the journey, the workouts, the progress, the day-to-day grind. If you can't find any fulfillment in the process, you're always going to feel empty when you reach the goal.
2. Build an identity beyond your achievements
You are not your accomplishments. Your worth isn't determined by what you achieve. Build an identity that includes your values, your relationships, your interests, not just what you can check off a list.
3. Set process goals, not just outcome goals
Instead of only focusing on outcome goals (run an Ironman, lose 20 pounds, lift X weight), set process goals (train consistently 4x per week, prioritize protein at every meal, show up even when you don't feel motivated). Process goals give you daily wins and fulfillment that aren't dependent on a distant endpoint.
4. Practice gratitude and presence
Take time to appreciate where you are right now. Celebrate small wins. Notice progress along the way. Don't wait until you reach some arbitrary finish line to feel proud of yourself.
The Bottom Line: Success Isn't the Destination
Success isn't the destination where everything finally feels complete. It's not the moment where you'll finally feel worthy, enough, or satisfied.
Real fulfillment comes from building a life you enjoy living, not just a series of achievements you're chasing. It comes from finding purpose in the process, building an identity beyond what you accomplish, and learning to appreciate where you are instead of always focusing on where you're going.
Hannah's story is a powerful reminder that even the most impressive achievements can leave you feeling empty if you haven't built a foundation of fulfillment beyond the goal itself.
Ready to Hear More?
This conversation with Hannah Eden goes deep into topics we couldn't fully cover here. Listen to the full episode to hear about Hannah's journey from bodybuilding to Ironmans, what she learned from hitting rock bottom after her biggest achievement, and how she's building a more sustainable, fulfilling approach to fitness and life.
Want to learn more from Hannah? Check out her website at hannahedenfitness.com or follow her on Instagram @hannaheden_fitness.
Ready to build strength that serves you for life? Try Broads for 7 days free and get access to strength training programs designed for longevity, resilience, and sustainable results, not just short-term achievements.
Find Tara on Instagram: @taralaferrara | @broads.podcast | @broads.app
