Episode Summary: EEC 421 – How to Overcome Shame and Depression with Tiffany Jones

Podcast: Excellent Executive Coaching: Growing Your Business and Enhancing Your Craft
Host: Dr. Katrina Burrus, PhD, MCC
Guest: Tiffany Jones (Health Expert, Speaker, Author)
Date: February 24, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Katrina Burrus sits down with Tiffany Jones, a health expert and survivor of long-term depression, to explore the nuanced experience of depression and the role of shame in sustaining it. Tiffany shares her personal journey battling depression for 20 years and offers a holistic roadmap to recovery, emphasizing community, honesty, and self-awareness. The discussion addresses recognizing depression’s signs in others (especially in the workplace), the difference between legitimate and illegitimate shame, and strategies for recovery—including how to support someone struggling without minimizing their feelings.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Tiffany’s Journey & Motivation

• Tiffany’s personal experience with depression spanning two decades, with ten years of suicidal thoughts, sparked her passion for mental health advocacy and coaching ([00:46]).
• Her recovery began when she moved away from isolated, compartmentalized treatment and embraced holistic well-being—including honest relationships, physical health, and community ([01:15]).

2. Understanding Depression: Causes and Holistic Healing

• Contributing Factors: Environmental influences, personal trauma (even “smaller traumas”), and the snowballing effect of unaddressed issues due to shame and isolation ([01:26]).
• Holistic Approach: Genuine healing required blending mental, physical, and social well-being, not isolated fixes ([01:26]-[02:34]).
  • Therapy alone wasn’t enough without community support and healthy physical habits.

3. Community and Authentic Connection

• Being Honest with Others: Transformation began when Tiffany opened up to her community, sharing openly and seeking authentic support rather than hiding her struggles ([02:34], [18:54]).
• Finding “Your People”:
  • Supportive people should “sit in it with you,” offering empathy without immediate fixes or dismissals ([04:15]).
  • “If you shared something hard going on in your life with them, that they would sit in it with you. They're not going to give you a ton of advice...and they're not going to dismiss it.” – Tiffany ([04:37])
  • Assessing how you feel after spending time with others (energized or depleted) can indicate if they’re the right support ([05:22]).

4. Recognizing Signs of Depression

• Emotional & Behavioral Signs:
  • “Feeling like your life is stagnant and there's no real goals or hopes of anything getting better.” ([05:50])
  • Losing interest in hobbies/outlets, masking emotions by always being upbeat or always withdrawing ([05:50]-[07:31]).
• Workplace Indicators:
  • Biggest red flag: “a change, some significant change in behavior” ([08:38]).
  • Examples: reliable employees becoming tardy or withdrawn, social ones isolating more ([08:38]).
  • Observation: Both exuberant “life of the party” types and silent withdrawers can be masking depression ([07:31]).

5. Understanding and Overcoming Shame

• Two Types of Shame ([09:34]):
  • Legitimate shame: "You knew you had a big project at work and you just didn’t want to do it. ...You in a way earned that." ([09:46])
    • Requires making amends and rectifying the situation.
  • Illegitimate shame: “Caused by someone else—being bullied, being in an abusive situation…attacks your identity.” ([10:10])
    • Should be voiced to trusted people; healing begins when met with empathy, not dismissal.
• Addressing Both Types of Shame:
  • Tangled shame (personal errors + humiliation by others) often requires professional help to disentangle and heal ([12:36]).

6. Diagnosis and Unawareness

• Depression can become chronic and normalized, to the point where people aren’t aware they’re depressed ([14:00]).
• Lack of joy in previously anticipated accomplishments can be a warning sign ([14:27]).
• Therapy/counseling suggested as a safe first step for self-evaluation, even if only for a few sessions ([14:43]).

7. Depression and Self-Medication

• Turning to alcohol/drugs as a coping mechanism is common but deeply problematic ([15:08]).
  • The social acceptability of drinking can mask serious problems.
  • “If you're doing it excessively often...that’s a regular habit...then you could have a problem.” ([15:41])
• Addressing Addiction vs. Depression:
  • Full recovery from addiction requires addressing both the addiction behaviors and the underlying depression ([17:03]).
  • Must “put in safeguards and made a commitment to start dealing with the addiction” so that real recovery work can begin ([17:24]).
  • “While you’re still using those other coping mechanisms, you won’t be able to think clearly to do the work to manage that depression.” ([18:24])
  • The addiction “covers it like a blanket. ...So you can’t get to the core if the blanket is camouflaging everything.” ([18:35])

8. Tiffany’s Personal Prescription for Recovery

• The most effective step in overcoming depression: honesty and vulnerability with trusted people ([18:54]).
• “When I was truthful about my state and had some people that really cared about my well being, it really opened my eyes to how bad it had gotten and began to see hope in something better.” ([18:54])
• Sharing her story publicly now provides hope and validation to others who struggle ([19:15]-[19:53]).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On holistic healing:
  “When I stopped trying to find one fix at a time...When I started incorporating little aspects of all of those, I started to see real change.” – Tiffany ([01:47])
• On community:
  “The truth sets you free when you're with the right people.” – Tiffany ([03:13])
• On recognizing masking behavior:
  “Those people that are always over the top, they're masking, they're trying to put on a show because they're hiding something.” – Tiffany ([06:44])
• On two types of shame:
  “That type of shame is something that needs to be shared with someone...your people, your trusted people. ...You want people who are going to sit with you in it, not try to fix you in that moment.” – Tiffany ([10:46])
• On addiction and recovery:
  “You cannot fully be freed from that addiction without dealing with the root cause. But if you have not learned how to put in safeguards...then I don’t think you’ll ever get to that root cause.” – Tiffany ([17:03])
• On the importance of honesty:
  “Just being honest with the people in my community was the biggest factor for me.” – Tiffany ([18:54])

Segment Timestamps

• [00:46] – Tiffany describes her history with depression and motivation for helping others.
• [02:34] – The importance of community and honest connection for healing.
• [05:50] – Signs and symptoms of depression.
• [08:38] – Spotting depression in the workplace; behavior changes.
• [09:34] – Types of shame and overcoming them.
• [14:00] – Being unaware of depression; indicators of chronic depression.
• [15:16] – Self-medicating as a warning sign.
• [17:03] – Interaction between addiction and depression.
• [18:54] – Most impactful step in Tiffany’s recovery.

Resources & Further Contact

• Tiffany Jones:
  • Instagram/Facebook: @TiffanyLJones
  • Website: tiffanyjonesspeaks.com
  • Author of The Cursed Brain
  • Offers neuroscience coaching, public speaking, and workshops on imposter syndrome and overcoming setbacks ([20:04])
• Final Thought (Tiffany):
  “It’s important for us—all humans—to remember that we all have struggles, and for us to try to hide that and seem like that’s not a problem for us is really living a lie and that will eat away at you.” ([19:38])

Takeaways for Leaders, Coaches, and Listeners

• Depression is complex and requires holistic solutions; honest connection and self-awareness are key.
• In leadership and coaching, noticing behavioral shifts—and responding with empathy, not solutions—is vital.
• Recognizing and separating “earned” vs. “unearned” shame is crucial for effective support.
• Professional help is important for untangling complex emotional issues and for addressing addiction.
• Vulnerability breaks the cycle of isolation and can catalyze healing for individuals and teams alike.

For more tips and strategies on supporting mental health in leadership, visit excellentexecutivecoaching.com.