
Hosted by David Cosgrove · EN
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.

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 brain somewhere better instead.In this special summer catch-up episode of Overthinking the Awesome, author, crime novelist, and electronic composer David Cosgrove pulls back the curtain on his creative process and the strange, two-person philosophy behind his Kirkus-reviewed Los Angeles noir, No Clean Hands.This is a solo, deeply personal episode about creativity, craft, and the courage to make art for a tiny audience — the idea that when you stop writing for the algorithm, the crowd, and the sales rank, and start writing for the people who actually matter, the work finally comes alive. Quincy Jones said the moment you think about money, God walks out of the room. David takes that seriously.In this episode:Why writing for an "audience of two" is creative freedom, not a limitationMeet Marv Slocum — the sweating, rumpled, forty-seven-year-old LA detective who destroys everything he loves just by standing too closeWhat "delightfully funny, playful, and bloody LA noir" actually means (thanks, Kirkus)The uncanny moment David's fictional character, Del Piombo, started mirroring his real life as an electronic musicianHow overthinking, anxiety, and self-doubt can be redirected into creativity, humor, and awe — the core idea of the Overthinking the Awesome bookWhy the private, personal, "made in a closed room" work is the only kind that ever seems to travelPerfect for fans of crime fiction, hardboiled detective novels, LA noir, indie authors, the creative process, and anyone whose busy brain never shuts off.📖 No Clean Hands is available now. 🎧 Music by Del Piombo.This episode is brought to you by: Westwood Provisions — handcrafted candles and goods, made with real care in Simsbury, CT. Follow on Instagram: @westwoodprovisionsAND RJG Flowers — award-winning florist, genuinely gorgeous arrangements. Follow on Instagram: @rjgflowers—Overthinking the Awesome with David Cosgrove: turning anxiety, spiraling, and self-doubt into clarity, creativity, and confidence.Support the show

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 serve the work instead of attacking yourself. Whether you're facing writer's block, artist's anxiety, or fear of judgment, this episode is your permission slip: the only failed creative work is the one that never gets made.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show

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 nights. Mastery isn't about stopping your active mind—it's about catching spirals faster, redirecting them better, and channeling that mental horsepower into something useful.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show

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 where good news finds you. Learning to receive success is its own skill.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show

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" reframe that changes everything. Your 3AM thoughts aren't emergencies. They're just unfinished business with terrible timing.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show

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 again, stop the medical anxiety rabbit holes, and redirect your awareness toward everything that's actually working.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show

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 self-erasure, and build the kind of sustainable love that actually lasts.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show

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 your analytical mind from punishment toward forward-focused career growth. Caring about your work doesn't have to mean destroying yourself over it.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show

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 you can't recover from is the one you never make. Learn to build confidence, commit, and trust yourself to adapt.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show

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 cycle of self-criticism and understand that replaying doesn't mean something went wrong—it means you care about connection.📖 Read the book on Amazon: Overthinking the Awesome — Kindle + Paperback Available ➤ https://www.amazon.com/Overthinking-Awesome-Spiraling-Self-Doubt-Confidence-ebook/dp/B0G53WXKCV/🔈 Listen on Audible ➤ https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GD2LD5XGSupport the show