This Week on "Workaholics"...

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The past year, I've enjoyed the liberty of taking on any professional request I wanted: keynotes, podcast interviews, video recordings, shoots, brainstorm meetings, meeting other entrepreneurs, networking events...

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A year, I've taken for myself on a professional level, for my personal brand to develop, to learn from others, ... To be more than influencer marketing and social media.

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A year to discover my new interest: screen and scroll addiction. To read books, listen to podcasts, read articles, talk to a lot of experts, understand the effect of this behaviour on our relationships, body, work, mental health etc.

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A year to develop my own podcast Scroll-A-Holics, to promote my book Workaholics and to write a second book (Launch November 2025)

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As of March, I'm limiting my keynotes and other requests to focus on my new company. I feel ready again to dive into the beginnings of entrepreneurship, for the third time. To fulfil my role as commercial founder and CEO.

Currently working on the website, hired my first part-time employee, expecting the first samples, planning the first video recordings for my platform...

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Soon more. Very soon.

Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt

Quote: “A large part of our peace is determined by the people around us, by our friends, family, and the people we have good contact with. If we feel satisfied in our relationships, if we’re happy with our contacts, those are the moments when people really find peace.”

• Marie-Anne emphasizes that the key to managing stress is not just individual techniques, but also the quality of our relationships. Deep, meaningful interactions with friends, family, and even casual connections like a laugh with someone, help us find inner peace. The quality of these connections significantly impacts how we feel, supporting the idea that emotional well-being is rooted in the social bonds we form and maintain.

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Quote: “We’ve never been more connected than we are now, yet we’ve never felt so lonely. Social media is like fast food for social connections—quick but not satisfying. It gives the illusion of connection but lacks depth, which can leave us feeling empty.”

• This explores the paradox of modern technology. While we are constantly "connected" via social media and messaging apps, these interactions are often shallow and fail to foster deep, meaningful connections. This shift has led to a rise in feelings of loneliness despite being surrounded by people online. True connection requires face-to-face interaction, where body language, empathy, and understanding can flow naturally, which is something social media often cannot provide.

Quote:
"What creates stress is a feeling of uncontrollability, unpredictability. [...] If you get all sorts of things sent to you via WhatsApp, all the messages coming in or all the things you want to respond to, but you can’t respond, then you get a stressful body or a stressful mind."

• This highlights the connection between stress and a lack of control, particularly in the context of technology and constant communication. Marie-Anne explains how receiving messages and tasks through platforms like WhatsApp can cause stress because it creates a sense of unpredictability, and the feeling of being unable to manage these incoming demands in real-time triggers a physical response. The body reacts with stress, and the inability to address these tasks leads to frustration, affecting personal connections, especially with family.