In October 2020, Business Insider bought a majority stake in Morning Brew—a popular business newsletter with over 2.5 million subscribers—for a reported $75 million. At the time, Morning Brew cofounder Alex Lieberman was just a few years out of college. In this Taboo Tuesday, Alex talks to Dr. Emily about his complicated relationship with money and the growing anxiety it caused him following the successful deal with Business Insider. 

Staying emotionally fit takes work and repetition. That's why the Emotionally Fit podcast with psychologist Dr. Emily Anhalt delivers short, actionable Emotional Push-Ups every Monday and Thursday to help you build a better practice of mental health, and surprising, funny, and shocking conversations on Taboo Tuesdays - because the things we’re most hesitant to talk about are also the most normal. Join us to kickstart your emotional fitness. Let's flex those feels and do some reps together!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Follow Alex Lieberman on Twitter and Instagram

Listen to Alex’s podcasts Founder’s Journal & Imposters

Get the newsletter that started it all at Morning Brew

Thank you for listening! Follow Dr. Emily on Twitter, and don’t forget to follow, rate, review and share the show wherever you listen to podcasts! #EmotionallyFit 

The Emotionally Fit podcast is produced by Coa, your gym for mental health. Katie Sunku Wood is the show’s producer from StudioPod Media with additional editing and sound design by nodalab, and featuring music by Milano. Special thanks to the entire Coa crew!

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(2:09) - Alex’s background and Morning Brew as a side hustle - “At first, I didn't feel like we had enough attraction and I was worried that my overprotective Jewish mom would be pissed that I had left my dream job to go do the Brew.”

 (7:30) -  A complicated relationship with money - “I formed a money obsession. I don't know if it came because I had questions about how well off or not well off are we? Or if it just came because my parents worked on Wall Street, and so business was always talked about.” 

(10:22) - What happened to Alex after Business Insider acquired Morning Brew for $75 million - “I had all this money in the bank, but I wasn't doing anything. My behaviors didn't change and I didn't feel any happier.”

(16:35) - Money doesn’t solve every problem - “Selling the company actually didn't change my level of money anxiety at all. If anything, it actually exaggerated it.”

(18:10) - Finding new ways to stay motivated - “Money is not going to be the primary driver of my motivation moving forward.”

(20:21) - Searching for purpose - “I can get very high level and in my head around these very philosophical questions like, ‘What is my purpose? Am I enjoying the work I'm doing?