Duncan Anderson — Self-care culture was meant to help us thrive, but what if it’s doing the opposite?
Is the way we've been taught to take care of ourselves actually getting in the way of genuine growth?
About Duncan Anderson
Duncan Anderson is an Australian education entrepreneur and co-founder of Edrolo, one of the country’s best-known learning platforms, now used by more than 250,000 students in over 1,100 schools across Australia. After helping build Edrolo into a major force in education technology, he has continued working at the intersection of learning, culture, and human development, including as co-founder of Edsemble. Through his writing and conversations, Duncan has become a thoughtful voice on psychological safety, communication, and the limits of self-care culture, often questioning the assumptions we inherit about wellbeing, growth, and what it actually means to thrive.
About this episode
In this conversation, Jess and Duncan pull apart the story modern culture tells us about mental health and self-care. Is the relentless pursuit of comfort and self-optimisation actually serving us? Or has it quietly become a way of avoiding the discomfort that growth requires?
Duncan thinks differently about these questions, not because he's trying to be contrarian, but because his observations about how people actually learn and change lead him somewhere different. He and Jess explore the difference between self-regulation and co-regulation, what psychological safety really means and when it becomes limiting, and why curiosity might be a more honest path to clarity than self-monitoring.
In this episode
Why the self-care narrative may be doing more harm than good
The difference between self-regulation and co-regulation
What psychological safety means, and when it tips into avoidance
Curiosity as a more useful anchor than self-improvement
How to create environments where people can think clearly and communicate well
The tension between comfort and genuine growth
Prompt for reflection
"In what moments do you choose comfort over discomfort, and what might you be protecting yourself from?"
This question invites you to notice the choices you make when avoiding challenge or unease. Reflecting on these moments can reveal what fears, habits, or needs you’re shielding, helping you understand yourself more deeply.
Listen now
Learn more about Duncan Anderson
Substack | cloudstreaks.substack.com
LinkedIn | linkedin.com/in/duncan-anderson
Co-founder | Edrolo
This episode was hosted by Jess Leondiou, brought to you by Archley's tools for introspection and reflection. www.archleys.com
