Episode 66: Doing Less Is the New High Performance | Nell Derick on Strategic Subtraction
Episode Snapshot:
What if “doing less” isn’t quitting? What if it's the most strategic way to reclaim clarity, energy, and real impact? In this episode, Nell Derick teaches us how to stop living on the hamster wheel of gold-star achievement and start making space for what actually matters.
Summary:
Dr. Katie sits down with keynote speaker, leadership advisor, and author Nell Derick to unpack her countercultural framework: systematic subtraction.
Together they name the tension so many high performers live inside—craving simplicity while stacking more habits, commitments, and “shoulds” in the name of becoming healthier, better, and more successful. Nell calls out the system behind our “more” addiction: modern incentives, social conditioning, and the gold-star mentality that trained us early in life to equate worth with output.
Nell introduces a practical three-step process—Stop, Drop, Roll—to help people gather honest data about what’s working, experiment with subtracting what drains them, and then “roll” forward through systems thinking: making one action serve multiple values instead of adding more tasks. From parenting overload and workplace meetings to nonprofit board roles and leadership identity, the conversation lands on a powerful truth: we can have more impact without doing more—especially when we subtract noise, false urgency, and outdated expectations so we can show up more fully human.
Key Learnings:
Doing less is hard because the system rewards doing more. We’ve been trained—socially and economically—to chase gold stars, streaks, promotions, and productivity as proof of worth.
Systematic subtraction starts with honest data. The first step is “Stop”—pause long enough to ask, How is this really working? without self-gaslighting or shame.
Subtraction works best as an experiment, not a forever decision. “Drop” means trying a change (one season without a sport, one week skipping a meeting) to see what improves in your life and nervous system.
“Roll” is the shift from doing to being. Instead of piling on more tasks, connect actions to multiple outcomes—health, values, relationships, and impact—so life feels integrated instead of stacked.
High performance is changing. Nell argues that today’s real edge isn’t obsessive busywork—it’s presence, humanity, discernment, and the relational skills no technology can replace.
Resources:
Nell Derick: Nell3D (website + work)
Nell's FREE 1-Page "Subtract to Succeed" framework
Guest Info:
Nell Derick is a keynote speaker, leadership advisor, and author who helps high-performing, purpose-driven leaders subtract what drains them so they can lead and live with greater clarity, alignment, and impact. Her work blends systems thinking with deeply human insight, offering practical tools that create more space without sacrificing ambition or contribution. Nell’s approach is both compassionate and sharp, challenging the myth that more effort always equals more impact. She teaches leaders how to become fully present, more effective, and more alive—without burning out.
