Mastering Stress & AnxietyFor Performance & Well-Being
Emily Stern, PhD.
25 years of experience helping individuals, leaders, and teams perform at their best
Dr. Stern specializes in stress and anxiety, working with clients through individual sessions, corporate workshops, and speaking engagements.
Her clients include Fortune 500 CEOs and managers; senior partners in private equity, hedge funds, and Am Law 100 firms; and entrepreneurs, professional athletes, and performing artists.
Drawing on evidence-based methods, Dr. Stern helps high-achieving individuals and organizations understand and manage stress and anxiety, and thrive under pressure at work and beyond.
Known for a warm, direct style, she meets ambitious people where they are. She gives them tools that work in high-stakes moments and in the ongoing demands of work and life.
Stress and anxiety are valuable signals
They often arise when we're engaging fully in our lives and pursuing what matters most, pointing us toward what we care about, and what needs our attention.
I help my clients understand:
- where their anxiety comes from
- how it shows up
- and what it's trying to tell them
From there, we translate that understanding into actionable strategies and real-world change, supporting clarity, confidence, and progress.
If you are curious to learn how stress is impacting you or your organization, and what to do about it, I would welcome the chance to talk.
What if stress and anxiety are not always the enemy?
Attempts to eliminate stress and avoid anxiety actually work against us.
Instead, we can learn strategies to harness these emotions, and by doing so we sharpen our focus, improve our performance, and feel better.
We use our anxiety as a resource rather than a roadblock.
Experience and background
25 years of clinical experience applying research-informed best practices.
Clinical experience
Doctoral and post-doctoral clinical training in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based treatments at the Payne Whitney Clinic, Weill Cornell Medical College, the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, and the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University (CARD).
Doctoral research experience
CARD and Weill Cornell Medical College, contributing to NIMH-funded treatment studies for anxiety and trauma.
Undergraduate research experience
Harvard University, Department of Psychology and Psychopathology.
How I work with individuals and organizations
Workshops — single and multi-session programs for corporations & organizations
Speaking & Keynotes — talks and presentations for events, conferences, and off-sites
For individuals
You may benefit from this work if you:
- Carry significant responsibility for decisions, outcomes, or people
- Perform at a high level, but observe that overthinking, stress, or anxiety impedes you
- Navigate high-stakes risk and visibility, and want to think clearly under pressure
- Lead and manage others at work, yet want better tools for the relationships in your personal life
- Experience success by every external measure, but know you could feel steadier
For organizations
Your team or firm may benefit if you want to:
- Seek strategies to help leaders and teams manage stress, risk, and high-stakes decisions
- Build a culture where high performance and well-being reinforce each other
- Support talented people in their demanding, high-visibility work
- Help your organization navigate leadership transitions