The Anxiety Practitioner
The book that helps you transform your relationship with anxiety from pain to power.
Synopsis
After a routine vasectomy leads to unexpected complications, the author's carefully managed relationship with anxiety transforms into an all-consuming battle. As physical recovery stretches from weeks into months, his greatest fear crystallizes: that he'll never be able to run again. This crisis forces him to confront not just his present struggles, but a lifetime of anxiety that has shadowed everything from daily decisions to life's milestone moments.
Through raw self-examination and systematic experimentation, the author develops a revolutionary approach to anxiety management. The book weaves together three key elements: the gripping personal narrative of physical and mental recovery from vasectomy complications, illuminating flashbacks to past anxiety battles, and a practical, step-by-step framework for readers to implement in their own lives. Each chapter builds on this foundation, moving from crisis to understanding to mastery, ultimately revealing how anxiety can become not just manageable, but transformative.
The book includes a comprehensive toolkit that readers can apply to their own anxiety challenges, grounded in real-world experience rather than clinical theory. This isn't just a story of overcoming adversity – it's a blueprint for anyone seeking to reshape their relationship with anxiety.
Practical Tools for Real Change
A structured approach to understanding and overcoming anxiety through practical experience and proven methods.
Practitioner Mindset
Anxiety is not a theorist. We must meet anxiety where it is, on its terms, and face it bravely.
Stop Fearful Orientation
We cut off the fuel anxiety relies on to keep us trapped in an endless cycle of suffering.
Processes & Tools
We develop go-to processes and tools we can rely on then practice them over and over.
Cultivated Qualities
We become proud of ourselves and gather evidence that we are the type of person we want to be.
Hi, I'm Keller.
I'm not here to say I'm an expert in anxiety. I don't have any psychology degrees or fancy credentials. What I do have though, is over thirty years of direct experience, facing anxiety's crippling grip head-on.
And when you've been on the frontlines that long, you learn a thing or two about your enemy.
About Keller Medlin
Keller Medlin is a proud father, husband, and former music producer who considers his daughter to be his most precious gift. He grew up in Music City (Nashville, TN.) and graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 2008—three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. After college, he spent several impactful years in San Francisco, eventually making his way back to Nashville to pursue music full-time.
Throughout his twenties, he developed as a music producer, songwriter, and engineer under the guidance of a mentor in Nashville. For four years, he was a full-time producer, working with artists such as Wyclef Jean and Usher (among others). He developed a reputation for fresh, unique instrumentals and songs rooted in electronic, pop, and hip-hop. His debut original single Faded was released in 2017 and played on radio for over a year. Keller has performed live with many music icons, amassed over one million total streams, and had his music featured on multiple TV networks.
In conjunction, he started his own music tech company, Sounds Sphere. "After an acquisition deal fell through in 2021," says Keller, "I decided to close up shop. But my experience running a startup for three years was invaluable."
Keller then walked away from his life as a music producer without a second glance to focus on family. In 2024, he started contemplating his lifelong battle with anxiety. "I decided to focus my efforts on creating a space for others who experience anxiety to connect and feel heard. Writing about my experience was the best way I knew of to do that."
He has written many essays, sharing insights and practical strategies that transformed his relationship with anxiety from pain to power. He says, "I believe through practice, anyone can become an expert, not in anxiety itself but in their own unique manifestation of anxiety, and learn to thrive in spite of it." (To learn more, visit essays.theanxietypractitioner.com and follow @KellerMedlin on X.)
Keller currently works as an IT Lead for the prestigious venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). He notes, "I started building my own computers at sixteen. My experience in technology, music, and entrepreneurship uniquely positions me to drive successful outcomes for the business. I love solving complex problems, facing challenges head-on, and delivering meaningful results through high impact projects."
The author endeavors to live each day as an individual lifetime—exerting effort doing something he doesn't want to do, successfully completing a task or project, and making progress toward a long-term goal. "I believe that patience, courage, and being consistently persistent are rare qualities that shouldn't be ignored, if you're optimizing for a fulfilled, happy life."
In addition to being a devoted father and husband, he is most proud of the following accomplishments: "having the courage to start a music tech company even though I knew nothing about running a business, investing significantly more than 10,000 hours to become the best music producer I could be; completing my running goal of 777 miles ("Jackpot") in 2023, while challenging my body to perform like it never had; and having the courage to face my anxiety."
Medlin says that when all is said and done, the measure of his life will come down to the answers to two questions: "Did I bring joy to others or provide service in some way? And, have I been the best father I could possibly be? These metrics are always within my control, no matter the external circumstances."
Readers Share Their Experiences
Discover how this book has helped others overcome anxiety and transform their lives.
"The Anxiety Practitioner offers a transformative roadmap for managing anxiety centered around Keller's powerful Pain to Power Process. The book's emphasis on consistent practice and making disciplined decisions aligned with your best self, makes it an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to transform their relationship with anxiety."
"I've read many self-help books, but this one stands out for its compassionate approach and actionable advice. I'll be referring back to it constantly."