Change Academy

Latest Episodes:

How to Use Stress to your Advantage, with Dr. Nicole Byers Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on this episode is Dr. Nicole Byers. A self proclaimed neuroscience nerd, mom, and leadership/productivity coach, Dr. Byers helps busy professionals build confidence and get more done.

Dr. Nicole Byers is a psychologist who specializes in neuropsychology. A few years ago, she left her dream job working in a top hospital and teaching at a university to become an entrepreneur. Now she helps professionals develop the mental habits that allow them to feel less overwhelmed, more confident, and to take action toward their goals. She also hosts a terrific podcast called The Bold Life.

In this episode, Brock and Dr. Byers dive into the following topics:

- Why we default to old (and perhaps unwanted) behaviours when stressful situations arise.
- How we can avoiding all-or-nothing thinking and why giving ourselves some grace can actually keep us on track.
- How our brain constantly tells us stories about the stressful events – and how we can challenge those stories.
- When a circumstance is out of our control, the best approach can be to look at what can we control.
- Why asking yourself “what story I am telling myself right now?” is a great tactic to help change those stories.
- How a little stress can actually make us more effective – and productive.
- The interesting fact that our bodies react to negative and positive stress the same way.
- How the word stress got a bad reputation (should we start calling it the “twinkles” instead?)
- How being too busy (or a workaholic) makes you less productive and less effective. And how this applies to trying to change too many behaviours all at once.

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What Goals are Still Unmet? Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

It’s been well over a year since we first talked about unmet goals and we thought it would be a great time to revisit this topic. If you’ve already listened to Episode 6, this is your chance to revisit this topic with fresh ears. If you haven’t... let’s dig in!

Takeaways:

Unmet goals get heavier and heavier the longer you carry them around.
An unmet goal can be a barrier (or an excuse) to achieving other goals
Sometimes, it’s wiser to let a goal go than to continue to pay the “interest”

Lab Experiment:

Think about a goal or ambition that’s been on your “to achieve” list for a while.
Take a moment to think (compassionately) about how much emotional capital you’re spending on that unmet goal.
Think about anything you’ve been putting off because this particular goal is still unmet.
Decide right now to either officially table that goal for now OR commit to taking concrete action this week.

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How to Treat Yourself Better (Extracurricular) Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

In this special extracurricular episode, we are sharing a little peek inside the year-long Weighless Program (https://weighless.life/enrollment) that you often here us talk about.

What you’re going to hear is actual content from that program that we thought would be a great complement to the stuff we do here in Change Academy. This content is part of a year-long curriculum in which we help people create and strengthen the mindset, habits, and lifestyle that lead to weighing less without dieting.

The reason we are sharing with you now is that our next group is going to be starting on October 8th 2021. Enrollment only opens a couple of times a year so if this is something that you have thought about doing, we didn’t want you to miss it! All the information on that program is at https://weighless.life/enrollment

Whether you are interested in the Weighless Program or not, we think that this particular topic is relevant and useful to all of our listeners and we are happy to share it with you now.

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What Problem are you Trying to Solve? Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

We encourage you to identify things that aren’t working (or could be working better) and design solutions. But sometimes, we end up designing solutions that are unnecessarily complicated or costly.

We may even lose sight of our original objective and end up designing a “solution” that doesn’t solve the original problem at all. In this episode, we teach you how to notice when you are losing focus so you can get back on track.

Takeaways:

- Designing solutions that are unnecessarily complicated or costly may cause us to lose sight of our original objective.
- Sometimes our brain distracts us from working on the bigger issue by dazzling us with something that seems like it will help but doesn’t actually move us closer to our goals.
- Asking ourselves questions like: what is my current focus, what am I trying to create, or what is my real goal, can get us back on track.
- Simplify your plan before you complicate it into oblivion.

Lab Experiment:

- Think about a system or solution that you’ve designed that’s complicated or costly. It could be for your business, for your home or family, or something personal. It could be one you’ve already implemented or one you’re just thinking about.
- Identify the problem that this system was originally intended to solve (or what goal it was intended to achieve).
- Ask yourself (and/or your team): Does that problem (still) need to be solved? Has the original goal been abandoned or achieved?
- Is there a simpler way to solve the problem or achieve the goal?

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Habits and Identity Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

The things we do on a routine basis impact how we see ourselves. And the opposite is also true: How we see ourselves can influence how we act. In other words, our habits and our identity are closely tied to one another.

In this episode, we talk about how to make sure that connection between our behavior and our identity is working for us and not against us.

Takeaways

There’s an important difference between acknowledging a trait or circumstance that you’d like to change and allowing it to define you.
It can be easier to persist in a new behavior (or set of behaviors) if we work on building an identity that supports it.
Linking your behaviors to your core values helps to reinforce positive habits and identity
Who we associate with can have a powerful effect (either positively or negatively) on our progress toward our goals.

Lab Experiment:
Try this CBT technique (called STOPP)
1. STOP: If you hear yourself using terms to describe yourself that seem limiting, stop.
2. TAKE A BREATH: Breathe in and out a few times slowly.
3. OBSERVE: What am I really saying about myself? What do these words or terms cause me to think about myself?
4. PERSPECTIVE: Consider the bigger picture. Is this an important fact about me? Could there be a different way of presenting this aspect of myself? What would someone else say about you if they were asked?
5. PRACTICE: Don’t just do this once. Replacing a well rehearsed identity will take time, so don’t give up!

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How to Fix a Sedentary Lifestyle (Extracurricular) Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

In this extracurricular episode, we’re sharing a preview of an upcoming workshop on incorporating more movement and fitness into our daily routines. Even if you’re an avid exerciser, it’s still easy to end up sitting for long stretches of every day. And finding those hidden opportunities to sneak more movement into our daily routines can make the difference between ending the day stiff and cranky or finishing the day feeling flexible and energized!

We’re hoping this little snippet - about using a morning movement routine to both warm up your body and set your intentions for the day - will whet your appetite for more and that you’ll join us on August 19th for a full-length live workshop where Brock will show you how to squeeze more movement, fitness and fun into every day...no special equipment or clothes required. You don’t even have to break a sweat. The workshop is free but requires pre-registration, which you can do by going to changeacademypodcast.com/sitless

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Motivation and Accountability Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

This episode was suggested by a listener named Liz:

“I have clients that I fear will let go of their habits when they don’t have me there to hold them accountable. How do you coach someone to create that accountability for themselves or hold themselves accountable?”

Takeaways

Being more accountable to someone else than you are to yourself can be a red flag that either your goal is off or your reason for doing it is missing.
When you can align your goal with your identity and values, you can become someone who acts a certain way whether they feel motivated or have external accountability or not.
Cultivating more awareness of the intrinsic rewards can make you less dependent on external rewards (although you can still enjoy those as well).
You don’t need to stay motivated in order to succeed. You just need to stay committed.

Lab Experiment
When you find yourself searching for motivation, stop and ask yourself instead “Why is doing this thing or achieving this goal important to me?”
Next, ask yourself “What’s required of me right now? Who do I need to be in this moment in order to become who I want to be in the future?”
Imagine how you will feel after taking that next step–even if no one else knows you did it. Will you be glad you did it?
If so, simply commit to taking that next step, whether or not you feel motivated.

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Changing the Unchangeable with Molly Watts Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

Molly is the host of the Breaking the Bottle Legacy podcast, in which she shares her own experience with changing her long-standing drinking patterns and creating a healthier and more peaceful relationship with alcohol.

As you’ll see in this episode, Molly’s approach to behavior change aligns perfectly with what we talk about on the Change Academy, and can be applied to all kinds of behaviors and changes. You’ll find the Breaking the Bottle Legacy podcast wherever you listen and Molly’s book of the same title will be available soon on Amazon.com

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Wisdom to Know the Difference Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

The Serenity Prayer (“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to tell the difference”) counsels us to accept the things that we cannot change. But often, the things that we say we cannot change are actually 100% within our control. In this episode, we explore whether something is truly out of our control or if we just prefer to believe that it is.

Takeaways:

- We may choose to believe that a situation is out of our control to avoid doing the hard work of change.
- Taking responsibility for what we are, in fact, choosing gives us the ability to choose differently.
- Being honest with ourselves about what we are actually getting from a “bad” situation may allow us to find other ways to serve those needs.
- Ensuring that you are acting in alignment with your core values can help you stay on a more meaningful path, especially when your judgement is feeling cloudy.

Lab Experiment:

Identify a situation in your life that you’re not happy with and make 4 lists.

What’s not working: Is it not creating the desired results, is it costing you too much, or creating consequences?
What is working: How is the status quo actually serving you? What are you getting from this situation that you want or feel you need?
What I can’t control: Make sure the things you’re putting on this list are truly things that you have no control over.
Actions I can take: Refer back to what’s working/not working for ideas and inspiration.

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Defeat Procrastination with Microplanning Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

We all have those tasks or projects that, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves procrastinating. It might be a new behavior or practice that we want to create a habit around, like exercising or meditating. Or it might be a personal or professional project that we want to accomplish, like writing an essay or report or creating a program or product.

In this episode, we offer a practical strategy that can help you overcome the tendency to procrastinate or to simply not do the things that you intend to do.

Takeaways

Procrastination may be a bad habit but it’s not necessarily a character flaw. Often, It’s just a sign that you need to put a better system into place.
Seeing a large project on your to-do list often creates inertia and overwhelm, but seeing microtasks on the list can create clarity and fuel progress.
Once the microsteps that initiate a task have been repeated enough times, you can usually stop planning them as separate tasks.
Keep your greater goal (and objective) in view so that you don’t get lost in the tasks.

Lab Experiment

Pick something that’s been on your to-do (or to-change or to-start) list forever without making any progress.
Brainstorm the very first steps that you’ll take–or even the preparatory steps that you need to before you can start. Do you need supplies or information that you don’t yet have? Do you need to enlist someone else’s support or input? Are there barriers that need to be removed?
Schedule the first step or steps individually into your planner. When will you start? When will you finish? How will you know you’ve completed that step?
When the appointed time comes, execute that first micro-step no matter what. We’re betting that having taken the first step, you’ll find it much easier to take the next one. But if you need to, keep scheduling (and executing) those microsteps until you find yourself in flow.

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