How to Stop Sabotaging Your Progress & The Secret to Lasting Change - With Gabby Bernstein

Sep 8, 2025

Gabby Bernstein, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, discusses the impact of self-sabotage on personal goals. She dives into how childhood traumas shape protective behaviors and hinder emotional growth. Listeners will learn about true happiness, the significance of inner work, and the transformative power of compassion. Gabby also shares her four-step self-help practice that can lead to meaningful change. The conversation emphasizes understanding oneself to create the life you desire, making this a must-listen for anyone seeking personal development.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Self-Sabotage Is A Protector

Self-sabotage operates as an internal protection mechanism rooted in deep beliefs like "I'm not worthy."
Recognizing these protectors reframes bad habits as parts trying to keep you safe.

INSIGHT

Two Types Of Protectors

Managers are day-to-day protectors like people-pleasing or control, while firefighters act in extremes like addiction.
Viewing reactive behaviors as parts reduces shame and opens paths to healing.

INSIGHT

Childhood Shapes Adult Protectors

Childhood trauma, big or small, creates protection systems to avoid feeling shame, terror, or unworthiness.
Those mechanisms later drive behaviors like controlling or people-pleasing to avoid deep feelings.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Whether you want to get fitter, improve your relationships, or advance in your career, it all starts with mindset. And if you want to unlock your full potential, you’ll have to identify and eliminate self-sabotaging, negative patterns. That’s exactly what you’re going to learn on today’s show. On this episode of The Model Health Show, our guest is #1 New York Times bestselling author, Gabby Bernstein. She’s here to share the transformative work from her books, including how to overcome the self-sabotage that’s stopping you from reaching your goals. This episode contains conversations on understanding yourself better so you can create the life you desire. You’re going to learn about true inner work and what it entails, how your past can inform the way you behave today, and how to compassionately connect with yourself. Gabby is bringing so much value to this interview, and I hope this conversation resonates with you. Enjoy!

In this episode you’ll discover:

The truth about self-sabotage. (9:14)
What the different types of protection mechanisms are. (10:28)
How childhood trauma can manifest into a state of protection. (12:53)
What being happy actually is. (15:25)
Why Gabby called her newest book Self Help. (15:34)
What fear is a sign of. (17:21)
The four steps of a self-help practice. (20:28)
What the greatest gift you can offer yourself is. (21:23)
Why doing inner work can help you create the life you want. (28:04)
What synchronicity is and why it happens. (31:30)
The four questions Gabby asks herself every morning. (43:17)
How to control your experience of your experience. (45:42)
The importance of training mentally. (46:58)
How to handle failure. (51:54)
Why curiosity is a compassionate response to yourself. (53:53)
A conversation on AI. (58:01)

Items mentioned in this episode include:

Organifi.com/Model  - Use the coupon code MODEL for 20% off + free shipping!
DrinkLMNT.com/model - Get a FREE sample pack of electrolytes with any order!
Self Help by Gabrielle Bernstein - Order Gabby’s newest book!
The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein - Read Gabby’s book!
Trust the Universe Challenge - Join the 21-day challenge!
Connect with Gabby Bernstein Website / App / Facebook / Instagram

Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes: 

This episode of The Model Health Show is brought to you by Organifi and LMNT. Organifi makes nutrition easy and delicious for everyone. Take 20% off your order with the code MODEL at organifi.com/model. Head to DrinkLMNT.com/model to claim a FREE sample pack of electrolytes with any purchase.