In this episode, Amy Morin, a psychotherapist turned “accidental” author, reveals the struggles in her life that caused her to turnaround her mental state. Elliot and Amy discuss how, when you cut bad habits, your good habits become that much more effective. Listen in to hear a world-renowned author and speaker share what not to do to become mentally strong and live a healthy, happy, and fulfilled life.

Visit A-Game Advantage or find us on iTunes to subscribe, visit previous episodes, and learn more about your host, Elliot Roe.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:00 –Amy’s background and journey
01:40 – Amy was a therapist and interested in psychology; she realized that she needed mental strength in her own journey
02:07 – Her mother passed away suddenly; she began studying mental strength from a new perspective
02:30 – She wondered why some people got “stuck” when bad things happened while others could move on
02:50 - Her 26-year old husband died of a heart attack 3 years after her mother’s death; she had since learned strategies to cope
03:45 – Soon her father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal cancer; she went into a bad mental state and wrote herself a letter to get herself out
04:20 – She published the letter online and it has been read 50 million times; an agent contacted her and told her she should write a book
04:40 – In 2013 she wrote that article, her first book came out in 2014 and was translated into 33 languages, and now she speaks
05:40 – When you cut bad habits, the good habits become that much more effective
06:58 – The most powerful habit to deal with grief
07:07 – Don’t give away your power; don’t let other people or situations take away your control of how you feel
07:42 – Decide to do what’s best for yourself despite others or their expectations
09:40 – How Amy’s techniques apply to business and other areas of life
10:05 – Social media opens the door for resentment and comparison
10:30 – How Amy’s techniques are applied
10:40 – They are applied gradually and some may apply more than others at different points in life
11:00 – Your mental strength is like muscle; you must keep working at it to make it stronger
11:30 – She’s honest and tells people that she still struggles with not doing certain things; it requires constant work and conscious effort
11:50 – She realized that her potential is greater than what she thought 10 years ago
12:50 – She never thought she could be a public speaker; but she decided it was ok to be scared as long as she did it anyway. Her TedTalk is currently at 9 million views.
13:45 – About her new book
13:50 – It released in January and is based on questions readers asked her after reading the first books
14:05 – Her book is specifically for women; it explains what it looks like to be a strong woman
15:10 – The difference between a man and a woman becoming strong
15:55 – Girls are raised seeing only powerful male figures but are told they can do anything; there’s a disconnect
16:15 – The book helps people understand their self-worth, where the ideas come from, and how to break through
16:30 – How women can break through the programming
16:36 – Raising awareness of stereotypes and stories from her childhood help show women their power
19:05 – Going from therapist to public speaker
19:12 – It’s the same strategy and skills but just used on a larger scale
20:30 – She shared her personal story while still a therapist and was worried how it would affect her career
21:38 – The impact of social media on mental strength
21:55 – It has become a way to escape feelings and get distracted; Instagram is bad for mental health and opens the door to comparison and feelings of lack
22:40 – Social media has become a replacement for face-to-face contact
23:00 – She uses social media for business but finds it important to unplug; studies show a boost in happiness if you don’t sleep with a smartphone in the bedroom
23:35 – Become more aware of what life is like without your phone

3 Key Points

Mental strength is like physical strength – you’ve got to keep exercising it.
When you cut bad habits, your good ones become more effective.
Unplug regularly to experience more happiness and fulfillment.

Contact/Resources

Primed Mind – Elliot’s Mindset Coaching App
Katherine Switzer – YouTube Video
Amy Morin – Website
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do – Book
13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do – Book
13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do – Book

Credits

Podcast Production by Podcastily

7 Life Lessons I Learned This Year...(2023)