MINDSET ZONE

“Every business I’ve ever started, I knew nothing about…it just shows, if you’re passionate about wanting to learn something, you can learn it.”Debbie Allen Today, Debbie joins me to share her story. She talks about the importance of the learning journey, shares why she moved from entrepreneurship to coaching and mentoring and notes the importance of putting one foot in front of the other. She discusses why she decided to write her most recent book, explaining why success is easy and noting that all you need to do to succeed is be willing to learn. She emphasizes the power of coaches and mentors, and we discuss growth mindset. She notes the importance of having a backup plan, explains why failure is a lesson, defines success, and shares how to know if you’re on the wrong path. This Week on The Mindset Zone: The need for a sharp mindsetThe importance of putting one foot in front of the otherThe power of coaches and mentorsGrowth mindsetThe importance of backup plansFailing forwardWhy it shouldn’t be hard to be successfulHow to know when it’s time to switch gears The Guest: Debbie Allen was an entrepreneur at 19, and over the course of her career, she has built and sold several billion-dollar businesses. She is an accomplished speaker and the author of nine books, her latest being Success Is Easy: Shameless, No-nonsense Strategies to Win in Business. Resources from this Episode: Connect with Debbie Allen: Website | LinkedInDebbie's book: Success Is Easy: Shameless, No-nonsense Strategies to Win in Business by Debbie Allen Related Mindset Zone episodes Growth Mindset – Yes, We Can Learn It Expand what's possible!

Tommy Acierno Interviews Ana Melikian, Ph.D. “Life is two days, and the first we spend waking up.”Ana Melikian, Ph.D. In this rebroadcasted episode, Tommy and I have a conversation about how our mindsets influence our relationships, career, and success. We note that to create real, sustainable, and lasting change, it’s up to us to align our mindsets with a sound strategy and take actions to implement it. We note a line from a Portuguese song, discussing what it means to wake up, why we have multiple “wake-ups” in our life, and what to do about it. This Week on The Mindset Zone: The influence of mindsets on relationships, careers, and successes.Aligning mindsets with sound strategy and concrete actions.What it means to wake up in life. About Tommy Acierno: After 12 years working and leading teams at companies like Google and Trimble, Tommy Acierno created a unique private coaching practice focused on helping successful professionals experience deep fulfillment in their careers, relationships, and spirituality. He is also a Lead Trainer for the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). Resources from this Episode: Connect with Tommy Acierno: Website | LinkedIn Related Mindset Zone episodes: Life is two days, and the first we spend waking upMindset Limitations: Pursuing HappinessThe Other Side of Mindset Limitations Expand what's possible!

“The process of networking means doing the work of connecting with people. Whether you’re introverted or extroverted, you like connecting with people.”Joe Apfelbaum Joe joins me to talk about his book and how to overcome the fear of networking. He tells the story of his first failed experience with networking and shares what it taught him about the real meaning of networking. He explains why networking doesn’t have anything to do with being introverted or extroverted, and he notes that there are many shades of mindset between fixed and growth. He issues a call to stop making excuses, and he shares the three facets that make up a mindset. He notes the power of consistency, explains why being in business for the money doesn’t work, and notes the importance of self-knowledge and doing what brings you joy. He also gives an overview of what you’ll find in his book, “High Energy Networking: get anything you want in life while building meaningful relationships that last a lifetime.” This Week on The Mindset Zone: Fixed and growth mindsets and everything in between.Why networking doesn’t have anything to do with being introverted or extroverted, and what these terms really mean.Why it’s time to stop making excuses.How our mindset differs in different areas.Networking as a way of looking to add value to others’ lives. The Guest: Joe Apfelbaum is the author of five books and CEO of Ajax Union, a B2B digital marketing agency based in New York. He is a business strategist, a marketing expert, and a certified Google trainer. He is a divorced dad of five, a rollerblader, a runner, a stand-up comedian, and an amateur rapper. His most recent book is High Energy Networking: Get Anything You Want in Life While Building Meaningful Relationships That Last a Lifetime. Resources from this Episode: Connect with Joe Apfelbaum: Website | LinkedInJoe's book: High Energy Networking: get anything you want in life while building meaningful relationships that last a lifetimeMindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck Related Mindset Zone episodes Growth Mindset – Yes, We Can Learn ItBlind Spots – We All Have ThemThe Power of YET – A Growth Mindset Secret Expand what's possible!

Don Hutcheson interviews Ana Melikian, Ph.D. “We have to learn to be forgiving [towards ourselves]--that is part of the process. And by persisting, mainly in the beginning...that is what allows us to transform and then create a new habit.”Ana Melikian In this episode, we are rebroadcasting a conversation where Don Hutcheson interviews Ana Melikian, Ph.D., the host of the Mindset Zone podcast. We talk about how to change our mindsets, what mindset is, Carol Dweck’s work, and glasses as a mindset metaphor. We note that the capacity to change is especially important when circumstances demand more flexibility, resilience, and innovative solutions. I also share advice on what to do when you’re finding it hard to change your mindset, emphasizing that, though it is difficult, it’s worth it. This Week on The Mindset Zone: What is mindset?The glasses metaphor of mindset.The work of Carol Dweck on growth and fixed mindsets.Learning to identify our fixed mindset and how to talk back to our fixed mindset voice with a growth mindset voice.Going beyond awareness.The blind spot analogy. About Don Hutcheson: Don Hutcheson is an entrepreneur for the last 45 years and has created six innovative companies in the fields of career planning, publishing, and advertising. Except for the three years he served in the U.S. Army as a Russian Linguist, he has never had a “boss.” He is also a coach, author, and host of the "Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love" podcast. Resources from this Episode: Connect with Don Hutcheson: Website | LinkedInDiscover Your Talent PodcastMindset: The New Psychology of Success Related Mindset Zone episodes: Growth Mindset – Yes, We Can Learn ItThe Power of YET – A Growth Mindset SecretMindset Limitations: Pursuing Happiness Expand what's possible!

Vered Kogan interviews Ana Melikian, Ph.D. “Try not run to fix it. Listen. Ask questions. Be more coach like.”Ana Melikian In this episode, we are rebroadcasting a conversation where Vered Kogan interviews Ana Melikian, Ph.D., the host of the Mindset Zone podcast. Vered starts by asking Ana about her professional background and hobbies, and then they quickly dive into the mindset topic that both are passionate about. Ana starts by explaining how she defines mindsets. She goes on to explain her conceptual model that sees mindsets as one side of a triangle, that is complemented by the other two sides, strategy, and implementation. They explore how mindsets can help us to be more flexible and resilient. This Week on The Mindset Zone: What is mindset?Ana’s triangle model.Importance of actions to change our mindsets.The importance of mindset in crisis and change challenges such as the COVID19.Viktor Frankl's role model for searching for meaning.Practical examples of how to exercise our mindsetsTips for unfocusing after work, and why it’s different for everybodyThe importance of gratitude About Vered Kogan: Vered Kogan is an extraordinary coach and speaker who focuses on helping entrepreneurs, organizations, and individuals tap into the power of human performance and potential. Today’s conversation originally aired on her podcast, The Mindset Game. Resources from this Episode: Connect with Vered Kogan: Website | LinkedIn | PodcastThe Mindset Game Podcast Related Mindset Zone episodes: Focus To Succeed (with Omar Zenhom)Focus Without FocusUnfocus To Focus Expand what's possible!

“It's your life. Make it sing.”Lowry Olfson Lowry joins me on the podcast to talk about his definition of mindset. He talks about the importance of being aware of your mindset and we discuss what makes a good mindset. We talk about managing your energy to avoid burnout. He explains what PowerSongs are, sharing the story of how he stumbled onto them and explaining why they have the power to transform a mindset. He tells the stories of different people he’s worked with to create their own PowerSongs, and he shares how you can reach out to write one with him yourself. This Week on The Mindset Zone: Lowry’s definition of mindset.The importance of being aware of your mindset.What makes a good mindset.Managing your energy to avoid burnout.The power of PowerSongs.The meaning of magnificence.What goes into creating a PowerSong. The Guest: Lowry Olafson has written songs since he was a kid. He has made it as a singer/songwriter, releasing nine albums and touring the globe. As a keynote speaker, Lowry inspires people to be more resilient. He also leverages talent and experience to produce audio branding for businesses and organizations, and he loves to co-create PowerSongs with teams, families, couples, and individuals so that they can connect more deeply with their mission, value, and vision. Resources from this Episode: Connect with Lowry Olafson: Website | LinkedInLearn more about PowerSong at powersongs.ca Related Mindset Zone episodes: Shift Your Mindset With Music Expand what's possible!

Josh Patrick interviews Ana Melikian, Ph.D. “There are times when action needs to lead mindset.” Josh Patrick In this interview previously aired on Josh’s podcast, we ask the question: which comes first, action or mindset? We define mindset and discuss the difference between worldview and mindset. We discuss the glasses analogy and talk about Carol Dweck’s distinction between growth mindset and fixed mindset. We share how to tell when to improve your strengths and when to improve your weaknesses, and we discuss the importance of a capacity to learn. Josh notes the need to be honest with yourself when assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and we talk about what it means to live your values while running your business. This Week on The Mindset Zone: Which comes first: action or mindset?Defining mindsetWorldview vs mindsetGrowth mindset vs fixed mindsetWhen to focus on your strengths and when to work on improving your weaknessesTransitioning from the beginning stages of your business to the more advanced stagesLiving your values while running your business About Josh: Josh Patrick is a dear friend with deep experience as a business consultant and is passionate about helping business owners create extraordinary value with their companies and their lives. Josh is also the author of two easy-to-read and powerful books: Sustainable: A Fable About Creating a Personally and Economically Sustainable Business and The Sale Ready Company: What it Takes to Create a Business Someone Would Want to Own, Even If You Have No Intention of Selling. Resources from this Episode: Connect with Josh Patrick: Website | LinkedIn | PodcastBooks:Sustainable: A Fable About Creating a Personally and Economically Sustainable Business by Josh PatrickThe Sale Ready Company: What it Takes to Create a Business Someone Would Want to Own, Even If You Have No Intention of Selling by Josh Patrick Related Mindset Zone episodes: Growth Mindset – Yes, We Can Learn ItThe Power of YET – A Growth Mindset SecretThe Other Side of Mindset Limitations Expand what's possible

“Listen to the still quiet voice in our mind.”Katie Peuvrelle Katie Peuvrelle joins me to talk about what it means to leap. She discusses mindset as a belief system and explains why she believes “growth mindset” is a dichotomy. She talks about her book and shares the numerous reasons that skating is an apt analogy to taking a leap in life. She defines multi-dimensional leadership and notes the physical aspect of intuition. This Week on The Mindset Zone: What is a mindset? How to define mindset as a belief system or philosophy.The dichotomy between mindset and growth, and how to overcome it.How to uplevel our mindsets in whatever were are being, doing, and performing in the world.A space for exploration, rediscovering, and reimagining.Different types of leaps, and jumps we can do in our own mindsets.Multidimensional leadership in the post-COVID world.The concentric spheres model, as an alternative to the top-down or bottom-up linear models.How to cultivate our intuition.Connection with the body. The guest Katie Peuvrelle is a masterful high-performance coach based in San Jose, California, who works with executives and emerging leaders in big-name companies, as well as, with many startups’ founders, and VCs who are out there leaving their dent in the world. She also loves to work with athletes, from amateurs to Olympians, and professionals who want to take their game to the next level. She is the author of "Leap." Resources from this Episode: Connect with Katie Peuvrelle: website | LinkedInBook: Leap: Own Your Excellence and Engage Your Best Self in Business, Sports, the Arts & Life Related Mindset Zone episodes: Growth Mindset – Yes, We Can Learn ItThe Power of YET – A Growth Mindset SecretThe Other Side of Mindset Limitations Expand what's possible!

“In a very bizarre way, I was lucky to experience the racism because, to me, it made me a whole person.”CB Bowman CB Bowman joins me to share her story, noting the power of a mindset of undefeatability. She discusses how this mindset brought her through everything from her experiences with extreme racism to the time she took an unplanned, seemingly unrealistic trip to Panama to visit her father unannounced. We discuss the flexibility of mindset, and she notes the difference between diversity and inclusion. We also discuss the importance of bringing distinctive perspectives to the conversation. This Week on The Mindset Zone: Why we don’t need to be stuck in a mindset.Overcoming odds through an unbeatable mindset.The importance of pinpointing what needs to be fixed.The prevalence of racism, and the different types of racism.The importance of diversity. The guest CB Bowman is the founder of ACEC, or the Association of Corporate Executive Coaches; the CEO of Workplace Equity and Equality; and was recently selected for the Thinkers50 2021 Coaching and Mentoring Award Shortlist. Resources from this Episode: Connect with CB Bowman: website | LinkedInCB Bowman LIVE! Challenges of the C-SuiteACEC - Association of Corporate Executive Coaches Expand what's possible!

In a previous episode, I spoke about “mindset limitations” as some of the beliefs, conscious or unconscious, that constrain the way we see, think, and feel the world around us. I explore some of my own mindset blind spots around the pursuing happiness fallacy.  Here, I want to focus on the other side of mindset limitations. The term “mindset” in itself has become very popular. If we google the word, we get more than 150 million results. In Amazon’s books, more than 50 thousand results for "mindset" come up - 20 thousand in book titles. On ListenNotes.com, a great podcast search engine reveals 2,432 with “mindset” in the show title. And I’m thrilled to inform you that at the time of this recording, our very own Mindset Zone, is number two on that list. Self-help books, like “The Secret” have popularized the idea that our thoughts are the primary cause of everything. This principle is also core for many high-performance systems. One of my favorites, The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others Do In 12 Months, Brian P. Moran explicitly argues “It’s important to understand that the results you achieve are a direct byproduct of the action you take. Your actions, in turn, are manifestations of your underlying thinking. Ultimately, it is your thinking that drives your results; it is your thinking that creates your experiences in life.” In sum, the more prevailing perspectives see our mindsets–the way we think, and the beliefs we have–determining what we do and the results we get.  Even the well-researched CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–a form of talk therapy that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness–focuses on changing thinking patterns. A basic CBT technique, originally developed by Albert Ellis, is known as the ABC model, and it assumes our beliefs about a specific event affect how we react to that event, being its goal to help us restructure these beliefs to adapt a healthier response. For instance, you sent an important email out with a proposal that if accepted can help you achieve your goals for your next quarter, but one week has passed and you didn’t get any reply. This can be seen as the Activation event, the A in this ABC model. This situation can lead to negative feelings, emotions, like anxiety, fear, lack of confidence that can lead to procrastination, or inaction. These emotional responses and behaviors are the Consequences, the C in the ABC model. So, the B is at the center of the model and represents the Beliefs that are triggered by A, and are the real cause of C. So, the goal is to change the B, the Beliefs, to change underlying thoughts. So, for example, when you haven’t yet heard back about that proposal, instead of thinking, “How awful! I'm never going to be good at this!” which will most certainly lead to less than optimal feelings, and probably a lack of action. You can disrupt the self-fulfilling prophecy by changing your thoughts. Thoughts. Feelings. Behaviors. It’s easier to use a linear model to describe what is happening when we are trying to change. Yet, we can argue that this linear perspective is too simplistic, and that doesn’t allow us to see the whole multidimensional picture. CBT acknowledges that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all interconnected, but most of the time it focuses on changing thinking patterns first as if that was a unidirectional relationship. But if this was the case, gaining a new insight, or becoming aware of a thought pattern would be enough to change our feelings and behaviors, and we painfully live the reality that it’s not that easy. Wouldn’t it be great if an inspiring TED talk was enough to change us?  Yes, it can ignite a spark that leads to change, but usually, there are more moving parts involved in the process of lasting change. Many times small behaviors can determine the way we think and feel. Consider the well-documented dopamine hits we get when we see a “Like” on one of our social media posts. We keep looking, waiting to see if there will be another one. So we can continue the high. We rationalize.  We may even say to ourselves, “Likes show that people resonate with my opinion.” Or perhaps the likes feed our beliefs, “Someone cares.” This is an example of how small actions, in this case, looking at our phones, affect the way we think and the beliefs we have. How many of us believe that we must keep our phone around, just in case? How many of us feel anxious when we don’t have our phone at arm’s reach? Another example would be, walking in nature or taking a shower. Doing one of these activities can absolutely help us to feel more relaxed, more in tune with nature and our bodies, and open our mind’s eye to new ideas and possibilities. The other side of the mindset limitation is that mindset is not the end-all, do-all. Yes, changing our beliefs, our lenses, the ways we see the world, makes a huge difference but we need to do more than that. Mindsets have limitations too. To make things happen, we have to feel the energy and mood that helps us transform and live it in actions day in and day out. And let’s not forget the social contexts and the systems we are part of–but that’s a topic for another episode. Sometimes, it’s easier to start with small actions, like exhaling fully, to the point that we activate the muscle in our belly, almost like a kid who is determined to blow out all the candles, even the tricky ones that light up again almost immediately. That simple act has the potential to change the way we feel and think too. Just give it a go. Instead of seeing your thoughts, feelings, behaviors in a linear way, many times even in a unidirectional way, I would like to invite you to see them in a triangle, a form of three sides. If a triangle loses one of its sides, it ceases to exist. I even invite you to form a triangle with your hands. Your thumbs can connect to form the base of the triangle, the left fingers together can make another side, and the right fingers make the third side, touching each other at the top to form the triangle. Then you can imagine that one side of this triangle represents your thoughts or mindsets, another your feelings or emotions, and the other your actions or behaviors. You can expand a lot of possibilities this way.  Remember the example of the important email that was still unanswered one week later? That can trigger some anxiety, and judgy thoughts towards oneself “You didn’t write a strong enough proposal,” or towards others “How inconsiderate are they?” or even get overgeneralized and impact the way we see the world, “Not fair. This should be easier.” Looking at your triangle, you can start to focus on one action. For instance, breathing out fully–like the kid who is determined to blow those candles–you can let your body inhale deeper. From that place of connection with your breath, you can see things in front of you with more detail, colors look more vibrant. You can remember that stat you heard some time ago, that an average person can receive more than 100 emails per day. Maybe, you decide to send another email, phone or text the person confirming that they received your proposal. Why not? After watching an inspiring TED talk or presentation, that elicits an insight or a new awareness, you can consider how that new thought reflects its power on the other sides of the triangle. How that new way of thinking is going to change your energy, how you feel, and how this will impact your day-to-day actions. What daily habits would be helpful to develop and sustain to make that mindset shift stick? And, as you move forward, what will you need to do to sustain the thinking required for the upleveled way you feel? How can you make this new way of being your default?  Yes, this is a more complex picture, and it also provides more entry points for change. We know that change is difficult. When the rubber meets the road, it’s easier to go back to old patterns of doing, feeling, and thinking. Yet, we can transform this almost into a game, a sandbox where we play, and try different options–that will expand what’s possible for you, for the ones around you, for the world. “Wouldn’t it be great if an inspiring TED talk was enough to change us?”~Ana Melikian, Ph.D.