Change Academy

This podcast is based on the premise that –with the right tools, insights, and support, we can create meaningful lasting changes in our habits, improve our health, and take control of our lives.  The podcast Tiny Leaps, Big Changes by Gregg Clunis is based on the same premise. But in this episode, Gregg and I explore some uncomfortable questions: What are the limits of our personal agency? What are the forces that lead us to believe that creating healthy, safe, and secure lives and environments is primarily up to us? How do we reconcile our personal work with the need to create better systems and healthier and more equitable societies?Things to Listen For09:55 The limits of what we can accomplish as individuals12:00 A loss of trust and confidence in collective action14:25 The unintended consequences of "lifestyle medicine" messaging16:11 The role that politics plays in our personal development20:10 Who does our self-improvement culture actually serve?27:06 Solving problems for fun (and profit)MentionedTiny Leaps, Big Changes podcastTiny Leaps, Big Changes book Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Have we put habit formation on too high a pedestal?  Dr. Michelle Segar is an NIH-funded researcher who has spent close to thirty years studying how to create healthy behaviors. that can survive the complexity and unpredictability of the real world. We talk about why healthy behaviors are often particularly resistant to habit formation, and what may work better.Things to Listen For02:17 Common misconceptions about habits06:33 Why complex behaviors defy habit formation14:40 The unrecognized influence of memory and emotional associations in determining our behavior20:11 The role of self=control and willpower22:17 Why building health behaviors around identity and values (rather than habit) is a better strategy.27:37 The value of questioning assumptionsMentioned:The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise, by Michelle Segar, PhDIt’s Time to Unhabit, by Michelle Segar (American Journal of Health Promotion)The 50,000 Mile Tune-UpWeighless Program Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

I'm convinced that watching Wimbledon actually improves my game. Granted, when you’re as bad as I am, it doesn’t take much. But there is definitely a lot to be learned from people who are good at something that you’re trying to get better at.Which is why I want to share with you some of what I’ve observed in my most successful clients. These are qualities and attitudes that you can adopt and emulate to enhance your own progress and success, whether you’re working with me or another coach, or on your own, using this podcast and maybe some of the self-study tools that we’ve created for our listeners. Think of this episode as a roadmap for how to succeed.What to listen for:02:40 Having skin in the game08:34 Taking responsibility for progress11:00 The difference between passive and active learning15:27 The four things coaching will NOT do for you16:55 The six things working with a coach CAN offer19:35 Three questions to assess whether you'd benefit from coachingMentioned:The 8 Things You Need to Create Lasting Change (self-study workbook)The 50K Mile Tuneup (self-study workbook)Talk with Monica about private coaching Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this discussion, Rebecca Johnson, Co-founder of ViDL Solutions and a seasoned corporate trainer and therapist, dives into creating supportive environments for positive change. She distinguishes between culture and climate, highlighting the essential interplay of behaviors in fostering true wellness. Rebecca emphasizes the significance of intentional conversations to secure buy-in and build alliances that drive change. She also addresses the inner work necessary for lasting transformation, advocating for intentional communication as a key catalyst in workplace culture.

Working toward a big goal takes a lot of grit and discipline. You may imagine that everything will be so much easier once you reach your goal.  You can finally relax and enjoy your accomplishment. But that transition, from active change to maintenance, can be really tricky. And we’re often completely unprepared for that. If we’re not careful, we can let what we’ve attained slip through our fingers, simply because we don’t feel as motivated or rewarded by maintaining the status quo as we did by making progress toward it.  In this episode, I have a few suggestions for how we can prepare better for what happens after we’ve achieved our goal. Things to listen for:How the fear of backsliding can diminish the excitement of achieving a goal.Why we need to learn how to sustain new behaviors without relying on external tracking or counting methods.How electronic “rewards” hijack our brainHow to celebrate progress toward the goal without progress becoming the goalWhy reaching a goal is less important than what achieving that goal enables us to do.What are the habits and behaviors required to maintain that new state?Developing the identity that matches our new status quoMentionedCreating your transformation toolkit (Weighless workshop)Want to support the show?  Buy us a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MonicaReinagel Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Dr. Elizabeth Campbell, also known as "Dr. Bethy," is a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist specializing in career development counseling. In this engaging conversation, she tackles the emotional complexities of career pivots and the impact of outdated self-perceptions. She shares insights on fear as 'false expectations about risk' and emphasizes the power of micro-steps for clarity and courage. Listeners will explore the importance of aligning career with personal purpose and understand that fulfillment goes beyond job satisfaction.

If you are an insight junkie like me, this episode is intended to be the tough love we both need.A lot of the coaching I do involves helping people better understand what is (really) driving their behaviors. These things are frequently invisible or unacknowledged–and this can result in our acting in ways that aren’t aligned with what we say we want. Without insight into why we do the things we do, change can be very difficult. But the point I want to make today is that insight alone isn’t enough.What to listen forUsing the Attention Intention Action cycle to keep you from getting stuckWhy we confuse consuming content with taking actionThe two categories of resistance that you’re likely to feel How to move through fear and confusion about next stepsCommitments as a way to propel action and accountabilityThe consequences of inactionThree questions I want you to (literally) answerMy own answers to those questions (eek!)MentionedMaybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori GottliebChange Academy Episode #11  Attention, Intention, Action CycleNutrition Diva podcastEmail me your 3 answersInterested in working with me? Let’s chat Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Not only is it fun to share success stories, but there’s always something valuable to learn by hearing how people navigate the process of change. In this episode, one of our clients share some reflections on how has she approached her goals– and some of the surprising benefits that happened along the way. Two things that I want you listen for:1. Stephanie wasn’t just looking to create a certain result. She was specifically interested in making a change that would be durable. She didn’t just want to hit a goal, she wanted to create a new way of approaching challenges. (Spoiler alert: she succeeded!) 2. The other thing I want you to hear is the decision Stephanie made to not let discomfort be an an excuse for giving up. As you’re listening, ask yourself what discomfort you might be willing to lean into in order to achieve something meaningful to you. More things to listen forMaking your choices more intentionalFind more freedom by embracing a spirit of experimentationThe surprising pay off from being less efficientTransferring accountability from external sources to internal motivation A process that allows you to sustain habits when the circumstances of your life changeWhen you’re committed to your objective, obstacles are not reasons to quit, just challenges to incorporate.Mentioned in this episodeWeighless ProgramNutrition Diva podcastNutrition GPA app30 Day Nutrition UpgradeEp 11: Attention Intention Action cycleEmail me your definition of success (and your primary obstacle)Send me a voicemail ★ Support this podcast ★

Everyone is burned out. Employees are burned out. Business owners are burned out. Caregivers are burned out. But the solutions that are being promoted are not necessarily what we need in order to solve the problem of burnout. Cassie Christopher returns to the Change Academy to talk about workplace burnout and the impact this is having on both employees and employers (and even the self-employed)--and how each has a different role to play in creating a healthier and happier workplace. What to Listen ForThe three ways you are likely to experience burnoutHow employee burnout affects productivity and profitabilityWhy more wellness programming is the last thing burned-out employees want or needThe six requirements of a burnout-proof workplaceWhy no-one wants to fill out your employee surveyHow understanding the science of burnout makes you a better advocate for your own needs in the workplaceThe most effective ways to recover from long-term burnoutWhat entrepreneurs and the self-employed can do to reduce their own burnoutHow working on self-esteem can sometimes undermine our progressThe role of self-compassion in more productive problem-solvingThe two beliefs that foster effective behavior changeResources mentionedBurnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski\Christina Maslach’s Burnout InventoryThe Liberated Mind by Steven C. HayesWorkplace wellness workshops with CassieConnect with Cassie on LinkedInCorporate wellness programs with MonicaConnect with Monica on LinkedIn Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

If there’s an issue that you can’t seem to get a handle on, a goal that you've had forever,  or a problem that just won’t stay solved, this episode is for you. We’re talking about why this happens--and how to get yourself out of this frustrating cycle. Often, it's because there's a mismatch between the solutions that we are applying and the problem that actually needs to be solved in order for us to create the desired outcome.In this episode, we cover how to know whether you've got the right solution for the problem, and how to stop spinning your wheels and start gaining traction on whatever it is you're working on.What to Listen ForA resource for newer Change Academy listenersIdentifying problem/solution mismatches so that you can stop spinning your wheelsWhy cutting expenses isn't always the best way to balance your budgetThe red flag that signals you're trying to solve the wrong problemThe critical step we need to take before brainstorming solutionsThe true solution to stress eating (it's not about eating)Shifting the focus from problematic behaviors to the conditions driving the behaviorsIdentifying the problem that actually needs to be solved in order for you to succeedResources MentionedEp. 102: Change comes to the Change AcademyListening Guide: 8 Things You Need to Create ChangeEp. 27: What, How, and Why ProblemsEp. 11: The Attention, Intention, Action CycleLearn more about the Stop Stress Eating program ★ Support this podcast ★