The Nancy Levin Show

Do you feel the sting of an insult more powerfully than you feel the joy of praise? Are you constantly scanning for what’s wrong, instead of what’s right? If so, you may be experiencing the negativity bias—the psychological phenomenon that causes negative experiences to have a greater impact on our brains than positive or neutral ones. Negativity bias affects our lives in so many sneaky ways—including our relationships, our motivation to complete a task, and our decision-making. In today’s episode, I share some strategies we can all use to manage our minds and focus on the brighter side of life.

In today’s unscripted live coaching episode, I coach Jennifer about relationships, and more specifically, how it feels to be happily single in middle age after a lifetime of being in serious romantic relationships. Is it better to push yourself back into dating and gain the safety and companionship of a partner—at the risk of losing yourself? Or stay single and live a creatively fulfilling life, at the cost of feeling alone and sexually unfulfilled? Then I coach Natalie about situations in which your truth is going to hurt or disappoint someone else—and how to be more trusting and open with our loved ones in a way that still feels safe and true to yourself.

For over eight years now, I’ve run my own business as a coach, author, and  entrepreneur. And over those years, I’ve learned a lot about time—how to manage it, how to stretch it, and how to make the most of it while getting the most important things done as efficiently as possible. In today’s episode, I share what I’ve learned. I’ll explain the Pomodoro Technique, Parkinson’s Law, why I don’t separate work and life (even though I maintain healthy boundaries), and why the use of airplane mode first thing in the morning might just be the most life-changing habit I’ve ever adopted.

In today’s episode, I do a deep dive into the dynamics that lead to disconnection and codependency in relationships. There’s a common dynamic in relationships where one partner tends to become distant, and the other becomes “clingy”. This is fairly common, if not necessarily healthy. Codependency takes things a step further. It’s when we allow our partner’s behaviors to determine our choices, actions, and behaviors. But here’s good news: there is a solution, where you and your partner become interdependent—caring about each other without feeling the obligation to take on one another’s emotions or problems.

Why does our society still have so much disdain for women who choose not to have children? And more to the point, how should you approach this decision in your life if you’re feeling judged for wanting a child-free life? That’s the subject of today’s episode with Therese Shechter, the award-winning filmmaker and Director, Producer, and Writer of the film, “My So-called Selfish Life: A New Documentary About the Childfree Choice.” Together we explore the taboos and trade-offs around living a child-free life, along with some of the ways we can avoid the social pressure to procreate and give ourselves permission to live the life we really want.

I’ve coined something I call the Transformation Equation, which is: Change = Vision + Choice + Action. It sounds simple, but when you learn to apply this concept to your life, it will work wonders. And in today’s episode you get to hear it in action as you listen in on several real live coaching sessions. First we talk about how to avoid putting your own needs on the backburner when you’re stuck in the “sandwich generation” and caring for kids and parents at the same time. Then we move on to workaholism and creating space so you can step away and unplug from work without feeling guilty.

It’s official: the Your Permission Prescription Podcast is now 1 year old! To celebrate our anniversary and examine how far we’ve come, I’ve invited my COO Kylie Kwon. Kylie has had a significant impact on my business and my life, and vice-versa. When I met Kylie, she was a stay-at-home mom collecting certifications, attempting to get her coaching business up and running. She hadn’t worked a job in over 20 years. Today, she’s changing people’s lives as the COO of Levin Life Coach Academy. Her story is an inspiration and a lesson in overcoming adversity and giving yourself permission to follow your dreams.

In today’s episode, I talk about the second step in my “Jump . . . And Your Life Will Appear” book and coaching program: tell the truth to someone safe. When we withhold a secret or a difficult truth, it turns us into a human pressure cooker. But when you share that truth with another person, it’s like hitting the “release” button. It lets the steam out. The trick, of course, is to share that truth safely with someone you trust. Listen in to learn how to have that conversation in a way that lets the other person know how you want to be received. Trust me on this one: sharing your truth in this way can be a freeing and life-changing conversation if you do it right.

Do you want to keep everybody happy all the time? Do you blame yourself for things that aren’t your fault? Take on more tasks than you can handle? If so, you might be a people pleaser—and today’s episode is for you. Here’s the first thing to know: people pleasing tendencies are often a symptom of a deeper issue, such as issues with self-worth or setting boundaries. But when you put others first, you end up putting your worth and value in the hands of someone else. There is a solution, though, and it’s found in learning to set and hold healthy boundaries. Listen in to learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of your people pleasing behavior, and how to start the healing process.

In today’s episode, I explore the topics of mistakes, collaboration, and self-worth. As a former people pleaser, I used to be a perfectionist. Maybe you can relate. And as a perfectionist, my sense of self-worth was wrapped up in my achievements. It was so bad that at one point, as the Event Director at Hay House, my team gave me a nickname: Bru (short for Brujita), which means “little witch” in Spanish. The reason why? Because I allowed no room for error in my team. It took me years to realize that making mistakes and asking for help doesn’t make you less of a person. And when you can figure out how to learn from your mistakes and accept the help of others, it takes a ton of weight off your shoulders and frees you to be a happier person.