According to industry leaders such as Forbes, LinkedIn, and the World Economic Forum, the ability to influence and persuade others is among the top three essential soft skills in today’s business world. However, it’s crucial that persuasion is conducted in an ethical manner, ensuring that a favorable outcome is likely for all parties involved. Known as the “godfather of influence,” Dr. Robert Cialdini has spent over 40 years conducting scientific research on how to ethically persuade others. He's the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” which has sold over 8 million copies, and “Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade.” In addition to his groundbreaking research, Dr. Cialdini has built his reputation by going undercover at used car dealerships, fundraising organizations, and telemarketing firms to observe persuasion in the wild. Numerous leading enterprises have sought his expertise, including Microsoft, Google, and Berkshire Hathaway. Through the Cialdini Institute, the world's most trusted educational institute in ethical persuasion, he has combined his knowledge into seven principles of persuasion, offering a systematic approach that anyone can use to get a “yes” more often. In Episode 212 of The Mindset Game® podcast, Dr. Cialdini discusses the following:  Why ethical influence is more effective than non-ethical influence, as well as surprising results from Dr. Cialdini’s research demonstrating the effects that an ethical vs. unethical culture can have on an organization’s employees and bottom line Why it’s crucial for leaders to develop a mindset aimed at developing a culture of ethical persuasion within their organizations A detailed description of the 7 principles of influence: reciprocation; likability; authority; social proof; commitment and consistency; scarcity; and unity To learn more about Dr. Cialdini and his programs through the Cialdini Institute, visit https://cialdini.com.  To learn more about The Mindset Game podcast, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com. To subscribe, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I.  

As we navigate stressful situations in our personal and professional lives, it’s common to experience feelings of burnout. However, studies indicate that burnout is often not caused by external factors – such as your profession, your boss, or your workload – but rather by your mindset and the beliefs you may have surrounding your work.  Natalie McVeigh, our guest in Episode 211 of The Mindset Game® podcast, is an executive and entrepreneurial coach and practitioner in neuroscience who specializes in Conversational Intelligence. She has expertise in complex conflict resolution and is also a Certified Happiness Trainer and has experience in building and developing cohesive teams through utilizing assessments and creating training curricula. In this week’s episode, Natalie discusses the following:  How ensuring clarity, customization, and conviction can help alleviate stress and bring deeper meaning to your work Why it’s important – particularly if you are in a leadership position – to recognize when you’re having a stress response in reaction to a stimulus, as well as some techniques for shifting the stress response Specific tips for balancing challenging situations that may be happening simultaneously in both your work and home life To get in touch with Natalie, find her on LinkedIn, or click here.  To learn more about The Mindset Game podcast, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com. To subscribe, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I.  

From a young age, we begin developing thoughts and beliefs about ourselves and the world around us based on the interactions and experiences we have with our families and other influential figures in our lives. As we grow up, these beliefs – particularly those that are rooted in trauma – can have a significant impact on our relationships and the choices we make as adults.  After experiencing a series of difficult and traumatic circumstances throughout his childhood and young adulthood, Steve Bacon (nicknamed “Coach Steve”), is now a master of identity reconstruction, which means helping people shape their self-image, and as a result, transform their life. As an intuitive mentor to leaders, the founder and CEO of Belief Theory, a Master Life Coach, international speaker, and author, Steve is a spiritual teacher who has dedicated his life to helping others achieve self-mastery and emotional well-being, as well as to discover their inner power to overcome any obstacle, rewrite their destinies, and create lives of unparalleled success and fulfillment. As our guest in Episode 210 of The MINDset Game® podcast, Steve shares the following insights: Why examining and shifting the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that you’ve harbored since childhood may be more important than validating your inner child Real-life examples of how childhood experiences can create certain patterns and beliefs in adulthood, including powerful stories from Steve’s own life  Eight key principles that can help you heal from trauma to build healthier relationships and a happier, more fulfilled life To learn more about Steve and to explore his programs and resources, visit https://www.coachstevebacon.com.  To learn more about The Mindset Game podcast, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com. To subscribe, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I.  

When seeking to reach new levels of greatness in your personal life, your organization, or the world at large, one of the most important steps is to get clear on what you want to achieve and why, in addition to ensuring that you are truly ready to pursue your goals. This requires having an in-depth understanding of where you currently are, where you want to go, and being able to draw a straight line between the two points.  At just 11 years old, Dr. Jeff Spencer wrote a contract with himself to participate in the 1972 Olympic Games, a goal he accomplished when he competed in two separate cycling events – and in the process, solidified his fascination with goal achievement as a human performance. Now, with five decades of experience creating champions, Jeff has helped athletes win over 40 gold medals and cycling teams to eight Tour de France victories. He has also authored three books, been awarded International Sports Chiropractor of the Year, and is the creator of the Champion’s Blueprint methodology. With notable clients that include Tiger Woods, Sir Richard Branson, the band U2, Lance Armstrong, and many others, Jeff is most renowned as a mentor to thought leaders and businesses who want to exponentially grow and catapult to iconic status. In Episode 210 of The Mindset Game® podcast, Jeff discusses the following:  Why our state of readiness – which is informed by the time and resources we have available, our experiences, and how we think and interpret the world – is crucial when beginning to pursue goals The importance of setting goals that are RIGHT, which stands for resonance, impact, growth, humanity, and time  How tapping into your intuition can be even more powerful than the guidance you glean from your conscious awareness Why soothing your hardwired survival instincts is essential for unlocking your “seeker self” and developing a champion’s mind To learn more about Dr. Jeff Spencer or to get in touch with him, visit https://www.drjeffspencer.com.  To learn more about The Mindset Game podcast, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com. To subscribe, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I.  

From the messages we receive from our families growing up to fad diets trending on social media, we are constantly bombarded with ideas about how we should or should not eat and what our bodies should look like. Unfortunately, for many of us, these messages may lead to disordered eating, harmful emotions surrounding food, or body image issues.  As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Jeanne Catanzaro has specialized in treating eating disorders and trauma for the past 25 years. She trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy, somatic experiencing and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), before discovering the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, which we discussed in last week’s episode with Dr. Richard Schwartz. As an approved IFS consultant, Dr. Catanzaro served as the director of a day treatment program for eating disorders for two years, and is the author of the book, “Unburdened Eating: Healing Your Relationships with Food and Your Body Using an Internal Family Systems Approach.” In Episode 208 of The Mindset Game® podcast, Dr. Catanzaro shares the following: The various “burdens” we may take on over time as a result of the messages we receive from our families and society, and how these may impact our beliefs and behaviors regarding food and our bodies How the framework provided by IFS – which describes the relationships between our core, undamaged selves and our various parts that have taken on burdens throughout our lives – can be helpful in building healthier relationships with food  The power of getting curious and compassionate (rather than critical) about the parts of yourself that may be driving certain beliefs or behaviors regarding food, inquiring about how they came to harbor those beliefs, and healing them if needed  Dr. Catanzaro then guides us through an exercise designed to help us better understand our protective parts, connect with them, and begin to shift them if need be.  To learn more about IFS and access a variety of resources, visit https://ifs-institute.com, or look for Dr. Catanzaro’s book, "Unburdoned Eating" on Amazon.  To learn more about The Mindset Game podcast, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com. To subscribe, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I. 

As complex beings, we all encompass many different inner parts, or aspects of ourselves. Often, these parts may conflict, or we may feel ashamed or angered by those parts that we consider “bad” and therefore, try to suppress them. However, each of our parts serves a particular function that is meant to help us in some way, and by understanding where they all might have come from, how they work together, and how to foster healing and harmony among our various parts when needed, we can create space for our true, core selves to shine through.  Dr. Richard Schwartz, our guest in Episode 207 of The Mindset Game® podcast, is the creator of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a widely used, evidence-based form of psychotherapy that is particularly effective for dealing with trauma. It provides a non-pathologizing, optimistic, and empowering perspective and a practical set of techniques for working with individuals, couples, families, corporations, and classrooms. After beginning his career as a family therapist, Dr. Schwartz now serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, and has published five books, including “No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model.” In this week’s episode, Dr. Schwartz shares the following: The 8 Cs of “Self” or Self-leadership — calm, confident, curious, compassionate, courageous, creative, clear, and connected — which represent who we truly are at our core when we allow the other parts of ourselves to step aside and create space How understanding the different parts of ourselves can help us become more effective leaders, particularly for those who may have developed an over-attachment to the inner parts that have fueled their success A framework to better understand the different parts of yourself – including the critics, protectors, managers, and inner children – and why they may behave in certain ways Dr. Schwartz then guides us through an exercise designed to help us get in touch with those parts of ourselves that serve as protectors.  To learn more about Dr. Schwartz and Internal Family Systems (IFS), visit https://ifs-institute.com.  To learn more about The Mindset Game podcast, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com. To subscribe, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I. 

Ensuring proper nutrition and staying physically active are the keys to maintaining health and vitality – particularly as we age. However, many of us may encounter setbacks and find ourselves struggling to follow through with the steps required to live a healthier lifestyle. Overcoming this resistance often begins with shifting our mindset.  Whitney Jones, our guest in Episode 206 of The Mindset Game® podcast, is a three-time winner of Ms. Fitness Olympia, a prestigious professional bodybuilding competition. She is also the owner of Pro Physiques, the largest personal training gym in Arizona, and owns and runs five additional companies, such as the Unstoppable 365 mindset, fitness, and nutrition online program, the Fearless by Whitney Jones fitness apparel line, and Whitney Jones Productions, a fitness event at which everyone from first-time competitors to pro athletes have the opportunity to step on stage and compete. In this week’s episode, Whitney shares the following:  The importance of mindset in health and fitness, as well as specific steps to help shift your mindset — particularly when you’re not feeling mentally, emotionally, or physically optimal — and gain momentum towards a healthier life How to avoid common mistakes and overcome sources of resistance related to proper diet and exercise  The power of accountability, such as working with a coach or investing in a fitness class 3 top tips each for both nutrition and fitness that can help anyone reach a healthier state  To learn more about Whitney and her programs, visit https://www.fitwhitjones.com or find her on Instagram at @whitneyjones_ifbbpro.  To subscribe to The Mindset Game, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com.   

When seeking to create change in our own lives or within our teams and organizations, one of the biggest challenges is finding a way to ensure that the changes can be sustained over time and desired by all who are affected by them. For leaders in particular, developing an awareness of some of the psychological and neuroscience-related factors behind change – and what often triggers resistance to it – can aid in the process of building positive, lasting change.  With his well-established intentional change theory and complexity theory, Dr. Richard Boyatzis continues to research how people and organizations engage in sustainable, desired change. The theory predicts how changes occur in different groups of human organizations, including teams, communities, countries, and globally. Dr. Boyatzis has a PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University, a bachelor's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT, and is the author of more than 200 articles and nine books, including “Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth” and “Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence.” He is a frequent speaker on the international circuit, has consulted to many Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and organizations, and his massive open online course (MOOC), titled “Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence,” has over 1.5 million unique visitors from over 215 countries. As our guest in Episode 205 of The Mindset Game® podcast, Dr. Boyatzis discusses the following: Why adaptability and openness to new ideas – rather than strict adherence to defined goals – are crucial for bringing about change The importance of entering a “positive emotional attractor” state, which is linked to feelings of openness and renewal, as well as some tips that can help you attain this state  Why diversity in organizations – both diversity of people and diversity of thought – is crucial for driving innovation and other key goals  Specific tips to help leaders create a sense of purpose among their teams, imagine more possibilities for the future, and build more caring relationships within their organizations To learn more about Dr. Richard Boyatzis or to access his MOOC courses, visit https://www.coursera.org/instructor/richardboyatzis.  To check out The Mindset Game podcast, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com. To subscribe, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I. 

For all of us, loss is a painful, yet inevitable, part of life – whether we’re facing the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job or a dream that didn’t come to fruition, or navigating a major change that represents the loss of a previous way of life. As difficult as it may be, the key to successfully persevering through these circumstances may be to face them head on, focusing on the factors we can control and letting go of those we cannot.  Mike Pierce, better known as “Antarctic Mike,” is an avid fan of polar exhibition history and an endurance athlete who became one of nine people to run the first-ever Antarctic ice marathon in 2006. Since then, he has completed many other winter marathons in the coldest and harshest climates on Earth, and his stories have been featured in several leading national and international media outlets. Mike's flagship program, called “Keep Conquering,” connects the drivers and principles of Antarctic exhibition history stories to the real world of finding, engaging, and keeping great people in today's business world. As our guest in Episode 204 of The Mindset Game® podcast, Mike shares the following:  Stories that illustrate the power of letting go of things you can no longer control, in both the personal and professional realms Mindset shifts that can help ease the process of not only surviving loss, change, and other difficulties, but also embracing and even thriving amongst them Insights on navigating and finding new opportunities amidst organizational change To learn more or connect with Mike, visit https://antarcticmike.com or search for him on YouTube. To subscribe to The Mindset Game podcast, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I. 

As companies of all sizes seek to drive valuation, they often encounter challenges that can lead to a disconnect between the steps they are taking to grow and succeed in the market and the results they are delivering for their customers, employees, shareholders, and communities. For business leaders, adopting a growth mindset and a “learn-it-all” culture (rather than a “know-it-all” culture) may be the key to overcoming these challenges and enjoying continued success. As founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), which has over 18,000 members globally, Verne Harnish has chaired EO’s premier CEO program held at MIT for 15 years, and has spent the past four decades helping companies to scale up. Verne is also the founder and CEO of Scaling Up, a global executive education and coaching company with over 293 partners on six continents. He’s the author of several best-selling books, including “Mastering the Rockefeller Habits,” “The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time,” and “Scaling Up.” As our guest in Episode 203 of The Mindset Game® podcast, Verne discusses the following: Why it’s crucial for business leaders to adopt a learning-oriented growth mindset and get truly inquisitive about how their companies are running, such as by connecting energetically with employees and customers  Tips for navigating the growth paradox, which often presents more complexity, challenges, and bureaucracy as companies grow larger  Insights from nature that can help companies scale up – not only in terms of financial success, but also in contributing to a healthier, happier, more sustainable world  To learn more about Verne, his books, and other resources, visit https://scalingup.com.  To subscribe to The Mindset Game podcast, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I.