This Is Nothing New

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro wasn't on Michelle's bucket list. It started with a simple "yes" to a friend's question and became a year-long journey of training, setbacks, self-doubt, 60-mile-an-hour winds, and one unforgettable summit. In this episode, Michelle shares the story of climbing Kili—from recovering after COVID and learning the meaning of pole pole ("slowly,...

Most people don’t struggle with goals because they lack discipline. They struggle because the way they’re setting goals is broken from the start. In this episode of This Is Nothing New , Michelle breaks down the real reasons your goals fall apart. From goals that were never actually yours, to plans that are too vague to execute, to systems that don’t account for what happens when things get hard....

This week, I'm sharing a conversation I had on the Action Lab Leadership Podcast with host Danny Gruening, who also happens to be my husband. We explore how leaders accidentally hold their teams back by trying to protect them, why curiosity can sometimes become procrastination, what I've learned about giving difficult feedback, and how keeping promises to yourself impacts your confidence...

In this episode of This Is Nothing New , Michelle explores one of the simplest concepts in personal development—and one of the easiest to overlook: attitude. Through a candid story about a coaching client and a surprising realization from her own year-end reflection, she unpacks how quickly we can let other people's energy, feedback, or behavior shape our outlook. You'll learn why attitu...

What if the quality of your life has less to do with what happens to you and more to do with the patterns running in your mind in response to it?  In this episode, Michelle explores a framework she's used in her mastermind groups for years — Focus, Meaning, and Action — originally taught by Tony Robbins as his Breakthrough Formula. Michelle will walk you through how these three questions run...

Ever feel like you’re trapped in a constant battle with your own willpower?  In this episode of This Is Nothing New , Michelle breaks down a simple, timeless truth that the shiny self-help industry loves to ignore: your environment will always be stronger than your willpower. When your willpower inevitably runs out, it's your environment that will dictate your habits. Michelle shares a funny,...

In this episode of This Is Nothing New , Michelle breaks down why "I want to be more confident" is too vague to actually act on — and what to do instead. She unpacks the three types of confidence that matter most: skill confidence (built through practice and repetition), situational confidence (your ability to figure it out on the fly using past experience), and self-confidence (built by...

Tired of the next big hack, the secret formula, or the guru putting themselves on a pedestal? Same. This Is Nothing New is the podcast that strips away the noise and gets back to the boring, consistent, timeless fundamentals you already know — you just sometimes forget about them. Host Michelle Gruening brings her background in leadership, people management, and coaching to break down everyday top...