Brain Unblocked: The Brainspotting Podcast

If you've been trying unsuccessfully to find the right time management technique or to work your way up to "imperfect action" for over 2 months but still feel stalled out in your productivity, this episode is for you.  I'll walk you step by step through my flow chart to decide on the exact right action for you to take based on where you're stuck.    You don't want to miss:   What I've learned from...

If you've been trying unsuccessfully to change the same habit for more than 2 months this episode is for you. Let's do a deeper dive into the outdated advice to have more self-control when it comes to healthy habits.    You don't want to miss:   The reason focusing on self-control is ineffective A gross analogy for relying on self-control to change your habits My advice for where to put your energ...

Even once we get healthy in our relationship with alcohol, there's often more work to do on the unhealed wounds we have (that maybe either came about with alcohol or they were something you used alcohol to try and avoid).  Whatever the case, it's important to be honest with yourself about your own level of need for deeper work.  In this episode, Jennyfer does an amazing job of taking something as...

Let's say you're ready to commit to stepping OFF the Groundhog Day Cycle of Shame and instead applying the 3-part formula of the Optimize Method so you can have a truly healthy relationship with alcohol.  In this episode I answer the number one question I get from new OAFers… "what do I do if I overdrink while I'm trying to make these changes?"    You don't want to miss the answers to commonly ask...

If you're stuck on the Groundhog Day Cycle of Shame, change is as simple as stepping off that cycle and finding the actual path that will lead you habit change, especially when it comes to alcohol.  The great news is that it's not overly-complicated to take that step!  In this episode, I'm sharing the simple 3-part formula of creating a new path for yourself so you can stop waking up with the sham...

Have you worried that your inability to moderate means that you're an alcoholic or that you somehow suck at having willpower or consistency?  That's the old way of thinking.  The new way is to recognize this problem for what it truly is.  You're stuck on the Groundhog Day Cycle of Shame. In this episode, I'll breakdown the Cycle of Shame so you can self-diagnose if you're on it, and exactly which...

Moderation is a myth.  This is the first of four episodes dedicated to unlearning the myth of moderation and replacing it with a new way of having a healthy relationship with alcohol so you can easily and effortlessly take it or leave it. In this episode, we'll focus on the unlearning and why it's critical to see moderation in a new light.   You don't want to miss:   The reason moderation is the w...

I debated for a while before writing and publishing this episode… but I feel pretty strongly about it… I think it's a must-listen for anyone doing Sober October (or any break from alcohol)! This episode is not about making Sober October sound bad.  It's about making sure that anyone doing sober october gets the most out of it and avoids these common mistakes. You don't want to miss:   The warnings...

Getting right with alcohol is only the first step to truly fulfilling your purpose.  Alcohol holds you back, but what happens AFTER?  This week I got to reconnect with Jenn Linck after one year and we chat about life as an Optimized AFer.   Jenn Linck is  a personal trainer, healthy habit and accountability coach, a Chief Warrant Officer Three in the US Army Reserves, a champion collegiate rower,...

This episode is for everyone who is either drinking regularly without thinking about how it impacts your productivity OR everyone who is drinking regularly and wants to change the amount and/or frequency… ESPECIALLY if you're working on big goals for yourself!   You don't want to miss:   Why I prefer to talk about the benefits of being an AFer instead of the harms of alcohol The 6 areas of improve...

If you're a self-made person, then you've likely encountered a few stumbling blocks along your path.  Sometimes these are societal or cultural blocks, and often times, they are also deep brain blocks that hinder your progress.  This is happening to you if you've had an idea or goal that you know "what to do" but taking action on it has just not happened at the rate you want it to.  Growth feels sl...

Being an Optimized AFer doesn't mean never having moments of struggle.  It means that you have the capacity to recognize struggles as symptoms of something that needs your attention.  And sometimes those symptoms are showing you places where something is blocking you from full optimization (and if you're an over-thinker, you could really get into the weeds as to whether or not you're truly optimiz...

The days of either being an alcoholic or being a healthy drinker are long gone, if they ever truly existed in the first place.  Now, we recognize that drinking habits can exist on a full spectrum, and whether or not you place on that spectrum is healthy includes defining your own boundaries for what is aligned with your goal lifestyle.  Yes, there are critical markers for addiction, but what if yo...

There used to be a stigma (and practice) in which working on your mental and emotional wellbeing meant lying on a couch with a therapist behind you writing notes and judging your thoughts.  Now, there are myriad ways mental wellness work might look.  Chris McDonald works with counselors who feel passionate about bringing more holistic means of healing into the therapy room.  She joins me today on...

Sometimes you might just want a plug-n-play manual to get you out of your funk.  These six questions will help get your thinking brain focused in a new way, so you can more easily see why you're stuck and what you can do to get unstuck.  Use these questions daily, weekly, or save them for difficult days where you're in your head and over-complicating.  Make sure you download the free PDF journal o...

If you're like most of my clients, you want to do things right the first time, because you want results sooner rather than later.  But sometimes the tools we use for the Daily Support Pillar of the Trifecta of Change can actually cross over into the unhelpful category and end up keeping us more stuck!  In this episode, I'll share three common mistakes that lead to a Value Lighthouse working agains...

You can't see your brain, so it can be a challenge to understand why things feel or react the way they do.  Deborah Antinori has spent years studying the brain, especially from the perspective of why and how and where Brainspotting is working.  In this interview, she shares her wealth of knowledge while also making something so seemingly invisible into something super relatable.   You don't want t...

As a high-achiever, you've probably heard the phrase "don't should on yourself," but then you've also been confused because there are times when action SHOULD be taken or else you'll never actually achieve your goals.  It's confusing, so in this episode I break it down junior high style to simplify the decision about when to ignore a should and when to follow a should.  You don't want to miss:   T...

How often does fear get in your way? If you're like most of my clients (and me!) then fear can have a bigger impact on your goals than you'd care to admit.  In this episode, I'm joined by Nikki Maxwell to talk about her work on helping people befriend their fear.  You don't want to miss:   Nikki's take on spending time with the uncomfortable parts of ourselves How to overcome outdated beliefs and...

If you've spent any time on the Groundhog Day Circle of Shame then you know it can feel defeating to have to start over and over again.  But what if instead of starting over, you're actually moving through the stages of change and just don't realize it?  But what ARE the stages of change?    You don't want to miss:   The traditional stages of change taught to professionals since the 70s My take on...

If you've ever wondered why some people just seem more able than you to stick with a plan, even when you KNOW (in your adulty brain of course) that it's a solid plan.  You find yourself slacking off, self-sabotaging, and then you feel ashamed because you couldn't even do the bare minimum to see results.   In this episode, we'll explore why it's critical to understand your own value set before you...

Sometimes we self-sabotage without even noticing.  Especially when it's disguised as being polite or flexible or having balance, even, sometimes, self-care!  In this episode, I'll detail the red flags for each of the 4 types of self-sabotage, and then I'll tell you what to do when you notice them happening in your life.     You don't want to miss:   The red flags to clue you in that you're self-sa...

Have you ever had a winning streak and then slipped up and thought "well sh*t, now I have to start all over again!"...or maybe you talked yourself into keeping your streak going but then had a nagging feeling inside that it "didn't really count"?  We get messages about streaks from places like Peloton and Dry January, but is that really an effective strategy for seeing lasting habit change or is i...

If you've ever tried to change a habit only to find yourself back on groundhog day, or you've ever had a run of success and then noticed your old familiar friend of self-sabotage, then this episode is for you.  In it, I'll dive into the 4 sneaky ways self-sabotage shows up.   You don't want to miss:   The 4 types of sneaky self-sabotage that are probably showing up right now with any goal you have...

Do you have a coffee mug that sasyss , "this might be wine"? Do you look forward to that first pour of the evening when you can finally "relax" after a busy day momming?  Do the messages you get as a parent make it feel like no one could possibly do this job if it weren't for alcohol?  In this week's episode, I'm joined by Tessa Stuckey who shares her experience as a mom to 4 boys under 4 and bein...