Move Your Mind with Nick Bracks

Why can success still leave you feeling empty? In this episode, I speak with James Ostroburski OAM, a banking executive, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and mental health advocate. James built and led a lending business that deployed over $2 billion, while privately navigating depression, burnout, ADHD, and the pressure of always needing to achieve more. We talk about ambition, identity, childhood p...

Why is it so hard to stop comparing yourself to others? In this episode, I speak with Jemma Sbeg, host of The Psychology of Your 20s, a #1 global podcast with over 50 million listens, now streaming on Netflix. We explore why comparison has become so unavoidable, and how it can leave you feeling behind, stuck, and disconnected from your own life. This episode will change how you think about compari...

Why does modern life leave so many people feeling empty? In this episode, I speak with Mike Glover, a former Green Beret and CIA contractor. We explore why comfort, instant gratification, and modern convenience may be making people feel more lost, disconnected, and unfulfilled. We talk about purpose, discipline, self-reliance, and why many people don’t change until they’re faced with crisis, regre...

What would you do if you were told you might never walk again? In this episode, I speak with Jason Cooper, a former high school athlete chasing his dream of playing college football...until a car crash in 2019 left him paralyzed from the neck down. We explore what goes through your mind when everything changes overnight - your identity, your future, and the life you thought you were meant to live....

Why do you keep choosing the wrong people? In this episode, I speak with Jessica Baum, a psychotherapist, relationship coach, and author of Anxiously Attached. We explore why you keep choosing the wrong people and what that reveals about your deeper relationship patterns. We unpack how early experiences shape who you’re drawn to, why unhealthy relationships feel familiar, and why you keep repeatin...

Why are so many men struggling in silence? In this episode, I speak with George from The Tin Men, a writer and advocate focused on the hidden realities of men’s mental health. We discuss why suicide is the biggest risk to men under 50, what society keeps getting wrong about men’s struggles, and why “just talking about it” isn’t enough. We explore the structural issues that can leave men feeling tr...

Why do people stay in abusive relationships? In this episode, I speak with Dr. Peter Salerno, a psychologist and expert in trauma and abusive relationships. We explore what happens psychologically when someone is being abused - from the early signs to the long-term effects on the mind and nervous system. We talk about cognitive dissonance, manipulation tactics like gaslighting and love bombing, an...

What does it mean when you feel lost in life? In this episode, I speak with Dr. Adam Formal, a clinical psychologist who works with elite athletes and people dealing with burnout and addiction. We explore why so many people feel lost and how small daily decisions can slowly pull you away from who you really are. This episode will explain why you can feel lost in life and how to start changing it....

How do you know when you’re abandoning yourself? And why do so many of us stay in situations that slowly erode our sense of self? In this episode, I’m joined by Sandra Silverman, an author who shares her journey of rebuilding her life after leaving a 27-year toxic relationship. We talk about the cycle of toxic relationships, including gaslighting, love bombing, and self-blame, the role of past tra...

Why do we feel shame? Why does guilt hit so deeply? And why do some people seem to carry these emotions far more intensely than others? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Debra Lieberman — evolutionary psychologist, professor at the University of Miami, and Editor-in-Chief of Evolution and Human Behavior — to explore why humans evolved to feel shame and guilt, and what these emotions are actually...

Comparison can quietly destroy your life. Most of us default to upward comparison… we fixate on what everyone else has that we don’t. And we rarely do the opposite - noticing what we’ve built, what we’ve survived, and what other people would trade places with us for in a second. That’s why you can feel behind even when you’re not. You end up measuring your life with a broken ruler...curated highli...

Do you say yes when you want to say no, then wonder why you feel exhausted? In this episode I talk with Dr. Alana Greco about why people-pleasing forms, how it quietly erodes self-worth, and how to stop the cycle. We trace the pattern back to childhood survival, discuss the four types of boundaries most people miss, and walk through the self-compassion shift that helps change behaviour. This episo...

If you’ve been trying to outthink your anxiety - replaying the same thoughts, searching for the perfect solution, telling yourself “once I figure this out, I’ll be fine” - this episode will land. Because anxiety doesn’t just live in your mind. It lives in your body. And when you try to solve a body experience with logic, you often end up feeding the spiral instead of calming it. I’m joined by Dr J...

If you’re exhausted from replaying conversations, second-guessing your choices, and filtering your personality through “what will they think?” - this episode will help. I’m joined by Jordanna Bornensztajn (comedian, communication expert, keynote speaker) to unpack the real reason so many high-functioning people feel stuck: fear of judgment. We talk about why judgment is the #1 fear she sees in wor...

Do you feel like you’ve tried therapy, self-help, maybe even medication, but you’re still stuck thinking… why am I not better yet? I’m joined by Dr. Will Dobud, a social worker, researcher and educator who has worked with adolescents and families across the United States, Australia, and Norway, to explore why the mental health system can leave good people feeling broken, even when they’re doing al...

Do you feel like you’re doing everything “right”… but still can’t shake the feeling that you’re not enough? In this episode, I’m joined by Nick Orchard (founder of The Big Refresh and Uncut Coaching) to unpack the hidden driver behind burnout that nobody talks about: trying to prove yourself. We explore how high achievers get addicted to validation, why ambition turns into self-destruction, and ho...

Do you ever get home from work exhausted… but then your brain won’t stop replaying everything that happened? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Guy Winch — psychologist, bestselling author, and the speaker behind one of the most-watched TED Talks on emotional first aid — to explain what’s really happening when you “can’t switch off”… and why that mental spiral is basically unpaid overtime. We brea...

Do you ever feel lost on your journey to finding yourself - even when you’re doing everything “right”? In this episode, actor Wallis Day breaks down what years of rejection, uncertainty, and comparison can do to your mind… and why feeling lost is often a sign you’re in the middle of growth. Quick note: this is an older conversation from the archive, but the message is relevant.  This episode will...

Do you ever feel like you’re running out of time? Feeling like you’re behind in life, even when everything looks fine on the outside? In this episode, I’m joined by Ishan Shivanand, a former monk and mental health researcher, to explore why fear of time shows up so powerfully, and how changing your relationship with time can change how you experience your life. We talk about aging, mortality, and...

Have you ever been triggered in a relationship and thought, “Why am I reacting like this?” In this episode, I’m joined by Vienna Pharaon, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, to explain how your past shapes your nervous system, and why that’s what’s really running your relationship patterns. We break down the “family blueprint,” why you’re drawn to what’s familiar, and how to move from surviv...

Do you ever wake up after a night of drinking feeling anxious, ashamed, and confused - like you can’t trust yourself… even if nothing “that bad” happened? In this episode, I’m joined by Kathryn Elliott, a Specialist Binge Drinking and Alcohol Coach, to break down what binge drinking is doing to your mind and why so many people think they’re “just anxious,” when alcohol is the actually causing it.....

For as long as I can remember, I felt like I was living in my dad’s shadow...and it made me question everything. In this first solo episode of Move Your Mind , I share how comparison and the need for validation can destroy self-trust, and the mindset shifts that helped me step out of that shadow. You’ll learn how to change your life by stepping out of comparison, separating your worth from timelin...

Do you ever want to approach someone… but freeze because you’re scared you’ll come off creepy, awkward, or like you’re bothering them? In this episode, we break down why this fear is so common and why it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. Most of the time, your mind is entering into fight-or-flight and turning a simple moment into a threat… which keeps you stuck in your head, overthink...

Does healthy eating feel impossible? Do you keep starting with good intentions only to end up overwhelmed, confused, and off track? In this episode, we explore why so many people struggle to eat well in a world full of conflicting advice. When every diet promises answers and information is coming from all directions, it’s easy to feel stuck and frustrated with yourself. This conversation looks at...

If you’re in your late 30s or early 40s and feel like you should be further ahead by now, this episode is for you. In this episode, I speak with John Broadbent about why life can feel disorienting in your late 30s and 40s. When the identities that once defined you stop working, certainty fades, and self-criticism creeps in, it’s easy to assume you’ve failed. This conversation explores why that exp...