Strides To Solutions

Explore the profound science behind the voice in your head through analysis of over 1,000 research studies revealing how self-talk shapes every aspect of human experience. Discover why self-talk isn't just mental chatter but the operating system of consciousness itself, enabling self-regulation, emotional control, identity construction, and decision-making. Learn how different types of self-talk a...

Explore the sophisticated psychological toolkit elite athletes use to manage crushing pre-competition anxiety, backed by analysis of over 1,000 studies. Learn the crucial difference between eustress (performance-enhancing nerves) and distress (performance-destroying anxiety), why mindfulness for athletes isn't about calm but about cognitive control, and how techniques like imagery, self-talk, and...

Unpack the intricate relationship between self-esteem, self-consciousness, rejection sensitivity, and the other psychological factors that create persistent self-doubt. Learn why 70% of people experience imposter syndrome, how childhood attachment patterns shape adult confidence, and why success often intensifies rather than reduces self-doubt. This research-based exploration reveals why positive...

Explore the scientific research revealing why spending time with horses creates measurable changes in our nervous systems, from reduced cortisol levels to improved heart rate variability. This comprehensive examination covers the biological mechanisms of emotional transfer between humans and horses, the role of mirror neurons and oxytocin in bonding, and how horses naturally induce brain states si...

Understanding Core Shame," dives into this powerful emotion to help you bring what is unconscious into the light. While guilt is the feeling that "I did something bad," core shame is the belief that "I am bad" . It is a primary emotion that becomes a core part of one's identity, often leading to feelings of being flawed, fraudulent, or never good enough. This sense of self is often formed by stori...

If you've ever wondered why years of positive self talk haven't touched your deepest feelings of unworthiness, this comprehensive exploration reveals what's really happening in your brain and body when shame takes hold. Drawing from cutting edge neuroscience, attachment research, and trauma informed therapies, this in depth podcast unpacks why shame operates differently from any other emotion. Sha...

A comprehensive hour and fifty minutes of exploration covering shame's development in the infant brain, its difference from guilt and humiliation, how it manifests across relationships and professional life, and the full spectrum of healing approaches from somatic therapy to creative expression. The definitive psychoeducational guide for both those experiencing shame and those helping others heal....

Discover how a single facial expression from your mother at 14 months old created neural pathways that still dictate your self-worth, relationships, and mental health. Learn why shame isn't just an emotion but a neurobiological system that evolved to keep you alive—and how it might be killing you instead. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acc...

Discover the hidden mental mechanics that turn neutral experiences into anxiety and depression. Esther Adams reveals how your attention gets hijacked by evolutionary survival mechanisms and the simple exercises that can interrupt the cycle of suffering in real-time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit esthernava....

Learn why procrastinators, perfectionists, and people-pleasers all fail at time management for different reasons, how the Pareto Principle means 80% of what you do is wasted effort, and why saying no might be the most productive thing you'll do today. Based on research showing Americans now work an extra week per year. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscrib...

Esther Adams reveals the revolutionary creative framework that helped build Apple, Xerox, and countless innovations. Learn why most people's "Judge" is killing their best ideas before they're born and how to balance your inner creative team for maximum problem-solving power. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit es...

Discover why 10 minutes of laughter produces 2 hours of pain-free sleep, how comedy literally changes your blood chemistry, and why tears from laughing contain different proteins than tears from sadness. Learn the specific types of humor that heal versus those that harm. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit esther...

Esther Adams reveals why the unconscious mind speaks in images, not words, and how accessing this visual language can unlock healing that years of talk therapy might miss. Includes practical techniques from the Simontons' revolutionary cancer treatment to modern trauma processing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vi...

Discover why writing about trauma for just 15 minutes can reduce doctor visits, how poetry becomes medicine, and why the most powerful conversations you'll ever have might be with a blank page. Esther Adams explores the profound psychological and physiological effects of one of humanity's oldest coping mechanisms. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers o...

Forget everything you've heard about habit formation. This deep dive into behavioral psychology exposes why most self-help advice fails and reveals the actual timeline, hidden obstacles, and surprising factors that determine whether change sticks. Includes the critical difference between passive, aggressive, and assertive behaviors that nobody talks about. This is a public episode. If you would li...

Ever wonder why two people can experience the exact same event and have completely different reactions? This episode unpacks the millisecond mental processes that turn neutral events into personal catastrophes, and more importantly, how to interrupt that cycle. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit esthernava.subst...

This episode breaks down what shame is, why it sticks, and how to loosen its grip. Esther guides you through safety signals, empathic language, and gentle techniques that turn overwhelm into insight and self-compassion. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit esthernava.substack.com

Mindfulness has been practiced for 2,500 years—but only recently has science tried to measure it. In this episode, Esther Adams translates cutting-edge research into plain English: What exactly is mindfulness? Can a questionnaire capture it? Is it different from attention? Does it actually predict better emotion regulation and health? And how does mindfulness develop—with or without formal meditat...

In this powerful episode of "Strides to Solutions," Esther Adams unravels the complex world of codependency, a pattern of relating that keeps millions trapped in exhausting, one-sided relationships. Moving beyond surface-level self-help advice, this deep dive explores how childhood experiences wire us for codependent behaviors, why these patterns feel impossible to break, and what recovery actuall...

In this comprehensive episode of Strides To Solutions, host Esther Adams explores the burnout crisis affecting over half of today's workforce. Drawing from cutting-edge research and clinical insights, we examine burnout not as a personal failing but as a complex syndrome resulting from chronic stress and systemic factors. This episode unpacks the biological mechanisms behind burnout, identifies ea...

Do you open your eyes in the morning and already dread the day ahead? Do you feel emotionally drained, annoyed with everyone around you, and struggle to care about the projects or people you used to feel passionate about? If this sounds familiar, you may be suffering from burnout—a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that results from extended exposure to stress. And you are far fr...

We are navigating the complex world of codependency and reclaim our authentic selves. Have you ever felt that your life's purpose is to ensure someone else's needs are met, or that the distinction between your desires and theirs is completely blurred? These are classic signs of codependency, a dysfunctional relationship pattern where one person excessively relies on another for emotional, physical...

This podcast is a gentle, practical guide to transforming anger. Dr. Esther Adams connects the dots between your biology, your stories, and your choices, so you can move from automatic reactivity to conscious, wise responsiveness. You’ll get clear explanations, simple exercises, and language that makes change feel possible. For those who want a structured journey, Esther’s 10-module course, Anger...

Meet your amygdala—the almond-sized alarm system in your brain that never sleeps. It’s designed to keep you safe by detecting threats and kicking off the stress response. But under chronic stress, this little alarm can go into overdrive, changing how you think, remember, and react. In this episode of Strides to Solutions , Esther Adams breaks down the science of the amygdala in a way that’s engagi...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit esthernava.substack.com