The College Success Habits Podcast

Ep #184 - Your life is growing and changing. Is that growth and change under your control? Yes, it is, but do you realize this? You are not a plastic bag in the wind - you are in control of yourself, and it is time to organize your thoughts and feelings so they conspire toward the actions that will create the life you desire. In today's show, I will introduce to you my "Baton" metaphor so you can...

Ep #183 - There are nuanced shades between being thankful and being grateful. Let's explore the spontaneous joy of thankfulness through everyday gestures, like the relief of receiving help in a pinch or the simple pleasure of a shared meal. In contrast, we uncover the profound depths of gratitude—how it forms our emotional bedrock, grounding us with an enduring sense of appreciation that transcend...

Ep #182 - Let's dive into the multifaceted world of coping strategies for college students. From the energizing power of physical activities to the serene world of mindfulness and relaxation, we explore how a balanced approach to self-care can enhance academic performance and personal growth. Discover creative and practical ways to manage stress, stay organized, and maintain social connections, en...

Ep #181 - We all know what it is like to have a huge project due and so many questions on where to start and how to get into the doing instead of being stuck in the thinking. In this week's episode, I discuss how I get into my essays and get things done in a particular pattern so I can get on with my life. From knowing the particulars to organizing my resources to knowing the order to do the tasks...

Ep #180 - There are ways to solidify yourself when you start new experiences and each semester is an opportunity to do that. In this episode, I discuss five ways I started my first semester back in school and when and where you can utilize these principles as well. 1. Gamify Your Preparation 2. The Bucket List 3. Time Capsule Experience 4. Sonic Semester Soundtrack 5. Vivid Visualizations I know y...

Ep #179 - It's all the rage to speak out, speak up, and push back. That people have felt marginalized and minimized for so long is a disappointing aspect of the human experience - the canceling, and vitriol, and contempt people seem to be holding toward society at large is not how we have to behave. In this first episode, back from hiatus, I discuss how your college experience is for you to dictat...

Ep #178 - So you set out to make changes in your life. How do you know that your actions work for you and not against you? In today's episode, we dive into calibrating your personal growth and changes on your behavior, not your intentions. Intentions are words. Behavior is your actions. Actions speak louder than words. It's pretty easy to say you will do something and then justify why you are stil...

Ep #177 - Achieving success in college requires planning, time management, staying calm and focused, seeking help and support, and being flexible and adaptable. To start, it's important to develop a plan for college experience, setting academic goals and breaking them down into smaller, achievable steps. Creating a schedule and prioritizing academic activities can help you stay focused on your goa...

Ep #176 - Accepting things outside our control is a powerful way to release stress, anxiety, overwhelm, and undesirable emotions. To be clear, we are not necessarily condoning what we are seeing, hearing, or feeling from the outside world, as mush as we are accepting what role we can play in it's change and either taking action or breathing through the experience and releasing the undesirable thou...

Ep #175 - In this mind-blowing episode, we dive deep into the world of self-talk – that mental chatter that can either make or break your college experience. We're talking about mastering the art of self-talk with 10 College Success Habits-backed techniques so wild and innovative, you'll wonder why you didn't think of them sooner. 🧠💡 Join us as we explore the untamed jungle of your mind while in...

Ep #174 - Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) are those pesky little party poopers that can crash our mental fiesta, stirring up negativity, anxiety, and even the "why me?" blues - but fear not, fellow growth-mindset warriors! There are ways to wrangle these thought intruders and bring back the good vibes. One method to show those ANTs who's boss is the ABRA technique, which is not a magic spell, b...

Ep #173 - In this conversation, we'll discuss the role of the ego and the unconscious mind in our day-to-day lives. The ego is responsible for our sense of self and how we interact with the world around us. When our ego is healthy, we have a strong sense of self-esteem and confidence, which can help us pursue our goals and handle setbacks. However, an unbalanced ego can lead to negative consequenc...

Ep #172 - When you say, "I have to," you take yourself out of choice and possibility and into the seat of disempowerment - like you don't have a choice in your actions. This is not true. You are choosing to do the things you do. Period. Point. Blank. I know, I know...you'd like to keep saying that you have to take this test, or write this paper, or call your parents, go to work, yada, yada, yada....

Ep #171 - Your mental health is your top priority. It makes no sense to burn yourself to the ground in pursuit of your dreams if you are a charred wreak after this portion of your journey. How you figure yourself out during college, your physical fitness, your emotional intelligence, your learning and applying, your moral and ethics barometer - all of these and so much more are being developed and...

Ep #170 - The space between your being stimulate/triggered and the action you take will determine how grounded you are in your emotional intelligence or how many people you might have to apologize to for your actions. That time, from stimulus to action, is going to make or break your career, relationships, and even yourself, because the way you treat you in your own head has a direct correlation t...

Ep #169 - There is no failure, only feedback. Sure, the feedback can be "this was a horrible way to prepare," or, "maybe not wait till the night before to write a 10,000 thesis." Regardless of the outcome you arrived at being perceived as good or bad by you - there is always feedback.  In this week's episode I am going to walk you through how to review your outcome and see it for the feedback oppo...

Ep #168 - You know the three top motivators to drink: enhancement, coping, or socialization and now we are going to discuss the top-3 hormones in the brain that are at work when you catch a buzz. Endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin are lumped together as the feel good hormones but there is so much more going on with them. What the brain does to produce them and how your drinking can be linked to d...

Ep #167 - Drinking in college is a thing. When a school ranks as the top party school the student body can wear that as a badge of honor but how they figure that out is with stats that paint a grim picture of the way the student are pushing their bodies way past the point of healthy. In this week's episode I am gonna skip all the way past the soapbox and lecturing and simply explain to you the top...

Ep #166 - Setting resolutions is an annual tradition by 60% of the adult population. By the end of February about 60% of those people will have quit trying to quit whatever their resolution was about.  If you are ready to make massive change in your life then look no further than your habits. Tricky thing though, the habit your resolution is about, is just one of the hundreds of habits you are goi...

Ep #165 - Words have meaning. Words have power behind them. We choose to feel the anger of a slur or the happiness of a compliment. Words have meaning, emotions, and feelings behind them because we choose to label them that way. I use power words to fuel me. When life goes sideways I use my power words to spark my inner-resources. The power words become the foundation of my identity statements, wh...

Ep #164 - Your thoughts and feelings are lying to you. How you think you are experiencing a situation, and the feeling it evokes in you, are both part of your filtering process. Knowing how to separate the facts of a circumstance from your biased thoughts and feelings is essential in stepping into the actual reality of any situation. Just because you think it doesn't make it a fact. Simply having...

Ep #163 - You seek advice from people. That is something we as humans do as a habit. The issue you might be finding yourself in is that those you seek advice from may not be un-biased advisors. They have their own experiences, filters, and reasons for giving you the advice they do. In fact, it's going to be very difficult for you to sift through the various opinions you receive when you go asking...

Ep #162 - Humans love habits and strategies. Our brains are built to find the patterns and steps to accomplish something and then to habituate them until it becomes an unconscious behavior. Think tying your shoes, opening a door, or what you do when you get into your car. In today's episode I am going to teach you my way of organizing my life so I can know, without a doubt, that each and everyday...

Ep #161 - It can be pretty easy to beat yourself up about the things you've done that you feel don't live up to your expectations. Mind you, expectations are the leading cause of frustration and disappointment. When you finish with an event, a task, an assignment - anything you achieve to an end result, if there are negative thoughts and emotions on your actions around it then run through this pro...

Ep #160 - Stigmatizing language is pervasive in our societies. When someone compares their life to another's in a way that insinuates they had it tougher or rougher because of their age, race, creed, color, etc. they are comparing themselves and their life to someone else's while deleting out an infinite amount of information that doesn't make the comparison even remotely equal. Claiming someone h...