Mindset Cafe
The Mindset Cafe Podcast is your go-to hub for personal development, self-improvement, and transformational success. Envision a life where you feel fully empowered to conquer time management, self-doubt, and the countless hurdles standing between you and your dreams. Each episode is carefully crafted to give you actionable mindset techniques, proven entrepreneurial insights, and practical fitness advice, helping you translate newfound knowledge into remarkable, real-world results.What You’ll Discover:Interviews with Successful Entrepreneurs – Unlock the secrets behind their success by diving into the mindset shifts, crucial skills, and lessons learned along the way. You’ll gain a proven roadmap to guide...
262. Not Everyone Can Handle Your Success
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Why do people support your goals in the beginning… then start acting different when those goals actually start working?
In this episode of The Mindset Café, we break down the shift from support to subtle sabotage and why growth can make people uncomfortable. You’ll learn why some people celebrate your potential but struggle with your progress, how to recognize quiet forms of resistance like fake concern, backhanded compliments, and changed energy, and what to do when your success starts disrupting old relationships.
We also talk...
261. 50% Effort, 100% Results? Stop
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You want 100% results with 50% effort...stop. That’s not how goals, deadlines, fitness, or business works.
In this episode of The Mindset Café, we break down why most people quit at the halfway checkpoint, how to audit your real inputs (not your feelings), and how to make a mid-course correction when you’re behind. You’ll learn how to tighten standards, cut distractions, build a measurable game plan, and finish the deadline strong without lying to yourself about effort.
If you’re behind on your goal, you don’t need motiva...
260. You’re watching the wrong cup
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In this episode of Mindset Cafe, we break down one powerful quote: “I looked in your cup to see if you had enough; you looked in mine to see if I had more than you.”
This conversation dives deep into the difference between an abundance mindset and a scarcity mindset, and how comparison is silently sabotaging your growth, happiness, and success.
We explore why so many people are trapped in comparison, how social media fuels insecurity, and what separates those who grow from those who stay stuck. You’ll learn how to shi...
259. The Paradox of Choice: Why Too Many Options Are Destroying Your Success
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In today's world, we have more opportunities, information, and choices than ever before. Yet people feel more stuck, overwhelmed, and indecisive than at any point in history.
In this episode of Mindset Cafe, we break down The Paradox of Choice — the psychological phenomenon that explains why having too many options can actually destroy progress, confidence, and happiness.
You'll learn why unlimited choices lead to decision paralysis, how comparison anxiety keeps people stuck, and why the most successful people intentionally limit their options.
We also explore the famous Jam Study, the di...
258. The Power of Not Reacting | How Emotional Control Builds Leverage & Influence
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In a world designed to trigger you, the real power lies in not reacting.
In this episode of Mindset Cafe, we break down how emotional restraint builds leverage, influence, and authority in business, relationships, and leadership. From neuroscience and negotiation strategy to ego control and silence as a power move, we explore why the calmest person in the room often wins.
You’ll learn:
Why reacting gives away control
The psychology of silence in conflict
How restraint builds long-term influence
Practical tools to...
257. The Hidden Cost of Always Being the “Strong One”
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What’s the hidden cost of always being the strong one?
In this powerful episode of Mindset Cafe, we unpack the emotional weight of being the leader, provider, and the rock everyone depends on. From silent burnout and emotional isolation to the pressure of carrying responsibility without support, this conversation dives deep into what strong people rarely admit out loud.
If you’re the one who never breaks… the one people rely on… the one who always has the answers — this episode is for you.
We explore:
The psychologi...
256. Toxic Positivity: How “Staying Positive” Delays Real Progress
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Positive thinking sounds like a strength until it becomes a way to avoid hard decisions, delay necessary endings, and skip honest self-assessment.
In this episode of Mindset Café, we break down the dark side of positive thinking: how optimism can quietly turn into procrastination, how “good vibes” can block accountability, and why real progress starts with truth, not feelings. We cover the difference between healthy optimism and toxic positivity, how to use numbers and standards to keep yourself honest, and simple rules that force action when you’re stuck.
If you’ve been t...
255. Your “Yes” Is Killing Your Results
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Winners and losers often want the exact same things. The same goals. The same dreams. So why do some people execute and others stay stuck?
In this episode of Mindset Café, we break down the real separator: standards and identity. Goals aren’t enough—because identity is built through repeated beingness, and every action you take is a vote for the person you’re becoming.
We’ll cover how to stop relying on motivation and willpower, how to replace 50 rules with one anchor question (“What would a wise man do?”), why the hardest “...
254. The Loneliness Curve of Leadership
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Leadership comes with influence, clarity, and responsibility — but it also comes with a quieter, rarely discussed cost: loneliness.
In this episode of Mindset Café, we break down The Loneliness Curve of Leadership — why, as your responsibility increases, relatability and emotional support often decrease. We explore how influence changes relationships, why clarity separates you from others, and why strong leaders are often assumed to need less support.
This episode reframes leadership loneliness not as a flaw, but as a structural reality — and gives you practical ways to manage it without burning out or isol...
253. Miss It Twice and It Becomes You: It Shapes Your Life
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If you miss a habit once, it’s a mistake. If you miss it twice, you’re starting a new habit — and most people don’t catch it until it’s too late.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why the second miss is where your identity shifts
The boiling water metaphor: same stress, different outcome
How to stop letting the environment dictate your standards
Why attitude affects everyone around you
The danger of “I can’t catch a break” thinking
How to reassess...
252. 1+1=11: Great Relationships Don’t Make You Smaller … They Elevate You
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Most people treat relationships and partnerships like 1 + 1 = 2—two individuals simply adding each other to life. But there’s a better formula: 1 + 1 = 11.
In this episode of Mindset Café, we break down the metaphor that a great relationship doesn’t make you shrink, dilute yourself, or lose your identity. You stay a “1,” your partner stays a “1,” and together you become “11”—a stronger, higher-standard force than either of you alone.
We talk about public persona vs private reality, why “0.5 + 0.5 = 1” relationships create resentment, how complementary strengths create real synergy, and the habits a...
251. Raise Your Floor: The Standard That Determines Your Success
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Most people think they’ll rise to the occasion when it really matters. In reality, they fall to the standards they’ve built when no one is watching.
In this episode of The Mindset Café, we break down the brutal truth about self-discipline, private standards, and why the only work that truly matters is the work nobody sees. You’ll discover why your unseen habits are more powerful than your public image and how your “floor” — your lowest level of behavior — quietly controls your results in business, fitness, relationships, and life.
We unp...
250. Kintsugi: Why Your Scars Make You Stronger, Wiser, and More Beautiful Than Before
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A shattered bowl mended with gold can change how you see your own story. We take that Kintsugi image and map it onto real life: the breaks you want to hide, the scars you downplay, and the moments you thought would end you. Instead of chasing a spotless image, we walk through how to turn those cracks into visible lines of strength—proof that you’ve been tested and upgraded.
We dig into why scars are receipts, not defects, and how the people we admire earn our respect by showing the rebu...
249. Gratitude In The Grind
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Ever catch yourself saying, “I’ll be happy when I hit the goal”? Let’s break that loop. We dive into gratitude as a performance tool, not a consolation prize—how to be proud of the work you’re doing now while still chasing the next level. I walk through the mindset shift from delayed happiness to daily appreciation, and why that shift keeps you grounded, motivated, and hard to burn out.
We explore the moving goalpost problem: ambition expands your targets, which is healthy, but only if your gratitude expands too. I share...
248. Inside Your Mind, Two Wolves Fight - Choose Your Fighter
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We share the two wolves parable and turn it into a practical framework for managing emotions, shaping identity, and making better choices. Small promises, repeated daily, starve the dark wolf and strengthen the habits that carry you through stress, fatigue, and doubt.
• the two wolves parable as a decision framework
• reactions over events and training your default
• defining “feeding the wolf” as repetition and attention
• catching negative loops and building reframes
• dark wolf patterns like avoidance and rumination
• light wolf habits: gratitude, courage, consistency
• drift, chosen pain, and n...
247. The Second Arrow: Ending the Extra Suffering You Create
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Pain shows up on its own schedule; suffering often arrives by invitation. We explore the “second arrow” mindset—an old teaching with fresh power—that separates life’s unavoidable hits from the self-inflicted loops that follow. I walk through why the first arrow is a fixed cost of being human and how the second arrow quietly taxes your confidence, focus, and momentum when you need them most.
Across real moments like missed promotions, ghosted texts, and blown deadlines, we map the difference between remembering and reliving. You’ll learn the concept of memory li...
246. Effort Is the Edge: Outwork Everyone and Build Unshakable Momentum
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Want more respect, momentum, and opportunities without waiting on talent or perfect timing? We go straight at the quiet truth: consistent, unglamorous effort is the edge that most people overlook. From showing up early to following up fast, we unpack the small behaviors that build trust, compound into reputation capital, and create real leverage in your work, health, and relationships.
We start by reframing what stands out in any room: not flashy skill, but reliability. You’ll hear practical ways to make effort concrete—arrive early, learn and use names, return mess...
245. Stay in Your Lane, Play Your Game & Use Your Resources
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We break down why comparison creates fake losses and how to rebuild your scoreboard around the goal you actually want. From heart-rate zones to business KPIs, we show how to measure what matters, use your resources, and make discipline easier by lowering friction.
• comparison as a source of fake losses and negative loops
• fun challenges versus obsession and priority hijacking
• Myzone zones and why red is not a strength metric
• apples to oranges goals, inputs and constraints
• you versus you as behavior, not a slogan
• choosing KPIs that ma...
244. Beat 99% of Other People Doing This
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Most people tap out when the work gets boring, not when it gets hard. That’s the opening. In this Mindset Café episode, we unpack how to outlast boredom long enough to compound results: the “bored vs. hard” distinction, the wealth equation of volume over time, crossing the boredom threshold, frictionless routines, input scoreboards, streak mechanics, batching and templates, environment design, anti-quitting contracts, the J-curve of delayed payoffs, and the identity shift that makes finishing boring reps your default. If you want outsized outcomes, master monotony and scale it.
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243. Create Your Own Luck: Work Ethic + Attitude
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Luck isn’t random—it’s engineered by how you work and who you are while you work. In this Mindset Café episode, we break down 10 practical moves to expand your opportunity surface area: reframing luck, defining the work-ethic/attitude equation, compounding daily reps, turning attitude into a credibility multiplier, making yourself findable, stacking interlocking skills, moving fast when windows open, choosing hard rooms, staying resilient without drama, and closing the loop with follow-ups and proof. If you want more serendipity in business and life, build the habits that invite it in and keep th...
242. What stands in the way becomes the way
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The obstacle isn’t in your path—it is the path. We dive into a no-fluff approach for turning constraints into momentum using simple, repeatable tools you can run today. Instead of waiting for “more time” or “more budget,” we show how specific limits become the outline of a workable plan that advances your goals without the drama.
We start by drawing a sharp line between excuses and measurements, then shift the language from “until X changes, we can’t do Y” to “given X, how do we still do Y?” That shift opens pract...
241. Watch Your Thoughts: The Creed That Shapes Your Destiny
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Your destiny starts with a single thought. In this episode of The Mindset Cafe, Devan breaks down the timeless creed: “Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your feelings. Watch your feelings, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your lifestyle. Watch your lifestyle, it becomes your destiny.”
We’ll unpack how confinement forced reflection, how thought patterns dictate reality, and why self-talk isn’t fluff—it’s architecture. You’ll learn how to spot destructive loops, upgrade inner language...
240. Lottery Ticket vs. Blueprint: How Patience, Strategy, and Compounding Beat “Overnight Success”
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What separates those who achieve lasting success from those who constantly chase quick fixes? The answer lies in understanding two fundamentally different approaches to goal achievement: the lottery ticket mindset versus the blueprint mindset.
Most of us have fallen prey to the allure of overnight success—wishing to drop 20 pounds instantly, hoping a single social media post will make our business explode, or wanting financial security without the discipline of consistent planning. This lottery ticket thinking feels good momentarily, delivering dopamine hits similar to gambling wins, but ultimately leaves us stuck in...
239. Beyond the Numbers: Transforming Your Money Story w/ Paden Squires
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Financial expert Paden Squires shares powerful insights on tax planning, wealth building, and entrepreneur mindset strategies to help business owners keep more of what they earn. He explains how proper financial planning goes far beyond basic tax preparation, requiring strategic quarterly meetings and documentation of tax-saving opportunities like the Augusta rule.
• Paden's journey from corporate employee to entrepreneur driven by childhood financial anxiety
• Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial disorganization and lack clear visibility into margins
• Traditional CPAs often only prepare taxes without offering strategic planning or wealth-building advice
• The Augu...
238. Limiting Beliefs vs Capability
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Have you ever told yourself "I can't do this" based solely on past failures? That moment when your mind convinces you something is impossible despite how much stronger, smarter, or more capable you've become?
During a recent Strive Elite workout, I witnessed a member reach her breaking point while attempting an exercise she believed was beyond her capabilities. Tears welled up as she repeatedly told herself she couldn't do it. What followed was a powerful lesson about how our limiting beliefs—often based on outdated experiences—can create artificial barriers to our...
237. 4 Words to Beat Fear, Excuses, and Inaction
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When your energy is low, support is thin, and fear is loud—do it anyways. In this live episode of The Mindset Cafe, Devan breaks down the four-word discipline reframe that turns hesitation into action. You’ll learn how to move without motivation, build identity-based habits, neutralize fear, and create systems that make consistency automatic. We’ll cover practical scripts, micro-commitments, rejection handling, and a 30‑day “Do It Anyways” challenge to hardwire momentum in business, fitness, and relationships. If you’re tired of waiting for “perfect”—this is your playbook to sho...
236. Mindset Mastery with Michael Reardon w/ Michael Rearden
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Michael Rearden shares his journey from growing up in the ghetto of Connecticut to founding Revan Concepts, a mindset and personal growth company revolutionizing the coaching industry through innovative approaches. He reveals how limiting beliefs form in childhood and strategies to break free from them to achieve greater success and fulfillment.
• Growing up in poverty created a powerful drive for change and early action
• Michael's mother worked multiple jobs to provide opportunities including private school education
• Transitioned from teaching to coaching after realizing he wanted to make a broader impact<...
235. Beyond Mediocrity: How Leaders Thrive in Complex Environments w/ Dr. Matt Kutz
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Dr. Matt Kutz shares his journey from athletic training to leadership development, introducing his concept of contextual intelligence and how leaders can thrive in complex environments by adapting their approach to each unique situation.
• Athletic trainers work with high-performing individuals who constantly strive for improvement, creating a mindset that translates well to organizational leadership
• Leaders need multiple leadership styles and must learn to diagnose the context to determine which style is appropriate for each situation
• The 3D thinking framework helps leaders consider hindsight (past), insight (present), and foresight (future) when m...
234. What people think about you determines what opportunities you get. w/ Sylvie Di Giusto
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First impressions form in just seven seconds, where our brains make up to 11 decisions about others, shaping the trajectory of our interactions and opportunities. These split-second judgments serve as powerful starting points that our brains continuously seek to validate through unconscious biases, making intentional perception management essential for personal and professional success.
• Sylvie Di Giusto spent 20 years in HR before focusing on how perception influences decision-making
• First impressions are starting points, but last impressions determine if people return
• Our brains actively seek confirmation of initial judgments through unconscious biases
•...
233. Your adversity is preparing you for something greater than you can imagine. w/ Chancellor Jackson
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Chancellor Jackson shares his journey from college football player to bestselling author and publisher, including his unexpected detour through a Chinese prison that changed the trajectory of his life. His story demonstrates how maintaining resilience through adversity creates opportunities for growth and success.
• Born and raised in Georgia, played football through college at Stetson University
• Moved to China after college to teach English, where he was arrested for cannabis possession
• Spent 14 days in a Beijing prison before being deported back to the US
• Turned his prison experience into his firs...
232. From Accounting to Burnout Coach: How a Health Crisis Changed Everything w/ Michael Levitt
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Michael Levitt shares his journey from accounting to burnout expert after experiencing his own health crisis during the Great Recession. He explains the crucial differences between burnout and depression, offering practical mindset strategies to prevent prolonged stress from consuming your life.
• Burnout is officially recognized by WHO as a "workplace phenomenon" resulting from prolonged, unaddressed stress
• Unlike depression, burnout makes you feel numb rather than preventing function completely
• Most burnout stems from mindset issues - catastrophizing problems instead of approaching them pragmatically
• Write down everything stressing you out, then circ...
231. The Three Scopes of Entrepreneurial Vision Will Transform Your Business w/ Antonio McBroom
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Antonio McBroom shares his remarkable journey from ice cream scooper to building a $20 million business empire spanning dozens of Ben & Jerry's and Starbucks locations across the Southeast. His story demonstrates how mindset shifts and leadership development can transform humble beginnings into extraordinary business success.
• Started as an ice cream shop employee during college at UNC Chapel Hill
• Purchased his first Ben & Jerry's store two days before graduating in 2008
• Grew from single store to multi-unit operation, requiring crucial leadership transitions
• Developed "selfish servant leadership" philosophy prioritizing self-care to better serve ot...
230. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Mindset Mastery w/ Marina Morgan
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Marina Morgan, a business psychologist from Silicon Valley with roots in the Soviet space program, shares insights on entrepreneurial mindset, neurophysiology, and resilience in today's rapidly changing business landscape.
• Understanding how your physiological condition impacts business decision-making
• The power of maintaining low expectations while pursuing ambitious goals
• How to separate market analysis from emotional comparison with competitors
• Why entrepreneurial identity can become limiting as businesses scale
• The neurophysiological connection between enjoyment and effective decision-making
• Practical strategies for maintaining resilience through proper sleep, nutrition, and stress management
• How AI...
229. Your Mindset Matters: How Catalytic Leaders Avoid Burnout w/ Dr. William Attaway
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Dr. William Attaway shares his transformative journey from attending his first leadership conference at age 15 to becoming an executive coach who helps high-performing leaders across six continents avoid burnout. He reveals how true leadership creates ripples that extend far beyond the leader, impacting families, teams, clients, and communities.
• Leadership begins with mindset—90% of success or failure in leadership happens between your ears
• Servant leadership is the only true form of leadership—focusing on those you serve rather than yourself
• Great leaders are pushed into leadership positions rather than seeking titles for...
228. Stop People-Pleasing and Start Speaking Your Truth w/ Chris Marr
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Chris Marr, client communication expert and authority coach, shares powerful insights on establishing genuine authority by embracing authenticity rather than seeking approval. He explores how overcoming people-pleasing tendencies and speaking your truth creates stronger relationships, clearer boundaries, and more impactful communication both professionally and personally.
• Finding comfort in your own identity after years of feeling like "a square peg in a round hole"
• Distinguishing between authoritative communication and being an authoritarian
• How accidentally diminishing your authority through language and non-verbal cues prevents others from respecting you
• The inverse relations...
227. The Podcasting Goldmine Nobody Told You About w/ Adam Schaeuble
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Adam Schaeuble shares his journey from fitness entrepreneur to successful podcaster, revealing how he built a thriving online business from scratch after making just $37 in his first three years of podcasting. He breaks down his strategic transition process while maintaining two businesses simultaneously until his podcast generated enough income to become his full-time focus.
• Only worked for someone else for one month of his life, starting entrepreneurial ventures from early childhood
• Built a successful gym business with 35 employees and over 500 clients before discovering podcasting
• Recorded his first podcast episodes on Gar...
226. Healing Your Mind, Integrating Your Life /w Foojan Zeine
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Foojan Zeine shares her transformative journey from trauma to creating Awareness Integration Theory (AIT), a groundbreaking framework that helps people move from merely surviving to genuinely thriving. Her personal path through childhood trauma, immigration, and business collapse reveals how unresolved past issues inevitably resurface until properly addressed through conscious integration of all parts of ourselves.
• World-renowned psychotherapist with over 20 published studies on AIT
• Created a six-phase model integrating thought processes, emotions, behaviors, and relationships
• Explains the crucial difference between surface-level coaching and deeper psychotherapy
• Demonstrates how unprocessed trauma leads to...
225. Beyond the Broken: Navigating the Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery w/ Dr. Debbi Silber
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Dr. Debbi Silber shares her journey from personal betrayal to becoming a leading expert in post-betrayal syndrome, revealing the predictable path to healing that can transform pain into purpose. Her groundbreaking research identifies the specific physical, mental, and emotional symptoms that affect betrayal survivors, while providing a clear roadmap through five stages of recovery that anyone can follow.
• Defining betrayal as the breaking of spoken or unspoken rules in a relationship
• Physical symptoms of post-betrayal syndrome include low energy, sleep issues, and digestive problems
• Mental symptoms include feeling overwhelmed, inabil...
224. Beyond the Comfort Zone: Why Saying Yes Changes Everything w/ Anne Randall
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Anne Randall shares her journey from corporate America to owning three successful Orange Theory Fitness franchises and how she navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship with the right mindset shifts. Her inspiring story demonstrates how focusing on people first and maintaining resilience through difficult times leads to business success and personal fulfillment.
• Transitioning from a corporate career with an economics degree to fitness entrepreneurship after receiving an Orange Theory postcard
• Surviving the COVID-19 pandemic by maintaining a "failure is not an option" mindset and finding creative ways to serve members
• Shifti...
223. How We Choose to Show Up: Transform Your Life Through Meaningful Connection w/ Marci Axelrod
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We all matter, and how we choose to show up makes a difference in our lives and the lives of others. Marci Axelrod shares her research on the three levels of showing up and how our presence creates ripples through others.
• The influence of health-focused parents who taught her that everyone matters
• How developing a stutter at age 6 sparked her interest in how people show up
• The three levels of showing up: barely there, just showing up, truly showing up
• How our brain chemistry changes based on our level of...
