Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement

How to make smarter decisions that improve your life by understanding your mind and it's hidden psychology.

We are all storytelling creatures, desperate to fit the world into a narrative that makes sense to us. Thus, we build echo chambers not because we are stupid, but because we are afraid.

The Confirmation Bias is a shield against the discomfort of being wrong. The Availability Bias shapes our worldview based on the loudest stories, not the most important facts.

This episode reviews 7 cognitive biases the explore the friction between what is comfortable and what...

Think you konw what you're doing with you money on your mind? Think again.

You walk into a cinema and buy the $12 large popcorn because the medium is $10. You think you got a deal, but you actually just fell for the "Decoy Effect."
Your brain is wired to latch onto the first number it sees.

In this episode, I break down the psychological pricing traps that businesses use to hack your wallet.

We also cover why Sir Isaac Newton lost his fortune to the Sunk Cost...

Ever caught yourself defending a dumb idea just to look smart?

That's your ego controlling your brain. Cognitive biases and ego team up to screw your decisions daily.

Picture this: confirmation bias has you cherry-picking facts that stroke your self-image, while ego whispers you're too smart for mistakes. Spot the traps like Dunning-Kruger (overestimating skill) or sunk cost fallacy (throwing good money after bad).

Takehomes:

Point at one bias daily: "Am I ignoring counter-evidence like a muscly Irishman blocking the door?"

Test decisions: Can you drop it on your...

You think you're rational? Think again. We love feeling like thoughtful decision-makers, but the truth is we're riddled with cognitive shortcuts.

Daniel Kahneman's Nobel Prize-winning work breaks down the systems of our mind. We constantly substitute hard questions with easy ones; e.g. Buying a stock because you like the company, not because you've done the data.

This episode cuts through the 300,000-word book to show you exactly how these shortcuts lead to everything from bad investments to pointless stress about the weather. It's time to stop letting your brain’s simple tricks run your wh...

We can try all the things: new habits, different mindsets, therapy, medication, or god save us... self-help books.

Yet to no ones surprise: we don't wake up a different person, we don't start doing all the things we keep saying we will eventually do, we don't even lose weight...

What is the deal? Are we broken? Is there a way to fix ourselves?

It all comes down to a single question.

Who are you VS. Who do you want to be?

Thoroughly confused, conflicted and curious...

Inner Peace vs Retail Rage - How do shops design our experience to remove our decisions and make us to FOMO into all sorts of weird situations?

This episode peels back the slick banners and countdown timers to show the tiny psychological tricks that turn shoppers into hunters. Scarcity, anchoring, and anticipation aren’t marketing buzzwords — they’re brain hacks.

Retailers riff off ancient instincts: spot a rare fruit, grab it. Online, those instincts run on caffeine and fast clicks. The result? We chase status, reassurance, and an imagined better life via object...

Most problems in the world aren't random accidents, they're built into the systems we live in. When we look closer we find systems all around us drive the currents that change the world.

Systems Thinking is a key idea in science, politics and business, but it knows no boundaries as systems show up everywhere.

In every era of humanity we created new systems in politics, law, technology and economics to deal with the problems of the day. As new challenges arise in the 21st century, from the future of...

What if “enough” wasn’t a number — but a moment?

This conversation explores the quiet art of leaving nothing essential undone. We talk about the trap of “more” — more savings, more time, more planning — and how it steals the urgency that makes life vivid.

To die with zero regrets isn’t to die empty; it’s to die complete. Like an artist who finishes a painting not because it’s perfect, but because it says what it needed to say. We explore how generosity, timing, and intention turn ordinary years into extraordinary ones. It’s not about consuming your...

99% of podcasters quit before episode 20. Why do 1% keep going... and what does it teach us about ourselves?

Paul Davies interviews Sam on the psychology of motivation, self-determination, signalling theory and more as we break down the psychology of what makes people podcast.

Besides analysing what's driving the trend to start a podcast we also learn about why humans do anything and how to make your own decisions for the right reasons.

Learn:

- How to keep a side hustle fun instead of it being a chore

- What on...

What if the life you're living is just a metaphor for the life you're meant to live?

Pressfield kept his typewriter buried under spare parts in his truck. He knew it was there. Thought about it constantly. But he was too terrified to dig it out and write. So he drove. For years.

Shadow callings aren't about laziness—they're about proximity without risk. We fall into fixed mindset thinking this is all we can do.

We become English teachers instead of novelists, consultants instead of founders, gallery workers instead of artists. We stay cl...

What if winning isn't a destination? What if it's the quiet act of becoming slightly better than you were when the sun rose this morning?

Frank Dick spent five decades asking "How do we help people see their own progress?"

As British Athletics' legendary Director of Coaching, he discovered something profound. We're wired to notice missing buttons but blind to the ones that are there. His Four Rs framework (Reason, Reality, Reflection, Response) is a mindset shift in how we define growth mindset psychology.

Every competition, meeting, and conversation is an invitation to a...

Ever notice how the people who never mess up also never win big? Frank Dick, the legendary British Olympic coach who led Team GB through its golden era, calls this "the risk of winning."

For over 50 years, Frank coached Olympic champions like Daley Thompson and Sebastian Coe. His growth mindset framework reveals a counterintuitive truth about mental strength: failure isn't falling off your bike—it's refusing to get back on. This episode unpacks the hidden psychology behind mistakes, character formation, and why vulnerability might be your greatest competitive advantage in self-improvement.​

You'll discover:

Why m...

Ever said "you just need the right mindset" without knowing what that actually means? You're not alone. Most people use mindset like a magic word—vague, fluffy, and completely useless.

This episode breaks down what mindset really is through psychology, not wellness guru nonsense. You'll learn the difference between growth mindset (seeing failure as learning) and fixed mindset (believing ability is static), why abundance mindset beats scarcity thinking, and how open-mindedness isn't about accepting everything. The fisherman story reveals how we all fake understanding of concepts we never properly learned.

You'll discover:

Why sp...

Panic less, enjoy more - treat time well and it will treat you well.

Humans have a difficult relationship with time. Sometimes just a birthday can lead to spiralling mental health.

Yet time is the medium of existence that gives us all the experiences that make life so great.

Of course, time also ages us and ultimately robs us of everything we ever have and ever loved.

With the right mindset we can enjoy it and use it wisely.

We cover:

Build a mindset that doesn't care what other people think, because you know what actually matters to you.

In this episode we examine insightful ways to take control of your life and define where it's going.

We steal some of the best questions and ideas from existential psychology that you can try applying to your own life.

GUEST

Jodi Wellman is the author of "You Only Die...

Rethinking the problem and our mindset from scratch when it comes to this whole life thing.

What if the problem isn't your schedule—it's your metaphor?

We've inherited a story about work and life as opposing forces, locked in eternal combat for our limited hours. This story feels true because everyone tells it. But stories shape reality.

Consider this: your life contains multitudes. Work, yes. But also relationships, creativity, health, community, growth. None of these oppose each other inherently.

A parent who calls their family "their life" earns respect. Someone who ca...

We evolved shame as a gift. A signal that whispers when we've drifted from who we might become. What if the discomfort you feel isn't the problem, but the compass?

This episode explores a surprising truth: the hardest patterns to change aren't the ones destroying us, but the ones keeping us comfortably mediocre. Yet they hold us back and sometimes shames even stops us from acknowledging they exist.

But we need to step back and ask if we are truly happy with our choices, the way we live our life and what we would...

Our cognitive biases and ego can muddy the waters of our minds and block the path to clear communication.

Today's episode provides strategies on how to be both a more effective thinker and communicator.

Topics:

Freebies

Influence the Show

Dame Stephanie Shirley built a billion-dollar tech empire from her kitchen table in the 1960s, pioneered remote work before anyone knew what Wi-Fi was, and discovered the psychology behind turning survivor's guilt into unstoppable motivation.

This isn't some feel-good story about "everything happens for a reason." It's a masterclass in how your brain can rewire trauma into resilience. Stephanie shows us that the experiences that nearly destroy us often contain the exact ingredients we need to build something extraordinary.

Reframe your biggest setbacks as your competitive advantage—they teach you what "real problems" actually look li...

We chase alignment with our purpose, values, passions but can sometimes get a little lost on the way.

Life has a scary habit of passing us by in a rush and Sam has just turned 35 years old and feeling very philosophical about the whole thing.

We take a tour of some of the big problems in society people struggle with and the paradoxes that make them difficult.

From waning attention spans to political chaos or the lenses and mindsets that we view life with. Sam weaves together some of the hottest topics into...

You know that Stupid questions = Stupid answers. It's the same for boring questions. If you want to live a meaningful life with space for personal growth and connection with those around you.

The answer is fantastic questions.

Questions that help you understand yourself better and your partner.

Questions that lead to conversations where you really see each other deep down at a human to human level.

Topaz Azides, is an Emmy-winning director who spent a decade analyzing 1,200 couples to understand why some thrive while others stall. He discovered that humans are "...

The ego is more unruly than you think. We dissect how it works and how to make it work for you.

When you don't watch it carefully your brain will trick you into thinking it knows things it doesn't. This can lead to all sorts of disasters.

Learn 3 ways that your ego get's in the way of real growth and learning and how to build a stronger and more open mindset.

Lessons:

Create Space: Begin by admitting what you don't know to open the door for discovery.

Ever felt like you're fighting a losing battle with your own brain? Addictions are like that. We learn the mindsets and psychology to build self-awareness and take control of your decisions and behaviours.

Jeremy Lipkowitz, a former Buddhist monk, meditation teacher, and coach is the host of "Unhooked: breaking porn addiction podcast". He helps men break free from compulsive behaviors—especially porn addiction—and build lives of integrity, discipline, and deep fulfilment.

Topics:

- The role of shame in all addictions

- Why porn is rapidly growing and difficult addiction

...

You want your kid to magically become some badass, challenge-eating machine?

Lectures don’t work, praise gets boring, and perfectionism is just another word for control freak. We dive into the reality behind both teaching and practicing a growth mindset.

Firstly it starts with you living a growth mindset so this episode is primarily a masterclass on building one yourself.

Self-efficacy is crucial for resilience and overcoming setbacks that hit us everyday. Yet there are so many nuances when you try to teach a growth mindset. The wrong praise makes things worse, Even be...

Ever felt like life’s locked you in a box and thrown away the key? Tom Davies (GeoWizard) knows the feeling—and he picked the locks with curiosity and a pinch of madness.

This isn’t your standard self-help fluff. Tom went from odd jobs and dead-end days to having 1.4 million followers watching his adventures. His fame launched when he crossed Wales in a straight line, just because he asked, “What if?”

His adventures aren’t just geography—they’re psychology in action. Discover why quitting a steady job for a “silly idea” might be the sanest thing you...

Freedom doesn’t arrive when you finally “figure it all out”—it arrives the moment you move.
We’ve built mental walls around the idea that creativity is genetic and strength is inherited. But imagine a world where every step, stretch, or stumble is a tiny act of liberation, welding new circuits of possibility in your brain. Picture the mountaineer navigating a cliff, or a child learning to throw—a dance as ancient as humanity itself, and just as transformative. The lesson isn’t in chasing overnight genius, but in discovering that each deliberate movement is a brushstroke of reinvention...

Positive Psychology applied to the shortness of life. This episode is a repeat of a masterclass from last year on living wider and deeper with psychologist and author Jodi Wellman.

We cover:

As they say "Get busy living, or get busy dying".

Jodi has a morbid fascination with positive ideas from existential psychology to help brighten your day.

Jodi Wellman

Have you ever wondered how important something really is, yet lacked a reference point to put it into context?

These days news, apps, jobs or neighbours comments all seem to be infinitely important and it's somewhat distracting. If you want to actually do stuff you need to know what is important and screen out the rest.

Sam shares a framework for working out the impact of any idea or event that adds context to anything around you. From an idea in the shower to nuclear weapons everything has it's place

<...

We think fitness is about the body. But in truth, it begins in the story we tell ourselves.

In this conversation with Jake Parker, we explore fitness not as a battle of discipline, but as a shifting of identity.

Humans evolved in a world of scarcity where every calorie mattered. Now, in a world of abundance, that same wiring works against us. The magic, Jake suggests, is in designing new defaults. Defaults where exercise becomes an act of self-kindness, food choices become votes for the person you want to be, and consistency becomes less a...

It's not just what you do, it's how you do it.

We are increasingly bombarded with demands and equally confused by how important everything seems.

Growing up every year the next exam will make or break the rest of your life... The reality is some things don't matter and other things matter much more than you will ever know.

Saying hi to that stranger that becomes your wife, helping a friend start that stupid idea, putting way too much effort into a dinner party.

We only have so much time and...

Ever felt like you were wrestling with more than just a campfire? Me too. Turns out, controlling fire is a bit like trying to control your own mind; tricky, unpredictable, and full of surprises.

In this episode, we have an episode drop from Sam's new show "How to Change the World; The History and Future of Innovation".

We dive into the wild story of how humanity’s obsession with fire set us on the path to becoming who we are today. We’ll talk about global wildfires and backyard barbecues, and how both are wove...

What if success isn’t about working harder or even more achievement, but about how we feel day to day?

In this episode, Mike Winnet invites us to reconsider the very stories we tell about ambition and achievement.

The culture around entrepreneurship often creates illusions; mirages shimmering in a desert of social media noise.

Mike challenges us to step beyond these distractions and ask: What if the real path is serene, sane, and sustainable? This episode reveals how transforming our metrics for success can free us from the endless hustle, empowering us to cr...

The art of making work not suck; how playing helps you stress less (and achieve more).

In today’s episode, we challenge the architecture of adulthood, built brick by brick with “shoulds”. Using stories of ancient ancestors and modern cubicles, we’ll ask:

Why do we surrender to seriousness, and at what cost?

You’ll learn how the prison of comparison, the tyranny of the checklist, and our fear of imperfection rob us of the very autonomy we crave:

Build tiny rituals that make work feel less like war, more like wonder.

Imagine training every day for a decade… and still losing. Then figuring out one question that changes everything.

Olympic gold medallist Ben Hunt-Davis didn’t win because he trained harder, he’d been doing that for years and kept losing. He won because he and his crew started asking one question before every decision: Will it make the boat go faster? 

In this conversation, Ben shares the messy reality of chasing big dreams. We talk about missing teams by one place, eating 7,000 calories a day, and why sacrifice isn’t always sacrifice if you’re...

Ever look back at something you obsessed over… and now you can’t even remember why?
This episode’s about that gap. The gap between what you care about today and what future-you will actually give a damn about.

We’ll talk about puppies that can’t tell a cushion from a laptop, people who think their city is the center of the world, and why your 16-year-old self thought video games were the meaning of life. Turns out, value isn’t fixed. It drifts. Sometimes overnight. Sometimes over decades. The trick is spotting which things are worth fi...

Feel like your focus constantly slips through your fingers? Like you’re juggling five projects but none are actually moving the needle? You’re not alone—distraction is the silent killer of progress.

In this episode, we break down how John Lee Dumas built a million-dollar podcast empire with one secret weapon: laser-sharp, relentless focus. Forget multitasking; mastery comes from saying no to everything except what truly matters. It’s like training a muscle—the more you exercise your focus, the stronger it gets. And yes, it requires cutting out noise, ignoring shiny distractions, and embracing the uncomforta...

Everyone loves a good habit but what's the science that makes some work and others not so much?

Real growth isn’t about lightning bolts, but the quiet art of consistency.

In this episode, we zoom out to see habits not as chores, but as choices that shape our identities, day after day. Ancient stoics, modern neuroscientists, even a friend and his broken snack safe remind us: transformation is gentle, cumulative, and surprisingly within reach.

We can challenge the myth that willpower is enough and find out what is.

What if everything we believe about wisdom and maturity is backwards?

Most of us carry this quiet assumption that growing up means becoming someone else... someone more serious, more predictable, more aligned with what society expects.

What if wisdom isn't about following prescribed paths. It's about developing an intimate relationship with your own evolution. True maturity emerges when we stop trying to prove ourselves and start honoring our authentic desires.

This episode challenges the tyranny of "should" and invites us into a more generous understanding of human development. The most mature thing you...

What if your rock bottom was actually a launchpad? Melissa Monte, host of the Mind Love podcast, shares how hitting her lowest point became the catalyst for building a life she truly loves.

Melissa's journey wasn't a straight line to success. After facing trauma, bad relationships, and even a felony charge for someone else's crime, she found herself in a jail cell with a choice: let her limitations define her or use them as guideposts. She chose the latter, teaching herself digital marketing and eventually launching a successful podcast.

This episode dives into the raw, m...

What if the stories we tell about stress and adversity are holding us back? What if the most resilient people are not the strongest, but the most adaptable?

This episode is an invitation to rethink resilience. Dr. Steven Stein shares how the hardiness mindset shifts our relationship with challenge. A concept born in military research but relevant to artists, entrepreneurs, and everyday heroes.

It’s not about stoicism or sheer willpower; it’s about seeing meaning in difficulty, embracing uncertainty, and committing to a journey bigger than the immediate obstacle. T

You’ll discov...