Change Wired

What makes some people capable of extraordinary consistency while others struggle to maintain even basic positive habits? The answer lies in 3 foundational pillars that shape all human behavior. A framework so powerful it can transform not just individual actions, but entire organizational cultures. The first pillar, stories, operates as the foundation of all behavior change. As your host Angela Shurina reveals through compelling personal examples, the narratives we construct about our circumstances directly impact our capacity for action. The second pillar, incentives, addresses the fundamental truth that humans consistently pursue what feels rewarding. Drawing on insights from behavioral science and thought leaders like Mark Manson, Angela reveals that sustainable habits require emotional or social rewards that make difficult behaviors meaningful. The third pillar, triggers, explains why good intentions often fail to translate into consistent action. Through practical examples of environmental design, Angela demonstrates how strategic placement of visual reminders dramatically increases the likelihood of performing intended behaviors. This same principle works in reverse for breaking unwanted habits. When combined, these 3 pillars create a comprehensive system for behavior change that far surpasses traditional approaches based solely on willpower or motivation. Whether you're struggling with personal habits, leading organizational transformation, or coaching others through change, mastering these 3 elements will unlock unprecedented results. Try applying them to one behavior this week and experience firsthand how powerful this framework can be in creating lasting transformation. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First, Executive and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant

Do you find yourself grinding through tough projects, just waiting for them to end so you can finally enjoy life? Do you quit things often because you get bored or tired? What if sustainable high performance didn't require sacrificing your wellbeing or joy of living? This episode tackles the critical challenge many ambitious professionals face: how to achieve difficult goals without burning out. We'll explore the missing skill that separates sustainable achievers from those caught in burnout cycles. Most people don't burn out because their work is too demanding; they burn out because they never learned when to pause. Your mind and body operate as an integrated team, and when physical resources become depleted, your decision-making, emotional resilience, and perception of your work all suffer. The early warning signs of burnout appear in your thinking and emotions long before physical symptoms emerge. Through a practical step-by-step exercise, you'll learn to create your personal energy agreement—establishing clear boundaries around working hours, designing effective transition rituals between work and personal time, identifying activities that genuinely recharge you, and recognizing your unique burnout warning signs before they escalate. Download the worksheet to create your personalized framework for sustainable achievement while enjoying the journey. Remember, this isn't just about avoiding burnout—it's about creating a pattern of fulfilling growth where the process itself becomes rewarding. Share this episode with someone who might be teetering on the edge of burnout. Together, we can transform how we approach achievement and create work lives worth living. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First, Executive and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant

Why do well-intentioned initiatives so often fail to deliver results? The answer lies not in strategy but in execution - specifically, in the gap between what people intend to do and what they actually do. Scott Young has spent his career at the intersection of behavioral science and business transformation, advising Fortune 500 companies and teaching at institutions like the London School of Economics. His mission: helping leaders apply behavioral science ethically and effectively to drive real change. In this illuminating conversation, Scott reveals: • Behavioral science offers unique value in helping close the "intent-action gap" where people want to do the right thing but human nature gets in the way • Simple frameworks like COM-B and EAST help leaders think broadly about potential barriers and design effective interventions • Confusion serves as a much bigger barrier than we think, when people get confused, they use it as an "off-ramp" to avoid uncomfortable changes • Most companies over-rely on communication and financial incentives while underestimating the power of environmental design and process changes • Traditional top-down approaches to culture change often fail, instead, define specific behaviors that constitute values like "collaboration" or "innovation" • Leaders should create a "behavioral lens" as part of their leadership toolkit to complement strategy with effective execution • The timeliness of communication often matters more than its content - focus on reaching people at the moment of decision • AI adoption faces 2 key barriers: general resistance to technology change and fear of replacement • Psychological safety is crucial for technology adoption - people need to feel comfortable asking questions and expressing confusion - and where leaders get it wrong, while trying to shift culture towards it ... and so much more! Whether you're leading organizational transformation, building a more innovative culture, or trying to improve adoption of new technologies, this episode offers practical insights you can apply immediately. Learn how to close the intent-action gap and create environments where good intentions translate into consistent results. Tune in and learn from Scott Young now! ___________________________ 📌 About Scott Young Scott Young is an independent advisor, educator, and former Head of Private Sector at the Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) Americas. He previously led BVA Nudge Consulting and spent over 20 years running Perception Research Services, a global shopper insights agency. Today, Scott lectures at LSE, UPenn, and Chicago Booth, serves as a board member at BeScy, and writes extensively on applied behavioral science. He conducts workshops and coaches executives to apply behavioral tools ethically and effectively across business functions and industries. 📍 Connect with Scott: LinkedInMedium ArticlesBeScy.orgText Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First, Executive and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant

Ever wonder why willpower fails you more at night? Why some days you're laser-focused and others you can't concentrate for five minutes? The answer lies not in psychology, but in biology. Your brain chemistry literally transforms throughout the day. That morning brain, charged with cortisol and dopamine, is a focus machine ready for complex work. By evening, different neurochemicals dominate, making discipline nearly impossible but creativity more accessible. Fighting these natural rhythms is like swimming upstream – exhausting and counterproductive. This episode unpacks the science behind working with your brain's biology instead of against it. We explore how top performers aren't superhuman willpower machines but strategic schedulers who align tasks with their optimal biological windows. Your brain, consuming 20% of your energy while being only 2% of your body weight, constantly calculates whether activities justify their energy cost. Understanding this calculation revolutionizes how we approach habits and productivity. Become aware of your unique biological rhythm, allowing you to design your ideal schedule and multiply your effectiveness while reducing effort. Achieving more with less effort starts here. As Stephen Kotler says, "Biology scales, psychology doesn't" – meaning biological realities will always trump psychological theories when it comes to sustainable performance. Ready to stop fighting your brain and start leveraging its natural strengths? Listen now and discover how working with your biology can transform your productivity, habits, and performance with significantly less struggle. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

What if there's never gonna be a perfect plan and total clarity? On today's episode Dr. Anne-Laure Le Cunff, the author of "Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World", shares how tiny experiments can transform our approach to life, work, and meaningful change without rigid goals or predetermined paths. Her experimental mindset offers a powerful alternative to traditional planning - designing low-risk experiments to uncover your path one step at a time. We will touch on: From shiny to misaligned. Anne-Laure shares how a great job and smart teammates still left her internally “off”, impacting health and relationships - so she stepped off the ladder. The risky jump (and reframe). A first startup “because that’s what you do” created avoidable financial stress. The second transition flipped the script: keep some income for safety and treat the next step as an experiment, not a bet-the-farm goal. A scientist’s lens on identity change. Before you “optimize,” observe: practice 24 hours of self-anthropology (field notes without judgement) to notice energy, curiosity, and friction points. Tiny Experiments in one line: “I will [action] for [duration].” Short, low-risk trials beat vague, year-long resolutions. Bring the team. Run a shared “lab cycle” (30 days). Success = new knowledge, not a binary win/lose. Mindful productivity > hustle. You’re not a calendar robot; protect moments and engineer creative windows with simple rituals (music, stretch, tea, micro-walks). Procrastination is a signal, not a sin. Use Head/Heart/Hand to diagnose: misaligned rationale, low emotional pull, or missing skills/tools/support - then fix the right thing. Generativity vs. Legacy. Aim to make a small, present-day impact you can see now; legacy may emerge as a by-product. ... and so much more! Ready to design your first tiny experiment? Catch the full Change Wired episode with Anne-Laure Le Cunff and explore practical tools for mindful productivity, career transitions, and thriving in a goal-obsessed world. Links & resources mentioned Anne-Laure’s bio & personal site:https://anne-laure.netNess Labs (newsletter & articles):https://nesslabs.com/newsletterBook:Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World Amazon Target Audible.comStarter read on Mindful Productivity:“Mindful productivity: a sustainable way to work and think”Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Have you ever felt stuck in life or business, unable to make progress despite having what seems like a perfect plan? This espisode is definitely for you then! The problem might not be your goal, but rather your attachment to how you think you should get there. Life isn't a clearly mapped journey but more like walking through fog - we can glimpse our destination in the distance, but the path only reveals itself as we take each step forward. This insight transformed how I approach challenges, from personal uncertainty to business strategy. Netflix co-founder Mark Randolph perfectly captures this wisdom with his advice to "fall in love with the problem, not the solution." The most successful entrepreneurs and leaders understand that rigid plans rarely survive contact with reality. Like Navy SEALs who follow the terrain when it conflicts with their map, true progress comes from adapting to what's actually happening rather than what we thought would happen. This is why companies that endure for decades constantly evolve while maintaining their core purpose. The experimental approach to life and business follows a simple 5-step framework you will learn in this episode. This scientific mindset removes the emotional attachment to particular solutions that often keeps us spinning our wheels when we should be pivoting. Whether you're building a business, improving your health, or developing relationships, treating life as a series of experiments rather than a fixed plan creates freedom to evolve and ultimately find what actually works. What experiment will you design this week to move past your current challenge? Share your thoughts, subscribe to hear our upcoming episode featuring a Google expert on experimental career design, and join our community of change-makers ready to embrace the uncertainty of the fog while steadily moving forward. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

What if everything you thought about changing habits is backward? Most of us believe high performance comes from discipline, willpower, and pushing ourselves harder. But what if your environment shapes your behavior far more than your intentions ever could? What if high performers are just better at putting themselves in a situation to win? Drawing from recent conversations with behavioral scientists and my own experience as an executive coach, I've discovered something revolutionary: the secret to lasting behavior change isn't trying harder, it's designing smarter systems around you. Humans possess a unique superpower that sets us apart from every other species on earth. While animals must adapt to their environments, we can consciously create environments that transform us into the people we want to become. Through personal examples, including how I broke a decades-long lip-picking habit overnight, I reveal the 3-part habit loop that governs our behavior. By manipulating these elements we can achieve effortless change where willpower repeatedly fails. Research consistently shows that environmental design strategies work dramatically better than information or motivation alone. This isn't just about personal habits. The principles apply equally to leading teams, raising children, or influencing friends. As Charles Duhigg's work shows, approximately 40% of our behaviors are habitual, and even our non-habitual actions are largely triggered by environmental cues. By shifting your focus from changing yourself to changing your surroundings, you'll unlock a more effective path to transformation. Ready to redesign your environment and watch your habits transform? Listen now and discover how to leverage the science of behavior change to create lasting results in your life and work. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

What if your greatest strengths are secretly holding you back as a leader? In this illuminating conversation with Dr. Martin Dubin, we uncover the hidden blind spots that prevent even the most successful leaders from reaching their full potential and making forward progress. We all have blind spots, patterns we don’t notice in ourselves that limit our growth. In this episode of Change Wired, Dr. Martin Dubin, clinical-psychologist-turned-entrepreneur-turned-leadership coach, and author of Blindspotting: How to See What’s Holding You Back as a Leader, shares why blindspots are often the flip side of our greatest strengths, and how leaders can build self-awareness to avoid getting stuck in default behaviors that no longer serve them. 🔑 Main Takeaways The 6 Blindspots Leaders Face: IdentityMotiveTraitsEmotionsIntellectBehaviorStrengths become blind spotsMetacommunicationFive things only a CEO can doSmall tweaks matter more than big transformations📚 What You’ll Learn How to uncover blind spots emotions are dataThe four kinds of intellectstrategies to align identity, behavior, and motivesBlindspotting framework inside your organization📝 Resources Blindspotting: How to See What’s Holding You Back as a Leaderhttps://www.blindspotting.com/assessmentmartindubin.comLinkedIn👤 Marty's Bio: Martin Dubin is a clinical psychologist, serial entrepreneur, business coach, and adviser to C-suite executives and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. He founded and sold a multimillion-dollar health-care company, served as Vice President at Anthem BCBS, and later became a partner at RHR International, working with Fortune 500 leaders and top venture capital firms. Marty’s latest book, Blindspotting distills decades of experience into a practical framework for identifying and overcoming leadership blindspots. Want to grow as a leader faster? Been stuck and not sure why? Tune in and start blinspotting! Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Why do our intentions so rarely transform into consistent actions? What prevents our aspirations from becoming achievements? The answer lies not in willpower or knowledge, but in a crucial missing link that's often overlooked in our pursuit of consistent behavior change. In this enlightening exploration of human motivation, we uncover the fundamental truth about why behavior doesn't stick until we see the connection between what we need to do and what we deeply care about. While Simon Sinek popularized "starting with why," we rarely apply this principle to the small, daily actions that ultimately build the next level of ourselves. Drawing from neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and years of coaching experience, we examine why educational systems and workplace training programs frequently fail to engage learners. The brain simply doesn't prioritize information or actions without understanding their relevance to our personal values and aspirations. This explains why we can memorize facts for tests but quickly forget them, or why we initially commit to fitness goals but struggle to maintain them. Through practical examples, we demonstrate how connecting habits like quality sleep, nutrition, and movement to deeper values, such as being present for your children, advancing your career, or maintaining independence as you age, transforms these actions from obligations into priorities. This isn't a one-time exercise but requires ongoing reinforcement, like taking a shower or brushing your teeth. Whether you're struggling with personal habits, leading organizational change, or simply curious about human behavior, this episode offers a powerful framework for making change stick. By repeatedly drawing bright lines between your actions and your deepest values, you'll find yourself naturally motivated to do what matters most - no discipline struggles required. Ready to bridge the gap between your intentions and actions? Listen now and discover how practiving your "why" can transform everything. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Ever feel frustrated when people don't seem to "get" what you're saying? The gap between what you mean and what others hear isn't about your words - it's about metacommunication, the powerful yet often overlooked dimension of human connection. This episode unveils the science behind why we're frequently misunderstood. Astonishingly, research shows only 10% of our meaning comes from our actual words, while 30% derives from tone and a whopping 60% from body language. When I deliver feedback like "Your presentation lacked technical depth," the way I frame it completely transforms how it lands - as crushing criticism or as supportive guidance. Metacommunication is communication about communication, the signals that tell others how to interpret your message. It's what separates a comment that breaks trust from one that builds it. Through vivid examples and research-backed insights, I break down why even smart, articulate people struggle to be understood, and why simply knowing about metacommunication isn't enough to master it. The heart of this episode is a practical 5-point checklist for effective metacommunication that you can implement immediately. Each element builds on the next, creating a framework that works whether you're leading a team, building relationships, or navigating difficult conversations. Being understood isn't everything, but it's the first step to anything meaningful. Master these techniques, and you'll transform not just how you communicate, but how you connect, influence, and lead. Ready to be understood - truly understood - for perhaps the first time? Listen now, and discover the metacommunication advantage that changes everything. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

What if your greatest strengths are secretly sabotaging your success? This eye-opening exploration delves into the fascinating paradox at the heart of personal development - how our natural talents, when overused or misapplied, become the very blind spots holding us back. We'll explore the concept through analyzing my CliftonStrengths 34 report - not just learning to see how your blind spots can hold you back but also how you can build simple systems to prevent that from happening. Drawing from Martin Dubin's groundbreaking book "Blind Spotting" and my personal revelations from the Clifton Strengths Assessment, I share how my top strengths - Learner, Strategic, and Activator - create both extraordinary opportunities and unexpected challenges. As someone who thrives on continuous knowledge acquisition, I've had to recognize when my love of learning becomes an impediment to action or creates friction in relationships. My strategic thinking allows for rapid pattern recognition but can appear as criticism or confuse others when I don't properly explain my thought process. Most revealing is my Activator tendency, turning thoughts into immediate action propels progress but leads to hasty decisions I later regret. The practical systems I've developed to counterbalance these tendencies have transformed my effectiveness. Unlike weaknesses we can typically identify, blind spots remain invisible without external reflection. That's where tools like coaching, assessment instruments, and even AI assistants become invaluable mirrors, revealing patterns we cannot see ourselves. The beauty of this approach lies in its elegance - you don't need to fundamentally change who you are, just create strategic guardrails that harness your natural talents while preventing their downsides. Share, review, and consider discussing this episode with friends or family to help each other identify blind spots and build systems for more fulfilling, rewarding lives. What strength might be holding you back without your knowledge? Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Have you ever found yourself wondering why you keep making choices that don't align with your goals, despite your best intentions? The answer might surprise you. And it's not about willpower or discipline. What happened when my family's Wi-Fi unexpectedly died during my parents' visit revealed a profound truth about human behavior. My father, who had been refusing physical activities for days due to arthritis, suddenly suggested a bike ride. Behavioral scientists have a term for this phenomenon: choice architecture. Research shows that modifying your environment is dramatically more effective at changing behavior than simply trying to exercise more discipline. This isn't just theoretical, governments worldwide have implemented these principles to encourage everything from increased savings to healthier lifestyles, not by convincing people intellectually but by making the desired choices easier to make. The most powerful environmental factor? Your social circle. The people you surround yourself with shape your decisions even more strongly than your physical surroundings, which explains why joining a group with respected peers is more effective than any solo willpower effort. The most common mistake I see among intelligent, accomplished individuals is overestimating their capacity for consistent willpower. No matter how smart you are, your brain is fundamentally designed to conserve energy, which means you'll almost always default to the path of least resistance. The solution isn't to double down on discipline but to strategically redesign your environment so the right choice becomes the ONLY available choice. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this message and help us create more positive impact by rating and reviewing the podcast on your favorite platform. Let's get wired for change! Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Ever wondered why changing habits feels like an uphill battle? What if culture change, product design, or even personal transformation wasn’t guesswork but a process as reliable as engineering? In this episode of Change Wired, I sit down with behavioral scientist, author, and “empathetic scientific activist” Matt Wallaert to talk about the science - and the humanity - behind designing change that actually happens. We get into everything from M&Ms to meeting culture, VR boxing to corporate ethics, and why fuzzy words in leadership are killing your results. Matt breaks down how all behavior results from competing forces. Matt demonstrates how small environmental changes can create massive behavioral shifts. Perhaps most fascinating is Matt's insight into organizational change. While companies obsess over changing customer behavior, they often neglect internal behavior design. "Fuzzy leadership language" about wanting "more engaged employees" or "better culture" fails because it doesn't translate to specific, observable behaviors. Matt provides a framework for creating workplaces where people thrive by applying the same rigor to internal behaviors that companies apply to customer acquisition. Whether you're looking to transform personal habits, lead organizational change, or design products that genuinely improve lives, this episode offers effective frameworks for making behavior change systematic, ethical, and effective. We dive into: definingspecific behaviorsnaïve behavior changeevidence-based designpromoting vs. inhibiting pressures parenting, product design, and internal culture changeEthicsin behavioral scienceengineering cultures that workIt’s practical. It’s funny in places. And it might just make you rethink the way you design… everything. BIO, Links & Resources Mentioned mattwallaert.comSIDE Model Training(recently made free)Start at the End: How to Build Products That Create ChangeConnect with Matt on LinkedInFor almost 20 years, Matt Wallaert has been applying behavioral science to practical problems. After leaving academia, his career as an executive lead from startups (Thrive, Churnless) to the Fortune 500 (Microsoft, CapGemini) and back again, before founding BeSci.io (Behavioral Science in organizations), where he and the world’s most experienced behavioral science leaders help companies grow applied behavioral science capabilities within their organizations. These days, Matt is the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) at Oceans, helping to bring high-quality job opportunities to international markets so that talented people don’t have to emigrate to grow. More about Matt Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

The ability to adapt and change has never been more critical than in today's rapidly evolving world. Yet most of us unwittingly sabotage our own cognitive flexibility through one common mistake: keeping yourself stuck in unhelpful thought patterns. And it starts with sleep... Sleep isn't merely rest, it's when your brain performs its most sophisticated work. During those precious hours, your neural networks physically restructure, processing new information and connecting it with existing knowledge. Research consistently shows that sleep-deprived individuals significantly underperform on learning tasks, regardless of whether they involve physical skills or mental concepts. By sacrificing sleep in the name of productivity, you're actually preventing your brain from developing the very flexibility needed to navigate complex challenges, learn and find the most effective solutions. The most powerful tool for breaking this cycle of not sleeping and being stuck in outdated belief patterns is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT, the basics of which you will learn today). The revolutionary insight of CBT is recognizing how our thoughts directly shape our ability to change and solve novel problems - and how questioning those thoughts can transform it. Ready to transform your sleep and unlock your cognitive flexibility and learning potential? Tune in, question your thinking and get ready to change. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Let's unlock the secret relationship between your biology and psychology that determines your energy levels, mood, and ability to create meaningful change in your life. How's your energy each morning? Before coffee? Your ability to have a great sleep most nights? Without meds, Netlix or booze? THAT determines your quality of life more than anything. Discover the science-backed morning ritual that naturally optimizes your energy without caffeine or sugar. This simple practice signals your brain's internal clock to produce the perfect cortisol pattern: high in the morning for sustained energy and gradually decreasing to support restful sleep. Learn why most people experience the opposite pattern (low morning energy, high evening alertness) and how this disrupts everything from immune function to cognitive performance. You'll also learn surprising energy hacks including the proper timing for melatonin supplementation, how grapefruit naturally extends cortisol effects, and why morning hydration and movement amplify your energy activation. This episode bridges cutting-edge neuroscience with actionable steps anyone can implement immediately. Whether you struggle with morning grogginess, afternoon slumps, or evening insomnia, these biological interventions create the foundation for optimal performance, mood, and fulfillment. Ready to charge your biological battery correctly? Your brain, body, and goals will thank you. Want to transform your energy cycle? Try Angela's seven-day protocol and experience the difference. Connect on Instagram @AngelaBrainBodyCoach or email info@yourbestculture.com to continue your journey toward optimal energy and meaningful personal growth. Let's dig in! Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

You can't force humans to thrive—you have to design for it.” ~ Anish Padinjaroote What if the secret to building a thriving workplace culture that builds great companies and humans wasn't about control, but about intentional design and extreme trust, spreading things that work like a virus? Welcome to a fascinating conversation with Anish Padindrarote, a workplace architect with 23 years of global experience. Anish shares a revolutionary formula for culture change: daily behaviors multiplied by leadership actions, divided by system friction. This simple equation unlocks profound insights into why some workplace cultures succeed while others struggle despite good intentions. His approach challenges conventional wisdom, suggesting we design systems for the 98% of employees who want to contribute meaningfully, rather than focusing on controlling the problematic 2%. During our conversation, Anish unpacks why most organizations fail at scaling culture, revealing how we should think of culture as something that's "caught, not taught" – requiring contagious behaviors rather than cascading policies. You'll learn why treating employees as adults remains revolutionary in corporate environments and how verbalizing values as actions rather than nouns transforms abstract concepts into lived experiences. One of the most powerful moments comes when Anish describes the difference between creating a "manicured garden" versus a "regenerative forest" when it comes to culture. The former barely survives storms, while the latter thrives through adaptation and deep-rooted strength. In the age of AI, Anish offers crucial perspectives on what makes human contribution uniquely valuable and how culture serves as the operating system that enables human-centered approach to work for humans and business. Whether you're leading a team of five or an organization of thousands, this episode provides practical wisdom for creating magnetic cultures where both people and performance flourish. 🛠️ Some practical tools you’ll learn about: ... and more! Anish's BIO: A workplace architect and strategist with over 23 years of experience across four continents. Anish, has transformed organizations from nimble startups to global enterprises across Banking, Retail, Energy, and Tech. He has mastered the art of building high-performance, people-first cultures that drive real business results. From founding a behavioural science + AI startup to seamlessly integrating post-merger teams, he specialize in creating environments where talent thrives and innovation flourishes. Connect & Follow: 🔗 Anish on LinkedIn Read Anish's thought-provoking posts on leadership, culture, and the future of work. If you’re a leader navigating transformation, don’t miss this episode. Listen now. Reflect later. Grow always. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Feeling stuck in your career or business path? Or unclear? That frustrating thought, "I want to work on interesting projects, and I'm not doing that right now" - might be your wake-up call for change. This episode unveils four powerful questions from behavioral scientist Matt Wallert that will transform how you approach your next professional chapter. Rather than randomly trying new opportunities, these questions create a framework to filter what truly matters to you. I walk through each question while sharing my personal answers to show how this process works in practice. The answers will connect to your lived experiences and pain points you've encountered. For me, it revealed two driving themes: helping unlock human potential that's left unexplored and fixing systems that harm rather than help - this method will help you understand driving themes of your life. Understanding these core motivators has changed how I evaluate opportunities. This framework works equally well for individual reflection or as a group exercise with teams or family members. Try these questions yourself, then share them with someone navigating their own transition. Time to tune up your career GPS! Tune in! Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Have you ever felt that nagging urge to grow and transform without knowing exactly where you're headed? That uncomfortable space between knowing you need change and not having a clear destination can feel like being lost at sea – eager to move but unsure which direction leads to land. Drawing from my coaching experience and personal journey, this episode unveils a powerful alternative to traditional goal-setting that works brilliantly during times of transition and uncertainty. Rather than forcing yourself to define an end destination you genuinely can't envision, I share how creating "pacts" – short-term, focused commitments to specific actions – can provide structure, learning, and forward momentum. You'll discover how one CEO I'm working with reclaimed control of his days through a simple 5-minute morning practice, and how a senior professional navigating career transition used targeted exploration to uncover her path forward. I outline the 4 essential elements that make pacts effective. This approach transforms vague aspirations like "get better at ..." into concrete actions that generate real insights. Whether you're reimagining your career, pivoting your business, or simply feeling called toward something new without knowing what, this episode offers a practical framework for progress. By embracing experimentation and committing to process over predetermined outcomes, you'll learn how to navigate uncertainty with confidence, curiosity, and purpose. What tiny experiment might unlock your next chapter? Listen and find out how to start moving forward, even when the destination remains unclear. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Theme: Decision-making, leadership, behavioral science & leading change through uncertain times 🔍 What you’ll learn from this episode Why most organizations fail at evidence‑based decision-makingThe paradox of positive outcomesWhat real confidence in leadership looks like todayWhy culture must be embedded in systems, not slogansHow to operationalize feedback loopsStrategic thinking recalibrated for accelerated change and AIWhere behavioral science and leadership intersect🧠 Why it matters As AI accelerates disruption and uncertainty becomes routine, organizational decision-making, even more than technology, will define who succeeds or fails. This conversation equips leaders with the mindset, tools, and culture needed to lead through ambiguity, design better systems, and foster distributed decision-making that scales. 🎧 Who should listen 📢 Next steps & resources Convergeconvergehere.com brooke@convergehere.comIf you’re ready to shift from process‑blind decisiveness to strategic clarity, to lead with confidence in uncertainty, and build cultures where change sticks and works - this episode is for you. 🎙️ Listen now, share with a leader who’s steering transformation - this one shifts how you think about change. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

What happens when we become so fixated on our flaws that we miss the strengths hiding in plain sight? For years, I've watched people struggle with change not because they weren't trying hard enough, but because they were looking in the wrong direction. The science of "inattentional blindness" explains why we miss critical solutions when we're hyper-focused on problems. Just like participants who fail to spot a gorilla walking across a basketball court because they're busy counting passes, we miss our own strengths and resources when we're fixated on fixing what's broken. This psychological phenomenon creates a self-defeating cycle of demotivation and missed opportunities. Through my two decades in coaching, I've discovered that the most powerful transformations happen when we flip the script. Rather than obsessing over weaknesses, "awesome-based coaching" leverages what's already working. Drawing from principles developed by Precision Nutrition and my own experience transforming habits, I share practical ways to apply this strength-based approach to everything from health habits to business building. Whether you're struggling with personal change, leading a team, or trying to transform an entire system, this episode offers a refreshing alternative to the "fix what's broken" mentality that dominates our culture. As it turns out, you don't need more discipline or willpower - you need to recognize and build upon the strengths you already possess. Join me in exploring how to create lasting change by focusing not on what's wrong, but on what's possible. Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas Support the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH