96: Creating Change: Community Conversations with Alison Heilig

Most of us have experienced the all-too-familiar gap between wanting to change something in our lives and actually doing it. In today’s episode, returning guest Alison Heilig breaks down the most common barriers to behaviour change with host Rachel.

Alison shares how behaviour change is not about self-control, or lack of, and is instead a set of learnable skills. We discuss the importance of setting realistic expectations and explain why habit initiation is more important than habit completion.

Listen in to learn how to turn a fixed mindset into a growth mindset, and how to create systems to support your goals for lasting change.

“Wanting to do something and knowing how to do it in your life are two different things.” – Alison Heilig

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“The people who seem to have the most self control are the ones who are using it the least because they set up their life in a way that their life is full of no-brainers.” – Alison Heilig

Show Notes:

Motivating people with a different approach to change or challenge [2:57]
Barrier #1 to follow-through: is it really lack of self-control? [7:19]
Recognizing a fixed mindset [11:20]
Discerning between fixed mindset and acceptance [14:55]
Growth mindset eases perceived time pressure [18:00]
Where can yoga teachers intervene with a fixed mindset [20:28]
Emphasizing effort over outcome to empower students [25:21]
Barrier #2 to follow through: Behaviour change skills [28:32]
How your “future self” helps you learn to tolerate discomfort [31:49]
Just get started: how habit initiation is more important than completion [38:06]
Managing overwhelm with intentional prioritization [41:49]
Barrier #3 to follow through: No system [46:44]
Barrier #4 to follow through: Unsupportive environment [52:35]
Barrier #4 to follow through: Unrealistic expectations [1:02:30]
Final takeaways [1:10:04]