[00:00:00] Hello, my friends. Welcome back to Not Another Mindset Show. I had a plan for this episode. If you listened to the previous episode, what is this? This is 20. If you listen to episode 19 right before this, you would have heard me say, Oh my gosh, now I’m second guessing myself if I even said this, but I do think I said in the next episode, we’re going to be breaking down another study and it was related to mindset and portion sizes.

And I had found this article that I wanted to break down the study and walk you guys through it. So that was the plan. And then as soon as I actually got into this paper and was reading it, which it was, it was a really interesting concept because it was actually using fMRI imaging to [00:01:00] understand what areas of the brain.

were being utilized by the people who were in the study when they were making decisions about food and how this is where, this is where I got tripped up and kind of why I decided not to go into it any further was because they were calling, they were calling mindset, something that I didn’t really feel like was, Was exactly what I wanted to talk to you guys about because in there in this study was saying that oh We used a health mindset versus a pleasure focused mindset versus a fullness focused mindset So I was like, oh, okay.

This is really interesting. They probably went to the people in the study And had them like read an article or go through maybe like a short program that adjusted their perspective and belief system around maybe like the purpose of food or like the purpose of eating. So they had more of like, oh, the, like, I have better outcomes [00:02:00] if I think about food being something that’s pleasurable to me, or I have better outcomes when I think about just how full the food is going to make me.

And then they go into this. study where they have to choose different portion sizes of things and they look at how their brains are maybe communicate, like different parts of their brain are communicating differently with each other. And I was really intrigued by that. I was like, Oh, this is gonna be really cool.

But there wasn’t really like an intervention part of it. Like there wasn’t a part where they were. Actually shifting someone’s mindset about food, and that’s my bad. I read the abstract. Never just read the abstract, okay? Um, let this be a lesson. And, uh, I read the abstract and I was like, uh, Okay, this like sounds good, so let’s plan on it.

And then when I actually got into the study, And it wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be, and I didn’t honestly really love the methods of this [00:03:00] study, um, I decided to scrap it. So there you have it. There’s my two seconds of that study. I will say, just so you guys aren’t like, oh my gosh, sitting on the edge of your seat and I’m just like, leaving you with a cliffhanger here.

Um, the results of the study did show that when people were essentially prompted to think about things differently during a, like, pre meal time frame that they did end up choosing different portion sizes based on how they were perceiving things, um, from a pleasure perspective, fullness perspective, or a health perspective.

And it was really, what was really cool too, is that they had the fMRI component of it. So you could see what areas of their brains were, were really lighting up heavily when making these decisions. And they were then able to. Kind of make connections between the parts of the brain that are important when it comes to like [00:04:00] dieting, weight loss, reg, self-regulation, that sort of thing.

Um, but anyway, like I said, I didn’t really love the use of the term mindset here. Um, it just felt like it didn’t really match. I think it was more or less a. Just a perspective, like a short term perspective that was held because they didn’t actually do any sort of intervention. Um, so anyway, I’m going to leave it at that.

If you’re interested in looking up that study, you certainly can and I, It is, it is interesting. I mean, it piqued my interest enough to be like, I’m going to talk about this for a full episode and then decided not to. So I just, I also wanted to like share this though. So you guys know my thought process when I’m going into this stuff.

Like I’m, I’m not just pulling up a study and reading the abstract and sitting down and be like, okay, so this is what this study says. Believe it. Okay. Um, I’m actually, I’m reading through everything. I’m looking at the methods. I’m looking at [00:05:00] the entire study setup and then making the decision of whether or not it is.

It’s something that I feel like I want to bring to you, especially when they are just like one off studies like that versus something like, um, like a meta analysis or, um, a systematic review. These are essentially studies that involve a bunch of other studies, so they’re coming to a conclusion based on many, many studies versus just one.

And so I am on the lookout for research that I feel like is really in alignment with everything else that we’re talking about the podcast and that I feel like the, the methods of the study are actually very sound. So, yeah, it’s funny. Every time I like talk about this stuff, uh, with students in the health mindset coaching certification, they’re always like, man, I really want to know more about this.

I’m like, would it be helpful if I created some sort of course or mini program? masterclass, if you will, to just help [00:06:00] coaches better understand how to, how to find research that is actually like sound and how to interpret like an empirical article. Because when you get into some of these studies, I mean, they’re pages and pages and pages long, and some of it sounds like it’s an entirely different language, which I, I understand.

And it was a language that I got to learn, but that’s because I spent. years doing research and being taught how to interpret this stuff. Um, but that’s just like, I don’t know. I just, I feel like people don’t want that. People don’t, don’t care to sit down and listen to me, like essentially lecture about how to find good research and then apply it to your coaching practices.

But, um, yeah. But, you know, that is something I would love to teach on. That is something that I would really love to do. I just don’t know if there’s actually a market for it. Um, but I guess part of it is just like I have to do, you know, the selling and showcase the value of something like that. But, you know, if you’re [00:07:00] listening to this and you’re like, dude, Kasey, what?

I would love to learn more about research from you and how to get onto Google Scholar and PubMed and actually find something and determine whether or not it is a Quote unquote good study and how to then take that research and apply it to my coaching practices, like, please, yes, take my credit card . If that’s you, please let me know.

But anyway, shall we get into the topic of the episode? Um, we’re talking ABCs of behavior change, so. Instead of going into a different study, I was like, you know what, I’m just, let’s, we haven’t done a, an episode where I’m kind of like bringing it back to the basics of some stuff. And it really, um, provides a good foundation for everything else that we’re talking about.

And I even found myself when I was like outlining some stuff for this episode, referring back to other episodes. So I’ll make sure to do that and send you there if you have not, if you’re not like [00:08:00] totally caught up, you haven’t listened to all the past, um, 20 episodes. episodes that we’ve had. So what I’m talking about today, the ABCs of behavior change, this lives inside self determination theory, which I have brought up on probably more than one occasion.

I know one for sure. Um, and this theory is a long standing theory in psychology when it comes to behavior change. And It really, the purpose is to explain motivation and how being more self determined, which we’ll get into like what that really means, impacts your motivation. And what this theory describes is that people feel more motivated to take action when they think that what they do Like, their impact actually has an effect on the outcome that they’re looking for.

So that is this [00:09:00] idea of being self determined. That I really feel like that what I’m capable of doing, what I’m doing in this situation is going to get me further along towards my goal. So people are more motivated when they feel like they have that kind of level of control and that responsibility. in some regard.

So in episode 12, I talked a lot about motivation. It was sort of a discussion of is it discipline or motivation, you know, that whole situation. Um, but we got into the different types of motivation that exist on this full spectrum of essentially, you know, lack of motivation to extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation.

So if you want to get into that more and understand that better, that is the episode for you, but you don’t necessarily need that. information to get a lot out of this episode either. So with that said, self [00:10:00] determination theory suggests that people can become more self determined when certain psychological needs are met.

And that brings us to our ABCs. You know, what’s funny is that it’s actually technically, autonomy, relatedness, incompetence. So it would be like A R C. And I, when I first started putting stuff together for the health mindset coaching certification, and I was creating the module on motivation, and we have a different module on self determination theory.

I was thinking to myself, I was like, they really, really missed out on an opportunity to call this the ABCs. Like, what are you guys doing? Like, this just goes to show, like, researchers are not marketers. And they’re not thinking this way. Like, Autonomy, relatedness, and competence, but like every time you talk about relatedness, they use the word belonging, and [00:11:00] so we are calling it autonomy, belongingness, competence, because then it’s A B C, it’s easier to remember.

And it just makes more sense. Who says relatedness anyway? Geez, researchers do. That’s who. Um, so when, when these needs are filled, these basic psychological needs that we have as humans, we are more motivated and more likely to continue to do things that are essentially goal oriented actions. So, and therefore we’re like more likely to succeed too, if we’re hitting these things.

So. If you’re a coach, I want you to think about your clients, especially maybe some clients that you feel like you’ve had some difficulty with recently. You know, your, your standard tricky clients, they’re not checking in enough or having a hard time sticking to the plan. They’re self sabotaging, you know, the usual.

This is a really good assessment tool. So thinking about that specific client, or maybe a [00:12:00] few different clients who are in that boat. And now assessing them using the, the ABCs, autonomy, belongingness, and competence. Are any of those things missing? And so, when I’m saying autonomy, I’m essentially meaning, does this person feel like they have control over the decisions, control over the plan?

That they have their own, like, yeah, individual responsibility in the matter. That they have that. That’s, they feel autonomous, right? Or you can look at belongingness, relatedness. if you want to go and say it that way. Do they actually feel like they belong? Whether that’s, you know, in your coaching community, with you, have they said before, like, I just really don’t know if I’m cut out for this stuff, or I just don’t know if I’m really like an exerciser.

I just, I’m not like you. You know, they’re saying things like that. There’s a chance their belongingness is something that needs to be tended to. [00:13:00] Or is there something going on with their competency? Do they actually not feel like they can do it? Like this is, these are not skills that they have to be successful.

So chances are, and historically I’ve seen this more times than I can count for sure, there’s something going on with the ABCs. If someone is struggling, one of your clients are struggling. So, if you can assess via the ABCs, then you know what maybe needs, again, tending to. And when you can give some TLC to their autonomy or their belongingness or their competence, then you can see how once those things are tended to and improve, that everything else kind of, like, seems to improve too.

And that is because of self determination theory, what we know about how humans change, and what we know about motivation. These things are so important, and we have decades of research on this stuff. Like, I think, um, the guys, what [00:14:00] is it, Desi and Ryan, those are their last names, um, the fact that these names are just in my head is, like, amazing to me.

Um, they were the ones who coined self determination theory originally, and I want to say it was in, like, the 80s, like, early 80s. So, Gosh, yeah, coming up on like 40 years of this being a thing and being researched and us knowing about it and it continuing to apply to everything. Um, and something too that came up for me when I was making these notes is thinking back to episode 16 that I did like the shit coaches say on the internet episode.

That was a fun one if you did not listen to that one yet. Um, but one of the, uh, threads that I was looking at. I literally had screenshots of threads. Uh, if you don’t know what threads are, I, I honestly, I feel like I need to explain what threads is because I really never use it. And when I am in there, I immediately find things that are like shocking to me, but it is the, the spinoff of Instagram, right?

It’s like the Twitter for Instagram, [00:15:00] which Twitter, I guess, doesn’t even technically exist anymore either. Right. But anyway, I digress. I can’t keep up. I literally can’t keep up. Um, one of the things. That a coach has said was that this, that he, she had a needy client that they ended up firing because they were too needy.

And my commentary on this was that I’m willing to bet, this is like my blunt response, I’m willing to bet the client was extra needy because of the coaching. Like it’s actually in, in part the coach’s fault that that client is needy. Where I could have expanded on that but I didn’t and I can expand here is that there likely was something going on from an autonomy, belongingness, or competency perspective, like especially when it comes to like needy, neediness, dependency, like if you have a client who is just like really, really needs you for every [00:16:00] single decision and asks an ungodly amount of questions, whatever.

They likely don’t feel like they are competent, right? That they can actually do this stuff themselves. That they don’t feel like they have the ability to make decisions for themselves. They don’t feel autonomous. They’re not. very far along on this like self determined or more autonomous spectrum when we’re talking about motivation.

And as a coach, you can really, really help improve that. So if your client is needy because of those things, which is very, very likely the case, then you can do something about it. She shouts from the rooftops. So this works as a really, really great, just like I said, like assessment tool, like what’s going on here.

And then from there, you can really start to support your clients with those things. Um, shameless plug. This is a lot of what you’re going to learn inside the health mindset coaching certification. So we teach a lot of different strategies and concepts that can help you help your clients with these ABCs.

And therefore [00:17:00] they become more quote unquote motivated. It’s not really more motivation. It’s just like improving. the type, the quality of the motivation, if you will. Um, but this goes beyond coaching. Like I was thinking a lot about as a business owner, as someone who manages a team of people and how important it is in the workplace to have People in your business, in your company, feeling autonomous, feeling competent, feeling like they belong.

Huge. I mean, that’s basically company culture, the belongingness, right? These are all so big. So if you’re a business owner, if you’re someone who leads a team, if you’re a manager of any sort, thinking of this stuff, For your people is really important. If you want to have a happy, healthy, productive, amazing squad behind you.

Check out the ABCs. And this is, this is so fun for me to talk about too, because I am a business owner. I do have a team of people. And these are things that I think about with them a [00:18:00] lot. Um, I even do end of week forms with my sales team and with my, um, coaching staff. And there are questions in those end of week forms that are related to this stuff.

So I can kind of assess in a way too. Bye for now. Bye. I’m always, I’m always thinking about these concepts for my team, for my business too, which speaking of future courses or directions of my business, my offerings, I would love eventually to be able to get into other businesses and do a little bit more of like a a business to business type of offer where I get to actually potentially train leaders and staff members and come in and do growth mindset oriented trainings for the entire business.

Um, maybe linking that back into like leadership and like understanding things like this, like the ABCs for your team and what that looks like and how to assess it and how to look out for it and how to improve it so that you can improve overall [00:19:00] company culture and therefore. improve the success of the business, right?

It’s so cool how all of this stuff can like come back down to like your bottom line. Like as a coach, you’re going to make more money as a team leader, as a business owner, you’re going to make more money if your staff is in a good place. If your coach, if your clients are in a good place with these things, good stuff, man.

It’s all just so good. Um, I’m just trying to think of other areas where this could apply, not me always going back to like dating and relationships, but um, that like exists there too, you know, someone who maybe feels really burnt out on dating, which, girl, I get it. I really do. God, do I get it. Um, And you feel like you’re lacking in some of these areas.

Like you don’t actually feel like you have the skills when it comes to dating. You don’t know how to find the right person. You keep choosing the wrong people. You don’t really feel like you belong. Maybe you’re, it’s really [00:20:00] been so hard for you to find your person. And every time you think you do, you fall just short.

It’s like an almost, you’re almost there type of situation. Um, maybe you don’t feel autonomous. in the dating world that kind of any person that you actually want to be with and you want to have a relationship with doesn’t end up being that person. It’s always like someone else comes to you and it’s like, Oh, great.

It’s, it’s this person again. But like, I don’t feel like I’m really attracted to them or whatever. Like you can see where if any of these things are off when it comes to like dating and relationships that it can feel It could actually move you into a fixed mindset that like, I’m just like, I’m not cut out for this dating stuff, or this is just like never going to happen for me.

And then what happens? Like, then you don’t feel like you should even try in the first place. You’re not going to put in an extra effort because what’s the point? And this is the same thing that’s going to happen with our clients, the same thing that’s going to happen with our team members. Ah. It all comes back to mindset.

What do you [00:21:00] know? Okay, my friends, that is all I have for you. Quick little episode on the ABCs of behavior change. As always, I’d love to hear from you. If you leave a review, don’t forget I’m doing a giveaway every single month. Someone’s getting a free workshop every single month because they wrote a review.

But keep in mind, I need you to not only write the review, five stars, pretty, pretty please, but also screenshot the review and add it to the form that is in the show notes. It’s on every single episode. You can find the form where you submit your review because otherwise we’re not going to know how to contact you to actually win something.

So please do that. I appreciate you so much and I’ll see you next time. [00:22:00] Bye.