Have you ever known something was bad for you—a relationship, a job, a habit—but kept going back anyway? In this episode, we unpack the hidden psychology and brain science that keep you stuck in cycles you know aren’t serving you. By the end, you’ll not only understand why you cling to what hurts—you’ll leave with practical tools to start loosening that grip.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Psychology of Holding On

  • Sunk Cost Fallacy — why leaving feels like failure instead of freedom

  • Cognitive Dissonance — the mind’s tricks to justify staying stuck

  • Region Beta Paradox — why “not bad enough” situations keep you trapped

  • Intermittent Reinforcement — the most addictive reward schedule in the brain

• Nerd Alert- The Neuroscience of Addiction to Pain

  • Dopamine, prediction error, and why unpredictability feels so intoxicating

  • Brain regions like the ACC, VTA, and nucleus accumbens that wire you to chase what hurts

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The Inner Work Room Intensive – Enrollment Open
You don’t need more information—you need implementation. This 5-week container takes the neuroscience, psychology, and mindset tools from the podcast and puts them into practice with guided exercises and accountability.

We start October 6th, and spots are limited. If you’re ready for momentum, structure, and real tools to rewire your patterns—this is for you.

Join HERE - your future self will thank you for the work you're doing!

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Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content!

You can visit my website ⁠www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

Your brain is running the show… but it’s using outdated software.

In this episode, I break down 10 cognitive biases — the mental shortcuts that once kept us safe but now quietly sabotage your choices in relationships, careers, and everyday life.

In this episode:

• 10 mental biases quietly sabotaging your choices
• The traps that keep you stuck in jobs, relationships & indecision
• Nerd Alert: How your salience network bends reality
• Tools to catch each bias in real time & rewire your thinking

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

• My Monthly Membership, ⁠⁠⁠The Inner Work Room⁠⁠⁠, is officially live! Join now to level up your mindset, life, and relationships with weekly tools, tough-love coaching, and science-backed strategies designed to help you become the best version of yourself.

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Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content! Check out my ⁠Amazon Storefront ⁠for all of my favorite Brianna Approved things!

You can visit my website ⁠www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

Everything costs something. The real question is—what are you actually paying for? The price is usually your peace, your energy, your time... and your future clarity.

In this episode, we explore:

-How to audit your energetic spending—before burnout sends the bill

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Step into your next level—join us July 30th for ⁠High Achievers Night Out ⁠(Virtual Edition). Whether you’re at a crossroads or just bored of your own excuses, sign up now! 

• My Monthly Membership, ⁠⁠The Inner Work Room⁠⁠, is officially live! 

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Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content! Check out my ⁠Amazon Storefront ⁠for all of my favorite Brianna Approved things!

You can visit my website ⁠www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

In Episode 81, we are diving into Post Traumatic Growth (aka pain as a portal), the Region Beta Trap, and the Neuropsychology of Thriving After Rupture.

We’ll break down why hitting rock bottom can be more motivating than staying “fine,” how trauma rewires your brain, and why you need 3-5 positives to outweigh one negative. Plus, we’ll explore the Region Beta Paradox—why tolerable pain keeps you stuck more than real suffering does.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Step into your next level—join us July 30th for High Achievers Night Out (Virtual Edition). Whether you’re at a crossroads or just bored of your own excuses, sign up now! 

• My Monthly Membership, ⁠The Inner Work Room⁠, is officially live! 

____

Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content! Check out my ⁠Amazon Storefront ⁠for all of my favorite Brianna Approved things!

You can visit my website ⁠www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

In the 80th episode of the podcast we are diving into something I know many of us wrestle with: cognitive loops. In the episode, I discuss:

• What a cognitive loop actually is and why your brain gets hooked on them 
• The role your ego plays in keeping you stuck in loops like the validation loop, justice loop, and control loop 
• Why these loops feel addictive — and what’s happening neurochemically when you keep spiraling 

And most importantly: how to break the loop — using mindset shifts, and prompts that actually help you move forward

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Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content! Check out my ⁠Amazon Storefront ⁠for all of my favorite Brianna Approved things!

You can visit my website ⁠www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

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Purchase my new Relationship eBook, ⁠Reflect & Connect⁠, a pocket guide that includes Intentional prompts & guided reflections to break patterns, shift limiting beliefs and deepen your self-awareness.

In episode 79 of the podcast, we will explore the high achiever’s baseline effect and the neuroscience behind why high performers struggle to rest (and why burnout ensues).

We'll break down the trap of tying self-worth to productivity, how to rewire the subconscious belief that rest is unproductive, and the shift from identifying as a "hard worker" to an "effective thinker."

Of course, there will be a Practice What You Podcast segment highlighting one actionable step from the episode to integrate into your week for lasting change, complete with supportive prompts and mindset shifts!

Nerd Alert- The Neuroscience of Why High Achievers Struggle to Rest

Visual Learners - Watch on Youtube!

#burnout

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Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content! Check out my ⁠Amazon Storefront ⁠for all of my favorite Brianna Approved things!

You can visit my website ⁠www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

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Purchase my new Relationship eBook, ⁠Reflect & Connect⁠, a pocket guide that includes Intentional prompts & guided reflections to break patterns, shift limiting beliefs and deepen your self-awareness.

In episode 78 we are getting into the science (and neuroscience) of change aka self-directed neuroplasticity! I discuss how change actually happens in the brain, why discipline is more important than motivation, how to create and stick to habits, and why systems and processes are more important than goals!

Nerd Alert- Parts of the brain that deal with and resist change; orbitofrontal cortex & basal ganglia 

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Check out myAmazon Storefrontfor all of my favorite Brianna Approved things!

You can visit my websitewww.briannadiorio.comto learn more. Be sure to follow my Instagram ⁠@briannadiorio⁠ for all the Brianna Approved educational content!

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

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Purchase my new Relationship eBook,⁠Reflect & Connect⁠, a pocket guide that includesIntentional prompts & guided reflections to break patterns, shift limiting beliefs and deepen your self-awareness.

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Befriending Anxiety E-Course

My Befriending Anxiety E-Course is now live! You can enroll now and learn more here!

My favorite solo episode to date! In this episode I will introduce the concept of transformational vocabulary and dive into how the words you chose shape your emotions, behaviors, perceptions and ultimately quality of life. 

We will explore practical tools for elevating emotional vocabulary, working on cognitive reframing, and transforming life through intentional language. I discuss the power of emotional labeling, the science of word shaping and auditing your words & existing language.

I discuss the difference between limiting, neutral and empowering language, how to replace and elevate your words and give examples of empowering language swaps you can integrate right after the episode!

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Purchase my new Relationship eBook, Reflect & Connect, a pocket guide that includes Intentional prompts & guided reflections to break patterns, shift limiting beliefs and deepen your self-awareness.

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Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content!

You can visit my website www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

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Befriending Anxiety E-Course

My Befriending Anxiety E-Course is now live! You can enroll now and learn more here!

It is the first episode of 2025, of course we are talking about mental health!

In episode 76 I sit down with John Scafiddi Jr, founder & creative director At War World Wide & host on The Journey Podcast. We talk about being at war with yourself and how they can be a catalyst for personal growth, we discuss how to pour back into your own cup (and figuring out what that looks like for you), why having balance is bullsh*t sometimes, and how you know when it is finally time to walk away from people/relationships that no longer serve you.

Follow John on IG

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Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content!

You can visit my website www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

In episode 75 of the podcast, we are talking all things Positive Psychology, which is the scientific study of optimal human functioning.

In this epsiode I disucss:

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Be sure to follow my Instagram @briannadiorio for all the Brianna Approved educational content!

You can visit my website www.briannadiorio.com to learn more.

Production Manager and Graphics @kylediorio

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Befriending Anxiety E-Course

My Befriending Anxiety E-Course is now live! You can enroll now and learn more here!

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