Change Wired

Pure positive thinking sounds harmless, but what if it’s the reason you keep failing on the goals you care about most?

I’m Angela Shurina, and I’m unpacking a counterintuitive finding from motivation research: when we only fantasize about future success, our bodies can relax as if the win already happened, which makes needed effort less likely.

We dig into Gabrielle Oettingen’s work on the science of motivation and the practical technique called mental contrasting. You’ll learn how to visualize a goal in a way that actually increases follow-through. This approach applies to weight loss, fitness, career growth, exams, interviews, personal finance, and any long-term goal that demands consistency.

I also share stories that make the point real, from learning rollerblading through repeated falls to the “cost of getting lean” and the trade-offs behind visible abs. The big takeaway is simple: match the price with the prize, so setbacks stop feeling like surprises and start feeling like part of the plan.

If this helps, subscribe, share it with one person who feels stuck, and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show.

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

Your biggest goals might be losing because your rewards arrive too late.

If you have ever crushed a plan for a week, then slid back into old patterns, the issue is not that you are “lazy” or “not disciplined enough.” We are wired to repeat what feels good right now, and that wiring runs the show when you are trying to build consistent habits for long-term goals.

I am Angela Shurina, and I break down a research-backed habit formation principle drawn from behavioral psychology and neuroscience: immediate rewards create lasting behavior. We talk about why celebrating big milestones does not build the habits that lead to those milestones, why fantasizing about goals can fall flat without the right practice, and how Pavlov’s conditioning research points to a surprisingly tight timing window. When the good feeling comes within seconds of the behavior, your brain connects the dots. When it comes weeks later, it does not.

You will leave with practical ways to celebrate micro wins so your workouts, nutrition choices, bedtime routines, learning sessions, or even uncomfortable tasks like sales calls start to feel easier and more satisfying.

If this helps, subscribe, share it with someone who keeps yo-yoing, and leave a review so we can reach more people who want lasting change.

What habit are you going to reward within 2 seconds today?

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

You’re not “undisciplined” you’re just bad at design.

I’m Angela Shurina, and today I’m sharing 3 science-backed strategies for breaking hard-to-quit habits by design, not by disciplining your way through temptations.

If you’ve ever promised yourself you’d stop something small but stubborn (like my own coconut milk in coffee routine) and then watched autopilot win again, this is your reset button.

We dig into why routine disruption is so powerful, and why your environment beats your best intentions sooner than later. You’ll learn how to redesign what’s around you so the habit you want to quit becomes inconvenient, harder to access, and easier to forget. Think environment design, friction, and better defaults rather than more motivation.

Then we break down the habit loop from behavioral science: cue, routine, reward. Instead of “trying to break the habit,” we look for the specific part of the loop you can interrupt, replace, or remove. Finally, we use a Ulysses contract style pre-commitment to stop relying on in-the-moment willpower and start building accountability that makes the right choice the path of least resistance.

If are enjoying these, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s been stuck for years with some bad habits, and leave a quick rating and review so more people can break the habits that don’t serve them.

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

Today I’m sharing a simple, repeatable framework I use to feel good most days, even when plans fall apart, projects stall, or life throws the usual curveballs. Feeling better isn’t about pretending everything is great. It’s about building a steady inner state through repeated habits. What are those habits?

We start with what a good day looks like in real life for me, from there, I break it down, the process of creating good-day feeling, through 3-pillar lens you can use as a weekly compass: vitality, connection, and purpose. 

We also talk mindset and emotional regulation, why attention acts like a spotlight, and how CBT, ACT, and DBT-style tools can help you stop catastrophizing and start choosing a better lens. 

At the end I'll be sharing the core habit that makes everything else work and improve over time.

Download your free worksheet - a simple weekly reflection practice to help you find your wins, spot your drains, and apply the 80/20 to your joy and results.

If you are enjoying these, subscribe and share it with one person who needs a steadier, fulfilling, peaceful day, and leave a rating and review so more people can find the work.

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

Regret can feel like a punch to the gut, but it’s one of the most underrated decision-making tools we have.

When a choice leaves that bitter, lingering “that wasn’t right” feeling, it’s often not random emotion. It’s a signal that something important in you just got ignored.

I walk you through a real decision I made too quickly.

We dig into values-based decision making, why trade-offs are unavoidable, and how to stop choosing from a place of stress, people-pleasing, or a packed schedule. I also share the values assessment I like (the Values Bridge Assessment by Susie Welch) and why “I know my values” isn’t enough if you can’t name them or act on them day to day.

If you’re navigating leadership decisions, career moves, or any high-stakes personal choice, you’ll leave with a simple method to turn regret into alignment and make choices you’re proud of later.

If this helps, subscribe, share it with one person who’s struggling with a decision right now, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Values-Bridge Assessment: https://thevaluesbridge.com/

Executive-Coaching Session to Work Through Tough Decisions: https://calendly.com/angelashurina/executive-momentum-360

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

The moments that can change your life usually arrive with a racing heart and a loud inner voice that says, “What if I mess this up?”

I want to show you a different way to meet that moment, using a 5-pillar high performance psychology framework inspired by big wave surfer Matt Bromley, a “storm rider” who repeatedly performs in conditions where one mistake can cost everything.

We break down what consistently strong performers do before the pressure hits: prepare the core skill and the small subskills until they’re automatic, then simulate the real challenge so the environment stops feeling threatening. We also get practical about stress and anxiety. If you can’t regulate your physiology, your performance mindset won’t stick, which is why we talk breathwork, visualization, and stress conditioning tools that help keep your brain online when your body wants to panic.

Next we cover “mapping the terrain,” the underrated performance advantage of removing surprises by walking the stage, checking the mic, studying conditions, and doing your research. Finally, we get to the master switch that changes everything: shifting from a threat response to a challenge response. You’ll hear the kind of self-talk Matt uses to flip fear into focus and purpose, plus a clear recap you can apply before your next presentation, meeting, interview, or competition.

If this helps you, subscribe, share it with someone who’s facing a high-stakes moment, and leave a review so more people can learn to lean into the challenge.

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

Lower back pain can feel like a life sentence, but sometimes the fix is so basic it’s easy to ignore: water.

We walk through why dehydration can show up as stiffness, spasms, and aching in your low back, and how spinal discs depend on steady fluid intake to stay resilient. If you’ve tried stretching, mobility work, or “perfect posture” and you’re still hurting, this conversation gives you a simple starting point you can test today.

From there, we zoom out into the bigger theme I come back to again and again as a health, sleep, and stress management coach: most recurring problems don’t need a smarter hack, they need better basics.

We apply the same “foundations first” approach to relationships and business.

Finally, I share the 3 nutrition coaching questions I use before any advanced diet plan or supplement: for long-term health, longevity and ideal body weight for life without diets.

If this helps, subscribe, share it with someone dealing with back pain, and leave a review so more people find the basics that work.

What’s the one foundation you know you’ve been skipping?

https://calendly.com/angelashurina/executive-momentum-360

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

Stress can hit like a wave, but it doesn’t have to overflow your day.

I’m breaking down a 4-pillar stress management framework that goes beyond the usual advice and gives you a practical toolkit you can test in real situations, from work pressure to family stress to that quiet, constant hum of anxiety.

We start with the body, because your nervous system is the fastest on-ramp to relief. Then we talk about something that sounds backwards but works: training calm through controlled stress like high-intensity intervals, cold showers, and sauna, so your body can activate without your mind spiraling.

From there, we move into the psychology of overwhelm. 

Finally, we build emotional resilience with two reframes, “I’ve got this” and “I get to do this,” then close with environmental recovery tools like nature exposure, social connection, and sensory experiences that help you unload stress and rebuild capacity.

If this helped, subscribe, share it with one person you’ll practice with, and leave a review so more people can get a little calmer and a lot more capable.

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas

Support the show

Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.

Procrastination isn’t ruining your plans because you “lack discipline.” It’s ruining your plans because your brain is doing exactly what it evolved to do: chase what feels urgent right now and ignore what only becomes painful later.

I’m Angela Shurina, and I’m walking you through the mindset skill I rely on to finish the work that builds a great life, even when there’s no deadline, no boss, and no one watching.

We dig into a simple truth of human behavior: you don’t get done what’s important, you get done what’s urgent. So the real upgrade is learning to choose your urgencies instead of letting the world choose them for you. I share the “fire under your ass” approach, a metacognition tool (thinking about your thinking) that helps decade-long goals feel real today, whether that’s writing a book, building a business, improving your fitness, or showing up for the relationships that matter most.

You’ll also hear why small neglected problems can create bigger damage than big obvious ones, and how to stop letting tiny delays snowball into expensive emergencies.

If you want practical self-coaching language you can use the next time you’re tempted to skip, this is a must-listen.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck, and leave a rating and review so more people can build urgency for the life they actually want.

You can book your free Mindset Coaching session here: https://calendly.com/angelashurina/executive-momentum-360

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina  

Certified Health, Sleep, Performance & Executive Coach 360 with 18 years of experience helping people change to feel, be and do their best.