The Action Factory Podcast

Ever witnessed a young person repeat a self-destructive behavior that seems to defy all logic? I know I have. And today, I'm diving into a story I’ve never shared before — not just about the young people I’ve worked with, but about my own inexplicable, self-destructive behavior as a kid. If you're wondering why young people sometimes act against their own best interests, stick around. Because even after decades in this field, I don’t have all the answers — just the questions that haunt me still.

_________

Finally, if you’re a youth work team who would be interested in building team consistency, better confidence in crises, and offering better outcomes, you might want to check out my webinar below.

 WATCH THE FREE TRAINING SESSION

Welcome to The Action Factory Podcast, and it’s great to be back! After a long hiatus due to moving house, I want to talk about how we might save our council a few million pounds.

My name is Michael Dawson, and I developed a universal, principle-based framework for youth work teams. During the design of the Solutions Toolkit, I’m often asked about my experience. It’s broad and covers most sectors, but I’ll always refer to three fantastic and revolutionary projects that I was lucky enough to have been involved in.

In today’s episode, I want to talk about one of them. It was a project where I jokingly used to say that, in private industry, we would all be driving Mercedes.

Why?

Because, based purely on the financials, we were saving city councils millions of pounds a year. We did this by keeping young people at home instead of in the care system. In fact, (after recording) I found a fascinating article in The Guardian by George Monbiot that confirms exactly what I’ve been saying.

If you’re a City Council influencer, we could easily do this again in a new and modern way.

In this episode, I’ll describe our service and what we did. Sadly, it’s a kind of rise and fall of the most cost-effective service the City Council ever created.

Although I found the article below after recording, I think you’ll find it interesting:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/18/child-care-cost-year-wealth-funds-councils-britain-residential

Oh and the Simpsons of course 

Finally, if you’re a youth work team who would be interested in building team consistency, better confidence in crises, and offering better outcomes, you might want to check out my webinar below.

 WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR

In this chapter, I share the story of a Big Issue seller in Manchester whose natural charisma sparked a powerful thought experiment: if DNA shapes our physical traits, what shapes our mental limits?

I call it ME-NA, our mental DNA. Unlike physical DNA, ME-NA can be rewritten. It sets the boundaries of our comfort zone, defines what we believe we deserve, and influences the choices we make in life.

From the streets of Manchester to the feats of endurance athletes like Rich Roll and Jason Lester, this chapter explores how ME-NA can either hold us back or propel us forward, and how rewriting it can transform not just our ambitions, but our entire life.

If you’ve ever wondered why some people break through every barrier while others stay stuck, this chapter will give you a whole new perspective.

Join for FREE tools & downloads: actionfactorypublishing.com packed with proven, life-changing methods to transform your mindset and body.

Coming Soon: The training course! Become a site member today and you'll get early lifetime access to this powerful course FREE upon release.

LET'S HAVE COFFEE! All Buy Me a Coffee supporters get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings.

Support this channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet

Subscribe now to never miss insights, techniques, and tips to revolutionize your relationship with food—and yourself. Connect with me: actionfactorypublishing.com

If you think you can skim this book like a crash diet and get results, think again. This isn’t a quick fix, it’s a roadmap for lasting change, built to help you finally quit dieting for good.

In this episode, Michael Dawson lays out exactly how to get the most from Quit Your Diet: Think to Shrink.

You’ll discover why this isn’t just about weight loss, it’s about rewiring how you think, how you see yourself, and how you act in the world.

You’ll hear: The 3-part journey that shifts you from diet obsession to total freedom

Why the “diet mentality” keeps you stuck and how to break it

7 powerful mindset assumptions that can transform the way you approach change How to spot the hidden “robot” running your life and take back control

Why pretending you can is often the first step to actually doing it

This is more than a book, it’s a mental training program that puts you back in charge. Whether your goal is weight loss, confidence, or freedom from food rules, the tools you’ll learn here can create real, lasting change.

Listen now to discover how to prepare your mind for the journey ahead and why following this process step-by-step is the smartest decision you’ll ever make for your future self.

Coming Soon: The training course! Become a site member today and you'll get early lifetime access to this powerful course FREE upon release.

LET'S HAVE COFFEE! All Buy Me a Coffee supporters get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings.

Support this channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet Subscribe now to never miss insights, techniques, and tips to revolutionize your relationship with food—and yourself.

Connect with me: actionfactorypublishing.com

What if weight loss wasn’t about food, exercise, or willpower at all, what if the real battle was in your mind?

In this chapter, Michael Dawson takes you behind the scenes of The Morbidity Project, a 12-week NHS experiment that threw every professional resource, medical, dietary, fitness, and psychological, at a group of people living with severe, life-threatening obesity.

The mission: to give them the best possible chance of lasting change. But what Michael discovered in that fluorescent-lit tennis club meeting room would challenge everything the weight-loss industry teaches.

The problem wasn’t knowledge - it was belief. It wasn’t calories - it was identity.

You’ll hear:

Why most weight-loss programs are set up to work against your psychology

The tiny mindset shifts that sparked powerful, real-life changes in participants

Why success has to be defined by you not the scales

How the tools that transform addiction, trauma, and high-pressure business can transform weight loss too

This isn’t about fad diets, rigid rules, or punishing yourself thin.

It’s about learning to work with your mind instead of against it, because once you think differently, everything changes.

Listen now to discover the insights that became the foundation for the Quit Your Diet – Think to Shrink program.

Join for FREE tools & downloads: actionfactorypublishing.com and receive your free interactive copy of the book that started it all, 'Quit Your Diet – Think to Shrink,' packed with proven, life-changing methods to transform your mindset and body.

Coming Soon:

The training course! Become a site member today and you'll get early lifetime access to this powerful course FREE upon release.

LET'S HAVE COFFEE! All Buy Me a Coffee supporters get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings.

Support this channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet Subscribe now to never miss insights, techniques, and tips to revolutionize your relationship with food—and yourself.

Connect with me: actionfactorypublishing.com

What if the secret to lasting weight loss had nothing to do with diets, calorie counting, or endless workouts… and everything to do with the way you think?

In this first chapter of Think to Shrink, Michael Dawson takes you inside a groundbreaking NHS project where twelve people, each facing life-threatening health risks were given every possible tool to change their lives.

But what he discovered in that musty tennis club meeting room would turn conventional weight-loss wisdom upside down. This isn’t about food diaries, scales, or guilt-driven plans. It’s about why some of the most common strategies can actually make things worse… and how small, mindset-based shifts can create real, lasting change.

You’ll hear:

Why being “on a diet” can be a warning sign of weight gain

How everyday habits on autopilot keep us stuck, and how to break them

The surprising conflicts inside traditional weight-loss programs

Why defining your own success is the game-changer no one talks about If you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, this is your invitation to try anything different - starting with the way you think.

Listen now to uncover the mindset tools that could change everything, whether you’re losing weight or chasing any life goal.

Join for FREE tools & downloads: actionfactorypublishing.com and receive your free interactive copy of the book that started it all, 'Quit Your Diet – Think to Shrink,' packed with proven, life-changing methods to transform your mindset and body.

Coming Soon: The training course! Become a site member today and you'll get early lifetime access to this powerful course FREE upon release.

LET'S HAVE COFFEE! All Buy Me a Coffee supporters get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings.

Support this channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet Subscribe now to never miss insights, techniques, and tips to revolutionize your relationship with food, and yourself.

Connect with me: actionfactorypublishing.com

What if you could quit dieting forever, and be free from food rules, calorie counting, and the endless cycle of hope and disappointment in just 14 days?

In this opening to Quit Your Diet: Think to Shrink, Michael Dawson shares how a life-changing NHS project working with twelve people facing life-threatening obesity inspired a radical new approach. One that throws out the old weight-loss script and focuses on the one thing every traditional program overlooks, your mindset.

You’ll hear: Why traditional diets often fail, not because you’re weak, but because they focus on the wrong problem

The MAP method - a 3-step process to break free from dieting forever

How “D-Day” can become your Diet Day, the moment you step out of diet territory for good

Why victory isn’t about what’s on your plate, but what’s in your head If you’re ready to stop fighting with food and start working with your mind, this is where the journey begins.

Listen now and discover how to prepare yourself for your final diet day, and the freedom that comes after. Join for FREE tools & downloads: actionfactorypublishing.com and receive your free i

nteractive copy of the book that started it all, 'Quit Your Diet – Think to Shrink,' packed with proven, life-changing methods to transform your mindset and body.

Coming Soon: The training course! Become a site member today and you'll get early lifetime access to this powerful course FREE upon release.

LET'S HAVE COFFEE! All Buy Me a Coffee supporters get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings.

Support this channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet Subscribe now to never miss insights, techniques, and tips to revolutionize your relationship with food, and yourself.

Connect with me: actionfactorypublishing.com

Stuck in the same old cycle with food, cravings, or motivation?

Maybe it’s time to do something completely different.

In this episode, I share a message that might just change the game: If what you're doing isn’t working, try ANYTHING else.

Even if it’s silly. Especially if it’s silly.

You’ll hear:

Why a water pistol solved a years-long family feud

How switching sides of the bed healed a marriage

The genius of supermodels and champagne on trains (courtesy of Rory Sutherland) Why logic kills magic, and what that means for your weight journey

Six real, quirky, and surprisingly effective pattern-interrupts you can use today This isn’t about willpower. It’s about breaking patterns, having fun, and building momentum in unexpected ways.

____________________________________________

👣 What to do next...

If today’s episode hit home, take the FREE quiz to find out which level your weight obsession lives on — and how to start changing from that level:

You’ll get:

🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this episode and the rest of the series over on the Quit Your Diet YouTube channel:

🎓 Become a site member today and get early, free access to my full training course when it launches.

☕ Like what you’re hearing? Support the show on Buy Me a Coffee and get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings:

📚 Explore more tools and resources at:

Thanks for tuning in — and remember:

Imagine treating a drink problem by selling someone branded low-alcohol beer. Sounds ridiculous, right?

Yet that’s exactly how we often approach weight problems , with food diaries, calorie counting, and obsession disguised as control.

In this episode, I share what really works when it comes to lasting change, not willpower, but identity shifts.

We’ll explore:

The flawed mindset behind most weight-loss tactics

Why obsession is the enemy of progress

What a revolutionary NHS project taught me about food and psychology

The power of “building boats” and why purpose can outperform any diet

How real transformation happens at the top of the change pyramid, not the bottom

This isn’t about fixing your “relationship with food.” It’s about moving your focus entirely, toward something more meaningful, more fulfilling, and more you.

If that sounds like the shift you’ve been looking for, there’s enough in the free membership area at actionfactorypublishing.com to get you started today. And don’t forget the 12-question quiz to find your level on the change pyramid, link’s somewhere around here.

____________________________________________

👣 What to do next...

If today’s episode hit home, take the FREE quiz to find out which level your weight obsession lives on — and how to start changing from that level:

You’ll get:

🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this episode and the rest of the series over on the Quit Your Diet YouTube channel:

🎓 Become a site member today and get early, free access to my full training course when it launches.

☕ Like what you’re hearing? Support the show on Buy Me a Coffee and get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings:

📚 Explore more tools and resources at:

Thanks for tuning in — and remember:

In this episode, I’ll show you how to build your personal D-Day (Diet Day) using a 14-day roadmap that leads to real, lasting change.

We’ll explore how preparation, mindset, and strong signals can shift you from diet chaos to total clarity.

We’ll cover:

Why you must build up to the day you quit your diet

How the MAP method (Map, Align, Proceed) sets you up for success

The powerful “3 feet or 3 miles” rule from beekeeping, and how it applies to habits What happens after Diet Day, your VE Day (Victory & Empowerment)

If you’ve struggled with yo-yo dieting and are ready to take back control, not just of your weight, but your life, this episode gives you the tools to do it.

____________________________________________

👣 What to do next...

If today’s episode hit home, take the FREE quiz to find out which level your weight obsession lives on — and how to start changing from that level:

You’ll get:

🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this episode and the rest of the series over on the Quit Your Diet YouTube channel:

🎓 Become a site member today and get early, free access to my full training course when it launches.

☕ Like what you’re hearing? Support the show on Buy Me a Coffee and get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings:

📚 Explore more tools and resources at:

Thanks for tuning in — and remember: