The End of the Day Podcast with Kari Watterson: Using Mindset Work to Live Your Best Life

If you’ve ever struggled to sustain change—whether in your habits, your mindset, or the way you show up in a specific area of your life—it’s likely because your brain is holding onto an identity that doesn’t yet match the change you’re trying to make.

That’s why we’re revisiting an episode from the archives on Todd Herman’s work on alter egos—a tool designed to help you more quickly and impactfully "overcome all the obstacles holding you back from achieving the results you want."

That’s where repeated beingness comes in.

James Clear describes identity as something we don’t just decide to have—it’s something we repeat into existence through action. And when we struggle with change, it’s often because we’re missing one or both of these key prongs of identity formation:

• Repetition – Consistently showing up in a certain way, even before it feels natural.
  
  
• Beingness – The mindset, energy, and self-concept that reinforce why we’re showing up that way.

But change doesn’t have to be slow.

The reason The Alter Ego Effect is such a powerful framework is that it helps us step into repeated beingness immediately—rather than waiting months or years for our identity to catch up.

Instead of trying to become the version of you who can confidently take action, the alter ego lets you experience yourself as that person right now.

By:

• Defining a specific “field of play” where you want to show up differently
  
  
• Creating a deliberately crafted alter ego that already possesses the traits you need
  
  
• Using a trigger, artifact, or ritual to instantly activate that version of you

…you remove hesitation, bypass internal resistance, and accelerate the number of “identity reps” you get—making it easier for your brain to accept and reinforce your elevated self-concept faster.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why so many people set the same goals every year and quietly quit within weeks
  
  
• How identity is shaped through repeated beingness—and how to use that to your advantage
  
  
• Why the alter ego isn’t about “pretending”—it’s about revealing who you’ve been all along
  
  
• The power of subtraction: how high performers remove the doubts and stories that keep them stuck
  
  
• How the alter ego framework removes the struggle of identity shift by giving you a tool to reinforce your new self faster
  
  
• How you can start using the alter ego effect to hurdle obstacles in your own "field of play"

This rebroadcast sets the stage for upcoming episodes where we’ll take Todd Herman’s work even deeper.

As you listen, think about where you’ve been stuck in trying to change—and whether an alter ego could be the tool that finally allows you to experience yourself as the version of you who already moves, already acts, and already succeeds as your most powerful, capable self.

Resources & Links:

• The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman
• Atomic Habits by James Clear 
• Follow me on Instagram
• Find me on LinkedIn
• Get 1:1 life and mindset coaching

Life can be so much more than we think. And that's where we start - with your thinking. See how your thoughts have been holding you back, and learn how to cut through the noise and move powerfully forward. $39 coaching calls.

To book a call, visit KariWatterson.com.

Why Taking Your Capabilities Seriously Might Be the Missing Link to the Change You Seek

We all have unique capabilities—strengths, skills, and talents that set us apart. But here’s the question: Are you actually taking them seriously?

Do you even know what your unique capabilities are?

Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach, calls this Capableism—the idea that success isn’t just about recognizing your strengths but about taking responsibility for them, developing them, and strategically combining them with others. It’s about using your capabilities to actively shape your future instead of letting them sit dormant.

In this episode, we explore:

✔ Why simply identifying your strengths isn’t enough—you have to own them
✔ How undervaluing your capabilities keeps you stuck in patterns of inaction
✔ The surprising consequences of not taking your strengths seriously
✔ What happens when you start prioritizing capability growth in your daily life
✔ How Capableism shifts the focus from competition to collaboration
✔ A powerful journaling exercise to help you reconnect with your full potential

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What Capableism is and why it reframes personal growth in a powerful way
• The difference between recognizing your strengths and truly owning them
• How taking your capabilities seriously can create a ripple effect in your life and work
• The biggest mindset shifts that help you move from passive potential to active impact
• Why collaboration and capability expansion go hand in hand
• A practical exercise to help you explore this question and start taking ownership of and leveraging yours

Your Call to Action:

• Take 5 minutes to reflect: Are you taking your capabilities seriously, or are you still playing small?
  
  
• Download the free journaling exercise (linked below) to uncover where you might be holding yourself back.
  
  
• Identify one capability you know you have—but haven’t fully leveraged. What’s one action you can take today to start owning it?

If we’re going to build something great, it starts with fully stepping into who we already are.

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Resources & Links:

• Self-Exploration Journaling Exercise: Take some time to identify your capabilities. Are you taking them seriously? Not sure? Click here to download a journaling exercise to help you get started.
  
  
• Dan Sullivan’s blog post, “What is Capableism, and Why Is It So Important For Entrepreneurs?”
  
  
• Visit Dan Sullivan’s website to download a free copy of his e-book, Capableism, watch the video series, or listen to the audio
  
  
• Follow me on Instagram
  
  
• Find me on LinkedIn
  
  
• Get 1:1 life and mindset coaching

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Life can be so much more than we think. And that's where we start - with your thinking. See how your thoughts have been holding you back, and learn how to cut through the noise and move powerfully forward. $39 coaching calls.

To book a call, visit KariWatterson.com.

We all carry an internalized voice telling us what we can’t do. Maybe it came from culture, society, past experiences, or people around us—but at some point, we absorbed it. And for many of us, it’s been running the show.

Nike’s 2025 Super Bowl ad put this on full display, and for me, it struck a deep nerve. Not because it pointed fingers, but because it held up a mirror.

In this episode, I take a look at why this ad resonated so powerfully for some—and triggered backlash from others. But more importantly, we’re using it as a launchpad for a much bigger conversation:

✔ The real reason so many people never take their shot (and it’s not what you think)
✔ Why the comment section perfectly illustrates the fear that keeps us small
✔ How we unconsciously wait for external permission—even when we say we don’t
✔ The moment you just decide—and why that’s both freeing and terrifying
✔ What to focus on instead of getting caught in emotional debates or backlash

This isn’t about fighting the noise. It’s about taking back your focus.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why Nike’s Super Bowl ad hit so hard—and why it sparked controversy
• How the fear of judgment, ridicule, and rejection is wired into us (and how to work with it)
• The invisible barriers that keep us from fully committing to what we want
• Why debating words like ambition, winning, dominance is a distraction
• The real battleground: stepping beyond conditioning and taking up space
• What happens when you remove all excuses—so it’s just you and the work
• A powerful mind-body exercise you can use when you feel stuck

Your Call to Action:

• Watch the Nike Super Bowl Ad (linked below) and read the transcript out loud. Notice what emotions come up for you.
• Ask yourself: What narratives have I been letting run my life? Do I actually want to keep listening to them?
• Decide: Am I waiting for external permission—or am I willing to claim what I want and start doing the work?

If we’re going to fight for something, let’s fight for that.

Resources & Links:

🔗 Watch the Nike Super Bowl Ad 2025
🔗 Nike's Press Release About the "So Win" Ad Campaign
🔗 Video Clip: The Secret Behind Doechii's Sudden Rise
🔗 Follow me on Instagram
🔗 Find me on LinkedIn
🔗 Get 1:1 life and mindset coaching

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share it, tag me, and let’s keep this conversation going.

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Life can be so much more than we think. And that's where we start - with your thinking. See how your thoughts have been holding you back, and learn how to cut through the noise and move powerfully forward. $39 coaching calls. To book a call, visit KariWatterson.com.

If you’ve ever felt that tension—grateful for self-compassion but wondering if it’s holding you back—this episode is for you.

Maybe you used to struggle with an unrelenting inner critic but found self-compassion and now have a kinder relationship with yourself. But now you feel stuck, frustrated by your lack of progress in key areas of your life. You start following podcasts and social media with the messaging, "No excuses, stay hard."

And you start rethinking self-compassion, wondering, "Is this making me weaker instead of stronger? Am I getting too soft? What is self-compassion actually for?"

These are questions I’ve wrestled with in my own growth journey, and I noticed similar plateaus with my clients. When I leaned into these questions instead of avoiding them, I realized I had been treating self-compassion as the end game—a place to arrive. And that’s why I was stuck. But self-compassion isn’t the end game—it’s a launchpad. It’s not the destination—it’s the gateway.

And that’s what this episode explores.

Instead of a traditional solo episode, this is a back-and-forth dialogue I had with ChatGPT. Using the voice memo tool on the mobile version of ChatGPT-4, I processed these questions in real time. ChatGPT acted as a thought partner, helping me refine ideas and explore insights as they emerged. What you’re about to hear is the result of that deep-dive conversation.

Together, we explore self-compassion in a way that goes beyond just “being kind to yourself.” We break down:

Key Topics Covered:

• Self-compassion isn’t the destination—it’s the gateway. It’s not where we stop; it’s what allows us to move forward into something greater.
  
  
• Dr. Kristin Neff’s insight on self-compassion: how we show up for ourselves in struggle—being with ourselves instead of separating from the parts of us that feel flawed.
  
  
• The shift from soothing pain to creating possibility. Self-compassion isn’t just about feeling better—it’s about making sure we’re on a path we actually want to be on.
  
  
• How self-compassion and affirming self-talk are success tools. They’re not just for emotional relief—they build resilience and momentum.
  
  
• Brené Brown’s warning about dehumanization—and why we need to rehumanize ourselves. When we stop using dehumanizing words about ourselves, we stop seeing ourselves as a collection of flaws and start seeing ourselves as whole, worthy humans.
  
  
• Why dreaming requires safety—and how self-compassion makes it possible. Before we can take bold action, we have to feel safe enough to even imagine something different.
  
  
• What happens when self-compassion becomes a hiding place instead of a launchpad? If we’re not careful, we can use self-compassion to avoid discomfort rather than move through it.
  
  
• The real question: Where am I going? And is this the path I truly want to be on? Self-compassion isn’t just about keeping going—it’s about making sure we’re going where we actually want to go.

This episode is an invitation to reframe self-compassion as more than just a tool for healing—it’s a tool for forging and becoming. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the mindset work but still feel stuck, this conversation will help you break through.

Cited in this episode:

• How I Work Podcast | Transform Your Response to Setbacks Using Self-Compassion w/Prof. Neff
  
  
• Rehumanizing Not Dehumanizing (clip) with Brené Brown & Marie Forleo

1:1 life coaching is for anyone who wants to stop letting their thinking keep them from the life they want. To sign up for coaching, go to KariWatterson.com.

What if you could tap into momentum as an energy source to shift your state and start moving—without relying on motivation?

In this episode, I break down two simple but powerful productivity hacks—inspired by David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology—that will help you:

✔ Reduce mental friction and stop thinking the same thoughts on repeat
✔ Get small but nagging tasks off your plate so they stop weighing you down
✔ Use momentum as an energy source to go from stuck to activated
✔ Leverage Newton’s Law of Inertia to shift your internal state and make starting easier

You'll also get a quick activation challenge you can use anytime you feel frozen, stuck in resistance, or needing to change your internal state quickly.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The Think Things Once principle and why it reduces mental load
• The Two-Minute Rule and how it rewires your brain for momentum
• Viewing momentum as an energy source you can create
• Why resistance is also energy,  but working against you—and how to flip it
• How Newton’s Law of Inertia applies to motivation and getting unstuck
• The Five Two-Minute Challenge—a fast way to shift your energy and prime your brain for action

Cited in this episode:

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

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Life isn't meant to feel so hard. See how your thinking is keeping you from the life you want. $39 coaching sessions. To book a call, visit KariWatterson.com.

Website
Instagram:  @kari_mindsetcoach
LinkedIn

We’ve all been there—those moments when life throws a curveball, and our first reaction is to spiral into frustration, stress, or self-blame. In this episode, we explore a simple but powerful mindset shift inspired by author Jon Acuff: “If you’re not sure what to do, start by deciding not to make things worse.”

This small but intentional choice can bring clarity, reduce overwhelm, and help us navigate challenges with more calm and control. We’ll discuss how to apply this mindset in everyday frustrations and heavier life moments, including:

• The power of pausing before reacting
•  Using humor and levity to break negative thought loops
• How emotional regulation helps us make better decisions
• The difference between “Not making it worse” and choosing to “Steady” yourself in uncertain times

Tune in for practical insights on how to reset in difficult moments and reclaim your ability to respond intentionally—one step at a time.

Cited in this episode:

🎙 Jon Acuff’s podcast: All It Takes Is A Goal
📖 Jon Acuff’s books: Soundtracks, Your New Playlist, Start, Finish, All It Takes Is a Goal
🔗 More from Jon Acuff: jonacuff.com

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Life isn't meant to feel so hard. See how your thinking is keeping you from the life you want. $39 coaching sessions. To book a call, visit KariWatterson.com.

Website
Instagram:  @kari_mindsetcoach
LinkedIn

In this final episode of the three-part series, we explore one of the most critical but overlooked steps in personal growth: deciding what to do with what you’ve learned. It’s not enough to expand your awareness or gain new insights—real change happens when you give your brain a clear directive on how you want to move forward.

Through a replay of a screen recording originally shared on LinkedIn, I walk you through what I do after a ChatGPT session to keep the momentum going. This isn’t about accumulating more knowledge; it’s about choosing a focus, creating clarity, and setting the tone for how you’ll apply what you’ve learned in your life.

The episode also touches on how narrowing your focus to what’s actionable and within your control helps filter out the noise, avoid overwhelm, and direct your energy where it can have the most impact.

Key Highlights:

• From Awareness to Action: Why gaining insight is only the first step toward transformation.
• Giving Your Brain a Directive: How to decide what you want to focus on and what to keep in mind moving forward.
• Narrowing the Scope: The power of focusing on what’s actionable to avoid stagnation and overwhelm.
• Using ChatGPT for Momentum: How AI can help spark ideas and clarify your next steps.

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Links to screen recordings referenced in this episode (originally published on LinkedIn):

-- Episode 76

-- Episode 77

-- Episode 78

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Recommended resource:

Book | A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control
by Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez

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Life isn't meant to feel so hard. See how your thinking is keeping you from the life you want. $39 coaching sessions. To book a call, visit KariWatterson.com.

Website
Instagram:  @kari_mindsetcoach
LinkedIn

In this episode, I continue exploring how ChatGPT can serve as a powerful tool for personal growth. By refining prompts, I’ve discovered how it can help us prime our brains for tasks, expand our thinking, and uncover insights we might not reach on our own.

Building on Episode 76, where I explored psychology terms beginning with "self," this episode dives into words starting with "under," such as "underachieving," "underearning," and "undervalued." These explorations are about bringing new language into awareness to trigger fresh insights and open doors to deeper understanding.

Key Highlights:

• How refining ChatGPT prompts can unlock unexpected insights and expand our thinking.
• The power of "under" words like "underperforming" and "underdeveloped" to identify areas where we may be limiting our potential.
• Practical strategies for reframing limiting beliefs through self-reflection and focusing on what we can control.

Coming Up Next:

In the next episode, we’ll wrap up this three-part series with a quick segment on taking insights to the next level. We’ll explore Stoic philosophy to train our minds to focus on what’s within our control and discuss how this mindset shift is the key to transforming insight into meaningful action.

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Resources cited in this episode:

- Link to screenrecording of this episode (first posted on LinkedIn)

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Life isn't meant to feel so hard. See how your thinking is keeping you from the life you want. $39 coaching sessions. To book a call, visit KariWatterson.com.

Website
Instagram:  @kari_mindsetcoach
LinkedIn

Do you use ChatGPT in your self-development journey? Over the next three episodes, I’ll share screen recordings of my recent explorations with ChatGPT, where I use it to find fresh ways to talk about tools and concepts that can help us move forward in life. I believe many of us need to hear things more than once, and in different ways, before we have that "aha" moment that helps us break through our limitations.

Instead of resisting or judging AI, I decided to embrace ChatGPT with curiosity and explore how it can help us understand the lessons we need to learn—faster.

Key Highlights:

• Shifting from fear or judgment of AI to curiosity and exploration
• Using ChatGPT to reveal insights that reframe limiting beliefs
• How radical ownership and focusing on what’s within our control open the door to self-development

In the next episode, I’ll share how I used ChatGPT to explore ways we might be falling short of our potential—and how to use that knowledge to gain traction in our lives.

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Resources cited in this episode:

- Link to screenrecording of this episode (first posted on LinkedIn)

- Link to ChatGPT conversation (how I used ChatGPT to gain clarity on Viktor Frankl's response to the age-old question, "What is the meaning of life?")

- Article: The Nerdy Dopamine Pathway by Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D.

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To see how 1:1 mindset coaching can help you to think differently so you can start to live differently, book a free coaching call this week. Visit my website or email me at [email protected] with the subject line: "Book a Call".

Website
Instagram:  @kari_mindsetcoach
LinkedIn

In this episode, we shed light on a very real but little talked about struggle of those suffering with burnout: the challenge of embracing effort again after burnout.

For many, words like “effort” or “hard work” trigger resistance. But what if effort could energize you instead of draining you? When we redefine effort as lively, healthy, and purposeful, it shifts from something to fear into something that makes you feel alive again.

Key Takeaways:

• Burnout and the Nervous System: After burnout, your body may resist effort because it associates it with harm. Drawing from the work of trauma-informed somatic practitioner Sarah Baldwin, I explain how you can show your nervous system that it's safe to move toward your goals by reconnecting with effort in a supportive and healthy way.
• Redefining Effort: How to Make It Energizing, Not Draining: Using first principles thinking, we break down the concept of "effort" and redefine it as something life-giving and energizing. When effort is rooted in purpose and vitality, it can propel you forward without the fear of burnout.
• Heartfelt Effort vs. Half-Hearted Effort: True effort comes from the heart, fueled by energy and engagement. When effort is half-hearted, it drains you. But when it’s heartfelt, it helps you feel fully alive and ready to take action.
• Consistency and Success: Struggling with effort often leads to fearing inconsistency. Successful people say what sets them apart is their commitment to stay consistent, no matter how long it takes. As Marie Forleo says, “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently.” In this episode, we explore how, when effort is aligned with heart and purpose, consistency naturally follows, making progress energizing, rewarding, and inevitable.

Could falling back in love with effort be the key you've been looking for to unlock consistency?

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe and share with someone who needs this message!

Resources and references:

Quoted: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” -  Marcus Aurelius
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Sarah Baldwin, Trauma Informed Somatic Practitioner | 

Website:  https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/
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Ryan Holiday | The Daily Stoic Podcast | The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumphs
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James Clear | Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
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Greg McKeown |  Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
.

If you want to take this work deeper:

The End of the Day Podcast |  Episode 26: Perfectionist Trauma

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To see how 1:1 mindset coaching can help you to think differently so you can start to live differently, book a free coaching call this week. Visit my website or email me at [email protected] with the subject line: "Book a Call".

Website
Instagram:  @kari_mindsetcoach
LinkedIn