We close the year with The Four Agreements’ final chapter and explore how a “new dream” becomes real through imagination, love, and steady action. From Bob Ross to Figment to mountain summits, we turn mistakes into material and choices into change.

• the new dream as practical freedom
• Bob Ross as a model for reframing error
• choosing heaven or hell in daily practice
• imagination prompts turned into actions
• love as a method and self-respect
• identifying and starving the parasite
• opening the door out of comfortable pain
• consistency, tiny habits, and resilience
• reading widely to expand empathy
• reflections on the season and what’s next

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We close out the year by applying The Four Agreements to real life, focusing on how to break old agreements and act like a warrior who refrains rather than represses. The theme is simple: awareness first, action next, approach goals over avoidance, and integrity in the small steps that build freedom.

• recap of the four agreements and the year’s reading arc
• breaking old agreements to create new ones
• emotional mastery through refraining rather than repressing
• energy management and avoiding rumination
• self-care as operational readiness not selfishness
• mastery of awareness, transformation and intent
• parenting and modeling change across generations
• approach goals that focus on gains not losses
• tools for surfacing subconscious emotions
• doing over knowing and stepping onto the path

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We explore the Fourth Agreement—always do your best—and how it unlocks the other three. Through stories on careers, caregiving, and community, we trade perfectionism for presence and turn insight into action.

• how doing your best changes across seasons
• linking the four agreements through daily practice
• atomic habits and identity-based change
• the meditation parable on joy versus overwork
• detaching from rewards to find meaning
• action over theory in relationships and work
• setting honest boundaries for real presence
• rebuilding connection amid loneliness
• repetition as the path to lasting habits
• practical ways to read, reflect and apply

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We explore the Third Agreement—don’t make assumptions—through real stories at work and home, and connect it to impeccable words and not taking things personally. Curiosity, clear communication, and coaching emerge as tools to replace guesswork with truth and recover agency.

• the trap of adding meanings that were never said
• how merit myths distort hiring and rejection
• assuming positive intent to lower threat and listen
• practical questions that replace stories with facts
• coaching as a way to test beliefs and act wisely
• linking all four agreements to self-leadership

We’d love to hear how you’re applying The Four Agreements. Find us on LinkedIn and tell us what changed for you

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We explore the second agreement from The Four Agreements and show how not taking things personally creates real freedom. Personal stories, practical tools, and a clear path to separate identity from other people’s words and your own inner critic

• Why “not taking it personally” breaks hidden agreements
• Words as spells that bind or free
• The cost of praise and criticism when you cling to either
• Childhood labels shaping adult identity
• Reframing feedback as data not destiny
• Choice over suffering through clear, kind requests
• Building an inner citadel and observing thoughts
• Identity as cyclical and transitional
• A coaching tool: the inner board of directors
• A daily post-it practice to anchor the agreement

Zach will have in the show notes ways for you to get access to the book, as well as for you to communicate directly with us because it always helps us to hear as well. How are you living out loud these things that we’re sharing with you that we are?

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We unpack the first of The Four Agreements—be impeccable with your word—and show how language can free you from despair, gossip, and self-betrayal. Through stories, studies, and practical steps, we map a path from reactive speech to clear, kind, and effective communication.

• defining agreements as accepted beliefs that shape behavior
• why words are “magic” and how tone carries intent
• garden metaphor for thoughts as seeds and mind as soil
• stories on encouragement, silence, and lasting impact
• experiments on plants and water to illustrate inputs and outcomes
• giving precise feedback and choosing the right medium
• gossip as a virus and curiosity as the antidote
• aligning self-talk with truth and compassion
• adding a pause between emotion and speech
• starting with yourself, then shaping your culture

We are gifting free Agile Brain assessments till the end of the year—message us with no strings attached

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We question the dream of society, how attention is trained by repetition, and why most of our beliefs were never chosen by us. We map the Judge and the Victim, explore fear versus love, and share practical ways to rewrite old agreements and reclaim energy.

• dreaming while awake and the dream of the planet
• attention as a spotlight that shapes belief
• domestication through punishment and reward
• cultural programming, normalizing and perspective shifts
• the book of law, the Judge and the Victim
• the cost of staying versus the risk of change
• moving from fear to love to conserve energy
• using neuroscience, gratitude and focus to rewire
• authenticity, masks and DISC awareness
• setting up new agreements for a personal heaven

Free agile brain assessments and discounted DISC assessments through the end of the year. Just reach out to us has ways for you to reach us in the show notes

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We open a new arc with The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, shifting from a year of habits and happiness into a practice of inner freedom rooted in Toltec wisdom. The smoky mirror story sets our theme: clear the fog, see the light, and rebuild beliefs that actually serve.

• framing freedom as the progression after happiness and habits
• why Toltec roots and the smoky mirror metaphor matter
• decisions that pinch and how projection clouds advice
• images of light versus labels and roles
• polarization as fog and the role of attention
• how emotions shape thoughts, thoughts shape beliefs
• next steps into domestication and belief work
• plan to explore each agreement in depth

If you are interested in getting the book, Zach will have some links in our show notes for you
We hope that you will share these episodes with those that you think will get value from it as well

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We pause between books to invite you to read with us and announce The Four Agreements as our next deep dive into practical personal freedom for work and life. We share why slow, deliberate reading changes behavior, and offer a complimentary Agile Brain assessment to support the journey.

• reason for a pause and invitation to catch up
• announcement of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
• link promise to buy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble
• personal freedom as a leadership cornerstone
• why ancient Toltec wisdom applies to modern work
• four agreements as a simple, durable framework
• reading slowly vs consuming summaries
• savoring lessons and implementing week by week
• year theme moving between modern and ancient ideas
• impact on community, family, and teams
• shoutouts to producers and contributors
• invite to binge past seasons and join the journey

To receive your complimentary Agile Brain assessment, send either of us a message saying you want the free Agile Brain assessment

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We map a four-sided pyramid of human needs—self, social, material, spiritual—and explore how foundations enable higher aims like purpose and transcendence. Research, culture, and real stories show why ethics, community, and conscious reflection turn values into action and bias into empathy.

• defining the four opposing life domains
• why foundations like safety and justice come first
• evidence from goal research and world cultures
• how self leads to social, then to spiritual
• in‑group bias, polarization and the contact effect
• ethics as the hinge between ideals and action
• integrating needs into a coherent life purpose
• practical steps to reflect, rebuild and align

Please get a copy of The Emotionally Agile Brain by Dr. JD Pincus. From now till the end of this calendar year, we’re gifting complimentary Agile Brain assessments, with optional deep dives with certified coaches.

Support the show

Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify.

Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.