The Motivation Mindset with Risa Williams: Managing Everyday Fears - Dr. Mary Poffenroth

Send a textHow can we learn to better navigate and manage the fears that arise in everyday life? Risa Williams speaks with fear expert, biopsychologist, TED Talk speaker, and author Dr. Mary Poffenroth about how to recognize fear as it begins to surface and how to use neuroscience based tools to calm ourselves more effectively in the moment.They discuss:-Learning The R.A.I.N. Method for developing an awareness of what fear looks and feels like in our bodies-The difference between fictional fear and factual fear-Subtle cues your body might be showing you that you're feeling more fear than you think-How to recognize what type of fear you're feeling using an easy tool-Neuro-hacks for calming yourself down in the moment based on evidence-based research that you can practice today!**Double book giveaway: Win a copy of Dr. Mary Poffenroth's book, BRAVE NEW YOU, and Risa's book, GET STUFF DONE WITHOUT THE STRESS by entering our book giveaway TODAY at:https://kingsumo.com/g/m44669m/win-a-signed-copy-of-brave-new-you-get-stuff-done-without-the-stress Winner will be announced on the March 13th episode of The Motivation Mindset. Good luck!**Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Dr. Mary Poffenroth, marypoffenroth.com, @marypoffenrothSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textWhere do couples' tend to get stuck and bogged down in their daily communication with each other? How do we fall into the trap of criticizing and nagging when we actually just want to create positive change and grow together? Risa Williams talks to DBT expert, Dr. Marcus Rodriguez, on validation and communication skills people can use when they're in long term relationships.They discuss:-How to use positive reinforcement to influence positive changes in behavior-Where we tend to get stuck in our requests and demands with others-Tools to try when direct communication isn't working and accepting things "as is" isn't working either-How validation is one of the most important tools for developing understanding and awareness of each other**Congratulations to Jess Fiedler winner of our Double Book Giveaway! Jess will be receiving Dr. Scott Waltman's book, The Stoicism Workbook, and Risa's new planner, The Tiny Wins Journal - thanks to everyone who participated on instagram!****Check out Risa's new online self-guided digital class: The Tiny Wins Workshop! It's on patreon now at a discounted price and there are 9 slots available at the early bird price: patreon.com/c/risawilliams. You can also take the class on Skool and at risawilliams.com***Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Dr. Marcus Rodriguez, youthandfamilyinstitute.com, @drmarcusrodriguezSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textDo you tend to fall into the role of "rescuer" in your relationships? Or are you the one who tends to need the rescuing? Risa Williams talks to Dr. Scott Waltman about the ideas of "rescuing" and "people pleasing" and how we can get stuck playing roles that we might want to change in relationships.They discuss:-How people can fall into the roles of "rescuer", "persecutor" and "victim" in relationships and the conflicts that can stem from this triangle-When "people pleasing" crosses a line into playing the role of "chronic rescuing"-How to meet people where they're at and start to teach them the skills they need to grow -Understanding your own circle of control and when you're overextending yourself-Embracing awareness, balance, and a growth mindset to help create positive changes in your life***DOUBLE BOOK GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment on our double book giveaway post @risawilliamstherapy to win a copy of Dr. Scott Waltman's book: The Stoicism Workbook and Risa's new book: The Tiny Wins Journal. Winner will be announced on the 2/19 episode of The Motivation Mindset***Host: Risa Williams, @risawilliamstherapy, risawilliams.comGuest: Dr. Scott Waltman, @socraticmethodcbt.com, www.newharbinger.com/author/scott-waltmanSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textIn this special episode of The Motivation Mindset, Risa shares a tiny sample of her new online workshop, The Tiny Wins Workshop, which is live today! What if making progress didn’t have to feel SO stressful and overwhelming?What if you counted every tiny win from now on and actually allowed yourself to  feel proud of each one?Risa explains how to:- Notice your tiny daily wins (even on hard days and slow days)- Acknowledge each small win and emotionally connect with it-  Track your tiny wins using a simple and easy system  - Feel genuinely good about every small step you take- Practice the feelings you want to feel each week!If you're feeling inspired after hearing this tiny sample of The Tiny Wins Workshop, head on over to risawilliams.com to take the full course! You can start at any time. Reach out and let us know what you think!**THIS THURSDAY, January 15th, Risa will be a featured speaker at THE BEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE SUMMIT which features self-help superstars from around the world and you can attend for free by visiting: https://bestyear.krtra.com/t/OIEbYLZn9PXc*** See you there!***Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapySupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textHappy 2026, everyone! If you're listening to this episode, you made it to the new year, and that's a wonderful thing! Risa Williams talks to fellow therapists, Erica Curtis and Darrin Kagele about new tools they're going to try in the new year ahead.They discuss:-How the words we're using with ourselves are so important to become mindful of-Darrin shares a few phrases he tells himself whenever he feels stuck or anxious-Erica shares a useful tool where you turn a phrase you're saying into a question, which changes our emotional reaction to the phrase-Risa shares the one journaling prompt she's been using to stretch her imagination and cognitive flexibility-Other ways you can gently move into the new year ahead while remembering to be kind to yourself along the way!A great episode to feel more motivated and inspired in 2026... Happy New Year, everyone!**Risa will be launching her TINY WINS WORKSHOP, a 4 week online class, in January - sign up here to be one of the first to get in: https://www.risawilliams.com/tinywinscourse.html**Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com @risawilliamstherapyGuest Hosts: Darrin Kagele, darrinkagele.com, and Erica Curtis, therapywitherica.com.Support the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textWhen someone's behavior or emotional state is bothering us, how do we take a pause and validate what they are feeling without judgement? This can be tricky to do! Dr. Marcus Rodriguez, founder of the Youth and Family Institute and an expert in teaching validation, talks to Risa Williams about some practical ways to practice validating the emotional experience of others.They discuss:-What validation really means and how you can start to practice it-One easy sentence that can start to build your "validation skill set"-Understanding what's happening when communication goes awry and gaining awareness as to the validation needs of others-Teaching others emotional validation by learning do it more regularly throughout everyday life***New Book out: The Tiny Wins Journal: Your Year of Small Steps and Big Changes - buy one for the holidaysSupport the show: If you've enjoyed any of the 100+ episodes we've made on this show, please consider supporting the show by doing a tiny action here: risawilliams.com/support, so that The Motivation Mindset can continue next year!***Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Dr. Marcus Rodriguez, youthandfamilyinstitute.com, @drmarcusrodriguezSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textEvery so often, Risa Williams runs into someone on the show who has a tool that is very aligned with one of her own! This was the case in this episode, Holiday Time Tools, in which Risa Williams shares her tool, The Time Wardrobe, and Jenny Layton shares her tool, The Time Pantry, both with many similarities on how to visualize your time in an easier and more tangible way.They discuss:-How to visualize your weekly time as a pantry or a closet-How to group tasks you need to do in different "containers" and organize them on "shelves"-Jenny introduces her idea of "Costco-sized tasks" where you take on a giant task that requires a lot of room on the shelf to store-Risa talks about energy management of tasks and how each task we're doing has an energy and time cost that plays out across other areas of our lives-They discuss small ways to start to form habits and routines so that you don't have to make as many decisions each week-How to apply these ideas to the holidays and to give yourself credit for all you're taking on during this time of year!***New Book out: The Tiny Wins Journal: Your Year of Small Steps and Big Changes - buy one for the holidaysSupport the show: If you've enjoyed any of the 100+ episodes we've made on this show, please consider supporting the show by doing a tiny action here: risawilliams.com/support, so that The Motivation Mindset can continue next year!***Host; Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Jenny Layton, thehappygal.com, @jlthehappygal, Get Organized Bootcamp: go.thehappygal.com/bootcamp-97Support the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textAre you starting to feel the holiday overwhelm kick in this week? Are seasonal things feeling a little too busy, too rushed, too chaotic, and too exhausting to manage? Then, this episode is for you! Dr. Michelle Chung and Risa Williams discuss the concept of "Holiday Mindfulness," which includes intentionally slowing down for the holidays so that we can feel more joy and connection in the present moment. They discuss:-Navigating "Holiday FOMO" that's all around us and what to do about it-Learning to get into the present moment instead of getting stuck in "holiday planning mode" and stressing ourselves out-Learning to navigate and regulate our emotions during the holidays-For families and other groups, how can we more effectively express our needs and our energy levels without causing conflicts for the holidays?-Tiny mindful moments we can create for ourselves this week!-Learning to ask yourself ONE SIMPLE QUESTION to figure out what the next best step is for you for the holidays**NEW BOOK LAUNCH: Risa' newest book, THE TINY WINS JOURNAL: YOUR YEAR OF SMALL STEPS AND BIG CHANGES is in stores today! Buy one at risawilliams.com or on amazon, makes a great gift for the holidays! Learn to celebrate your tiny weekly wins and boost your motivation for the year ahead...***Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Dr. Michelle Chung, drmichellechung.com,@dr.michellechungSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textThe holiday season can often feel really stressful, even though we often feel like we should be feeling more gratitude at this time of year. So how do we slow down enough to notice the small things that are actually going right...especially when life feels busy, chaotic, or overwhelming? Author and podcaster Lori Oberbroeckling joins Risa Williams to talk about simple, actionable ways to build gratitude into your daily routine. She also shares her “Gratitude Questions List,” a tool she created to help make everyday appreciation feel easier for us allThey discuss:-Learning to notice the tiny daily things around us as a way to work the "gratitude muscle"-How to recognize moments as they happen to us as a daily gratitude practice-How we can start sharing our gratitude with others more regularly-How setting up daily "practices" helps us to notice the "happy little moments" with more consistent intention***New Book: The Tiny Wins Journal by Risa Williams, illustrated by Dulcie Yamanaka, will go on sale next week just in time for the holidays! Risa will be giving away 10 free copies of the books to newsletter subscribers - sign up for her newsletter at risawilliams.com today ***Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Lori Oberbroeckling, secretsofsupermom.com, @secretsofsupermomSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send a textWe often understand what it means to feel physically fit in our bodies, but what does "emotionally fitness" look and feel like? Dr. Tamara Soles, psychologist and keynote speaker, is back on the show to talk with Risa Williams about building up our "emotional fitness," one mental rep at a time. They discuss how families can work with these emotional regulation tools together, and how building these skills is so important to do to manage our daily stress levels.They discuss:-Learn a few components of Emotional Fitness: Awareness, Regulation, Flexibility, Curiosity and Humor-How parents can model to their kids how to regulate their nervous systems and emotions by talking about these elements more regularly-Simple everyday tricks for regulating your nervous system that don't involve a lot of time or money to doIf this is a stressful and chaotic time of year for you, take a minute to pause and listen to this extremely helpful episode that can help you find the calm again!Host: Risa WIlliams, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Dr. Tamara Soles, drtamarasoles.com, @drtamarasoles**Get news about Risa's newest goals planner, The Tiny Wins Journal, which comes out in a few weeks by signing up for her newsletter at: risawilliams.com***Support the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.