Épisodes

  • The Discipline Myth
    Feb 20 2026

    More.That’s what you told yourself the answer was.

    More discipline.More structure.More willpower.

    When it stopped working, you didn’t question the approach.

    You questioned yourself.

    In this episode of Daily Power Boost, Shawn Michael dismantles the myth that consistency comes from force.

    White-knuckled discipline can hold for a while. A new schedule. A stricter routine. A harder push.

    When life applies pressure, the structure collapses. And instead of questioning the structure, you decide you’re the problem.

    This episode reframes inconsistency as an alignment issue, not a character flaw.

    When action and identity point in different directions, every rep is a fight.

    When they align, consistency stops feeling like discipline. It feels like expression.

    Season 7 continues tracing the root beneath urgency, procrastination, overthinking, comparison, and identity.

    This time, we name the real issue behind forced momentum.

    You don’t need more force. You need more truth.

    In This Episode

    * Why forced discipline always breaks under pressure

    * The difference between consistency and alignment

    * How identity gaps create resistance

    * Why white-knuckling momentum has a ceiling

    * The hidden fear behind over-structuring

    * How sustainable consistency emerges naturally

    ✦ Reflection Prompts

    * Where am I forcing consistency instead of building alignment?

    * Is this goal rooted in who I’m becoming or who I think I should already be?

    * What fear is driving my current push?

    * What would change if I stopped trying to outrun the past?

    * What do I actually want to build sustainably?

    ✦ The Boost (Action Step)

    Run the Alignment Check.

    Choose one area where you keep starting and stopping.

    Ask yourself:“Am I aligned with this or am I forcing it?”

    If it’s alignment:Find the thought creating resistance. See it clearly. Take one step.

    If it’s force:Ask:“What do I genuinely want to build and who do I need to become to build it sustainably?”

    Momentum starts in clarity.Not grind.

    ✦ On the Next Episode

    You’ve stopped forcing. But something is still in the way.

    We’re going to name it.

    ✦ If Today’s Episode Sparked Something…

    * Share it with someone stuck in the discipline loop

    * Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for clarity-driven leadership conversations

    * Book a No-Cost Clarity Call

    ✦ Engage With Me

    * Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

    * TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

    * YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

    * LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

    ✦ References & Influences

    * The Three Principles on how thought shapes identity and behavior

    * Sydney Banks on Mind, Consciousness, and Thought

    * Michael Neill on clarity-based performance

    * Identity-based behavior research (James Clear, BJ Fogg)

    * Psychological research on intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

    With strength and heart,❤️🔥 Shawn MichaelStay close.



    Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at trunorth.substack.com/subscribe
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    8 min
  • The Identity Shift
    Feb 19 2026

    You’ve outgrown who you were.The problem is, you haven’t told yourself yet.

    So you keep reaching for new resultsWith old beliefs about who you areAnd wondering why nothing sticks.

    In this episode of Daily Power Boost, Shawn Michael goes underneath urgency, procrastination, overthinking, and comparison to the deeper layer driving them all. Identity.

    You can build habits, take courses, or stack strategies,

    But if your behavior isn’t attached to a new self-concept, it becomes a costume. And the old identity eventually pulls you back.

    Not because you’re lazy.Not because you lack discipline.

    Because the old identity was built to protect you.

    This episode reframes limiting beliefs as survival strategies that once made sense. And invites you to stop mistaking them for permanent truth.

    An identity shift doesn’t happen in a grand declaration.It happens in the gap between an old thought and your decision not to finish it.

    That’s where the new version of you lives.

    In This Episode

    * Why habits fail when identity doesn’t change

    * How old self-concepts filter reality

    * The survival strategy behind limiting beliefs

    * Why your old identity isn’t your enemy

    * Where real identity shifts actually happen

    * How to stop finishing the story that no longer fits

    ✦ Reflection Prompts

    * What belief about myself has been quietly running the show?

    * How old was I when I decided this was true?

    * Did that belief protect me at the time?

    * Does the person I’m becoming still need this belief?

    * Where can I pause before finishing the old story?

    ✦ The Boost (Action Step)

    Run the Identity Check.

    Write down one belief you hold about yourself that starts with:

    “I’m just not someone who…”or“I’ve always been…”

    Then ask:“How old was I when this became true for me?”

    And:“Does the person I’m becoming still need this belief?”

    You don’t have to burn the old identity down.

    You just have to stop mistaking it for fact.

    The shift happens in the gap.

    ✦ On the Next Episode

    The Discipline Myth: Why Forcing Yourself Harder Is the Last Thing You Need

    Because if identity is the foundation, discipline without alignment only creates resistance.

    ✦ If Today’s Episode Sparked Something…

    * Share it with someone rebuilding their self-concept

    * Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for identity-driven leadership conversations

    * Book a No-Cost Clarity Call

    Engage With Me Online

    * Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

    * TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

    * YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

    * LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

    ✦ References & Influences

    * The Three Principles on understanding how thought shapes identity

    * Sydney Banks on Mind, Consciousness, and Thought

    * Michael Neill on insight-based transformation

    * Steve Andreas on self-concept and identity work

    * in behavioral psychology

    With strength and heart,❤️🔥 Shawn MichaelStay close.



    Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at trunorth.substack.com/subscribe
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    7 min
  • The Comparison Trap
    Feb 18 2026

    What I’m about to tell you might make you uncomfortable.

    The comparison game you’ve been playingMeasuring your chapter three against someone else’s chapter twenty

    It was never designed for you to win.

    Not because the world is against you.But because your mind is running a game with rules that guarantee you lose.

    In this episode of Daily Power Boost, Shawn Michael exposes the design flaw behind comparison.

    You’re not comparing fairly.You’re comparing your internal experience to someone else’s external appearance.Your doubt to their confidence.Your behind-the-scenes to their stage.

    And the result is predictable.

    Comparison isn’t dangerous because other people are ahead. It’s dangerous because the thought pattern turns their progress into proof that you’re behind.

    This episode reframes comparison as a thought-created distortion, not a verdict about your worth or trajectory. And it introduces a powerful alternative. Rooting yourself in your own direction first.

    Because when you know your lane, someone else’s success becomes data. Not a threat.

    In This Episode

    * Why comparison feels so convincing from the inside

    * The hidden rule that makes the game unwinnable

    * How comparison turns inspiration into inadequacy

    * The difference between unconscious comparison and conscious evaluation

    * Why clarity about your own direction changes everything

    * A personal story about detours, timing, and compersion

    ✦ Reflection Prompts

    * Who have I been comparing myself to lately?

    * Do I actually want what they have, or do I just not want to feel behind?

    * What would I be building right now if I had never seen their work?

    * Is their progress data, or have I turned it into a verdict?

    * Where is my own lane asking me to refocus?

    ✦ The Boost (Action Step)

    Run the Comparison Reset.

    Choose one person you’ve been measuring yourself against.

    Ask:“Do I want what they have, or do I just hate feeling behind?”

    Then ask:“What would I build if I had never seen their scoreboard?”

    Write that answer down.

    That direction. The one that exists before comparison.That’s yours.

    Go there.

    ✦ On the Next Episode

    The Comparison Trap: Why Measuring Yourself Against Others Is Costing You the One Race That Actually Matters

    Because clarity about direction eventually requires transformation in identity.

    ✦ If Today’s Episode Sparked Something…

    * Share it with someone stuck in comparison mode

    * Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for clarity-driven leadership conversations

    * Book a No-Cost Clarity Call (link in show notes)

    Engage With Me Online

    * Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

    * TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

    * YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

    * LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

    ✦ References & Influences

    * The Three Principles — understanding how thought shapes perception

    * Sydney Banks — Mind, Consciousness, and Thought

    * Michael Neill — insight-based clarity and performance

    * Social comparison theory (Leon Festinger) — how humans evaluate themselves relative to others

    * Leadership psychology on identity, direction, and intrinsic motivation

    With strength and heart,❤️🔥 Shawn MichaelStay close.



    Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at trunorth.substack.com/subscribe
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    8 min
  • I'm Politely Begging You To Move First
    Feb 17 2026

    You already know what to do.You just don’t trust it yet.

    While you wait for more certainty, more research, more signs…Life quietly makes the decision for you.

    In this episode of Daily Power Boost, Shawn Michael tackles analysis paralysis and the quiet cost of overthinking.

    Most people believe clarity comes before the move. That if they analyze long enough, the right answer will arrive clean and obvious.

    But clarity doesn’t work that way.

    Overthinking isn’t intelligence, it’s protection. A thought attaches to the decision:

    “If I get this wrong, something bad happens.”

    That thought creates anxiety and more thinking feels like safety.

    Safety and growth rarely live in the same room.

    This episode reframes clarity as something that follows action, not something you wait for before you begin.

    Season 7 continues the inside-out conversation: urgency, procrastination, and now overthinking. All thought-created fog.

    And fog lifts when you move.

    In This Episode

    * Why overthinking feels productive but often hides fear

    * How analysis paralysis is driven by a single protective thought

    * The hidden belief that you can’t recover from being wrong

    * Why clarity rarely arrives before action

    * How small movement dissolves mental fog

    * The difference between intelligence and fear disguised as diligence

    ✦ Reflection Prompts

    * What decision have I been circling lately?

    * What am I afraid will happen if I get it wrong?

    * Is my thinking helping or protecting?

    * What would I choose if permanent failure wasn’t possible?

    * What is one small move I can make today?

    ✦ The Boost (Action Step)

    Run the Clarity Practice.

    Choose one decision you’ve been overthinking.Ask yourself:

    “What would I do if I knew I couldn’t get it permanently wrong?”

    Write down the first answer. Then ask:

    “What’s the smallest move I can make in that direction today?”

    Not the full plan.Not the five-year strategy.Just one honest move.

    Clarity follows action.Not the other way around.

    ✦ On the Next Episode

    The Comparison Trap: Why Measuring Yourself Against Others Is Costing You the One Race That Actually Matters

    We’ll explore how comparison distorts perception and quietly pulls you away from your own path.

    ✦ If Today’s Episode Sparked Something…

    * Share it with someone stuck in decision fog

    * Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for clarity-driven leadership conversations

    * Book a No-Cost Clarity Call

    Engage With Me Online

    * Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

    * TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

    * YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

    * LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

    ✦ References & Influences

    * The Three Principles on understanding how thought shapes experience

    * Sydney Banks on Mind, Consciousness, and Thought

    * Michael Neill on insight-based clarity and performance

    * Daniel Kahneman on cognitive bias and decision-making under uncertainty

    * Research on analysis paralysis and decision fatigue

    With strength and heart,

    ❤️🔥 Shawn MichaelStay close.



    Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at trunorth.substack.com/subscribe
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    8 min
  • The Thought Behind Procrastination
    Feb 16 2026

    You know what you need to do,but you’re not doing it.The longer you wait? The heavier it feels.

    Most people think procrastination is laziness, a lack of discipline, a character flaw.

    So they try to force themselves forward. They shame themselves, double down.

    With this, the resistance only grows.

    In this episode of Daily Power Boost, Shawn Michael reframes procrastination through the an inside-out lens.

    Procrastination isn’t about the task.It’s about the thought attached to the task.

    When the mind links a project to thoughts like, “I might fail,” “It has to be perfect,” or “I don’t know where to start,” those thoughts create discomfort.

    What you’re really avoiding isn’t the work. You’re avoiding the feeling created by the thought.

    When that insight lands, resistance softens. Not because the task changes, but because your relationship to it does.

    Season 7 continues to move beyond strategy and into understanding the source of experience itself.

    In This Episode

    * Why procrastination isn’t laziness or lack of discipline

    * How thought attaches discomfort to meaningful tasks

    * The cycle of avoidance, guilt, and escalating resistance

    * Why procrastination is a signal, not a flaw

    * How seeing the thought behind the task reduces pressure

    * Why small action restores clarity without force

    ✦ Reflection Prompts

    * What task have I been avoiding recently?

    * What thought is attached to that task?

    * What feeling does that thought create?

    * Am I avoiding the task—or the discomfort?

    * What shifts when I see the thought as a story rather than truth?

    ✦ The Boost (Action Step)

    Run the Procrastination Check.

    Choose one task you’ve been putting off.Write it down.Now ask:

    “What thought is making this feel hard?”

    Write that thought down too.Then gently question it:

    “Is this actually true—or is this just a story my mind is telling me?”

    When the thinking settles, take one small action.

    * Open the document.

    * Send one message.

    * Outline the first step.

    You don’t need the full path, you just need the next move. Clarity often follows action.

    ✦ On the Next Episode

    The Clarity Practice — How to Make Decisions Without Overthinking

    Once resistance softens, the next challenge appears. Decision-making without spiraling into analysis paralysis. We’ll explore how clarity emerges when thinking settles.

    ✦ If Today’s Episode Sparked Something…

    * Share it with someone stuck in a procrastination loop

    * Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for clarity-driven leadership conversations

    * Book a No-Cost Clarity Call

    Engage With Me Online

    * Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

    * TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

    * YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

    * LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

    ✦ References & Influences

    * The Three Principles – understanding how experience is created from the inside out

    * Sydney Banks – Mind, Consciousness, and Thought

    * Michael Neill – performance and clarity beyond self-criticism

    * George Pransky – insight-based approaches to stress and resilience

    * Cognitive psychology research on avoidance and perceived threat

    With strength and heart,❤️🔥 Shawn MichaelStay close.



    Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at trunorth.substack.com/subscribe
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    7 min
  • The Illusion of Urgency
    Feb 12 2026

    Everything feels urgent.The email, the call, the decision, the deadline.And you’re running from one fire to the next, never catching your breath.

    But what if the urgency isn’t real?What if it’s just thought?

    In this episode of Daily Power Boost, Shawn Michael applies the inside-out understanding from Episode 1 directly to one of the most exhausting modern experiences. Constant urgency.

    Most people assume urgency is built into their circumstances. That the deadline, the message, the opportunity, the pressure is what’s creating the feeling.

    But urgency isn’t a fact, it’s a feeling, and that feeling is created by thought in the moment.

    When that insight lands, something shifts. Not because your schedule changes, but because your relationship to pressure does.

    This episode dismantles the automatic belief that everything must be handled right now and invites you to lead from clarity instead of reaction.

    In This Episode

    * Why everything feels urgent in modern leadership and life

    * The difference between genuine time-sensitivity and thought-created pressure

    * How urgency is formed in the moment through belief

    * Why believing urgency leads to burnout and reactivity

    * How clarity naturally returns when urgent thinking settles

    * The connection between urgency, identity, and fear of perception

    ✦ Reflection Prompts

    * What situations consistently trigger urgency for me?

    * What am I usually thinking in those moments?

    * What do I believe will happen if I don’t act immediately?

    * How often is urgency a perception rather than a fact?

    * What shifts when I pause before reacting?

    ✦ The Boost (Action Step)

    Run the Urgency Check.

    The next time something feels urgent, pause.

    Not to suppress it.Not to delay irresponsibly.Just to notice.

    Say to yourself:“I’m feeling urgency right now.”

    Then ask:“What thought is creating this?”

    Write the thought down.

    And gently question it:“Is this actually true, or does it just feel urgent?”

    When the thinking settles, ask:“What’s the wise move here?”

    Because the best decisions aren’t made in urgency.They’re made in the calm underneath it.

    ✦ On the Next Episode

    The Thought Behind Procrastination — Why You Avoid What Matters (And How to Move Forward Anyway)

    If urgency drives reactivity, procrastination reveals the other side of thought. We’ll explore what’s actually happening when you delay what matters and how clarity, not force, moves you forward.

    ✦ If Today’s Episode Sparked Something…

    * Share it with someone who lives in constant “go mode”

    * Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for clarity-driven leadership conversations

    * Book a No-Cost Clarity Call

    Engage With Me Online

    * Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

    * TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

    * YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

    * LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

    ✦ References & Influences

    * Sydney Banks – foundational insight into Mind, Consciousness, and Thought as source of human experience

    * Michael Neill – clarity and performance beyond pressure

    * Stephen Covey – The pause between stimulus and response as a space of choice

    * Jamie Smart – Practical application of the inside-out paradigm in leadership and decision-making

    With strength and heart,❤️🔥 Shawn MichaelStay close.



    Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at trunorth.substack.com/subscribe
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    7 min
  • Stress Isn’t What You Think It Is
    Feb 11 2026

    What if everything you’ve been taught about stress is backwards?Most people believe stress comes from their circumstances.The workload. The pressure. The uncertainty.

    So they try to fix what’s happening around them. Better systems. Better boundaries. Better time management.

    And sometimes that helps… temporarily.

    But the feeling always seems to come back.

    In this opening episode of Season 7 of Daily Power Boost, Shawn Michael introduces a deeper understanding. Not a new strategy or another framework. But a clearer look at where stress actually comes from.

    This episode reframes stress as something created from the inside out, not imposed from the outside. And when that understanding lands, effort drops. Self-blame dissolves. And clarity begins to surface on its own.

    Season 7 marks a shift away from managing life and toward understanding the source of experience itself.

    In This Episode

    * Why stress persists even when circumstances improve

    * The common misunderstanding about where stress comes from

    * How thought creates the feeling of pressure in the moment

    * An introduction to the Three Principles: Mind, Consciousness, and Thought

    * Why nothing is “wrong” with you when relief doesn’t last

    * How clarity naturally appears when thinking settles

    ✦ Reflection Prompts

    * Where am I assuming my stress is being caused by circumstances?

    * What am I trying to manage or fix in order to feel better?

    * When stress shows up, what am I actually thinking in that moment?

    * What shifts when I see stress as thought-created rather than situation-created?

    ✦ The Boost (Action Step)

    Practice Simple Noticing.

    The next time you feel stressed, pause.

    Not to fix it.Not to change it.Just to notice.

    Ask yourself:

    “What am I thinking right now?”

    Don’t judge the thought.Don’t correct it.Just see it.

    Because the moment you notice that stress is coming from thought, not circumstances, something begins to loosen. And that insight is where real change starts.

    ✦ On the Next Episode

    The Illusion of Urgency — Why Everything Feels Like an Emergency (And How to See Through It)

    We’ll explore why urgency feels so real, how it’s created in the moment, and what becomes possible when you stop letting pressure make decisions for you.

    ✦ If Today’s Episode Sparked Something…

    * Share it with someone who feels pressure to manage everything perfectly

    * Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for clarity-driven conversations on leadership and life

    * Book a No-Cost Identity Clarity Call

    Engage With Me Online

    * Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

    * TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

    * YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

    * LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

    ✦ References & Influences

    * The Three Principles – understanding how clarity and wisdom emerge when thinking settles

    * Michael Neill – insights on inside-out experience and mental clarity

    * Sydney Banks – foundational understanding of Mind, Consciousness, and Thought

    * Contemporary leadership psychology on stress, perception, and resilience

    With strength and heart,

    ❤️🔥 Shawn Michael

    Stay close.



    Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at trunorth.substack.com/subscribe
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    8 min
  • Beyond the Boost with Laura Diaz
    Feb 10 2026
    Most people think a retreat is an escape.A break from real life.A pause before returning to the same patterns.Laura Diaz knows better.After years of travel and entrepreneurship across South America, Laura discovered that real change doesn’t come from leaving your life behind. It comes from stepping out of routine long enough to see yourself clearly.In this Beyond the Boost conversation, Laura shares how environment shapes identity more than willpower, why control is often fear in disguise, and how small interruptions. Mini adventures. Can quietly change the direction of a life.This episode is for people whose lives work on paper but feel tight inside.* Predictable.* Rushed.* Managed by the clock.* And for anyone who senses there’s another rhythm available.In this conversation we talk about* Why routine slowly numbs creativity and awareness* How new environments surface truths daily life hides* Why control is rooted in fear, not responsibility* The role of presence in real identity shifts* Why spiritual bypass collapses when you’re fully in the moment* How micro-changes sustain long-term transformation* Why doing things because you want to changes everything✦ Key Takeaways* You don’t need to escape your life to change it. You need to experience it differently. * Routine isn’t neutral. Left uninterrupted, it quietly shrinks perspective.* Control loosens when trust grows, and trust grows through lived experience, not planning.* Alignment isn’t about discipline. It’s about finding a reason to want the life you’re choosing.* When attention returns to the moment, change happens naturally.✦ Reflection Prompts* Where has routine quietly taken over my creativity?* What am I trying to control because I don’t trust what might emerge?* Where do I confuse structure with safety?* What would a “mini adventure” look like in my current life?* If I did things because I wanted to. Or found a reason to want them. What would change?✦ The Boost (Action Step)Today, interrupt one small routine.* Take a different route.* Change the order of your morning.* Say yes to something unfamiliar but safe.Notice what shifts. Not in your schedule. In your attention.That’s where momentum begins.✦ About Laura DiazLaura Diaz is the founder of Retreats and Tours Peru, based in Cusco. Her work centers on creating human-first travel experiences rooted in respect, presence, and cultural connection. Laura believes transformation doesn’t come from performance or escape, but from lived experience that invites people back to themselves.* Website: Retreats & Tours Peru* Facebook: @lauradiaz* Instagram: @retreatstoursperu* LinkedIn: @lauradiazConnect with MeIf this conversation stirred something familiar, that sense that life is moving fast but meaning is lagging behind.If you know change is needed, but force hasn’t worked. I offer a No-Cost Identity Clarity Call, not a pitch, not a strategy dump. Just an honest conversation about where you are, what’s no longer true, and what your next chapter is asking of you.When you’re ready to stop circling the question and start answering it, that’s the moment to book.You can also: * Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for rhythm-based identity shifts* Find me on Social Networks* Instagram: @coachshawnmichael* TikTok: @coachshawnmichael* YouTube: @coachshawnmichael* LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala With strength & heart,❤️🔥 Shawn Michael Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at trunorth.substack.com/subscribe
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    56 min