Using Self-Talk for Mindset, Perception, and Expectations with Ethan Kross | REPLAY

This week, I’m bringing back a conversation from the archives with Ethan Kross, one of the world’s leading experts on the conscious mind and the author of Chatter and Shift.I wanted to replay this episode because it connects so strongly with what I’ve been exploring lately on Grow the Good: impatience, rushing, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and the way our inner voice can either help us move through challenges or keep us stuck in loops of overthinking.Ethan’s work looks at the conversations we have with ourselves and how those conversations shape our health, performance, decisions, relationships, and well-being. In this episode, we talk about negative self-talk, chatter, emotion, mindfulness, problem-solving, and why creating psychological distance can help us work with our thoughts more effectively.One of the tools Ethan shares is called distant self-talk: coaching yourself through a challenge the way you would coach a friend, even using your own name or the word “you” to create a little more space. That shift can help us move from being consumed by our thoughts to relating to them with more perspective.This conversation is a great reminder that our thoughts are not always facts, and our inner voice does not have to be in charge. We can learn to work with it, redirect it, and use it as a tool for more clarity, resilience, and self-compassion.KEY TAKEAWAYS:The difference between self-control and willpowerWhat emotions are and how they shape our behaviorProblem-solving versus overthinkingNegative self-talk versus chatterWhen mindfulness helps, and when reframing may be more usefulHow distant self-talk can shift perspectiveWhy sleep and chatter are so closely connectedLINKS:- Original conversation with Ethan Kross- Learn more about Ethan's work- Read Ethan's books "Chatter" and newly released, "Shift"- Listen to Self-Talk for Performance: Mental Skills for Athletes--------------The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.