And none of that knowing makes the slightest difference.

That gap between what you know and what you feel is the most frustrating part of living with a phobia. It's also the key to understanding what's actually going on and how to change it.

In this episode, Gary walks through what a phobia really is, what's happening in the brain when one fires, why it took hold in the first place, and what keeps it running long after the original event. 

You'll hear why the fear lives in the amygdala rather than the rational part of your brain, why that's exactly why willpower doesn't work, and how avoidance quietly keeps the whole thing alive.

Then we get to what helps. Not white-knuckle exposure, but the rewind technique, a calmer, solution-focused approach that lets the brain refile a memory it filed in the wrong place to begin with.

In this episode:

• What separates a phobia from ordinary fear
• The difference between specific and complex phobias
• What the amygdala is doing, and why it doesn't wait for the rational brain
• How phobias develop, and why the origin matters less than you'd think
• Why avoidance and safety behaviours keep the fear intact
• How the rewind technique works, and why it doesn't re-traumatise
• One thing you can take away today

If you've been told you just have to live with it, or you've tried to push through on willpower and found it doesn't work, this one's for you. The brain that learned fear can learn something different.

One condition. The same lens. What's going on, what's keeping it going, and what actually helps.

Subscribe wherever you're listening. There's a lot more to come.

Dawn spent years climbing the corporate ladder in IT, reaching senior management in a male-dominated world. From the outside it looked polished and successful. On the inside, she was slowly losing touch with who she was, until burnout brought everything to a stop.

We talk about what really drives burnout: the slow erosion of your values, the pressure to be someone you're not, and the cost of carrying everyone else's weight. Dawn shares the moment things reached their lowest point, and the small, unexpected act of kindness from a stranger that changed the direction of her life.

This is a story about reinvention. About imposter syndrome and self-worth. About blue hair, joy, and learning to wear your values on the outside. And about discovering that helping others, through solution-focused hypnotherapy, could be the thing that helped her heal too.

If you've ever felt like you're holding it all together while quietly falling apart, this conversation is for you.

What we cover:
 – Why climbing higher took Dawn further from the people and values she cared about
 – The link between losing your sense of self and burning out
 – Imposter syndrome, hyper-independence, and the need to prove yourself
 – The moment that changed everything — and the stranger behind it
 – Finding her way back through solution-focused hypnotherapy
 – Why looking after yourself first isn't selfish, it's necessary

A content note: this episode includes an honest discussion of burnout and a moment of suicidal crisis. If you're struggling, you don't have to carry it alone. In the UK you can call the Samaritans free, any time, on 116 123.

At Inspired to Change, we believe people aren't broken. With the right understanding and support, change is always possible — and there's always a way forward.

If you'd like to talk to someone, we offer a free initial consultation. Find a solution-focused hypnotherapist near you: https://www.inspiredtochange.biz/find-a-hypnotherapist/

Moving Minds Forward is brought to you by Inspired to Change.

#Burnout #MentalHealth #SolutionFocused #Hypnotherapy #ImposterSyndrome #MentalHealthAwareness #MovingMindsForward #InspiredToChange #Wellbeing #Reinvention

It feels like the truth. It isn't. It's a thought. And there's a very big difference.

In this episode, Gary Johannes breaks down why the brain generates negative thoughts, why some of them get stuck on repeat, and what the evidence says actually helps — not by fighting your thoughts, but by changing your relationship with them.

Because a brain that learned to think negatively can learn something different. It just needs the right approach.

🎧 Subscribe for a new episode every 🌐 inspiredtochange.biz

Listen on Spotify, YouTube, apple and wherever you listen 

That habit of brushing it off is one of the most damaging things we do. Because chronic stress isn't just an inconvenience' it's a serious condition with serious consequences. Left unaddressed, it contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, disrupted sleep, and a brain that gradually loses its ability to think clearly, make decisions, and see a way through.

In this episode of Moving Minds Forward, Gary Johannes - breaks down exactly what's happening when stress takes hold and why so many people stay stuck in it.

You'll learn:

• Why the fight or flight response, brilliant for short-term threats, is so damaging when it runs continuously
• What chronic stress actually does to the brain  and why decisions feel impossible when you're in it
• The most common causes of stress, and why it's often the accumulation of smaller pressures rather than one big thing
• The self-maintaining cycles that keep stress going, including the ones most people don't recognise
• What solution-focused hypnotherapy does differently, and why it works when other approaches haven't
• One simple thing you can do tonight that starts to shift the brain's stress filter

Whether stress is quietly running your life or has become completely overwhelming, this episode will help you understand what's actually going on — and what to do about it.

SHOW NOTES

What we cover in this episode:

[00:00] Introduction - Gary's background and what this podcast is about

[01:00] Why stress is the most dismissed condition there is - and why that matters

[02:00] What stress actually is - when it's useful, and when it becomes damaging

[03:00] The numbers - 25% struggle to manage stress levels, 1 in 3 affected by work stress, long-term physical consequences

[04:00] What's happening in the brain - the amygdala, cortisol, adrenaline, and the fight or flight response

[05:30] Why modern stressors are so much harder to resolve than the threats the stress system evolved for

[06:30] What causes stress - work, relationships, finances, caring responsibilities, life events, and the accumulation effect

[08:00] What keeps stress going - inability to switch off, avoidance, sleep disruption, behaviour changes, and narrowed thinking

[11:00] What actually helps - understanding the stress response, identifying triggers, the solution-focused approach

[12:30] How solution-focused hypnotherapy works differently - the preferred future, retraining the nervous system, sleep

[13:30] The three pillars - positive interaction, positive action, positive thinking

[15:00] One thing you can do tonight - and why it works neurologically

[16:00] Closing - you are not weak for struggling with this

Resources mentioned:

• Inspired To Change - stress support: inspiredtochange.biz/stress
• Find a solution-focused hypnotherapist: inspiredtochange.biz
• If stress is significantly affecting your functioning, speak to your GP

About Moving Minds Forward

One condition per episode. What's going on, what's keeping it going, and what actually helps. Hosted by Gary Johannes, solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health (KCL, London).

Hit subscribe wherever you're listening. There's a lot more to come.

Even when they’re capable, successful, and doing everything they can to hold things together?

In this episode of Moving Minds Forward, Gary Johannes explores the psychology and neuroscience behind low confidence and self-esteem. From self-doubt and overthinking to comparison, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the inner critic that never seems to switch off
 
This episode looks at what’s really going on beneath the surface.

Gary explains how confidence is shaped by past experiences, stress, relationships, and the brain’s threat system and why low self-esteem is not a personality flaw or weakness, but a learned pattern that can change.

You’ll learn:

•  why confidence disappears 
•  what keeps self-doubt going 
•  how the brain reinforces negative beliefs 
•  why avoidance and comparison make things worse 
•  what actually helps rebuild genuine confidence 

Grounded in neuroscience, therapy experience, and real human understanding, this is a calm, practical, emotionally honest conversation about rebuilding self-worth from the inside out.
Because confidence isn’t something you’re born with.
It’s something the brain can relearn.

Hosted by Gary Johannes, solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and senior lecturer with CPHT.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

Episode Timeline

00:00 — Introduction
02:10 — What low self-esteem actually is
06:45 — Why confidence disappears
11:20 — The role of the brain and threat response
16:10 — Self-criticism and the inner voice
21:40 — Comparison, perfectionism, and people-pleasing
27:15 — Why avoidance keeps confidence low
31:50 — The neuroscience of rebuilding confidence
37:05 — What actually helps
42:20 — One practical step you can take today
45:10 — Final thoughts and encouragement

They show up. They function. They get through the day. 

But on the inside, before every social situation, during it, and long after it's over, something exhausting is happening.

The monitoring. The self-scrutiny. The replay. The dread.

In this episode, Gary Johannes, solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health, breaks down what social anxiety actually is, what's happening in your brain when it kicks in, what keeps it going, and what actually helps.

This isn't generic advice. It's a clear, honest explanation of one of the most misunderstood conditions there is and one practical thing you can do today to start shifting it.

If social anxiety has been quietly shaping your decisions and shrinking your world this episode is for you.

TIMELINE

00:00 — Introduction & Gary's story

01:30 — What social anxiety actually is — and why it's not just shyness

03:30 — The gap between what you know and what you feel

05:00 — What's happening in your brain — the amygdala and the threat response

07:00 — The self-monitoring spiral — why you can't just relax in social situations

08:30 — The replay — what happens after and why it's so exhausting

10:00 — What causes social anxiety — biology, early experience, and social media

12:30 — What keeps it going — avoidance, safety behaviours, and withdrawal

16:00 — What actually helps — the solution-focused approach

18:00 — The preferred future — where the work starts

19:30 — Rebuilding gradually — how the brain actually changes

22:00 — One thing you can do right now

24:00 — The closing message — you're not broken, you're stuck

Episode 3: Depression - What's Really Going On, What Keeps It Going, and What Actually Helps

Depression isn't weakness. It isn't laziness. It isn't something you can just think your way out of.

It's a serious mental health condition that affects how you feel, how you think, and how you function and most people who are living with it have no idea what's actually happening in their brain.

In this episode, Gary Johannes,  solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and MSc graduate in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King's College London, breaks down everything you need to understand about depression.

What it actually is. What's happening in the brain. What keeps it going. And what the evidence shows actually helps.

This isn't a self-help episode. It's an honest, grounded, neuroscience-backed conversation about one of the most common and most misunderstood mental health conditions there is.

If you're living with depression — or you love someone who is, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• Why depression is so much more than feeling sad
• The physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms most people don't recognise
• What's actually happening in your brain when depression takes hold
• Why men experience depression differently, and why so few seek help
• The patterns that keep depression going (and how to break them)
• What solution-focused hypnotherapy does differently
• One practical thing you can do today, however bad things feel

Timestamps:

00:00 — Who is Gary Johannes 02:30 — What depression actually is 05:00 — Physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms 07:30 — Crisis support — please read this first 08:30 — What causes depression 11:00 — Genetics, brain chemistry and lifestyle 13:00 — Men and depression — why it looks different 15:30 — What's happening in the brain 18:00 — Neuroplasticity — why the brain can change 19:30 — What keeps depression going 21:00 — Withdrawal and why it feeds the cycle 23:00 — Sleep disruption and negative thinking loops 25:00 — What actually helps 27:00 — Solution-focused hypnotherapy and the preferred future 29:30 — Rebuilding sleep and the nervous system 32:00 — Small steps and how the brain actually changes 34:30 — One thing you can do today 37:00 — A message to anyone struggling right now 40:00 — Where to get help

If you're struggling right now, please reach out: Samaritans — 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day) Your GP is also a good first step. You don't have to be at the bottom before you ask for help.

Subscribe for a new episode every week 
one condition, the same lens. What's going on, what keeps it going, and what actually helps.

🔔 Hit subscribe so you don't miss the next episode

If you've ever had a panic attack, there's a good chance you genuinely thought you were dying — or losing your mind. You weren't. But no one ever explained why it felt that way.

In this episode, Gary Johannes — solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired to Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT breaks down panic attacks in plain language. Not the clinical version. The version that actually helps.

What's covered:

• What's happening in your brain and body during a panic attack
• Why panic attacks feel so terrifying  and why that makes sense
• What causes them and what keeps them going
• The difference between a panic attack and panic disorder
• Why avoidance feels protective but makes things worse
• What to do in the moment when one hits
• What lasting change actually looks like

Plus, one simple thing you can start doing today to understand your own pattern.

This isn't about managing symptoms forever. It's about understanding what's going on so things can actually change.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 📌 Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.

Gary Johannes left school at 14 with no qualifications, served in the RAF, and spent 30 years in business before retraining as a hypnotherapist. He went on to build Inspired to Change and complete a Master's in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London — at 60.

Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 01:10 – What a panic attack actually feels like 03:00 – What's happening in your brain (fight or flight explained) 05:00 – Why it becomes a loop 06:00 – The physical and emotional symptoms 08:00 – What causes panic attacks 10:00 – Panic attack vs panic disorder 12:00 – How avoidance makes things worse 15:00 – What to do in the moment 18:00 – What lasting change looks like 21:30 – One thing you can do right now 22:30 – Closing thoughts

#PanicAttacks #PanicDisorder #Anxiety #MentalHealth #Hypnotherapy #SolutionFocused #InspiredToChange #GaryJohannes

If that's you,  this episode is for you.

In this first episode, solution-focused hypnotherapist and founder of Inspired to Change, Gary Johannahs, breaks down what anxiety actually is, what's keeping it going, and what genuinely helps. 

No jargon. No judgment. Just the science, explained clearly, and a practical place to start.

Because here's the thing: anxiety isn't a sign something is fundamentally wrong with you. It's your brain doing its job. It's just doing it a bit too much.

What we cover in this episode:

• What anxiety actually is, and why it's not a character flaw
• The fight-or-flight response and why your brain can't always tell the difference between danger and a difficult conversation
• The two parts of the brain that drive anxiety (and why "just calm down" never works)
• Why avoidance feels like relief but makes everything worse
• The role of sleep and serotonin in keeping anxiety going
• What solution-focused hypnotherapy does differently
• One simple daily practice that starts to retrain your anxious brain

About Gary Johannahs: Gary left school at 14, joined the RAF at 16, and spent his first 30 years in sales and running bars and nightclubs. In his mid-40s, he discovered hypnotherapy, and it changed everything. He went on to retrain, found Inspired to Change, and completed an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London at the age of 60. He was also diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD that same year. He now leads a team of solution-focused hypnotherapists and is a senior lecturer at CPHT.

If this episode helped, hit subscribe.

Every episode covers one condition, what's going on, what's keeping it going, and what actually helps. There's a lot more to come.