The Habits Habit

It is impossible to read any book or paper on habits that has done any level of research without coming across the name "Gardner", quite often in the context of "Gardner, Lally et al". Dr Gardner is one of the leading researchers in the science of habit formation and a leading lecturer on the topic. His research output is immense, but his latest paper is the one that raises the most questions in my view.  I'm delighted Ben agreed to be on the podcast, please enjoy!

Gavan Wall is a successful entrepreneur and venture capital investor...who lived for 5 years with his wife and three kids in his sisters spare bedroom after he became homeless. Gavan has a really interesting story (obviously) but also has very clear and strong views on the role that habits have played in both his success and his failures. A really interesting listen!

Martin Grunburg was talking about habits way before most of the rest of the world woke up to how important they were. Like a decade before Atomic Habits, Tiny Habits or any of the other best sellers from today. And his view on Habits is quite interesting, and something the science seems to be catching up with. Take a listen.

Dave Moore is a multi-award-winning radio presenter. He's fierce successful altogether to he is. But what role did habits play in his life and his success?   Let's find out.

What Separates High Performers from the rest of us? If we had the right habits, could we be high performers too? These are just two of the questions I had for this weeks' guest, Dr Sylvain Laborde a Dr. of Sports Psychology who lectures and researches at the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln where we works with elite athletes to help them achieve peak performance  

Pete Lunn is the founder and head of the Economic and Social Research Institute's (ESRI)Behavioural Research Unit. A behavioural economist, he holds degrees in Philosophy & Psychology, Neuroscience and Economics. Pete's primary research interest is economic decision-making and, in particular, how people negotiate trade-offs. He's also a REALLY interesting guy and has really interesting insights into our behaviour which will really make you think! Enjoy, and if you do, please like and leave a comment!

This week's guest is Rob Cullen. Rob and his wife Yvonne lost 13 stone between them, which, obviously, is a huge amount of weight. Importantly, they didn't do it using any mad diet or exercise regime, and just as importantly, because of that the weight has stayed off. For anyone thinking of losing weight, you would be hard pressed to listen to a more important or inspiring interview today.  

I wanted to record an episode of the podcast that specifically addressed why you might get the impression from my social media that I'm completely against New Years Resolutions. I'm actually not....if they are done properly. The problem is, they almost never are.

Dr Dana Cohen is a medical doctor from New York who has co-authored a fascinating book on hydration called 'Quench'. I chat to Dana about all things hydration and we try and convert US measurements to metric with limited success!!

My guests this week are talking about something that sounds easy, but actually isn't. Drinking water. Or more specifically, drinking enough water to stay hydrated all (or nearly all) of the time. Dr Esther Papies and research assistant Amy Rodger undertook a study earlier this year to find out how and why people drink water, and to see how if could be habitualised and looked at in a different way.  The results are fascinating, and after listening to the podcast you'll never think about drinking water in the same way again. Please leave a review or comment if you can (and want to!) Brian

How to describe Pat Divilly.... I'm not sure. I knew very little about him before this chat, and I left the chat wanting to know more about him. According to www.patdivilly.com Pat is a high performance coach helping people reach new levels of purpose, passion and fulfilment. Using movement and mindset his retreats, workshops and online coaching programmes bring clarity and consistency to people from all walks of life. Pat's systems show people to dissolve their old, disempowering patterns and beliefs, allowing space for new frameworks to emerge stands the test of time. And if you're not sure what that means, well take a listen and find out.  Please leave a comment and let me know if you had any "Aha" moments, or what one piece of wisdom or insight you get from the chat. I really enjoyed it, I hope you will too.

This week I was a guest on Alive and Kicking on Ireland's national radio station Newstalk.  It was really nice chatting to an old workmate Clare McKenna, who like a true pro asked all the important questions. It was also a timely reminder of why I became so interested in Habits to start with, and immediately following the interview I went and picked up a new habit book to read! Have a listen and if you have any questions, holler!

Georgie Crawford is the host of the Good Glow Podcast. She's a cancer survivor and now a health and wellness advocate and ambassador.  Georgie was 32 when she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. That "Earthquake" in her life led to a complete transformation, from someone who hated being outside (her words) to someone who now literally (occasionally) hugs trees. Find out how Georgie cultivated a new life full of healthy habits first to help keep her alive and win her battle against cancer, and then, well, because she wanted to. It's a really interesting perspective on habits, how they can transform your life, and how to start small and make sure you succeed. Look, I'm biased, but I think it's great!

Indestractable - Firstly, I can't tell you how many times I've had to check how to spell that...in fact, I'm just going to check it again. Yeah, that's right. Secondly, this is a really interesting chat with a double New York Times best selling author, Nir Eyal.  Nir's first book 'Hooked' lifted the lid on how Silicon Valley exploits our habitual nature to get us 'Hooked' (to be fair, the clue is in the title) on their products, services and apps. Nir's second books is 'Indestractable' and it is, sort of, the flip side of the coin. It expands on the 'Hook Model' from Hooked, and looks at things from the perspective of how to avoid getting hooked to start with.  Expect some really practical tips, but also some really deep thinking and questions. Let's cut to the chase. Why don't you do what you say you are going to do? Want to find out? Then listen to this....

In this episode, I chat with Professor Wendy Wood, Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at USC. Dr Wood has, literally, written the book on habits, with her best selling book "Good Habits Bad Habits". In this episode you'll discover: What habits are; How habits are formed; The easiest way to make and break a habit; Why your new years resolutions always fail; The most important steps you can take to make creating a new habit easier! AND lots lots more. Strap yourself in, because you're about to find out that 43% of the things you do every day are habits, and how to make sure that 43% is working for you and not against you.

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can" Arthur Ashe Did you ever find yourself at a point in your life where the most pressing question was "eh, how the heck did I get here"? Yes, well, me too. And it turns out that, almost certainly, you ended up here as a result of your habits. I know, who knew, right? The science says that between 40% to 70% of your daily actions are habitual or automatic. They happen unconsciously, or subconsciously. So, how did you end up "here"? Simple, you were on habit autopilot.  Join me to find out how habits work, and what to expect from this podcast series (spoiler alert, awesomeness!)