Moving Minds Forward

Most people know something's wrong. They just don't know why or what to do about it.Hosted by Gary Johannes , Solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT. Moving Minds Forward is a podcast about mental health, the brain, and what genuinely helps people change.One condition per episode. Anxiety, depression, panic, sleep, stress, trauma, OCD, overthinking, confidence and more, explored through honest conversation, grounded in neuroscience and current research.Some episodes are educational. Some include guests sharing their own experience of moving forward.No jargon. No blame. No dwelling on the past. Just straight answers about why the brain does what it does and what actually helps.Because people aren't broken. Sometimes the brain just gets stuck in patterns it learned to survive.And the brain can learn something different.

Moving Minds Forward is a health podcast hosted by Gary Johannes, with 23 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Gary Johannes hosts Moving Minds Forward, a health show with 23 episodes published.

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  Episode #15

  Imposter Syndrome Symptoms: Why High Achievers Feel Like Frauds (with Dawn Ibbetson)

  Oct 4, 202621 min

  Imposter syndrome symptoms don't look like low confidence, they look like success that never feels earned. In this episode, Dawn Ibbetson, who led global IT teams across time zones while convinced she'd be "found out," joins Gary to explain what's actually happening in the brain, and what helped her stop wearing the mask. Dawn calls herself the swan, calm and capable on the surface, panicking underneath. First in, last out, no lunch breaks, constantly trying to prove she belonged in the room. Not because she wasn't good enough. Because no amount of evidence ever felt like enough. In this conversation, Dawn and Gary get into: – What imposter syndrome actually is, and why it has nothing to do with ability – Why it hit harder for Dawn in a male-dominated corporate world – What's happening in the brain when the "found out" feeling fires and why the amygdala can't tell the difference between real danger and being seen – How imposter syndrome and burnout fed each other, and which one came first – The one small action that starts to break the cycle (it's smaller than you think) – What an ordinary working day looks like for Dawn now, boundaries and all Somewhere between a quarter and a third of high achievers deal with imposter syndrome symptoms at some point. 94% have never said it out loud. If that's you, you're not the exception, you're just one of the many who hasn't spoken about it yet. One condition per episode. What's going on, what's keeping it going, and what actually helps. Dawn Ibbetson is a solution-focused hypnotherapist with Inspired to Change, based in our Chelmsford clinic, and works with individuals and corporate teams on imposter syndrome, burnout, and stress. Find your nearest Inspired to Change therapist and book a free consultation: https://inspiredtochange.biz Subscribe for more episodes of Moving Minds Forward. #ImposterSyndrome #MentalHealth #SolutionFocusedHypnotherapy #MovingMindsForward #Burnout

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  Episode #25

  Fear of Flying: Why Your Brain Panics on a Plane and How to Overcome It

  Sep 27, 202617 min

  That heavy thunk as the cabin door closes. That's the sound your fear has been waiting for because that's the moment the choice is gone. If you've turned down a trip you wanted to go on, driven two days rather than fly two hours, or spent the fortnight before a flight with a knot in your stomach, this episode is for you. You're not weak, you're not dramatic, and you're not alone. Around one in ten people in the UK have a fear of flying, and a quarter of adults feel some anxiety about getting on a plane. In this episode of Moving Minds Forward, Gary Johannes takes the fear of flying apart the way he takes every condition apart: what's going on, what's keeping it going, and what actually helps. In this episode: Why fear of flying is often not about the plane at all, but about losing control of yourself in a place you can't walk out of The smoke detector in your brain that can't tell a fire from burnt toast Why the facts don't help in the moment — your survival brain can't read a safety record, only your heartbeat Why you don't need a bad flight to develop the fear, and where it usually comes from instead The stress bucket: why fear of flying is often the symptom and an overflowing life is the cause How avoidance gives instant relief and makes the fear grow Why rehearsing the disaster in your head means you've flown that nightmare a hundred times before you reach the airport What actually helps: positive interaction, positive action, positive thinking, and the breathing switch that talks straight to the alarm What hypnotherapy really is (and isn't) and what Stanford brain scans show it does One thing to say to yourself the next time the dread rises The fear was learned. What's learned can be unlearned. Gary Johannes is a solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired to Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT Hypnotherapy Training. He left school at 14, joined the RAF at 16, spent 30 years in sales and hospitality, retrained in his late 40s and completed an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London at 60. Want help with your fear of flying? Inspired to Change has solution-focused hypnotherapists across the UK, in person and online. It's worth starting well before your trip. Find your nearest therapist and book a free initial consultation: inspiredtochange.biz If panic is showing up in everyday life, not just on the plane, please speak to your GP. Chapters 00:00 Gary's story and the Moving Minds Forward approach 00:00 The woman who drove to France, the man with the 7am whisky 00:00 The cabin door closes: what you're actually feeling 00:00 What fear of flying really is — and why it's often about the feelings, not the flight 00:00 What's happening in your brain: the smoke detector 00:00 What causes it: learned fear, claustrophobia, and the stress bucket 00:00 What keeps it going: avoidance, rehearsal and body-watching 00:00 What actually helps: the three pillars 00:00 What hypnotherapy actually is 00:00 One thing to say when the dread rises 00:00 You are not broken #FearOfFlying #Aerophobia #MovingMindsForward #SolutionFocusedHypnotherapy #MentalHealthPodcast #FlyingAnxiety #HypnotherapyForFearOfFlying #InspiredToChange #GaryJohannes https://inspiredtochange.biz/phobias/agoraphobia/

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  Episode #26

  5 Breathing Techniques for Anxiety and Stress and Why They Actually Work

  Sep 25, 202614 min

  You've pulled onto the drive after work. Engine off. And you just sit there, home, but not ready to walk in. Chest tight, jaw tight, mind still on today and already on tomorrow. Nothing's wrong in that moment. Your body just hasn't got the message. And if someone saying "just breathe" has ever made you want to scream, this episode is for you, because Gary Johannes shows you why it works, and how to actually do it. This one's different. Not a condition to unpick, a set of tools you can use tonight. In this episode: Why stress, anxiety and overwhelm are all the same thing: an accelerator stuck down The one part of your alarm system you can reach with your own hands The secret that unlocks every technique: out-breath longer than in-breath Belly breathing - the foundation the rest are built on 7-11 breathing - the all-rounder for when your head's overwhelmed The psychological sigh - your emergency brake when anxiety's climbing fast Box breathing - for when you're wound up or steadying yourself before something big 4-7-8 breathing - for lying in bed when sleep won't come Which one to use when, and why you should only pick one The 2023 Stanford trial that put breathing exercises up against meditation Why breathing calms the moment but doesn't change the baseline and what does The one thing to do today, while you're calm You're not broken. Your body's just stuck in a gear it doesn't need to be in, and you're carrying the gear stick. Gary Johannes is a solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired to Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT Hypnotherapy Training. He left school at 14, joined the RAF at 16, spent 30 years in sales and hospitality, retrained in his late 40s and completed an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London at 60. If the calm never seems to last Breathing is a tool, not a cure. If you're reaching for it ten times a day just to get through, that's your nervous system telling you the real work is upstream. Inspired to Change has solution-focused hypnotherapists across the UK, in person and online. Find your nearest therapist and book a free initial consultation: Inspired To Change Listen to more podcast here - PODCAST Chapters 00:00 Gary's story and why this episode is different 02:00 Sitting on the drive: the accelerator stuck down 03:15 Why breathing actually works — the brake you can reach 05:00 The stress bucket 05:45 Belly breathing: the foundation 06:30 7-11 breathing: the all-rounder 07:15 The psychological sigh: your emergency brake 08:00 Box breathing: for pressure and tension 08:40 4-7-8 breathing: for sleep 09:10 Which one when — and why to pick just one 09:45 Gentle is the whole point 10:10 A tool, not a cure: when the bucket's overflowing 10:50 The Stanford breathing trial 11:30 One thing to do today: practise while you're calm 12:20 You're carrying the gear stick #BreathingTechniques #BreathingForAnxiety #BoxBreathing #478Breathing #711Breathing #MovingMindsForward #SolutionFocusedHypnotherapy #MentalHealthPodcast #InspiredToChange #GaryJohannes

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  Episode #24

  Emotional Eating Explained: Cortisol, Serotonin and Why Diets Fail

  Sep 20, 202619 min

  If you've struggled with your weight, you've probably decided the problem is you. Weak. Greedy. No willpower. That belief is wrong and it's the very thing keeping you stuck. In this episode of Moving Minds Forward, Gary Johannes takes weight apart the way he takes every condition apart: what's going on, what's keeping it going, and what actually helps. And the answer is rarely about food. Emotional eating isn't a character flaw. It's a normal brain running an ancient survival programme in a world that programme was never built for. Once you see the machinery, you stop blaming yourself and a way through starts to appear. In this episode: Why weight is an emotional problem that plays out through eating, not an eating problem Cortisol, belly fat and the stress loop that feeds itself Low serotonin, that hollow "not hungry but need something" feeling, and why food is the fastest hit Dopamine, reward, and why the same food keeps giving you less The shame cycle: eat, guilt, feel worse, eat again and why being harder on yourself makes it worse Black-and-white thinking, poor sleep, and the other loops that keep it spinning Why diets aim at the wrong target and what the solution-focused approach does instead How the trance state lowers cortisol and puts the thinking brain back in charge One thing to try today: the pause-and-name question that puts a gap between the feeling and the food Nearly half of UK adults are trying to lose weight at any one time. You are not a lonely failure. You're an ordinary human with a very common struggle and patterns can change. Gary Johannes is a solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired to Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT Hypnotherapy Training. He left school at 14, spent 30 years in sales and hospitality, retrained in his late 40s and completed an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London at 60. Need support? If your relationship with food feels out of control, Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity, has a helpline at beateatingdisorders.org.uk. If your weight has changed suddenly without explanation, see your GP. For help with the emotional side of eating, Inspired to Change has solution-focused hypnotherapists across the UK, in person or online: www.inspiredtochange.biz Read the companion blog : Timestamps 00:00 Gary's story and the Moving Minds Forward approach 01:30 "The problem is you" — taking the belief apart 03:15 Weight isn't an eating problem, it's an emotional one 04:20 You're not alone: the UK numbers and the mood link 05:30 What's happening in the brain: cortisol, serotonin, dopamine 07:20 The ancient survival wiring 08:30 What causes it: emotional drivers, physical causes, eating disorders 10:10 What keeps it going: the shame cycle, black-and-white thinking, sleep 12:15 What actually helps: the solution-focused approach and the trance state 14:20 The three pillars and getting your feel-good chemistry from somewhere else 15:30 One thing to try today: pause and name the feeling 17:20 You're not greedy, you're not weak 18:10 Where to get help #EmotionalEating #StressAndWeightGain #MovingMindsForward #SolutionFocusedHypnotherapy #MentalHealthPodcast #WeightLossMindset #Cortisol #ComfortEating #InspiredToChange #GaryJohannes

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  Episode #22

  Why You Go Blank When You Stand Up to Speak and How to Change It

  Sep 13, 202617 min

  You can be brilliant at your job, sharp in meetings, the person everyone turns to and then someone says "can you just say a few words?" and your stomach drops through the floor. That's the fear of public speaking, and it has nothing to do with how good you are. In this episode of Moving Minds Forward, Gary Johannes explains what's really happening when you stand up to speak: why your brain treats a friendly room as a life-or-death emergency, why your mind goes blank at exactly the wrong moment, and why avoiding it only makes the fear stronger. Then, what actually helps — including one simple shift you can use the next time your heart starts racing. Around half of us fear public speaking. One in seven call it overwhelming. Almost half say it's held their career back. If that's you, you're not a bad speaker. You're running ancient software in front of a modern audience — and that's a pattern, not a fact. Patterns can change. In this episode: 00:00 Intro 01:20 Why capable people go to pieces 02:40 What glossophobia actually is 03:45 How common it really is 04:40 What's happening in your brain 07:00 Where the fear comes from 08:20 What keeps it going: avoidance and safety behaviours 10:40 What actually helps: the solution-focused approach 11:40 Mental rehearsal and how hypnotherapy helps 12:50 The three pillars 14:15 One thing to try today: relabelling the fear Gary Johannes is a solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired to Change and a senior lecturer at CPHT. He left school at 14, spent 30 years in sales and hospitality, retrained in his late 40s and completed an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London at 60. Moving Minds Forward: one condition per episode. What's going on? What's keeping it going? And what actually helps? If the fear of public speaking is holding you back, Inspired to Change has solution-focused hypnotherapists across the UK, in person and online. Book a free initial consultation: https://www.inspiredtochange.biz Subscribe for a new episode every week. #PublicSpeaking #Glossophobia #FearOfPublicSpeaking #Hypnotherapy #MentalHealth #Anxiety #SolutionFocusedHypnotherapy #MovingMindsForward

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