Welcome to 2026! I hope you’ve had time to reflect and recharge over the holidays, but I’m happy to be back with you for a new year of informative shows and amazing expert guests. 

Can you improve your performance and resilience through neuroscience-based strategies? The answer is YES! Today’s conversation covers mental toughness, managing negative thoughts, and creating positive change from the inside out. You’ll discover practical tools for navigating the constant “noise” of your thoughts and letting your mind direct which thoughts deserve your energy and attention. Are you ready to think differently about the way you think? Join us!

Kevin Stacey is an effectiveness expert and former brain imaging specialist who helps individuals and organizations enhance performance, resilience, and results by utilizing neuroscience-based strategies. As the founder of TrainRight, Kevin has trained over 80,000 people across 48 states and four countries to break mental barriers, achieve peak performance, and navigate challenges with confidence. His diverse background blends military service, healthcare expertise, and corporate leadership. As the author of MindRight and TimeRight and a featured guest on major media outlets, Kevin delivers engaging keynotes, workshops, and coaching on mental toughness, time mastery, and high-performance strategies to clients such as Ford, IBM, The New York Times, and the Federal Reserve. 

Show Highlights:

  • Overthinking is the #1 cause of unhappiness! (“Is my overthinking becoming counterproductive to the goals I want to accomplish?”)
  • Kevin’s tips for “navigating the noise”: sometimes we need to ignore it, listen to it, or quiet it.
  • Creating your own noise by controlling what you think about
  • Kevin’s tips for developing mental toughness:
    • Separate the brain (the creator of thoughts) and the mind (the director of your thoughts). 
    • Use your mind to keep your brain in check.
    • Develop a different relationship with your “scary” thoughts.
  • How our brains harm our happiness
  • Change the subject to change your thinking. (“Thoughts are not facts.”)
  • Applying neuroscience to organizations by reducing insecurity and managing focus
  • Noticing and changing your thoughts interrupts the pattern of your thinking. 
  • “What you think, you become; what you feel, you attract; what you imagine, you create.”
  • The “noise” will always be there, but we don’t have to focus on it. (Like when you’re on a train, notice you’re on the “wrong track,” and get off at the “next station.”)
  • Coaches can practice using a “pattern interrupt” technique with clients. 
  • Thought-changing techniques using ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) and CBT (cognitive behavior therapy)
  • The value of gratitude in managing our negative thoughts and reframing our perspective
  • Be careful of “outrage addiction.”
  • “Life is a journey, not a destination.”
  • Use a daily reminder: “I’m grateful, I’m happy, how do I want this day to go?”

Resources:

Connect with Kevin Stacey: Website, X, LinkedIn, MindRight, and TimeRight 

Connect with Meg:

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