Ep 16. Andy Molinsky: Reach Beyond Your Comfort Zone

Andy Molinsky is a professor at Brandeis University’s International Business School where he helps people develop the insights and courage necessary to act outside their personal and cultural comfort zones. He holds a Ph.D in Organizational Behavior and M.A. in Psychology from Harvard University, and M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University. His latest book is Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge and Build Confidence. In this conversation, Andy describes the five common psychological obstacles we face when trying to create change and how to overcome them to reach important goals at work and in other parts of life. Stew and Andy talk about how to reach beyond these obstacles through conviction in your beliefs, customization to your specific situation, and clarification of what is realistic. Bonus content: This episode includes a call from a couple of Stew’s radio show listeners -- Tara and her mom, as they were driving back to New York from Washington, D. C. -- who describe how Tara reached beyond her comfort zone to find the courage to lobby Congress on behalf of The Epilepsy Foundation. Show Notes (times when new topics start) 7:00 Psychological barriers to change. After surveying a wide range of people, Andy’s research uncovered the five psychological roadblocks that keep us stuck in our comfort zones. 12:00 Three keys overcome psychological challenges. They reduce the fear and anxiety that often comes with the anticipation of taking the leap. 25:30 Change leads to discovery. Stepping outside our comfort zone can lead to the personal discovery that you are more capable of producing change than you previously expected. 29:55 - How one radio listener found the courage to lobby Congress. Stew and Andy took a call from Tara, who overcame her psychological barriers and reached beyond her comfort zone to go to Washington to lobby Congress on behalf of The Epilepsy Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

Welcome to the Work and Life Podcast with Stew Friedman -- bestselling author, celebrated professor at The Wharton School, and founder of Wharton's Work/Life Integration Project. Stew is widely recognized as the world's foremost authority on cultivating leadership from the point of view of the whole person. On this podcast, Stew talks with a variety of experts -- leading researchers, progressive executives, policy advocates, inspiring educators, and more -- about how to cultivate harmony between work and the rest of your life; that is, your family, your community, and your private self (mind, body, and spirit). Conversations in all Work and Life Podcast episodes are taken from broadcasts of Stew's Work and Life Radio Show, which airs weekly on SiriusXM 132, Business Radio Powered by Wharton. Tune in on Mondays at noon Eastern Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.