Change Wired

If there was a pill that consistently and instantly boosts your cognitive and physical performance - it would contain sleep!  If peak performance starts to slip, don’t blame your willpower - look at your sleep.  We dive straight into the 3 levers that consistently turn “I’m fine” into focused, calm, and energetic: the stories you tell yourself, the routine you follow, and the environment you live in. From caffeine myths to all-nighter bragging rights, we call out the habits that quietly wreck deep sleep and show a clear path to better nights that fuel better days.  First, we challenge the big beliefs. Then we move into daily routines that make sleep reliable. Finally, we tackle context - the social and physical cues that shape your sleep quality.   The throughline is simple: sleep is a skill you design, not a mystery you endure.  Share the episode with someone who wants to sleep better with you, subscribe for more practical performance tools, and leave a quick review to support the show.  Your best work starts the night before, ready to claim it?  Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

We explore how the questions we repeat shape our focus, emotions, and results, and how a small shift in wording can turn stuck energy into practical motivation.  Drawing on coaching sessions and real-life experiments in fitness, business, and habit building, we show why your brain reliably hunts for whatever you ask it to find, even while you sleep, and how to use that fact to your advantage.  We walk through a simple 3-question sequence that helps you get back on track with your goals. Along the way, we unpack common traps like asking blame-heavy questions that generate worse stories, and we offer easy reframes that shift you toward agency, clarity, and consistent progress.  You’ll hear practical ways to install “question habits,” plus a lightweight system for tracking proof that your new questions are working.  Whether you’re aiming for better health, stronger leadership, or a calmer mind, the process is the same: ask better, act sooner, and let repetition compound.  If this resonates, follow the show, share it with one person who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review so more people can turn curiosity into change.  What’s the one question you’ll start asking today?  Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

If you’ve ever wondered why people do the strange things we do, this episode is your new favourite rabbit hole!Today we have Phill Agnew on the show, the mind behind Nudge — the UK’s #1 marketing podcast, downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.But today?You get Phill unplugged — telling stories, breaking down psychology, and showing you how a few behavioral science principles can transform your business, your life, your TikTok following and even your marathon time.🎧 What you’ll hear inside (and why you will NOT want to stop listening):How a chocolate bar hijacked Phill’s childhood brain into love for marketingA caramel wafer + a tiny line on the wrapper (“7 million sold this week”) = the moment Phill discovered the power of social proof… years before he knew what social proof was.The loyalty card trick that increased customer return rates by 82% and why you are so loyal to your favorite coffee shopA barista stamping his card twice for free wasn’t kindness — it was the endowment effect and reciprocity in action.Why Uber wins (and traditional taxis fail)It’s not price.It’s not convenience.It’s the illusion of control, and once you see it, you’ll start spotting this everywhere.The Peak-End Rule, and how Phill used it to finish 2nd in an ultramarathonA Nobel Prize–winning principle that helps restaurants delight customers… and helps Phill outrun people and stick with hard training.The curiosity hack that got Phill 10,000 TikTok followers in one weekShakespeare used it.Dickens used it.Clickbait uses it.You should too.Why handwritten notes outperform almost every digital strategyOne South Korean study.$50+ increase per customer.And the wild story of a family who bought their dream home on a street where no houses were for sale — just by using this principle.The biggest mistake companies make when raising pricesAnd the simple, psychology-backed tweak that reduces cancellations and makes customers say yes almost every time.How to use behavioral science TODAYPhill shares easy, immediately applicable ideas you can use at work, at home, in relationships, in your next email or conversation.If you listen to ONE episode this month - make it this one.It’s packed with stories, experiments, practical tools, and “holy sh*t, why didn’t I know this sooner?” insights you’ll use for the rest of your life.About Phill AgnewPhill Agnew is the host of Nudge, the UK's #1 marketing podcast — a critically acclaimed show that brings behavioral science to life through real experiments, research, and practical applications. His work has featured world-renowned thinkers like Rory Sutherland, Richard Shotton, Tali Sharot, Jonah Berger, Dan Pink, and Chris Voss.His podcast reaches hundreds of thousands globally and has become a go-to resource for marketers, leaders, and anyone who wants to understand human behaviour.🔗 LinksListen to the Nudge Podcast: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/Phill’s Recommended Reading List: https://nudge.kit.com/reading-listText Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

What if the fastest way to beat cravings, cool heated words, and stop impulse buys is as simple as changing what you pay attention to?  In today's episode we explore a practical, science-informed method for redirecting focus and shifting body state so urges lose their grip and better choices get easier.  Along the way, we share real examples from coaching and daily life that show how quickly a craving fades when you anchor your mind elsewhere.  The same playbook helps in relationships and money choices. Train these skills like reps in the gym and you’ll see spillover benefits across food, leadership, relationships, money-saving and decisions for better life.  If you’re ready to turn urges into opportunities for deliberate action, press play and pick one tool to test today.  If the method helps, share this episode with a friend, subscribe for more practical mindset tools, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. Your attention is your leverage - let’s use it for good.    Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

If your calendar predicted your future, would you like what it shows?  In today's episode we'll walk through a clear, 5-step work-life integration system designed to turn values and your future self visions into the life you live daily. Instead of chasing someone else’s idea of balance, we strip away borrowed goals and define a good life in your words, for this season, starting now.  It's a realignment process.  We create a match between what you want in life and what you do every day.  If this resonated, subscribe, share with one person who’ll keep you accountable, and leave a quick review to help more people build a life they love.    Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

What if consistency isn’t about willpower but about design?  In this special crossover episode, Angela flips seats and becomes the guest. Interviewed by Kevin Joseph from the Lekker Network, I unpack how small, deliberate system changes can unlock unstoppable performance in individuals, teams, and entire organizations.  Angela shares her journey from health and neuroscience to behavioral science and leadership transformation, and the practical insights that help people stay on track long after motivation fades.  💡 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:  The hidden code of consistency — why success depends more on systems than self-discipline.Why motivation is unreliable (and what to build instead).The Consistency Code™ — a three-pillar framework: 1️⃣ Awareness – clarity on what, why, and how. 2️⃣ Enablement – design environments that make desired actions easy. 3️⃣ Reinforcement – sustain motivation through visible progress and recognition.How to make “soft stuff” measurable — translating values like innovation, inclusivity, and trust into trackable behaviors.The real reason pilots matter — testing one variable at a time to find what truly works before scaling.How accountability and identity shape performance — and why being seen doing the right thing often matters more than being told to.The human side of data — why what works in Silicon Valley won’t necessarily work in South Africa or the Global South, and how context drives behavior.How to turn overwhelm into focus — by doing fewer things, better.Why Listen:  If you’ve ever wondered why change initiatives fade, habits don’t stick, or culture programs stall — this episode gives you the behavioral blueprint to fix it.  It’s a candid, practical, and inspiring conversation about designing consistency into your life, your team, and your business — one small system at a time.  🎧 Tune in to the full episode and discover how to build a culture where consistency becomes effortless and success, inevitable.  Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

Feeling stuck while juggling big, messy goals? We’ve all been there.  Today we talk about a simple, coaching-proof, reliable way to turn overwhelm into motion: after years of coaching complex client cases, one thing never fails - oversimplification outperforms overcomplication when you need momentum and progress.  You’ll hear practical examples across domains: a single rule that quietly drives weight loss, a daily recognition habit that nudges culture toward engagement, and a no‑frills sales sprint that outperforms complex business strategies. Each tactic is intentionally small, easy to track, and resilient on your busiest days.  We also dig into the softer but crucial arenas: repairing strained relationships with one genuine appreciation every day, and rebuilding self‑esteem by recording a single hard thing you did or value you upheld. These practices shrink the gap between intention and action and create proof you can feel. No sprawling frameworks, no massive life overhaul just one behavior you can start your day on.  If this resonates, tap follow, share it with someone who feels stuck, and leave a quick review.  What’s your one action you’ll start today?  Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

Most teams, people and companies don’t have a motivation problem - they have a design problem.In this episode I sit down with Ricardo Lopes Costa, founder and CTO of Funifier from Brazil and the author of "The Fantastic Engagement Factory: how to motivate people on a large scale with gamification". We uncover how gamification, psychology, and smart feedback loops can turn apathetic workflows into performance engines people actually want to use. Ricardo’s company, Funifier, has worked with global brands like Coca-Cola, HP, Banco do Brasil, and Caixa Econômica Federal, helping them turn dry KPIs into dynamic challenges that spark human motivation — often with billion-dollar impact. Ricardo shares how:A small experiment with locked online lessons accidentally sparked his obsession with engagement.A single leaderboard turned learning into a movement across Brazil.Caixa’s “Tamo Junto 9Bi+” initiative became the world’s largest gamification case — driving over $1 billion USD in additional profit in just months.Recognition and belonging often outperform money when it comes to performance.Even small businesses — from cupcake stands to ice-cream shops — can gamify experiences to make people participate more.Why the future of leadership lies in designing human experiences, not just managing numbers.“Engagement is not a bonus — it’s an asset, just like money or technology.” — Ricardo Lopes CostaIf you’re a leader, HR professional, or entrepreneur who wants to build teams that care, perform, and grow — this episode will show you how to make motivation measurable.Key TakeawaysMotivation is designable — when you treat engagement like a system, not a feeling.Recognition > rewards: appreciation drives sustained effort more than money.Start small: pick one unmotivated area, personalize it, make it visible, make it fun.Emotional design is the missing layer in most transformation and culture projects.Everyone — even small businesses — can use gamification principles to spark engagement.🔗 Learn More📘 The Fantastic Engagement Factory: How to Motivate People on a Large Scale with Gamification🌐 funifier.com: Ricardo’s company and gamification platform 📸 Instagram: @ricardolopescosta_👤 About Ricardo Lopes CostaRicardo Lopes Costa is an entrepreneur, author, and international speaker specializing in gamification and behavioral design for business. He is the founder and CTO of Funifier, creator of the Funifier Gamification Platform, used in over 25 countries to help organizations motivate people at scale.His work with banks like Caixa Econômica Federal and Banco do Brasil has been recognized as some of the most impactful gamification projects in the world. Ricardo is also the author of The Fantastic Engagement Factory, where he shares the psychology, design, and strategy behind motivating thousands of people, one game mechanic at Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

Habits don’t fail you because you’re weak.  They fail because they’re stuck in the wrong place.  Let me explain...  Today we unpack a simple, powerful rule for consistency: put each habit where it naturally fits your life so it stops feeling like work.  Think of your day like a kitchen - your daily coffee maker sits by the water and the mugs, not in the back of a cabinet. Your routines deserve the same thoughtful placement.  Years of weekly training, hundreds of days of writing and language practice, and long-running reading and meditation - I break down exactly how the placement principle keeps these habits alive.  We explore how friction hides in tiny details: a gym that requires a drive, a planner out of reach, a walk in an unsafe or unpleasant area, or a “react first” habit embedded in chaotic meetings. When the tools, timing, and context don’t match the behavior, every repetition feels like a negotiation. When they do, starting will NEVER become automatic, habits will not survive.  You’ll learn how to find the perfect slot for each habit by mapping your energy peaks and valleys, pairing high-focus tasks with your sharpest hours and low-effort rituals with natural rhythms.  If your goal is lifelong change, design beats discipline: reduce friction, keep cues consistent, and let ease and automaticity grow from repetition.  Ready to make your routines feel seamless instead of heavy?  Press play, pick one habit, and move it to a better place in your day.  If this resonated, share it with a friend, start a mini listening club, and leave a quick review so more people can build habits that last.    Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant  

Big goals shouldn’t feel like hauling a suitcase of rocks up a hill.We’re talking about how ambitious people accidentally strap on extra weight with the wrong scorecard - chasing outcomes, timelines, and approval - when the real leverage lives in daily process, commitment to daily work, clear systems, and consistent action.Today, I'm walking you through a practical high-performance exercise that reframes control, so you can stop measuring what you don’t own and start optimizing the inputs you do.We dig into concrete examples across life and work: training vs winning, habits vs goals, preparation vs luck, and systems vs willpower. On the communication and leadership side, we unpack speaking clearly vs being understood, authenticity vs approval, boundaries vs reactions, and decision quality vs outcome certainty. In creative strategy, we anchor on experimentation, iteration, and feedback instead of perfection and prediction, showing how curiosity and small learning loops speed up real progress and reduce burnout.We'll finish with 2 grounding questions that tie it all together, 2 questions you must ask yourself whenever life, goals and work feel heavy.If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or judged by an external scoreboard, this conversation gives you a lighter way to travel - focused, energized, and resilient over the long haul.If the episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s chasing something big, and leave a quick review to help others find it.Then tell me: what controllable input will you commit to this week?Also, try my new GPT - Negative Self-Talk Trainer: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-68f9e96bb94c81918b16bc403c31adfe-self-talk-trainer  Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the showBrought to you by Angela Shurina  Behavior-First, Executive, Leadership and Optimal Performance Coach 360, Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant