6 Experts Talk About Change

We at 24Life know just how challenging change can be, and—believing that each and every one of us has the personal power to change—we have long been invested in helping our readers make real change possible in their lives.

Many of the experts we’ve spoken to over the years are, too. Here’s a collection of what six of them had to say about change:

Cynthia Pasquella

Celebrity nutritionist Cynthia Pasquella knows that lasting change begins with our mindset.

“Any change that we want to be permanent,” she says, “has to start with a shift in our mindset.

“We need to be ready and willing for things to be different, whether that’s how we eat, our exercise routine or other key aspects of our lives like relationships and careers. It takes an awareness of what you really want. At the end of the day, we all know what to do. The real question becomes why we won’t do it.

“That’s why focusing on starting with our mindset and being open to doing things differently sets the stage to create the body, health and life we desire.”

Read the full interview with Pasquella and how her own transformation is inspiring others here: A Hunger That Needs More Than Food.

Monica Berg

Chief communications officer for The Kabbalah Centre and author of “Fear Is Not an Option” (Kabbalah Centre Publishing, 2017), Monica Berg recognizes that many of us fear change— preventing us from moving forward. But with some work and commitment, she says it’s possible to overcome fear by shifting perspective and determining that fear no longer has a place in your life.

“One of our greatest strengths is our power to change the way we see things,” Berg explains. “If we reframe the way we think, fear can motivate us to push past our comfort zones.

“One positive change is all it takes to change the rest of your life. And once you’ve made a small change, do it again. By awakening your consciousness and slowly implementing change gradually day to day, your small changes will lead to great change.”

Read more from Berg on the anatomy of fear, living without regrets and becoming a “change junkie” here: Monica Berg on Embracing Change and Living Fearlessly.

Marshall Goldsmith

Best-selling author and world-renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith recognizes that the planner and the doer parts of ourselves make it hard to make changes that we know we should but don’t.

“The top-selling diet books far outsell books about making change in your life because it’s easy to understand the changes you need to make. But it’s hard to make those changes,” he says. “We all have a part of us that’s the planner and a part of us that’s the doer. The part of us who plans to go to the gym after work is not the same one who’s tired at the end of the day and has to go do it. The part of us who’s planning to diet isn’t the part of us who’s hungry and has to resist the chocolate. The doer is the part of us who has to make sacrifices.

“Besides our belief in our ability to change, which doesn’t necessarily reflect reality, there are a host of other beliefs we hold that keep us from acting. For example, there’s the belief that ‘today’s a special day’—my birthday or the Super Bowl. If we want to, we can make every day a special exception and not go to the gym, eat poorly and so on.

“I want people to recognize that they can become who they want to be and that they’ll get over the shame of not having total willpower and asking for help. I hope readers make peace with being human and put in the effort rather than focus on the achievement. Chances are if you do, you’re going to better.”

Read the full interview with Goldsmith, including his own challenges to overcome and techniques for making change happen, here: Trigger Change.

Shawn Stevenson

Top-rated health podcaster and author Shawn Stevenson shows you how to change your brain to make lifestyle changes part of who you are.

“Strategy is the conscious application of tools and methods to get you the results you want, and it’s critical to getting from point A to point B (while cutting out a lot of mayhem),” Stevenson says. “You can use rituals and routines to move you toward your goals—whatever it is that you want in life—with more ease and, ultimately, to successfully execute them.

“With knowledge comes power, so we’re going to go over how you can strategically create a lifestyle change that becomes a healthy ritual and helps you succeed in reaching your goals.

“By using repetition, emotionally charged events and coaching, you can successfully support the changing of your brain, and you’ll lay the groundwork for automated rituals that get you where you want to go. With automated rituals, your healthy food is already prepped and your gym bag is waiting by the front door—all you have to do is execute and enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

Read more from Stevenson and how repetition, emotionally charged events and coaching can help you create a lifestyle change here: The Science of Rituals and Automation: How to Set Yourself Up for Success.

Josh Williamson

Division I lacrosse player turned USA Olympic bobsledder, Josh Williamson knows what it takes to make a change and go for your dreams. Following a 2017 shoulder surgery, ending his lacrosse career early, Williamson decided to pursue the sport of bobsled—with the goal of returning to full athletic strength—and was discovered through the exclusive “The Next Olympic Hopeful” tryouts held by 24 Hour Fitness.

“I’ve never been big on change, and I have always struggled to get out of my comfort zone,” Williamson says. “Recently, I’ve traveled more than I ever have in my life, tried new things in some new places, been in some pretty uncomfortable weather (to say the least) and failed a lot, but I always learned from my failures.

“The real secret to managing change is to never stop pushing forward even if you’re uncomfortable. Most people throw in the towel just steps before they reach the finish line. No matter how many uncomfortable changes or situations you’ve never been in before, force yourself to go through them. In the end, whether it was a great experience or a terrible one, you learned and you changed to be better than you were before. Just because a change isn’t the one you had in mind doesn’t mean it was a failure. There is value in every situation—you just have to be willing to look for it.”

Read the full interview to learn how he sets goals and knocks them down here: My Moon Shot With Josh Williamson.

Mastin Kipp

No. 1 best-selling author and the creator of Functional Life Coaching, Mastin Kipp takes on what’s blocking your momentum, saying it’s all about clearing impediments in the way of personal transformation.

“Maybe you’re at the gym because last night you made a deal with yourself: ‘I’m going to have two pizzas and then I’m going to run it off today,’” Kipp says. “Well, what was the root cause that was driving you to do that? Functional life coaching helps you quickly figure out why and help you resolve the blocks holding you back mentally and emotionally so that you can accelerate your results.

“The reason why you’re stuck is not because you’re bad. It’s not because you’re not loved by your creator or life or however you want to look at your spiritual philosophy. It’s just because there’s a belief or meaning that you have that you created in the past that was designed to keep you safe.”

Once we decide to see what’s blocking us, Kipp says the job is to see everything that happens as an answer to that question rather than asking for answers to present themselves in a way that we need or want them to show up.

Read more from Kipp and the importance of emotional fitness and claiming your power here: Train to Claim Your Power.

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