Mindset Episodes

Spark up some inspiration & enthusiasm

Our expectations shape our experience of the world, influencing not just our perceptions but even our physiology. In this episode, I'm talking about the Expectancy Effect. Our brain acts as a prediction machine, constructing our reality based on what we anticipate. This phenomenon affects everything from social interactions to health outcomes. By understanding how proactively priming our own brain to expect good things, we can actively create a more fulfilling life. Takeaways: Our expectatio...

Dr. Kate Mason unpacks the false dichotomy that suggests women must choose between being liked and being respected, and explains how this mindset leads to self-doubt and diminished confidence. Kate shares practical strategies for overcoming common communication pitfalls women fall into, such as over-apologising and minimising their contributions. This episode is a must-listen for any woman looking to assert herself confidently while still being true to her authentic self.Takeaways: Women oft...

This week, we are kicking off a new 8-part series in the Beyond Happy subscriber-only podcast, focused on how to build self-trust so you can stop second guessing and start living freely and authentically, knowing you've got your own back. This first episode is available for all Crappy to Happy listeners and focuses on what it means to cultivate self-trust and why so many of us struggle with it. Self-trust is the belief in your own abilities, judgments, and decisions, as well as the inner assura...

Today, we're diving into the ever-relevant topic of burnout, which has become a pervasive issue for many people. I want to unpack how personal traits such as perfectionism, people-pleasing tendencies, and unrealistic self-expectations, can inadvertently contribute to our own risk of burnout. Of course there are external pressures from our workplaces; but it’s important to look at how we interact with those pressures and the stories we're tell ourselves that are contributing to our chronic stress...

Cass is joined by Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa, a neuroscientist, best-selling author and host of the incredibly popular "Do You F*cking Mind?" podcast. The conversation explores how Alexis discovered her love for cognitive neuroscience and how she uses her knowledge to optimise her own health, happiness and success. She urges listeners to conduct an inventory of what they identify with to foster flexibility and resilience in their lives. She argues that rigid identities can limit personal growth. T...

As the new year unfolds, it brings a fresh opportunity to reflect on what will truly make you happy. This episode of Crappy to Happy offers a guiding light for anyone looking to set meaningful goals in 2025 and give yourself the best chance of achieving them. I'm letting you in on how my personal experience of being diagnosed with ADHD has prompted a shift in goal-setting strategies. Rather than see it as a hindrance, I'm hoping to embrace it as a catalyst for change, using it to inform my ap...

Cass explores the concept of being fully committed to goals while remaining unattached to the outcomes. She discusses the balance between giving your all and not letting the results define your self-worth. Through examples and personal insights, Cass emphasises the importance of understanding commitment, non-attachment, and the role of personal values in achieving true fulfilment. The conversation also touches on spiritual concepts of ego and essence, encouraging listeners to find peace in their...

In this solo episode, Cass discusses the concept of upper limit problems as described in the book 'The Big Leap' by Gay Hendricks. Upper limit problems refer to self-imposed limitations that prevent individuals from achieving greater success, happiness, and fulfillment. Cass explores the four core beliefs that contribute to upper limit problems. She also highlights the importance of expanding one's capacity for feeling good and offers strategies for overcoming upper limit problems.Book: The Big ...

In this solo episode, Cass discusses the importance of goal-setting, but understanding why you want the things you want when you're aspiring to achieve or create something in your life. She talks about the trap of attaching your happiness to a goal or outcome, and offers some tips for how you can overcome that.Cass also discusses the concept of "memetic desire", which is when social trends influence your goals, causing you to aspire to things that aren't aligned with your authentic desires or va...

In this solo episode, Cass discusses the fear of making the wrong decision and the desire for certainty. Cass emphasises the importance of taking action as a way of gaining clarity, as well as the importance of getting comfortable with uncertainty. She also explores the role of the body in decision-making and suggests practicing feeling into what feels right or wrong. Cass encourages listeners to trust themselves and know that they will be okay regardless of the decision they make.Takeaways Fea...

If you're trying to break a habit, start a new one or achieve a goal, there are some very predictable stages everyone goes through during the process.In this episode, Cass shares the stages of change to help you identify where you're at, understand what to expect at each stage, and what to do if you have a setback or slip-up so you can get back on track quickly.Connect with Cass:www.crappytohappypod.comhello@crappytohappypod.com www.instagram.com/crappytohappypodwww.tiktok.com/crappytohappypod ...

In this solo episode, Cass reflects on the importance of self-reflection. She shares two exercises for self-reflection and visualisation, guaranteed to inspire you to be your best self and live your best life, as we begin to wind up one year and prepare for the next. Grab a cup of tea and maybe a journal for this one. Connect with Cass:www.crappytohappypod.comhello@crappytohappypod.com www.instagram.com/crappytohappypodwww.tiktok.com/crappytohappypod Join the free 7-day Happiness Challenge:www....

It's a full circle moment on Crappy to Happy as Tiff Hall returns to join Cass behind the mic. This time, not as a cohost but as guest, to reflect on the last few years of challenges: including bouncing forward post babies, business diversification and a changing relationship to her body.If you've not met Tiff before she's one of Australia's most trusted health and fitness experts. She's a personal trainer, author, journalist and best known for her television appearances on Gladiators, and The B...

Melissa Ambrosini is the bestselling author and host of the podcast, The Melissa Ambrosini Show. Named a 'self-help guru' by Elle Magazine, Melissa is on a mission to inspire women to create the most exciting and meaningful life possible. Her latest book, Time Magic, was co-authored with her singer, songwriting, film producing, former Sneaky Sound System member, husband: Nick Broadhurst.And with all the success these two have, on top of parenting an active toddler, we are going to catch up with ...

Do you often find yourself feeling like you've fluked your way to the success you've achieved? Do you feel like the rug may be pulled from under you at any time... that everyone is about to find out about the 'fraud' you really are?'Imposter Syndrome' is an extremely common experience, particularly in women, where we are unable to attribute our success to our experience, skills and hard work, and believe we are imposters. By reframing our thoughts and consciously being aware of how they can cont...

In this episode, Cass in joined by Katherine Morgan-Schafler, a psycho-therapist based in New York City. Katherine's work history includes being an onsite therapist at Google, but now focuses on working with ambitious and perfectionistic women. Katherine discusses the differences between healthy and unhealthy perfectionism, and the gendered nature of perfectionism.Connect with Katherine: https://www.instagram.com/katherinemorganschafler/?hl=en Connect with Cass:www.crappytohappypod.comhello@cra...

In this episode, Cass is joined by Dami Im, who captured all of our hearts when she won The X-Factor Australia in 2013. Dami began her singing career playing to grandmas in Korean churches before her life was forever changed when she entered a singing competition on television with no expectation of winning. Since then, she's released a string of hit albums and singles, and she became Eurovision royalty on 2016, when she earned the highest score ever achieved by an Australian entry with her smas...

Are you motivated by the pursuit of pleasure or the avoidance of pain? In this episode I explain the difference between avoidance and approach style behavioural responses, what the implications are for each, and how you can apply this mindset to achieve your goals. Connect with Cass: www.cassdunn.com www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo Contact Crappy to Happy: Email: hello@crappytohappypod.com www.crappytohappypod.com www.instagram.com/crappytohappypod www.tiktok.com/@crappytohappypod Are you a...

During the COVID-19 lockdowns of the past few years, Brigid Delaney went searching for ideas that might help us feel a bit better. She stumbled across Stoicism, an ancient Greek philosophy which is all about how not to sweat the small stuff and better appreciate our precious time on earth.Brigid’s new book is called Reasons Not to Worry, and you can follow more of her work on twitter @BrigidWD. Connect with Cass:www.crappytohappypod.comhello@crappytohappypod.com www.instagram.com/crappytohappyp...

Nick Bracks has struggled with low self-esteem and anxiety since he was a kid. His mental health struggles hit a low point when in 2007 he was in a drink driving car accident while his father Steve was the Premier of Victoria. Since then he’s been on a mission to improve his mental health, and has gone on to run multiple businesses and perform on shows like Dancing with the Stars and Neighbours. Nick has some amazing advice around self-worth, intuition and the value of exercise and meditation. C...

Coach Kemi Nekvapil wants women to feel powerful. In this chat with Cass she talks about feeling powerless growing as a black child in white foster families, how she connects with her own power now as an adult, plus she unpacks her POWER acronym: Presence, Ownership, Wisdom, Equality, Responsibility. If you’ve ever struggled to feel powerful in your life you are going to get so much out of this chat. Connect with Kemi:https://www.keminekvapil.com/ Connect with Cass:www.crappytohappypod.comhello...

Cass Dunn talks to Aussie surfing champion Layne Beachley about her extraordinary achievements in and out of the water and the emotional struggles she had to overcome before she could truly enjoy success and experience real happiness. Layne’s traumatic childhood experiences left scars that took many years and deep inner work to heal and she now generously shares what she’s learned so that others can own their own truth.Connect with Cass:www.crappytohappypod.comhello@crappytohappypod.com www.inst...

Cass Dunn catches up with Turia Pitt for the second time - in this chat they discuss everything Turia has learned about happiness while researching her latest book, "Happy and Other Ridiculous Aspirations". Turia's own upbeat attitude is evidence that happiness really is a choice, no matter what challenges we face but now she's able to share the specific tools she uses to maintain a positive mindset, what the research says about how much control we have over our mood and what she's learned from ...