Are you letting self-doubt, over-explaining, or other people's opinions keep you small? Not on Niyc Pidgeon's watch. This episode is all about stepping into your power, shifting your mindset, and harnessing the science of success to create a life that actually excites you.

Dr. Scott Lyons sits down with Niyc Pidgeon, an award-winning positive psychologist, best-selling author, and high-performance business mentor, to explore the psychology behind resilience, joy, and confidence. Author of Now Is Your Chance and Unstoppable Success, Niyc has helped thousands of people rewire their thinking and create their best lives.

Together, Scott and Niyc unpack what it really means to be happy—not in a ‘toxic positivity’ way, but in a real, grounded, and science-backed way. If you've ever felt stuck, exhausted, or like you're tolerating way too much in life, this conversation will help you break free.

• Why positivity isn’t about ignoring the hard stuff – The difference between real happiness and toxic positivity.
• Over-explaining & self-abandonment – Why we do it and how to stop apologizing for simply existing.
• The ripple effect of awe – How small moments of joy can transform your energy (and impact 135 people around you!).
• What’s your Organizing Principle? – The hidden force guiding your choices, and how to harness it for success.
• The power of curiosity – How asking better questions can lead to deeper connections and greater clarity.

✨ This episode is packed with insights, humor, and some seriously life-changing mindset shifts. Tune in now and get ready to step into your most unstoppable self!

Have you ever felt like you were following invisible rules you didn’t agree to? Do you catch yourself playing small, staying “good,” or holding back while others take up space? And what if those subconscious beliefs—about power, success, and even desire—aren’t actually yours?

In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Scott Lyons sits down with Elise Loehnen, a writer, editor, and cultural critic known for her sharp insights on power, patriarchy, and personal growth. As the former Chief Content Officer at Goop, Elise helped shape the modern wellness landscape before turning her focus to deconstructing the subconscious rules that shape our lives. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of On Our Best Behavior, which explores how deeply ingrained cultural norms—particularly the Seven Deadly Sins—still dictate women’s behavior today.

Together, Scott and Elise dive into the hidden forces that govern us, how to unlearn restrictive narratives, and why recognizing our own internalized biases is the key to true liberation. If you've ever felt stuck in a system that doesn’t quite serve you, this episode will give you the perspective shift you need.

• The Cultural Programming We Can’t See – How we internalize and reinforce social norms without even realizing it.
• The Patriarchy Isn’t Just ‘Men’ – Understanding how women also uphold and police patriarchal structures.
• Envy as a Compass – Why the things (and people) that trigger us the most might be showing us what we truly want.
• How We Keep Ourselves Small – The self-imposed rules that hold us back, and how to rewrite them.
• Moving from ‘Against’ to ‘For’ – Shifting from resistance to creation, and learning how to build the world we actually want.

Tune in for an honest, mind-expanding conversation that just might change the way you see yourself—and the world around you.

Do you ever feel like you’re chasing success, but once you get “there,” the finish line moves again?

If you’re nodding along, then this episode is for you.

This week, we’re getting deep, real, and hilarious with bestselling author and keynote speaker Laura Gassner Otting (LGO)—a woman who has done it all, from working in the White House to writing books that change lives. But here’s the twist: even she has struggled with self-worth, impostor syndrome, and figuring out what success actually means.

What if success isn’t about more money, more titles, or even more standing ovations?

What if success is about feeling aligned with your values and choices—no matter what anyone else thinks?

That’s the conversation we’re diving into today. It’s a mix of wisdom, humor, and real talk (plus a detour into drag queens, rage rooms, and why Malala might just be the best at avoiding awkward small talk).

• Success: Who Defines It? – Laura turns the traditional definition of success on its head. Spoiler alert: It’s not about a corner office, a million-dollar paycheck, or someone else’s approval.
• Why We Suck at Receiving Compliments – Laura’s personal struggle with praise, her therapist’s game-changing advice, and how you can actually accept a compliment without feeling weird.
• The Different Versions of Ourselves – Ever feel like you have a work-self, a home-self, and a totally different karaoke-self? Laura shares how she balances “LGO the speaker” with just being Laura, the introvert who loves bad reality TV.
• Success Does Not Equal Happiness – If money and power automatically made people happy, billionaires wouldn’t get divorced and celebrities wouldn’t have meltdowns. We get real about why external success is often a trap.
• The Everest Analogy – What climbing a mountain taught Laura about life, ambition, and why getting to the top isn’t actually the goal.