Big projects can trigger anxiety when they feel too large to handle. In this episode, you’ll learn a simple, practical method to turn overwhelming stress into productive stress. Using a real coaching example, I walk you through how to break down big tasks, estimate time realistically, and fit demands into your actual resources — helping your brain shift from threat mode to challenge mode so you can approach what’s ahead feeling calm, clear and capable.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:30 - When big tasks trigger anxiety
01:01 - Laura’s overwhelming move
02:18 - Turning bad stress into good stress
03:32 - Breaking the task into steps
05:07 - Estimating time realistically
07:39 - Why putting it on your calendar works
10:48 - Summary: applying this in your own life

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/how-to-break-down-overwhelming-tasks

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Feeling overwhelmed when you think about the future? This episode offers a practical two-question exercise you can use anytime the future feels overwhelming. Using two real coaching examples, you’ll learn a simple but powerful way to change how your brain evaluates demands vs. resources.

You’ve handled hard things before. Your brain just needs help remembering that.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:30 – Threat vs. challenge: how anxiety frames the future
02:25 – Coaching story: feeling overwhelmed by school, finances, and uncertainty
09:05 – Coaching story: parenting anxiety and fear for a child’s future
14:33 – The two-question exercise you can use anytime the future feels too much

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/reduce-your-anxiety-about-the-future

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You already have what it takes to meet what’s coming.

In this episode, we explore why the desire for stability is natural, but also why humans are biologically and psychologically built to adapt. You’ll learn how your brain is designed to handle uncertainty, loss, and transformation — even when it doesn’t feel like it. You’ll also hear why emotions exist (and why they’re different from rigid reflexes), how the brain rewires itself after injury, and why resisting change often causes more suffering than the change itself.

If the future feels intimidating or change makes you anxious, this episode offers a powerful reminder: you already have the equipment you need to adapt and grow.

⏱️ Timestamps
00:30 – Wanting life to stay the same
02:21 – Why humans evolved for change, not stability
05:24 – Brain plasticity: rewiring after injury
07:29 – Canoe ride and innate adaptation skills
09:33 – Adapting after unimaginable loss
12:36 – Why resisting change creates suffering
13:16 – Trusting your brain’s ability to adapt

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/your-brain-is-built-to-handle-change

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Many people with anxiety get stuck in a victim mindset — a way of seeing life where outside forces determine how things are. In this episode, we explore why that mindset fuels anxiety and how a shift toward feeling powerful can help you move out of threat mode. Learn how small, intentional acts done from an approach mindset can raise your baseline happiness and help you exit anxiety-driven patterns. This episode invites you to rethink power — and to recognize that you are already shaping other people’s stories, whether you realize it or not.

You’ll learn:

• How the victim mindset is linked to the brain’s threat response
• Why anxiety flourishes when we feel passive and immobilized
• The difference between giving from avoidance vs approach
• How kindness, attention, and generosity restore a sense of agency
• Why ordinary people often have extraordinary power over others
• How small acts of intentional influence can change your emotional baseline

Timestamps:

00:30 – The victim mindset and anxiety
01:57 – Victim mindset and the threat response
03:44 – Discovering your power through influencing others
08:01 – Giving from avoidance vs giving from approach motivation
10:53 – The power of a homeless man
12:21 – Feeling powerful even when physically limited
13:29 – How kindness increases your baseline happiness
15:39 – Summary of key points: how to exit victim mode

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/when-you-feel-powerless-and-stuck-in-victim-anxiety

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Most of us assume we’d feel happier and more in control if life came with more certainty — predictable outcomes, fewer surprises, and fewer unknowns. But decades of psychology research say the opposite: uncertainty can actually increase joy, meaning, and wellbeing. If the unpredictable triggers anxiety for you, this episode will help you build a healthier, more empowered relationship with the unknown — one that supports resilience, happiness, and personal growth.

We’ll explore:
• Why your brain thinks certainty = safety, but psychology says otherwise
• How uncertainty enhances positive emotions and pleasure
• How to reframe uncertainty from a “threat” into a “resource”

⏱️ Timestamps
00:30 — Why we crave certainty
01:08 — Research: uncertainty increases positive feelings
02:09 — Olympic athletes & the joy of surprise
03:06 — The silver dollar study: when mystery boosts happiness
04:19 — Why certainty can rob us of pleasure
05:18 — Why removing uncertainty removes growth
07:43 — Deepak Chopra on joyful uncertainty
08:10 — How to reframe uncertainty as a resource

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/embracing-uncertainty-without-anxiety

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Can you train your brain to handle stress better? Absolutely. In this episode, we
break down the science of self-efficacy — your brain’s belief about your ability to
succeed under stress. This belief is one of the biggest predictors of resilience,
performance, and emotional wellbeing.
You’ll learn how to shift from a threat response (anxiety, overwhelm, shutdown) to a challenge response (focus, energy, confidence), and how simple everyday practices can rewire your stress response over time.

In this episode:

— How to turn obstacles into resources
— How values-based action lowers the pressure of life’s demands
— How attainable + measurable goals rewire your stress response
— Three proven tools to build a brain that believes “I can handle this”

⏱️ Timestamps
00:30 — Why stress depends on interpretation, not circumstances
02:53 — What self-efficacy is
03:56 — Technique #1: Turn demands into resources via curiosity
07:10 — Technique #2: Why values instantly shrink the “demands”
09:58 — Technique #3: Setting attainable, measurable goals
13:57 — Recap: The 3-step formula for building a challenge mindset

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/how-to-train-your-brain-to-handle-stress-better

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Feeling bored or drained by your job? In today’s episode, we explore three science-backed strategies to transform even the most mundane work into something meaningful, interesting, and motivating. Drawing on research from psychologist Todd Kashdan and the science of curiosity, you’ll learn easy, doable ways to change your emotional experience at work, increase wellbeing, boost focus, and make your daily tasks feel lighter instead of suffocating.

⏱️ Timestamps
00:30 — Why safety + growth are both essential for wellbeing at work
01:57 — Strategy #1: Look for novelty in the familiar
07:00 — Strategy #2: Add challenge or “gamify” the task
10:15 — Strategy #3: Connect work to your values (your “why”)
13:36 — Recap: 3 ways to transform mundane tasks

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/how-to-stop-hating-your-work

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Can long-term love really stay exciting, vibrant, and surprising — even decades in? The answer from global wellbeing research is a clear yes. In this episode we dig into the science behind what keeps long-term relationships emotionally alive, deeply connected, and resilient over time.

You’ll learn:
✨ The two strongest predictors of daily wellbeing,
✨ Why great relationships need both security and growth
✨ Three science-backed habits that help couples stay curious, connected, and fulfilled for decades

If you’ve ever wondered how to avoid the “seven-year itch,” reignite passion, or strengthen your bond, this episode offers practical, research-based tools you can start using today.

⏱️ Timestamps
00:30 — Why people believe long-term love fades
01:02 — What 130,000 people taught researchers about wellbeing
02:28 — The two psychological needs that shape all relationships: security and growth
03:35 — How long-term couples keep relationships alive
04:43 — The first habit: Seeing your partner as a “foreign country”
09:25 — The second habit: Doing new things together
10:58 — The third habit: Adding new variables (other people, situations)
12:35 — Summary: Bringing security + learning into relationships
14:55 — Kindness narrative: a neighbor reaches out

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/how-to-stay-in-love-for-the-long-haul

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