Habits and Hustle

Self-doubt is often mislabeled as a confidence problem, which causes people to hesitate instead of act. The real cost is momentum, because confidence is built through action, not something you wait to feel before moving.

We dive deeper into this in the Habits & Hustle with Dr. Shadé Zahrai. We also chat about why high performers still experience self-doubt, the ping pong ball vs golf ball analogy for detaching from doubt, and why self-image drives behavior more than motivation.

Dr. Shadé Zahrai is a behavioral researcher and peak performance educator with a PhD in organizational behavior. She has designed and delivered programs for Fortune 500 companies including Google, Microsoft, LVMH, JP Morgan, and McKinsey. Her work has reached millions through LinkedIn Learning, TEDx talks, and global leadership programs.

What We Discuss:

(03:10) Why the opposite of self-doubt isn’t confidence but self-trust

(08:42) Why high performers still experience self-doubt and act anyway

(14:25) The ping pong ball vs golf ball analogy and how doubt becomes identity

(21:30) Why affirmations backfire when the brain doesn’t believe them

(28:55) How self-image shapes behavior more than motivation or discipline

(36:40) The scar experiment and why we experience reality through expectation

(44:15) Why saying yes too quickly damages self-trust and decision quality

(01:21:26) How your partner’s dependability and discipline shape long-term career success

Thank you to our sponsors:

Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.

Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off 

Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE40 for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers.

Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout.

Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off 

Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order 

Amp fit is the perfect balance of tech and training, designed for people who do it all and still want to feel strong doing it. Check it out at joinamp.com/jen 

Find more from Jen: 

Website: https://jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen  

Books: https://jennifercohen.com/books

Speaking: https://jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement

Find more from Dr. Shadé Zahrai, PhD:

Website: https://shadezahrai.com

Instagram: @shadezahrai

Youtube: @shadezahrai

Tiktok: @shadezahrai

Most high performers don’t struggle because they lack discipline. They struggle because they’re trying to do everything at once and calling it balance.

We dive deeper into this in the Habits & Hustle with Touré Roberts. We also chat about why balance is becoming whole instead of splitting yourself into percentages, the difference between losing and being a loser, and why you can’t scale without stretching.

Touré Roberts is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, investor, and producer. He is the founder of ONE, a multidimensional community based in Los Angeles, and has built one of the most engaged digital platforms in his space with over 100 million views and more than one million subscribers.

This episode is part of The Best of Habits & Hustle, a series where we revisit some of the most impactful conversations we’ve shared.

What We Discuss:

(00:00) Why balance isn’t about splitting yourself into percentages

(00:56) You can do all things well, just not at the same time

(23:46) Why growth exploded after leaving comfort and relocating

(37:23) The difference between losing and being a loser

(39:13) Resilience starts with acknowledging pain

(40:25) Doing an autopsy on failure instead of wasting it

(48:15) You can’t give your best self to everything at once

Thank you to our sponsors:

Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off

Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE40 for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers.

Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off

Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order

Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use the code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.

Amp fit is the perfect balance of tech and training, designed for people who do it all and still want to feel strong doing it. Check it out at joinamp.com/jen 

Find more from Jen:

Website: https://jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen 

Books: https://jennifercohen.com/books

Speaking: https://jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement

Find more from Touré Roberts:

Website: https://toureroberts.com

Instagram: @toureroberts

Facebook: @toureroberts

Tiktok: @toureroberts

Success is often attributed to confidence or charisma, yet many capable people still misread situations, misjudge authority, and lose leverage under pressure. The real disadvantage is not lack of effort, but relying on false assumptions about how people and systems behave.

We dive deeper into this in the latest Habits & Hustle Podcast episode with Andrew Bustamante. We also chat about predicting human behavior, controlling emotional responses in high-stakes moments, and using leverage ethically in business and leadership.

Andrew Bustamante is a former clandestine CIA intelligence officer and co-founder of EverydaySpy, a global training platform applying spy skills to business and life. He is a decorated U.S. Air Force combat veteran, a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, and a former member of CIA’s National Clandestine Service. 

What We Discuss:


(11:08) Why perception is not reality and how authority conditioning begins early  


(12:05) Why following social rules often leads to weaker outcomes  


(24:36) How professional liars control body language and emotion  


(25:16) Why speaking less creates more credibility  


(27:14) Operational utility versus opportunism in decision making  


(38:49) Why institutions are looser than they appear  


(39:18) How authority bias quietly shapes adult behavior  


(47:17) Why human behavior becomes predictable under pressure


(02:02:47) Thoughts on the Jeffrey Epstein case

Thank you to our sponsors:

Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.

Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off 

Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE40 for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers.

Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout.

Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off 

Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order 

Amp fit is the perfect balance of tech and training, designed for people who do it all and still want to feel strong doing it. Check it out at joinamp.com/jen 

Find more from Jen: 

Website: www.jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen  

Books: www.jennifercohen.com/books

Speaking: www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement

Find more from Andrew Bustamante:

Instagram: @everydayspy

Youtube: @Andrew-Bustamante

X: @EverydaySpy

Facebook: @EverydaySpy

Find your Spy Superpower: https://yt.everydayspy.com/4ozGI3F

Read Andrew’s CIA book ‘Shadow Cell’: https://geni.us/ShadowCellBook 

Explore Spy School: https://everydayspy.com/ 

Support Andy's sponsor Axolt Brain: https://axoltbrain.com/andy

Listen to the podcast: https://youtube.com/@EverydaySpyPodcast

What if the reason you’re not moving forward isn’t what you’re missing, but what you keep holding on to?

Change doesn’t happen because you add more to your life. It happens when you finally remove the habits that drain your time, your energy and your momentum. 

In this solo episode, I break down the seven patterns that stop high performers from moving forward, even when they think they’re doing everything right.

These questions come up constantly, and the truth behind them is the same. Waiting is a trap, negative energy slows you down, comfort blocks growth, complaining keeps you stuck in place.

If you feel like you’re pushing hard but not getting anywhere, this episode will show you exactly what to cut. These are simple shifts, but they change everything. Tune in and take notes.

What we discuss:


(00:49) Why waiting to feel ready keeps you stuck


(01:41) How negative people drain your creativity and momentum


(02:26) Comfort that feels good now but blocks real growth


(03:32) Complaining vs ownership and what actually moves you forward


(04:07) Failure as feedback and the mindset shift that stops the quitting cycle


(04:40) When saying yes becomes self-sabotage and how to break the pattern


(05:41) Consuming before creating and why it kills your voice and momentum

Thank you to our sponsor:


Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off 


Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE40 for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers.


Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout.


Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off 


Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order 


Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.


Amp fits is the perfect balance of tech and training, designed for people who do it all and still want to feel strong doing it. Check it out at joinamp.com/jen 

Find more from Jen:

Website: www.jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen  

Books: www.jennifercohen.com/books

Speaking: www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

Cutting off family and chronic therapy have become normalized, yet people feel more disconnected than ever. What’s labeled as healing often rewards avoidance and quietly erodes emotional resilience.

We dive deeper into this in the latest Habits & Hustle with Tania Khazaal. We also chat about why therapy can keep people stuck instead of healing, how “protecting your peace” often protects pain, and why most people quit in the valley of despair right before real growth begins.

Tania Khazaal is an emotional healing expert with a background in herbal practice and extensive study in psychology, neuroscience, human behavior, and communication. Her work centers on emotional resilience, relational repair, and the mind body connection.

What We Discuss:

(05:24) Why family estrangement is rising

(06:27) How therapy culture can keep people stuck

(08:24) When “protecting your peace” becomes avoidance

(14:06) Triggers vs personal responsibility

(23:03) Emotional suppression and physical health

(36:54) Gentle parenting, discipline, and resilience

(39:17) How emotional growth affects health, relationships, and performance

(44:37) The valley of despair and why people quit(

49:12) Discipline and future pacing over motivation

Thank you to our sponsors:

Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift.

Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off 

Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE40 for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers.

Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout.

Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off 

Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order 

Amp fit is the perfect balance of tech and training, designed for people who do it all and still want to feel strong doing it. Check it out at joinamp.com/jen 

Find more from Jen: 

Website: www.jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen  

Books: www.jennifercohen.com/books

Speaking: www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement

Find more from Tania Khazaal:

Website: www.taniakhazaal.com

Instagram: @taniakhazaal

Facebook: @taniatheherbalistofficial

Youtube: @taniakhazaal