What if the emotional patterns you struggle with aren’t actually who you are? What if they’re just patterns—and patterns can be interrupted?

I’m joined by Dr. Elisha Goldstein, returning to the show eight years after his first appearance, to talk about his new book, Tiny Shifts: How Emotional Health Transforms Stress, Relationships, and Longevity. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about healthy eating, exercise, fitness, sleep, and all the things we do to live a long and healthy life, but what about the emotional stuff? Because Elisha makes the case that emotional longevity is just as important as physical longevity—and that living in a high-stress, agitated pattern can potentially take years off your life.

We get into his simple 4-R method: recognize, release, refocus, reinforce, which can help you catch yourself in an overwhelmed loop before you spiral into those undesirable, repeatable patterns. We talk about why the skills we learn can easily fail us when we need them the most—when we’re under pressure, agitated, or triggered—and how to create more space between stimulus and response.

Elisha explains why emotions are biology, how getting in touch with what’s happening in your body can change the way you respond, and why asking your brain better questions can lead to better answers. We also talk about the everyday moments that can send us into these patterns, from traffic to social media outrage to difficult relationships, and Elisha shares a personal story about getting scammed online that puts all of this to the test in real time.

This is a fascinating conversation about emotional health, longevity, and learning to recognize the patterns that drive our behavior so we can interrupt them and give ourselves more choice in the moments when we need it most.

 

TIMESTAMPS:

Can Dr. Goldstein's 4-R method be the tool we need when we get under emotional stress and dysregulation? [01:03]

We live in stressful times.  Even when we see ourselves as living a healthy life, we might not be aware of how this stress is effecting our body. [07:01]

The moment of awareness when you realize that you are tense, your heart rate is up, that's when you begin to recover. [10:25]

Your body always has a physical response. You can learn to map your feelings on your body. [15:10]

Our responses are just a pattern, not part of our identity. [20:01]

If a label (diagnosis) is helpful to you to identify something so you can better understand the pattern and create an intervention, it can be helpful. [25:24]

Trauma can be passed through generations. [27:14]

We learn to refocus. What do I need right now? [30:47]

When you can identify what you are feeling, your brain is mapping the sensation. [38:33]

Asking yourself questions like "What do I need? "Why aren't I kinder to myself?" puts you in a more empowering place. [44:15]

When dealing with being taken advantage of, what comes after anger? [46:21]

An example could be if there was friction in your relationship, you can ask yourself, "What would it be like if I just stopped trying to argue and just listened instead?" [47:44]

Social media can be very much a detriment in a lot of ways to our minds and our culture. [49:51]

If you get wrapped up in some news that upsets you, it makes you obsess about it, creating anxiety. [51:24]

If you can overcome a pattern once, and not react with that triggered response, it's a huge breakthrough. [54:27]

Listen to your experience. [01:02:03]

If your message to yourself is, "I should be able to shift my perspective and feel better," you are just feeding the feeling of shame. [01:05:39]

 

LINKS:
Brad Kearns.com
BradNutrition.com
B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!
Brad’s Shopping Page
BornToWalkBook.com
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
Book - Tiny Shifts: How Emotional Health Transforms Stress, Relationships, and Longevity 
Dr. Elisha Goldstein Podcast
Uncovering Happiness
elishagoldstein.com

 

We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!

Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won’t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:

B.rad Nutrition: Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!

Peluva: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!

Jaspr Air Scrubber: Ultra high-performance air purifier - blows other air filters away! Save $200 on your unit with code BRAD.

Get Stride: Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome & blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.

Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience

Primal Fitness Expert Certification: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!

#bradpodcast

What if the emotional patterns you struggle with aren&rsquo;t actually who you are? What if they&rsquo;re just patterns&mdash;and patterns can be interrupted?
I&rsquo;m joined by Dr. Elisha Goldstein, returning to the show eight years after his first appearance, to talk about his new book,&nbsp;Tiny Shifts: How Emotional Health Transforms Stress, Relationships, and Longevity. I&rsquo;ve spent a lot of time thinking about healthy eating, exercise, fitness, sleep, and all the things we do to live a long and healthy life, but what about the emotional stuff? Because Elisha makes the case that emotional longevity is just as important as physical longevity&mdash;and that living in a high-stress, agitated pattern can potentially take years off your life.
We get into his simple 4-R method: recognize, release, refocus, reinforce, which can help you catch yourself in an overwhelmed loop before you spiral into those undesirable, repeatable patterns. We talk about why the skills we learn can easily fail us when we need them the most&mdash;when we&rsquo;re under pressure, agitated, or triggered&mdash;and how to create more space between stimulus and response.
Elisha explains why emotions are biology, how getting in touch with what&rsquo;s happening in your body can change the way you respond, and why asking your brain better questions can lead to better answers. We also talk about the everyday moments that can send us into these patterns, from traffic to social media outrage to difficult relationships, and Elisha shares a personal story about getting scammed online that puts all of this to the test in real time.
This is a fascinating conversation about emotional health, longevity, and learning to recognize the patterns that drive our behavior so we can interrupt them and give ourselves more choice in the moments when we need it most.
&nbsp;
TIMESTAMPS:
Can Dr. Goldstein's 4-R method be the tool we need when we get under emotional stress and dysregulation? [01:03]
We live in stressful times.&nbsp; Even when we see ourselves as living a healthy life, we might not be aware of how this stress is effecting our body. [07:01]
The moment of awareness when you realize that you are tense, your heart rate is up, that's when you begin to recover. [10:25]
Your body always has a physical response. You can learn to map your feelings on your body. [15:10]
Our responses are just a pattern, not part of our identity. [20:01]
If a label (diagnosis) is helpful to you to identify something so you can better understand the pattern and create an intervention, it can be helpful. [25:24]
Trauma can be passed through generations. [27:14]
We learn to refocus. What do I need right now? [30:47]
When you can identify what you are feeling, your brain is mapping the sensation. [38:33]
Asking yourself questions like "What do I need? "Why aren't I kinder to myself?" puts you in a more empowering place. [44:15]
When dealing with being taken advantage of, what comes after anger? [46:21]
An example could be if there was friction in your relationship, you can ask yourself, "What would it be like if I just stopped trying to argue and just listened instead?" [47:44]
Social media can be very much a detriment in a lot of ways to our minds and our culture. [49:51]
If you get wrapped up in some news that upsets you, it makes you obsess about it, creating anxiety. [51:24]
If you can overcome a pattern once, and not react with that triggered response, it's a huge breakthrough. [54:27]
Listen to your experience. [01:02:03]
If your message to yourself is, "I should be able to shift my perspective and feel better," you are just feeding the feeling of shame. [01:05:39]
&nbsp;
LINKS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/podcast-index/">Brad Kearns.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bradnutrition.com/">BradNutrition.com</a></li>
<li><a href="about:blank">B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/shop/">Brad&rsquo;s Shopping Page</a></li>
<li><a href="http://borntowalkbook.com/">BornToWalkBook.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/podcast-index/">B.rad Podcast &ndash; All Episodes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://peluva.com/?view=cro-id28570">Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11VG9OIWDYDEN&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YUxA6UoAabaT0qCyg3O2joFZDw8jKrQ8h3Slvy8Es0M7Kt_QomDoljROTVG1rSixx-II0vKMPamtVWkuQUf5pMM1F7ZWzyAFffHMmkyRGnojtOUu5hYbp4AMg5TYCjEs7SLiB0tHgmCsZlEOjWGoz8540x-a_7iC17mRFmQJPouAhJbj1buFkLazY8jWrdoJAnVol53XnHzKE0A4cw0n6lUG-iyD_DOrwl4mhASWf0w.laZgXJb8OzvjVxBaEkxLX7aSdyd4sQZybNL0SysGbtU&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=outlive&amp;qid=1748894874&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=outlive%2Cstripbooks%2C151&amp;sr=1-1"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/podcast-index/">B.rad Podcast &ndash; All Episodes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://peluva.com/?view=cro-id28570">Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://a.co/d/0arBA3fY">Book - Tiny Shifts: How Emotional Health Transforms Stress, Relationships, and Longevity&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/dr-elisha-goldstein-mindfulness-in-the-age-of-distractibility-and-hyper-connectivity/">Dr. Elisha Goldstein Podcast</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Tiny+Shifts&amp;i=stripbooks&amp;crid=YY3ER9GFLBGM&amp;sprefix=tiny+shifts%2Cstripbooks%2C185&amp;ref=nb_sb_noss_1"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Uncovering-Happiness-Overcoming-Mindfulness-Self-Compassion/dp/145169055X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VMQM5WV11EHC&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.q2RjGKrvhkoVociFYPKAgYIgvWdfkYfwUkQWKaDYudVqkJFb3pJTXnhHIj08D1DUoW-qSLhNNLQhrPR6uc1Mlk4TjmBIktrxlO11ia8jwjI6ACARrcX_Uu8D1yKLb8E7n9SP42yr2Myg9Gj8vN2zcNaaEx9Aw2q7rOalmZ4oJTWLAjNIxfj1a4qB1c_LvIekkXeOh08N9ligpjyMXZdOFr4jqpQIMb9wO7XmmE8tsho.LftlnpotG0z-Ke81tSDEynD1bGlho3kIKMM58t5-MyQ&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=uncovering+happiness&amp;qid=1785186982&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=uncovering+happiness%2Cstripbooks%2C175&amp;sr=1-1">Uncovering Happiness</a></li>
<li><a href="https://elishagoldstein.com/">elishagoldstein.com</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&amp;A shows, emailed to <a href="mailto:getoveryourselfpodcast@gmail.com">podcast@bradventures.com</a>. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!
Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn&rsquo;t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won&rsquo;t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:
<a href="http://bradnutrition.com/?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">B.rad Nutrition:</a> Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!
<a href="https://peluva.com/?sscid=91k7_1q58j&amp;utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Peluva</a>: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!
<a href="https://jaspr.co/products/airscrubber?rfsn=8682396.a9fad4">Jaspr Air Scrubber:</a> Ultra high-performance air purifier - blows other air filters away! Save $200 on your unit with code BRAD.
<a href="http://getstride.com" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://getstride.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1744479083574000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2M5EotlxxWpksCKN7ZVyMD">Get Stride: </a>Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome &amp; blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.
<a href="https://bradventures.thinkific.com/collections?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Online educational courses:</a>&nbsp;Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience
<a href="https://www.primalhealthcoach.com/brad/?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Primal Fitness Expert Certification</a>: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!
#bradpodcast

Join Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, world #1 ranked masters 60+ high jumper, Speedgolf world record holder, and former world #3 ranked pro triathlete, in pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life. Brad delivers an engaging mix of step-by-step education on important health topics like staying fit, strong and powerful as you age; transforming diet to lose body fat and increase energy; sort through hype and misinformation to make simple, sustainable lifestyle changes; and broaden your perspective beyond a fit body to experience happy relationships, nonstop personal growth, and ultimately sail to 100 with a happy, healthy, long life. Let’s explore beyond shortcuts, hacks, and crushing competition to laugh, have fun, appreciate the journey, and not take ourselves too seriously. It’s time to B.rad!

 

Join Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, world #1 ranked masters 60+ high jumper, Speedgolf world record holder, and former world #3 ranked pro triathlete, in pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life. Brad delivers an engaging mix of step-by-step education on important health topics like staying fit, strong and powerful as you age; transforming diet to lose body fat and increase energy; sort through hype and misinformation to make simple, sustainable lifestyle changes; and broaden your perspective beyond a fit body to experience happy relationships, nonstop personal growth, and ultimately sail to 100 with a happy, healthy, long life. Let&rsquo;s explore beyond shortcuts, hacks, and crushing competition to laugh, have fun, appreciate the journey, and not take ourselves too seriously. It&rsquo;s time to B.rad!
&nbsp;

Brad Kearns, NY Times bestselling author and world #1 masters age 60+ high jumper, offers a fun and diverse mix of interviews with leading authors and health experts, and  how-to shows for peak performance, weight loss, personal growth, and longevity

The B.rad Podcast

Today, we've been conditioned to believe that accelerated aging is normal — that getting older means slowing down, losing our competitive edge, and watching others from the sidelines. Brad Kearns is living proof that's a lie. A New York Times bestselling author, former world #3 ranked professional triathlete, and current world-ranked masters high jumper and 400-meter runner, Brad is competing and excelling into his 60s.

The B.rad Podcast informs and inspires you to see what's possible at any age. Every episode cuts through the hype and misinformation on the topics that matter most: ancestral nutrition and diet strategies that strip body fat and restore energy; training methods that build strength, power, speed, and endurance without destroying your body; recovery protocols that keep you performing at your peak; and the mindset shifts that help you thrive as you age instead of simply survive. This show offers a refreshing alternative to slowing down, giving up, and fading away.

Whether you're a competitive athlete looking to extend your prime, someone battling fatigue and frustration with conventional health advice, or simply a person who refuses to go quietly into a slower, smaller life — the B.rad Podcast was built for you. No shortcuts. No hype. Just world-class guests and actionable tips to help you dial in all areas of healthy living and lifelong functional fitness.

Enjoy step-by-step actionable protocols from Brad, as well as prominent guests like Mark Sisson, Dr. Paul Saladino, Ben Greenfield, Shawn Stevenson, Dr. Tommy Wood, Mark Manson, Katy Bowman, Gabby Reece, Cynthia Thurlow, and Melanie Avalon. Forget the age limitations. It's time to raise the bar. Visit BradKearns.com for free PDF resources, peak performance tools, and weekly insights delivered to your inbox.

Today, we've been conditioned to believe that accelerated aging is normal &mdash; that getting older means slowing down, losing our competitive edge, and watching others from the sidelines. Brad Kearns is living proof that's a lie.&nbsp;A New York Times bestselling author, former world #3 ranked professional triathlete, and current world-ranked masters high jumper and 400-meter runner, Brad is competing and excelling into his 60s.
The B.rad Podcast informs and inspires you to see what's possible at any age. Every episode cuts through the hype and misinformation on the topics that matter most: ancestral nutrition and diet strategies that strip body fat and restore energy; training methods that build strength, power, speed, and endurance without destroying your body; recovery protocols that keep you performing at your peak; and the mindset shifts that help you thrive as you age instead of simply survive. This show offers a refreshing alternative to slowing down, giving up, and fading away.
Whether you're a competitive athlete looking to extend your prime, someone battling fatigue and frustration with conventional health advice, or simply a person who refuses to go quietly into a slower, smaller life &mdash; the B.rad Podcast was built for you. No shortcuts. No hype. Just world-class guests and actionable tips to help you dial in all areas of healthy living and lifelong functional fitness.
Enjoy step-by-step actionable protocols from Brad, as well as prominent guests like Mark Sisson, Dr. Paul Saladino, Ben Greenfield, Shawn Stevenson, Dr. Tommy Wood, Mark Manson, Katy Bowman, Gabby Reece, Cynthia Thurlow, and Melanie Avalon. Forget the age limitations. It's time to raise the bar. Visit BradKearns.com for free PDF resources, peak performance tools, and weekly insights delivered to your inbox.