Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Why don’t we choose the things we know are good for us? It’s usually because we’re struggling with self-regulation, one of the most important (and most misunderstood) skills out there. In today’s episode, Forrest talks with Eric Zimmer about what healthy self-regulation actually looks like, the gap between insight and action, how shame can derail us, and why most change comes down to small steps taken consistently. They discuss how to figure out what actually matters to you vs. what you want right now, the tension between acceptance and change, and how to get back on track after a slip without making it worse.
About our Guest: Eric Zimmer is the creator of The One You Feed, an award-winning podcast with over 50 million downloads. He’s also the author of the new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life.
Key Topics:
0:00 Intro: Why is self-regulation so important?
4:32 Moving from insight to action
8:14 Values versus desires
14:25 Eric’s sobriety journey
20:57 Changing our relationship to shame
26:29 [Sponsor] Sleep Reset
32:05 When to accept things as they are, and when to move from acceptance to change
38:17 Choosing the more useful meaning
42:51 How to get over self-doubt
46:41 Having a backup plan for when things go sideways
53:54 Balancing striving with non-craving
1:06:16 Recap
I'm not a clinician, and what I say on this channel should not be taken as medical advice.
Sponsors
Sleep Reset is offering a free 7-day trial, available only at thesleepreset.com/podcast. Start your first week of real, clinician-designed insomnia treatment tonight.
Visit carawayhome.com/BEINGWELL to take an additional 10% off your next purchase of non-toxic cookware made modern.
Subscribe to Being Well on:
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/being-well-with-dr-rick-hanson/id1120885936
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5d87ZU1XY0fpdYNSEwXLVQ
Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.
Subscribe to Rick on YouTube: youtube.com/@RickHanson?sub_confirmation=1
Get Rick's Free Newsletters: rickhanson.com/writings/newsletters-from-dr-rick-hanson
Follow Rick Here:
🌍 rickhanson.com
📸 instagram.com/rickhansonphd
You can follow me here:
🎤 apple.co/38ufGG0
🌍 forresthanson.com
📸 instagram.com/f.hanson
Why don’t we choose the things we know are good for us? It’s usually because we’re struggling with self-regulation, one of the most important (and most misunderstood) skills out there. In today’s episode, Forrest talks with Eric Zimmer about what healthy self-regulation actually looks like, the gap between insight and action, how shame can derail us, and why most change comes down to small steps taken consistently. They discuss how to figure out what actually matters to you vs. what you want right now, the tension between acceptance and change, and how to get back on track after a slip without making it worse.
About our Guest: Eric Zimmer is the creator of The One You Feed, an award-winning podcast with over 50 million downloads. He’s also the author of the new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life.
Key Topics:
0:00 Intro: Why is self-regulation so important?
4:32 Moving from insight to action
8:14 Values versus desires
14:25 Eric’s sobriety journey
20:57 Changing our relationship to shame
26:29 [Sponsor] Sleep Reset
32:05 When to accept things as they are, and when to move from acceptance to change
38:17 Choosing the more useful meaning
42:51 How to get over self-doubt
46:41 Having a backup plan for when things go sideways
53:54 Balancing striving with non-craving
1:06:16 Recap
I'm not a clinician, and what I say on this channel should not be taken as medical advice.
Sponsors
Sleep Reset is offering a free 7-day trial, available only at thesleepreset.com/podcast. Start your first week of real, clinician-designed insomnia treatment tonight.
Visit carawayhome.com/BEINGWELL to take an additional 10% off your next purchase of non-toxic cookware made modern.
Subscribe to Being Well on:
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/being-well-with-dr-rick-hanson/id1120885936
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5d87ZU1XY0fpdYNSEwXLVQ
Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.
Subscribe to Rick on YouTube: youtube.com/@RickHanson?sub_confirmation=1
Get Rick's Free Newsletters: rickhanson.com/writings/newsletters-from-dr-rick-hanson
Follow Rick Here:
🌍 rickhanson.com
📸 instagram.com/rickhansonphd
You can follow me here:
🎤 apple.co/38ufGG0
🌍 forresthanson.com
📸 instagram.com/f.hanson
