Change Wired

How in just 1 day I stopped a bad habit I had for 10 years: we are what we design for, not what we think about

Angela Shurina Season 2025

What if everything you thought about changing habits is backward?  

Most of us believe high performance comes from discipline, willpower, and pushing ourselves harder. But what if your environment shapes your behavior far more than your intentions ever could?  

What if high performers are just better at putting themselves in a situation to win? 

Drawing from recent conversations with behavioral scientists and my own experience as an executive coach, I've discovered something revolutionary: the secret to lasting behavior change isn't trying harder, it's designing smarter systems around you.  

Humans possess a unique superpower that sets us apart from every other species on earth. While animals must adapt to their environments, we can consciously create environments that transform us into the people we want to become. 

Through personal examples, including how I broke a decades-long lip-picking habit overnight, I reveal the 3-part habit loop that governs our behavior. By manipulating these elements we can achieve effortless change where willpower repeatedly fails. Research consistently shows that environmental design strategies work dramatically better than information or motivation alone.  

This isn't just about personal habits.  

The principles apply equally to leading teams, raising children, or influencing friends. As Charles Duhigg's work shows, approximately 40% of our behaviors are habitual, and even our non-habitual actions are largely triggered by environmental cues. By shifting your focus from changing yourself to changing your surroundings, you'll unlock a more effective path to transformation.  

Ready to redesign your environment and watch your habits transform? Listen now and discover how to leverage the science of behavior change to create lasting results in your life and work.  

  

Text Me Your Thoughts and Ideas

Support the show

Brought to you by Angela Shurina

Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant
EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

People on this episode

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.

Huberman Lab Artwork

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media
Hidden Brain Artwork

Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
A Slight Change of Plans Artwork

A Slight Change of Plans

Pushkin Industries
The Tim Ferriss Show Artwork

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig
The Peter Attia Drive Artwork

The Peter Attia Drive

Peter Attia, MD
FoundMyFitness Artwork

FoundMyFitness

Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.
Consulting Success Podcast Artwork

Consulting Success Podcast

Consulting Success
CHANGE@WORK Artwork

CHANGE@WORK

Daggerwing Group