Episode 565: Dr. Elisha Goldstein: Emotional Health Strategies to Break Resistance and Build Discipline
6/23/20261 hr 22 min
Most people know exactly what they should be doing to feel better, follow through, and build the life they want, but actually doing it is where everything falls apart. In this episode, we get into why mindfulness has been misunderstood, why your nervous system can block follow-through, and why awareness is the first step to breaking the emotional loops that keep you stuck.
We dive deeper into this in the Habits & Hustle Podcast with Dr. Elisha Goldstein. We also chat about why mindfulness does not mean calm, how to interrupt overwhelm in real time, and why emotional vocabulary can completely change the way you understand your needs.
Dr. Elisha Goldstein is a clinical psychologist, author of six books, and co-founder of The Center for Mindful Living in Los Angeles. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and has developed programs focused on mindfulness, emotional health, and behavior change. His latest book is Tiny Shifts: How Emotional Health Transforms Stress, Relationships, and Longevity.
What's Discussed:
(02:14) Why mindfulness does not actually mean being calm.
(06:04) The three questions your brain asks before you follow through on a habit.
(07:39) Why people already know what to do but still struggle to execute.
(15:22) What emotional health actually means beyond basic stress management.
(16:44) The “emotional loop” behind overwhelm, anxiety, and resistance.
(26:19) The tiny shift that helped him move from feeling lost to finding purpose.
(29:18) Why motivational quotes do not work when your nervous system is dysregulated.
(32:32) How fitness becomes a training ground for discipline in every area of life.
(52:17) The real reason discipline is so hard to build when you do not feel motivated.
(1:15:34) Why emotional vocabulary matters more than saying “I’m fine.”
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Find more from Jen Cohen:
Website: jennifercohen.com
Instagram: @therealjencohen
Books: jennifercohen.com/books
Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements
Find more from Dr. Elisha Goldstein
Website: elishagoldstein.com
Instagram: @drelishagoldstein
LinkedIn: Elisha Goldstein
Facebook: Dr. Elisha Goldstein
YouTube: @dr.elishagoldstein
Podcast: The Emotional Longevity Podcast - elishagoldstein.com/podcast/
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsElisha Goldstein· Guest0:00
[upbeat music] Hi, guys. It's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.
Jennifer Cohen· Host0:04
Welcome to the Habits and Hustle podcast with me, Jennifer Cohen, where we dig into the mindset strategies and real-life stories behind people who build extraordinary lives. Today, I'm sitting down with Dr. Elisha Goldstein, a clinical psychologist, author, and leading voice in the world of mindfulness and emotional health. He has spent decades helping people understand why we can know exactly what we should do, yet we still struggle to follow through, stay consistent, calm our nervous system, and get out of our own way. And this conversation gets into the part of mindfulness most people completely misunderstand. It's not about sitting perfectly still, clearing your mind, or magically becoming calm. It's about awareness, emotional capacity, and learning how to interrupt the loops that keep us stuck in overwhelm, comparison, resistance, and self-sabotage. What he shares in this episode will make you rethink discipline, motivation, emotional health, and why these tiny shifts can create massive change over time. So let's dive in. [upbeat music] Before we dive into today's episode, I first wanna thank our sponsor, Therasage. Their TriLight panel has become my favorite biohacking thing for healing my body. It's a portable red light panel