LOW CONFIDENCE & SELF-ESTEEM Why your brain keeps telling you you’re not enough

LOW CONFIDENCE & SELF-ESTEEM Why your brain keeps telling you you’re not enough

Why do some people constantly feel not good enough. Even when they’re capable, successful, and doing everything they can to hold things together? In this episode of Moving Minds Forward, Gary Johannes explores the psychology and neuroscience behind low confidence and self-esteem. From self-doubt and overthinking to comparison, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the inner critic that never seems to switch off   This episode looks at what’s really going on beneath the surface. Gary explains how confidence is shaped by past experiences, stress, relationships, and the brain’s threat system and why low self-esteem is not a personality flaw or weakness, but a learned pattern that can change. You’ll learn: *  why confidence disappears  *  what keeps self-doubt going  *  how the brain reinforces negative beliefs  *  why avoidance and comparison make things worse  *  what actually helps rebuild genuine confidence  Grounded in neuroscience, therapy experience, and real human understanding, this is a calm, practical, emotionally honest conversation about rebuilding self-worth from the inside out. Because confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something the brain can relearn. Hosted by Gary Johannes, solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and senior lecturer with CPHT. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Episode Timeline 00:00 — Introduction 02:10 — What low self-esteem actually is 06:45 — Why confidence disappears 11:20 — The role of the brain and threat response 16:10 — Self-criticism and the inner voice 21:40 — Comparison, perfectionism, and people-pleasing 27:15 — Why avoidance keeps confidence low 31:50 — The neuroscience of rebuilding confidence 37:05 — What actually helps 42:20 — One practical step you can take today 45:10 — Final thoughts and encouragement

Social Anxiety — Why Your Brain Won't Let You Relax

Most people with social anxiety don't look like they have social anxiety.  They show up. They function. They get through the day.  But on the inside, before every social situation, during it, and long after it's over, something exhausting is happening. The monitoring. The self-scrutiny. The replay. The dread. In this episode, Gary Johannes, solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health, breaks down what social anxiety actually is, what's happening in your brain when it kicks in, what keeps it going, and what actually helps. This isn't generic advice. It's a clear, honest explanation of one of the most misunderstood conditions there is and one practical thing you can do today to start shifting it. If social anxiety has been quietly shaping your decisions and shrinking your world this episode is for you. TIMELINE 00:00 — Introduction & Gary's story 01:30 — What social anxiety actually is — and why it's not just shyness 03:30 — The gap between what you know and what you feel 05:00 — What's happening in your brain — the amygdala and the threat response 07:00 — The self-monitoring spiral — why you can't just relax in social situations 08:30 — The replay — what happens after and why it's so exhausting 10:00 — What causes social anxiety — biology, early experience, and social media 12:30 — What keeps it going — avoidance, safety behaviours, and withdrawal 16:00 — What actually helps — the solution-focused approach 18:00 — The preferred future — where the work starts 19:30 — Rebuilding gradually — how the brain actually changes 22:00 — One thing you can do right now 24:00 — The closing message — you're not broken, you're stuck

Moving Through Depression — What's Actually Happening and What Helps

Your Brain Isn't Broken. Depression, Anxiety and Mental Health with Gary Johannes Episode 3: Depression - What's Really Going On, What Keeps It Going, and What Actually Helps Depression isn't weakness. It isn't laziness. It isn't something you can just think your way out of. It's a serious mental health condition that affects how you feel, how you think, and how you function and most people who are living with it have no idea what's actually happening in their brain. In this episode, Gary Johannes,  solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and MSc graduate in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King's College London, breaks down everything you need to understand about depression. What it actually is. What's happening in the brain. What keeps it going. And what the evidence shows actually helps. This isn't a self-help episode. It's an honest, grounded, neuroscience-backed conversation about one of the most common and most misunderstood mental health conditions there is. If you're living with depression — or you love someone who is, this episode is for you. In this episode: * Why depression is so much more than feeling sad * The physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms most people don't recognise * What's actually happening in your brain when depression takes hold * Why men experience depression differently, and why so few seek help * The patterns that keep depression going (and how to break them) * What solution-focused hypnotherapy does differently * One practical thing you can do today, however bad things feel Timestamps: 00:00 — Who is Gary Johannes 02:30 — What depression actually is 05:00 — Physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms 07:30 — Crisis support — please read this first 08:30 — What causes depression 11:00 — Genetics, brain chemistry and lifestyle 13:00 — Men and depression — why it looks different 15:30 — What's happening in the brain 18:00 — Neuroplasticity — why the brain can change 19:30 — What keeps depression going 21:00 — Withdrawal and why it feeds the cycle 23:00 — Sleep disruption and negative thinking loops 25:00 — What actually helps 27:00 — Solution-focused hypnotherapy and the preferred future 29:30 — Rebuilding sleep and the nervous system 32:00 — Small steps and how the brain actually changes 34:30 — One thing you can do today 37:00 — A message to anyone struggling right now 40:00 — Where to get help If you're struggling right now, please reach out: Samaritans — 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day) Your GP is also a good first step. You don't have to be at the bottom before you ask for help. Subscribe for a new episode every week  one condition, the same lens. What's going on, what keeps it going, and what actually helps. 🔔 Hit subscribe so you don't miss the next episode

Panic Attacks Explained: What's Going On, What Keeps Them Going, and What Actually Helps

Panic attacks feel like your body is betraying you. They're not. Here's what's actually going on. If you've ever had a panic attack, there's a good chance you genuinely thought you were dying — or losing your mind. You weren't. But no one ever explained why it felt that way. In this episode, Gary Johannes — solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired to Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT breaks down panic attacks in plain language. Not the clinical version. The version that actually helps. What's covered: * What's happening in your brain and body during a panic attack * Why panic attacks feel so terrifying  and why that makes sense * What causes them and what keeps them going * The difference between a panic attack and panic disorder * Why avoidance feels protective but makes things worse * What to do in the moment when one hits * What lasting change actually looks like Plus, one simple thing you can start doing today to understand your own pattern. This isn't about managing symptoms forever. It's about understanding what's going on so things can actually change. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 📌 Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. Gary Johannes left school at 14 with no qualifications, served in the RAF, and spent 30 years in business before retraining as a hypnotherapist. He went on to build Inspired to Change and complete a Master's in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London — at 60. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 01:10 – What a panic attack actually feels like 03:00 – What's happening in your brain (fight or flight explained) 05:00 – Why it becomes a loop 06:00 – The physical and emotional symptoms 08:00 – What causes panic attacks 10:00 – Panic attack vs panic disorder 12:00 – How avoidance makes things worse 15:00 – What to do in the moment 18:00 – What lasting change looks like 21:30 – One thing you can do right now 22:30 – Closing thoughts #PanicAttacks #PanicDisorder #Anxiety #MentalHealth #Hypnotherapy #SolutionFocused #InspiredToChange #GaryJohannes

Anxiety: Why Your Brain Won't Switch Off - And What To Do About It

Over 8 million people in the UK are living with anxiety right now. Most of them have never told anyone.  If that's you,  this episode is for you. In this first episode, solution-focused hypnotherapist and founder of Inspired to Change, Gary Johannahs, breaks down what anxiety actually is, what's keeping it going, and what genuinely helps.  No jargon. No judgment. Just the science, explained clearly, and a practical place to start. Because here's the thing: anxiety isn't a sign something is fundamentally wrong with you. It's your brain doing its job. It's just doing it a bit too much. What we cover in this episode: * What anxiety actually is, and why it's not a character flaw * The fight-or-flight response and why your brain can't always tell the difference between danger and a difficult conversation * The two parts of the brain that drive anxiety (and why "just calm down" never works) * Why avoidance feels like relief but makes everything worse * The role of sleep and serotonin in keeping anxiety going * What solution-focused hypnotherapy does differently * One simple daily practice that starts to retrain your anxious brain About Gary Johannahs: Gary left school at 14, joined the RAF at 16, and spent his first 30 years in sales and running bars and nightclubs. In his mid-40s, he discovered hypnotherapy, and it changed everything. He went on to retrain, found Inspired to Change, and completed an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London at the age of 60. He was also diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD that same year. He now leads a team of solution-focused hypnotherapists and is a senior lecturer at CPHT. If this episode helped, hit subscribe. Every episode covers one condition, what's going on, what's keeping it going, and what actually helps. There's a lot more to come.