Bernie explores one of his most liberating concepts: your self-image is malleable. From a show business manager who found it "really hurt" to be nice, to students writing down "10 things you would never do" and then doing them, this episode considers how our perceptions of ourselves can both limit and liberate us.
We're joined by Jeff Brown, an engineer who transformed from a by-the-book government kid to a Silicon Valley CEO and climate entrepreneur. Jeff shares how Bernie's class gave him the confidence to see engineering as a superpower, and how his class project helped him manage a challenging health problem.
We also talk about “The House Fantasy” (Episode 8a. bonus) and Bernie also walks us through his "truth process" (Episode 8b. bonus)—a powerful exercise for examining the stories we tell ourselves and making problems “disappear” through radical honesty.
00:00 Bernie's philosophy: Your self-image is malleable
00:30 The show business lawyer who was "nasty" by design
02:54 Exercise: Write down 10 things you would never do... then do them
06:04 Where self-images come from
09:23 The truth process: Telling yourself what really is
13:23 Disappearing your problems
15:52 Introducing Jeff Brown
19:36 Using engineering as a "superpower for good"
21:34 Jeff's class project of self-healing
23:00 The House Fantasy visualization
26:01 Bernie at 92: "I still don't know what I'm gonna do when I grow up"
27:51 Bernie’s self-image
Follow us on Instagram: @yelloweyedcatspodcast to see more about Jeff's journey and other references from our podcast.
Co-hosts: Bernie Roth & Krista Donaldson; Producer: Krista Donaldson