#11: Why Most Habit Change Fails (And How to Get Good at Feeling Bad) | Ryan Soave
episodePreviously titled “Why Most Habit Change Fails (And How to Break the Addiction Cycle)” — renamed by the publisher on Sep 15, 2026
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What is discussed at the start of this section?
Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy? Not quite! On Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between-songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shunker, a cognitive scientist and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes other plans.
I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long the need to change. We have to be willing to live with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes.
You can have opinions. You can have like a strong stance.
How did Ryan Soave transition from addiction medicine to therapy?
And then there's your body having its own program.
Listen to A Slight Change of Plans on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From iHeart Podcasts, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?
One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart.
This is for Vietnam. They're pouring petrol all over here.
What are the underlying reasons for counterproductive behaviors?
Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything.
Listen to Saigon on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you. To hear more, listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to 2%. I'm your host, Michael Easter. Last night, me and one of my good friends, Ryan Suave, we went and saw the band Phish at the Las Vegas Sphere.
How can one improve their life and mindset effectively?
So I want you to picture two sober guys in a sea of hippies who are all smoking weed, all probably on psychedelics, and there we are, having an amazing time, despite the fact that we weren't on any substances. Now, Ryan's background is he's one of the top therapists in the country. He started in addiction medicine after he himself got sober, but he has since pivoted to working with high performers in all different areas, helping them get their mind right, helping them get their habits on track in order to live a better life, have better relationships, make more money, just be better people in general. So this morning, After the show, running on three hours of sleep each, I dragged Ryan into the studio.
I sat him down and I stole as much of his wisdom as I could for all of you. So we had a long sweeping conversation. We talked about habit change.
We talked about the real underlying reasons people do things that seem to be counterproductive and hurt them in the long run. We talked about how to improve your life, how to improve your mindset, and a lot of different things that will help you, the listener, and leave you with tools to act better in the real world right now. So let's bring on Ryan.
Ryan, thanks for coming on the show, man.
Thanks for having me. This is great.
All right, we went to fish last night at the Spear. How did it feel to be one of the only sober human beings in the building in addition to me and maybe three to four others?
I think there might've been some more than that, but it was definitely a... Well, I think first off, it started at 8 o'clock. I think both of us agreed that we probably would have been close to in bed by then.
I went to bed at 7.30 the night before, if that gives you any context.
Right, and I flew from the East Coast, so it was like 11 p.m. start time, you know, and... But I think it was great.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is discussed at the start of this section?
0:00–0:57
2
How did Ryan Soave transition from addiction medicine to therapy?
0:57–1:26
3
What are the underlying reasons for counterproductive behaviors?
1:26–2:38
4
How can one improve their life and mindset effectively?
2:38–1:11:31
5
How can we learn to let go of the need to be right?
1:11:31–1:13:49
6
Can healthy activities become addictive?
1:13:49–1:15:49
7
What role does community play in overcoming addiction?
1:15:49–1:17:39
8
How can we redefine our relationship with discomfort?
1:17:39–2:27:24
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from Two Percent with Michael Easter
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#43: Avoiding Anxiety Makes it Stronger & Relationship Rules | Dr. John Delony
#42: A Trial Lawyer’s Rules for Hard Conversations | Jefferson Fisher