The Balance Theory

In this episode, we explore what self-respect actually means, beyond confidence, beyond success, beyond applause.

For years, today’s guest chased respect externally, having thoughts like:
If you liked me, I liked me. If you approved, I felt safe.

But as she shares, that way of living slowly disconnects you from yourself. I’m joined by Dr Katherine Iscoe to unpack:

• Why people-pleasing is often rooted in the “fawn” trauma response

• How you might be subtly trading yourself away in everyday moments

• The restaurant “steak” example that reveals more than you think

• How to audit your calendar to see if you truly respect yourself

• Why boundaries aren’t just with other people, they’re with yourself

• How overthinking steals years of your life

• The difference between chasing happiness and building self-respect

• What it actually looks like to make decisions from self-respect

Self-respect isn’t loud.It isn’t aggressive.It isn’t about becoming selfish.

It’s about choosing yourself in small, daily ways, even when it feels uncomfortable.

Because the truth is, confidence might get you in the room... but self-respect is what keeps you standing tall.

If you’ve ever felt like:
* You say yes too often
* You overthink simple decisions
* You care more about others’ opinions than your own
* You don’t feel fully like yourself anymore

This episode is for you.

The life you want doesn’t start with more discipline. It starts with self-respect.

CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

📸 Instagram

Dr Katherine Iscoe's book - https://www.drkatherine.com/self-respect-playbook

Dr Katherine Iscoe Website - https://www.drkatherine.com

TIME STAMPS

(01:50) Introduction
(05:40) Taking back ownership over your life
(09:29) Obvious Ways you are trading yourself away
(14:43) First time you felt proud of yourself
(17:37) Self Respect Zones
(21:49) Does your calendar show you respect yourself?
(25:58) Top Skills for Mastering your Self Respect
(29:11) Advice for people to move into self respect
(31:57) Resilience vs Abandon ship
(36:25) Leaving CEO Role
(39:27) How do I make decisions with self respect?
(44:19) Why do we lose momentum?
(49:17) Define Self Respect

WHO AM I?

My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel! 📸 Connect with me on IG!

RESOURCES

▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon

▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge

▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book

LET’S BE FRIENDS

📸 Instagram

📱Tiktok

MY FAVOURITE STUFF

💻 Email & Calendar tool - Sunsama for 1 Month free trial

If you’re serious about podcast growth and creator growth, this episode will change how you think about building content that actually scales.

In this behind-the-scenes conversation, I sit down with Grace Miller, Head of Experimentation & Failure at The Diary of a CEO, to unpack how one of the world’s biggest podcasts thinks about growth, testing, and long-term success.

We go inside how elite creators experiment and how small, intentional decisions compound into massive audience growth. From YouTube analytics and thumbnail testing to failing fast without losing confidence, this episode is a masterclass for anyone building a podcast, YouTube channel, or personal brand in 2026 and beyond.

You’ll learn:


• How the world’s biggest podcasts approach growth and experimentation


• What actually matters in the YouTube backend for podcast growth
• How to test thumbnails, titles, and formats 


• How to build momentum through experimentation


• How to fail fast, learn faster, and grow with clarity


• Practical creator growth strategies you can implement immediately

This episode isn’t about hacks or virality. It’s about systems, curiosity, and sustainable growth, the foundations behind long-term success as a creator.

Whether you’re a podcaster, YouTuber, or creative entrepreneur, this conversation will help you stop guessing and start growing with intention.

CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram

Time Stamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:20) How did you become Head of Experimentation for Steven Bartlett & Diary of a CEO?

(07:03) What does a typical day in DOAC office look like?

(10:54) Who should podcasters hire?

(16:59) Exactly what to look at in the YouTube backend

(19:00) Thumbnail testing strategy

(20:13) How do you Experiment at DOAC?

(25:30) How do you fail fast?

(27:22) Two things to test on each platform: YT, IG and Spotify

(30:10) How do we experiment in our own personal lives?

(34:19) Practical experiment for personal life to start TODAY

(38:14) Most uncomfortable thing you’re doing this year?

(40:48) Are podcasts over saturated?

WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel!

📸 Connect with me on IG!

RESOURCES
▶︎ My FREE Work Life Balance Workshop
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book

LET’S BE FRIENDS
⭐ Substack
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
🌍 My website

🧡 This description may contain affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video and support the channel at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Today, we break down the science of confidence, why self-doubt isn’t always the enemy, and how understanding your specific doubt pattern can unlock lasting self-trust, without becoming someone you’re not.
In this conversation, I’m joined by Dr Shadé Zahrai, behavioural researcher, award-winning peak performance educator, and one of the leading voices on confidence, self-image, and self-doubt.
This is not about hype or surface-level confidence. It’s about rewiring how you see yourself.
✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode
* Why confidence is trainable, not fixed
* The role self-doubt actually plays in growth and performance
* The 4 Self-Doubt Types and how they show up in behaviour
* How to diagnose your own self-doubt profile (including mine, live)
* The everyday habit that quietly erodes confidence
* How posture, environment, and physicality shape self-belief
* How to tell the difference between useful self-doubt and self-sabotage
* Why your self-image is the blueprint for your entire life
* Practical tools to build confidence in real time
* How to set boundaries with negative people without losing yourself
When you change how you see yourself, your behaviour follows.
Confidence isn’t something you chase, it’s something you build.
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram
Link to free quiz online
Link to BIG TRUST
TIME STAMPS
(01:43) Introduction / Background
(12:06) What is the role of self-doubt?
(17:26) Self Doubt Profiles
(25:48) Diagnosing Erika’s doubt profile
(30:22) Tools for improving self doubt
(47:49) This everyday habit is ruining your confidence
(53:28) Do you need to change your environment to achieve?
(57:53) Setting boundaries for loved ones who are negative
WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel! 📸 Connect with me on IG!
RESOURCES
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book
LET’S BE FRIENDS
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
MY FAVOURITE STUFF
💻 Email & Calendar tool - Sunsama for 1 Month free trial
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thebalancetheory.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Confidence today feels different.
We’re navigating a world where AI can outperform humans, social media is increasingly curated (and often fake), and comparison is no longer occasional, it’s constant. Even the most grounded, capable people are quietly questioning themselves.
In this episode, we explore how to stay confident when nothing online feels real anymore and how to use social media without losing yourself.
Joining me is journalist, speaker, and mother Danae Mercer, who has worked at the highest levels of media and still found her confidence shaken by the online world. Together, we unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of confidence in 2026, and what actually helps.
This isn’t about deleting social media or fearing AI. It’s about learning the new confidence skill this era demands.
💭 If You’ve Been Thinking…
“I don’t feel as confident as I used to”
“Everyone online seems ahead of me”
“I know better, but I still feel affected”
“I want my confidence back”
then this conversation is for you!
And if this episode resonates, share it with someone who might be quietly feeling the same way.
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram
 
TIME STAMPS
(01:20) Introduction
(06:40) How do we remain confident in the age of AI content?
(18:23) Tools to find confidence
(23:32) Do things you’re bad at
(26:20) What's the line between being sucked in by social media and enjoying it?
(29:26) The Proteus Effect
(44:01) Consequences of phone use and emotions
(47:01) Why did you start posting content?
(51:14) What would you immediately change on social media
WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel! 📸 Connect with me on IG!
RESOURCES
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book
LET’S BE FRIENDS
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
MY FAVOURITE STUFF
💻 Email & Calendar tool - Sunsama for 1 Month free trial
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thebalancetheory.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do so many relationships fail, even if there’s love?
In this episode, I sit down with Mo Gawdat to unpack the logic, equations, and skills behind relationships and why love itself is actually the easy part.
Mo is the bestselling author of Solve for Happy and a former Google X executive, known for applying engineering and systems thinking to life’s hardest problems. In this conversation, we explore why 96.8% of relationships fail, what most people were never taught about love, and how relationships can be learned, trained, and improved, just like any other skill.
This episode isn’t about romantic clichés or surface-level advice. It’s about understanding:
* why love is logical, not irrational
* how we unknowingly block love
* why relationships fail when seasons change
* and how to become good at relationships, without settling or second-guessing yourself
Whether you’re single and looking for love, dating, or already in a long-term relationship, this conversation will change the way you think about connection.
We of course also get to know Mo, from his way of thinking all the way through to his current project - EMMA.
If this conversation resonates, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
💬 What part of relationships do you feel you were never taught?
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram
TIME STAMPS
(01:25) Introduction
(03:03) How to be more than your job
(08:04) Giving yourself permission
(13:03) 3 Questions to Align Your Life Choices
(15:20) Is Love Is Illogical?
(25:40) Is there “THE ONE”
(35:42) PPRFCTS - the 7 things we want from a relationship
(43:57) Is AI the best place to help with relationships?
(52:48) Managing or lowering expectations?

WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel! 📸 Connect with me on IG!
RESOURCES
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book
LET’S BE FRIENDS
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
MY FAVOURITE STUFF
💻 Email & Calendar tool - Sunsama for 1 Month free trial
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thebalancetheory.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.