The Action Factory Podcast
Quit Your Diet is Michael Dawson’s new book, course, and core focus right now—and it’s not about food, it’s about freedom. This podcast is where those ideas come to life. Rooted in decades of work with real people, Quit Your Diet offers a new approach to change—one based on how the mind actually works, not willpower, rules, or restriction. Michael Dawson is a behavior specialist with a long track record of helping people shift deep-set patterns and create lasting transformation. Trained in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Clinical Hypnotherapy, and NLP, he’s spent over 40 years on the front lines—from building groundbreaking youth projects to working one-to-one with clients stuck in difficult loops. This podcast is inspired by those conversations—by what people are really up against, and by what actually helps. Right now, we’re exploring the tools behind Quit Your Diet—why diets don’t work, how beliefs shape behavior, and what it really takes to break out of stuck patterns. If you’re ready to think differently, change your habits, or just want to understand the mind a little better, you’re in the right place.
Episodes

Friday Feb 19, 2021
#112 Miracle answers in the solution focused approach
Friday Feb 19, 2021
Friday Feb 19, 2021
Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
Now, lets begin...
Moving on from the last episode I wanted to expand a little bit more on what we do after delivering our own 'working' version of the miracle questions and where those answers might take us. Solution focused therapy will not copy and paste into a work environment and therefore everything we do in our training is about adapting the tools for you.
In this episode we take our first peek into some of the tools we can use once we have some natural responses to work with. The solution focused model is an amazing vehicle for having positive impact on your clients lives, it doesn't need problems.
Have fun and please thank you for the questions and we will keep addressing them as we go.
Follow our podcast www.thesolutionfocusedtoolkit.com
Team training website : www.theactionfactory.com
Individual training course : https://tinyurl.com/solution-focused

Friday Feb 12, 2021
#111 Solutions with the miracle question
Friday Feb 12, 2021
Friday Feb 12, 2021
Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
Now, lets begin...
The Miracle Question and you.
The whole reason for us developing the solution focused toolkit training was because we know the solution focused model will not copy and paste into your work environment. That's why when you join us for training we will say that we don't want to make you a therapist, we want to not, not make you a therapist. In short to make you a solution focused worker.
So what about the miracle question?
How are you able to bring this ridiculous sousing question into your day to day working life? In this episode we discuss the miracle question and then dismantle it and help you put it back together for yourself. To develop your own will enable you to have it available in your holster, ready to draw upon at anytime.
Follow our podcast www.thesolutionfocusedtoolkit.com
Team training website : www.theactionfactory.com
Individual training course : https://tinyurl.com/solution-focused

Friday Feb 05, 2021
#110 Questions in solution focused working
Friday Feb 05, 2021
Friday Feb 05, 2021
Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
Now, lets begin...
Since we launched the podcast there have been a few comments and questions from various channels. In this episode I thought I'd pause to answer a few of them. Please keep your comments and questions coming in although in future I'll probably answer one a week.
Thanks so much for being there and you are greatly appreciated. Remember if your within our target audience then you probably have the greatest job in the world.
Working in the care industry such as social work, residential and care and helping improve peoples lives.
Follow our podcast www.thesolutionfocusedtoolkit.com
Team training website : www.theactionfactory.com
Individual training course : https://tinyurl.com/solution-focused

Friday Jan 29, 2021
#109 Assumptions in solution focused working
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
Now, lets begin...
Do you trust the cops?
Whether you do or don't, you might be making assumptions about them that can cloud your judgement and the way you engage with them. So what about your client's, when dealing with your clients what kind of assumptions do you make about them? It works in the same way.
As a solution focused professional working in numerous roles, and training the same, I have gathered a list of assumptions I always use with my clients. These may or may not be true but I don't care because I'll always work as if they are true.
I've used them so long I may have got them from solution focused, stolen from other models or maybe made them up?
They have served me well and one or two of them might serve you too.
I'd love to hear your comments.
Follow our podcast www.thesolutionfocusedtoolkit.com
Team training website : www.theactionfactory.com
Individual training course : https://tinyurl.com/solution-focused

Friday Jan 29, 2021
#108 The solution focused light bulb moment
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
Now, lets begin...
There are four big reasons why therapy works and most of them don't involve the therapist. It's an uncomfortable truth that the main components in a positive outcome are held by the client themselves. In this episode I talk about what this means for the solution focused approach and how it empowers the professional to work with client problems.
Once we know the client holds the solution then it sets us free to work in a solution focused way.
Social workers, youth workers and residential workers are now empowered to support their client group in a new way, by giving them their own room instead of a therapy room.
Follow our podcast www.thesolutionfocusedtoolkit.com
Team training website : www.theactionfactory.com
Individual training course : https://tinyurl.com/solution-focused

The Solution Focused Toolkit
Michael is the developer of the solutions toolkit, a framework for working with young people in a care environment.
An approach that he believes should be the standard in the care industry.
- Top ten sales person by industry
- Author of 12 fat ladies
- Author of The Solution Focused Toolkit
- Founder member of the Family Intervention Team
- Managed North Manchesters Mental Health Project
Get the full audio course at www.theactionfactory.com
Subscribe to the podcast at www.theactionfactorypodcast.com