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 Jun 20, 2025
#161A - Ozempic, Wegovy & What They Don’t Change - Quit your Diet
Friday Jun 20, 2025
Friday Jun 20, 2025
A woman looked in the mirror after plastic surgery and still saw someone she didn’t like. That moment changed the life of Dr. Maxwell Maltz—and it changed the way I think about weight loss too.
I’m Michael Dawson, author of Quit Your Diet, and in this episode, I’m digging into the conversation around Ozempic, Wegovy, and the so-called miracle weight-loss drugs. But instead of just focusing on the headlines, I want to talk about what these medications don’t address: your mindset, your self-image, and your real relationship with food.
I share:
Why weight-loss drugs might be a short-term fix with long-term uncertainty
The real reason so many diets fail—and what to do instead
My QYD framework, a psychological path to food freedom
How to build lasting autonomy instead of dependency
And why the image we hold of ourselves might be the most important piece of all
If you’re tired of dieting, unsure about the hype around injections, or just ready for something that feels more human—this episode is for you.

Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
#161 - Every Diet Has a Positive Intention — Until It Doesn’t
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
What if every diet you tried, every rule you followed, every plan you stuck to (and then abandoned), every time you “gave up” was actually the best decision you could make at the time?
In this episode, Michael Dawson invites you to reframe your past choices through a radically compassionate lens. Because if every decision you made came from a place that made it the best decision at that moment even when it didn’t lead to lasting change, then maybe it’s time to just move on.
Maybe it’s time to draw a line under all the diets, all the guilt.
If you're tired of calorie counting, meal plans, and the constant feeling of failure… this could be the turning point you didn’t know you needed.
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👣 What to do next...
If today’s episode hit home, take the FREE quiz to find out which level your weight obsession lives on — and how to start changing from that level:👉 https://quit-your-diet.com
You’ll get:✔️ A custom PDF based on your quiz results✔️ A support video made just for your stage✔️ The first 3 chapters of Quit Your Diet: Think to Shrink✔️ Free lifetime membership with tools, downloads, and invites
🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this episode and the rest of the series over on the Quit Your Diet YouTube channel:👉 https://www.youtube.com/@Quityourdiet
🎓 Become a site member today and get early, free access to my full training course when it launches.
☕ Like what you’re hearing? Support the show on Buy Me a Coffee and get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings:👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet
📚 Explore more tools and resources at:👉 https://www.actionfactorypublishing.com
Thanks for tuning in — and remember:The healthiest decision you could make might be quitting diets for good.

Sunday Jun 15, 2025
#160 - Your Diet Was the Wrong Solution, And Now It’s the Problem
Sunday Jun 15, 2025
Sunday Jun 15, 2025
What if your diet started as a solution and became the problem?
In this episode, I’ll share a story about a man who wins the lottery and ends up solving a series of problems with the wrong solutions. It’s the perfect metaphor for how we end up trapped in the cycle of dieting.
We’re talking about a powerful idea today:
“Today’s problem is often yesterday’s solution.”
I’ll explore why so many of us turn to diets as the "obvious" fix, and how that in itself is the problem. I'll talk about:
How diet culture trains us to look in the wrong direction
And what it takes to replace the wrong solution with one that actually works
I’ll also introduce one of the 7 assumptions I use in my Quit Your Diet program—assumptions that can shift the way you see yourself and your habits.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in the dieting loop, this episode will help you see why... and how to start building your escape plan.
Thanks for listening. Subscribe, follow, and come find the tools waiting for you. Membership is free right now, and it’s packed with downloads, support, and insight to help you quit diets for good.
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👣 What to do next...
If today’s episode hit home, take the FREE quiz to find out which level your weight obsession lives on — and how to start changing from that level:👉 https://quit-your-diet.com
You’ll get:✔️ A custom PDF based on your quiz results✔️ A support video made just for your stage✔️ The first 3 chapters of Quit Your Diet: Think to Shrink✔️ Free lifetime membership with tools, downloads, and invites
🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this episode and the rest of the series over on the Quit Your Diet YouTube channel:👉 https://www.youtube.com/@Quityourdiet
🎓 Become a site member today and get early, free access to my full training course when it launches.
☕ Like what you’re hearing? Support the show on Buy Me a Coffee and get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings:👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet
📚 Explore more tools and resources at:👉 https://www.actionfactorypublishing.com
Thanks for tuning in — and remember:The healthiest decision you could make might be quitting diets for good.

Friday Jun 13, 2025
#159 - There Are No Failed Diets, Only Lessons: Quit your Diet
Friday Jun 13, 2025
Friday Jun 13, 2025
In this episode, I share why our perceived failures aren't failures at all, they're valuable lessons pointing us toward a completely different approach.
I'll reveal how the traditional diet mindset creates patterns that keep us trapped, and how breaking free might be simpler than you think.
Have you tried countless diets only to end up right where you started? I'm Michael Dawson, author of "Quit Your Diet," and I've discovered something that changed everything for me.
Join me to discover a refreshing perspective that applies not just to weight issues, but to many of life's challenges. If you're ready to try something completely different, this conversation is for you.
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👣 What to do next...
If today’s episode hit home, take the FREE quiz to find out which level your weight obsession lives on — and how to start changing from that level:👉 https://quit-your-diet.com
You’ll get:✔️ A custom PDF based on your quiz results✔️ A support video made just for your stage✔️ The first 3 chapters of Quit Your Diet: Think to Shrink✔️ Free lifetime membership with tools, downloads, and invites
🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this episode and the rest of the series over on the Quit Your Diet YouTube channel:👉 https://www.youtube.com/@Quityourdiet
🎓 Become a site member today and get early, free access to my full training course when it launches.
☕ Like what you’re hearing? Support the show on Buy Me a Coffee and get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings:👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet
📚 Explore more tools and resources at:👉 https://www.actionfactorypublishing.com
Thanks for tuning in — and remember:The healthiest decision you could make might be quitting diets for good.

Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
#158 - Why You're the REAL Expert in Your Weight Loss Journey | Quit Your Diet
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
I want to share something today that’s not exactly revolutionary, but it can transform your weight journey forever:
You are the true expert in your own life.
In this episode of Quit Your Diet, I draw on my years of experience working in tough therapeutic environments to explain why outside advice so often falls short, and why trusting yourself is the key to lasting change.
You’ll hear about a real conversation I had with a young client, a powerful moment where I resisted the urge to offer solutions and let him lead instead. What happened next taught me one of the most important lessons of my career. And it’s directly relevant to your journey with food, weight, and self-trust.
My approach flips the traditional diet mindset on its head. Instead of handing you another plan to follow, I help you build your own 14 day roadmap to quitting diets forever.
In this episode, I’ll even share a simple but eye-opening exercise I use with professionals that shows how powerful your own solutions can be, when you’re given permission to trust yourself.
This is part of my seven-part framework designed to help you quit diets for good and build a new, natural relationship with food.
If that sounds like something you need, you’re in exactly the right place.
__________________________________________________
👣 What to do next...
If today’s episode hit home, take the FREE quiz to find out which level your weight obsession lives on — and how to start changing from that level:👉 https://quit-your-diet.com
You’ll get:✔️ A custom PDF based on your quiz results✔️ A support video made just for your stage✔️ The first 3 chapters of Quit Your Diet: Think to Shrink✔️ Free lifetime membership with tools, downloads, and invites
🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this episode and the rest of the series over on the Quit Your Diet YouTube channel:👉 https://www.youtube.com/@Quityourdiet
🎓 Become a site member today and get early, free access to my full training course when it launches.
☕ Like what you’re hearing? Support the show on Buy Me a Coffee and get exclusive invites to my monthly live coffee mornings:👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/quityourdiet
📚 Explore more tools and resources at:👉 https://www.actionfactorypublishing.com
Thanks for tuning in — and remember:The healthiest decision you could make might be quitting diets for good.

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