The Action Factory Podcast

#162 - Pretend First, Become Later - Quit your Diet

In this episode, I’m talking about why pretending can be one of the most powerful tools for personal change.
We start with the true story of Chris Gardner, the man behind The Pursuit of Happyness, who showed up every day acting like he belonged in a world that hadn’t accepted him yet. He wasn’t successful, he was pretending. But that act changed his life, and it’s something you can learn from too.
I dive into the psychology behind behavior-first change, why acting as if can lead to real transformation, whether it’s about confidence, health, or quitting diets for good. I also share how this fits into my framework of seven assumptions I make about every client, and that I encourage you to make about yourself.
If you're tired of yo-yo diets, obsessive tracking, and feeling stuck, visit actionfactorypublishing.com. Right now, lifetime membership is free, and you’ll get instant access to free chapters of my book, tools, downloads, and a quick quiz to help you figure out your level of change.
Thanks for listening—please follow the podcast so we can keep this conversation going. New episodes drop twice a week.
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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.
 
 

#161A - Ozempic, Wegovy & What They Don’t Change - Quit your Diet

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.

#161 - Every Diet Has a Positive Intention — Until It Doesn’t

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.
 

#160 - Your Diet Was the Wrong Solution, And Now It’s the Problem

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.
__________________________________________________
👣 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.

#159 - There Are No Failed Diets, Only Lessons: Quit your Diet

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.
__________________________________________________
👣 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.