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 Oct 25, 2024
#148 - The Mystery of Self-Destruction in Youth.
Friday Oct 25, 2024
Friday Oct 25, 2024
Ever witnessed a young person repeat a self-destructive behavior that seems to defy all logic? I know I have. And today, I'm diving into a story I’ve never shared before — not just about the young people I’ve worked with, but about my own inexplicable, self-destructive behavior as a kid. If you're wondering why young people sometimes act against their own best interests, stick around. Because even after decades in this field, I don’t have all the answers — just the questions that haunt me still.
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Finally, if you’re a youth work team who would be interested in building team consistency, better confidence in crises, and offering better outcomes, you might want to check out my webinar below.
WATCH THE FREE TRAINING SESSION

Thursday Oct 10, 2024
#147 - Buying back our children.
Thursday Oct 10, 2024
Thursday Oct 10, 2024
Welcome to The Action Factory Podcast, and it’s great to be back! After a long hiatus due to moving house, I want to talk about how we might save our council a few million pounds.
My name is Michael Dawson, and I developed a universal, principle-based framework for youth work teams. During the design of the Solutions Toolkit, I’m often asked about my experience. It’s broad and covers most sectors, but I’ll always refer to three fantastic and revolutionary projects that I was lucky enough to have been involved in.
In today’s episode, I want to talk about one of them. It was a project where I jokingly used to say that, in private industry, we would all be driving Mercedes.
Why?
Because, based purely on the financials, we were saving city councils millions of pounds a year. We did this by keeping young people at home instead of in the care system. In fact, (after recording) I found a fascinating article in The Guardian by George Monbiot that confirms exactly what I’ve been saying.
If you’re a City Council influencer, we could easily do this again in a new and modern way.
In this episode, I’ll describe our service and what we did. Sadly, it’s a kind of rise and fall of the most cost-effective service the City Council ever created.
Although I found the article below after recording, I think you’ll find it interesting:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/18/child-care-cost-year-wealth-funds-councils-britain-residential
Oh and the Simpsons of course
Finally, if you’re a youth work team who would be interested in building team consistency, better confidence in crises, and offering better outcomes, you might want to check out my webinar below.
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR

Friday Aug 23, 2024
#129 Elevating Residential Youth Work with the Solutions Toolkit
Friday Aug 23, 2024
Friday Aug 23, 2024
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
Less a sales pitch, more a request for help. Are you a young person's residential care home manager with a team of between 2 and 12 people?
Care home managers, the Solutions Toolkit is almost here, a game-changing framework designed specifically for residential youth work teams. It’s principle-based so it serves as a foundation for existing regimes and personalities, while seamlessly complementing and enhancing other working models.
In this episode, I want to delve deep into the insights and strategies that will transform your approach to working with young people, while tackling the challenges of making the Solutions Toolkit accessible and universal.
Highlights: - Embrace the three A's (Adopt, Adapt, and Abandon) and the three C's (The circles are - You, Your Clients, and Your Tools) for a bespoke approach.
Overcome the main training obstacles with the three M's (Mobility, Membership, and Money)An exclusive offer for residential care home managers to participate in the Solutions Toolkit pre-launch for just £250 (instead of the £5,000 launch price).
A two-year money-back guarantee for accepted focus group members.
Access a free micro-course on the basic ideas of the Solutions Toolkit at www. theactionfactory.com
If your a residential care home manager with a team of 2 to 12 people then don’t miss this episode.
www.theactionfactory.com

Monday Apr 22, 2024
Monday Apr 22, 2024
Welcome to the Action Factory Podcast, I'm Michael Dawson, the creator of the Solutions Toolkit, the first framework designed for those working with young people in care environments.
In today's episode, we delve into the real, raw experience of the admission process into care — not the procedures and rules, but what it actually feels like for a young person going through it.
I recently (and unexpectedly) opened up about my own journey during an interview on The Passionate Youth Worker podcast, revealing an event I hadn't touched on for years.
It took a sudden burst of tears while watching a TV drama to realize how deeply my past experiences still affected me.
That moment on the podcast inspired me to revisit and break down the very scene that caused me so much trauma. Today, we’ll explore that scene together and uncover the lessons that might lie hidden within.
If you’re involved in running a children's home, this episode is crucial.
Hopefully, the scenarios we discuss aren’t familiar, but they are an important learning opportunity.
To help you after the episode, I've developed an interactive "Admissions Audit" document. This tool is designed to help ensure that the admission process is as comforting as possible for young people — a stark contrast to my own experiences and those of the young girl in the drama.
Also, don’t miss out on grabbing a free copy of the Key Worker Compass by clicking the link below. This handy tool keeps all your key worker information right at your fingertips.
At the moment, I'm offering a two-year subscription to all my personal training for the cost of a single month. Under $20 will grant you a two-year full legacy membership as we continue to spread the word and make a difference.
Join us on this journey and help change the way we support our youth in care.
ADMISSIONS AUDIT SHEET
Please save on your own device before making changes
WATCH THE CLIP HERE
FULL SHOW - NO CHILD OF MINE
THE PASSIONATE YOUTH WORKER PODCAST
THE KEY WORKER COMPASS DOWNLOAD

Monday Mar 18, 2024
#145 Residential Youth Work - The Greatest Job in the World.
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Monday Mar 18, 2024
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, let's get started...
Today we dive into the heart of Residential Youth Work—a realm I'm so passionate about, I literally wear it on my sleeve... and my head!
You will have seen my wardrobe additions, shirts and hats, boldly proclaiming it "The Greatest Job in the World."
Why such enthusiasm? Well, it's the unique magic of making even the smallest difference in a young person's life that has me shouting from the rooftops. But today, I'm dialing back the volume to extend a warm, inviting hand to those considering a path in residential youth work.
Join me as we delve into my six compelling reasons why residential youth work stands apart from the rest. Whether you've been contemplating a career that enables you to positively influence young lives, or you're simply curious about what makes this job so rewarding, this episode promises to enlighten and inspire. Let's embark on this journey together and discover why residential youth work is, indeed, the greatest job in the world.
Visit the website to join our community at www.theactionfactory.com , share ideas and strategies and access lots of free training.
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR

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