Habit Nerd

Have you ever wondered why it feels almost impossible to stick to healthy habits, stay patient, or make good decisions when you’re running on low sleep?
In this episode of The Habit Nerd, I am so excited to be joined by psychologist, resilience expert, and founder of Salutagenic Psychology, Maria Ruberto! With over 30 years of experience, Maria translates complex neuroscience into practical, life-changing strategies.
Together, we unpack Maria's core philosophy, Biology Before Behavior, and explore why sleep isn't a luxury or a reward for hard work, but a non-negotiable biological necessity for high performance, emotional resilience, and healthy habits.

Connect with Maria:
Website: ⁠https://www.salutegenics.com.au/
Instagram: @salutegenics

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to join me in the Tiny Habits Reset — my 17 day challenge where we slow things down, notice what's running on autopilot, and make tiny intentional shifts that actually stick.
One short daily lesson, for just $1 a day.
👉 Grab your spot here → ⁠⁠⁠https://www.knowyourwhylearning.com.au/tiny-habits-reset-official⁠⁠⁠

Join the conversation in my weekly newsletter.
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Let me ask you a quick question: Have you ever reached 10:00 AM on a weekday and felt completely mentally exhausted, even though you haven't actually accomplished much yet?
If so, you are definitely not alone. So many of us walk around using our brains as glorified storage units! We carry around appointments, to-do lists, groceries we need to buy, and emails we haven't answered, expecting our minds to keep track of it all. But here’s the truth: your brain is designed to process information, not store it.
In today's episode, we are diving deep into cognitive psychology to understand why carrying all those "open tabs" in your head causes massive mental fatigue and how one simple, physical tool can free up your cognitive space, cut through overwhelm, and turn your vague intentions into real action.

Today's episode is proudly sponsored by my absolute favorite empowering stationery brand, MiGoals! I am a total convert for life to their Goal Digger Planner. It has completely transformed how I organize my vision, short-term goals, and daily structure.
To help you get organized and create more intentional days, MiGoals is offering all Habit Nerd listeners 20% off any of their products!
👉 Use code Nerd20 at checkout: https://migoals.com/

Join the conversation in my weekly newsletter.
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Have you ever found yourself completely stuck, facing a situation that feels so overwhelming or scary that you assume the outcome is entirely out of your hands?
Lately, I’ve been right there with you. In this episode, I’m getting incredibly vulnerable about a personal challenge I’m navigating right now: going through a grueling, highly competitive annual promotion process at the university where I teach. For weeks, I let myself spiral into a story that I couldn't succeed, focusing purely on what I couldn't control.
Until I caught myself and asked the game-changing question we are unpacking today: "What's one thing I can control in this situation?"

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to join me in the Tiny Habits Reset, a 17 day challenge where we slow things down, notice what's running on autopilot, and make tiny intentional shifts that actually stick.
👉 Grab your spot here → ⁠⁠https://www.knowyourwhylearning.com.au/tiny-habits-reset-official⁠⁠

Join the conversation in my weekly newsletter.
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If you can just hear the absolute delight in my voice, it is because today’s guest is a total "pinch-me" milestone for me. Her short Before Breakfast episodes have been in my headphones just about every single day for years, and her research has heavily informed and inspired the messaging I use in my own keynotes, workshops, and high-performance coaching.
The brilliant Laura Vanderkam is in the studio!
Laura is one of the world's absolute leading voices on time management and productivity. She is the author of nine incredibly influential books, a regular on American TV, and she was recently featured on the world's #1 podcast, The Mel Robbins Podcast.
Most conventional productivity advice starts from the broken assumption that we are all chronically running out of time. But Laura’s years of research tracking the actual schedules of thousands of real people proves the exact opposite: we aren't suffering from time scarcity; we are just losing our days to invisible, mindless time leaks.

Connect with Laura:
Website: lauravanderkam.com
Instagram: @lvanderkam

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to join me in the Tiny Habits Reset — my 17 day challenge where we slow things down, notice what's running on autopilot, and make tiny intentional shifts that actually stick.
One short daily lesson, for just $1 a day.
👉 Grab your spot here → ⁠⁠https://www.knowyourwhylearning.com.au/tiny-habits-reset-official⁠⁠

Join the conversation in my weekly newsletter.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.knowyourwhylearning.com.au/signup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@habitnerd

If I’m being completely honest, this episode comes from a place of real discomfort and vulnerability for me. I’ve always been pretty good at saying things like, "When things feel overwhelming, just start, just get on with it." I want to be helpful, but expecting people to take raw knowledge and automatically self-optimize isn't a realistic ask.
For many people, especially on days when your brain feels flat, or if you identify with ADHD traits or challenges with your executive function, starting a task can feel disproportionately, physically hard.
So, I decided to just shut up and listen.
In this episode, we are throwing out the broken advice of "just do it." Instead, we look at the actual science of task initiation (the air traffic control system of your brain) and explore a game-changing truth: starting is not just one blanket problem. It is a collection of six completely different types of friction. And if you want to find momentum, you have to match your problem with the right solution.

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to join me in the Tiny Habits Reset — my 17 day challenge where we slow things down, notice what's running on autopilot, and make tiny intentional shifts that actually stick.
One short daily lesson, for just $1 a day.
👉 Grab your spot here → ⁠https://www.knowyourwhylearning.com.au/tiny-habits-reset-official⁠

Join the conversation in my weekly newsletter.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.knowyourwhylearning.com.au/signup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@habitnerd