It's a Mindset

Have you ever picked up your phone to check one thing and then looked up wondering where the last half hour went?
I did Adam Williams’s Attention Tax Calculator before we recorded. When I first saw my screen time, I was mortified. Looking closer, I could see how much I use my phone for work, directions and listening to podcasts, sometimes without looking at the screen at all. Even social media can be useful, though I know how easily checking one thing can turn into a scroll. It got me thinking about which of those uses help me and which pull my attention away from things I’d rather be doing.
In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Adam Williams, The Attention Architect® and author of Mega Focus: Take Back Control. Join the Attention Revolution. Adam spent 30 years helping organisations capture people’s attention. These days, he helps people work out where they want to give theirs.
We talk about what Adam calls the Attention Tax™: what we miss out on when something that matters less takes more of our attention than we intended. We also get into the quieter ways it shows up, like spending another hour polishing something that was ready to send, or doing all the easy jobs on the list while the important one sits there.
What stayed with me was Adam’s idea of making a trade. Once you see what’s taking up your attention, you can choose what you’d rather give it to. For me, one thing that came up was sleep. I already knew I sometimes stayed on my phone longer than I meant to, but seeing what it was costing me gave me a better reason to put it down.
Key Episode Takeaways:
The real cost of an attention habit is what it crowds out. Two people can spend the same time on their phones and get very different value from it.
Perfectionism can carry an attention cost too. Adam shares how polishing or researching past the point of usefulness can delay the step that matters.
Notice the habits you’re already doing on autopilot. Adam’s “attention mirror” is an invitation to observe where your attention goes before deciding what to change.
Make one deliberate trade. Choose something that could have a little less of your attention and decide what you’d like to give that time to instead.
Ask what you can remove to improve. Giving yourself fewer competing priorities can make it easier to give the important ones your full attention.
About the Guest:
Adam Williams is The Attention Architect®, author of Mega Focus and creator of the Attention Tax Calculator™. He spent 30 years working in the attention business, holding senior roles at Optus, Aussie Home Loans and ARN and creating campaigns for major brands. Today, he works with people and organisations to help them notice what competes for their attention and direct it towards what matters to them.
Show Resources:
Try Adam’s Attention Tax Calculator™
Explore Adam’s work at The Attention Architect®
Connect with Adam on LinkedIn
Explore my book, Worthy & Wealthy
Follow me on Instagram: @emmalagerlow
If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram Stories and tag me @emmalagerlow. I’d love to hear what you want to give more of your attention to.
Yours in making time for what matters, Emma. X.

As AI becomes part of everyday life, how do we make sure we keep thinking for ourselves?
It’s there when we work, when we look for an answer and when we’re trying to get through a busy day. At the same time, we’re navigating our children’s digital lives and wondering what all this change means for the future.
In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Yasmin London, international keynote speaker, author, and Founder and CEO of First Movers Co., to explore human connection, digital resilience and the courage to have a say in what comes next.
Yasmin brings an extraordinary range of experience to this conversation. From international gold-medal swimming to serving as a NSW Police officer and working in technology leadership, her story is one of changing direction, learning through experience and taking action without having every answer in advance.
We talk about her book, First Movers, and why she believes we all have a role in shaping how technology is used. We explore the importance of women’s voices in decisions about AI, the support adults need to help young people navigate online spaces, and how we can keep exercising our own judgement while using tools that make life easier.
Yasmin also shares her three priorities for a human-centred future: protecting the human, preserving the mind and powering human connection. Our conversation moves from these bigger ideas to the everyday moments where we choose how to spend our attention, including the value of a conversation that a more convenient digital option might remove.
I found Yasmin’s story incredible, and I related to so much of this discussion, both as a mum of four and in considering my own use of AI. I came away feeling more passionate about the role we have in advocating for one another as the world changes.
There’s plenty here to reflect on, from the questions we ask at work to the conversations we have at home, and the small first moves we can make ourselves.
Key Episode Takeaways:
Courageous action can come before confidence. Yasmin shares how learning through doing helped her move into unfamiliar work, and why we can begin without having every answer.
Using AI thoughtfully includes deciding what to keep doing ourselves. Yasmin encourages us to practise critical thinking, creativity and judgement alongside the tools we use.
Supporting young people online also means educating the adults around them. Understanding the digital world puts parents, educators and leaders in a better position to have informed conversations and offer support.
Women’s experiences belong in the decisions shaping technology. Yasmin explores why participation, the ability to speak up and attention to real-world harms matter as AI develops.
Convenience can remove opportunities for connection. Yasmin introduces “friction maxing”: deliberately choosing some less seamless experiences that give us a chance to interact, communicate and grow.
About the Guest:
Yasmin London is an international keynote speaker, event and podcast host, and Founder and CEO of First Movers Co. A former international gold medallist swimmer, decorated NSW Police officer and technology leader, she brings grit, empathy and real-world experience to conversations about leadership, digital culture, human connection and the future of technology.
Her work sits at the intersection of technology, gender, youth and culture. Through her book First Movers, she invites people to stop waiting for permission, choose courage over comfort and help shape a future guided by humanity. Yasmin also hosts the First Movers with Yas London podcast.
Show Resources:
Explore Yasmin’s work and her book, First Movers
Connect with Yasmin on LinkedIn
Follow Yasmin on Instagram: @yaslondon
Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmalagerlow
Explore Emma’s book, Worthy & Wealthy
Explore Emma’s website
Content note: This conversation includes references to suicide, cyberbullying and image-based sexual abuse, including references involving children. Please listen with care. If you need support in Australia, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14.
If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram Stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @yaslondon. I’d love to hear what stayed with you.
Yours in staying human, Emma. X.

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered why you feel lost when so much seems to be going well?
You’re getting things done. You’re showing up for the people who need you. But there’s a part of you wondering where your own needs fit, and what you want this next chapter to look like.
In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Faye Evans, psychologist and author of Soulful Simplicity: A Neuro-Spiritual Path to Living with Intention, to explore how we can reconnect with ourselves through change and make more conscious choices about how we live.
Content note: This conversation includes discussion of domestic abuse, coercive control and a brief mention of disordered eating. Please listen with care.
Faye brings more than 30 years of professional experience alongside her own story of rebuilding her life. She shares her journey from Lima, Peru, to Australia, and the courage, faith and support that helped her find a way forward with her children.
We also explore a later turning point, when a successful career and a full life prompted new questions about where she wanted to direct her energy. That reflection became part of the foundation for her book and its three stages: LOST, FOUND and WHOLE.
Faye explains how these stages can help us understand where we are, including the uncertain space of knowing what we no longer want while still discovering what comes next. We talk about reclaiming parts of ourselves, practising discernment and making space to reflect before taking on more.
I was deeply inspired by Faye’s strength of character and the successful, happy life she has created for herself and her family here in Australia. I also loved hearing how she is continuing to reassess what matters to her now. There’s an invitation here to consider our own lives with more curiosity and compassion.
Key Episode Takeaways:
LOST, FOUND and WHOLE can be revisited throughout life. Faye’s framework allows room for uncertainty and ongoing change, including the space between knowing what you no longer want and discovering what comes next.
Reclaiming yourself can begin with recognising what you’ve set aside. Faye explores reconnecting with your voice, values and interests as you move into a different chapter.
Discernment helps us choose where our energy goes. Pausing before another commitment creates room to consider what matters now, what fits and what we’re ready to leave behind.
Feeling profoundly exhausted deserves attention. Faye invites reflection on what may need to shift in our lives, rather than automatically treating our struggle as a personal failing.
Self-compassion matters when looking back. Faye encourages us to consider the knowledge and circumstances we had at the time, and to meet ourselves more kindly as we move forward.
About the Guest:
Faye Evans is a psychologist, author, speaker and Board-Approved Supervisor with more than 30 years’ experience supporting women through life transitions, identity change and personal growth. Her work integrates psychology, neuroscience, mindfulness and meaning-making, with a particular focus on women’s wellbeing, midlife and intentional living.
She is the author of Soulful Simplicity: A Neuro-Spiritual Path to Living with Intention, which explores moving from disconnection, over-functioning and living by expectation towards greater alignment, agency and wholeness. Drawing on professional expertise and lived experience, Faye brings a deeply human perspective to conversations about change, purpose and creating a life that feels more authentic and meaningful.
Show Resources:
Explore Faye’s website
Connect with Faye on LinkedIn
Follow Faye on Instagram: @psychologist_faye_evans
Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmalagerlow
Explore Emma’s website
Explore Emma’s book, Worthy & Wealthy
If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram Stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @psychologist_faye_evans. I’d love to hear what stayed with you.
Yours in reclaiming yourself, Emma. X.

Have you ever held back what you really wanted to say because you were worried about how the conversation might go?
The concern you leave unspoken. The disagreement you brush aside. The conversation you keep rehearsing in your head, but never quite begin.
In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Tim Duggan, author, founder and optimist, to explore how we can get better at conflict and approach difficult conversations with more intention.
Tim co-founded Junkee Media and writes a weekly column on work for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. His latest book, Clear in Tension: How to Get Better at Conflict, grew from his own experience of avoiding conflict and his curiosity about how we can learn to handle it differently.
We explore why we swallow our words, how trust and values shape disagreements, and what it means to listen generously when we’re tempted to jump in with our own answer. Tim introduces his Four Terrains of Conflict and CLEAR method, offering ways to better understand the situation we’re in before deciding how to respond.
Our conversation also takes us into creativity, making space to think, and the choices we make around AI. Tim shares why he uses it for some tasks while protecting the writing and thinking he values doing himself, including the uncomfortable work of a personal apology.
After researching Tim, I was looking forward to hearing how to lean into conflict rather than avoid it, and it didn’t disappoint. He’s a master communicator, and I particularly enjoyed his reflections around AI. There’s plenty here to consider in our relationships, our work and the conversations we’ve been putting off.
Key Episode Takeaways:
Getting better at conflict takes practice. Starting with lower-stakes conversations can help us build familiarity with the discomfort and prepare for more difficult moments.
Trust and values shape how disagreement feels. Tim’s Four Terrains of Conflict offer a way to understand why some conversations allow a productive exchange of ideas while others feel much harder to navigate.
Listening generously means noticing the urge to interrupt or solve. Tim’s CLEAR method invites us to clarify what matters, listen generously, explore what’s underneath, align on a shared direction and reset our story.
Resolution is one possible outcome. Tim also explores what it means to repeat or release a conflict, and why recognising these possibilities can change how we approach it.
Choosing which disagreements deserve our energy matters. Understanding what is important can help us be more intentional about the conversations we take on.
AI raises questions about the skills we want to keep practising. Tim shares his concerns about outsourcing the effort involved in writing, thinking and making a meaningful apology.
About the Guest:
Tim Duggan is an author, founder and optimist. He co-founded Junkee Media, is the Chair of the Digital Publishers Alliance and writes a weekly column on work for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
His work explores complex ideas about how we live and work. His latest book, Clear in Tension: How to Get Better at Conflict, draws on his research into disagreement and communication, alongside his own experience of learning to approach conflict.
Show Resources:
Explore Tim’s book, Clear in Tension
Read Tim’s writing on Substack
Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
Follow Tim on Instagram: @tim_duggan
Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmalagerlow
Explore Emma’s website
If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram Stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @tim_duggan. I’d love to hear what stayed with you.
Yours in courageous conversations, Emma. X.

What if a belief you’ve carried for years no longer reflects what you want for your life?
You want to try something new.
You can imagine what might become possible.
And then a familiar thought arrives: that’s not for me.
In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by spiritual hypnotherapist Lynnsey Robinson, founder of the Align Your Mind™ mindset app and co-host of the High Vibin’ It and Spiritual Kinks podcasts.
We explore Lynnsey’s approach to hypnotherapy, the subconscious mind and the beliefs that can influence how we see ourselves and our possibilities. She shares how she works with clients to examine familiar patterns, and explains the distinction between hypnotherapy for personal change and stage hypnosis for entertainment.
Having experienced hypnotherapy and been hypnotised myself, I was curious to understand those differences and hear more about Lynnsey’s work. We also discuss the fear of being seen, the stories we tell ourselves about what we’re capable of, and why those stories can be worth revisiting.
Lynnsey’s own journey brings another layer to the conversation. After becoming a mum, she found herself drawn back to studying hypnotherapy while also feeling the pressure to choose a familiar, financially predictable path. Her story opens up an honest discussion about following an interest, making room for uncertainty and beginning with small steps.
I share how that has appeared in my own life, from changing direction at 45 to listening to the nudge towards yoga teacher training—something I’m enjoying exploring as a hobby.
We also talk about how our definition of success evolves. Can you be grateful for what you have and still want to grow? Can you appreciate where you are without deciding that you’re finished?
This conversation offers a chance to become curious about your inner dialogue, consider what you’d like to move towards, and explore Lynnsey’s perspective on hypnotherapy, intuition and manifesting.
Key Episode Takeaways:
Explore the distinction between hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis, including Lynnsey’s explanation of awareness and choice during a session.
Become curious about familiar beliefs rather than automatically treating them as permanent truths about who you are.
Make an intimidating goal more approachable by starting with a small, practical step.
Consider what you want to move towards, alongside what you’d like to leave behind.
Allow gratitude and ambition to coexist—you can appreciate your life and still be interested in what comes next.
When a discouraging thought appears, ask: “What would I like to believe instead?”
About the Guest:
Lynnsey Robinson is a spiritual hypnotherapist and founder of the Align Your Mind™ mindset app. Her work focuses on helping women explore limiting beliefs, connect with their intuition and move towards a life that feels aligned with them.
She brings a spiritual perspective to hypnotherapy, mindset and manifesting, and co-hosts the High Vibin’ It and Spiritual Kinks podcasts. In this episode, she shares both her approach to working with clients and the personal decisions that brought her into this work.
Show Resources:
Explore Lynnsey’s offerings
Follow Lynnsey on Instagram: @lynnseyrobinson
Try Align Your Mind free for 7 days
Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmalagerlow
Explore Emma’s website
If you explore hypnotherapy recordings, choose a safe place where you can rest undisturbed. Don’t listen to them while driving or operating machinery.
If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram Stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @lynnseyrobinson.
Yours in curiosity and possibility, Emma. X.