The Balance Theory

If you’re serious about podcast growth and creator growth, this episode will change how you think about building content that actually scales.

In this behind-the-scenes conversation, I sit down with Grace Miller, Head of Experimentation & Failure at The Diary of a CEO, to unpack how one of the world’s biggest podcasts thinks about growth, testing, and long-term success.

We go inside how elite creators experiment and how small, intentional decisions compound into massive audience growth. From YouTube analytics and thumbnail testing to failing fast without losing confidence, this episode is a masterclass for anyone building a podcast, YouTube channel, or personal brand in 2026 and beyond.

You’ll learn:


• How the world’s biggest podcasts approach growth and experimentation


• What actually matters in the YouTube backend for podcast growth
• How to test thumbnails, titles, and formats 


• How to build momentum through experimentation


• How to fail fast, learn faster, and grow with clarity


• Practical creator growth strategies you can implement immediately

This episode isn’t about hacks or virality. It’s about systems, curiosity, and sustainable growth, the foundations behind long-term success as a creator.

Whether you’re a podcaster, YouTuber, or creative entrepreneur, this conversation will help you stop guessing and start growing with intention.

CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram

Time Stamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:20) How did you become Head of Experimentation for Steven Bartlett & Diary of a CEO?

(07:03) What does a typical day in DOAC office look like?

(10:54) Who should podcasters hire?

(16:59) Exactly what to look at in the YouTube backend

(19:00) Thumbnail testing strategy

(20:13) How do you Experiment at DOAC?

(25:30) How do you fail fast?

(27:22) Two things to test on each platform: YT, IG and Spotify

(30:10) How do we experiment in our own personal lives?

(34:19) Practical experiment for personal life to start TODAY

(38:14) Most uncomfortable thing you’re doing this year?

(40:48) Are podcasts over saturated?

WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel!

📸 Connect with me on IG!

RESOURCES
▶︎ My FREE Work Life Balance Workshop
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book

LET’S BE FRIENDS
⭐ Substack
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
🌍 My website

🧡 This description may contain affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video and support the channel at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Today, we break down the science of confidence, why self-doubt isn’t always the enemy, and how understanding your specific doubt pattern can unlock lasting self-trust, without becoming someone you’re not.
In this conversation, I’m joined by Dr Shadé Zahrai, behavioural researcher, award-winning peak performance educator, and one of the leading voices on confidence, self-image, and self-doubt.
This is not about hype or surface-level confidence. It’s about rewiring how you see yourself.
✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode
* Why confidence is trainable, not fixed
* The role self-doubt actually plays in growth and performance
* The 4 Self-Doubt Types and how they show up in behaviour
* How to diagnose your own self-doubt profile (including mine, live)
* The everyday habit that quietly erodes confidence
* How posture, environment, and physicality shape self-belief
* How to tell the difference between useful self-doubt and self-sabotage
* Why your self-image is the blueprint for your entire life
* Practical tools to build confidence in real time
* How to set boundaries with negative people without losing yourself
When you change how you see yourself, your behaviour follows.
Confidence isn’t something you chase, it’s something you build.
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram
Link to free quiz online
Link to BIG TRUST
TIME STAMPS
(01:43) Introduction / Background
(12:06) What is the role of self-doubt?
(17:26) Self Doubt Profiles
(25:48) Diagnosing Erika’s doubt profile
(30:22) Tools for improving self doubt
(47:49) This everyday habit is ruining your confidence
(53:28) Do you need to change your environment to achieve?
(57:53) Setting boundaries for loved ones who are negative
WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel! 📸 Connect with me on IG!
RESOURCES
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book
LET’S BE FRIENDS
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
MY FAVOURITE STUFF
💻 Email & Calendar tool - Sunsama for 1 Month free trial
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thebalancetheory.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Confidence today feels different.
We’re navigating a world where AI can outperform humans, social media is increasingly curated (and often fake), and comparison is no longer occasional, it’s constant. Even the most grounded, capable people are quietly questioning themselves.
In this episode, we explore how to stay confident when nothing online feels real anymore and how to use social media without losing yourself.
Joining me is journalist, speaker, and mother Danae Mercer, who has worked at the highest levels of media and still found her confidence shaken by the online world. Together, we unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of confidence in 2026, and what actually helps.
This isn’t about deleting social media or fearing AI. It’s about learning the new confidence skill this era demands.
💭 If You’ve Been Thinking…
“I don’t feel as confident as I used to”
“Everyone online seems ahead of me”
“I know better, but I still feel affected”
“I want my confidence back”
then this conversation is for you!
And if this episode resonates, share it with someone who might be quietly feeling the same way.
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram
 
TIME STAMPS
(01:20) Introduction
(06:40) How do we remain confident in the age of AI content?
(18:23) Tools to find confidence
(23:32) Do things you’re bad at
(26:20) What's the line between being sucked in by social media and enjoying it?
(29:26) The Proteus Effect
(44:01) Consequences of phone use and emotions
(47:01) Why did you start posting content?
(51:14) What would you immediately change on social media
WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel! 📸 Connect with me on IG!
RESOURCES
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book
LET’S BE FRIENDS
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
MY FAVOURITE STUFF
💻 Email & Calendar tool - Sunsama for 1 Month free trial
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thebalancetheory.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do so many relationships fail, even if there’s love?
In this episode, I sit down with Mo Gawdat to unpack the logic, equations, and skills behind relationships and why love itself is actually the easy part.
Mo is the bestselling author of Solve for Happy and a former Google X executive, known for applying engineering and systems thinking to life’s hardest problems. In this conversation, we explore why 96.8% of relationships fail, what most people were never taught about love, and how relationships can be learned, trained, and improved, just like any other skill.
This episode isn’t about romantic clichés or surface-level advice. It’s about understanding:
* why love is logical, not irrational
* how we unknowingly block love
* why relationships fail when seasons change
* and how to become good at relationships, without settling or second-guessing yourself
Whether you’re single and looking for love, dating, or already in a long-term relationship, this conversation will change the way you think about connection.
We of course also get to know Mo, from his way of thinking all the way through to his current project - EMMA.
If this conversation resonates, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
💬 What part of relationships do you feel you were never taught?
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram
TIME STAMPS
(01:25) Introduction
(03:03) How to be more than your job
(08:04) Giving yourself permission
(13:03) 3 Questions to Align Your Life Choices
(15:20) Is Love Is Illogical?
(25:40) Is there “THE ONE”
(35:42) PPRFCTS - the 7 things we want from a relationship
(43:57) Is AI the best place to help with relationships?
(52:48) Managing or lowering expectations?

WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel! 📸 Connect with me on IG!
RESOURCES
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book
LET’S BE FRIENDS
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
MY FAVOURITE STUFF
💻 Email & Calendar tool - Sunsama for 1 Month free trial
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thebalancetheory.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you feel like there’s a gap between the person you are and the person you know you could be, this episode is for you.
In this conversation with Karen Mattar, we explore what really keeps people stuck in the same patterns year after year and why motivation, willpower, and “trying harder” so often fail.
This episode is about outgrowing a life that no longer fits, rebuilding confidence through self-respect, and becoming someone who actually follows through on the promises they make to themselves. Not through pressure or self-control, but through identity, leadership, and alignment.
If you’ve ever thought “I know I’m meant for more” but struggled to close the gap between intention and action, this conversation will help you understand why, and what needs to change.
This episode is for the person who:
• Feels like they’ve outgrown their current life
• They’re tired of starting over every year
• They struggle with consistency and follow-through
• They want habits that last, not another motivation spike
• They’re ready to become the person they keep visualising
Trust this episode will find you when it’s meant to!
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📸 Instagram
TIME STAMPS
(01:17) Introduction
(4:50) How do you follow big intuitive moves?
(08:12) Changing habits based on self respect
(11:29) How do your habits shape your identity?
(16:26) Self Control to Self Leadership
(22:58) Your environment is silently shaping you
(27:01) Negative people you love
(32:41) People respect you more when you’re in shape
(34:29) Diary of CEO Episode thoughts
(42:30) Who is the modern woman
WHO AM I?
My name is Erika and I am an Australian living in Dubai. I have my own business as a strategic legal consultant and run this podcast to explore my passion + curiosity for all things health, wellness, self growth & mindset. A big focus of mine is how to sustainably navigate a busy schedule and live my best life in the process. Welcome to my Channel! 📸 Connect with me on IG!
RESOURCES
▶︎ 25 Day Self Development Marathon
▶︎ 21 Day Self Growth Challenge
▶︎ Goal Setting System E-Book
LET’S BE FRIENDS
📸 Instagram
📱Tiktok
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thebalancetheory.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.