Episode 322: Words Are Wands: Why Your Inner Dialogue Shapes What's About to Happen

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In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin goes explores a simple idea with massive impact: your words are wands. 

The way you talk to yourself—especially in moments of doubt, stress, or transition—is actively shaping what happens next. This episode is a deep dive into inner dialogue, mindset shifts, and why your internal script matters just as much as your external communication. 

Why Your Inner Dialogue Is a Leadership Tool 

Erin breaks down the research that stops most people in their tracks: roughly 80% of our daily thoughts are negative, and 95% are the same thoughts on repeat. Left unchecked, those loops quietly limit creativity, confidence, and decision-making. Awareness is the first disruption. 

From Negative Loops to New Possibilities 

Erin shows how reframing thoughts doesn’t mean “positive vibes only,” it means choosing language that expands options instead of shrinking them. The shift from “This won’t work” to “What’s possible here?” changes everything. 

The Neuroscience Behind What You Notice Next 

Meet your Reticular Activating System (RAS): the brain’s filtering mechanism that decides what you see, focus on, and act toward. Erin explains how intentional self-talk trains your brain to spot opportunities, not just obstacles—crucial for leaders, creatives, and high-achievers alike. 

The Improv Framework for Rewriting Your Internal Script 

Drawing from improv principles, Erin shares a practical five-step framework to interrupt unhelpful thoughts, reframe them in real time, and choose language that supports growth, mental health, and aligned leadership. 

Small Actions, Big Shifts 

This episode isn’t about overhauling your life overnight. It’s about taking small, aligned actions that reinforce a new inner narrative—one that builds momentum, confidence, and trust with yourself. 

Your Play Challenge 

Notice one recurring thought this week. 

Ask: “Is this thought expanding me or contracting me?” 

Then reframe it in language that creates possibility—and take one tiny action from that new place. 

Your Freebie 

You’ve tried the emails, the all-hands rollout, and the polished decks, but the vision still isn’t landing. 

That’s because people don’t buy into a vision that’s presented to them; they buy into one they help shape.  

The 30-Minute Vision-Setting Meeting Template gives you a simple, human-centered way to create alignment, spark ownership, and build real momentum. Download it here. 

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No, You Hang Up First (Let’s Keep Connecting) 

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