Podcast Summary

Podcast: Build with Leila Hormozi
Episode: 6 Mindset Shifts To Make Lasting Change | Ep 320
Date: October 8, 2025
Host: Leila Hormozi

Episode Overview

In this episode, Leila Hormozi breaks down six crucial mindset shifts necessary for making real, lasting change in business and life. Drawing from her personal experience and years of mentoring entrepreneurs, she challenges common self-help advice, highlighting the importance of letting go—of old habits, outdated identities, and the seductive pull of quick fixes. Leila’s tough love approach pulls no punches, emphasizing that change is more about subtraction than addition and always rooted in honest self-assessment.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Myth of Readiness and Why Most Stay Stuck

[00:00-03:45]

• Ready is a Trap: Leila starts by challenging the mindset that you must “feel ready” before you change. She points out that this very belief keeps most people in a cycle of temporary motivation and ultimate regression.
• "Real change occurs when you can define what you are willing to give up to get what you want." (00:58)
• Self-Help Industry Critique: Claims the self-help industry profits more when you stay broken, always peddling more habits and products instead of the hard truth: lasting transformation is about letting go, not piling on more.

2. The Power of Subtraction in Transformation

[03:46-06:50]

• Addition vs. Subtraction: Most try to stack on new habits, but those who actually change are masters at saying no to themselves.
• Dieting Analogy: Leila shares a concrete dieting example to illustrate her point: eating healthy foods is pointless if you don't quit binge eating or sugar.
  • "Your progress is blocked by what you refuse to let go." (05:10)

3. Crushing the "This is Just Who I Am" Narrative

[06:51-12:55]

• Fluid Identity: Challenges the excuse of identity as fixed, noting it’s built from old stories—many not even accurate.
• Personal Example: Admits to once believing she wasn’t a morning person, which gave her permission to avoid discomfort and sabotage her morning routine.
• "These were not facts about me, they were just excuses that I had dressed up all pretty as personality traits." (09:01)
• Warning Against Victim Stories: Explains how therapy and self-help can sometimes keep people stuck by reinforcing these identity narratives.

4. Comfort vs. Real Change—and Social Sabotage

[12:56-15:10]

• Friends & Family as Saboteurs: Well-meaning people can unconsciously reinforce your old identity and doubt your change.
• Brutal Truth: "You are not stuck because your goals are too big. You are stuck because you’re being dragged down by the habits and patterns that make that goal impossible." (13:45)
• Honesty as Catalyst: Admits she cared more about looking successful than actually being it and that change started when she got radically honest.

5. No Quick Fix—The Two-Year Timeline

[15:11-20:45]

• Rejecting Instant Gratification: Leila denounces quick fixes, calling out the industry for selling this fantasy.
• Change Takes Time: "Real change…I mean, I’m going to say it takes 18, 24 months minimum. This is not 30 days. This is not 60 days. This is not like a stint on Love Island." (17:43)
• Change Phases: First six months: battling old patterns. Next six: cementing new ones. By the second year, behaviors become automatic—if you stay consistent.

6. The Readiness Checklist

[20:46-24:15]

• Self-Assessment Over Motivation: Offers a five-part readiness checklist to diagnose if you’re truly ready for change:
  1. No longer defending old patterns.
  2. Emotional calmness in facing discomfort and anxiety.
  3. No shame or weakness about changing.
  4. Comfort with identity ambiguity.
  5. Dropping the idea change should be easy.
• "This is not going to be easy. It’s not going to happen overnight. And AI ain’t going to do it for you." (23:10)
• Urges listeners to screenshot and honestly assess themselves.

7. Repetition: The True Engine of Change

[24:16-28:14]

• Change is Repetitive, Not Magical: Lasting change is built from boring repetition, not dramatic breakthroughs.
• Shares how her most uncomfortable daily actions years ago are now routine and automatic.
• "Change doesn’t feel magical. It feels boring. It feels mundane. And then one day, it’s just automatic and you just realize that there’s no going back." (27:23)

8. Visualization Exercise and Final Challenge

[28:15-End]

• Decision Point: Leila leads a visualization—imagine yourself in a year with/without change. If doing nothing feels worse, you’re ready for transformation.
• Call to Action: "Comment below with one thing that you're willing to give up this week. Not something you want to add but what are you going to cut out to be the person you want to be." (29:48)
• Reiterates: For the 20% who take action, lasting change is available.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Real change occurs when you can define what you are willing to give up to get what you want." (00:58)
• "Your progress is blocked by what you refuse to let go." (05:10)
• "These were not facts about me, they were just excuses that I had dressed up all pretty as personality traits." (09:01)
• "You are not stuck because your goals are too big. You are stuck because you’re being dragged down by the habits and patterns that make that goal impossible." (13:45)
• "Real change... takes 18, 24 months minimum. This is not 30 days. This is not 60 days." (17:43)
• "This is not going to be easy. It’s not going to happen overnight. And AI ain’t going to do it for you." (23:10)
• "Change doesn’t feel magical. It feels boring. It feels mundane. And then one day, it’s just automatic and you just realize that there’s no going back." (27:23)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00 — Introduction & The Readiness Trap
• 03:46 — Subtraction vs. Addition in Real Change
• 06:51 — Identity as Excuse & Breaking Stories
• 12:56 — Brutal Honesty & Social Sabotage
• 15:11 — No Quick Fix: Two-Year Reality of Change
• 20:46 — The Readiness Checklist
• 24:16 — Change as Repetition, Not Magic
• 28:15 — Visualization, Final Challenge, and Call to Action

Conclusion

Leila’s episode is a wakeup call for anyone tired of self-help platitudes and ready for uncomfortable honesty. Her framework centers on giving up what no longer serves you, challenging your identity stories, rigorously self-assessing readiness, and embracing uninspiring routine as the price of true transformation. If you’re genuinely ready for change, her checklist and tough-love advice could be the start of a different life—and business—trajectory.