Podcast Summary

Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan

Episode: Confidence Classic: How to Rewire Your Subconscious & Break the Patterns Holding You Back with Todd & Gina Goodwin
Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Heather Monahan
Guests: Todd Goodwin & Gina Goodwin (Board-Certified Hypnotists)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Heather Monahan welcomes hypnotherapists Todd and Gina Goodwin to discuss the science and real-life applications of hypnosis and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) for overcoming ingrained patterns, unwanted habits, and trauma. Together, they break down how subconscious beliefs fuel our behaviors, why traditional talk therapy and willpower often fail, and what methods actually resolve persistent issues. Heather shares her own powerful transformations through their work and the trio tackles common myths, real-life trauma cases, and practical self-help techniques for listeners.

Key Topics & Insights

1. The True Source of Behavioral Patterns

• Surface Symptoms vs. Root Causes:
  Todd explains that most problems (anxiety, addiction, procrastination, etc.) are just symptoms; the real root is subconscious beliefs and learned associations, often from past traumas.

  • "[Anxiety] is just a symptom. A behavior is a symptom of an emotion. An emotion is a symptom of a thought...but it's those underlying subconscious thoughts which are things that someone learned in their life." (04:46, Todd)

• Subconscious Power Over Change:
  Trying to fix behaviors with willpower or logical thought often fails. The subconscious is more powerful than conscious thought, so effective change requires working at the subconscious level.

  • "If we fight with our subconscious constantly...that's only going make it more stressful, and it doesn't work because the subconscious is much more powerful." (06:55, Todd)

2. Dispelling Myths about Hypnosis & NLP

• Not Stage Tricks, Not “Clucking like a Chicken”:
  Hypnosis is not mind control but a way to communicate directly with the subconscious to enable rapid change.

• Beyond Smoking & Stage Hypnotists:
  Hypnosis and NLP aren't just for smoking cessation or entertainment – they're used for deep, lasting transformation with anxiety, trauma, self-worth, etc.

• Heather’s Personal Experience:
  Heather recounts how hypnosis with Todd unlocked and released the trauma of childhood abuse and ongoing stress, transforming her outlook and confidence.

  • "It actually unlocked and uncovered for me that I had been sexually abused as a child...the work that you did with me to separate those horrible memories...it's so unbelievable, the impact." (04:02, Heather)

3. Visualization, Anchoring, and “Mind Movies”

• How Visualization Works:
  Practicing positive mental images rewires emotional reactions—literal mental rehearsal changes the subconscious “script”.

  • "By consciously intending to visualize an empowering scenario...you're specifically constructing a scenario that is telling your subconscious, this is the way I'm rehearsing..." (09:48, Todd)

• Emotional Anchoring with Music & Gestures:
  By linking positive feelings (with music, gestures like touching fingers) to situations that normally trigger anxiety, you can quickly “anchor” confidence.

  • "In NLP we call that an anchor. It's basically a trigger or like a button...emotionally and physically makes you feel strong or empowered." (15:54, Todd)
  • "The mind doesn't know the difference between something real and something imagined...you can make it real, including feeling how you would feel once you're there." (14:48, Gina)

• “Mind Movies” Technique (Introduced by Heather)
  Compile images, empowering text, and music to create a 2-minute emotionally charged video of your future self/goals. Watch it morning and night to “feed” your subconscious.

  • "Everything in my mind movie has already happened. It is the wildest thing...my life changed. There's got to be something because it's so similar..." (21:10, Heather)
  • "Right when you wake up, you're in a hypnotic state...so you're doing this in a hypnotic state and you're visualizing, you're bringing up those positive feelings..." (21:10, Gina)

4. The Power of Rapid Subconscious Change

• Conditioning & Single-Trial Learning
  Strong emotional experiences (positive or negative) create instant, lasting changes (e.g., trauma or phobia). The subconscious can unlearn just as quickly when given the right tools.

  • "A very intense emotional experience can imprint a memory immediately. One of the reasons why the work we do tends to work so well is because the brain learns things better quickly—as trauma proves." (25:19, Todd)

• Limitations of Talk Therapy:
  Prolonged conscious-level analysis rarely resolves deep issues. Subconscious interventions can often bring relief in a matter of minutes or weeks, even for “impossible” cases.

5. Real-Life Case Study: Overcoming Extreme Trauma

• Gina’s Client Story
  Gina shares the transformation of a woman trafficked by her mother, suffering from severe trauma and negative beliefs about her worth. By targeting the core beliefs (not every instance of trauma), the client saw rapid, dramatic improvement across all symptoms.

  • "The trauma wasn't even with the guru...the real trauma was with her mother and what she learned as a result...once all those beliefs were worked on...all these symptoms got better." (34:02, Gina)
  • "She highlighted everything that had gotten better...it was every single symptom...she was just like, oh my gosh, blown away." (36:38, Gina)

• Rapid Results are Real
  Some clients go from intense distress to relief in minutes, shattering the myth that “deeper” trauma requires endless treatment.

  • "Sometimes people will go from being visibly agitated...only for a couple minutes, and then very often five minutes later, the person's either laughing...they just feel different about it." (44:28, Todd)

6. Scope of Treatable Issues

• Common Symptoms Responding to Hypnosis/NLP:

  • Anxiety / panic attacks
  • Procrastination
  • Fear (of failure, success, rejection, driving, public speaking, etc.)
  • People pleasing & imposter syndrome
  • Addictions/compulsive behaviors
  • Grief, guilt, shame, anger
  • Sleep issues
  • Ruminating about the past

  "...if you're thinking, feeling, or acting in a way that you wish you could change but you can't seem to do it, that's something where we could help." (51:04, Todd)

7. Identity, Change, and the Fear of Losing Your Edge

• Will I Lose My Drive If I Heal?
  Many fear that if the pain or insecurity fueling their success is resolved, they'll lose ambition. Todd explains:
  • True inspiration and energy come from fulfillment, not from compensating for insecurity.
  • If your drive is “compulsive” and rooted in low self-worth, resolving it may change your motivation, ideally redirecting energy into healthier forms.
  • "If what you're doing is compulsive and it's not coming from a place of inspiration...then you may lose the drive to do that." (00:00/54:58, Todd)

8. Getting Started & Listener Resources

• Self-Hypnosis Audio & Free Educational Materials
  Todd and Gina created a free relaxation audio (“Go With the Flow”) and training video—available to listeners who fill out a 60-second survey at goodwinhypnosis.com/survey.
• Remote Practice:
  All sessions are via Zoom—just as effective as in person.
• Educational Q&A Sessions:
  Live Zoom events with the Goodwins for education and audience questions (info provided after survey).

Notable Quotes

“A behavior is a symptom of an emotion. An emotion is a symptom of a thought...it's those underlying subconscious thoughts...they weren't born with that issue. They learned it.”
— Todd Goodwin (04:46)

“It's not what happens, it's what our mind associates with that...working on the beliefs...was her real anxiety. Once those were resolved, all the symptoms got better.”
— Gina Goodwin (34:02)

“You don't have to go to each and every one [memory]. It's what you learn from the experience, how you feel about it, and shifting that at the subconscious level, because that's where the emotions are, that's where our beliefs are, that's where our bad habits are.”
— Gina Goodwin (36:06)

“If what you're doing is compulsive and it's not a true, it's not coming from a place of inspiration...then you may lose the drive to do that.”
— Todd Goodwin (54:58/00:00)

“The mind doesn't know the difference between something real and something imagined. So the more you can make it real, including feeling how you would feel once you're there, the more convinced your mind can be that you've already accomplished it.”
— Gina Goodwin (14:48)

“We don't control their mind. We give them back control of their mind, which is what they would have had that effed up thing not happened.”
— Todd Goodwin (33:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Heather’s Origin Story with Hypnosis — 03:01
• How Subconscious Drives Behavior — 04:46
• Visualization & Overcoming Fear of Driving Example — 09:03
• Anchoring and Use of Music/Gestures (“Kanye song” story) — 14:44
• Mind Movies & Feeding the Subconscious — 19:33, 21:10
• Rapid Conditioning & Limitations of Talk Therapy — 25:19
• Case Study: Healing Complex Trauma — 34:02
• What Hypnosis Can Help With: List of Symptoms — 50:08
• Debunking the Fear of “Losing Yourself” When Healing — 54:24
• Accessing Free Listener Resources & Getting Started — 47:28, 58:33

Conclusion

This episode powerfully reframes confidence, healing, and self-improvement, rooting the process in subconscious beliefs rather than willpower or conscious effort. With practical stories and explanations, Heather, Todd, and Gina invite listeners to challenge myths about change and consider faster, deeper approaches to resolving life-long patterns—offering both hope and immediate, actionable next steps.

For more information or to begin your own transformation:
Visit goodwinhypnosis.com/survey for a free self-hypnosis audio, video guides, and details on their work and events.