Willpower is great until it isn't. You need to plan to make habit changes and goals stick.

And Michael J. Lopez is the man with the plan.

He's a transformational expert who helps companies and individuals develop strategies to follow through on goals. Lopez has worked with everyone from DoorDash to Chlorox to Meta.

The former football player-turned-coach says everyone needs a set of systems to pull off productivity and self-growth.

"The first thing I tell people is the same brain that got you into the habits that maybe you want to break isn't the same brain that's going to get you out of it," Lopez said.

Lopez's new book is called "Change: Six Science-Backed Strategies to Transform Your Brain, Body and Behavior." Michael offers practical and actionable ideas to make transformation stick.

Understanding why your brain doesn't want to do the hard work is critical. It can be as simple as re-framing how you look at an effort vs an outcome.

"We know that the brain is at its best when it's striving," Lopez said. "And so if I'm pursuing an effort as the goal instead of an outcome, I actually will keep my motivation a lot higher."

Want a promotion at work? Listen to this.

Need to lose weight or change your health? Listen to this.

Want to simplify how you approach big tasks? Listen to this.

On this Dying to Ask:

How Michael became a transformational expert
Why willpower is not a plan
How to change your relationship with stress and use it to your advantage
How to reset after setbacks and why failure is your friend

Other places to listen

CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes
CLICK HERE to listen on Stitcher
CLICK HERE to listen on Spotify