What Changed? with Dwayne Smith

Dwayne Smith
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

What Changed? is a podcast about self-leadership through real change. Each episode features honest conversations with leaders and professionals who've navigated career pivots, identity shifts, burnout, parenthood, and major life transitions — and how those experiences shaped who they became. If you're in a season of change and still need to show up, this is for you. New episodes weekly. Subscribe if you're learning to lead yourself through change.

  1. 6d ago

    When Your Emotions Take the Wheel

    Have you ever realized that your emotions were making your decisions before you did? In this episode of What Changed?, I explore emotional intelligence and self-leadership through one simple idea that's changed how I navigate fear, doubt, guilt, and overthinking: your mind is the vehicle, and your emotions are the passengers. The goal isn't to stop feeling. It's to stop handing the wheel to emotions that were only meant to ride with you. In this episode, we explore: Why fear often disguises itself as logic—and how to tell the difference. The exact moment an emotion stops being information and starts making your decisions. A simple "Passenger Check" that helps you respond with intention instead of reacting in the heat of the moment. Why one bad day, one setback, or one difficult conversation should never become your whole story. If you've ever questioned yourself, talked yourself out of something meaningful, or let one emotional moment shape an entire decision, I think you'll recognize yourself in this conversation. 🎥 Prefer to watch? Full episodes are available on YouTube. Subscribe to What Changed? with Dwayne Smith:https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod More episodes and reflections: https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

    When Your Emotions Take the Wheel

  2. Jul 14

    You Know Who You're Meant to Become | David Fullmer

    Internal transformation begins when you stop waiting for your life to prove who you're becoming and start acting like that person now. In this episode of What Changed?, I sit down with David Ray Fullmer, founder of Becoming Seven, for a conversation about identity, discipline, fulfillment, and the internal work required to become the person you know you're capable of becoming. David brings energy, conviction, and lived experience to a conversation that speaks to anyone who feels there is more in them, but keeps running into the same resistance: excuses, comfort, fear, outside opinions, or waiting for the "right time" to begin. We talk about the gap between achievement and fulfillment, why people can look successful but still feel misaligned, how comfort can quietly become the thing holding you back, and why not everyone will understand the version of you you're becoming. In this episode, we explore: Why knowing what you want is not the same as becoming the person who can live it How "I'm good" can become the quiet excuse that delays your fulfillment Why other people may not understand your next chapter, and how to stop letting their doubt become your own How David's Becoming Seven framework helps people build intentional growth through mindset, gratitude, forgiveness, purpose, and daily rhythm 🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation? Full episodes are available on YouTube. Subscribe to What Changed? with Dwayne Smith:https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod David Fullmer: https://www.becomingseven.com More episodes and reflections: https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

  3. Jul 7

    When Staying Quiet No Longer Feels Like An Option | Sandy Rosenthal

    Self-leadership often begins before you feel ready. In this episode, Sandy Rosenthal shares what changed when staying quiet no longer felt like an option. After Hurricane Katrina, Sandy went from seeing herself as an ordinary citizen to founding Levees.org and challenging the public story around why New Orleans flooded. But this conversation is not just about levees, disaster, or advocacy. It is about the inner shift that happens when you know something is wrong, question whether you are the person to speak up, and realize action may have to start with you. Sandy shares what it felt like to face self-doubt, public criticism, powerful institutions, and the pressure of carrying a message she never expected to lead. Through her story, we explore courage, evidence, community, composure, and what it takes to keep going when the work is bigger than you imagined. In this episode, we explore: The exact moment Sandy realized no one else was coming, and why that changed how she saw herself Why self-doubt does not always mean you are wrong, sometimes it means the work matters How to stay calm, grounded, and effective when people try to make you defensive Why ordinary people can create real change when they stop waiting to feel qualified 🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation? Full episodes are available on YouTube. Subscribe to What Changed? with Dwayne Smith:https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod Sandy Rosenthal: https://sandyrosenthal.net/  More episodes and reflections: https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

    When Staying Quiet No Longer Feels Like An Option | Sandy Rosenthal

  4. Jun 30

    Stop Waiting to Feel Ready | Coach Jay Sargeant

    Reinvention often begins before you feel ready. The real shift happens when you stop waiting for permission and start trusting the clues your life has already been giving you. In this episode of What Changed?, I sit down with Coach Jay Sargeant, author of Shift: The Gift of Reinvention and creator of The Shift Project, for a conversation about readiness, identity, credentials, and what it takes to become someone new before you have all the proof. At 78, after seven careers, Jay brings a lifetime of stories about walking into rooms he was not "qualified" for on paper, recognizing when success no longer felt aligned, and learning that small moments can quietly change the direction of a life. In this episode, we explore: The exact moment Jay realized success on paper still did not mean he was living in alignment Why waiting for credentials, confidence, or certainty can become a quiet way of staying the same How one unexpected meeting, one book, and 11 pages gave Jay a new direction Why "life leaves clues" and how to pay attention when something inside you knows it is time to move 🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation? Full episodes are available on YouTube. Subscribe to What Changed? with Dwayne Smith:https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod Coach Jay Sargeant: theshiftjay@gmail.com More episodes and reflections: https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

    Stop Waiting to Feel Ready | Coach Jay Sargeant

  5. Jun 23

    You Don't Fear Failure. You Fear Witnesses. | Grace Redman

    What if the real reason we haven't started isn't because we're unprepared, but because we're afraid to be seen before we feel ready? In this episode of What Changed?, I sit down with Grace Redman, author, entrepreneur, corporate success coach, and podcaster, for a conversation about perfectionism, fear of judgment, and the pressure to appear polished before we allow ourselves to try. We talk about why being flawed in public feels so vulnerable, how other people's opinions can shape the way we move through the world, and what it takes to start before confidence shows up. Grace shares her experience as a recovering perfectionist and how she learned to keep moving even when fear, self-doubt, and judgment were still present. This conversation is for anyone who has delayed something they care about because they were afraid of how it would look, what people would think, or whether they would fail in front of others. Sometimes the change is not becoming fearless. Sometimes the change is letting yourself be seen anyway. 🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation? Full episodes are available on YouTube. Subscribe to What Changed? with Dwayne Smith:https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod Grace Redman: https://www.daretoachieve.com/  More episodes and reflections: https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

    You Don't Fear Failure. You Fear Witnesses. | Grace Redman

  6. Jun 16

    The Decisions You Avoid Are Still Shaping Your Life | Todd Allyn

    What if the choices you avoid are still shaping your life? In this episode of What Changed?, Dwayne is joined by Todd Allyn, founder of Sovereo, for a reflective conversation about decision-making, pressure, responsibility, and what happens when life forces you to pay attention. Todd shares how difficult seasons can reveal the places where we've become the bottleneck in our own lives, and why better decisions often start with being more honest about who we are, what we value, and what we keep allowing. This conversation explores fear, self-awareness, legacy, decision fatigue, and the quiet truth that not choosing is still a choice. For anyone who has been waiting, overthinking, carrying too much, or wondering why life feels like it's moving without them, this episode is an invitation to see your choices more clearly and start choosing on purpose. 🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation? Full episodes are available on YouTube. Subscribe to What Changed? with Dwayne Smith:https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod Todd Allyn: www.sovereo.com  More episodes and reflections: https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

    The Decisions You Avoid Are Still Shaping Your Life | Todd Allyn

  7. Jun 9

    The Link Between Organization and Success | Lisa Woodruff

    I sit down with Lisa Woodruff, founder of Organize 365, to explore the connection between organization, overwhelm, and success. We talk about executive function, ADHD, household systems, and why getting organized is less about perfection and more about creating the capacity to move forward. If you've ever felt capable but stretched thin, this conversation will help you think differently about what organization really makes possible. 🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation? Full episodes are available on YouTube. Subscribe to What Changed? with Dwayne Smith:https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod Lisa Woodruff: http://organize365.com/  More episodes and reflections: https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

    The Link Between Organization and Success | Lisa Woodruff

  8. Jun 2

    Why a "Good Job" Can Still Make You Feel Trapped | Rina Winston

    In this episode of What Changed?, I sit down with leadership and business coach Rina Winston for a conversation about self-leadership, workplace misalignment, invisible rules, and the cost of fitting into systems that do not fully fit you. Rina shares how her career journey through government, politics, nonprofit work, consulting, and entrepreneurship helped her understand what she was no longer willing to trade for stability. Together, we explore why people often stay in environments that drain them, how corporate culture can become a performance, and why real change often begins when the body can no longer ignore what the mind has been trying to rationalize. This conversation moves through burnout, belonging, identity, nervous system regulation, entrepreneurship, and the difficult decisions people avoid when they feel trapped by the life they have built. At its core, this episode asks a powerful question: What does it mean to lead yourself when the system you were taught to trust no longer feels aligned with who you are becoming? Rina offers a grounded perspective on slowing down, listening to your body, questioning invisible rules, and finding the small doorways of choice that can help you move toward a more honest and self-led life. 🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation? Full episodes are available on YouTube. Subscribe to What Changed? with Dwayne Smith:https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod Rina Winston: www.rinawinston.com  More episodes and reflections: https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

    Why a "Good Job" Can Still Make You Feel Trapped | Rina Winston
See All (202)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

What Changed? is a podcast about self-leadership through real change. Each episode features honest conversations with leaders and professionals who've navigated career pivots, identity shifts, burnout, parenthood, and major life transitions — and how those experiences shaped who they became. If you're in a season of change and still need to show up, this is for you. New episodes weekly. Subscribe if you're learning to lead yourself through change.

Information