Moving Minds Forward

Gary Johannes
  • 0.0 (0)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

Most people know something's wrong. They just don't know why or what to do about it. Hosted by Gary Johannes , Solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT. Moving Minds Forward is a podcast about mental health, the brain, and what genuinely helps people change. One condition per episode. Anxiety, depression, panic, sleep, stress, trauma, OCD, overthinking, confidence and more, explored through honest conversation, grounded in neuroscience and current research. Some episodes are educational. Some include guests sharing their own experience of moving forward. No jargon. No blame. No dwelling on the past. Just straight answers about why the brain does what it does and what actually helps. Because people aren't broken. Sometimes the brain just gets stuck in patterns it learned to survive. And the brain can learn something different.

Episodes

  1. Social Anxiety — Why Your Brain Won't Let You Relax

    2 DAYS AGO

    Social Anxiety — Why Your Brain Won't Let You Relax

    Most people with social anxiety don't look like they have social anxiety.  They show up. They function. They get through the day.  But on the inside, before every social situation, during it, and long after it's over, something exhausting is happening. The monitoring. The self-scrutiny. The replay. The dread. In this episode, Gary Johannes, solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health, breaks down what social anxiety actually is, what's happening in your brain when it kicks in, what keeps it going, and what actually helps. This isn't generic advice. It's a clear, honest explanation of one of the most misunderstood conditions there is and one practical thing you can do today to start shifting it. If social anxiety has been quietly shaping your decisions and shrinking your world this episode is for you. TIMELINE 00:00 — Introduction & Gary's story 01:30 — What social anxiety actually is — and why it's not just shyness 03:30 — The gap between what you know and what you feel 05:00 — What's happening in your brain — the amygdala and the threat response 07:00 — The self-monitoring spiral — why you can't just relax in social situations 08:30 — The replay — what happens after and why it's so exhausting 10:00 — What causes social anxiety — biology, early experience, and social media 12:30 — What keeps it going — avoidance, safety behaviours, and withdrawal 16:00 — What actually helps — the solution-focused approach 18:00 — The preferred future — where the work starts 19:30 — Rebuilding gradually — how the brain actually changes 22:00 — One thing you can do right now 24:00 — The closing message — you're not broken, you're stuck

    15 min
  2. Moving Through Depression — What's Actually Happening and What Helps

    17 MAY

    Moving Through Depression — What's Actually Happening and What Helps

    Your Brain Isn't Broken. Depression, Anxiety and Mental Health with Gary Johannes Episode 3: Depression - What's Really Going On, What Keeps It Going, and What Actually Helps Depression isn't weakness. It isn't laziness. It isn't something you can just think your way out of. It's a serious mental health condition that affects how you feel, how you think, and how you function and most people who are living with it have no idea what's actually happening in their brain. In this episode, Gary Johannes,  solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and MSc graduate in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King's College London, breaks down everything you need to understand about depression. What it actually is. What's happening in the brain. What keeps it going. And what the evidence shows actually helps. This isn't a self-help episode. It's an honest, grounded, neuroscience-backed conversation about one of the most common and most misunderstood mental health conditions there is. If you're living with depression — or you love someone who is, this episode is for you. In this episode: Why depression is so much more than feeling sadThe physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms most people don't recogniseWhat's actually happening in your brain when depression takes holdWhy men experience depression differently, and why so few seek helpThe patterns that keep depression going (and how to break them)What solution-focused hypnotherapy does differentlyOne practical thing you can do today, however bad things feelTimestamps: 00:00 — Who is Gary Johannes 02:30 — What depression actually is 05:00 — Physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms 07:30 — Crisis support — please read this first 08:30 — What causes depression 11:00 — Genetics, brain chemistry and lifestyle 13:00 — Men and depression — why it looks different 15:30 — What's happening in the brain 18:00 — Neuroplasticity — why the brain can change 19:30 — What keeps depression going 21:00 — Withdrawal and why it feeds the cycle 23:00 — Sleep disruption and negative thinking loops 25:00 — What actually helps 27:00 — Solution-focused hypnotherapy and the preferred future 29:30 — Rebuilding sleep and the nervous system 32:00 — Small steps and how the brain actually changes 34:30 — One thing you can do today 37:00 — A message to anyone struggling right now 40:00 — Where to get help If you're struggling right now, please reach out: Samaritans — 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day) Your GP is also a good first step. You don't have to be at the bottom before you ask for help. Subscribe for a new episode every week one condition, the same lens. What's going on, what keeps it going, and what actually helps. 🔔 Hit subscribe so you don't miss the next episode

    22 min
  3. Panic Attacks Explained: What's Going On, What Keeps Them Going, and What Actually Helps

    12 MAY

    Panic Attacks Explained: What's Going On, What Keeps Them Going, and What Actually Helps

    Panic attacks feel like your body is betraying you. They're not. Here's what's actually going on. If you've ever had a panic attack, there's a good chance you genuinely thought you were dying — or losing your mind. You weren't. But no one ever explained why it felt that way. In this episode, Gary Johannes — solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired to Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT breaks down panic attacks in plain language. Not the clinical version. The version that actually helps. What's covered: What's happening in your brain and body during a panic attackWhy panic attacks feel so terrifying  and why that makes senseWhat causes them and what keeps them goingThe difference between a panic attack and panic disorderWhy avoidance feels protective but makes things worseWhat to do in the moment when one hitsWhat lasting change actually looks likePlus, one simple thing you can start doing today to understand your own pattern. This isn't about managing symptoms forever. It's about understanding what's going on so things can actually change. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 📌 Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. Gary Johannes left school at 14 with no qualifications, served in the RAF, and spent 30 years in business before retraining as a hypnotherapist. He went on to build Inspired to Change and complete a Master's in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London — at 60. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 01:10 – What a panic attack actually feels like 03:00 – What's happening in your brain (fight or flight explained) 05:00 – Why it becomes a loop 06:00 – The physical and emotional symptoms 08:00 – What causes panic attacks 10:00 – Panic attack vs panic disorder 12:00 – How avoidance makes things worse 15:00 – What to do in the moment 18:00 – What lasting change looks like 21:30 – One thing you can do right now 22:30 – Closing thoughts #PanicAttacks #PanicDisorder #Anxiety #MentalHealth #Hypnotherapy #SolutionFocused #InspiredToChange #GaryJohannes

    24 min
  4. Anxiety: Why Your Brain Won't Switch Off - And What To Do About It

    8 MAY

    Anxiety: Why Your Brain Won't Switch Off - And What To Do About It

    Over 8 million people in the UK are living with anxiety right now. Most of them have never told anyone.  If that's you,  this episode is for you. In this first episode, solution-focused hypnotherapist and founder of Inspired to Change, Gary Johannahs, breaks down what anxiety actually is, what's keeping it going, and what genuinely helps.  No jargon. No judgment. Just the science, explained clearly, and a practical place to start. Because here's the thing: anxiety isn't a sign something is fundamentally wrong with you. It's your brain doing its job. It's just doing it a bit too much. What we cover in this episode: What anxiety actually is, and why it's not a character flawThe fight-or-flight response and why your brain can't always tell the difference between danger and a difficult conversationThe two parts of the brain that drive anxiety (and why "just calm down" never works)Why avoidance feels like relief but makes everything worseThe role of sleep and serotonin in keeping anxiety goingWhat solution-focused hypnotherapy does differentlyOne simple daily practice that starts to retrain your anxious brainAbout Gary Johannahs: Gary left school at 14, joined the RAF at 16, and spent his first 30 years in sales and running bars and nightclubs. In his mid-40s, he discovered hypnotherapy, and it changed everything. He went on to retrain, found Inspired to Change, and completed an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London at the age of 60. He was also diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD that same year. He now leads a team of solution-focused hypnotherapists and is a senior lecturer at CPHT. If this episode helped, hit subscribe. Every episode covers one condition, what's going on, what's keeping it going, and what actually helps. There's a lot more to come.

    18 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

Most people know something's wrong. They just don't know why or what to do about it. Hosted by Gary Johannes , Solution focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT. Moving Minds Forward is a podcast about mental health, the brain, and what genuinely helps people change. One condition per episode. Anxiety, depression, panic, sleep, stress, trauma, OCD, overthinking, confidence and more, explored through honest conversation, grounded in neuroscience and current research. Some episodes are educational. Some include guests sharing their own experience of moving forward. No jargon. No blame. No dwelling on the past. Just straight answers about why the brain does what it does and what actually helps. Because people aren't broken. Sometimes the brain just gets stuck in patterns it learned to survive. And the brain can learn something different.

Information

  • Creator
    Gary Johannes
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Gary Johannes
  • Show Website
    Moving Minds Forward