Daily Boost — Motivation and Coaching

Scott Smith
  • 3.9 (1.3K)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Daily

The Daily Boost is a weekday podcast for people who've built a good life and started wondering if it's the one they actually want. Ten to fifteen minutes. Every weekday. Since 2006. No scripts. No canned content. No recycled material. Whatever's real, that day, in front of the microphone. Topics include personal growth, motivation, purpose, decisions, work, money, relationships, time, and how to keep your head straight when things get complicated. Every episode stands on its own. It's occasionally pretty funny — because if you can't laugh, what's the point. 5,000+ episodes. 130+ million downloads worldwide. Free, wherever you listen. Ten minutes a day to think clearly about your life.

  1. 10h ago

    Admitting What You Already Know

    Something has been sitting in the back of your mind. You already know what you should do about it. You just haven't said it out loud yet. Smart, successful people are the toughest to coach because we keep our walls up. We educate ourselves into corners. The answer is right there in plain view, but admitting it feels too big. Today, I want to give you permission to stop dancing around what you already know. I'll share a story about a client who blurted out his answer within seconds, only to almost miss it. Press play and listen for yours. Featured Story I was on a call with a client named Richard the other day. Sharp guy, big professional, real list of things to figure out. We're working back and forth, getting good stuff done, and the clock is running out on me. Right at the end, I asked him one question. Of everything we just covered, what's the thing you already know you need to do? He answered in a single breath. The answer was so clear and so close to him, he didn't even know he'd been carrying it. Then he sat there, almost embarrassed. The look on his face is what I want you to see today. Important Points The answer to your biggest question is already inside you. Most of the work is just admitting that you know it. Real change rarely happens in three days. It happens when you get tired of carrying the same heavy answer around. A good coach is just a mirror. The breakthrough is hearing your own words played back with a little less distortion. Memorable Quotes You'll change when you wear yourself out. There's no quick fix and no three-day shortcut, no matter who's selling it. I'm a smart mirror standing in front of you, reflecting back your own honest words with a useful bit of distortion. Smart people are the hardest to coach. You've got the walls up, and the work is letting just one of them down. Scott's Three-Step Approach Ask yourself one honest question about the thing you already know you need to do, with no filters and no spreadsheets. Say the answer out loud, even if it sounds wrong or scary. Hearing yourself say it makes it real and gets it moving. Take one small action today that proves you really meant it. Momentum starts the second you stop denying the answer. Chapters 0:02 - The one thing you've been holding off saying 3:45 - The CalmB plan and that Rubicon change moment 5:47 - The involuntary cue on your face that gives you away 6:54 - You already know the answer; you keep dancing 10:41 - The call with Richard and the really hard stop 12:52 - The CEO answered that Richard almost couldn't admit 14:26 - One honest question to ask yourself today Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify If you enjoy the Daily Boost, you might like Notes From Scott. A few mornings each week, I send a short note with something I've been thinking about or noticing lately. Sometimes those ideas turn into podcast episodes later. You can sign up at https://notesfromscott.com. Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyscottsmith Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    17 min
  2. You Might Also Like: Redefiners

    10h ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: Redefiners

    Introducing Banking on Change: How Standard Chartered Group Chief Executive Bill Winters Stays Ahead from Redefiners. Follow the show: Redefiners Stepping into the CEO role is a challenging transition for any leader to make. It’s even more challenging when you know you’re stepping into the role at a turbulent time in an organization’s history. Our guest today experienced that transition over a decade ago and has since built a compelling story of transformation and value creation. Standard Chartered Group Chief Executive Bill Winters joins Marla Oates and Clarke Murphy to talk about why he knowingly stepped into the role at a challenging time at the bank and what he did to restore confidence in the company. Bill shares how he manages innovation and perpetual transformation in a highly regulated industry, including how the bank is using AI, reskilling teams, and continuing to evolve with digital assets. He also unpacks how he builds relationships and trust with his board, including plans for the next CEO succession.  We’ll also hear from Henryk Krajewski, leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates, who shares his perspective on how CEOs can unlock greater value in today’s environment. Four things you’ll learn from this episode:  What are some the first steps to take to restore confidence in a company in turmoilWhat are the keys to value creation and balancing innovation with risk How to think about succession planning and working with your boardHow to lead perpetual change  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes: Transformation in Turbulent Times with Former Telstra CEO Andy PennLeadership Lounge: How New CEOs Build Productive Relationships With Their BoardTalking Tough Decisions with TCW President and CEO Katie KochLeadership Lounge: The Art of Succession: How to Identify Tomorrow's Leaders TodayThe Necessity of Change with President and CEO of Wells Fargo Charlie ScharfLeadership Lounge: From Firefighting to Future-Building: How Leaders Can Master Perpetual Transformation A closer look at the research from this episode: How CEOs Unlock the Hidden Barrier to Value CreationCEO Succession: A Never-Ending StoryAdapt or Die in the Age of Perpetual TransformationCode to Culture: AI-Driven Workforce Transformation in Financial ServicesDISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. 1d ago

    Rules of Life Suck, but Are Good For You

    Most people will tell you they know their values. Ask them to list them out loud, and they get three deep before they go quiet. The ones they do name? Usually, who they want to be, not who they actually are. I see this every day with the clients I work with. People who say they're honest, then justify the shortcut. People who claim consistency, then quit when no one's watching. The gap between rules and actions is where unhappiness lives. Today I'll show you how to spot your real values and prove who you are. Featured Story There's a four-way stop in my neighborhood. The major road. I stop every single time. Maybe it's a rolling stop on most days, but I stop. What gets me is watching neighbors blow right through it at seven in the morning or eight at night just because nobody's around. A friend once told me, "I don't need to stop; nobody's around." That hit something in me. Because the sign doesn't say stop only if somebody's watching. It says stop. And the moment I decide nobody's watching means I can skip it, I just told myself exactly who I really am. That's the part most people miss. Important Points Your daily actions reveal your real values, not the polished list you'd hand someone if they asked you to recite them. Identity shifts before behavior shifts, and behavior shifts when daily choices line up with what you say you value. The happiest people I know aren't restricted by their rules; they just stopped lying about the rules they live by. Memorable Quotes If you don't know exactly who you are on the inside, you're never going to get what you really want on the outside. Everything you do throughout the day shapes your values and is probably driven by them. Most people who haven't studied their internal values give me the ones they want to be, not the ones they actually live. Scott's Three-Step Approach Look at what you actually do all day — your real values hide inside those daily activities, not the list you'd recite. Write down what you find, even the ugly parts, so you stop confusing who you want to be with who you actually are. Pick one activity tomorrow that contradicts a value, and change it; an identity shift occurs the moment you act differently. Chapters 0:02 - The conversation I keep having with achievers 1:30 - Why my friend can't tell if she's the one 3:30 - Aligning what you do with what you value 5:45 - Why most people can't name their real values 7:30 - The chain from identity down to daily action 10:30 - The neighborhood stop sign that exposes you 13:30 - Twenty years of one daily proof of consistency Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify If you enjoy the Daily Boost, you might like Notes From Scott. A few mornings each week, I send a short note with something I've been thinking about or noticing lately. Sometimes those ideas turn into podcast episodes later. You can sign up at https://notesfromscott.com. Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyscottsmith Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    15 min

  4. 2d ago

    Stop Pretending — Admit Who You Are

    This morning I went to the gym, hit the sauna with my buddies, and got pulled into a mastermind I didn't see coming. Five hours of human conversation later, I came home buzzing. Not because anyone paid me. Because I remembered something we're all forgetting. We're getting siloed off. AI is making it worse. The most valuable thing you'll own in the next few years isn't a skill or a tool. It's knowing exactly who you are and connecting with other humans from that place. I'll show you the simple practice that gets you there. Press play. Featured Story I rolled out of bed this morning thinking I'd hit the gym, get my workout in, and head home. Then my buddies suggested the sauna. We sat in there for over an hour, sweating, talking, building ideas off each other. A full-on mastermind nobody planned. I came home and watched the stucco guys working on my house. Asked them questions I'll never need answered, because I love watching humans do what they're good at. By noon, I caught myself saying out loud — I just have a good life. All because of human connection. Five hours of it. No phone. No AI. No agenda. Important Points Human connection is the currency of the next few years. Build it now, even when it feels uncomfortable to engage. Your ideology shapes every decision you make. Audit your actual actions to discover the worldview running your life. Knowing who you are makes decisions feel simple. Once you write it down, the noise around you starts to fade fast. Memorable Quotes The greatest currency of the next few years is your ability to connect with humans, even when it gets uncomfortable. AI makes you feel smart until it makes you stupid. Humans make you stupid or mad until they make you feel loved. The younger they were, the more they thought they knew. The older they were, the more they tried to remember. Scott's Three-Step Approach Ask yourself the same questions every day for two weeks. Patterns emerge as answers shift over time. Use those patterns to write a Who I Am doc based on your actual actions and the friends you keep, not your dreams. Make every decision from that doc. The resistance you meet will be from people and habits you wanted gone anyway. Chapters 0:06 - Why I'm hoarse — a five-hour morning of talking 0:32 - Getting paid to talk and the joy of doing it for free 1:29 - Human connection is the currency of the future 5:01 - Ideology and why every single person has one 6:41 - The Daily Awareness Diary and 10 simple questions 8:47 - The Who I Am doc that ends your drifting for good 11:42 - What changes when you stop drifting and start acting Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify If you enjoy the Daily Boost, you might like Notes From Scott. A few mornings each week, I send a short note with something I've been thinking about or noticing lately. Sometimes those ideas turn into podcast episodes later. You can sign up at https://notesfromscott.com. Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyscottsmith Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    17 min

  5. 3d ago

    Honest Truth About Finding Purpose

    You've been told that finding your passion is woo-woo nonsense. You've been told that purpose will solve everything once you crack the code. Neither is honest. What's honest is this: most people already know what they want. They just won't get out of their seat and go after it. Today I'm sharing the simple formula I've used for decades to actually face what you want, build it, and live it. And the scientists are finally proving what I figured out years ago. If you've been stuck in neutral, press play. Featured Story A month ago, I walked into the gym unmotivated. I didn't want to be there. I'd been doing my routine, but something was missing. I spotted my friend Daniel and asked what he was doing. Buys and tries. I said I'd join him. He'd already planned the workout. Even grabbed the equipment for me. Free trainer. I did the same thing the next day with Billy. Then Rob. Two weeks in, the guys started asking me what I was doing before I even got through the door. This morning, mid-set on chest day at 225, Daniel said something that changed what working out means to me. Important Points The heaviest part of taking care of yourself is opening the front door. Once you're inside, momentum takes over. Passion isn't woo-woo. It's what you love and what you're willing to fight for. Stop letting people tell you otherwise. You already know what you want. You just won't get out of your seat and chase it. That's what we're fixing today. Memorable Quotes Passion is what you love. Passion is what you're willing to fight for. It's the stuff your heart already knows. You already know what you want. It may be buried a little, but you are not lost. You can rebuild and find it again. Exploration and fascination together equal facing your passion. That is the simple formula that has actually worked for me. Scott's Three-Step Approach First, explore the possibilities. Lift your head, open your eyes, and let yourself notice what is actually out there. Next, pay attention to what gets your attention. Do not judge it or analyze it. Just notice the pull and lean toward it. Finally, take a deep dive. Get fully immersed in what fascinates you and let it reveal your next path forward. Chapters 0:02 - Why passion and purpose are not really woo-woo 1:54 - How a workout posse came together by accident 2:46 - The heaviest part is opening the front door 4:08 - Step one: explore every possibility with no commitment 8:35 - Step two: pay attention to what gets your attention 10:02 - Step three: take a deep dive and lean all the way in 13:03 - The honest formula that actually works for life Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify If you enjoy the Daily Boost, you might like Notes From Scott. A few mornings each week, I send a short note with something I've been thinking about or noticing lately. Sometimes those ideas turn into podcast episodes later. You can sign up at https://notesfromscott.com. Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyscottsmith Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    16 min

  6. 6d ago

    Work-Life Balance Hack

    You ever feel like your work bleeds into your life and your life bleeds into your work, and somehow you're never fully off the clock? I hear it constantly. Today I'll tell you something most coaches won't. There's no such thing as work-life balance. It ebbs and flows, and you'll chase it forever if you try to hold it still. But there is a delineation hiding inside this whole thing — and once you see it, your weekends actually feel like weekends again and your Sunday nights stop feeling like Monday morning. Hit play. We're splitting this thing in two. Featured Story On a call this week, a client told me her work and her personal life were one and the same. She runs a lifestyle business, hangs out with her friends in the community, and sometimes those friends become customers. To her, it all blurred into one happy thing. I said no. No, no, no. Forty minutes of stories and metaphors, trying to crack open something she couldn't see yet. Probably 10 metaphors. Way too much overcoaching, even for me. But she finally got there. And the moment she did, the whole thing came apart in a way I had never explained to anyone before. Important Points Stop trying to balance work and life. Balance ebbs and flows by the hour, and chasing it keeps you frustrated all day. There's a real difference between you taking care of yourself and you working — call it what it is to stop the bleed. Treat your job like a shift. Show up, do the work, then walk out — and let your personal time actually be personal. Memorable Quotes I treat my job as a shift. I walk in, put the work hat on, get it done — and when I say I'm done, I walk out the door. I know I have to take care of myself first. There is you who takes care of you, and then there's you with everyone else. There is no balance between work and life. It just ebbs and flows all the time. You never know where it's going to be. Scott's Three-Step Approach First, split your time into four buckets: you alone, you with others, your work shift, and your work for yourself. Next, treat your job like a shift — show up, work the hours you set, then walk out and let your time be yours. Then protect the personal buckets — the gym, the planning, the play — and watch the Sunday-night dread disappear. Chapters 0:02 - The work-life balance question everyone asks 0:36 - Why planning on Thursday saves your weekend 2:00 - The client's call that started a 40-minute story 5:06 - How to treat your job like a working shift 6:27 - The 35-minute Claude app that wasn't working 7:38 - Splitting you, you with others, and your shift 9:11 - No balance exists — only a real delineation to find Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify If you enjoy the Daily Boost, you might like Notes From Scott. A few mornings each week, I send a short note with something I've been thinking about or noticing lately. Sometimes those ideas turn into podcast episodes later. You can sign up at https://notesfromscott.com. Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyscottsmith Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    12 min

  7. May 28

    Why You Don't Reach Your Goals

    You set the goal. You meant it. Then somehow you didn't do the thing. Sound familiar? You're not broken. The model most coaches still use was built fifty years ago, and the science has finally caught up. Today I'm walking through what actually causes goal gaps — and why a good intention alone gets you a coin flip at best. I'll show you the identity shift that has to happen first, the decision point that changes everything, and the if-then trick that takes your follow-through close to a hundred. Press play. Featured Story I just got off a call with my inner circle. Two and a half hours every week with these folks. Always a great conversation. This morning, somebody used a phrase I've heard hundreds of times. "I've realized I need to change." I'll tell you exactly what I think when I hear those words from someone new. This ain't going nowhere yet. Not because the person doesn't mean it. Because there's a hidden layer that has to fire before the change actually shows up. Most coaches will sell you the next step before you've even cleared the first. That hidden layer is what today's about. Important Points Even a strong, committed intention only gets you 53% follow-through. Half the work happens after that decision. The reason most goals fail isn't laziness. It's that your old identity still matches the old life, not the new. Move your trigger from your emotion to your environment — the clock, the calendar — and follow-through goes automatic. Memorable Quotes Just stand up, take a step in the direction you want to go, and repeat. That's how you finally get what you want. Goal intentions account for about 28% of the variance in actual behavior. A good intention alone is not enough. Motivation is the glue holding it all together. Capability and opportunity start you — motivation keeps you going. Scott's Three-Step Approach First, build a clear vision of who you want to become — without it, the old identity keeps pulling you back home. Next, cross the Rubicon — make the decision, leave the old you behind, and accept you don't get to look back from here. Then bolt your plan to the clock — pick a specific time on a specific day, and let the environment trigger the action. Chapters 0:02 - The goal you set but somehow didn't follow through on 0:15 - Why most coaching uses 50-year-old models 2:28 - Stand up, take a step, repeat (and why it works) 2:57 - The identity shift you skip and the Rubicon ahead 6:45 - The 28% number that explains your goal gaps 10:17 - The if-then trick that gets you nearly to 100% 11:46 - COM-B: why motivation really is the glue Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify If you enjoy the Daily Boost, you might like Notes From Scott. A few mornings each week, I send a short note with something I've been thinking about or noticing lately. Sometimes those ideas turn into podcast episodes later. You can sign up at https://notesfromscott.com. Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyscottsmith Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    16 min

  8. May 27

    Releasing Anticipatory Anxiety

    Someone on a coaching call this week heard the words "anticipatory anxiety" and froze. They thought it meant something was wrong with them. It's actually one of the most useful tools you've got. Used right, it doesn't trap you — it frees you up to move. Today, I'm walking through why turning face-first into what scares you is the fastest way to make it shrink. I'll tell you about my friend running across Death Valley, my morning in the sauna, and the three-step process that's quietly run my whole life. Press play. Featured Story I was at the gym this morning and pushed it hard. Heavy weights with a friend, then 30 minutes on the rotating stair machine. Then I walked into the sauna and sat there for 35 minutes too long. The body started shutting down. Stars at the edges. Couldn't quite stand. The kind of nervous system collapse where staying conscious is the only thing that matters. My friend Billy hung around to make sure I was okay. The guys working the gym ran in with ice and their own personal Snapple — not from the cooler, theirs. I was fine. But it taught me something about what happens when you don't anticipate what could go wrong. Important Points About 90% of what you worry about never actually happens. It's anxiety rehearsing a movie that won't ever air. Pre-process every angle of what could go wrong, then keep moving. The worry tends to shrink the moment you face it. Anticipatory anxiety can free you instead of trapping you. Turn into what scares you and watch its grip on you dissolve. Memorable Quotes Turn face first into the thing scaring you, look at it clearly, and deal with it — you mitigate it. The anxiety drops. Anticipatory anxiety can be used for good, not just for evil. It doesn't have to scare you — it can actually free you. More is on the other side of less. The things dragging you down need to go — and you already know that, deep down. Scott's Three-Step Approach First, face whatever's been dogging you — the bad job, the stale marriage, the dream you keep pushing further back. Then build the new life. Cut the friction that's dragging you down — more is always on the other side of less. Finally, live it daily. Fill the space you cleared with what you actually want, or you'll drift back to the old life. Chapters 0:07 - Where 'anticipatory anxiety' came from this week 2:10 - The 35-minute sauna mistake that almost dropped me 4:12 - My friend Croy and 142 miles across Death Valley 4:25 - The guy on the call who called it depressing 6:54 - Why pilots study crashes — and why you should too 8:24 - Face it, build it, live it — the whole thing Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify If you enjoy the Daily Boost, you might like Notes From Scott. A few mornings each week, I send a short note with something I've been thinking about or noticing lately. Sometimes those ideas turn into podcast episodes later. You can sign up at https://notesfromscott.com. Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyscottsmith Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    14 min
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About

The Daily Boost is a weekday podcast for people who've built a good life and started wondering if it's the one they actually want. Ten to fifteen minutes. Every weekday. Since 2006. No scripts. No canned content. No recycled material. Whatever's real, that day, in front of the microphone. Topics include personal growth, motivation, purpose, decisions, work, money, relationships, time, and how to keep your head straight when things get complicated. Every episode stands on its own. It's occasionally pretty funny — because if you can't laugh, what's the point. 5,000+ episodes. 130+ million downloads worldwide. Free, wherever you listen. Ten minutes a day to think clearly about your life.

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Smith
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.3K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 • Motivation To Move, LLC • All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
  • Show Website
    Daily Boost — Motivation and Coaching

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