A Change in Story

Katie Bascuas
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Biweekly

A Change in Story is a podcast about the moments that reshape how we see ourselves and the world around us. Through individual stories, explore what happens when people challenge old narratives, let go of what no longer fits and figure out what comes next. Also included are three-minute quick tips that break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help offer a different perspective. Each episode invites you to consider what it looks like to rewrite your story while you're still living it. Hosted by Katie Bascuas, a licensed professional counselor with a former life working in journalism and communications and lover of all things writing and story-related.

  1. Apr 29

    QuickTip: Who Inspires You Most?

    Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today's topic explores an easy, fun way to identify some of your values by looking at the people who inspire you. As a quick refresher, values are essentially an internal guidance system that help us to decide what to move toward or away from based on what we find important or meaningful.  Because they're more internal, and not right on the surface, values can sometimes take a little bit of work to figure out or to get clear on. So to try this exercise: Identify three people you look up to. They can be people you know, like family members, friends, people in your community, or they could be famous, maybe an athlete, a musician, actor, artist, or a well-known entrepreneur.  Reflect on each person, thinking about what characteristics or qualities they each embody that you appreciate or respect. (Maybe it's their work ethic, or their sense of humor, or maybe their sense of community, or their creativity and how they express themselves, etc.) Jot down those qualities under each person's name to create three different lists.   Once you've gotten a number of characteristics down for each person, cross compare among the three lists and see if you notice any similarities or even the same qualities between two or even all three people. You can circle those or make a new list.  Next, identify at least 3-5 overall values that you might have based on what you've written down. You can also use a list of values available online to help give you some ideas. Finally, test it out. Notice how you spend your free time for the next several days, and see if it's reflective of those values you identified. Or, you can intentionally use those values to make decisions about how to spend your free time, and that can help you to further clarify what's really important to you.  *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

    3 min

  2. Apr 27

    QuickTip: What's the Difference Between Values and Goals (And Why Does It Matter)?

    Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today's topic explores the difference between values and goals and why it can be helpful to take both into account as you're working toward things you want to achieve.  Goals, for one, provide a destination, like the end point on a map, which is typically something we want to achieve or experience.  Values, on the other hand, are more of an internal guidance system, kind of like a compass, telling us what to move toward or away from based on what we believe is important or valuable to us. So, goals provide more of the "what" or the destination—where we want to end up—while values provide more of the "how" we're gonna get there and the "why," or the motivation to get the destination.  And this can be important because if we default to focusing more on goals without also considering our values, then we can experience things like burnout or achieve things that feel unfulfilling or empty.  It can also make it more difficult to achieve a goal because if we don't know why we're doing something or why it's important to us, it can make it much harder to enjoy the process and stick with it.  *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

    3 min

  3. Apr 22

    QuickTip: What To Do With the 'What Ifs'

    Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today's topic explores what-if thinking and one way to help manage the "what ifs," especially when we're worried about the future. "What-if" thinking can creep in when things feel unknown or unpredictable, and our minds might start to overreact or go into protection mode by trying to figure out what's going to happen and even try and anticipate worst-case scenarios.  Anticipating the future, or at least trying to, can also sometimes give us a sense of control in times when we may feel like we don't have that much control.  But if we're overly concerned with all of the potential negative outcomes, we can experience an increase in things like stress, anxiety, self-doubt and even indecision. One way to disengage from these types of thoughts is to try and come up with a possible solution to whatever you're worried about by using the phrase "If … then." So if you're having the thought what if I fail the exam, can you come up with a plan of action that you could take? Coming up with a plan doesn't mean you're going to fail or even have to act on the plan, but focusing more on a solution is  going to: help you feel more at ease because it provides a sense of agency; make a decision, which should help you to feel less stuck; and help you to ground because your focus is now more on what you can do about the situation or on tangible action steps you can take rather than on all the potential or hypothetical worst-case scenarios that may or may not even happen. *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

    3 min

  4. Apr 20

    What If the 'Right Path' Isn't Right for You?

    Today's episode features an interview with Prasant Nukalapati, founder of What Comes Next Ed Consulting, which supports young people launching into adulthood. This is the second time Prasant has joined the podcast to talk about life after high school and some of the different paths that are available, and in this episode he shares his own personal journey of taking a nontraditional path through college. You'll hear how an unplanned year off became a turning point, helping Prasant shift from following others' expectations to pursuing what felt personally meaningful to him. He explains how that change in perspective shaped his academic experience and eventually led him to his personal purpose and career. And while his path wasn't without obstacles, Prasant challenges the idea that choosing a different route is the second-best option. Instead, he invites listeners to see alternative paths with the same excitement and possibility often associated with a traditional four-year college experience. For more information on Prasant, check out his website whatcomesnextconsulting.com. *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com.

    48 min

  5. Apr 15

    QuickTip: Naming the Brain

    Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today's topic explores the idea of naming your brain and why this can be a helpful strategy for reducing stress and even improving self-confidence. If you've never heard of this strategy before, naming the brain is a technique that can be used to help distance yourself from unhelpful or negative thoughts.  These are the thoughts that tell us that we're not good enough, that we should be better at xyz, that everyone thinks we're a phony or that something terrible is definitely going to happen, and so and so on.  This is where naming the brain can come in handy. Because by naming the brain, we are creating distance between us and what is happening in the brain.  The negative thoughts now become their own entity, which when separate, or a thing over there with a name, becomes easier to control or, at least tell it to be quiet.  When you create space between you and the negative thoughts, it's going to help cut off the emotional response, and if you don't give negative thoughts your time and attention through your emotions and continued negative thinking, then they will quiet down.  To give the strategy of naming your brain a try:  You can give it a human name or name it after an object, a color, a place, whatever works for you. Or, if naming your brain doesn't resonate with you, you could try instead to personify it or create a character around it.  Once you have your name or character, try using it when your mind starts chiming in with negative or unhelpful thoughts.   *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

    3 min

  6. Apr 13

    QuickTip: How Self-Compassion Can Help to Motivate

    Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today's topic explores self-compassion and how we can use it to motivate ourselves, in spite of the misperception that if we're too nice or lenient with ourselves, then we'll never achieve anything. That type of thinking actually motivates through fear, which can be a pretty powerful motivator, but it's not always the most effective.  In fact, self-criticism can often get in the way of our goals because it can contribute to things like perfectionism, anxiety, stress, depression and low self-esteem. Self-compassion, on the other hand, cannot only interrupt self-criticism and its downsides, but it also motivates because it fosters resilience and more of a growth mindset.  When we're kinder to ourselves, we tend to feel more relaxed and open and ideally less afraid to make mistakes, try new things or to get back up when something fails.  We also tend to be more open-minded or curious, which can make it easier to see setbacks and perceived failures as opportunities for growth.  For example, a study published in 2023 found that college athletes who intentionally practiced self-compassion were more likely to see improvements in perceived performance and they experienced lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress compared to their fellow athletes who did not intentionally practice self-compassion. Research cited:  Resilience and Enhancement in Sport, Exercise, & Training (RESET): A brief self-compassion intervention with NCAA student-athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

    3 min

  7. Apr 8

    QuickTip: 3 Ways (That Are Not Meditation) to Practice Mindfulness

    Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today's topic explores three different ways to practice mindfulness that don't involve sitting down to meditate.  While mindfulness often gets equated with meditation, the two are actually distinct.   In a nutshell, mindfulness is the ability to focus our attention and awareness on the present moment and notice what's happening inside (so any thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations that might be coming up) as well as whatever may be happening in our surroundings.  It's a state of being, while meditation on the other hand, is a tool or practice that can be used to achieve a state of mindfulness among other things.  While there are benefits to both, intentionally cultivating a practice of being more mindful can be helpful to reduce stress, improve attention and enhance feelings of calm.  Three ways to practice mindfulness are:  Use your senses.  Simply pause, if you're able to, and notice what you can see, smell, taste, hear and feel in your immediate surroundings.      2. Narrate a task or something that you're doing while you're doing it.  For example, if you're washing dishes, explain what you're doing as if you were instructing someone who had never washed dishes before.     3. Try a body scan.  Bring your attention to the top of your head and notice any physical sensations you might be experiencing. Then begin moving your attention down your body, to your neck, your shoulders, your arms, all the way down to your feet, noticing any physical sensations as you move to each different body part.  These are just three strategies to help practice mindfulness. There are tons of other techniques that you can use to become more present. You might even come up with your own unique method.  *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

    3 min

  8. Apr 6

    QuickTip: How Nature Can Boost Your Creativity

    Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today's topic explores some of the different ways that spending time in nature can help expand creativity and problem-solving abilities. For years there's been more and more research suggesting that spending as little as 10 to 15 minutes outside can have positive effects on overall health. That also includes positive effects on how we think, including on our ability to think creatively and to problem solve.  Some of the reasons for this are that being immersed in nature: can provide a break from our normal routines, almost like taking a vacation, which helps the mind to relax and open;  activates a different, softer type of attention and focus than what we're normally using when navigating modern life; and can create a sense of awe, which in turn expands the mind and promotes curiosity, imagination and flexible thinking.  So if you ever feel stuck for inspiration or can't quite figure out what to do about a situation, you can always try spending some time outdoors. Research cited: "The great outdoors? Exploring the mental health benefits of natural environments." Front. Psychiatry "Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systemic Review of Indoor Experiments." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

    3 min
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5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

A Change in Story is a podcast about the moments that reshape how we see ourselves and the world around us. Through individual stories, explore what happens when people challenge old narratives, let go of what no longer fits and figure out what comes next. Also included are three-minute quick tips that break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help offer a different perspective. Each episode invites you to consider what it looks like to rewrite your story while you're still living it. Hosted by Katie Bascuas, a licensed professional counselor with a former life working in journalism and communications and lover of all things writing and story-related.

Information

  • Creator
    Katie Bascuas
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    A Change in Story