Manders Mindset
Are you feeling stuck or stagnant in your life? Do you envision yourself living differently but have no idea how to start? The answer might lie in a shift in your mindset.
Hosted by Amanda Russo, The Breathing Goddess, who is a former Family Law Paralegal now a Breathwork Facilitator, Sound Healer, and Transformative Mindset Coach.
Amanda's journey into mindset and empowerment began by working with children in group homes and daycares. She later transitioned to family law, helping people navigate the challenging emotions of divorce. During this time, Amanda also overcame her own weight and health challenges through strength training, meditation, yoga, reiki, and plant medicine.
Amanda interviews guests from diverse backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, and wellness experts, who share their incredible journeys of conquering fears and limiting beliefs to achieve remarkable success.
Hear real people tell how shifting their mindsets and often their words, has dramatically changed their lives.
Amanda also shares her personal journey, detailing how she transformed obstacles into opportunities by adopting a healthier, holistic lifestyle.
Discover practical strategies and inspiring stories that will empower you to break free from limitations and cultivate a mindset geared towards growth and positivity.
Tune in for a fun, friendly, and empowering experience that will help you become the best version of yourself.
Manders Mindset
The SPACE to Rise: The Mindset Shift We're Not Talking About | 152
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What if the adventure you're craving doesn't require more... but less?
In this solo episode of Manders Mindset, I dive into a personal reflection sparked by the book Subtract by Leidy Klotz, a gift from my friend, and guest on last week's episode, Glen Van Peski. This read has already begun shifting how I think, move, and breathe, even though I’m only a few chapters in. Through the lens of my own mindset work and recent personal experiences, I share how subtraction, letting go instead of piling on can be a powerful tool for growth, healing, and clarity.
Join me as I unpack some first takeaways from Subtract, explore what it means to create space by removing instead of adding, and invite you into a gentle moment of pause to experience the power of intentional release.
Listeners Will Discover:
🌿 Why our brains default to adding, and how shifting to subtracting can be transformational
🧘♀️ How a moment of subtraction can lead to clarity, space, and alignment
✨ A guided reflection to practice letting go ~ mentally, emotionally, & physically
Timeline Summary:
[0:30] – What inspired this reflection and how the book Subtract landed in my hands
[2:29] – The Lego experiment that reveals our brain’s bias toward adding over subtracting
[5:23] – My overpacking story and the deep clarity that came from letting go
[6:43] – Cultural lessons on stillness and presence
[8:42] – A guided practice: one breath, one release, one small moment of subtraction
[11:13] – Early takeaways from Subtract and why less really can lead to more
Resources:
Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Klotz: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/646673/subtract-by-leidy-klotz/
If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear what landed the most for you. Message me on Instagram @thebreathinggoddess.
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Welcome to the Manders Mindset Podcast. Here you'll find both monologue and interviews of entrepreneurs, coaches, healers and a variety of other people when your host, Amanda Russo, will discuss her own mindset and perspective and her guest's mindset and perspective on the world around us. Manders and her guests will help explain to you how shifting your mindset will shift your life.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Mander's Mindset, where we explore how shifting your mindset will shift your life. I'm your host, amanda Russo, in today's A Solo episode. Just me, you and a few reflections that have been sitting with me. Wait, wait. After my recent conversation with Glenn on the last episode, one of the books we talked about was Subtract by Lidi Koltz. And get this. After we recorded our episode, glenn so thoughtfully mailed me a copy of this book. How kind and thoughtful of him that was and, honestly, so aligned.
Speaker 2:I had not read this book before we recorded, but once I got it in my hands I dove right in. I have not finished the book yet I'm only a few chapters in but this book has already shifted so much for me and inside of me, how I think, how I move, how I think, how I move, even how I breathe. I know crazy. I want to share some of my first takeaways through my own lens, my own mindset, through the lens of Bali and through the lens of how subtraction is showing up in my work and in my life right now. This book came up during my conversation with Glenn and let's just say it wasn't the only thought-provoking thing Glenn and I talked about. Now let's get into the episode and my book review of Subtract.
Speaker 2:One of the first things the book explains is how our brains are wired. To add, there's this experiment where people are asked to fix a Lego tower, to make both sides even, which many of us can picture a Lego tower. We're working with our kids or babysitting and we're helping them make both sides of the tower even. Most people instinctively add a block to the shorter side, even though just removing one from the taller side would have been quicker and easier. That example really stuck with me. It made me realize and take a step back and think. How often do I try to fix something by adding more, maybe more effort, more tools, more tasks, when maybe what I really need is space, a pause, a release, a subtraction. What's even crazier to me is that we don't just prefer adding, that we don't just prefer adding. Most of the time, subtracting doesn't even cross our minds, because we're conditioned to prove we're doing something by showing more, more action, more effort, more content, but subtraction, overmoving something that's invisible. Yet it's often the most powerful thing we can do, especially when it comes to healing and to growth. We often think we need more practices, more certifications, more insight, but sometimes growth and our healing is about letting go Letting go of pressure, letting go of a thought, letting go of the version of ourselves we're not meant to carry anymore.
Speaker 2:Before I even started reading this book, I had a real life moment that mirrors exactly what it's talking about. When I went to Bali, I overpacked like I often do A lot of outfits I brought just in case or because I was going to wear it for this Things I thought I'd quote-unquote need, but I ended up wearing the same handful of outfits over and over. I had laundry done while I was in Bali, so, no, I wasn't wearing dirty clothes, and by doing this I felt more myself than I had in months. I didn't need more. I needed space, space to just be. And when I got back to the States, I donated everything that I packed for Bali and I never wore. That was physical subtraction, it was aligned action and it felt like clarity to me.
Speaker 2:One of the things that I love most about Bali is that the culture over there doesn't demand more. There's a stillness, a quiet reverence for the basics. There's no need or desire to perform, there's no need to prove. You get to just be. And in that stillness I've remembered myself, and I have remembered who I truly am at the core. This book just gave me the words for something I was already starting to live. Sometimes we think we need to add more to be more. Now, what if the real version of you is revealed when you start letting go letting go of physical clutter, the stuff you think you might need someday but haven't touched in years or even months. Letting go of habits that drain your energy, letting go of thoughts that tell you you're not enough, or even letting go of people who no longer meet you where you're at and where you're headed, who no longer meet you where you're at and where you're headed. What if the version of you you've been waiting for only shows up when there's room to rise?
Speaker 2:I want to offer a quick reflection, a small moment of intentional subtraction. If you're driving right now or multitasking, you might want to pause this episode here and come back to it when you can be still for a few minutes. This part is short, but it's meant to be felt. This part is short, but it's meant to be felt. So, wherever you are, soften your shoulders, unclench your jaw, allow your hands to relax, take a slow, deep breath in through your nose and exhale gently through your mouth. I invite you to close your eyes, if it feels safe and comfortable for you to do so. Now bring to your mind something you've been holding on to A pressure, a pattern, a should, a story. Now take another breath in and, as you exhale, imagine subtracting it and gently releasing it. Just one thing Notice what softens, notice what space opens up. You don't need to fix it, you don't need to replace it. You've just created space. That is the power of subtraction. Not giving up, not doing less, simply choosing clarity. Now I invite you to come back to the present moment, feeling any shifts you may feel, feeling the space that you just created, physically, mentally, emotionally.
Speaker 2:Now, these are just my first few takeaways from the book Subtract, and I'm not even done with the book yet. I'm already shifting how I think about growth, clarity and how I show up, whether it's a closet, a calendar or a mindset. Sometimes the next step is not to add, it's to let go. I'll definitely share more about this once I finish the book. However, I wanted to record this while it was fresh and real in the present for me. If this resonated with you, I would love to hear from you. Share this episode with a friend, post it to your story or you can message me. I always love hearing what lands for you guys. Thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of Mander's Mindset. Keep breathing, keep shifting and remember everything is figureoutable.
Speaker 3:In case no one told you today, I'm proud of you, I'm booting for you and you got this as always. If you enjoyed the show, I would really appreciate it if you would leave me a five star rating, leave a review and share it with anyone you think would benefit from this. And don't forget you are only one mindset. Shift away from shifting your life. Thanks guys, until next time.
