Episode 63

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Published on:

23rd Sep 2026

Your Ego Is Lying to You, and You Believe It Every Time

Your mind messes with you, and until you know that, it's going to keep holding you back.

Today, you're going to learn exactly how it does this and how to make it work for you instead of against you.

In this episode you'll learn;

- The simple fact versus fiction tool for catching the exact moment your brain starts inventing a story that has nothing to do with reality

- Why a great presentation, a good piece of feedback, or a clear win can still get twisted into self doubt, and how to stop that story before it takes hold

- How to rewrite the story you are telling yourself about someone who seems distant or hard to read, and why that one shift changes how you actually show up with them

- What to do the next time your ego tells you that you are not qualified, not ready, or not the right person, and why that story is almost always the least accurate one available to you

- How to teach this same tool to the people you lead, so you can catch them in their own made up stories and help them get back to what is actually true

YOUR CHALLENGE:

This week, find one story you are telling yourself that is causing you stress, draw a line down the middle of a page, write fact on one side and fiction on the other, and be honest about which side each thought actually belongs on.

Questions on this episode?

Ask me in the Leadership Mindset 2.0 community on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8944058/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadershipmindsetgroup

Doors are open for the Team Performance Accelerator, Michael's three month live programme on building a team that takes ownership without you standing over it. Six live sessions with Michael, starting October 6th. Enrolment closes September 28th.

Details here: rmichaelanderson.com/podteam

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About the Podcast

Leadership Mindset 2.0
Transform From Tactical Doer to Strategic Leader: The Psychology of Scaling for Executives & Entrepreneurs
Leadership Mindset 2.0 is the definitive playbook for executives and entrepreneurs ready to break free from the "Doer Trap" and scale their business using psychology and strategy.

Host R. Michael Anderson has scaled multiple software companies to the Inc. 5000 list and was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year. Now, as a 2x Executive Coach of the Year, he uses that experience to help high-performers transform from Tactical Operators into Strategic Leaders.

In this podcast, Michael blends cutting-edge neuroscience, emotional intelligence (EQ), and battle-tested business strategy to help you overcome burnout, imposter syndrome, and the "Leadership Incompetence Trap" so you can lead with clarity and confidence.

Two New Episodes Every Week which include a mix of:
• Strategy: Neuroscience frameworks & leadership tactics to start your week.
• Mentorship: Live Q&A and specific answers to your leadership challenges.
• Coaching: A fly-on-the-wall look at real, unscripted executive coaching sessions as Michael helps leaders break through their blind spots live.
• Masterclasses: Listen in as Michael and guests teach valuable leadership and management skills to a real-life audience.

Topics include: The Psychology of Scaling, Burnout Prevention, Strategic Planning, Executive Coaching, and Emotional Intelligence.

About your host

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R. Michael Anderson

R. Michael Anderson, MBA, MA has a striking combination that creates truly impactful transformation in leaders – he has the real-life business success of founding, scaling and exiting three software companies, plus the educational background of a Masters Degree in Psychology.



This combination gives him the unique ability to connect to other leaders as a peer, then teaches evidence-based leadership skills that genuinely drive behaviour and performance.