Why lasting change is rarely about what you ‘know.’
Sep 19, 2025
A psychiatrist with over 30 years of clinical experience once said to me:
“You’ll never be able to help me, James. This is something very deep that I’ve never been able to overcome.”
They came to me after seeing visible change in one of their clients who had been working with me.
Despite their knowledge and years in practice, they were still living with a quiet but persistent sense of insecurity.
And this highlights something important:
Knowledge alone doesn’t create change.
Understanding the brain doesn’t mean the brain will shift.
In fact, it’s often the way our brain labels a problem that keeps us stuck.
Take the phrase:
“I lack confidence.”
It sounds fixed. Unchangeable. But it’s rarely true in all situations.
More often, the real story sounds like:
“I lose confidence when I present to senior leaders.”
“I question myself in conflict.”
“I feel small in certain environments.”
That distinction matters. It’s the start of forward movement.
In my work, I help people slow down their thinking, examine the language they use, and name the real story more accurately. Once that happens, the brain can no longer treat the issue as a fact — and change becomes possible.
That same psychiatrist had a breakthrough after just one session.
Something they believed was beyond their reach suddenly felt possible.
Here’s what that tells us:
If you’ve been struggling for years, it doesn’t mean it’s permanent.
It might just mean the way you’ve been explaining it to yourself needs to shift.
Change doesn’t come from what you know.
It comes from learning to tell yourself the truth — with precision, and with kindness.
If you’re a leader who’s been stuck in the same patterns — even with all the right knowledge — it might be time to try a different approach. I help leaders and teams achieve meaningful, lasting change by strengthening emotional intelligence and improving how they understand and talk to themselves. This isn’t about more information — it’s about clarity, behaviour change, and building trust with yourself and others. If you're ready to shift the way you lead and live, let’s talk.
Contact: [email protected]
Learn more: www.hooper-rees.com