Have you ever looked around at your life and thought, This should be enough?

The career. The family. The accomplishments. The things you worked so hard to build.

And yet, something still feels missing.

In this episode of Delay the Binge™, Pam Dwyer sits down with Jim Hughes, founder of Become Untamed, international speaker, business and personal coach, and former engineering leader, for a conversation about what happens when the person we learned to be begins to feel disconnected from who we actually are.

Jim introduces his powerful Cast List concept: the different versions of ourselves that step onto the stage depending on our circumstances, relationships, fears, and the stories we’ve carried with us. Some of those characters helped us survive, belong, achieve, or feel safe. But what happens when an old version of us keeps taking the microphone long after we need them?

Pam and Jim explore the exhausting weight of the “shoulds,” why fear doesn’t have to disappear for us to move forward, and how achievement can become a way of avoiding deeper pain.

They also dig into a question at the heart of Delay the Binge: What if the behavior we keep trying to fix isn’t actually the problem?

Overeating. Overworking. People-pleasing. Avoiding conflict. Saying yes when we mean no.

Jim explains why these behaviors can be symptoms, and why lasting change often requires us to look beneath the behavior at the emotions, stories, and old patterns driving it.

You’ll also hear Pam and Jim talk about energy as a clue, the connection between pain and purpose, why our old patterns don’t have to be hated or eliminated, and how we can begin reconnecting with ourselves without blowing up our lives or becoming someone completely different.

Because perhaps becoming untamed isn’t about becoming someone new.

It’s about becoming honest enough to recognize yourself again.

Take Jim’s FREE Cast List Assessment

Want to discover which characters may be showing up in your own internal cast?

Take the Free Cast List Assessment

Connect with Jim Hughes

Become Untamed
Jim Hughes on LinkedIn

About Delay the Binge™

Delay the Binge™ isn’t just about food. It’s about creating a pause before any behavior that pulls us away from the life we truly want.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

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Support the show

This is Delay the Binge™

Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind burnout, Quiet Depletion, reactive coping, and the behaviors we return to even when we know they no longer serve us.

Through emotionally honest conversations and practical insight from experts in neuroscience, psychology, resilience, wellness, leadership, and human behavior, we explore why we do what we do, what happens when stress and depletion take over, and how small intentional choices can begin to change what happens next.

Because lasting change isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about learning to recognize the pattern, create a pause, and choose your next right move.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Stay Connected!

By Pam Dwyer on Substack
Speaking, Quiet Depletion, Delay the Binge™, and the work behind the work.
Subscribe to By Pam Dwyer

PJ Hamilton Stories
Personal stories about life, family, loss, resilience, and everything in between.
Subscribe to PJ Hamilton Stories

Delay the Binge™
delaythebinge.com

Pam Dwyer | Speaking, Books & More
pamdwyer.com

Delay the Binge™ is a trademark of TPKK Concepts LLC....

What happens when you know what to do, but stress takes over before you can do it?

And what happens when the pause comes after the reaction?

In Part 2 of my conversation with NuriEdge co-founders Mariana Merritt and Lacey Mathews, we move from understanding our patterns to what it looks like to work with them in real life.

We talk about the moments when you send the email, say the thing, shut down, overreact, or fall back into an old behavior before you realize what is happening. Instead of treating that moment as failure, we explore what can happen next: understanding what pushed you off course, repairing what needs to be repaired, and practicing a different response for next time. That is something NuriEdge is specifically designed to help users work through.

We also dig into psychological safety, why stress can make knowledge we already have harder to access, how AI can provide support in the moment rather than only after the fact, and how recognizing our own patterns can give us more choices.

You'll hear us explore:

• What psychological safety actually looks like in a difficult moment
• Why pausing for even a few seconds can change what happens next
• How stress affects our ability to access what we already know
• Why practicing a different response can help create a new pattern
• How NuriEdge approaches privacy and confidential conversations
• What repair can look like after you've already reacted
• Why one difficult moment doesn't erase the progress you've already made

NuriEdge was intentionally designed so an individual's conversations are not shared with their supervisor, while organizational insights are handled in aggregate.

And perhaps the most important reminder in this conversation:

Sometimes you catch the pattern before the reaction. Sometimes you catch it during. Sometimes the pause comes afterward. It still counts.

You don't have to start over.

Start where you left off.

Connect with NuriEdge

NuriEdge: nuriedge.ai
Visit the website to learn more, listen to the NuriEdge podcast, or start a free trial. Mariana and Lacey specifically invite listeners to try the platform and share feedback.

NuriEdge on LinkedIn: NuriEdge
Lacey Mathews on LinkedIn: Lacey Mathews
Mariana Merritt on LinkedIn: Mariana Merritt

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This is Delay the Binge™

Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind burnout, Quiet Depletion, reactive coping, and the behaviors we return to even when we know they no longer serve us.

Through emotionally honest conversations and practical insight from experts in neuroscience, psychology, resilience, wellness, leadership, and human behavior, we explore why we do what we do, what happens when stress and depletion take over, and how small intentional choices can begin to change what happens next.

Because lasting change isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about learning to recognize the pattern, create a pause, and choose your next right move.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Stay Connected!

By Pam Dwyer on Substack
Speaking, Quiet Depletion, Delay the Binge™, and the work behind the work.
Subscribe to By Pam Dwyer

PJ Hamilton Stories
Personal stories about life, family, loss, resilience, and everything in between.
Subscribe to PJ Hamilton Stories

Delay the Binge™
delaythebinge.com

Pam Dwyer | Speaking, Books & More
pamdwyer.com

Delay the Binge™ is a trademark of TPKK Concepts LLC....

You know better. You’ve done the work. You’ve learned the tools. So why, when you’re stressed, exhausted, or under pressure, do old behaviors and beliefs suddenly come rushing back?

In Part 1 of this special two-part conversation, Pam sits down with Mariana Merritt and Lacey Matthews, co-founders of NuriEdge, to explore what is actually happening when we struggle to access what we already know.

Mariana brings a background in applied social psychology and therapeutic support, while Lacey brings years of experience in technology and product development. Together, they’re exploring how neuroscience, human behavior, and technology can provide meaningful support closer to the moments when people actually need it.

They unpack why depleted brains fall back on familiar patterns, the unique pressure carried by middle managers, how stress affects our ability to respond intentionally, and why knowing what to do is very different from being able to access it under pressure.

You’ll also hear why burnout and Quiet Depletion aren’t simply problems of discipline or willpower, how shame can keep us stuck, and why even 30 seconds of pause can give us an opportunity to recalibrate.

Connect with NuriEdge

🌐 Website: NuriEdge
🎧 NuriEdge Podcast: Listen & Watch the NuriEdge Podcast
✨ Try NuriEdge: Start a Free Trial
💼 LinkedIn: Follow NuriEdge on LinkedIn

Meet the Co-Founders:
Lacey Mathews, CEO & Co-Founder
Mariana Merritt, CSO & Co-Founder

In this episode:

• Why old patterns return when our bandwidth is depleted
• What stress and dysregulation do to decision-making
• The hidden pressure of being “sandwiched” in middle management
• Why more discipline and better time management aren’t always the answer
• How our brains use past experiences to predict what happens next
• Why practicing a different response can help create a different path
• The power of micro-moments, self-compassion, and recalibration
• Why you may not actually need to respond right now

Your Plus One: The next time you feel pressure to respond immediately, give yourself 30 seconds. Breathe. Notice what’s happening. Then decide what you want to do next.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Part 2 arrives tomorrow, when Mariana and Lacey go deeper into psychological safety, recognizing patterns, practicing difficult situations before they happen, and how NuriEdge is being built to support the human, not replace the human.

Delay the Binge is for educational and informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, legal, financial, or other licensed advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This is Delay the Binge™

Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind burnout, Quiet Depletion, reactive coping, and the behaviors we return to even when we know they no longer serve us.

Through emotionally honest conversations and practical insight from experts in neuroscience, psychology, resilience, wellness, leadership, and human behavior, we explore why we do what we do, what happens when stress and depletion take over, and how small intentional choices can begin to change what happens next.

Because lasting change isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about learning to recognize the pattern, create a pause, and choose your next right move.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Stay Connected!

By Pam Dwyer on Substack
Speaking, Quiet Depletion, Delay the Binge™, and the work behind the work.
Subscribe to By Pam Dwyer

PJ Hamilton Stories
Personal stories about life, family, loss, resilience, and everything in between.
Subscribe to PJ Hamilton Stories

Delay the Binge™
delaythebinge.com

Pam Dwyer | Speaking, Books & More
pamdwyer.com

Delay the Binge™ is a trademark of TPKK Concepts LLC....

What happens when the doctor helping everyone else is quietly struggling to survive?

For more than 30 years, Dr. Noushin Hart built a successful career as a board-certified radiation oncologist while privately battling the effects of childhood trauma, PTSD, depression, insomnia, and emotional pain that conventional treatments never fully resolved.

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Hart shares her journey from silence and survival to healing and self-love. Together, we explore the connection between trauma, the nervous system, physical health, and the importance of reconnecting with ourselves.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Childhood trauma and emotional healing
• PTSD, depression, and insomnia
• Why the body remembers what the mind tries to forget
• Quiet depletion and nervous system overload
• Surviving versus healing
• Reconnecting with intuition and self-trust
• The power of hope and resilience
• Why your past does not define you

CONNECT WITH DR. NOUSHIN HART

🌐 https://healingbyhart.com

🌐 https://h2hcc.com

📸 @dr.hart2heart

From Silence to Self-Love: A Journey of Survival and Resilience

(Coming Soon)

Remember: Healing is not about becoming someone new. It's about reconnecting with who you have always been.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This is Delay the Binge™

Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind burnout, Quiet Depletion, reactive coping, and the behaviors we return to even when we know they no longer serve us.

Through emotionally honest conversations and practical insight from experts in neuroscience, psychology, resilience, wellness, leadership, and human behavior, we explore why we do what we do, what happens when stress and depletion take over, and how small intentional choices can begin to change what happens next.

Because lasting change isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about learning to recognize the pattern, create a pause, and choose your next right move.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Stay Connected!

By Pam Dwyer on Substack
Speaking, Quiet Depletion, Delay the Binge™, and the work behind the work.
Subscribe to By Pam Dwyer

PJ Hamilton Stories
Personal stories about life, family, loss, resilience, and everything in between.
Subscribe to PJ Hamilton Stories

Delay the Binge™
delaythebinge.com

Pam Dwyer | Speaking, Books & More
pamdwyer.com

Delay the Binge™ is a trademark of TPKK Concepts LLC....

What happens when the life you spent years building suddenly disappears?

After exposure to black mold led to chronic inflammatory response syndrome and an immune deficiency disorder, psychologist, author and chronic illness mentor Dr. Jeffrey Bone had to confront a painful truth: the life he kept trying to reclaim was not coming back.

In this deeply honest conversation, Jeffrey shares the grief of losing both his health and the identity built around who he had once been. He and Pam explore medical trauma, the isolation of invisible illness, the importance of self-advocacy, and why finding the right doctor sometimes requires the courage to walk away from the wrong one.

Jeffrey also reveals how curiosity helped him discover parts of himself he had never explored. Poetry led to journals, books, coloring books and eventually his podcast, To the Bone: Conversations on Pain, Illness, and Meaning.

This episode is not only for those navigating chronic illness. It is for anyone whose life has changed through loss, caregiving, disappointment, an empty nest, a career transition or a dream that did not unfold as expected.

Jeffrey reminds us that healing does not always mean returning to who we were. Sometimes it means grieving what has changed, asking for help and becoming curious about the life that can still be built from where we are now.

Connect with Dr. Jeffrey Bone:

Website: https://www.drbone.live/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restless.human.studio/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@restless.human.studio

Connect with Pam Dwyer:

https://pamdwyer.com/

https://delaythebinge.com/

Your past does not define you. It prepares you.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This is Delay the Binge™

Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind burnout, Quiet Depletion, reactive coping, and the behaviors we return to even when we know they no longer serve us.

Through emotionally honest conversations and practical insight from experts in neuroscience, psychology, resilience, wellness, leadership, and human behavior, we explore why we do what we do, what happens when stress and depletion take over, and how small intentional choices can begin to change what happens next.

Because lasting change isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about learning to recognize the pattern, create a pause, and choose your next right move.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Stay Connected!

By Pam Dwyer on Substack
Speaking, Quiet Depletion, Delay the Binge™, and the work behind the work.
Subscribe to By Pam Dwyer

PJ Hamilton Stories
Personal stories about life, family, loss, resilience, and everything in between.
Subscribe to PJ Hamilton Stories

Delay the Binge™
delaythebinge.com

Pam Dwyer | Speaking, Books & More
pamdwyer.com

Delay the Binge™ is a trademark of TPKK Concepts LLC....

What if you did not need certainty before taking the next step?

Brandi Croghan, leadership consultant, speaker, founder of The What If Collective, and creator of the What If Mindset, joins Pam Dwyer to explore how two simple words can open the door to courage, connection, and meaningful change.

After an unexpected career transition and a difficult personal season, Brandi traveled alone to Spain to walk 116 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago. She began the journey carrying a 16-pound backpack and believing she needed to see the entire path ahead. What she discovered was that she did not have to carry everything, she was walking solo but was never truly alone, and she only needed to take the next step.

Pam and Brandi discuss why curiosity is more than asking questions. It is permission to consider another perspective, admit that we do not have every answer, and move through fear without waiting for fear to disappear.

They also explore the measurable relationship between connection, belonging, and team performance; why people resist change; how leaders can help people feel seen during uncertainty; and how to recognize when something we once carried has become too heavy to take any farther.

This conversation is a reminder that difficult moments do not require false positivity. Sometimes we need to let the moment hurt. We simply cannot build our home there.

Then we pause, stay curious, and take the next step.

CONNECT WITH BRANDI CROGHAN

Website: https://www.thewhatifcollective.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandi-croghan-founder-whatifcollective/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealwhatifcollective/

CONNECT WITH PAM DWYER

Website: https://pamdwyer.com/
Delay the Binge™: https://delaythebinge.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PamDwyerSpeaker

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This is Delay the Binge™

Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind burnout, Quiet Depletion, reactive coping, and the behaviors we return to even when we know they no longer serve us.

Through emotionally honest conversations and practical insight from experts in neuroscience, psychology, resilience, wellness, leadership, and human behavior, we explore why we do what we do, what happens when stress and depletion take over, and how small intentional choices can begin to change what happens next.

Because lasting change isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about learning to recognize the pattern, create a pause, and choose your next right move.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Stay Connected!

By Pam Dwyer on Substack
Speaking, Quiet Depletion, Delay the Binge™, and the work behind the work.
Subscribe to By Pam Dwyer

PJ Hamilton Stories
Personal stories about life, family, loss, resilience, and everything in between.
Subscribe to PJ Hamilton Stories

Delay the Binge™
delaythebinge.com

Pam Dwyer | Speaking, Books & More
pamdwyer.com

Delay the Binge™ is a trademark of TPKK Concepts LLC....

What if the thoughts, emotions, habits, and reactions you identify as “you” are often automatic patterns running outside your awareness?

Alan Bodnar, author of The Self-Driving You, joins Pam Dwyer to explain how the brain’s self-driving system generates many of our first responses to life. These patterns can shape our fears, cravings, beliefs, emotional reactions, and sense of identity before the conscious mind has an opportunity to intervene.

Alan describes the difference between the automatic system and the conscious “driver” capable of directing attention and choosing an alternative response. He and Pam explore how the pause between impulse and action can help us interrupt patterns, regulate stress, and gradually rewire the brain.

They also discuss Quiet Depletion, the effect of chronic stress on the nervous system, and why awareness alone does not create change. Alan shares practical ways to engage the conscious driver through mindfulness, slower breathing, journaling, curiosity, and compassion.

In this episode:

• Why many thoughts and reactions happen automatically
• How patterns become attached to identity
• What happens when the conscious driver “takes the wheel”
• Why chronic stress keeps the body’s accelerator pressed down
• How mindfulness and breath help apply the brake
• What it means to drop the story and go to the energy
• Why journaling helps reveal patterns
• How compassion can be practiced and strengthened
• Why lasting change is not about willpower or shame

Connect with Alan:

Website and The Self-Driving You: https://www.theselfdrivingyou.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselfdrivingyou/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-bodnar-21bb2513/

Connect with Pam:

https://pamdwyer.com/
https://delaythebinge.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@PamDwyerSpeaker

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This is Delay the Binge™

Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind burnout, Quiet Depletion, reactive coping, and the behaviors we return to even when we know they no longer serve us.

Through emotionally honest conversations and practical insight from experts in neuroscience, psychology, resilience, wellness, leadership, and human behavior, we explore why we do what we do, what happens when stress and depletion take over, and how small intentional choices can begin to change what happens next.

Because lasting change isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about learning to recognize the pattern, create a pause, and choose your next right move.

Pause. Choose. Build momentum. Finish stronger.

Stay Connected!

By Pam Dwyer on Substack
Speaking, Quiet Depletion, Delay the Binge™, and the work behind the work.
Subscribe to By Pam Dwyer

PJ Hamilton Stories
Personal stories about life, family, loss, resilience, and everything in between.
Subscribe to PJ Hamilton Stories

Delay the Binge™
delaythebinge.com

Pam Dwyer | Speaking, Books & More
pamdwyer.com

Delay the Binge™ is a trademark of TPKK Concepts LLC....