Ep 157. Before People Hear Your Words, They Experience Your Nervous System Every day we communicate. Whether at home, at work, with friends, strangers, clients, or family, our lives are built upon thousands of social interactions. Yet beneath every conversation lies a powerful force that most people rarely notice. Our nervous systems are communicating long before our words begin. Human beings are constantly reading subtle social signals. Facial expression, posture, breathing, movement, eye behavior, vocal tone, rhythm, pacing, and emotional presence all influence whether another person perceives us as safe, trustworthy, competent, or threatening. Much of this communication happens automatically. Long before conscious thought, our brains begin asking: **Is this person safe?** **Can I trust them?** **Should I approach or withdraw?** These rapid assessments shape conversations, relationships, leadership, teamwork, negotiation, parenting, counseling, and even conflict resolution. This is the hidden language of human interaction. Modern neuroscience and social psychology demonstrate that emotions and physiological states are contagious. Stress spreads. Calm spreads. Confidence spreads. Fear spreads. Our internal state influences the emotional climate around us. This phenomenon—often called **social contagion**—helps explain why one calm, regulated individual can stabilize an entire group, while one highly dysregulated individual can increase anxiety throughout a room. Our presence matters. Our physiology matters. Our voice matters. One of the most powerful yet overlooked tools of influence is **prosody**—the melody, rhythm, cadence, and emotional tone of our voice. A calm, melodic, well-regulated voice communicates safety. Safety builds trust. Trust creates influence. Influence creates cooperation. Whether leading a team, resolving conflict, teaching a classroom, counseling a client, raising children, or navigating difficult conversations, our effectiveness often depends less on the words we choose and more on the physiological state from which those words emerge. The Running Man Human Stress Model teaches that influence begins with self-regulation. When we regulate ourselves first, our communication becomes clearer, our presence becomes more reassuring, and our ability to positively influence others increases dramatically. Leadership is not simply speaking louder. Authority is not intimidation. True influence begins with creating safety. Because before people hear your message... They experience your nervous system. Regulate yourself. Shape the environment. Create trust. Influence with presence. Take care. Walk well

Hey folks, let me know what you think about the Running Man Podcast. Let me know where you're from and how you are doing in your little part of the world!

Support the show

intro outro music for episodes 1 through 111 done by Jonathan Dominguez Rogue musician. He can be found on youtube at Lazyman2303.

New musical intro and outro music created by Ed Fernandez guitarist extraordinaire. To get in contact with Ed please send me an email at runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com and I will forward him the contact.

Donations are not expected but most certainly appreciated. Any funds will go toward further development of the podcast for equipment as we we grow the podcast. Many thanks in advance.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2216464/support

Ep 156. True Alignment Begins Before Action

"Alignment" has become one of the most popular words in personal development, leadership, entrepreneurship, and self-improvement. It appears everywhere—from motivational videos to business coaching, productivity systems, and social media.

Yet the more the word is used, the more its original meaning is often lost.

True alignment is not simply positive thinking.

It is not wishful manifestation.

It is not repeating affirmations.

Alignment begins with the condition of the nervous system.

We live in an age of unlimited information. Never before has humanity had such immediate access to knowledge. Every day we consume books, podcasts, videos, articles, courses, and social media designed to help us improve our lives.

Yet information alone rarely creates transformation.

Modern culture has become remarkably efficient at acquiring information, while becoming less practiced at converting knowledge into lived experience.

Ancient traditions understood this distinction long before neuroscience began describing it.

Classical Chinese philosophy and martial traditions recognized the profound relationship between Xin (Heart-Mind) and Yi (Intent).

Intent was never viewed as merely thinking positively.

Intent emerged from an integrated internal state.

When the body, mind, emotion, and attention were aligned, action became efficient, purposeful, and skillful.

Modern neuroscience is beginning to describe the same principle.

When stress overwhelms the nervous system, perception narrows.

Attention fragments.

Decision-making becomes reactive.

Visualization weakens.

Predictions become less accurate.

The future becomes difficult to imagine with clarity because survival takes priority over creativity.

In other words...

When physiology becomes dysregulated, intention becomes clouded.

Clear intention requires a regulated nervous system.

This is why the Running Man Human Stress Model begins with physiology before psychology.

A regulated body creates the conditions for clear thinking.

Clear thinking strengthens intention.

Purposeful intention guides effective action.

Repeated skillful action becomes embodied wisdom.

Information becomes experience.

Experience becomes transformation.

Transformation becomes identity.

True alignment is therefore not something we discover.

It is something we cultivate.

It is the progressive integration of physiology, perception, intention, action, and character.

The goal is not simply to know more.

The goal is to become more.

Train your nervous system.

Clarify your intention.

Align your actions.

Become the person your highest intentions have always been pointing toward.

Take care.

Walk well.

Hey folks, let me know what you think about the Running Man Podcast. Let me know where you're from and how you are doing in your little part of the world!

Support the show

intro outro music for episodes 1 through 111 done by Jonathan Dominguez Rogue musician. He can be found on youtube at Lazyman2303.

New musical intro and outro music created by Ed Fernandez guitarist extraordinaire. To get in contact with Ed please send me an email at runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com and I will forward him the contact.

Donations are not expected but most certainly appreciated. Any funds will go toward further development of the podcast for equipment as we we grow the podcast. Many thanks in advance.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2216464/support

Ep 155. Free Your Mind. Return to Yourself.

Every human being longs to live as their authentic self.

From childhood until the end of life, we seek more than achievement or success—we seek acceptance, belonging, meaning, and the freedom to become who we truly are.

Yet the modern world often pulls us away from ourselves.

Although our lives have changed dramatically over thousands of years, our nervous systems still rely on ancient survival programs designed to respond rapidly to danger. These neurological systems evolved to help us survive immediate physical threats—not the chronic stress, anxiety, social pressure, uncertainty, and information overload that characterize modern life.

Our brains still respond to today's stress with yesterday's survival strategies.

When these survival systems remain activated for weeks, months, or years, they begin shaping how we think, perceive, and interact with the world.

Fear becomes caution.

Hypervigilance becomes identity.

Anxiety becomes personality.

Stress begins writing the story we believe about ourselves.

But what if that story isn't really who you are?

What if many of the characteristics you've come to identify with are not permanent personality traits, but adaptive stress responses developed by a nervous system trying to protect you?

This realization changes everything.

The Running Man Human Stress Model teaches that self-regulation is about far more than reducing stress.

It is about recovering yourself.

By learning to recognize the earliest physiological signs of stress—both within ourselves and in others—we gain something incredibly valuable:

Time.

Distance.

Choice.

Freedom.

As our nervous system becomes more regulated, our perception becomes clearer. We become less reactive, more adaptable, and more capable of responding intentionally rather than automatically.

Instead of living through the filter of fear, anxiety, pain, and negative beliefs, we begin experiencing life through clarity, resilience, curiosity, and genuine presence.

This is not about becoming someone new.

It is about removing what stress has placed over who you have always been.

Who Are You Beneath Your Stress?

The Running Man Human Stress Model offers a practical, physiology-first approach to helping people reduce unnecessary suffering, build resilience, expand their stress tolerance, and rediscover the person beneath chronic stress.

Because beneath fear...

Beneath anxiety...

Beneath hypervigilance...

Beneath self-doubt...

You are still there.

Free your mind.

Free yourself.

Become who you were always capable of becoming.

Take care.

Walk well.

Hey folks, let me know what you think about the Running Man Podcast. Let me know where you're from and how you are doing in your little part of the world!

Support the show

intro outro music for episodes 1 through 111 done by Jonathan Dominguez Rogue musician. He can be found on youtube at Lazyman2303.

New musical intro and outro music created by Ed Fernandez guitarist extraordinaire. To get in contact with Ed please send me an email at runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com and I will forward him the contact.

Donations are not expected but most certainly appreciated. Any funds will go toward further development of the podcast for equipment as we we grow the podcast. Many thanks in advance.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2216464/support

Ep 154. The Running Man Human Stress Model Is Finally a Book

After three years of teaching, refining, and developing the ideas behind the Running Man Self Regulation Skills Project, the Running Man Human Stress Model is now available as a book.

This book represents the culmination of years of research, practical application, teaching, counseling, martial arts instruction, neuroscience, psychology, and human performance. It is designed as a practical blueprint for navigating the realities of modern life—where stress, uncertainty, anxiety, conflict, and environmental pressure have become part of everyday living.

Stress is no longer something we experience only during emergencies.

For many people, it has become a constant companion.

The Running Man Human Stress Model teaches a different approach.

Instead of relying on positive thinking after stress has already hijacked the mind, this methodology begins where stress actually begins—in the body.

The Running Man system is founded upon a simple but powerful principle:

Physiology first. Psychology second.

When sudden stress occurs, the nervous system reacts before conscious thought has time to intervene. During these moments, reasoning, judgment, and decision-making become compromised as the brain shifts into survival mode.

The Running Man methodology provides practical, trainable skills that help you recognize stress early, regulate your nervous system, remain centered under pressure, and respond deliberately rather than react automatically.

Whether you experience:

• Chronic stress
• Anxiety
• Hypervigilance
• Emotional reactivity
• High-pressure work environments
• Conflict
• Performance anxiety
• Difficult relationships
• Everyday civilian stress

the Running Man Human Stress Model provides a practical framework for increasing resilience, expanding your stress tolerance, and improving your quality of life.

This is not simply another book about stress management.

It is a practical system for training your nervous system to function effectively before, during, and after stressful events.

Inside you'll discover:

• Why physiology must come before psychology

• How the nervous system shapes perception

• Why stress often masquerades as personality

• Practical self-regulation methods that work under real pressure

• How to recognize stress before it overwhelms you

• A physiology-first approach to reducing unnecessary suffering

• How to remain centered through conflict, uncertainty, and adversity

The goal is simple:

To help people suffer less.

To think more clearly.

To respond more skillfully.

And to live with greater freedom, resilience, and peace.

The Running Man Human Stress Model is more than a book.

It is a practical operating system for navigating the modern world.

Thank you for joining this journey over the past three years.

I hope this work serves you, your family, and those whose lives you touch.

Take care.

Walk well.

Running Man Resiliency in the Face of Fight or Flight Book Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Running-Man-Resiliency-Fight-Flight/dp/B0H6YGJ4WJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BOI7ZY2912AF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PCsHx0Q_bb1rbtF4Vdy8-Q.KiSLfzdnqigm6wCU3kvtrKmnfGdICRvwM8WLVhfpx8Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=running+man+resiliency+in+the+face+of+fight+flight&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1783315890&sprefix=running+man+resil%2Caps%2C305&sr=8-1

Hey folks, let me know what you think about the Running Man Podcast. Let me know where you're from and how you are doing in your little part of the world!

Support the show

intro outro music for episodes 1 through 111 done by Jonathan Dominguez Rogue musician. He can be found on youtube at Lazyman2303.

New musical intro and outro music created by Ed Fernandez guitarist extraordinaire. To get in contact with Ed please send me an email at runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com and I will forward him the contact.

Donations are not expected but most certainly appreciated. Any funds will go toward further development of the podcast for equipment as we we grow the podcast. Many thanks in advance.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2216464/support

Ep 153. The environments we live in shape us more deeply than most of us realize.

From childhood through adulthood, every experience influences how our nervous system learns to respond to the world. We learn through direct experience, observation, imitation, and repeated exposure to the people and environments around us. These experiences become patterns that quietly influence how we think, feel, perceive, and react—often long before we consciously recognize them.

Some experiences nurture confidence, resilience, and adaptability.

Others leave lasting impressions through fear, intimidation, neglect, violence, trauma, or chronic stress.

These difficult experiences do not simply disappear. Instead, they often become embedded within our nervous system as automatic patterns of self-protection.

Over time, these protective patterns can begin to feel like who we are.

A person may believe:

"I'm just anxious."

"I'm an angry person."

"I've always been shy."

"I don't trust people."

Yet neuroscience and psychology suggest another possibility.

Many of what we call personality traits may actually be learned stress responses—adaptive survival strategies developed in response to difficult environments rather than permanent characteristics of the individual.

This distinction changes everything.

The human nervous system constantly evaluates the environment for safety or danger. When chronic stress becomes the norm, vigilance becomes the default. The body begins choosing protective responses before conscious awareness has time to intervene.

What appears to be personality may instead be a state of chronic physiological adaptation.

The victim mindset and the author mindset are not fixed identities.

They exist on a continuum of adaptation.

As our physiology changes, so do our perceptions, beliefs, behaviors, and choices.

This means we are not necessarily trapped by our past conditioning.

By learning practical self-regulation skills, understanding the physiology of stress, and deliberately expanding our capacity for resilience, we can begin shifting from automatic reaction toward conscious response.

The Running Man Human Stress Regulation Model explores this critical intersection between physiology, psychology, perception, and behavior.

It demonstrates how chronic stress shapes the nervous system—and how deliberate practice can reshape it.

The environment does not have to choose your response.

You can learn to recognize your patterns.

You can regulate your physiology.

You can widen your options.

And in doing so, you may rediscover who you truly are beneath years of adaptation.

Take care.

Walk well.

Hey folks, let me know what you think about the Running Man Podcast. Let me know where you're from and how you are doing in your little part of the world!

Support the show

intro outro music for episodes 1 through 111 done by Jonathan Dominguez Rogue musician. He can be found on youtube at Lazyman2303.

New musical intro and outro music created by Ed Fernandez guitarist extraordinaire. To get in contact with Ed please send me an email at runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com and I will forward him the contact.

Donations are not expected but most certainly appreciated. Any funds will go toward further development of the podcast for equipment as we we grow the podcast. Many thanks in advance.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2216464/support

Ep 152. Every human being responds to life through patterns.

Whether we experience stress, joy, fear, surprise, excitement, or overwhelm, our reactions are shaped by neurological programs that have been built through biology, life experience, environmental conditioning, and learned behavior. These patterns often operate automatically, influencing how we think, feel, and act long before conscious awareness fully catches up.

In many ways, we are running programs.

Some of these patterns are obvious. We may notice ourselves becoming anxious, defensive, angry, withdrawn, or overwhelmed when stress rises. Other patterns are far more subtle, only emerging when we reach the limits of our ability to cope.

This limit is often referred to as a window of stress tolerance.

The size of that window matters.

Individuals with a wider stress tolerance window generally have more options available to them during challenging situations. They can think more clearly, regulate emotions more effectively, adapt to changing circumstances, and maintain access to problem-solving skills even when pressure rises.

They are not free from stress.

They simply have greater capacity to function within it.

Others operate within a much narrower stress tolerance window. For them, everyday challenges can feel overwhelming. Minor frustrations may trigger significant emotional reactions. Social interactions, deadlines, uncertainty, and unexpected events can rapidly activate survival responses such as fight, flight, freeze, or submission.

When this happens, the world can begin to feel exhausting, unpredictable, and unsafe.

The critical question becomes:

How do you know when you are approaching your limits?

The answer lies in recognizing the early markers of stress activation.

Changes in breathing.

Muscle tension.

Tunnel vision.

Racing thoughts.

Emotional reactivity.

Impulsive decision-making.

Difficulty concentrating.

These signals often appear before we fully lose access to our best thinking.

Learning to recognize these markers early is one of the most valuable self-regulation skills a person can develop.

When we become aware of our own stress patterns, we gain the ability to intervene before stress escalates into overwhelm. Instead of reacting automatically, we can begin responding deliberately.

This is the foundation of resilience.

Not eliminating stress.

But expanding our capacity to function effectively within it.

The goal is not to become stress-free.

The goal is to widen your window.

To increase your options.

To improve your adaptability.

And to remain capable when life becomes difficult.

The Running Man Self-Regulation Skills Model is designed to help individuals recognize these stress markers, understand their patterns, and develop practical skills that expand stress tolerance through physiology-first regulation and deliberate practice.

The wider the window, the more choices you have.

And the more choices you have, the greater your freedom.

Take care. Walk well.

Hey folks, let me know what you think about the Running Man Podcast. Let me know where you're from and how you are doing in your little part of the world!

Support the show

intro outro music for episodes 1 through 111 done by Jonathan Dominguez Rogue musician. He can be found on youtube at Lazyman2303.

New musical intro and outro music created by Ed Fernandez guitarist extraordinaire. To get in contact with Ed please send me an email at runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com and I will forward him the contact.

Donations are not expected but most certainly appreciated. Any funds will go toward further development of the podcast for equipment as we we grow the podcast. Many thanks in advance.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2216464/support

Ep 151. Conflict, disagreement, resistance, and pushback are natural parts of everyday life.

Whether at work, at home, in relationships, or in public interactions, we regularly encounter situations where our goals, beliefs, needs, or expectations come into conflict with those of others. While many of these interactions are minor, some have the potential to significantly impact our careers, relationships, finances, personal wellbeing, and quality of life.

For many people, conflict is automatically associated with discomfort, danger, and stress.

While this belief is understandable, it is often the result of how the nervous system interprets challenge and uncertainty. When conflict is perceived as threatening, we may become apprehensive, avoid difficult conversations, surrender our position prematurely, or placate others in an effort to reduce immediate discomfort.

The problem is that avoiding necessary conflict often comes at a cost.

Over time, avoidance can lead to resentment, diminished confidence, loss of personal agency, and in some cases a gradual erosion of dignity and self-respect.

Not all conflict is harmful.

In fact, healthy conflict is often the birthplace of growth, innovation, stronger relationships, better boundaries, and more effective solutions.

The challenge is that many people approach conflict as if it were a contest.

A win-or-lose proposition.

A zero-sum game.

In this mindset, the goal becomes defeating the other person rather than solving the problem. This often creates unnecessary resistance, escalates tension, and limits creative problem-solving. It can also feed the ego's desire to be right rather than effective.

In competition, winning may be the objective.

In life, the definition of winning is much broader.

Did you preserve your integrity?

Did you maintain your wellbeing?

Did you strengthen the relationship where possible?

Did you arrive at a sustainable solution?

Did everyone leave with greater understanding?

Real-world success is not always about defeating resistance.

Often it is about understanding it.

Some of the most effective conflict resolution strategies are based on principles of joining rather than opposing, harmonizing rather than escalating, and redirecting rather than colliding.

Force against force creates friction.

Alignment creates influence.

When we remain centered, emotionally regulated, and aware of our own stress response, we gain access to more options. We become less reactive, more adaptable, and more capable of guiding difficult interactions toward productive outcomes.

This is where self-regulation becomes a superpower.

The person who remains calm while others become reactive often becomes the person most capable of resolving the conflict.

Strength is not always found in resistance.

Often it is found in adaptability.

Move from center.

Seek understanding.

Harmonize when possible.

And walk well.

Hey folks, let me know what you think about the Running Man Podcast. Let me know where you're from and how you are doing in your little part of the world!

Support the show

intro outro music for episodes 1 through 111 done by Jonathan Dominguez Rogue musician. He can be found on youtube at Lazyman2303.

New musical intro and outro music created by Ed Fernandez guitarist extraordinaire. To get in contact with Ed please send me an email at runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com and I will forward him the contact.

Donations are not expected but most certainly appreciated. Any funds will go toward further development of the podcast for equipment as we we grow the podcast. Many thanks in advance.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2216464/support

Ep 150. Suffering is often described as an unavoidable part of the human experience. Pain, loss, disappointment, uncertainty, and adversity are realities that every person encounters throughout life. Yet while pain may be inevitable, suffering is often shaped by how we relate to our experiences.

The distinction is important.

Pain is a natural response to injury, loss, challenge, and hardship. Suffering, however, is often amplified by the stories we tell ourselves, the fears we project into the future, and the unresolved emotional reactions we carry from the past.

A stressful event does not need to be happening in the present moment to affect us.

A memory, an image, a thought, or a recollection can activate the same fight-or-flight response that occurs during an actual threat. Within milliseconds, the nervous system can shift into a state of hypervigilance, narrowing attention and preparing the body for danger—even when no immediate threat exists.

This is where self-regulation becomes essential.

The ability to regulate the sympathetic nervous system allows us to maintain not only greater environmental awareness, but also greater personal choice. Instead of becoming trapped inside automatic reactions, we gain the ability to remain present, deliberate, and responsive under pressure.

True self-regulation is not merely a concept.

It must be practical.

It must be teachable.

It must be repeatable.

And it must work across a broad range of situations—from everyday stress to significant life challenges.

The most effective systems of self-regulation are built upon principles rather than rigid techniques. They begin with physiology first and psychology second. When the body is regulated, the mind becomes more capable of clear thinking, emotional balance, and strategic decision-making.

This is why self-regulation must become a skill.

Like any skill, it is developed through repetition, deliberate practice, and consistent application. Over time, effective regulation becomes second nature, gradually replacing the maladaptive stress responses that may have been learned through years of adversity, trauma, or chronic stress.

The Running Man Model of Human Stress Regulation is founded on this principle of sophisticated simplicity.

Its purpose is to create a practical bridge between physiological regulation and psychological resilience. It offers a pathway toward reducing unnecessary suffering by helping individuals regain influence over their internal state, their attention, and their response to life’s challenges.

The goal is not to eliminate pain.

The goal is to reduce unnecessary suffering.

To move from reaction to response.

From survival to adaptability.

From struggle to skill.

And ultimately, to become more capable of meeting life exactly as it is.

Take care. Walk well.

Hey folks, let me know what you think about the Running Man Podcast. Let me know where you're from and how you are doing in your little part of the world!

Support the show

intro outro music for episodes 1 through 111 done by Jonathan Dominguez Rogue musician. He can be found on youtube at Lazyman2303.

New musical intro and outro music created by Ed Fernandez guitarist extraordinaire. To get in contact with Ed please send me an email at runningmangetskillsproject@gmail.com and I will forward him the contact.

Donations are not expected but most certainly appreciated. Any funds will go toward further development of the podcast for equipment as we we grow the podcast. Many thanks in advance.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2216464/support