ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What does “I don’t know” really mean?
You might say it every day.
“I don’t know.”
But what if those three words are not always telling the truth?
What if sometimes you do know, but your brain is overwhelmed, your attention is scattered, you have too many mental files open, or your nervous system is trying to avoid something uncomfortable?
In this episode of The Shiny Minds Show, I am putting the phrase “I don’t know” under the magnifying glass.
As someone who has been teaching Neuro-Linguistic Programming since 2011 and has spent years studying the relationship between language, the brain, behavior, and human transformation, I am fascinated by the words we use automatically.
Because language is not just communication.
Language can reveal what is happening inside your system.
In this episode, we explore:
✨ Why you might automatically say “I don’t know”
✨ The difference between genuinely not having information and being mentally overwhelmed
✨ How mental clutter can make it harder to access what you already know
✨ The connection between automatic responses, the amygdala, and survival responses
✨ How “I don’t know” can sometimes function as avoidance or freezing
✨ Why coaches need to become aware of their own assumptions and automatic patterns
✨ What happens when you replace an automatic response with a conscious one
✨ Practical alternatives to “I don’t know” that create more space for reflection and clarity
✨ My formula for change: Change = Awareness × Willingness
And perhaps most importantly, I want you to begin catching yourself.
The next time “I don’t know” comes out of your mouth, pause.
Ask yourself:
Do I really not know?
Or have I simply not accessed what I know yet?
That tiny moment of awareness can create an entirely different conversation.
Because the goal isn't to have an answer to everything.
The goal is to become more conscious of how you respond when you don't have an answer yet.
That is where self mastery begins.
🎧 Watch or listen to Episode 92 of The Shiny Minds Show and discover what may be happening underneath one of the most common phrases we use every day.
Keep shining your light. ✨
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