We all want to grow, but sometimes we get stuck. On this podcast, we delve into the areas of our lives where we feel blocked, explore the limiting beliefs holding us back, and uncover the "old selves" we need to let go of to make way for our evolved future.
Join us as we navigate the uncomfortable process of self-discovery, challenge our assumptions, and ultimately grant ourselves "permission to evolve" into the best versions of ourselves.
Listen now and start your journey of personal and professional growth.
Publisher
Brandon Thielk and Holly Deschenes
Category
business · education · health & fitness · kids & family · religion & spirituality · society & culture
Episode 83: Permission to Rest: The Missing Piece That Makes Growth (and Training) Actually Stick?
On Permission to Evolve, host performance and life coach Brandon Thielk and co-host/producer Holly Deschenes discuss “permission to rest” and why constant pushing can lead to burnout, injuries, and distorted decision-making. Brandon explains that rest is where integration, new perspective, and nervous system recovery happen, especially when rewiring patterns or doing deep emotional work, and notes tools like HRV that can guide recovery. In the question of the week, he describes how avoiding pain from unresolved past wounds (like rejection or abandonment) creates rigid strategies, overthinking, and repeated experiences of the very outcomes people fear, and argues healing requires feeling emotions in the body rather than intellectualizing them. They compare true rest with doom scrolling, share examples from athletics and a recent car accident, and emphasize boundaries, sustainable effort, and intelligent work supported by reflection.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:08 Why Rest Matters
02:22 Question of the Week
03:18 Avoidance Creates Pain
06:35 Feel It in the Body
09:36 Permission to Rest
10:44 Work Culture and Burnout
14:51 Rest Brings Perspective
18:28 Real Rest vs Scrolling
24:40 Injury Forced Downtime
28:40 Tradeoffs and Longevity
32:46 Hard Work vs Smart Work
37:21 Key Takeaways on Rest
42:44 Where to Find Brandon
43:41 Closing Goodbye
🔗 LINKS:
Free Strategy Session: https://brandonthielk.com/
Newsletter Signup: https://brandonthielk.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonthielk/
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@bthielk
https://substack.com/@brandonthielk1
8 Oct 2026
Electric Wisdom: The Confidence Trap: Why “Not Good Enough” Can Look Like Entitlement
In a coaching session between Brandon and Holly, they explore how an “I’m lesser than” wound can unconsciously drive people to overwork, say yes to everything, and seek worth through proving themselves, yet never feel satisfied. They contrast this with an outward expression of the same insecurity that looks like confidence but is actually a facade of entitlement, image-protection, and sometimes manipulation. They discuss how these mirrored patterns show up in feedback, bosses, and relationships, one side internalizing shame, overthinking, and giving too much while shutting down receiving, the other defending ego with anger and taking more while giving less. They argue worth and value aren’t decided by others, must be generated within, and that the current situation is an opportunity to embody real value through selectivity, boundaries, and healthier receiving.
00:00 Proving Worth Trap
00:43 Boundaries And Selectivity
01:00 Entitlement Vs Confidence
02:13 Two Sides Same Wound
04:09 Giving And Receiving Imbalance
05:30 Mirrors At Work
06:06 Anger Sadness And Feedback
07:51 Healthy Receiving Opportunity
09:04 Trust The Lesson
🔗 LINKS:
Free Strategy Session: https://brandonthielk.com/
Newsletter Signup: https://brandonthielk.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonthielk/
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@bthielk
https://substack.com/@brandonthielk1
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/permission-to-evolve/id1792609620
https://open.spotify.com/show/6HMWcqqroohupXCbf3CxOn
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/630fe721-2342-490e-b3ef-1f143cacc88f/permission-to-evolve
https://www.instagram.com/permissiontoevolvepodcast/
5 Oct 2026
Episode 82: Permission to Question Everything
In this episode of Permission to Evolve, host performance and life coach Brandon Thielk and co-host/producer Holly Deschenes explore “permission to question everything” as an ongoing, practical process for uncovering blind spots, shifting perception, and moving from negative emotion into a more neutral, objective state. Holly asks about people who over-intellectualize decisions with pros/cons lists, and Brandon explains this often reflects a lack of self-trust, fear of mistakes, and avoidance of emotions; he argues effective decisions blend logic with gut-level emotional information and require “cleaning up” past baggage that can distort what feels like facts. They discuss patterns, coping mechanisms, shame-based self-criticism versus self-compassionate curiosity, fixed mindset and all-or-none thinking, and how true peace shows up as reduced bodily tension and can unfold in layers over time. The episode closes with takeaways on asking the questions you avoid, releasing limiting identity stories, and how to connect with Brandon’s coaching, newsletter, social channels, and the Electric Wisdom clips.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:09 Question Everything Intro
01:35 Intellect vs Emotion
08:53 Listener Q Reminder
09:30 Blocks and Perception
11:54 Weaknesses and Inquiry
13:45 Humility and Growth
17:27 Patterns and Shame
22:24 Self Compassion Lens
26:34 Triathlon Learning Gaps
31:53 When Im Fine Isnt Fine
39:03 Key Takeaways Recap
43:22 Where to Find Brandon
44:47 Closing and Next Time
🔗 LINKS:
Free Strategy Session: https://brandonthielk.com/
Newsletter Signup: https://brandonthielk.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonthielk/
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@bthielk
https://substack.com/@brandonthielk1
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
35
Social presence
94
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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