Take a Beat

About Take a Beat

A Change in Story is a podcast about the moments that reshape how we see ourselves and the world around us. Through individual stories, explore what happens when people challenge old narratives, let go of what no longer fits and figure out what comes next. Also included are three-minute quick tips that break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help offer a different perspective. Hosted by Katie Bascuas, a licensed professional counselor, with a former life working in journalism and communications, and lover of all things writing and story-related.

Publisher

Katie Bascuas

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Mar 2024

Latest episode

21 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

107 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Sept 2026

   QuickTip: What Is a Growth Mindset?

   Today's topic explores the idea of a growth mindset and how this frame of mind can help when navigating challenges and trying new things. Psychologist Carol Dweck originally introduced the concept of a "growth mindset." Her research on motivation and personality led her to discover that people tended to operate with one of two different mindsets: fixed or growth. A fixed mindset is the idea that our talents, abilities and intelligence are set or can't be changed. While a growth mindset is the belief that intelligence, abilities, talents and even parts of our personality can be cultivated or developed through effort. Some other characteristics of a growth mindset include: the idea that challenges can help us grow; failures or setbacks can be learning opportunities; facing setbacks or failure doesn't mean that we have to give up on a goal; and feedback, both positive and negative, can help us align our efforts toward reaching a goal. Two ways to help develop a growth mindset are to value effort more than results and to use the word "yet" when referring to goals that you're working toward. Sources and additional info: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck *** Disclaimer: The information contained here is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

2. 

   16 Sept 2026

   QuickTip: Name It to Tame It

   Have you ever felt overwhelmed by an emotion? Today's topic explores Name It to Tame It, a strategy to help reduce the intensity of challenging emotions, like fear and anger, that sometimes feel overwhelming or overpowering. To give this strategy a try the next time you're feeling an intense emotion, you can break it down into several steps: First, pause, if you can, and notice what you're feeling in your body. Maybe that's a tightness in your chest or a pit in your stomach. Next, try to name any emotions that are coming up as best you can. You might notice for example a feeling of anger, fear, or simply overwhelm. At this point, it can also be helpful to reflect on what might be contributing to the emotion. For example, maybe you're under a lot of pressure at school or work, leading to anxiety or maybe you're in a really frustrating situation, contributing to anger. You don't have to fix or solve anything but having a greater understanding of what's contributing to the intense emotion can help you better understand what's going on within you and even help you find compassion for yourself. As a final step, see if you can notice the change in your body as you've been going through this process. For example, do you notice that your breathing is slower and calmer? Do you feel an overall greater sense of peace? Try to focus on or stay with those sensations of relief for a little while to continue signaling to your body that you're safe. Like most techniques, Name It to Tame It might work for some people and not for others, or it might work in some situations and not in others. Always use your best judgment regarding which strategies resonate with you. Additional resources and sources: Dan Siegel: Name It to Tame It Lieberman MD, Eisenberger NI, Crockett MJ, Tom SM, Pfeifer JH, Way BM. Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychol Sci. 2007 May;18(5):421-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x. *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

3. 

   29 Apr 2026

   QuickTip: Who Inspires You Most?

   Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today's topic explores an easy, fun way to identify some of your values by looking at the people who inspire you. As a quick refresher, values are essentially an internal guidance system that help us to decide what to move toward or away from based on what we find important or meaningful. Because they're more internal, and not right on the surface, values can sometimes take a little bit of work to figure out or to get clear on. So to try this exercise: Identify three people you look up to. They can be people you know, like family members, friends, people in your community, or they could be famous, maybe an athlete, a musician, actor, artist, or a well-known entrepreneur. Reflect on each person, thinking about what characteristics or qualities they each embody that you appreciate or respect. (Maybe it's their work ethic, or their sense of humor, or maybe their sense of community, or their creativity and how they express themselves, etc.) Jot down those qualities under each person's name to create three different lists. Once you've gotten a number of characteristics down for each person, cross compare among the three lists and see if you notice any similarities or even the same qualities between two or even all three people. You can circle those or make a new list. Next, identify at least 3-5 overall values that you might have based on what you've written down. You can also use a list of values available online to help give you some ideas. Finally, test it out. Notice how you spend your free time for the next several days, and see if it's reflective of those values you identified. Or, you can intentionally use those values to make decisions about how to spend your free time, and that can help you to further clarify what's really important to you. *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

79

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.