The Slight Shift Show…Just a Little Bit More…Or Less…

Hosted by Chris Berlow

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100

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Did you know that by doing just a little bit more each day and making slight shifts every day can have a massive impact on your personal and professional life? The Slight Shift Show is here for financial advisors, high achievers, entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, and driven individuals who are constantly producing, striving, and juggling it all. The Shift Show…We know what you're thinking…but we got you! If you're aiming to increase revenue and put the systems in place for a balanced life, while managing the demands of a successful career and a fulfilling family life, join us on the Slight Shift Show. Hosted by Martial Arts Grandmaster and serial entrepreneur Chris Berlow author of the best-selling book, "You Have Infinite Power" and Award-winning Financial Advisor and author Angela Vahue. Chris and Angela have been trusted by countless high achievers to build a philosophy of Be Better Every Day, or better known in Asian philosophy as Il Il Shin. Il Il Shin teaches consistent micro-improvements compound into major transformation over time. In other words, Slight Shifts each day! They've coached thousands of ambitious achievers, including financial advisors and other professions to build habits of slight shifts every day, without sacrificing their health, relationships, or peace of mind. Whether you're building your financial services business, a business owner who's tired of trading personal time for professional wins, or a growth-minded leader looking to achieve multi-dimensional success, you'll find practical, powerful guidance here. Each episode is packed with actionable insights, high-performance habits, and candid interviews to help you thrive in every area of life. Regular topics covered on The Focused Edge Podcast • High-performance habits for demanding careers • Work-life balance for entrepreneurs • Success without burnout • Time management for professionals • Business growth strategies • Peak performance • Entrepreneurial mindsets • Scaling an advisor business • Enjoying quality family time as a high achiever • High-income growth strategies • Productivity for busy professionals Get ready to be inspired, equipped, and energized….so you too can do Just a Little Bit More!

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60 recent

September 3, 202650 min

Beyond the Finish Line: Visualization, Grit, and Now Winning the Battle Against Breast Cancer

How do you harness the power of visualization and unbreakable mental toughness to navigate extreme physical challenges and life-altering health battles? In this episode of The Slight Shift Show , Chris and Angela welcome a very special guest. Chris's wife and "hero," Kathy Berlow! From raising a large family to competing as a bodybuilder, completing an Ironman, running marathons, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Kathy shares the mindset required to tackle extraordinary physical feats. The conversation takes a deeper, more emotional turn as Kathy opens up about surviving a grueling year-and-a-half struggle with nerve pain following surgery, and how she is applying her visualization techniques to her current fight against breast cancer. How to take on life's toughest battles! The Shift to "Go Big or Go Home": How supporting family at races inspired Kathy to jump from a half-Ironman goal to committing to a full Ironman, just to hear her name called at the finish line. Overcoming Skill Barriers: Learning to ride a clip-in bike and swim in open water from scratch, including handling race-day setbacks like losing wetsuit privileges in the Hudson River. The Power of Anchors & Visualization: Using mental pre-framing, songs (like Queen's Bicycle ), and arm tattoos to push past intense physical discomfort. Navigating Medical Validation & Chronic Pain: Kathy's journey through a year and a half of debilitating nerve pain, the mental toll of second-guessing herself, and the relief of finding the right surgeon. Compartmentalization in Crisis: Managing a cancer diagnosis just two days before her son's wedding while remaining fully present for her family. Please join us for this inspiring episode and story!

August 27, 202651 min

From Burnout to Clarity: Redefining Success and Building Fearless Confidence

How can confronting life's uncertainties and redefining success lead to a more authentic, purpose-filled life? In this engaging episode of the Slight Shift Show , Chris and Angela sit down with Dr. Taryn Majewski, an optometrist, to explore the transformative power of intentional living. Dr. Taryn candidly shares her personal journey of navigating career burnout, stepping away from her father's optometry practice, and overcoming deep-seated self-doubt. By re-evaluating her core values during the COVID-19 pandemic, she shifted her focus from seeking external validation to prioritizing time, family, and inner peace. Her story serves as an inspiring reminder that making small, intentional shifts and embracing temporary discomfort can unlock authentic self-worth and lasting happiness. Redefining Success: Moving away from external status, money, and parental approval toward core personal values like time, family, and presence. Navigating Career Transitions: Overcoming the fear, guilt, and emotional complexity of leaving a secure family business to protect personal relationships and mental health. Daily Happiness Anchors: Shifting from viewing happiness as a distant goal to finding daily gratitude through simple triggers, such as searching for natural heart shapes in everyday surroundings. Building Authentic Confidence: Using "Project Fearless, "a challenge to intentionally face one small item triggering anxiety each week, to step out of comfort zones and build self-trust. Join Chris and Angela for this powerful and transformative episode of the Slight Shift Show.

August 13, 202625 min

Reframing Your Past: Small Shifts to Protect Your Identity and Internal Power

You hold the ultimate authority to rewrite negative life narratives and protect your inner peace by refusing to adopt someone else's definition of your identity. In this episode of the Slight Shift Show , Chris and Angela dive into how small, intentional mindset adjustments, whether adding a new habit, letting go of limiting beliefs, or reframing a situation, can completely transform your life. From advocating for a child's academic placement to overcoming personal trauma with vulnerability and strength, this episode offers actionable strategies for maintaining control over your own story. Entrepreneurs, business owners and parents, take note! Key Discussion Points: Overcoming Past Traumas: Revisiting challenging locations or memories, such as a health crisis, to rewrite the narrative and reclaim personal power. The Power of "Yeah, But": A practical cognitive tool to catch negative self-talk in the moment and immediately redirect your mind toward a constructive truth. Decoupling from External Words: Learning to remain centered ("avoiding being an emotional puppet") so that other people's words and intentions bounce off without defining your internal state. Proactive Reframing for Children: How to advocate for a child's educational needs while ensuring temporary setbacks or grade adjustments do not become a permanent, limiting identity.

August 6, 202636 min

Can You Be Content and Driven at the Same Time?

True inner peace fuels meaningful drive rather than halting it. In this episode, Angela and Chris reflect on recent travel misadventures, the difference between contentment and complacency, and how to maintain peace while pursuing ambitious goals. Contentment vs. Complacency: A deep dive into the debate over whether being content kills your ambition. Chris and Angela explain that contentment is a mindset rooted in inner peace and joy, whereas complacency means settling or stalling growth. The Danger of Ego-Driven Goals: How tying your happiness strictly to external outcomes or comparisons strips away peace, while aligning goals with service and family fuels sustainable drive. Finding Joy in the Process: Practical advice on cultivating awareness so that everyday adversity doesn't knock you off center as you strive for your bigger purpose. Embracing the Unexpected: Angela shares highlights from her trip to Belgium. From sold-out castle tours to finding the ultimate waffles, illustrating how choosing gratitude over frustration opens the door to better memories. The Rule of Travel: Why you should always plan your next vacation before finishing your current one to keep forward momentum in life.

July 16, 202636 min

Why Your Relationship Rules Might Be Sabotaging Your Success

Ensure the rules you establish in your relationship are easy to meet and hard to break so you don't let small, trivial habits disrupt your connection. Chris and Angela dive into the humorous and sometimes frustrating friction points that arise in long-term relationships, drawing from Chris's 33 years of marriage and Angela's eight years. They explore how simple daily tasks, like which way the paper towel rolls, how knives are placed in a block, or how laundry detergent is stored, can trigger unnecessary irritation if couples don't practice flexibility. By understanding that partner differences often stem from being "blissfully unaware" rather than malicious intent, they emphasize that a stronger relationship relies on choosing peace over perfection. The Waffle vs. Spaghetti Brain: Angela shares a concept comparing the compartmentalized male brain (waffle) to the deeply interconnected female brain (spaghetti), explaining how women often process multiple connected thoughts at once while men focus on individual tasks. The Fiction of the "Right Way": The hosts discuss how tasks like loading the dishwasher, folding towels, or doing laundry have multiple valid methods, and different doesn't mean wrong. Letting It Go: Inspired by the movie Frozen , they advocate for choosing compromise and letting go of small quirks that hold no real merit or negative influence on life. Prioritizing the Partnership: Chris highlights the importance of maintaining a strong foundational relationship, reminding listeners to focus on the big picture rather than sweating the small stuff. If you are a busy professional or entrepreneur looking to ease the tension at home, this is a must listen to episode.

June 25, 202629 min

How mindful eating can help you move from reactive eating to proactive performance

Mastering your relationship with food is one of the ultimate tests of discipline, but controlling your eating empowers you to take control of every other area of your life. Chris and Angela tackle the concept of "mindful eating, "the tenth rule of Il Il Shin. Instead of advocating for restrictive diets or overwhelming meal prep, they champion the philosophy of making small, intentional adjustments. The episode is a powerful perspective shift on how to approach nutrition, discipline, and healthy living without the heavy burden of guilt. If you're a business owner, entrepreneur or building a demanding career, find out how mindful eating can give you an edge personally and professionally. Mindful Eating Discussion Points The Pillars of Mindful Eating: Slowing down to listen to your body's fullness cues, avoiding reactive eating when starving, and truly experiencing the flavors and textures of your food. The Impact of a Scarcity Mindset: How early life experiences with tight finances can subconsciously cause a person to view food strictly as fuel to be consumed quickly, rather than an experience to be appreciated. Proactive vs. Reactive Planning: The value of simple meal planning to eliminate daily cooking stress, and utilizing modern grocery apps to save time and mental energy. Shifting from Elimination to Addition: Why you should stop focusing on what you need to cut out, like cupcakes or cookies, and instead focus on adding nutritious, healthy foods to your plate. Building Discipline and Appreciation: How intentional practices like fasting or consistent workout routines can heighten your appreciation for food and build ultimate self-discipline.

June 18, 202630 min

The Power of Language: How Words Shape Your Identity and Future

"The words we use hold immense weight. Casual phrasing can unintentionally construct limiting negative core memories or cap your true potential. " In this episode of The Slight Shift Show , Angela and Chris delve into the psychology of language, sharing how a teacher's critical note from thirty years ago and a coach's selection decision left lasting imprints on their career trajectories. To combat these linguistic traps, they challenge you to a quick vocabulary audit, breaking down the exact words you need to drop, replace, and respect to achieve a mindset shift. If you consider yourself a high achiever, busy professional, growing a business or building a demanding career, find out why words matter and how you can choose them to grow personally and professionally. Key Discussion Points Words to Eliminate: "Someday": Punting goals to an ambiguous future gives you permission to delay action indefinitely. The solution is to put it on the calendar immediately. "Must": A highly controlling, obligatory word that instantly drains your energy and lowers body language. Words to Replace: "Try" and "Should": Both words inherently offer a permission slip to fail. Shift your phrasing to present-tense action words like "I will," "I choose to," or "I get to." The Most Powerful Words: "I Am": The ultimate phrase of direct ownership. What you attach to "I am" defines your immediate identity and reality. "Just": A dangerous qualifier that subtly negates your value and strips away professional and personal pride. Join Chris and Angela and learn more about how you can choose your thoughts and words carefully!

June 4, 202642 min

How to focus on true growth and shift your attention inward, trading external comparison for personal progress

The true path to fulfillment lies in trading external comparison and excuses for the courage to connect deeply and improve yourself from within, one slight shift at a time. In this lively episode of the Slight Shift Show , Angela and Chris discuss how small, intentional adjustments can completely transform your perspective and enrich your life. The discussion revolves around what the world needs more and less of today. Key Discussion Highlights: The Power of More Courage: Angela emphasizes that the world needs more courage to combat the fear of failure and the constant comparison bred by social media. The Courage to Fail: They discuss reframing failure into a positive learning experience, referencing how the founder of Spanx was encouraged by her father to celebrate daily failures as steppingstones to success. Eliminating Excuses: A deep dive into the difference between a legitimate reason (circumstances beyond your control) and an excuse (deflecting ownership). Chris and Angela argue that taking personal accountability eliminates the need for excuses. Fostering Real Connection: Angela and Chris highlight the loss of joy and presence when devices replace face-to-face interaction, advocating for true, tech-free human engagement. Internal vs. External Comparison: The episode wraps up with a powerful "final shift." Challenging you to stop comparing yourself to others on social media and instead focus on being better than you were yesterday.

May 21, 202632 min

Why Saying "Thank you" "I'm Sorry" Is Your Secret Leadership Superpower

Accepting responsibility is not about condoning bad behavior. It is about having the humility to admit where you could have communicated or led better. In this episode of The Slight Shift Show , Chris and Angela dive deep into Principle #8 of the Il Il Shin Philosophy. The concept of "Thank You and I'm Sorry." Moving far beyond kindergarten manners, Angela and Chris explore how applying these two phrases at a foundational level can completely dissolve tension in your relationships, leadership, and parenting. "Thank you" and "I'm sorry" can deepen your relationships both personally and in business. Key Discussion Points: The Il Il Shin Philosophy: Principle #8 encourages deep humility and ego reduction by shifting perspective during moments of friction. The Power of Ownership: "Thank you" means showing gratitude for the lesson or awareness a situation brings, while "I'm sorry" means taking responsibility for your own communication gaps rather than deflecting blame. Real-World Application: How a leader used this exact framework to transform a difficult performance review with an assistant into a breakthrough of mutual respect. Internal Awareness: The importance of practicing self-forgiveness and monitoring your own tonality during uncomfortable interactions.

May 14, 202638 min

The Art and Importance of Constant Training

True growth isn't a destination, but the result of choosing to stay in "training mode" through every life challenge. On this episode of the Slight Shift Show , Angela and Chris dive into personal stories about overcoming limiting beliefs, the trap of "waiting for the right time," and how to redefine "training" as a holistic practice for the mind, body, and soul. How to redefine training mode: The "When/Then" Trap: Angela discusses how many people chase a finish line, thinking they will be happy whe n a project is done or when they reach a certain milestone. Only to find the goalposts have moved. The shift is learning to let life's goals run in tandem with current happiness. Redefining Training (ABT): Chris introduces the concept of ABT (Always Be Training) . He explains that training isn't just about the gym. It's about training your response to a rude driver, practicing patience, and preemptively sharpening your mindset through meditation and reading to handle stress before it hits. The Power of Self-Respite: Angela shares her journey of unlearning the guilt associated with taking time for herself. She explains how "recentering" through documentaries or quiet time allows her to show up as a better person for others. Overcoming External Labels: Chris and Angela reflect on moments where a "wrong" belief was handed to them. They discuss the importance of shedding those external narratives to create a new trajectory. The "Training Extra Hard" Mindset: Angela shares her favorite mental shift. When life gets frustrating or overwhelming, tell yourself, "I'm just training extra hard today." This reframe turns a negative experience into a productive exercise in grace, patience, or resilience. Digital Presence vs. Reality: A discussion on the importance of looking up from our phones to smile and connect with the people right in front of us, emphasizing that the most important moment is always the one you are currently at.