 Today I'm with Jason Schneider, and I'm really excited to be talking with him because he is a true expert at NLP, but more than that it's more like human potential. So we're gonna I think this is gonna be an empowering call Or a meeting with Jason. So Jason. Hi. Thanks for being here. Thanks for doing this. Thanks so much for having me again Always a pleasure. Yeah, so there's so much I want to ask you about but I want to start with your bio So that people kind of get a sense of your background So Jason, you've been training and coaching full-time since 2010 And you have facilitated training programs all over the world In person and not just via zoom, but you've been in person doing paid trainings in Canada Africa Finland Norway Indonesia Australia, and of course all over the US You now do, you know a lot of obviously online training programs and they're really experiential They're focused on getting lasting results among the participants and helping them apply advanced coaching skills to shift Their you know their mindset and also the mindsets of their clients You are currently the president of the USA Institute on Neurosemantics, which is like a branch or like an advanced version of nlp. Well, I'll have you explain that Actually, maybe that's the first thing I want to ask you about Um, most of the people watching this have heard of nlp neuro linguistic programming, which we're going to talk about you have a different way of talking about it than than most people but You really talk a lot about Neurosemantics and not just nlp. So what is nearsemantics? How does it relate to nlp? That's a really good question and one that I have to deal with a lot because nlp is a broad field and not many people Well, a lot of people have a shallow understanding of it. Not many people have dove too deep to really know the distinction So when I think about neuro semantics, I think about it as a series of updates and add-ons On top of the traditional nlp Modality So we've got a lot and the main one is which is really cool. Actually the main distinction Besides the fact that that the community of neuro semantics focuses on professionalism and self actualization as the application of nlp So it's not so much focused on Influencing others. It's more about influencing yourself And in order to be a better leader and to help people to unleash their highest potential But one of the coolest things about neuro semantics is the focus on this thing called the meta-state model And so it's about how our feelings about our feelings are so much more powerful than just our feelings about the world Or our thoughts about our thoughts are so much more powerful and influential than just our our thoughts about the world So that's kind of a simple distinction. Yeah, it's a really I mean, I love how you said that it's poetic There's a and and there's a lot behind it. I mean, it's something you can be pondering for years Right and practicing uh for for a lifetime. So Let's say that again your feelings about your feelings are more important Than those feelings. So give us an example of this Right. Yeah, right. So like, um, well, I guess I could give I I think your audience might be able to relate I think a lot of them will have tried affirmations in the past. Sure. I don't know. Have you if you've ever tried affirmations Yes, of course, of course. So I think a lot of people have the the experience that practice. I am Uh rich and abundant and then the thought about that fundamental like no, you're not You have a thought about the thought that then kind of campers without right and validates. Yes. Yes Oh, that's good. Yeah. So and that's just at the primary level and then but but even we can go beyond that So we can say something like I'm rich and abundant and then the boys You're gonna goes no, you're not and then the voice about that voice goes Why are you judging yourself and the boys think about that choice goes you should know better You're you should be more evolved than that. And then you start to feel So so you start with this kind of maybe well, and this is an affirmations But it happens all day long where you're stuck in traffic or or you know Something happens in the world you get frustrated and you get angry at yourself get getting frustrated And then you're ashamed of yourself for getting angry at yourself for getting frustrated And then you get pissed off at yourself for getting ashamed at yourself And this kind of hole of mirrors goes on And and the interesting thing is that whatever is at the top of the chain here And these examples are for like negative chains of thinking But what we could do this positively and then for blessing ourselves and others as well So whatever's at the top is kind of like the CEO of that thought chain So think of it like a hierarchy like an organizational hierarchy is whatever's at the top A govern organized modulate and control everything underneath it So this is where it gets kind of yeah, this is so interesting. So Yeah, I mean you brilliantly talked about that chain that we've all experienced before I feel like with the affirmations Again, I'm not an expert on affirmations. Of course. I've read books that have talked about it I've heard, you know, lots of interviews or whatever. It's almost like you have to like beat yourself into that primary thought You just have to beat yourself. Oh, no, no, I'm abundant. No, no, I don't care what everyone says. I don't care what my mind says Right, like it's it's this kind of denial of any other thought other than that thought so but So what you're saying is you don't have to deny I mean So what you've done already is you brought awareness To that chain of thoughts and then you're talking about this this kind of top level thought or CEO thought What is that? What's an example of a C at the top level thought and how do you yeah? Yeah, yeah, so so like in the example of the affirmation that we're using here today The top level thought at least in the so far as we've gone into the example would be a thought and a feeling of kind of negation or doubt So we feel doubt about this affirmation this thing that we would like to believe And that higher level doubt now cancels it out Whereas you could have a something let's say for example that you don't want to believe about yourself like Oh, I'm I'm not good with money or oh, I'm not as successful I'm not good at being an entrepreneur and then the thought above your head goes. Yeah, that's right You're totally not like we all agree with that And so like that's again, these are for the negative side of things But like one example that I really love because because I think it's such a powerful state to have Is is acceptance Especially with all the things that are going on right now with accelerated Change and transformation going on in the world and a lot of people looking at it as problems But also being able to see the side of opportunities that when stuff happens to us in the world Um We can fight with it. That's one way to feel about it or we can accept it And so when people tend to fight with the things that are out of their power, that's other people Worldly situations the economy politics things that are not directly in their power Then that can tend to lead to frustrations, which is okay It's okay for people to get frustrated or angry about things that they don't like But it's okay, but it's a lot you create a very big problem when you get upset at yourself or angry at yourself for being frustrated So you're frustrated that the economy is not going the way you want it to you're frustrated that your plans got disrupted because of changes in the political or Or cultural environment you're frustrated because Something simple like somebody cut you off in traffic or somebody says something to you that you don't like But as soon as you get mad at yourself for getting frustrated now again You've created a whole layer of problems, but you can always just accept That you're mad at yourself for getting frustrated and that acts like the ceo works like the hole of mirrors kind of collapses Yeah, and no matter how deep you've gotten yourself into this This funk this hole this hole of mirrors of negativity You can always just layer some acceptance on top and all of a sudden it all it's like cutting off the dragon at its head Right, so it's pretty an interesting practice. Yeah, that's really good. And speaking of all that's going on in the world. Oh my gosh economy politics You know, obviously public health. I mean so You know one's own career and job is the transformation that's been overnight instant um You talk about how so help us deal with the problems of the world Shall we problems in our lives Talk, yeah, tell us about that. Let's we have all these problems. How do we deal with all these problems? Yeah, so problems first of all, I think that neuro linguistic programming and especially neuro semantics as as a field Are really, um, if you think about it tools for solving problems. They are problems solving tools Um, or or ways of looking at the world that are most Conductive to solving your problems In a way that's like joyful to kind of model model some things from you You're solving problems. Now a lot of people they do not like problems So there's a there's a problem And they they they they bring this state of dislike or aversion to the problem And one of the interesting things about problems that problems are actually like Like one of the amazing beliefs of self actualizing people especially entrepreneurs is that problems are the lifeblood of self actualization And problems are the lifeblood of of any entrepreneurs business So any sort of problem any entrepreneur kind of looks at that if you're thinking about building wealth for yourself And he wants what goes There's something to be solved here And so problems aren't actually a bad thing problems are actually opportunities for us to get creative to grow And to think differently about things they kind of push these external problems not the internal problems That i'm angry at myself for being frustrated about them But these external problems are really where our our perception of the world our model of the world is getting pushed up with The reality of the situation and one of them needs the change and one of them is not going to Yeah, yeah, this is really good. So this this idea of um The problems being opportunities Right is such a profound shift of definition and and just frame way of looking at it that um It's like when I look at You know, well, I mean actually similar to how people look at their to-do list Right, like when we look at our to-do list, we could see this. Oh my god. I gotta get all these things done It's like, oh, wow. These are the things that if I get done moves my life forward Like or I cannot do them and not move my life forward. That's okay, too But it's the problems are the same way problems are like You know, especially problems that are in our control right, um So let's talk about let let's let's talk about these two things. I want to talk about problems I don't know which one we should start with problems that are in our control and problems that are out of our control There's so much of it these days both both ways Um, let's start with okay. Let's start with problems that are not in our control How do we how do we relate to that how to relate to that? I mean, yes, you could say well entrepreneurs think Oh, that's an opportunity to add value to really bring some benefit into people's lives But let's say it's out of our control. Let's say it's like politics. Let's say it's like, you know, people are, you know, racial injustice I mean, I'm you know, race systemic racial injustice One person, you know, like or or climate change. I mean these problems that are Yeah, sure. I'll shower less or turn out the lights but climate change or racial injustice, you know, like how how do we relate to those problems? Well, I think obviously I don't I don't know if we're going to solve all the world's problems in this brief interview today, but but just like The first thing that comes to mind first of all is again There's this distinction between problems that are directly in your control And there are problems that are out of your direct control and potentially in your realm of influence And so I think that's a good distinction is is it is it a problem that's Basically behind my nose and toes Or is it on the other side of that and and to make that distinctions are very a very useful one Now the first thing I'll say about problems that are we'll start with outside of you is really a strong strong strong being able to have In yourself the ability to To practice develop a practice of acceptance So, you know when we were talking earlier, I was writing with you and I was saying that there's some categories of Problems that are never really the problem, which is an interesting thing So for example, the world outside of you is never never never really the problem The world cannot be the seat a problem. You ever walk outside. Don't you hate it when you walk outside and you trip over a problem It doesn't happen because problems are a human construct The earth doesn't care if there's global warming or not. It's going to sort it out. It's not a problem The universe is going to sort it out It's a problem for you maybe in your little subjective experience And so problems aren't outside things. First of all problems are inside things So the world is never a problem because the world would be just fine if you don't think of that thing as a problem Without you so the world isn't the problem now other people Are outside of you. They're never the problem either So that's kind of good news because that's outside of you. It's outside of your realm of control So the world's never the problem other people are never the problem Another really cool thing is that you are never the problem and this goes for everybody all the time And this is kind of another one of those kind of like profound Understandings when you get it in you is that you are never the problem because you've done things in the past that are Perhaps problematic and yet you're still here And you could do things differently in the future. You can learn from those mistakes You can learn from those those situations and and grow beyond them Like i'm sure most people have done things in the past that they go. Oh, I would never do that again And so you're never the problem and another interesting thing is that the past is never the problem a lot of times people have bad relationship with the past But but just to summarize here Because the past is over with if you have a problem with the past. It's not the past that you have a problem with It's your memory. That's in you right here right now Causing a potential problem within you and that's interesting because one of the key. Well, I mean NLP neuro semantics I like that. It's it's not about it's about influencing you essentially like influence like using the tools to influence yourself first So that you can be more effective doing whatever it is Whether you're influencing others or not But um, so let's talk about that like like those of us who are bothered by our past How does nlp or neuro semantics help with that? Yeah, well, I mean one of the things is again, it's not the past that's bothering you So these linguistic these fine linguistic distinctions are Are one of the ways that we can get more more sane is the word that we would use in neural semantics Not as a compared to insane, but as compared to i'm saying and so You know, we can be sane and we can be unseen doesn't mean we're insane It just means that that unseen just means that the way we're thinking about the world is not aligned with the way the world really is It's not accurate to the structure of the world So so memories are never really the what happened in the past never really the problem The problem is how are you thinking about it right now? And how is that holding you back and preventing you from getting to where you want to be? because There's many memories that you could have within yourself or that someone can have within them Where where you remember something that was problematic In a way that you use it to grow and to prepare and to to become more resourceful to handle the things that are coming at you in the future So like in like in a short sentence, it's not the memories. It's not the past. It's the problem It's not even the memory. That's the problem. It's how are you thinking about that memory and how are you using it? So finding new and better ways to fuse your memories one simple example of that Um, we may have talked about this on a previous call is when you remember your memories You remember them one of two ways. Did you did you know that george that you remember your memories one of two ways And it's basically only two ways And not all memories will be All the same but one of these two each of your memories is encoded one of the two One of the ways to encode our memories is step into them kind of like we're reliving them So if you took a moment and you thought of like a positive memory from the past Um, it's encoded one of these two ways either you're stepped in it and you kind of regressed back into your younger self You see what you saw in that moment to your eyes You hear what you hear you feel what you felt and you feel those feelings and another way to remember them is in Third person kind of stepped out So you see younger you having that experience So one great way to have a better relationship with our memories Especially the bad ones is to kind of step outside of them and give ourselves some distance from them So that we don't kind of re-experience the emotions of the past again But we can kind of step back look at it from a perspective of resourcefulness and calmness So that we can learn from them So that so we can think about the same memory from a different Advantage point a different point of view a different perspective and and use it as a resource as opposed to It's bad enough that you had to go through the craft the first time It's it's it's not necessary to keep on reliving it over and over again in your neurology Wow, that's really good. And that's that's a really powerful example of one of the many tools that Ninguistics programming and neuro semantics provides is is how do we how do we use our memory? How do we use our thoughts in a way that's more constructive? And so now we can move forward better. Okay, so there's still so much more I want to I want to get to this one for sure this idea that Uh, you know, this is something you say and I want you to talk about this in order to get what you want There are things you need to do Right, and the trick is to want to do the things you need to do to get what you want Okay, so talk about that and unpack that Right. Well, I think especially in terms of like visualization So a lot of a lot of coaches and nothing against them again The problem is never the person and I just want to like finish that that quote Because the problem is never the world the problem is never other people the problem is never you and the problem is ever the path The problem is always your frame of mind And the good thing is that if I had that frame of mind or someone else had that frame of mind They'd have the same problem as you because again the problem is if the stuff it's how you're looking at it So one of the things that I see a lot of coaches saying is to Visualize the end goal like step in and visualize the end goal and be there and enjoy it and and practice that and so And and and for most people that's going to be really easy because the end goal is such an amazing good feeling like You're there. I got it. Like it's phenomenal to just like have that But the thing is if you kind of get lost in that feeling and you're stepped into it like stepped out versus And you're stepped into it. Well, one of the things is well, I don't have to do any work to get those feelings Because that's the inside stuff. That's not outside stuff. Yeah And so I think it's useful as a motivator And it's important as a human being who's creating their life and living intentionally To know where you're headed and to be clear what that looks like However, in order to get there, there's the things you need to do to get there And actually, this is something that that I really have refined this this thought from From my my work with you which is so in order to get there You need to do some things in order to get there And when when we think about the things we need to do to get there typically that imagination is like Like we get in and we have the six pack abs and you're like, oh, yeah, this is great But then you're like, oh, I'm going to the gym doing it up like So all these little steps along the way that we need to do and we whenever we imagine them Come along with these bad feelings Well, it's no wonder that you don't take action towards your goals or that you don't move forward or you kind of Put goals aside that maybe you did want that you go, oh, it's too hard or no It's not really for me or I don't think I could ever get it And so the trick is really to take that a state of joy And to bring it to the actions that you need to do in order to get what you want and spend the majority of your time Visualizing yourself not visualizing yourself. It's not visualizing yourself, but it's stepping into those memories and practicing the Visualization of being inside those memories looking through your eyes Seeing what you see hearing what you hear feeling what you feel smelling what you smell tasting what you taste As you eat the spinach as opposed to eating the you know As opposed to the joy of having the the six pack abs Um, yeah, that's really that's really good. It's really true. It's like it's like people can fantasize And and then still sit on the couch and eat potato chips while they're fantasizing About the six, you know that abs versus versus feeling the goodness like oh, I feel so good to work out Or the to remember like what parts of it felt good and kind of like And also I think last thing on that one I think that a lot of times people aren't clear on what they need to do to get what they want So they have this vision and and the bigger the goal the bigger the dream the bigger the want Or the further you are away from it The more that needs to get done and the longer it's going to take most likely And so a lot of people especially when they take a big one and they're starting out from a beginner's mind They don't know what these things are And so that's where it becomes important to flush out what the things are that you need to do to get what you want Maybe model some experts Um and or read some books or do some research on the internet or ask them questions to your friends Who've accomplished it or reflect back on your past when you've done it before Figure out what those things are and and that will help you to find the things that you can practice enjoying On the way to getting what you want and getting that kind of that meta joy Because this is the last bit on that one also is that that when you visualize these big things There's no guarantees in life So people visualize what they want and these dreams and these goals And if the practice of getting there is not enjoyable then then not only are you not guaranteed that you'll get it But you won't enjoy the process So when you practice enjoying the process not only does it increase the probability that you'll get the goal But it makes it a lot less important whether you do or not Wow. Yeah, so good so We have a few minutes left and I want to make sure people know how they can kind of We'll step into working with you because you have a couple ways. You've got Self-study courses online so people can just down, you know access them anytime Second you have live events online so people can kind of check their schedule and then join you and then you also do Work with clients individual clients Um Oh, and you also now. I'm sorry. You have a you have a mentoring program actually a group a group program So maybe tell us about okay. Let's start with the let's start with the um, let's start with the group program Actually, what what kind of person is right for your group program? Uh, that should you know look at this Yeah, so the group program is great for anybody who is in person development Whether it's really about coaching yourself or you're coaching other people using whatever modality it is It's not just for nlp coaches But it's about people who are again either interested in coaching themselves Or you already have a practice and you're coaching others and you want to refine your skills refine your tools And maybe add some other skills and tools to your toolbox to get better results So we do in that group program live events we have We have actual practice sessions that are dedicated to practicing skills because the practice is so much and more important Than the the head knowledge and opportunity to interact with me and get your questions answered It's really key what you just said practice sessions practice is more important than just head knowledge Because of course if we have the head knowledge, but we haven't integrated it into our everyday use Uh make it more instinctual than we're not getting the real benefit of it Right, so that's really cool that your group mentoring program has those practice sessions Built in so that they're actually growing. They're actually changing Trans transforming into higher potential Um, you have live events coming up. Do you want to mention any of them? And I know people might be watching this Uh months later, but um, but I'll definitely have the link for people to go But give me a sense of what your what a typical live event is like Yeah, sure. So the live events now are 90 minutes long and They they they basically start out with right now It's going to be changing in in in the following year But for the next five months for the rest of this year each one of those events is focusing on one foundational skill of nlp that's applied to coaching communication and leadership So the next one we have coming up is on state management. We talked a bit today In concepts about accepting things better Uh bringing joy to things and so that one we're really going to hone in on the practice of how to do that With yourself and with other people and then there's always time after so we leave an extra half an hour in the room For people to want to hang around network meet each other and actually practice the skill To actually get hands-on practice doing the actual exercises. So it's very practical very experiential Intending the workshop so you experience it firsthand And also you learn the step-by-step procedures and you have opportunity to practice with other people So right now we're doing three a month events like that Where there's opportunities every three wednesdays of the month the first third and fourth wednesday of the month To focus in and practice a specific skill and these are all online, right? So yeah, people can join from anywhere in the world And then you have your do it yourself courses that people can go and just you know sign up and download and kind of get into it and You want to say anything about those? Well, those are great. I mean those basically right now In all transparency We're taking these live events that we're doing for the people who show up live and we're converting those into online courses So they're the same events that you would go to live if you can't make it live You can get the online course and then typically the online courses are valuable because They're broken down bit by bit into like manageable chunks. So it's not a 90 minute or two hour thing or short four minute bits Topical and then some added in practice exercises and skill builders that people can Go and play with their friends and their family or their clients and actually have skill builders to implement Awesome. Awesome. Your website is perception academy Perception academy.com. Of course, I will have all the links in the notes of the video jason. Thank you so much for today for your the work that you do for people and I'm excited for people to kind of get to know your work better. So thanks for all you do. Thank you so much, George