Episode 521: Dr. Shadé Zahrai, PhD: The Science of Acting Through Self-Doubt

Habits and Hustle

Jen Cohen

Entrepreneurship, Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Business

4.5 • 818 Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2026

⏱️ 94 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Self-doubt is often mislabeled as a confidence problem, which causes people to hesitate instead of act. The real cost is momentum, because confidence is built through action, not something you wait to feel before moving. We dive deeper into this in the Habits & Hustle with Dr. Shadé Zahrai. We also chat about why high performers still experience self-doubt, the ping pong ball vs golf ball analogy for detaching from doubt, and why self-image drives behavior more than motivation. Dr. Shadé Zahrai is a behavioral researcher and peak performance educator with a PhD in organizational behavior. She has designed and delivered programs for Fortune 500 companies including Google, Microsoft, LVMH, JP Morgan, and McKinsey. Her work has reached millions through LinkedIn Learning, TEDx talks, and global leadership programs. What We Discuss: (03:10) Why the opposite of self-doubt isn’t confidence but self-trust (08:42) Why high performers still experience self-doubt and act anyway (14:25) The ping pong ball vs golf ball analogy and how doubt becomes identity (21:30) Why affirmations backfire when the brain doesn’t believe them (28:55) How self-image shapes behavior more than motivation or discipline (36:40) The scar experiment and why we experience reality through expectation (44:15) Why saying yes too quickly damages self-trust and decision quality (01:21:26) How your partner’s dependability and discipline shape long-term career success Thank you to our sponsors: Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift. Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE40 for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order Amp fit is the perfect balance of tech and training, designed for people who do it all and still want to feel strong doing it. Check it out at joinamp.com/jen Find more from Jen: Website: https://jennifercohen.com Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement Find more from Dr. Shadé Zahrai, PhD: Website: https://shadezahrai.com Instagram: @shadezahrai Youtube: @shadezahrai Tiktok: @shadezahrai

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.
0:06.9	Today on Habits and Hustle, we have Dr. Shadeh Zaray, who is a behavioral researcher, an award-winning
0:14.3	peak performance educator, and a leading authority on confidence and self-doubt. She was a former
0:20.5	corporate lawyer with an MBA
0:22.1	and background in psychology, and she has designed and delivered transformative programs
0:27.4	for Fortune 500 giants, including Google, Microsoft, J.P. Morgan, McKinsey, and so many more.
0:34.9	In this episode, we cover why self-doubt is often misread as a confidence
0:41.3	problem and how that misunderstanding quietly kills your momentum. We impact why confidence
0:46.8	is built through action, not something you wait to feel, and why high performers still experience
0:53.1	self-doubt and how detaching from it changes decision-making,
0:57.2	behavior, and follow-through. We also get into the ping pong ball versus golf ball analogy for
1:02.9	self-doubt and why self-image drives behavior more than motivation ever will. You guys,
1:10.3	this is a great episode.
1:11.6	I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved having it.
1:20.5	All right, you guys, today we got a big, fun guest.
1:25.0	And her name is, I love this name, Shadezari.
1:28.9	Yeah.
1:29.5	It takes me a few times.
1:30.9	You got it.
1:31.6	Offline, I was like practicing.
1:33.4	So thank you for being on the show.
1:34.8	Thanks.
	...

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