How Eliminating One Word Can Shift Your Mindset (& Unlock Sustainable Success) | Carla Ondrasik (EP408)
Minimalist Moms Podcast | Simple Living for Overwhelmed Moms
Diane Boden
4.8 • 952 Ratings
🗓️ 23 September 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If you’re struggling to meet your goals, the problem may not be effort—it’s that you’re still trying. In this episode, author and motivational speaker Carla Ondrasik joins me to share insights from her new book, Stop Trying!: The Life-Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More. Drawing from her unconventional childhood, career in music publishing, and experience as a mother, Carla challenges the way we use the word “try” and makes the case for a powerful mindset shift: replacing trying with doing. We dive into the psychology of language, the difference between half-hearted attempts and decisive action, and why accountability and small, achievable steps are key to lasting change. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the cycle of “trying” without results, this conversation will give you the tools and encouragement to stop spinning your wheels and start moving forward with confidence.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
- Diane's Resource: The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More by Jefferson Fisher
- Previous Episode: I Respectfully Disagree: The Lost Art of Disagreement with Justin Jones-Fosu (EP43)
- Connect with Carla:
- Website
- Book: Stop Trying!: The Life-Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More
About Carla |
Carla Ondrasik is the creator of the No Try philosophy and author of Stop Trying! The Life-Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More. She has spent over two decades sharing her message through research, speaking engagements, mentoring, and writing. A former VP of Creative Writer Development at EMI Music, Carla placed hit songs with legends like Barbra Streisand, Cher, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and many others contributing to millions of records sold worldwide. She continues to mentor aspiring musicians while promoting her philosophy to businesses, women’s leadership groups, and schools. Carla has two adult children and lives in Southern California with her husband, John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting) and is an avid swimmer.
Episode Sponsors |
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Questions |
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- If you’ve been struggling with motivation to declutter or work through bad habits that keep you stuck, I’d love to help you achieve your goals! We’ll work together (locally or virtually) to discover what areas in your life are high priority to get you feeling less overwhelmed right away. For more info on my processes, fees, and availability please contact!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | When you replace trying with doing, it changes your mindset. You can't even believe how much you say try. |
| 0:09.8 | Catch yourself, maybe enlist somebody to listen to you. And every time you say try, they're like, oh, you said try. |
| 0:16.9 | Listen to yourself. Inspire others around you. You know, when you hear someone say, well, I'm going to try to do this. Ask them, well, do you really intend to do that or not? And start the conversation. Dig deep and find out. Is this something you really want to do or not to? Because why add all of the stuff into our life? I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying. When pick one thing and go do it. |
| 0:39.3 | And that will motivate you to go on and do all the others. Hello and welcome to the minimalist |
| 0:44.4 | moms podcast. If you're struggling to get things done or to meet your goals, the problem may not |
| 0:49.7 | be effort. It's that you're still trying. In today's episode, author and motivational speaker, |
| 0:55.6 | Carla Androsic joins me to share insights from her new book, Stop Trying, the Life Transforming |
| 1:00.4 | Power of Trying Less and Doing More. Drawing from her unconventional childhood, career |
| 1:04.8 | in music publishing, and experience as a mother, Carla challenges the way we use the word try |
| 1:10.3 | and makes the case for a powerful mindset |
| 1:12.7 | shift, replacing trying with doing. We dive into the psychology of language, the difference between |
| 1:18.5 | half-hearted attempts and decisive action, and why accountability and small, achievable steps are |
| 1:24.2 | key to lasting change. If you've ever felt stuck in the cycle of trying |
| 1:28.4 | without results, this conversation will give you the tools and encouragement to stop spinning your |
| 1:32.3 | wheels and to start moving forward with confidence. But before we get there, I quickly want to |
| 1:36.6 | share a minimalist resource with all of you. The resource is the book, The Next Conversation, |
| 1:41.5 | Argue Less, Talk More by Jefferson Fisher. I'm currently listening |
| 1:45.0 | to it on Audible. Fisher draws on his years as a trial lawyer and a communication expert, |
| 1:50.1 | and his thesis is that the goal in tough conversations isn't to win, but to connect. And what I love |
| 1:55.3 | most about the book is how practical it is. As I'm always looking for practical conversation, |
| 1:59.2 | I can start day of. He doesn't just talk |
| 2:01.1 | about theory. He gives you concrete tools, including a simple three-step system built around control, |
... |
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