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The Virtual Couch

Your Goals Aren't Yours—That's Why They Don't Stick (ACT for Lasting Change)

The Virtual Couch

Tony Overbay LMFT

Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.9668 Ratings

🗓️ 31 December 2025

⏱️ 74 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What if your New Year's resolutions keep failing because they were never really yours to begin with? Most goals we set aren't chosen—they're inherited from magazines, social media, parents, or that version of ourselves we think we're supposed to become. That's why they don't stick. In this episode, Tony shares his decades-long "pushup obsession" and how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) finally broke the cycle—not through more discipline, but by discovering what actually mattered to him. What you'll learn: - Why "socially compliant goals" sabotage your motivation before you even start - The crucial difference between values (your compass) and goals (checkboxes)—and why confusing them keeps you stuck - How to use lead measures instead of lag measures to build sustainable change - The "Passengers on the Bus" technique for moving forward even when self-doubt is loud - A simple 5-step "Get Back on the Saddle" plan for when you inevitably wobble With over 20 years of clinical experience, Tony explains why you're not broken—you're human—and offers a framework for building a life that actually feels like yours. Ready to stop beating yourself up and start driving toward what matters? This might be the last resolution episode you'll ever need. 00:00 Introduction: Are Your Goals Really Yours? 00:44 Meet Tony Overbay: Your Guide to Self-Improvement 01:57 The New Year's Resolution Dilemma 04:03 The Pushup Story: A Lesson in Values 12:34 Understanding Socially Compliant Goals 15:04 Experiential Avoidance: The Trap of Avoiding Discomfort 20:26 Lag Measures vs. Lead Measures: The Key to Achieving Goals 27:28 Values vs. Goals: The Core of Sustainable Change 38:52 Perceived Value vs. Perceived Capability 40:57 Understanding Perceived Capability and Value 41:46 Corporate America and Disengagement 42:50 New Year's Resolutions and Motivation 46:18 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) vs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) 54:47 The Power of ACT in Therapy 01:00:58 Practical Steps for Getting Back on Track 01:06:05 Embracing Emotions and Moving Forward 01:08:01 Conclusion: Driving the Bus Towards What Matters Contact Tony at contact@tonyoverbay.com to learn more about his Emotional Architects men's group. And visit https://julie-dejesus.com/cruise to learn more about Tony and his friend Julie De Jesus's "I See You Living" cruise, a 5-night Western Caribbean Cruise from January 24-29, 2026 aboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. To learn more about Tony's upcoming re-release of the Magnetic Marriage course, his Pathback Recovery course, and more, sign up for his newsletter through the link at https://linktr.ee/virtualcouch Available NOW: Tony's "Magnetic Marriage Mini-Course" is only $25. https://magneticmarriage.mykajabi.com/magnetic-marriage-mini-course You can learn more about Tony's pornography recovery program, The Path Back, by visiting http://pathbackrecovery.com

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the virtual couch.

0:04.0

Please take a seat for pillars, emotional maturity,

0:09.0

and your self-worth run so deep.

0:11.0

You are not broken, you're a human,

0:15.0

so check that out.

0:17.0

You don't know what you don't know is what it's all about. I'm going to say something that might actually make somebody a little bit uncomfortable.

0:26.7

But if I were to tell you that most of your goals, they're not actually yours.

0:30.3

You didn't choose them.

0:31.3

You most likely inherited them from magazines, from social media, from your parents, from your church, from your community, or from that version of yourself that you think that you're supposed to become. And that is why most of them don't stick. Hey, everybody. My name is Tony Overbay. I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist. And welcome to the virtual couch and potentially a bonus episode on waking up to narcissism because I think this is some really

0:54.8

important stuff that we're going to talk about today.

0:56.6

Do me a huge favor and follow me on social media at virtual.couch on Instagram, at virtual

1:01.2

couch on TikTok, Tony Overbay licensed marriage and family therapists on Facebook.

1:05.8

I think Tony Overbay, maybe just that, maybe an LMFT over on LinkedIn, but substack, oh my glorious substack, go find

1:13.6

me on substack, substack.com, I believe slash the virtual couch. There's a lot of, a lot of content

1:21.6

there and getting back to doing a lot more live question and answers in the new year.

1:26.5

And if you have questions, if you have, I was going to say answers, I'll take your the new year. And if you have questions, if you have,

1:28.9

I was going to say answers, I'll take your answers as well, but if you have questions, relationship

1:32.6

questions, marriage questions, emotional maturity questions, narcissism questions, faith crisis questions,

1:38.5

you name it. Please send them through my website, Tonyoverbay.com, and I will answer them. I'm going to be doing a lot

1:44.9

more with the question and answer episodes, and I want them all. And I really, I really appreciate

1:51.5

when somebody sends me their marriage related questions, because I would love to weigh in on that.

1:55.5

But let's get to today's episode. So I've been a therapist for well over 20 years now, and I have

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