In this podcast episode of Inside Personal Growth, host Greg Voisen sits down with world-renowned performance psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr to discuss his latest book, Wise Decisions: A Science-Based Approach to Making Better Choices. Co-authored with Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker, the book dives deep into the psychology, biology, and neuroscience of how we make decisions—and more importantly, how we can make better ones.
With over four decades of experience coaching Olympic athletes, Fortune 100 executives, military special forces, and top performers across the globe, Dr. Loehr brings a holistic and deeply human approach to the science of decision making.
🧠 Why Wise Decisions Matter
According to Dr. Loehr, we make an astonishing 35,000 decisions every single day. Most are unconscious, habitual, and automatic. But the ones that matter—the ones that shape our lives—require intention, clarity, and inner wisdom.
At the heart of the discussion is the concept of Y.O.D.A.—Your Own Decision Advisor. This inner guide, a blend of intuition, logic, values, and emotion, is what Dr. Loehr describes as the key to making grounded, meaningful choices. But here’s the catch: most people have never been taught how to train their Y.O.D.A.
🧭 Key Insights from the Conversation
1. Health Fuels Wisdom
Dr. Loehr emphasizes that our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health are foundational to making wise choices. Whether it’s getting enough sleep or staying true to your purpose, decision quality is deeply intertwined with overall well-being.
2. Train Your Inner Voice
Many people walk through life with an untrained inner voice, formed from early childhood inputs and often filled with self-doubt or confusion. Wise Decisions teaches you how to retrain that voice through journaling, self-reflection, and conscious practice, turning it into a trusted internal guide.
3. Use the 7 Decision-Making Lenses
The book outlines a powerful tool: viewing choices through seven critical lenses—including best self, core values, life purpose, tombstone legacy, and personal credo. Each lens offers a new way to vet decisions before acting on them.
4. Storytelling Shapes Reality
We don’t just make decisions—we justify them through stories we tell ourselves. Dr. Loehr explains how reframing these stories can dramatically shift the way we experience life and create lasting behavioral change.
5. Decisions as Meta-Moments
Whether you’re stuck in traffic or facing a career-altering choice, Dr. Loehr encourages us to see each moment as a meta moment—a chance to realign with our values, practice calm, and sharpen decision-making skills in real time.
🛠 A Practical Framework for a Noisy World
Dr. Loehr’s work is a call to bring consciousness into our choices—to slow down, pause, and consult our own Y.O.D.A. before letting emotion or habit take the reins. His stories, including resisting the urge to buy a dream convertible, remind us how even the smallest decisions can become powerful moments of self-awareness and growth.
📘 Ready to Make Wiser Decisions?
If you’re tired of reactive choices, emotional burnout, or decision regret, Wise Decisions offers the science-backed tools to change that. Start building a relationship with your inner advisor today.
🔗 Buy the book on Amazon
🔗 Explore Dr. Jim Loehr’s website
🔗 Follow him on LinkedIn
You may also refer to the transcripts below for the full transcription (not edited) of the interview.
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