The Microshift Project Podcast
Life’s biggest changes often start with the smallest shifts. This podcast is for high-achievers who look successful from the outside yet still wrestle with pressure, doubt, and the question: “Is this all there is?”
We’re not chasing quick fixes. We’re building perseverance—through practical tools, honest stories, and real conversations that stick.
Hosted by Nick Volinchak, The Microshift Project explores the moments, choices, and interactions that quietly change the course of a life. You’ll hear from leaders, entrepreneurs, and everyday people who’ve faced adversity and found ways forward—because change is rarely about one giant leap. It’s about the next shift you make.
What you’ll get here:
- Real strategies: Actionable insights you can use immediately.
- Lived experience: Lessons forged in setbacks, recovery, and rebuilding.
- Connection: Proof you’re not the only one carrying the weight.
- Personal roadmaps: Guidance that meets you where you are.
Episode mix:
- Solo deep-dives: Mindset, resilience, decision-making under pressure.
- Candid interviews: Guests who’ve persevered through challenges.
- Practical playbooks: Tools for navigating stress, doubt, and leadership moments.
Core themes:
- Perseverance that lasts
- Managing doubt & impostor syndrome
- Leadership that stays human
- Boundaries & sustainable ambition
- Recovery, reinvention & resilience
- Staying present in what matters most
Why “Microshift”?
Transformation rarely comes from one big moment—it’s the small, repeated shifts that create momentum.
Who it’s for:
- Leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals seeking clarity and steadiness
- People in transition or rebuilding seasons who refuse to quit
- Growth-minded individuals committed to real progress
What makes this different:
- We normalize the hard parts behind the highlight reel
- Peer-to-peer conversations, not top-down lectures
- Concrete, actionable steps grounded in lived experience
- Growth measured by who you become, not just what you produce
How to use this podcast:
- Pick an episode that resonates.
- Apply one shift today—start the conversation, set the boundary, take the action.
- Share it with someone who needs it.
Connect with us:
- Website: themicroshift.com
- Speaking, media, partnerships: Contact nick@themicroshift.com
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and practical frameworks. It is not clinical, legal, or medical advice.
The Microshift Project Podcast
The Microshift Project Podcast - Episode 11 - Jan Raeder, The Self Care Sensei
Welcome back to The Microshift Project Podcast — where we explore the moments that change everything. Around here, it’s not about hype or quick fixes. It’s about perseverance, hard-earned wisdom, and the small shifts — the microshifts — that add up to transformation.
In this episode, I sit down with Jan Raeder, better known as The SelfCare Sensei. Jan is a wellbeing educator, speaker, and gold medal–winning karateka with a master’s degree in wellbeing education. She blends karate wisdom with positive psychology to help people stress less, grow more, and live with purpose. She’s also the author of Strive for M.O.R.E., where she guides readers to embrace Meaning, Optimism and Emotions, Relationships, and Engagement.
Together, we cover:
- The making of The SelfCare Sensei: how Jan built a life as a speaker, author, and educator.
- Redefining strength: what autoimmune diagnoses, injuries, and aging taught her about self-care and resilience.
- Karate & perseverance: lessons from training for the National AAU Karate tournaments that apply far beyond the dojo.
- Microshifts in action: gratitude practices, meditation, and daily training — why the smallest shifts can carry the most power.
- Breaking misconceptions: why martial arts isn’t about fighting — and what it really gives you.
- The weight of mental illness: how seeing loved ones struggle shaped her compassion and purpose.
- Staying grounded: perspective that someone always has it worse, and that everything will eventually work out.
- Guiding principles: living as if everything is a miracle, and teaching others to see life that way.
- Final takeaway: resilience isn’t about bouncing back — it’s about rebuilding forward, one small step at a time.
This conversation is about more than karate or self-care. It’s about what happens when perseverance meets perspective, and how choosing to rebuild forward can change everything.
📌 Connect with Jan Raeder:
Website → selfcaresensei.com
Instagram → @selfcaresenseijraeder
LinkedIn → Jan Raeder
🎙 Listen & Subscribe:
If this conversation spoke to you, hit subscribe and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every microshift matters — sometimes the smallest spark is what lights the way forward.
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