Gene & Amina: Shift Happens Podcast

Your Anxiety Is Lying Ep 1

• Gene Kang & Amina Zamani • Season 1 • Episode 1

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SHIFT HAPPENS - EPISODE 1: 

"ANXIETY IS LYING"


EPISODE DESCRIPTION:

Your anxiety is lying to you.

And every time you believe it, you're choosing fear over your life.

In this first episode, Gene Kang and neuroplasticity specialist Amina Zamani break down why your brain screams "DANGER" when you're scrolling Instagram. Why it freaks out when you're perfectly safe. And what the hell to do about it.

You'll learn the exact technique—backed by UCLA research—that stops anxiety in 10 seconds. You'll hear how one leader went from terrified of public speaking to raising $50 million. And you'll get the 21-day challenge that rewires your brain for good.

This isn't therapy. It's not meditation. It's neuroscience you can use right now.

In this episode:

  • Why your brain prioritizes safety over happiness (and how to override it)
  • The "Name It to Tame It" method that shuts down your fear center instantly
  • Guilt vs. shame: the difference that's been keeping you stuck your whole life
  • One question that gets to the root of any anxiety in seconds
  • The hand-on-heart reset you can do anywhere, anytime

If you're tired of your anxiety running your life, this episode is for you.

WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW:

  1. Google this: "top 10 emotions list" and print it out
  2. Tomorrow morning: Before you check your phone, name how you're feeling
  3. When anxiety hits: Put your hand on your heart. Close your eyes. Ask yourself: "What am I actually feeling right now? What's underneath that?"
  4. Commit to 21 days. That's it. Three weeks of naming your emotions and your brain starts to rewire.

The technique is simple. You just have to decide to do it.

SHARE THIS IF:

  • You're tired of anxiety running your decisions
  • You know someone stuck in overthinking loops
  • You want proof that your brain can actually change

Episode Length: 16:43

Hosts: Gene Kang & Amina Zamani

New episodes drop weekly on Thursdays. Don't miss the next one.

HOST BIOS:

GENE KANG

Gene Kang is an Emmy Award-winning TV weather anchor and reporter who's spent 20 years delivering breaking news across the country. But behind the broadcasts, Gene has also survived childhood abuse, crippling anxiety, and losing both parents to cancer after caring for them through their final days.

He knows what it's like to put on a brave face while struggling inside. And he's learned that pain doesn't have to destroy you—it can transform you into exactly who you're meant to be.

Through Shift Happens, Gene shares the journey nobody sees: the daily choice to turn suffering into strength. His story shows that transformation is possible, no matter where you're starting from.

AMINA ZAMANI

Amina Zamani is a neuroplasticity specialist who's spent 18+ years showing people they have far more power over their minds than they ever imagined. She's a survivor of childhood abuse who used neuroscience to transform her own life—and now helps others do the same.

She's worked with executives at LinkedIn, Meta, and Cisco, helping clients go from fear to confidence, including one who raised $50 million. She travels the world teaching that your brain isn't working against you—it's your greatest ally once you understand how it works.

If you're ready to create real change, Amina will show you how.


SPEAKER_01:

That people can learn today.

SPEAKER_03:

There's definitely a method people can learn. And the way to remember it is to tell yourself, I gotta name it to tame it.

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, okay. I feel like we have been friends for eons, forever. And finally, this is happening. I have Amina, who is a neuroplasticity specialist. So think about coaching along with neuroscience. That is a dynamite combination. And I just have to say, I'm so excited that you are here today. Oh my God. Super excited.

SPEAKER_03:

Pleasure is all mine, Gene. Gene for president, for sure.

SPEAKER_01:

Vice President Amina. Okay. Perfect. Okay. So tell me a little bit more about, first of all, how did we meet? Yeah. I know the nutshell of it. And then how did this all come about?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Yeah. Well, how did this all come about? I feel like we are both archaeologists of the mind. Yes. And we just happened to meet earlier this year, but maybe our souls forever ago. Forever ago.

SPEAKER_01:

Because we just were like this between the five years.

SPEAKER_03:

I know we became besties.

SPEAKER_01:

It's true. Really. Not just saying that word, but every time she texts me, every time she calls, I get super excited. Like I'm a little kid. Like I'm five years old, and my bestie just got out of school and said, I got off the school bus. So that's our connection here. Yeah. And I just, you know, I just want to say it is such a pleasure to have you here because I've learned so much already from you from the world of neuroplasticity. That's a really big word. What does that mean for folks who are like, yeah, this is the catchphrase. Everyone's talking about it. What is it?

SPEAKER_03:

I know. And then you know, a lot of times people are like, I kind of understand. I mean, I get it. It's related to the brain. Yeah. But so let's break it down. Neuro is your brain. Plasticity means multibility. And so neuroplasticity is the idea that your brain is multiple, that you can rewire your brain at any age. So essentially, it wasn't until 1940 that scientists started to discover whoa, your brain is not fixed. It's like, you know, when people thought the world was flat. It's like, well, you're just gonna fall off the cliff right into the ocean and then out into the universe. Yeah, exactly. And so we realized wait a minute, your brain isn't fixed, which is great news because we can rewire our brain at any age. We just have to know how.

SPEAKER_01:

And I know some people may hear this, whether they're listening or they're watching. Thank you so much for watching. We are right here with you. And there is no filter. I want all of us to feel we are in the living room with you. So we're gonna be on a journey learning together as friends. And so when I hear neuroplasticity, I think some people think brain surgery or I mean, you know, it's it's like so it sounds so intense, but it's really rewiring your brain from what I understand. Yeah. And then changing your life.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

Right? Whether that's depression or anxiety or feeling trapped in what you think or who you think you are.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

But you can be so much more and a better version of yourself.

SPEAKER_03:

And a better version of yourself. Am I getting that? Yeah, you're you're nailing it. And actually, neuroplasticity is the oldest trick in the book. Most psychologists, most massage therapists, body therapists, yoga teachers, nutritionists all take components that help rewire your brain.

SPEAKER_01:

That is wild.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. I mean, even traveling builds neuroplasticity because neuroplasticity activates connectivity in the brain. Imagine like light bulbs that are not fully lit up. And when you start to connect parts of your brain and specifically accessing your emotions, it's like you're reigniting dull circuitry in your brain and the freaking light bulbs are lighting up. And the more light bulbs you have lit up, literally the brighter, the clearer, the happier you are.

SPEAKER_01:

That's amazing. I I think a lot of people are on board with this. I'm I'm sure people are listening and watching and going, wait, I want some of that feeling. Exactly. It's almost like, okay, so the Christmas lights, you know, the olden day Christmas lights were like the first three would be lit up. And I remember being at home and the fourth one wouldn't light up. And then suddenly it yeah. So you you're talking about the brain, the senses, the feelings, the emotions. Yes. Just being more in control and and being brighter as a human being. Yeah. I think everyone can get on board with that.

SPEAKER_03:

Absolutely. And it doesn't mean everyone should get on board with it because actually it's a you can have a manual for your brain. Like most of us have meal plans, most of us have, you know, financial planners strategizing us on what to do. But we don't have a manual for our brain. And the fastest way to develop a manual, you're never going to believe this, is actually understanding your emotions.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, okay. So I'm going to say this because I can be a very emotional person depending on if I'm before it was very hard for me to be like, I know that I'm angry, but then underneath what is there? Yeah. Because I know a lot of men too are like, we just gravitate towards anger or just one type of emotion, but we have so many. So how what what's the fastest way, would you say? Is there a method that people can learn today?

SPEAKER_03:

There's definitely a method people can learn. And the way to remember it is to tell yourself, I gotta name it to tame it.

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, okay. She's rhyming today. Okay. She's the poet, she knows it. Okay, so you gotta name it. You gotta name it to tame it.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. And it's literally just that easy. And so the neuroscience behind that is very simple. Typically, when we have any rush of anxiety, uh, we start releasing tons of cortisol, which is the stress hormone in your body. And what happens is when you r release a lot of stress hormones in your body, your logic center, the front part of your brain, goes offline. And the back part of your brain, your limbic center, your emotional center expands. So you know when you're really anxious or really scared or really frustrated, your brain kind of feels foggy, foggy or spinning almost. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And most of us, when we have that spin, we're like, okay, shove it down, shove it down, go eat, go drink a beer, go smoke, go do something to not feel this. Wow. So the first step is knowing that it's very normal. We all have this emotion. Secondarily, what we've been taught as a society is to shove it. Now, what if I freaking told you the magic ticket, the epi pen for your relief is naming it.

SPEAKER_01:

Seriously, an epi pen? Like, so you're kind of so it's like your golden ticket, like a Willy in the top of the factory. So you're like, here's your golden ticket. Like, so there's there's a way to free up that part of your brain.

SPEAKER_03:

Actually, UCLA did some research, and what they found is single-handedly naming an emotion stops amygdala activity. Amygdala is your alarm center, it's your fear center. Immediately. Wow. So UCLA discovered that actually if you name it, you can tame it and immediately like turn the lights off in the emotional center. And what happens is as soon as you name it and you get to the root of it, your logic center goes back on. So for example, most of us don't know how we're feeling, right? But we can even begin with saying, I feel anxious, I feel scared. What's underneath that? What's underneath that is I'm afraid I won't be enough. Wow. Boom, instant clarity. The fear isn't about the meeting that you're going to or the podcast that you're filming, it's about not being enough.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_03:

Now, as soon as you say that, your logic center shoots back in because you got to the root of it. Yeah. The only reason your brain spins is to try to get you to the root. That is the only reason.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. But just that is so easy. Anybody watching or listening right now, I'm sure all of us have different levels of anxiety, different things on our plates, right? But you're saying that chips away. So you gave that real life example. Let's say, let's say someone has kids. Yeah. No, I know my younger brother is always dealing with the younger kids and they're running around, dah-da-da. So there is a level of anxiety that's pretty high. So just quite simply saying, I'm feeling anxious, but why? Underneath. Or I'm feeling scared that I won't live up to family expectations or whatever it is. So that actually dials it down.

SPEAKER_03:

It totally dials it down. And if you want to get a PhD level, level three at this is ask yourself this one single question.

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, what is it? What's the what's the one single question?

SPEAKER_03:

What does this remind me of?

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh. Okay. I I can go deep like that. So the PhD level question there, but I know there could be someone listening who's, ooh, that feels very uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, that's really deep. That that means I don't do scroll on Instagram or social media, or instead of turning to food or watching television, like filling in the void, it is a little uncomfortable to be what's really, really bothering me at the root.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Can you make that a little easier for people sometimes? Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Exactly. Well, first of all, to answer your question, the reason it's scary is because we go into shame. Now there's a difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is when you feel bad that you might have done something wrong. Shame is when you think you are wrong. And so we didn't just make a mistake, we are the mistake.

SPEAKER_01:

And you have to separate yourself from that.

SPEAKER_03:

You have to separate yourself from that. But the reason that people have a hard time going inside is because when we were kids, we got in trouble for doing something bad.

SPEAKER_00:

So you've connected that.

SPEAKER_03:

So you've connected that. So anytime taking self-responsibility or looking at my part or what did I do wrong is like, ooh, I don't want to feel that shame or bad. Which is why we don't even want to name the emotion. But talk about personal power. Talk about your brain being agnostic to your socioeconomic climate, to your gender, to your race. All your brain wants is to connect with you.

SPEAKER_01:

So that you're you're taking away the filter or the wall, if you will.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

And then you're getting to your real self, your real emotions, what's really there.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. And what you can do is if you just put your hand on your heart, you st and you just close your eyes and rest your eyes, you know, and drop your chin just for like 10 seconds and you ask yourself, what am I feeling? I feel scared. Whew, what's underneath that? I'm just really afraid of being humiliated. Oh, wow. I'm afraid of being humiliated. And then my logic center goes, You're, you know, you haven't been humiliated in the past. You might be okay. It starts finding rebuttals. Wow. And instantly I'm back at myself.

SPEAKER_01:

Do you know you just seriously just doing that? That took about maybe 10 seconds. Not even fooling with you. I felt calm when I opened my eyes.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Because I thought, wait, I'm the captain of the ship.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. And this isn't woo-woo weird hand on the heart, burning man, love. It's biology. Wow. You start activating.

SPEAKER_01:

I felt a little bit of buzzing in my head earlier. I think just because of, you know, let's make sure this podcast is great, or I have stuff going on in my life. So many people, all of us do. But then for that 10 seconds, I felt the buzzing go away.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So so the brain.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Right?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So how long does this take? Because you're giving us real life examples. People can do that right now.

SPEAKER_03:

Right now. You can do it every day. And the more you do it, the more it builds on itself. It's like a muscle. The more you contract your muscle, the more you contract your bicep, the stronger it gets. Neuroplasticity rewires through repetition. You see, your brain is not designed to make you happy. Your brain is designed to keep you safe. And so even though some habit may be hurting you, even though some thinking may be hurting you, even though your anxiety may be hurting you, your brain is familiar with it. And so it won't stop it. So if you can take control of that thinking, don't believe everything you think, especially about yourself. And you say, Thank you for sharing. I'm not going to entertain that self-hate right now. I'm going to ask myself what I'm feeling. Every single time you do that, you're rewiring your brain. You don't have to spend millions of dollars on a coach or therapist, although I believe in them. You can do this, but it takes a decision gene.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

The number one way to do this is decide the next 21 days. I am going to go on a mental diet. I am going to learn about my feelings and it'll get so much easier.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. So that's that's very logical, I would say. Like you're saying, you're giving yourself the next, let's say two weeks. Or if you want to be adventurous, maybe four, three, four weeks, you take it step by step. But you're actually saying to yourself, I can handle this little by little. Have you seen people use these techniques and I wouldn't say become a different person? Yeah. But stay their own essence, but then be the improved version of themselves.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Can you any example?

SPEAKER_03:

I I worked with this powerful leader who had tremendous social anxiety and difficulties public speaking.

SPEAKER_02:

High-level leader.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. High-level leader. Um, you know, really acknowledged in in their field, but they were really scared of getting up in front of people. And it was because their parent had yelled at them so much.

SPEAKER_00:

I know that feeling. We both know that feeling, right?

SPEAKER_03:

Right. Tyrannical parents, you know?

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

But but so this person associated visibility with danger because they got called out so much. Like, what's wrong with you? Right. And so we started to desensitize this experience. And we did some neuroplastic speaking. High-level leader. Yeah. High level leader. You know, it's they said, I'm the happiest I've ever been, and I've raised almost$50 million. And the reason for that is because they could speak to investors, they could speak to people that they were intimidated by, to audiences, to their teams. Wow. And so within a year, they're dramatically different communicator.

SPEAKER_01:

That's huge. You said within 14 months, that is this person is completely different, completely different. Showing up differently as a leader.

SPEAKER_03:

Completely.

SPEAKER_01:

Speaking is so invaluable to communication and what we all do. Like even if you're not in this industry, right? It's when someone can express how they feel or they think or connect, that's the heart-to-heart, that's the thing that gets people motivated.

SPEAKER_03:

It does. And I'll tell you, the reason it's so hard for us is because we don't live in a society that is rewarded emotions. We've been taught to shut down our emotions, yet our emotions are the Viagra for your neuroreceptors to connect. Your emotions create such intense connections in the brain.

SPEAKER_02:

Totally.

SPEAKER_03:

So if we can leverage our emotions, understand them, imagine how unstoppable we would be.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, watch out.

SPEAKER_03:

Seriously.

SPEAKER_01:

Superhuman. Yeah. So almost feeling like you can just accomplish absolutely anything.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. Without sounding remedial, Google the top 10 most pervasive emotions, fear, doubt, whatever, insecurity, maybe, you know, dis just emotions. Go on Google, print it out, and look at it. And every day, just when you wake up, name the emotion you're feeling.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_03:

And at the end of the day, just name and get in the practice of it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

You literally, you if you don't want to go through this process, just start recognizing your feelings.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow.

SPEAKER_03:

It will dramatically change your capacity to connect and it aligns the left and right hemispheres of your brain.

SPEAKER_01:

Making it stronger.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. So hence your life also transforming.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Step by step, day by day. Day by day. Please try this at home. Yeah. Um, if you're watching this on YouTube, like and subscribe. But most importantly, I think this is very important to share with someone in your life who absolutely needs to see and hear this kind of stuff. Hey, you don't have to be stuck in an anxiety loop. You can do so much more. You can be a better version of yourself. As you heard from Amina. And I just want to say this to you. If you're listening and watching, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You're going to learn so much. Also, you are never alone, never give up. We got this, and you're doing such a great job. Do not forget that. And we will see you in the next episode.