Behavioral Design Expert: The Hidden Belief Blocking Your Growth | Nir Eyal | E149

About this episode

Nir Eyal discusses the impact of belief on personal growth and success, sharing insights from his own journey and practical frameworks to overcome limiting beliefs.

Nir Eyal grew up clinically obese, ashamed of his body, and convinced that food controlled him. He tried every diet: low-fat, keto, vegetarian, and intermittent fasting. Each one worked until it didn’t. What finally changed his life wasn’t a meal plan; it was his belief. When he believed a plan would work, it worked. When that belief cracked, the weight returned. And he realized this pattern doesn’t just apply to weight; it shows up in every area of life. In this episode, Nir joins Ilana to reveal the hidden force behind your success or stagnation. He unpacks the science of belief, how it shapes what you see, feel, and do, and the practical framework to break limiting beliefs before they break you. Nir Eyal is a bestselling author, behavioral design expert, and former Stanford lecturer known for his work on habit formation, psychology, and human behavior. As an entrepreneur and angel investor, Nir has backed multi-billion-dollar companies including Canva and Kahoot!. In this episode, Ilana and Nir will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (03:14) Childhood and Weight Loss Struggles (07:34) Why Affirmations and Vision Boards Don’t Work (09:18) Facts vs Faith vs Beliefs (10:59) His…

People in this episode

Host: Ilana Golan

Guest: Nir Eyal

Topics covered

• behavioral design
• belief systems
• personal growth
• weight loss
• success and failure
• limiting beliefs

Keywords

• behavioral design
• belief
• success
• weight loss
• personal development
• limiting beliefs
• affirmations
• vision boards

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stanford, Canva, Kahoot!

More episodes of Leap Academy with Ilana Golan

• Self-Made Billionaire: How John Paul DeJoria Built Paul Mitchell with $700 | E162 · June 9, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Former WWE President: The Hard Decisions That Built a Global Media Business | George Barrios | E161 · June 2, 2026 · 1h 13m
• The Lean Startup: Eric Ries Reveals the #1 Mistake New Founders Make | E160 · May 26, 2026 · 1h 17m
• Entrepreneur Magazine’s Jason Feifer: How to Build a Career Beyond Your Job Title | E159 · May 19, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Tim Draper: How I Spot Billion-Dollar Companies Before Anyone Else | E158 · May 12, 2026 · 55 min
• Kickstarter Co-Founder: How Yancey Strickler Built a $7B Platform That Transformed Crowdfunding | E157 · May 5, 2026 · 58 min