Invincible You with Dr. Alex Avila

ACTIVATE YOUR CENTER OF INVINCIBLE POWER: THE HARA, PART ONE

What if your deepest source of confidence, clarity, and peace has been within you all along—quiet, steady, and waiting to be activated?

On this week’s episode of Love University, we explore the ancient yet profoundly relevant concept of the Hara—a center point located two inches below the navel, long recognized in Eastern traditions as the wellspring of intuition, balance, and inner power. In martial arts, practitioners who root themselves in the Hara are said to be immovable, not because of physical strength alone, but because they’re grounded in the core of their being. But the Hara is not just for warriors. It’s for anyone who wants to live with presence, be immune to external chaos, and return to a life led by truth and strength. When you center yourself in your Hara, you become your most powerful and authentic self.

Here are three transformational principles for true Hara living:

• Live from your gut—not your fear

The Hara is more than just a physical center—it is your emotional and intuitive core. It’s that deep knowing you feel in your body before your brain has time to rationalize or second-guess. When you ignore it, you often find yourself pleasing others, overriding your own needs, or apologizing for your existence. You start living from the head up—anxious, scattered, and disconnected. But when you listen to your Hara, and act on it, your entire decision-making process changes. You no longer need to debate every choice endlessly. Instead, you center yourself, you feel, and you act with certainty. Whether you’re navigating a difficult relationship, a career shift, or a personal crossroads, your Hara becomes your compass—steady and grounded in your truth.

• Self-unity is where real confidence begins. Many people walk through life as two versions of themselves: the outer self that tries to gain approval, while the inner self quietly suffers, resenting giving up their true nature. This self-division drains energy and creates emotional exhaustion. You can’t live in your Hara while living a double life—you need full self-integration. When your thoughts, actions, and words align, something powerful happens: you no longer second-guess your worth. You stop chasing validation and trying to prove your worth. Now your calm becomes unshakable because your identity is no longer divided. When you’re in the Hara, your self-worth is not something you need to earn—it becomes something you return to.

 

• One-point focus transforms distraction into mastery

In a world of nonstop noise and constant demands, attention is one of your most sacred resources. Without focus, your power diffuses—you end up busy but not effective, active but not fulfilled. The Hara brings you back to one-point awareness—a clear and deliberate focus on what matters most. Whether you're having a hard conversation, pursuing a creative goal, or simply making a daily decision, focusing on your Hara—the balance point two inches below your navel—allows you to cut through mental clutter and move with precious and effectiveness. You no longer waste time chasing superficial goals or dwelling on negative thoughts. You move from “doing more” to “doing what matters”—and as a result, you attract the special ingredients you have been longing for all of your life: Love, joy, and peace.

Also, make sure you pick up a copy of Invincible You on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/3y3szh27.

 

YOUR RESERVOIR OF INVINCIBILITY: YOUR PATH TO TRUE INNER POWER, PART ONE

What if your greatest power isn’t something you need to chase—but something already within you, quietly waiting to be claimed?

This week on Love University, we delve into the concept of your Reservoir of Invincibility—the deep, untapped core of strength inside you. It’s the mental and emotional wellspring that holds your most powerful states of being: peace, confidence, resilience, clarity, compassion, and purpose. When life overwhelms you, this internal reservoir is where you go to reset, refocus, and re-emerge stronger than ever before. But to access it, you need to learn how to think, feel, and act from a place of intentional mental mastery.

Here are three life-changing ways to unlock your inner power:

• Build Relentless Confidence—True Inner Knowing

Relentless Confidence is the engine of your Reservoir of Invincibility. It’s not about inflated ego or blind positivity—it’s about an unshakable knowing that you can handle what life brings. It starts with where you put your attention. Do you constantly rehearse your flaws, failures, and fears? Or do you actively remind yourself of your talents, past wins, and inner resources? Relentless Confidence means choosing to believe that more is working for you than against you. When you face challenges, you don’t collapse under the weight of fear—you lean into your strength, calmly and clearly. You stop inflating problems and start expanding your perspective. The more you train your mind to focus on what is working, instead of what is not, the more you reclaim authority over your inner world—and the more you realize that you’re bigger than whatever obstacles stand in your way.

 

• Become a “How Thinker”—Because Solutions Require Direction, Not Doubt

Your inner power reveals itself in the way you respond to setbacks. Most people spiral into “if” thinking: If only I hadn’t failed... If I were more disciplined... If I were younger, smarter, luckier, more attractive... But “if” thinking leads to paralysis. It drains your emotional fuel and feeds helplessness. In contrast, “How Thinkers” immediately shift their mental lens to How can I come back stronger? How can I learn from this moment? How can I turn this situation into a moment of transformation? That single shift from if to how changes the emotional chemistry of your mind—rewiring your default response from reaction to strategy. “How Thinkers” don’t deny pain; they use it. They turn breakdowns into breakthroughs because they refuse to stay in passive mode. They live in motion, not hesitation. And that motion activates the very strength they thought they had lost.

• Discard the Mental Junk—So Your Power Has Room to Flow

No matter how gifted you are, your inner reservoir can’t serve you if it’s clogged. That clutter—old regrets, guilt, resentment, fear—acts like emotional debris that blocks your access to clarity and peace. The good news? You don’t need to fix everything overnight. You just need to start making trades. Exchange peace over anger. Discipline for impulse. Truth for denial. Focus for scattered anxiety. When you do this, you're not giving up anything of value—you’re letting go of the thoughts and habits that have kept you small. You begin to clear space for your true identity to rise—a grounded, sustainable state of being. Every time you release a self-defeating thought, you expand the reach of your Invincible Mind. Every time you choose a higher emotional state, you draw deeper from the reservoir of love, success, and happiness that’s been waiting for you all along.

 

Listen to the full episode now on Love University and learn how to build a mind that doesn’t collapse under pressure, but expands in power and joy. Also, make sure you pick up a copy of Invincible You on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/3y3szh27.

 

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO TRANSFORM: WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANNE ABEL, THE BOOMER TIKTOK SENSATION AND LIFE CHANGE STORYTELLER

On this week’s episode of Love University, we’re joined by Anne Abel, acclaimed memoirist, storyteller, and TikTok inspiration, whose book High Hopes (https://tinyurl.com/3bhmfb9t) recounts one woman’s unexpected reinvention. After decades of treatment-resistant depression—including psychiatric hospitalization and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)—Anne made a single, life-changing decision: she said “yes” to a solo 26-day trip to Australia to follow Bruce Springsteen on tour. That journey, at age 60, became far more than an adventure. It was the beginning of a full emotional reawakening.

Here are three powerful insights from her story:

• The Cure to Sadness May Be as Simple as One “Yes”

For much of her adult life, Anne lived behind a wall of emotional numbness. Highly educated, married, and outwardly functional, she moved through the world with deep internal pain. Therapies had come and gone. ECT helped, briefly. But nothing truly shifted—until she gave herself permission to act on something instinctual. That “yes” to a Springsteen concert tour—unreasonable, unplanned—became a way back to her authentic, powerful self.

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• Healing Begins When You Stop Waiting to Feel Ready

Anne didn’t fly to Australia because she felt courageous. She did it because she knew she couldn’t stay in the life she was living. Surrounded by strangers in packed Springsteen arenas, she found something she hadn’t felt in years: vitality, meaning, and self-validation. The music, the lyrics, the crowd energy—they stirred emotions that had long been locked away. Bruce didn’t just perform—he mirrored her back to herself. She began to feel, to connect, to hope. That alone was its own kind of healing.

• You Are Not Defined by Your Past—Unless You Keep Replaying It

High Hopes is more than a travel memoir. It’s a guide to emotional renewal, bold reinvention, and reclaiming your voice after years of silence. Anne shows that transformation doesn’t require perfection—it needs permission. Through movement, music, and saying “yes” before she felt “ready,” she rewrote her narrative. Depression may have shaped her past, but it no longer had the final word. Her life began again when she stopped waiting for conditions to be perfect—and chose to live anyway.

You can follow Anne’s example by listening to your intuition and saying “Yes” to the calling of your soul.

🎧 Listen to the full episode now on Love University and leave a comment on Apple Podcasts.

TRANSFORM YOUR ANGER WEAKNESS: AWAKEN YOUR INNER HARMONY AND RULE YOUR WORLD

What if you could use the energy of anger to create peace instead of conflict?

This week on Love University, we explore how to use Anger—one of the most volatile forces in the emotional universe—for healing and empowerment. Often mistaken for strength, irrational anger is actually a form of reactivity that drains your mental energy and damages your relationships. Drawing from his book Invincible You, Dr. Avila offers practical strategies for mastering what he calls the Anger Weakness—the tendency to be consumed by frustration and irritability when you feel blocked from your desires and wishes.

Here are two key approaches to shift from anger to empowered calmness:

Use grounding and empathy to transmute anger

You don’t have to suppress your anger—you can learn to redirect it. When you stay physically grounded and emotionally aware, you can turn reactive energy into emotional strength. For example, instead of clenching your fists and raising your voice during a tense conversation, take a slow breath, plant your feet firmly on the ground, and steady your tone. This simple act calms your nervous system and keeps your mind clear; you hold your ground without aggression. In addition, make sure you recognize the humanity in others, even during disagreements. This approach not only protects your serenity—it also deepens your self-control and helps you build stronger, more respectful relationships.

Treat anger like a color until it disappears.

The true goal isn’t to erase anger—it’s to transform it. When anger arises, you can choose non-reaction: Feel the fire, but don’t fuel it.  Say to yourself, “I’m experiencing a certain color at this moment. Some call it anger, but I see it as a color, for example red.  I will allow myself to momentarily feel its hot intensity, but I won’t do anything about it.  I will simply let it pass through me until its fierceness vanishes.” Over time, this emotional mastery over anger builds what Dr. Avila calls the Invincible Mind—a state of calm strength in which you acknowledge emotions without being overpowered by them. From this place of ultimate strength, you will transmute anger into fuel for positive change and upward soul elevation, culminating in the most wonderful of gift of all: Peace.

 Learn how to manage anger with clarity, wisdom, and self-mastery.  Also, pick up a copy of Invincible You at https://tinyurl.com/3y3szh27.

TRANSFORM THE REGRET WEAKNESS: ERASE COMPULSIVE LOOK-BACK THINKING AND CREATE A LIMITLESS FUTURE

What if you could turn regret into wisdom and self-attack into self-love? This week on Love University, we explore how to finally break the grip of regret and live with full freedom and joy.

The Regret Weakness is a subtle but persistent thought pattern—the belief that your past defines your future, and that you’re somehow unworthy of success, love, or happiness because of previous mistakes and failures.  Regret, unfortunately, can lead to paralysis, low self-worth, and a repeated cycle of poor choices. But when reframed into wisdom and self-acceptance, it can be one of your greatest sources of strength and clarity.

Here are three essential takeaways from the episode:

• Separate mistakes from your identity

Regret becomes destructive when it turns into self-definition. It’s one thing to acknowledge a mistake—it’s another to believe that an error or failure means you’re fundamentally flawed. The Regret Weakness thrives on that confusion. Because of what happened in the past, you begin to believe you're “bad at relationships,” “not cut out for success,” or “too damaged to change.” But the truth is, the version of you who made those past decisions no longer exists. Healing begins when you stop dragging your old identity into your present and realize that the new you doesn’t need to repeat the cycles of the past.

• Allow progress without perfection

A common regret trap is expecting overnight transformation—then feeling like a failure when old habits resurface. But growth isn’t linear. You will have setbacks—what matters is how you interpret them. If you shame yourself for every backward step, you reinforce the very patterns you’re trying to break. But when you allow yourself to return, recommit, and realign—without judgment—you build emotional strength. The Regret Weakness loses its power when you understand that healing includes imperfection, and growth encompasses wisdom from lessons learned.

• Convert regret into learning and hope

When regret lingers, it’s usually because you haven’t yet mined the wisdom from the experience. You’re stuck in “If only…” instead of “Next time I will…” That shift—looking forward instead of backward—changes everything. Every painful memory contains valuable knowledge: what mattered to you, what you ignored, what boundary you didn’t set. When you uncover that meaning, you create a new imprint—a Loving Memory—where wisdom replaces shame, and acceptance surpasses imperfection. Now regret stops being a chain and becomes a compass to the discovery of your most loving and true self. 

 The bottom line: Learn how to erase regret and look forward to a glorious and wonderful future.

The Power of Hope Realized: Rebuild Your Life from the Precipice to the Mountain With Special Guest, Jennifer Dickenson — the “Healing Advocate”

What do you do when you’re faced with an insurmountable obstacle? Answer: You act with realistic hope. This week at Love University, we had an inspiring time with Jennifer Dickenson—cancer survivor, wellness advocate, and author of A Case for Hope (https://tinyurl.com/4j2jukn8). In 2011, she was a busy, stressed-out lawyer who was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer and told she only had twelve months to live. She recovered and now teaches others how to harness their mind, body, and spirit to create durable well-being. Here are some important things to keep in mind when you’re stuck in an unwinnable place:

Hope Is a Daily Verb

One way to define hope is “focusing on the positive while taking realistic steps toward joy and meaning.” Genuine hope begins with practical optimism. You expect the best while also planning for contingencies and unexpected occurrences. In this way, you’re prepared but positive; realistic yet optimistic.

Train Your Attention on Small but Steady Goals

Big numbers—diagnoses, timelines, statistics—can paralyze you. The antidote is to work on the small numbers you can control. Begin with the smallest winnable action: a five-minute walk when your energy is low; talking to a friend for a short while when you’re lonely; reading a few pages of a spiritual book when you need inspiration.  Remember: Your attention is your remedy. Focus on the things that empower and heal you: meditating, praying, exercising, listening to music, spending quality time with loved ones, or practicing a relaxing bedtime ritual (turn off devices 30 minutes before sleep). When you do these things, you will be refreshed and energized, ready to look forward to tomorrow with renewed hope and enthusiasm.   

Laughter Is a Great Medicine

Laugher can save your life.  Norman Cousins, the renowned journalist and author, combined humor films with medical care during a serious inflammatory illness. He recovered and wrote a classic book: Anatomy of an Illness. It’s true: Humor can lighten your life and help you gain perspective. Start this week: watch funny shows, go to a comedy show, or play improv games with your friends—the laughter that ensues will enlighten your mind and lift your spirits.

In the end, rebuilding your life is about practical, optimistic, and repeatable steps. Choose one healthy thing you can do today—do it before noon, and let tomorrow build on it. Your life will grow with hope and happiness.  

TRANSFORM YOUR RUSH WEAKNESS: AWAKEN YOUR INVINCIBLE MIND

What if you could transform your rushing and impatience into peace, clarity, and real accomplishment?

This week on Love University, we explore how to do exactly that. In a world addicted to speed and urgency, many people are unknowingly ruled by what Dr. Avila calls the Rush Weakness—the inner pressure to do more, faster, all the time. But rushing rarely leads to real progress. Instead, it drains energy, clouds thinking, and invites mistakes. The good news is that this mental habit can be transformed into a deeper strength known as the Mind of Patience.

Drawing from his class book, Invincible You (https://tinyurl.com/3y3szh27), Dr. Avila teaches you how to replace reactivity with calm direction so you can stop racing against time and start living with purpose.

Here’s how transformation begins:

 

• Recognize the Rush Weakness as a fear-based habit

Rushing feels productive, but it's often driven by fear—fear of falling behind, missing out, or not doing enough. It masquerades as urgency but creates inner tension and impulsive decisions. Transformation begins with awareness: noticing when the Rush Weakness is controlling your pace, and realizing that calm action often leads to better results.

 

• Train your patience like a mental muscle

Patience is not passivity. It’s a deliberate, focused mindset that brings clarity under pressure. A key tool in building this strength is the “Choose the Longer Line” exercise: intentionally standing in the slower queue to recondition your tolerance for waiting. By facing down the discomfort, you gain control over your impulses and strengthen emotional resilience.

• Shift from rushing to rhythm

When guided by the Mind of Patience, your actions become more grounded. You stop chasing time and start managing energy. This shift leads to fewer mistakes, less stress, and greater clarity. Results come not from moving faster, but from aligning thought with purpose—and trusting that the right outcomes will unfold when approached with steadiness and focus.

Learn how to break free from the Rush Weakness and step into a new pace of life—one built on patience, presence, and sustainable achievement.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO WIN BIG: YOUR UNSTOPPABLE COMEBACK BEGINS NOW

Is it possible to start over after you've already lost time, made mistakes, or fallen behind? Yes, it is.

This week on Love University, we explore what it takes to reclaim your inner strength—even if life has knocked you down, again and again. Based on key principles from Dr. Avila’s acclaimed Invincible You book (https://shorturl.at/vfeRI), this episode reveals three essential secrets for developing an Invincible mindset of power, healing, and resilience. Regardless of your past, you can make a comeback. And the truth is: It’s never too late.

Here are the three secrets we explored in this episode:

 

• Transform Your Pain into Power

Pain is energy—raw, intense, and deeply personal. But it doesn't have to define you. When reframed as meaning and lessons learned, pain becomes fuel for your success. Emotional setbacks, failures, and even long-standing regrets of your past can be converted into forward motion. Real-life stories remind us that suffering can bring insight and shift priorities, like the workaholic father who rekindled family love by spending more time with them after a near-fatal accident. Healing begins when you stop resisting pain and start using it as a tool for awakening and growth.

• Learn From the Greats Who Overcame Adversity

We grow by learning from those who have turned adversity into purpose. People like Marla Runyan (blind Olympian), Stephen Hawking (physicist with ALS), Malala Yousafzai (activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner), and Nick Vujicic (motivational speaker born without limbs) didn’t just survive hardship—they transformed it into meaningful impact. Studying how they thought, adapted, and moved forward helps you develop the mindset you need to overcome challenges with strength and purpose.

• Keep Walking Forward

Progress is rarely in a straight line. Some days bring setbacks. Other days give you forward progress. But every step counts. The biggest trap is believing you need to feel ready to begin. Don’t fall for it: the time to being your inner development is now. Self-doubt and delay are part of the old programming—the self-defeating mind that says “wait until it’s easier.” But change happens by acting, not waiting. Taking two steps forward and one step back still means you're advancing. Keep moving, taking small chances, and advancing toward your goals. Even small wins build momentum, bringing you closer to the life you dream about.

WHY YOU LOVE SCARY MOVIES—AND HOW TO MAKE FEAR WORK FOR YOU—WITH MONICA KASTLE, "THE HORROR QUEEN

Why do we deliberately seek out fear—only to feel more alive afterward?

     This week on Love University, we’re exploring the psychology of horror with acclaimed supernatural thriller author Monica Kastle, creator of the Cascade Wolves series. Known for suspenseful plots, richly layered

     Monica Kastle uses the language of fear to teach courage, deepen empathy, and rewire how we experience stress and safety. If you’ve ever wondered why we love scary stories—or how they help us heal—this episode    will change the way you think about horror.

 

 

 

 

HOW TO LIVE LIKE A CHAMPION —DR. AVILA SHARES THREE POWERFUL STEPS TO ACHIEVE YOUR GREATNESS

Would you like to live like a champion—someone who consistently wins in life, not just occasionally, but day after day, in every area that matters most?

On this week’s episode of Love University, we explore three key principles that can help you step into your greatness—starting now. Whether you want more success in your relationships, career, finances, health, or mindset, these three simple steps can help you live with more confidence, power, and joy:

• Step 1: Turn “Little Bads” into “Little Goods”
  Many people are weighed down by self-defeating thoughts: “I don’t have enough time,” “Life is difficult,” or “I can’t find someone to love.” These are the little bads—small, self-defeating messages that accumulate in your thinking and drain your emotional and psychological energy. The key to living like a champion is to notice these patterns and change them for little goods: positive, believable affirmations like “There’s plenty of love and opportunity for me,” or “I have all the time I need.” At first, the negative voices will resist—after all, they’ve lived in your head for years. But, with daily repetition, you will crowd them out and replace them with encouraging, life-affirming thoughts that fuel your actions and elevate your mood.
• Step 2: Start with the Easy.
  Champions don’t wait for the perfect moment. They begin with what they can do right now. This might mean reading a short article about a new career path, writing the first sentence of a book, or spending just 20 minutes at the gym. Psychologists call these early actions successive approximations to the goal—small steps that build confidence and momentum as you reach your larger objectives. With each completed action, you develop a rhythm of success. As you go from short walks to longer ones, from brief study sessions to deep dives, and from quality conversations to meaningful relationships, you prove to yourself that growth is possible—and that you’re the kind of person who follows through to achieve what you desire.
• Step 3: Practice the Power of Discard.
  Living like a champion isn’t just about doing more—it’s about letting go of what holds you back. That includes old clothes that don’t fit, obsolete equipment, and cluttered paperwork. Discarding isn’t just physical; it’s psychological. When you clear your external space, you begin to free your internal space. As you throw away objects that no longer serve you, you create mental clarity, self-respect, and room for new, empowering beliefs to take root. The more you let go of what you don’t need, the more power you have to attract what truly matters.