Coming out of last week's conversation with Dr. Patel on Less Is More and the power of doing less for our physical health, this episode of Pay Attention turns toward the mental and emotional habits that quietly shape our lives.

Holly sits down with Amy Kemp, author of I See You, to explore why working harder eventually stops working—and how many of our most celebrated traits are actually survival mechanisms formed long before we were conscious of them.

Together, they examine how thought habits are formed, why the brain resists change even when something no longer serves us, and how intuition gets buried under years of over-functioning and responsibility.

This conversation bridges neuroscience, lived experience, and mindfulness to reveal how awareness—not effort—is what creates real agency.

In this episode, you'll explore: Why you can't outwork your thought habits How survival patterns become damaging when we outgrow them The quiet loss (and recovery) of intuition Why high-achieving women often feel unseen despite outward success How paying attention creates the space for change If Less Is More invited you to reconsider your relationship with health, this episode invites you to look at what you may still be carrying—mentally, emotionally, and unconsciously—and how to begin letting go.

As the New Year begins, many of us feel pressure to fix, improve, or overhaul our lives.

In this episode of Pay Attention, Holly McNeill is joined by osteopathic physician Dr. Neal Patel for a grounded, compassionate conversation about what healing can look like when we slow down and do less—not more.

Together, they explore the connection between stress, mental health, and the body, and how unresolved emotional patterns often show up as physical pain, inflammation, or chronic illness.

Dr. Patel shares his holistic, patient-centered philosophy—emphasizing fewer pills, fewer procedures, and greater awareness of the habits that quietly shape our health.

The conversation also touches on meditation, foundational practices like sleep, movement, and nutrition, and emerging research on the endocannabinoid system and energy-based healing.

Rather than offering resolutions or quick fixes, this episode invites you to pause, pay attention, and listen—to your body, your mind, and the signals you may have been ignoring.

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The Mindfulness Architect, Holly McNeill, reflects on New Year's resolutions—and why intention alone is rarely enough to create real change.

Rather than offering another checklist or goal-setting framework, this episode invites listeners to pause and examine what they are actually paying attention to—day by day, moment by moment—and how that attention shapes identity, choices, and the direction of their lives.

As the year comes to a close, Holly explores the relationship between intention and attention, sharing how her own intention to find something better opened her to seeing new possibilities.

She closes by inviting listeners to create a New Year's resolution grounded in intentional attention, and to carry that awareness into the year ahead.