The Learner vs. The Knower: Which Identity is Holding You Back?
The Full Listener's Guide
We explore the concept of growth mindset with Trevor Ragan, founder of The Learner Lab.
You’ll learn the difference between growth and fixed mindsets, why they matter for performance, and three practical building blocks for developing a growth mindset in yourself and others.
Trevor also introduces the powerful equation “Caring + Uncertainty = Discomfort” and explains how combining a growth mindset with a healthy stress mindset creates what researchers call the “synergistic mindset”—the foundation for learning, resilience, and adaptability.
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Quick Preview
The B-A-G Cycle: Belief leads to Action, which leads to Growth - a self-fulfilling prophecy that works both ways, depending on whether we adopt a growth or fixed mindset
Three Building Blocks: Reflect on skills you’ve already built, deliberately learn something new (the “Anti-Talent Show” approach), and understand the neuroscience of neuroplasticity
The 2-Minute Equation: Caring + Uncertainty = Discomfort—reframing how we interpret difficult emotions when doing meaningful work
The Synergistic Mindset: Research shows that combining a growth mindset with a stress mindset significantly outperforms either one alone in health, performance, and resilience
5 Big Ideas
Skills Are Built, Not Born
The core of growth mindset is elegantly simple: we believe we can change and grow, build new skills, and get better at stuff. The opposite - fixed mindset - is the belief that we have what we have and can’t really change it very much.
