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The Alignment Engine Podcast

Podcast episodes with an embedded player, all the show notes, links to nerd out material, links to any accompanying goodies, and the full transcript.

The Spillover Effect: Why Small Wins Change Everything
Kaitlin Merchant Kaitlin Merchant

The Spillover Effect: Why Small Wins Change Everything

Momentum doesn't start big. It starts with one win in one small corner of your life, and then it spreads. In this episode, we get into the neuroscience of how that happens, why hobbies are the most underrated system for creating it, and what to do when you've forgotten what moving feels like.

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Action Sparks the Avalanche
Kaitlin Merchant Kaitlin Merchant

Action Sparks the Avalanche

You can edit a chapter once it's on the page. You cannot edit an idea that's still stuck in your head. In this episode, we get into why action creates momentum even when it's imperfect, how small steps compound into exponential shifts, and what happens when you stop waiting and start moving.

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Mirror, Mirror: How Your Mood Shapes the Room
Kaitlin Merchant Kaitlin Merchant

Mirror, Mirror: How Your Mood Shapes the Room

You are broadcasting all the time, whether you mean to or not. Your mood, your tone, your state go out as a signal, and the people around you pick it up. In this episode, we get into the science of mirror neurons and limbic resonance, and why the most rooted person in any room shapes the energy for everyone else.

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How Strategic Absurdity Sparks Soul-Aligned Ideas
Kaitlin Merchant Kaitlin Merchant

How Strategic Absurdity Sparks Soul-Aligned Ideas

The performance world has the sequence backwards. Play isn't what you earn after the work is done. Play it's what makes the best work possible. In this episode, we get into the neuroscience of why. What play does to your nervous system, your dopamine, and your prefrontal cortex, and why none of those mechanisms care how old you are.

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You Sure about that? The Power of “Absolutely Not”
Kaitlin Merchant Kaitlin Merchant

You Sure about that? The Power of “Absolutely Not”

Your "absolutely not" might be your most important signal. In this kickoff episode, Kaitlin shares the origin story of The Alignment Engine. From professional artist to intuitive mechanic. She unpacks what soul, systems, and strategy mean when they're working together. If you've been pushing hard and moving slow, this one's for you.

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