The GRIN Model
A 4-step behavior-change framework that builds motivation through goals, resources, increments, and noticing progress
The GRIN Model is a condensed behavior-change framework distilled from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by consultant psychologist Dr. Jen Unwin. Rather than cataloging past failures, it opens with a vivid picture of a preferred future (Goals), surfaces existing strengths and past wins (Resources), identifies one small achievable first step (Increments), and anchors motivation by asking the person to define what going well looks and feels like (Notice). This sequence works because it redirects mental energy away from guilt and toward possibility, making the person the expert on their own change. The full framework can be run in five minutes and is powerful enough to use in every coaching or clinical conversation.
- Motivation is built by picturing a positive future, not by analyzing past failures.
- Specificity in goals dramatically increases the probability of sustained action.
- Everyone already has relevant resources and past successes to draw upon.
- Small incremental steps sustain momentum better than ambitious all-or-nothing targets.
- Noticing progress creates a positive feedback loop that reinforces behavior change.
- The person is the expert on their own life; the facilitator's role is to draw out what is already there.
- Clarify your GoalsAsk: 'In a year's time, if things go really well, how does that look specifically?' Push past vague aspirations to concrete personal meaning—not 'lose weight' but 'what difference would that make to you and your life?' Connect the goal to a fear, a memory, or a relationship that matters.Pro tipThe more emotionally resonant and specific the goal, the more motivating it becomes. Anchor it to a vivid scene, like being able to walk up stairs with loved ones at age 70.WarningDon't rush past this step. Vague goals produce vague results and collapse under pressure.
- Surface your ResourcesAsk: 'In the past, what have you done that worked toward these goals?' Catalog personal strengths, past wins, supportive relationships, available tools, and relevant knowledge the person already has. Focus exclusively on what worked.Pro tipPast successes are direct evidence of capability. Even partial wins count—what the person did right is more useful than what went wrong.WarningAvoid inviting the person to list failures here. This step is specifically about building confidence, not diagnosing problems.
- Identify IncrementsAsk: 'What would be one small, realistic step you could take toward your goals this week?' The step should feel achievable even on a bad day—not heroic. Reducing the definition of success maintains momentum across imperfect days.Pro tipAn 18-minute workout after a late night still counts as consistency. Calibrate the minimum viable action so even a hard day includes a win.WarningDon't set a first step so large it becomes an all-or-nothing trap. Daily perfection goals (gym every single day, perfect diet immediately) tend to implode after one missed day.
- Notice and ReflectAsk: 'When things are going well, what would you actually notice—in your body, emotions, and sense of identity?' Define the markers in advance so the person can recognize and consciously reinforce them when they appear. Tie this to identity statements where possible.Pro tipIdentity-level noticing ('I feel like someone who is in control of their life') creates deeper intrinsic motivation than outcome metrics alone.WarningSkipping this step means progress may go unregistered, breaking the positive reinforcement loop that sustains long-term behavior change.
Stephen had repeatedly failed at rigid gym goals—daily attendance and a summer six-pack—both collapsing into all-or-nothing failures. Run through the GRIN structure live on the podcast, he identified his real goal (health span matching an active 80-year-old, not his ailing father), acknowledged what had worked (treating consistency as the goal rather than perfection), named his increment (an accountability WhatsApp group with monthly eviction), and recognized emotional and identity markers—feeling in control—as his signal of progress.
Dr. Unwin began applying the GRIN framework in nearly every ten-minute GP consultation instead of issuing directives as a 'talking leaflet.' By guiding patients through goals, resources, increments, and noticing, he found even patients dealing with addiction, obesity, or terminal illness could engage with hope and possibility. The quality of conversations shifted from complaint-cataloging to motivational and collaborative exchanges.
A patient with severe type 2 diabetes and compulsive carbohydrate behavior repeatedly failed low-carb interventions alone. Dr. Unwin used the GRIN process to establish a vivid, specific goal (knee surgery and restored mobility), identified the patient's existing motivation and support (wife as resource), introduced incremental CGM feedback and a low-dose GLP-1 as manageable steps, and defined blood glucose tracings as the concrete 'noticing' mechanism shared at each visit.
Developed by Dr. Jen Unwin, a consultant psychologist, after two years distilling CBT down to its essential active ingredients and stripping out the rest. Shared by her husband Dr. David Unwin on The Diary Of A CEO.