In this high-energy expert session, Dr. Gina Cleo one of the world’s leading researchers on habit change delivers a lively and inspiring keynote on the science of habits and how they shape nearly every part of our lives.
She opens by inviting the audience to reflect on personal struggles with willpower, goal-setting, and consistency. She emphasizes that most of our daily actions up to 70% are driven by unconscious habits rather than conscious decision-making.
Dr. Cleo introduces the concept of habit loops, consisting of a cue, a routine, and a reward, and explains how these loops automate our behaviors over time. Drawing from neuroscience and real-life examples, she explains Hebbian learning “neurons that fire together wire together” and how this principle allows habits to become deeply ingrained in our brains. She highlights how triggers are the secret to both forming and breaking habits, challenging the popular overreliance on willpower or motivation.
Throughout the session, Dr. Cleo brings scientific insights to life with memorable analogies, like comparing self-control to a muscle that fatigues with overuse, or using a tennis match to illustrate how setting goals that are either too big or too small leads to procrastination and disengagement. She shares evidence-backed strategies to bypass this by staying on the “edge of comfort”, where goals are small enough to be achievable and still meaningful enough to motivate.
The session moves into three essential habit hacks:
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Start small and keep it simple – demonstrated through a powerful story of a client who started by just putting on sneakers and eventually completed a 10K run.
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Stack your habits: by attaching new habits to existing ones using the “When I [trigger], I will [new habit]” formula.
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Build self-efficacy: reinforcing the belief in one’s ability to succeed through small wins, which boost confidence and drive further action.
Dr. Cleo emphasizes that habit change is not about restriction or guilt, but about designing systems that work with the brain’s natural tendencies.
Throughout the talk, Dr. Cleo’s accessible language, vulnerability, and engaging storytelling make the science of habit formation feel both empowering and deeply personal.
