Brian JohnsonChairman & Philosopher in Residence at Heroic

The Zone of No Judgment: Yoda Says… (Heroic +1 #2019)

10 Oct 2026 · 2 min

You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

10 Oct 2026 · 2 min

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In this Heroic Plus One podcast episode, host Brian Johnson introduces a mindfulness technique taught by his mentor Phil Stutz, called the "Zone of No Judgment." He explains the exercise step‑by‑step: become aware of judging thoughts, consciously stop the judgment, and enter a mental space where no judgment occurs. Brian shares his own experience, noting how frequently he caught himself judging himself, others, and situations, and describes the immediate sense of relief and a better night’s sleep after applying the tool. He encourages listeners to practice the exercise throughout the day, reminding them to breathe, smile, and stay present. The episode ends with a brief promotional call‑to‑action directing listeners to subscribe and visit heroic.us for a larger library of personal development resources.

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Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Heroic Plus One. Yesterday, my Yoda, Phil Stutz, and I had our first session in a while, and one of the main things we discussed was a tool he calls the Zone of No Judgment. Here's how it works. Pay attention to your thoughts. Notice how often you are judging something, someone, or yourself, and stop. Stop. Every single time you notice yourself judging someone, someone, or yourself, notice it. Then enter the zone of no judgment. What do you do when you're in the zone of no judgment? Nothing. You simply stop judging that thing, person, or yourself. Period. As I did the exercise yesterday, and when I woke up in the middle of the night, I was kind of shocked at just how often my thoughts focused on judging myself, the situation, or other people. Like jumbo shocked. I had fun using the tool and entering the zone of no judgment. I also had a really good night of sleep. That's today's plus one. If you feel so inspired, pay attention to your thoughts today. Notice how often you are judging other people, yourself, and situations. And I repeat: enter the zone of no judgment. Stop judging other people, yourself, and situations and circumstances. Take a breath. Smile and get back in the moment all day, every day, especially today. Hey, this is Brian. Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today. If you enjoyed it, please hit subscribe so that the best of the show keeps landing in your feed. Then head over to heroic.us. That's heroic.us, where you'll find the full library of wisdom I've created over the last 20 years, as well as the app, advanced training programs, coaching, and everything else we've built to help you Optimize your life, actualize your potential, and live heroically. It is day 1. We are all in. Let's go.