Christopher Paul Jones: The Breakthrough Expert

13/01/2026

January has a habit of being treated like a clean slate. New goals, new routines, big intentions. The difficulty for many though, is that January sits in the middle of winter. Energy is often lower, daylight is limited, and the body is still geared towards conservation rather than expansion.

The problem with goal setting at this turning point of the year is not ambition. It’s timing. Many goals are set when motivation briefly spikes and realistic expectations lag behind. Commitments are made from a burst of mental energy rather than from a practical sense of what your nervous system, lifestyle, and capacity can actually support once normal life resumes. Add cold mornings, dark evenings, and reduced movement into the mix and even well intentioned goals can start to feel heavy very quickly.

Behavioural science shows that goals work better when they are adjustable, not rigidly enforced. A goal that felt right on 1 January can feel very different a few weeks later when the body is tired and the initial momentum has worn off.

When intentions begin to slip, this is often interpreted as failure. Anxiety rises, effort increases, and the instinct is to push harder. The problem is that the body and mind often respond by pushing back, and progress slows further or stops altogether.

A more useful response is recalibration. Pausing first allows you to reassess the goal from a more balanced position. Taking a few rounds of slow, even breathing helps settle the stress response so decisions are no longer being made from urgency or tension. From there, ask yourself simple, honest questions:

🔹 How achievable does this feel right now?
🔹 What part of this goal feels manageable?
🔹 What part feels forced?
🔹 What would a similar, more adaptable version look like?

This kind of recalibration reduces pressure and increases follow through because it works with the nervous system rather than against it. Progress rarely comes from sticking to a plan at all costs. It comes from staying responsive and adapting where needed, particularly at times of year when the environment itself supports rest and consolidation rather than expansion.

09/01/2026

Exposure therapy is often presented as the gold standard for fear and phobias: face the thing you fear often enough and the fear should fade. However, for many people, it does not.

The issue is rarely a lack of effort or commitment. People try very hard. The problem is that exposure on its own does not change the underlying fear programme the mind is running. If the internal driver of fear remains untouched, and repeated exposure, even with the best of intentions, simply activates the same alarm response again and again.

Over time, this can have an unintended effect. Some people force themselves onto planes, stages, or into situations they dread, believing persistence will eventually bring relief. Instead, the fear becomes more familiar, more anticipated, and sometimes more entrenched. The body learns what panic feels like in that context, but the mind never learns a different way to interpret what is happening.

Fear is not maintained by the situation itself. It is maintained by how the situation is represented internally. Images, expectations, internal dialogue, and bodily interpretation all play a role. When those elements stay the same, the nervous system responds as if the threat is still present, even when logic says otherwise.

People who describe exposure as exhausting, overwhelming, or effective only in the short term are often responding to this mismatch. They have been asked to repeatedly face the outcome, without ever being shown how to change the process that creates it.

When we change the internal message, the body no longer needs to react in the same way, and the response adjusts naturally, without force or endurance.

If you’ve tried exposure therapy and it hasn’t worked, drop me a message and let’s talk.

06/01/2026

The start of a new year always brings momentum; new projects, fuller diaries, more travel, and more visibility. However, for many people in business, that also means more pressure to deliver.

The calendar changes but the internal process does not, and fear tends to surface when stakes rise. Not because something is wrong, but because your mind starts running familiar instructions about risk, performance, and consequences.

In many roles, travel becomes unavoidable, presentations matter more than usual, and expectations to show up calm, capable, and in control are mandatory, even when your nervous system is doing the opposite. This is the point where people often try to push through, hoping their confidence levels will catch up; however, they rarely do.

The panic in these moments is not evidence that you are unsuited to the role (even though you may question this when it becomes overwhelming), it is a learned pattern responding to perceived pressure, risk, and consequence. When that pattern is left unexamined, it can turn routine demands into internal battles that drain focus and confidence, but when it is understood and worked on, the nervous system settles, and attention returns to the tasks at hand. Flying and presenting may still require preparation and energy, but they no longer feel so threatening.

This shift in perceptions allows people to meet high-pressure situations with steadiness rather than endurance, which is essential when visibility and responsibility are part of the job. If this year is asking more of you than the last one, and fear is getting in the way, this is the work that changes that, and if you need some help, drop me a message and let’s talk.

04/01/2026

Looking back over last year, one of the other standout moments for me happened in a pub in Richmond.
It was a sunny summer’s day, people were enjoying the beer garden, and I turned up with Pogo the tarantula, followed by a camera crew filming the pilot episode of Facial Fears, Street Phobia.
The idea was simple, face your fears. Take fear out of a therapy room and into real life.
There was a mix of reactions. Some people laughed, some were curious, but most were scared and kept their distance.
One woman was absolutely terrified of spiders, but she was willing to work with me there and then.
After about ten minutes, she went from being terrified to holding the tarantula.
A great moment, and even better that we caught it on film. It’s always fascinating to see how quickly people can change when the conditions are right, even in a pub on a sunny day.

01/01/2026

Looking back over the last year, one of my highlights was appearing on the Vanessa TV show.

Interviewed by Vanessa Feltz, and alongside comedian Sue Pollard, who I remember watching on Hi-de-Hi! as a child.

What I really appreciated was the chance to talk openly about phobias on a mainstream TV show. How common they are, why there’s no shame in them, and most importantly, that they don’t have to control your life.

01/01/2026

Warm regards for a very happy and healthy New Year!

As we step into January, I’d like to wish you all the best for 2026. May it be a year that brings balance, confidence, and positive steps forward 🌟

29/12/2025

The start of a new year offers a chance to look forward with purpose. It is a moment to recognise what you want to build, strengthen and explore.

As we move into the final days of the year, it’s a good time to reflect on the parts of this year that energised you or showed you something important about yourself. These realisations can often help with getting clarity on the direction you want to take as we move into January. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What went well this year that I want to build on?

2. What gave me energy, interest or a sense of progress?

3. What do I want more of in my daily life, work or relationships?

4. Which habits or choices helped me feel most like myself?

5. What is one meaningful step I want to take in the first part of next year?

When you know what motivates you and what brings out your best, planning the year ahead becomes far more straightforward.

Progress comes from the decisions you make consistently, not from how dramatic your starting point looks. A new year brings fresh possibilities. Use it to back yourself, commit to what matters and take steps that reflect the person you are becoming.

25/12/2025

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

This time of year offers us a chance to slow down. Whether you’re spending the holidays with family, travelling, or taking some much-needed quiet time, I hope the days ahead bring calm, connection and moments that are meaningful. Enjoy the season in the way that works best for you, and may it bring a sense of warmth, peace and renewal as the year comes to a close.

However you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful time.

25/12/2025

Happy Christmass

23/12/2025

I always feel that December has a different rhythm to the rest of the year. The pace constantly shifts throughout the month, days grow shorter, and life often feels unbalanced. There are gatherings and goodbyes, disruptions to routines, and moments of quiet that arrive almost unexpectedly amid the chaos.

It's a month that holds so many things at once. Connection and tiredness. Hope and loneliness. Relief that the year is ending alongside uncertainty about what comes next.

December also tends to bring to the surface what we may be ignoring, inviting us to sit with how we feel rather than rushing past without acknowledgement. It offers a moment to slow down, notice where we are right now, and allow space to reflect and take stock before the next chapter begins.

📰 Read on in my latest newsletter: https://bit.ly/4pZZd24

22/12/2025

This year, my book Face your Fears is featuring in a roundup of last-minute Christmas gifts.

Which is useful, because apparently you don’t actually have to wait until January to start the “new year, new you” idea.

If you know someone who keeps saying they’ll sort things in the New Year, or if that someone is you, this works just as well in December.

Sometimes starting early is just starting.

Link in the comments

LUXURY HAMPERS WITH A PERSONAL DIFFERENCE

22/12/2025