Faust Ruggiero: How to Fix Yourself From the Inside Out

Who Is Faust Ruggiero and What Is the Process Way of Life?

Feeling stuck, burnt out, or like you’ve tried everything and nothing actually changes?

In Episode 110 of The Lost & Found Podcast, I sat down with therapist and award-winning author Faust Ruggiero, creator of The Process Way of Life and the Fix Yourself Empowerment Series, to talk about how real change starts from the inside out.

Faust Ruggiero has spent more than 40 years working as a counselor and researcher, sitting with thousands of people walking through anxiety, trauma, addiction, identity loss, and everyday life transitions. Out of that experience he created The Fix Yourself Empowerment Series, including The Fix Yourself Handbook and several follow-up books focused on anxiety, depression, anger, addiction, and internal language.

At the heart of this series is the Process Way of Life — a structured approach to personal growth built on the idea that we all operate through internal processes. These processes shape how we think, how we react, how we love, how we grieve, and how we move forward.

Instead of focusing on quick fixes, Faust walks us through what it looks like to change those processes one step at a time so our lives can actually change with them.

If you’ve ever thought “It’s too late for me to start over” or “I can’t do that at my age,” this conversation will challenge those beliefs and show you how much power you still have over your story. This episode is for you if you’re:

• Feeling lost in your identity or purpose
• Wrestling with anxiety, shame, or negative self-talk
• Craving a practical, process-driven way to heal
• Ready to live with more intention and internal balance

 

52 Internal Processes: How They Shape Your Life

One of the most powerful parts of Faust’s framework is his list of 52 internal processes – essentially, 52 “levers” you can work with to bring more balance, honesty, and peace into your life.

These processes cover areas like:

• Disengaging unhealthy routines that keep you stuck in autopilot

• Practicing brutal but compassionate honesty with yourself

• Putting intellect over emotion so feelings don’t always get the first vote

• Learning to set healthy boundaries and stop people-pleasing

• Facing anger, grief, and fear instead of burying them

• Rebuilding your internal language so you’re not attacking yourself all day

In the episode, Faust explains that most of us try to change the outcomes in our lives without changing the processes that produce them. We want a new job, a new relationship, a new city, but we don’t look at the way we think, speak, and respond inside ourselves.

The Process Way of Life flips that: when you work the processes, the outcomes follow.

 

Internal Language, Negative Self-Talk, and Emotional Healing

A big theme in our conversation is the power of your internal language — the way you talk to yourself when no one else is listening.

Faust describes negative self-talk as a script your brain rehearses:
“I always mess this up.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’m behind everyone else.”
“Nothing ever changes for me.”

Over time, that script becomes your default setting, and your choices start lining up with what you expect from yourself.

In the episode, he shares practical ways to start shifting that script:

• Notice the line you repeat the most (without shaming yourself for it).

• Ask, “Is this a feeling or a fact?”

• Replace it with one slightly better sentence:

  • From “I can’t do this” → “I’m learning how to do this.”

  • From “I’m a failure” → “I’m going through a hard season.”

• Repeat that healthier line on ordinary, boring days, not just when you’re in crisis.

According to Faust, positive thinking isn’t pretending everything is fine; it’s refusing to let destructive self-talk run your life unchecked.

 

Balance in the Process Way of Life: Body, Emotions, Intellect, Spirit

Another key lesson from Faust’s Process Way of Life is the importance of balance.

He breaks human experience into four interconnected areas:

• Body – physical health, energy, nervous system

• Emotions – feelings, sensitivities, reactions

• Intellect – thoughts, reasoning, decision-making

• Spirit – meaning, values, faith, purpose

Many of us over-rely on one area and neglect the others—living purely in our emotions, or overthinking everything while ignoring our bodies, or spiritually bypassing real work by hoping mindset alone will fix everything.

Faust’s approach invites you to:

• Feed your body: rest, nutrition, movement

• Honor your emotions without letting them rule you

• Engage your intellect to slow things down and see clearly

• Nurture your spirit with practices that connect you to purpose and meaning

In his definition, success and happiness are not about titles, money, or external proof. They’re about waking up each day with internal balance: a quieter nervous system, a kinder inner voice, and a life that lines up with your values.

 

How to Work with the 52 Processes in Your Own Life

You don’t have to memorize all 52 processes to start applying the Process Way of Life. In the episode, Faust suggests beginning with a few core ideas:

1. Start with honesty.
   Tell yourself the truth about where you are: “I’m overwhelmed; I’m scared; I feel lost.” Honesty is the foundation process.

2. Slow things down.
   Give your intellect time to catch up with your emotions. Take pauses, breathe, journal, or talk things out with someone you trust.

3. Pick one process at a time.
   Maybe this week you focus on boundaries. Next week you focus on internal language. Small, focused changes add up.

4. Be patient with yourself.
   The Process Way of Life is about living differently over time, not scoring perfectly from day one.

The mission of The Lost & Found Podcast is to help you bridge the gap between who you are and who you want to become — especially for those of us in our 20s, 30s, and 40s who feel like our timelines, identities, or careers have shattered.

Faust’s Process Way of Life is a powerful tool for that journey because:

• It gives you language for what you’re experiencing internally.

• It breaks healing into small, manageable steps instead of overwhelming overnight change.

• It invites you to see yourself as a person in process, not a problem to be fixed.

• It reminds you that it’s never too late to start over or choose a new way of living.

You may be wondering, “Where do I even start?” or “Why do I keep ending up in the same patterns?” — this episode offers both comfort and a clear starting point. If you’re feeling lost, burnt out, or stuck in repeating patterns, I truly believe this conversation with Faust Ruggiero can help you see yourself with more clarity and compassion.

 

Connect with Faust:

Website: https://www.faustruggiero.com/

Instagram: @faustinspire

Buy His Books: The Fix Yourself Empowerment Series

 

Connect with Amanda:

Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost | @amanda.k.powers

TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost

YouTube: @podcastforthelost

Don’t forget to share this episode with a friend and subscribe today for weekly episodes about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self.

Want to share your story or ask question for a future Wanderer Wisdom episode? Email us at hello@podcastforthelost.com or send an anonymous note at ngl.link/akpowers__.

 

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