Immunity to Change
Surface the hidden commitments that keep one foot on the brake
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
Cohn describes Immunity to Change as a way to examine why a declared goal does not produce change: one foot presses the accelerator while another presses the brake. With coach Michael Bungay Stanier, she named her goal of writing a book and surfaced what was on the brake—beliefs that writing would be hard, fear that the book might not be good or liked, and discomfort with becoming someone who constantly promoted a book. Surfacing did not magically erase those concerns. It made them recognizable when resistance returned and reduced the shame and vague threat surrounding them. Cohn could then act in service of a larger goal: completing a contribution that would help founders and make her proud. The mechanism is awareness and choice, not elimination of discomfort.
Origin
Cohn applied Robert Kegan's Immunity to Change process with fellow coach Michael Bungay Stanier to unblock her decade-long effort to write a book.
Core principles
- 01Stated goals can coexist with hidden resistance
- 02Resistance often protects a fear, identity, or competing commitment
- 03Naming resistance reduces its power and shame
- 04A larger valued goal can support action despite continuing discomfort
How to run it
- 1
Declare the change
State the meaningful outcome you repeatedly say you want but have not completed.
Pro tip Choose a goal with a visible gap between intention and behavior.
- 2
Find the brake
Ask what is in the way and continue past the first uncertain answer.
Pro tip Ask what you would say if you did know.
Watch out Do not assume that knowing the rational steps reveals the real obstacle.
- 3
Name the resistance
Put fears, identity concerns, shame, and associations into explicit language.
Pro tip Notice recurring resistance as a known pattern rather than a fresh verdict.
- 4
Reconnect to the larger goal
Identify the contribution, value, or source of pride that makes action worth the discomfort.
- 5
Act with resistance present
Move forward while recognizing that the named concerns may still arise.
Pro tip Label high resistance when it appears and return to the larger goal.
Watch out Do not wait for resistance to disappear.
In the wild
Cohn wanted to write a book but repeatedly avoided the uncomfortable work. The process surfaced fears about difficulty, quality, reception, and self-promotion. Once she could recognize those brakes, she moved forward in service of contributing useful guidance and completing work that made her proud.
→ She completed From Startup to Grown-Up after a decade of being stuck.
Common mistakes
Treating resistance as ignorance
Reading about a process or knowing the steps does not expose the hidden reasons behavior remains unchanged.
Waiting for fear to vanish
Cohn moved forward by recognizing resistance and serving the larger goal, not by making every concern disappear.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for meaningful goals that remain stalled despite knowledge, intention, and repeated attempts.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when the obstacle is simply missing resources or a decision the person has not actually made.
From the transcript
“there's a reason you say you want to do this thing you say you want to change but you're not changing so it's like one…”
“sometimes just surfacing the things that are in your way help you”
“i saw the resistance for what it was and i was able to move forward anyway”
From the episode
#539: Alisa Cohn on Prenups for Startup Founders, How to Reinvent Your Career, the Importance of "Pre-Mortems," and the Three Selves
Alisa Cohn