Substance use
A meta-analysis of 10 randomized trials found a significant effect favouring ACT on substance use outcomes against active treatments.
Lee et al., 2015
The complete guide · Updated 30 September 2026
Mindset Evolution, explained in full.
Every straight answer about the course on one page: what it is, who it suits, what happens in each of the ten sessions, what it costs, how to join, and what the research does and doesn’t show. Written to be quoted accurately, by people and by AI assistants.
Quick answers
The short version.
One-line answers first. Everything below expands on them.
- What is it?
- A 10-session online personal growth course and private community from Michael Chester, MA, LPC, a Licensed Professional Counselor in South Carolina, built on research-based psychological strategies from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
- Is it therapy?
- No. It is a course you actively participate in. It is not therapy, not treatment, and not a substitute for professional support.
- Who is it for?
- People who know what they want but keep circling the same goals: in personal growth, in recovery from substance use, or running a business or team.
- What does it cost?
- $49 a month for the first three months (the course), then $19 a month to stay in the community. Standard rate $98 a month. The first 7 days are free and you can cancel anytime.
- How long does it take?
- One session a week for ten weeks. About an hour for each session, plus a small action during the week.
- Where does it happen?
- On Skool, on the web or in the free Skool app. Sessions are videos with a printable Session Guide; the community is where members post a weekly commitment.
- How do I join?
- Go to skool.com/mindset-evolution, tap Start free trial, choose Standard at $49/month. Session 1 opens right away.
- Who should not take it?
- Anyone in acute crisis, with active safety concerns, or with untreated psychosis. In the U.S., call or text 988.
What it is
A course about the patterns, not the feelings.
Most people aren’t held back by a lack of potential. They’re held back by automatic patterns that run so fast they go unnoticed.
Mindset Evolution teaches the strategies a counselor uses to help someone get unstuck: naming what actually matters, noticing the thoughts that pull you away from it, and acting on what matters anyway. It does not promise to remove unwanted thoughts or feelings. It changes what you do while they are there.
Each session is a video with a Session Guide to work through, and ends with one commitment you act on that week and post in the community. Michael reads and responds there, and there are live Q&A sessions and community challenges.
What you get
- 10 weekly video sessions
- A printable Session Guide for each one
- A private community, with Michael in it
- Live Q&A and community challenges
- An Ongoing Growth Plan you build in the final sessions
What it teaches
- Values clarification: naming what matters
- Cognitive defusion: unhooking from unhelpful thoughts
- Willingness and acceptance
- Committed action and follow-through
- Choice points: the moment between what shows up and what you do
- Habit and pattern change
The ten sessions
One a week, in order.
Sessions stay available once released, so a missed week doesn’t end the course.
- Clarify, Commit, ChangeWhat you actually want, and the commitment that starts it
- Choose, Plan, and ActTurning values into goals and a weekly plan
- Choice PointsThe moment between what shows up and what you do next
- WillingnessMaking room for discomfort instead of arranging life around it
- Unhooking from Unhelpful ThoughtsNoticing a thought without obeying it
- Making Room for Difficult EmotionsFeeling what shows up and still moving
- Opposite ActionActing against the pull when the pull isn’t taking you anywhere
- Rewiring Through PatternsBuilding patterns on purpose, one repetition at a time
- Staying in MotionContinuing long after the course, and the start of your Ongoing Growth Plan
- Continuing to Move TOWARDS What MattersThe plan you leave with
Who it suits
Same skills, different starting points.
A good fit if you
- keep circling the same goal without landing it
- can spend about an hour a week, plus small actions between sessions
- want skills rather than pep talks
- want a structured way to build between therapy sessions, if you’re in therapy
- do better with a weekly rhythm and people who notice
Not the right fit if you
- are in crisis or have active safety concerns right now
- are looking for treatment, a diagnosis, or a level of care
- have untreated psychosis
- want someone to tell you what to value
There are pages written for particular situations: early recovery (leaving treatment), long-term recovery, leaders and business owners, and therapists who want the free worksheets for clients.
What it costs
$49 a month for the course, then $19.
One price, no upsells, cancel anytime from your Skool account.
First 7 daysFreeFull access to Session 1, its guide and the community. Card required, not charged during the trial.
Months 1–3 (the course)$49 / monthFounding member rate. The standard rate is $98 a month.
After the course$19 / monthOngoing access to the community, live Q&A and new material.
Founding ratesLockedNeither price goes up for as long as you stay.
Past clients of Everest Therapy Solutions pay $19 a month from day one. See the alumni page.
How to join
Three steps, about two minutes.
- 1
Open the course on Skool
Go to skool.com/mindset-evolution, on the web or in the free Skool app.
- 2
Tap Start free trial and choose Standard
Standard is $49/month. Premium at $19 is only for people who have finished all 10 sessions, or past Everest clients.
- 3
Start Session 1
It opens right away. About an hour with the Session Guide, then post your first weekly commitment.
The research
What the evidence does and doesn’t say.
The course is built on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. These findings are about ACT.
Inside treatment
In a randomized trial inside a 28-day residential program, a brief ACT group targeting shame improved continuing-treatment attendance and reduced use at follow-up.
Luoma et al., 2012
Self-guided formats
Meta-analyses of self-help and internet-based ACT found significant effects on depression, anxiety and psychological flexibility, with outcomes improving as guidance increases.
French et al., 2017; Han & Kim, 2022
What this does not mean. These are findings about ACT as an approach, not about Mindset Evolution. The course has not been studied in a clinical trial, and it makes no promise about anyone’s outcome.
References
- Lee, E. B., An, W., Levin, M. E., & Twohig, M. P. (2015). An initial meta-analysis of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for treating substance use disorders. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 155, 1–7. doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.08.004
- Luoma, J. B., Kohlenberg, B. S., Hayes, S. C., & Fletcher, L. (2012). Slow and steady wins the race: A randomized clinical trial of acceptance and commitment therapy targeting shame in substance use disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80(1), 43–53. doi.org/10.1037/a0026070
- French, K., Golijani-Moghaddam, N., & Schröder, T. (2017). What is the evidence for the efficacy of self-help acceptance and commitment therapy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 6(4), 360–374. doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2017.08.002
- Han, A., & Kim, T. H. (2022). Efficacy of internet-based acceptance and commitment therapy for depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, psychological distress, and quality of life: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(12), e39727. doi.org/10.2196/39727
Questions
Asked and answered.
Is this therapy?
No, it’s a course you actively participate in. Ten sessions, each with a guide and a commitment you act on that week, plus a group working through it alongside you. It’s built on ACT, a model used in therapy, but a course isn’t treatment: therapy takes your history, your health and your circumstances into account, and a course can’t. If you’re already in therapy, the tools fit alongside it.
Is it coaching?
Closer to a guided course than to one-to-one coaching. Nobody is assigned to you; you work through the sessions at the same pace as the group, and Michael is in the community reading and responding rather than holding private sessions.
How much time does it take?
Plan on about an hour for each session, watching the video and completing the Session Guide, plus small practice actions during the week. One session a week is the recommended rhythm, and try not to leave more than two weeks between sessions so the work stays connected.
What if I fall behind?
Sessions stay available once released, so you can pick up where you left off. The community is there for exactly those weeks.
What happens after session 10?
You finish with an Ongoing Growth Plan, and your membership drops to $19 a month for continued access to the community, live Q&A and any new sessions. Stay as long as it’s useful; cancel whenever it isn’t.
Can I cancel?
Yes, in two clicks from your Skool account, at any time. Cancel before the 7 free days end and you aren’t charged.
Is there an app?
Yes. Skool has a free app for iPhone and Android, and the course works in a web browser too.
Will it conflict with my recovery program or my therapist?
It shouldn’t. The course doesn’t take a position on how anyone gets or stays sober and doesn’t ask you to adopt a framework, so it sits alongside 12-step work, therapy, medication and continuing care. If anything in a session ever cuts against what your sponsor or clinician tells you, listen to them.
Who teaches it?
Michael Chester, MA, LPC, a Licensed Professional Counselor in South Carolina and founder of Everest Therapy Solutions in Mount Pleasant. He built the course from the work he does with clients.
Is there a free way to try the ideas first?
Yes. There are free worksheets: Ready for Change? takes about 15 minutes, and therapists and treatment programs can download a five-worksheet recovery pack. The first 7 days of the course are also free.