Anyone who's ever made a new year's resolution knows that it can be difficult to stay committed to the goals you've set. Board-certified hypnotist Tom Nicoli doesn't see this common phenomenon as a matter of laziness or faulty willpower—instead, he finds that our intentions are often undermined by unconscious habits and impulses. At A Better You Hypnosis, it's his job to replace those subterranean forces with more positive ones through hypnosis.

Viewers of Dateline NBC's Ultimate Diet Challenge got a good look at the results of Nicoli's practice in 2004 when he successfully helped a pastry chef shed 40 pounds despite a job that practically demands sipping cake batter. Weight loss is a common goal for his private clients, and he's turned his experience into a set of motivational CDs that got top rating from Shape magazine. But people also turn to him simply to reduce stress and boost confidence. Over the course of several sessions, Nicoli lays the groundwork for them to reinforce their positive new habits on their own throughout their lives.