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RCI Blog

Meet the man behind the model

His Story

Dr. Carey Dukes has spent more than 35 years doing one thing — studying change. Not change as a concept. Change as something measurable, provable, and teachable.

That work began with a question most people never think to ask: What actually has to happen inside a person before their behavior changes for good?

The answer became his doctoral dissertation — and eventually, the foundation of everything the Readiness for Change Institute does today.


The Model

  

At the core of Dr. Dukes' work is a simple but powerful belief:

IDEAS → FEELINGS → THOUGHTS → ACTIONS

Change the ideas a person holds — about themselves, their situation, their future — and you change everything that follows. This isn't theory. It's a research-backed model that has been tested, refined, and applied across four of the most challenging transitions you can think: entering college, navigating the justice system, mental health, and disaster recovery.


Want to see how the model was developed? Download Dr. Dukes' Doctoral Dissertation - https://bit.ly/4uAA9QL

His Commitment

  

Dr. Dukes built RCI because he saw a gap — and refused to accept it.

College students were failing their first semester not because they lacked intelligence, but because nobody gave them the right preparation. Defendants were cycling through the justice system not because they were beyond help, but because the tools available weren't built for real, lasting change.


Connect with him on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/4dxfGXm/

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