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Have you ever looked back on your life at those pivotal moments that changed everything? You likely had no idea those moments or events would be so important, and yet the course of your life changed forever in a way you could never have guessed. I recently had a chance to interview an inspiring colleague, Tracie Root, who not only knows this all too well, but has embraced the idea that great things come from the unexpected.

During our chat, we cover many of the unexpected (and some tragic) events in her life that somehow opened new doors and ignited new passions for her. We all know what it means to "pivot", thanks to the pandemic, but Tracie puts a unique spin on the whole idea. For her, letting go of some control and managing expectations when things go sideways are what have led her to where she is now.

Today, she is leading an Extraordinary Life as a self-employed speaker, coach, bestselling author, and community builder who is...

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I had the opportunity to read the advanced copy of Jenna Kutcher’s first book, How Are You, Really?, and it’s great. The stories she shares from her own life to illustrate what she’s teaching are instantly relatable and entertaining, and I would highly recommend the whole book. Rather than review the whole thing (you’ll have to read it yourself!), I wanted to discuss one of the three themes in the book that I’m passionate about: the importance of building a support network or system to help you grow and achieve your dreams. 

Your Community Will Change

The chapter Tacos and Truth: How to Create Your Authentic Community really stuck with me, because while Jenna’s life experience is different from mine, she had really great insights that could apply to me or anyone else. I think that it can be hard to nurture friendships and find an authentic community for a number of reasons that we all share;...

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As a life coach, it’s easy for me to see where my clients’ thoughts are impacting their lives and results. Seeing the same things for myself, however, is more of a challenge. Examining my thoughts is something that I’ve been working on, and I’m using a method called “The Model”. My own mentor introduced me to this framework, which was created by Brooke Castillo. Brooke says “The Model is the one tool you need to change anything in your life by helping you understand how your circumstances, thoughts, feelings, actions, and results work.” I’ve been using a variation of The Model as I work to uncover the thoughts that may be holding me back, both in my mind and in my journaling practice. 

Challenge Your Thinking with The Model

There are five parts to The Model which work together to help you understand why you are getting your current results, which in turn gives you the...

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We all have fears in life that sneak in and hold us back; sometimes it’s an annoyance while other times it affects our personal growth and goals. The latter comes up with each and every coaching client, some of whom come to me specifically to work on facing their fears while others uncover them during our time together. Whether your fear is of heights (like me), or you want to work through your fear of change, failure, or even success, there are many strategies to help. 

10 Strategies to Overcome Your Fears

Working with a coach is a great way to get an external perspective on your fears and help you work through them, but there are lots of things you can do on your own as well. Some of the ideas below will help you lessen your fears over time, while others may help you in those fearful moments. I encourage you to try one or two that speak to you, be consistent, and be open to the possibility of releasing your fears (because...

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I recently had the honor of interviewing Nafissa Shireen, a coach who I worked with several years ago. In the first half of our conversation (listen to it here), she shared how important belief in her dreams was to achieving them, which was no small feat. One of her big dreams was to own a ranch, and she was afraid of horses! In the second half of our chat, we transition from her path up until now to the path she wants to walk in the future. 

We are both similar ages, and she touches on how her current view of being fifty-ish years old  is a lot different than the view of this age when she was a child watching The Golden Girls on television. As she says, “The Golden Girls were my age! And I realized that our generation is aging differently. We're looking at it differently, and not accepting age as a defect or defeat. We still have so much to do. It is not over just because you're over 45. Our priorities change for...

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As a coach, I spend a lot of time working with women to get clear on their dreams so they can start making them come true. Even after they find that clarity, however, many women still struggle with fear surrounding those dreams. 

Some of those fears are: 

• What others will think
• That they can’t possibly achieve them
• Their dream is silly or frivolous
• They’ll have to work 24/7 to make it come true
• They’ll never afford their dream
• And on it goes

I recently interviewed a coach, mentor, and healer who knows those feelings all too well. Nafissa Shireen left her business career behind and had a big dream of becoming a coach and of owning a farm. She was also afraid of horses, but desperately wanted to work with them. Despite the many fears she had surrounding her dreams, Nafissa did the inside work to make them all come true. She now has her dream farm, Believe and See Ranch, works with horses all day fear-free,...

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At first, I wanted to title this post “Practices to Master your Personal Psychology”, but then I gave my head a shake. The words “practice” and “master” don’t belong together here, because the tips I’m sharing to develop your personal psychology are just that: practices, not masteries. They’re meant to be done regularly, with the open-ended goal to expand your mind. 

As you read through these practices, consider which one would best fit into your season of life right now. Which one speaks to you the most? In which direction do you want to stretch your mind? Start by choosing one practice that you can commit to regularly, and build on from there. 

Meditation

Meditation has become much more mainstream, but it has been used for thousands of years as a way to quiet the constant chatter of the mind. I used to meditate daily as part of my morning routine, but I’ve added...

Listen Instead on The Extraordinary Life Podcast

I recently took on a challenge called 75 Hard to build my mental strength. Essentially, the challenge is designed to help you get better at what you’re going to say you’re going to do. I decided to do it because over the past few years I started breaking little promises and appointments I’d set for myself, and was starting to feel the consequences. The challenge entails doing the following for seventy-five days in a row: exercise twice per day for forty-five minutes each, drink one gallon of water, read ten pages of a personal development book, follow a diet of my choice (I chose no gluten, dairy, or added sugar), and no alcohol. I made it eleven days. 

The challenge is extreme, and I know it’s not for everyone, but I was still disappointed because I was really excited to see and feel the outcome after seventy-five days. After reflecting on why I took the challenge on in the first place and the reasons I...

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I’m sure that by now you’ve realized that making changes in your life, even the positive ones, is hard. Our minds are wired to keep us safe, and changing the status quo comes with risk. That’s why we put off starting a new exercise routine, waking up earlier to meditate, or even drinking more water. Half of overcoming procrastination like this is understanding the process of change, and the other half is strengthening the “I do what I say I’m going to do” muscle. 

Over the past five years, I realized that I wasn’t making fitness a priority in my life as much as I wanted to. Since I signed up to be a coach on my son’s mountain bike team that’s improved a bit, but I want to do better. Moving each day is something that I used to do and want to make a priority again. That’s one reason I joined a friend to do the 75 Hard challenge. It’s seventy-five days of being...

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Even with all the tools, knowledge, and life experience we have, we all still just want to belong. I work with a lot of women who have lost themselves while parenting, in their careers, or when a relationship ends. Other times, we want to try something new but are afraid of not being any good at it. No matter how old we get, we just want to fit in! 

I recently interviewed an extraordinary woman who is nearing 60 and still experiences moments like these. Laurie Broderick-Burr completed her Master’s in Kinesiology when she was fifty, recently took up painting even though she can’t draw, and has constantly battled imposter syndrome as she’s found her calling as a non-traditional yoga and movement teacher. With each experience, though, she’s learned something new and is living a life that she loves. 

Listen to Episode 43 to experience Laurie’s contagious energy and uplifting outlook...