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Each year at this time I normally host my Design Your Decade Workshop. This year, however, I’m far too focused on writing my book about gut health. I couldn’t leave you hanging, of course, so I thought I’d share a simple but impactful part of the workshop below. It only takes ten minutes, and will help you “keep your eye on the prize” when it comes to your own goals. If you like it and want to go deeper, you can always continue on with the DIY version of the workshop. 

80% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by February, so if you’re losing steam, you’re not alone. But if you want to breathe some life back into the intentions you set at the beginning of the year, this quick ten minute exercise will help you do it. In fact, you can do this exercise any time, and I would recommend putting some version of it into your routine.

It’s simple: sit down and write (or type) out what your life looks like a few months from now, when you’ve stayed committed to your goal. This will ...

We’re already a few weeks into January —how are those New Year’s resolutions holding up? If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed or are slipping back into old habits, you’re not alone. Many people find themselves losing momentum after the initial excitement fades. But here’s the good news: achieving your goals might be easier if you focus on doing less, not more.

The Problem with Overloading Yourself

Research shows that piling on too many goals or tasks can lead to decision fatigue—a mental drain that makes it harder to stick to new habits. When your brain is overloaded with decisions, your willpower weakens, and motivation starts to fade. So, how can you avoid this common trap?

The Power of Simplifying

The solution is simple: do less! Focusing on fewer, more impactful actions can make a world of difference. Ask yourself: What unnecessary steps can I eliminate? Simplifying isn’t about doing less for the sake of it; it’s about being strategic and intentional.

Here are a few ways to ...

This is the time of year where winter and holiday plans and traditions seem to take over. Do you bake gingerbread men or get that workout in? It’s easy to push off the things that are important to you for holiday shopping, cooking, visiting, or decorating. I love a good family tradition myself, but it’s also important to me to keep my goals front of mind, too. If you feel the same way, here are tips to find your balance this season. 

Make Your Own Traditions

Just because “everyone else” is doing something, it doesn’t mean you need to! It can be hard to remember that when your social media feed is filled with other families’ traditions. For example, I know a lot of people choose to get their Christmas tree the week after Thanksgiving. For us, that just doesn’t work. We usually like to have our tree up through Three Kings Day (January 6th), which fits with my husband’s Dutch upbringing. We don’t do anything special that day, but we like to have the tree around after the busyness of the...

This summer I’ve been watching bits and pieces of the Olympics, especially the cycling, swimming, gymnastics, and running. I spend half the time in tears because I’m so happy for whoever wins! Coming from an active and competitive family, I know how long and hard they’ve worked for their achievements. It takes daily, monthly, and yearly dedication and commitment to get where they are. It’s inspirational, for sure. 

Even if you aren’t in the spotlight, you can take some tips from the athletes to achieve your own goals: You need to focus on what you want and surround yourself with the right people to help you get there. That’s exactly what I’m doing to achieve my own goals! 

My First Goal: Swimming

I’m coming up on my short-term goal of swimming the Donner Lake open water swim this Saturday. I’ve swam it three times before, once 34 years ago, once 8 years ago, and again last year. I checked my times for each race, and it appears that I’ve been six or seven minutes slower each time. Th...

 As I look back over the past twelve months, one of the things I’m most proud of in my business is how consistent I was with my podcast and blog. Despite vacations, my son’s bike racing, and everyday life “interruptions”, I made the time to create new content to help you stay consistent and create your own version of an Extraordinary Life. Below are the top five podcasts and blogs that people enjoyed the most; surprisingly, my very first podcast ever captured the #2 spot! I hope you’ll enjoy revisiting some of my favorites, to help set yourself up for a great year ahead. 

#1: Episode 30: Always Growing - An Interview with Artist Tina Short

In today’s episode, I interview Tina Short, an artist living her version of an extraordinary life. Through parenting twin boys, divorce, and finding her path as an artist, she’s come up against many obstacles. Yet through it all, she’s stayed committed to growing and staying true to herself. 

In this inspiring interview, we chat about following ...

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When it comes to achieving your goals or dreams, your success boils down to one simple thing: your mindset. If you keep a positive mindset, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. But if you allow yourself to sink into negativity, you’re going to stay stuck. So how do you flip the negative to the positive, even when everything seems hard? I’ve got a few ideas to help.

A Tale As Old As Time

I recently had the pleasure of reading a book for my friend’s book group. It’s called “The Dream Giver”, by Bruce Wilkinson. It's a short book, and the first half is a parable about the journey to following your dreams. Then the second half contains his steps to follow them. 

It felt like such a coincidence to pick up the book, because I’ve been talking about leaving your comfort zone this past month. I love reading different takes on the same topic, but the idea of leaving the familiar behind to accomplish something bigger has been around probably forev...

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Have you ever wondered why you’re struggling to achieve a goal when you want it so badly? I’ve been hearing a lot of people struggling with this, which is why my podcast has been heavy on the cheerleading lately. You definitely are not alone! The struggle to move from what you don’t want into what you do want is more common than you might think. So why does it happen, and what can you do about it? I have some answers. 

The Struggle Is Real

When I work with clients who are feeling stuck and just can’t seem to reach the goals they so desperately want, they feel like they are banging their heads against a wall. “I want this so bad! Why can’t I make it happen!?” Very often, it turns out that they are the ones holding themselves back, though they don’t see it. (Hooray for an outside perspective!)

The trick to ending this stagnant situation is to take action… but when you’re stuck, you’re stuck! Something needs to change to get you out of the mud ...

Listen Instead on The Extraordinary Life Podcast

The other day, my yoga teacher Kofi said “The Yogi is someone who takes responsibility for the thoughts that go through their mind.” I love the simplicity and deep meaning behind this quote, and it fits perfectly with my recent podcasts on managing your thoughts. This week, I want to talk about managing your thoughts when things aren’t going your way. 

Balance is a Myth

I find that many of my clients come to me feeling overwhelmed about having to do it all, while also wanting more out of their life. It feels like they can’t keep up in life as it is, so going after their bigger dreams seems impossible. My coaching approach is an active process, and I know (and want you to accept) that your circumstances and the balance between the different parts of your life will always be shifting. 

What this means is that I encourage you and show you how to take action in your life, so you can learn as you go. Sometimes, you’ll spend more time and ...

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I recently had the opportunity to interview the personal trainer Jenny Roth of Coaching Character. She is full of life and has built her unconventional business by breaking the rules and on the radical belief that you’re the expert of your own body. 

The Real Expert

There are a lot of experts out there doing the things they are best at, helping others with their talent, and making a living at it. As a personal trainer, Jenny is an expert in strength training and movement, but she takes a different approach. Rather than showing up to each session and telling you what your body needs, she wants to listen to your body first. 

In the early years as a personal trainer, she saw a lot of people being dismissed by “the experts”. The younger, fitter trainers would dismiss the complaints, concerns, and experiences of their usually older clients when they shared how they felt. It really struck Jenny that anyone, even herself, would think that they knew...

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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, and has also woven t...