Why do high achievers start every year the same way – with bigger goals, higher standards, and more discipline – only to feel just as exhausted by February?
Because you’ve been taught that change happens when the calendar flips. That success requires fixing what didn’t work and finally getting it right. But here’s what no one’s telling you: real change doesn’t start with another goal. It starts with an honest look at where you actually are.
What This Episode Is About
Most of us enter the New Year already thinking about what we should be doing differently. What needs to be fixed. What standards need to be higher. But this episode isn’t about making you better. It’s about walking you into a more honest relationship with yourself so you can actually create change that lasts.
In this solo episode, I’m sharing how I approach the New Year with my clients, and it’s the opposite of what you’ve been taught. We’re looking back first, mining for data about what actually worked and what didn’t, before we ever look forward. Because clarity creates better choices. And when you know better, you can do better.
Lisa’s Story: From Reckoning to Ownership
I share my own journey through the past few years – 2023 as a year of reckoning that took me to my knees, 2024 as reclamation and navigating grief I’d never experienced before, and 2025 as recalibration. I talk openly about healing old abandonment wounds, rebuilding my business while stepping back to take care of myself, and what it’s looked like to get back in the driver’s seat.
I also share my pattern of waiting for people to choose me instead of creating my own opportunities, and why my word for 2026 is “ownership.” This isn’t about perfection. It’s about recognizing where I’ve been overriding my intuition and what needs to shift for me to step fully into the authority I’ve been building for over two decades.
What we talk about in this episode:
- Why you don’t need another goal, you need a more honest relationship with yourself. Most high achievers have been sold the myth that if you tick all the boxes, you’ll finally feel the way you think you should feel. But achieving more things won’t make you feel better about yourself if you don’t feel better about yourself now. This episode walks you through reflection questions that create the clarity needed for real change.
- The questions that create pattern recognition about 2025. Where did you show up for yourself in ways you’re proud of? Where did effort not equal fulfillment? What patterns continued despite your best intentions? What are you done tolerating? These aren’t questions to complete, they’re meant to disrupt and bring things to the surface.
- Why high achievers struggle to ask for help (and how it shows up differently in business vs. personal life). I share my own pattern of being great at asking for help personally but struggling professionally because I don’t want friends to feel like I’m taking advantage of our relationship. This over-functioning pattern keeps many of us isolated and exhausted.
- What deserves acknowledgement that no one else saw. The private victories matter just as much as the public ones. The things you navigated that nobody on the outside saw. The ways you showed up for yourself when it would have been easier not to. These are the data points that reveal who you’re becoming.
- Less resolutions, more reverence for the life you want to lead. Instead of asking “what do I need to fix,” we’re asking “what do I want more of?” What feels non-negotiable for your energy? Where have you been overriding your intuition? What would need to shift internally for you to feel successful in 2026 if nothing changed externally?
- How to redefine success so it’s about how you feel, not what you achieve. Success is not a destination. It’s a feeling you can choose to step into. I share how my definition of success has completely shifted from 2019 to now, and why it took me so long to realize that no amount of external achievement would make me feel the way I wanted to feel until I decided to choose to feel that way.
- The identity shift that comes before the outcome. Your identity – who you’re being in the world, how you’re showing up – comes before the results. If you want a different outcome in 2026, you have to become the person who has that outcome. I share my own identity shifts around money, numbers, and being smart that allowed my business revenue to expand.
- The future-pacing exercise that makes 2026 inevitable. Imagine it’s the end of 2026. What would need to happen for you to look back and feel proud? What behaviors would you honor? What beliefs would you leave behind? What were you committed to that made the outcome inevitable? This isn’t about perfection, it’s about commitment.
- Why “ownership” and “fun” are my words for 2026. I share my practice of choosing a word or energy for the year (not a resolution), and why after years of being “intentional,” I’m stepping into ownership. No more waiting for people to choose me or for opportunities to come to me. This is the year of creating my own stages and moving past fear.
This episode is for you if you’ve ever:
- Started the New Year with big goals and strong discipline only to feel exhausted by February
- Achieved everything you thought you wanted but still don’t feel the way you thought you would
- Found yourself spinning more plates than ever despite saying you’d do less
- Been everyone’s rock while quietly crumbling on the inside
- Struggled to ask for help because you don’t want to burden people or take advantage of relationships
- Overridden your intuition and talked yourself out of things you knew were right
- Wondered “is this all there is?” or “how much longer can I keep this up?”
- Defined success by external metrics (titles, money, achievements) but feel empty inside
- Known you should prioritize yourself but always run out of time and energy
- Waited for permission or for someone to choose you instead of creating your own opportunities
- Tolerated things in 2025 that you’re absolutely done tolerating in 2026
- Built a life that looks good on the outside but doesn’t feel congruent on the inside
How to Actually Create Change in 2026 (Without Another Resolution)
Here’s what most high achievers don’t understand about the New Year: nothing changes when the calendar flips. You don’t become a different person on January 1st. Real change starts with reflection, not resolution.
If you’re already thinking about what you should be doing differently in 2026, pause. Because the truth is, most of you don’t need another goal. You need a more honest relationship with yourself. You need to look back at 2025 with curiosity instead of judgment, and mine for the data about what actually worked and what didn’t.
This episode walks you through powerful reflection questions designed to create clarity. Clarity creates better choices. When you know what patterns continued despite your best intentions, where your effort didn’t equal fulfillment, and what you’re done tolerating, you can actually make different decisions moving forward.
The cost of skipping this reflection? Another year of chasing goals that don’t align with who you actually are. Another year of achieving things that don’t make you feel the way you thought they would. Another year of exhaustion without fulfillment.
Ready to Stop Chasing Goals That Don’t Actually Fill You Up?
If you listened to this episode and recognized yourself in these patterns – the over-functioning, the waiting for permission, the achieving without feeling, the overriding your intuition – it’s time for a reset.
The Congruency Audit is where we look at the gap between the success you’ve built on the outside and what you’re actually feeling on the inside. We’ll identify the exact patterns keeping you stuck in cycles of exhaustion and achievement without fulfillment, the identity beliefs driving your behavior, and what it’s going to take for you to finally create success that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.
This isn’t about adding another goal to your list. It’s about getting honest about what’s true for you and starting to live from that truth. Because when you’re congruent, success stops being something you chase and becomes who you are.
Book your free Congruency Audit: lisacarpenter.ca/audit
Connect with Lisa
- Website: lisacarpenter.ca
- Podcast: lisacarpenter.ca/podcast
- Instagram: @lisacarpenterinc
- LinkedIn: Lisa Carpenter
Walk the Camino with Lisa in September 2026
If you’re feeling called to more in-person connection and real transformation, join Lisa and Sara Intonato in Spain for a walking retreat on the Camino de Santiago, September 25 – October 3, 2026.
This isn’t a vacation. It’s a sacred journey to leave behind what’s weighing you down and reconnect with yourself without the noise of the rest of the world. Walk over 100 kilometers, strip away the layers that aren’t yours, and step into who you’re becoming.
Limited spaces available. Payment plans available now. Learn more: HERE
This isn’t about optimizing the version of yourself you built to survive. It’s about creating congruence so the life you’ve built doesn’t just look good, it finally feels right.
00:00:06:29 - 00:00:33:12
Lisa
You built success that looks damn good on the outside, but inside it's costing you your health, your relationships, your energy. And no matter how much you do, it never feels like enough. Welcome to Congruent. I'm Lisa Carpenter, the coach. High performers call when they can afford to burn it all down, but they can't keep living like this either.
00:00:33:14 - 00:00:58:24
Lisa
Here we rip off the mask of success and expose what's real. The patterns that you keep running, the price that you've paid, and how to build success that fuels you instead of empties you. Real success is agency. It's powerful self leadership to run your life instead of being run by it. To let your drive and your well-being finally work together.
00:00:58:27 - 00:01:09:03
Lisa
Because the real win is success. That actually feels good.
00:01:09:06 - 00:01:33:14
Lisa
Happy New Year. Happy 2026. Welcome back to congruent. I'm Lisa Carpenter, your host. And today we're going to dive into how I enter into the new year. And how I welcome my clients into the New year, because this is the time of year that man, people can put a lot of pressure on themselves. So I want to give you a new way of looking at bringing in the new year.
00:01:33:21 - 00:02:03:06
Lisa
That is actually more about looking back first so that you can then look forward. So if you're already thinking about what you should be doing differently in 2026, I'm really going to request that you pause right there. Because most of you, you don't need another goal, you need a more honest relationship with yourself. So we've been taught that the new year is about fixing what didn't work, setting higher standards, having stronger discipline, or finally getting it right.
00:02:03:08 - 00:02:35:23
Lisa
But nothing actually changes when the calendar flips. Real change truly starts with reflection. And I wanted this episode not about how to make you better, but about how to walk you into living a life of congruence. It's about looking back with honesty and moving forward with intention, because living a congruent life really isn't about reinventing yourself, it's about letting go of what doesn't work and living in a way that actually works for you.
00:02:35:25 - 00:02:58:23
Lisa
Redefining what success looks like. So before we talk about intentions or words of the year, or what you want to create next year, because if you're anything like me, you probably do have goals and visions. I want to slow us down and start somewhere else. So let's start by where we actually are. So.
00:02:58:25 - 00:03:20:02
Lisa
I want to remove the pressure here, and this episode isn't something for you to complete. You don't need to have the answers to these questions today. You may need to start and stop this podcast so that you can answer these questions. There may be questions you want to skip over entirely. This episode is for you to reflect how you use it.
00:03:20:02 - 00:03:46:20
Lisa
To reflect is entirely up to you, and this does not need to be done even in January. So what you may or may not be aware of is a lot of people don't even follow the Gregorian calendar of January 1st being the new year. Some people follow the lunar calendar. Some people look at the, equinox, the spring equinox as being the turn of the seasons and when the new year actually starts.
00:03:46:20 - 00:04:12:26
Lisa
So you get to tune in to what feels best for you. So I just want you to listen to the episode, pay attention for what catches your attention, and that is going to be enough. So I want to start with going way back to the beginning of 2025. Now, I don't know about you, but I feel like the past five years have been a bit of, a vortex, and I typically keep a journal every year.
00:04:12:29 - 00:04:32:10
Lisa
Last year, I didn't write in my journal as much as I have in previous years, but I always start a journal at the beginning of the year with, you know what my intentions are for the year. I do think about a word that I want for the year that's going to guide me, the energy that I want to bring in to the to the new year and really reflect on where I'm at.
00:04:32:10 - 00:04:59:11
Lisa
And this is what I'm going to request that you do, is where were you at the beginning of 25, of 2025, and what did you want to feel differently last year? And when you reflect on that, what really happened in 2025, what isn't working, what didn't work last year for you, and what were you hoping would have been different in 2025?
00:04:59:14 - 00:05:23:00
Lisa
So it's really an opportunity to go, okay, well, what did I really want at the beginning of 2025? What changed? What didn't change? What worked, what didn't work? And was I looking for effort and discipline to be the key for why things would change? Because I can tell you, after doing this work for decades now, it's rarely about effort and discipline.
00:05:23:00 - 00:05:53:15
Lisa
That creates change. It's really about looking at the identity that is driving your beliefs, which ultimately drive your behaviors that keep us, stuck. And we're often looking for external things to change so that internally will feel different. So if you really looked at 2025 and were hoping that, you know, the world out there would change so that you could feel better, this is your opportunity to look at what worked and what didn't work in 2025.
00:05:53:18 - 00:06:11:29
Lisa
So if we go back and look at this and what we're doing is we're mining for data because, as you know, if you've been here for a while, I talk a lot about emotional resiliency, emotional fluency. I believe so many of the men and women that I work with have really disconnected from our emotions and our emotions are very, very important.
00:06:11:29 - 00:06:32:10
Lisa
They're powerful Guideposts, but our emotions are our emotions aren't always factual. So we're always having to weigh out like, how are our emotions trying to steer us? What is the valuable information we can extract from them? But what is the actual data telling us? And I know you get what I'm saying. So we want to look for facts.
00:06:32:10 - 00:07:00:05
Lisa
So when you look back over 2025, where did you show up for yourself in ways that you were really proud of, that were different than maybe you done the year before or the year before that? Maybe you learned to set better boundaries in 2025 and you, stepped into the discomfort of saying no more often than you said yes, maybe in 2025, you're really proud of yourself because you took so many more things off your plate.
00:07:00:07 - 00:07:23:05
Lisa
Maybe you stopped with the people pleasing. Maybe you learned how to let go of control a little bit more and let other people support you. Instead of being in this like martyrdom energy of you're the best and only you can do it. So just be curious about different ways that you showed up for yourself, different behaviors that you stepped into that you can get to feel really proud of.
00:07:23:08 - 00:07:53:21
Lisa
And where did you find you were supported in more ways than you expected. So often a big part of this work is allowing walking my clients into this energy of it's okay to ask for help, it's okay to be supported. You do not have to do everything yourself. And that's wildly uncomfortable for many of the people that I work with is taking a step back, letting other people take the lead, trusting other people to do their part, and also asking for help.
00:07:53:21 - 00:08:18:14
Lisa
And this has been something that I have also been working on and in many ways, I'm so good at asking for help. And then in other ways I've found myself really struggling for it. So I've got a very diverse and deep network of, you know, amazing men and women from around the globe. But do you think that I would reach out to them and ask for support in terms of things that I'm needing in business?
00:08:18:16 - 00:08:50:19
Lisa
What I've noticed in myself is the leaning back, waiting for people to just offer their assistance, versus me raising their hand and asking for help. Yet on a personal level, I have no problem asking for help from from friends or family for whatever it is I need. So these are some of the things that, as I reflected on in 2025, I really had to, be curious about because as much as I'm great at setting boundaries and as much as I'm like, oh, Lisa, you're so good at asking for help, I realized that I'm often not.
00:08:50:19 - 00:09:09:24
Lisa
And when people say to me, what do you need? I really struggle to ask for it because I don't want to. What I realized is I don't want to ever have any of my friends or colleagues feel like I'm taking advantage of them because of our relationship, because I've got, you know, I've got friends that do amazing things in this world.
00:09:09:24 - 00:09:28:19
Lisa
And I never want to be that friend that is, you know, taking advantage of your position in the world. But in taking that perspective, I don't even allow them to help me because I'm not even asking for what it is I want need. Yet I'm the first person, if somebody reached out to that, I would be happy to help.
00:09:28:21 - 00:10:08:07
Lisa
So the other question you can ask yourself is, is what what deserves acknowledgment that you maybe haven't acknowledged? And these aren't like the big things that, you know, like walking out on stage or, you know, completing A5K race or something. But things that you did that you need to acknowledge, even if nobody else saw it. And I can tell you over the past couple of years, there have been so many things that I have had to navigate through that I've chosen to navigate through personally and professionally, that nobody on the outside saw that I'm really proud of myself for.
00:10:08:09 - 00:10:32:25
Lisa
You know, I said that 2023 was a year of reckoning that really took me to my knees, that it flipped everything I thought to be true upside down. 2024 was really a year of reclamation and, you know, navigating through things that I never thought I would have to navigate, healing and working through grief in ways that I have never experienced before.
00:10:32:27 - 00:10:57:13
Lisa
And 2024 was really about recalibration. Really going like, who am I now on the other side of that cyclone that went through my life? And, you know, I naively thought that on the other side, I would just kind of slip back into my, my captain's chair and everything would be the same. But I wasn't the same. I became a different person in that process, not a different person.
00:10:57:13 - 00:11:16:09
Lisa
But how I see the world is very different. How I experience myself is very different. There are parts of me, that I had to dive deep into and heal old abandonment wounds and oh my goodness, you know, like I am doing the same stuff that my clients are doing in terms of this work to create more freedom within myself.
00:11:16:12 - 00:11:39:19
Lisa
And I'm really proud of that. I'm really proud of where I am in my life. I'm really proud of what I've rebuilt in my business. I'm really proud that my business not just survived but was able to completely maintain itself well. I stepped out and really took care of myself because in 2023 and 2024, I wasn't focused on growing my business.
00:11:39:19 - 00:12:07:08
Lisa
I was really focused on taking care of myself. And it was only in 2025 that I, you know, got back into the driver's seat of my business. And I'm really proud of that. And I'm really proud of the changes and shifts that I made behind the scenes to really step into who I've become, including rebranding this podcast, including getting much clearer on my offers, including getting very, very clear on where I'm taking my business and and who I'm working with in 2026 and beyond.
00:12:07:08 - 00:12:33:19
Lisa
So these pieces, these, these, these things that we're acknowledging, these things that we learned about ourselves, the things that the ways that we showed up for our self in 2025, these matters so much. They give us so much data and that pausing to just go, wow, like I am. I am not the same person that I was in 2024 or sorry in 2025.
00:12:33:19 - 00:12:55:01
Lisa
We're in 2026 now. I'm like, oh, it's all rolling together. Okay, so just sit with some of those questions and really ponder, really ponder, who you became in 2025. So then we want to look at that information and get really honest without making it personal. Right. So we want to look at this is data. We don't want to make it really mean anything about us.
00:12:55:03 - 00:13:19:21
Lisa
It's just information. There's no judgment required. But we want to look at what didn't work. So what patterns continued despite your best intentions. So maybe you had, decided that you were going to get healthier and you were going to do less and you were going to create more free time for yourself. And you quickly realized, you know, now looking back on 2025, you've got even more on your plate than when you started and that those patterns really haven't changed.
00:13:19:24 - 00:13:40:27
Lisa
Maybe you're finding you're still really putting a bunch your hands on things that are just none of your business, but you're making it your business. Maybe you're overly caretaking, maybe you're overly controlling and doing all the things. Maybe you're spinning way too many plates still, and you said you were going to stop doing that. And if you continue to spin all those plates, it means you're not going to get to your Pilates class.
00:13:40:27 - 00:14:00:08
Lisa
So you're not going to prioritize your health, or you're not going to do the things that you say you want to do. So what patterns continue despite your intentions and where did your effort not equal fulfillment? Having been an entrepreneur now for over two decades, I can tell you that there is there is hard work involved in growing a business.
00:14:00:08 - 00:14:17:24
Lisa
I'm not going to be like, I'm not going to pretend like there isn't hard things to do. There's always hard things to do. I'm always challenging myself, and there's a lot of things in my business that I don't love to do. I love coaching my clients, but in order to coach my clients, I also have to fall in love with the other aspects of my business that I don't necessarily love.
00:14:17:24 - 00:14:47:18
Lisa
I got to know my numbers. There's marketing, there's social media, like there's just so many moving pieces. But I can tell you that more effort doesn't equal better results or more fulfillment. Okay. So I'm I'm curious for you, where did the effort that you were putting out not equal more fulfillment because achieving more things isn't going to make you feel better about yourself if you don't feel a better about yourself now.
00:14:47:20 - 00:15:04:28
Lisa
And this is the this is the myth that so many high achievers have been sold is that if you tick all the boxes in life, that you're going to get your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And what happens is most people have achieved all these amazing things in their world and they're like, well, well, why don't I feel the way I thought I would feel?
00:15:04:28 - 00:15:32:13
Lisa
I've worked so hard. I'm deserving to feel happy. Why don't I feel happy? Why? Why am I not happy in my relationship? Why am I burnt out in my business? Why am I yelling at my kids all the time? Like, is this it? Like, shouldn't I feel differently? So I want you to think about that where effort did not equal more fulfillment and what felt really draining in 2025 that you maybe want to stop doing in 2026.
00:15:32:15 - 00:15:53:27
Lisa
And as we numeral it from a numerological perspective, we are just leaving a nine year cycle. Now, I am not an expert in this. I hire people who are experts. We are leaving a nine year cycle so we work in nine year cycles in numerology and we are going into year one. So what does 2025, where do you feel complete?
00:15:54:00 - 00:16:18:09
Lisa
Because I can tell you in my life, 2025 feels like the completion. I can actually see where I was nine years ago versus where I was at the end of 2025. And I feel like I, I showed up for the assignment, I completed the assignment and I am complete, period. So it feels really good to be going into a new year.
00:16:18:11 - 00:16:39:05
Lisa
So these questions are going to create clarity for you. And clarity creates better choice, right? When we when we know better we can do better so to speak. So we can start to make different choices. If we know things didn't work in 2025, what would cause you to want to bring them into 2026? This is where you get to make those adjustments.
00:16:39:08 - 00:16:57:10
Lisa
So now we want to go into making less resolutions and having more reverence for the life that you want to lead. So we don't want to get into like what do I need to fix that didn't work in 2025? It's not about that. It's about saying, okay, how can I do differently? What do I actually want more of?
00:16:57:13 - 00:17:21:16
Lisa
Okay, so we just determine what you want less of what didn't work. So now we're stepping into what do you want more of in 2026. What felt really good. And one of my favorite questions to ask my clients is what are you done tolerating? What have you been tolerating? What did you tolerate in 2025, and what are you done tolerating in 2026?
00:17:21:19 - 00:17:48:21
Lisa
It's such a powerful question. What feels non-negotiable for your energy right now? So, you know, you know, I love to travel. If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you know I love to travel. I've been all over the world now in the past couple of years, and travel is really a non-negotiable for my energy. However, too much travel is also not good for my energy because jet lag is is a thing for me.
00:17:48:23 - 00:18:10:06
Lisa
I do the best I can, but I'm being very, very intentional about where I'm traveling, how I'm traveling, and how I'm making sure that I've got proper buffers on either side so that I do have time to rest and recover after my trips. Also not taking on more. So, ironically, at the beginning of the year I always pull different cards just for guidance.
00:18:10:06 - 00:18:31:01
Lisa
I like bringing magic into my world a little bit. And the card, the animal card that I pulled this year was turtle, which I was like at first I was like, turtle, that's not very sexy. Like, I want a sexy card, like, I want, I want like eagle or Jaguar. Like something that's like sexy energy. And I was like, turtle.
00:18:31:03 - 00:19:03:09
Lisa
Interesting. But when I really start with turtle energy and what it meant, it means chop wood, carry water, like be consistent, do the things and finish. And this is really where I'm at. I have been building the foundation over the past, you know, nine years specifically, but even longer than that. And this year, like, I have such a clear vision of where I want to take my business, but it really does mean that I have to be incredibly discerning about what I'm saying yes and no to, and anything that takes me away from that vision, I have to say no.
00:19:03:12 - 00:19:20:22
Lisa
I have to be able to do less in order to complete what it is I want to complete. So that is really a non-negotiable for me. Like to stay focused on the one thing, and we're just going to like, we're just going to put our head down and we're going to do the things that need to get done.
00:19:20:22 - 00:20:05:20
Lisa
Not sexy, not flashy. But that is actually what creates sustainable results, sustainable energy and a business that feels simple. I like simplicity and congruent. So the other great question you can ask yourself is where have you been overriding your intuition? And I think this is something that all of us can work on. I mean, you know, hindsight is always 2020, but those tugs that we feel in our gut that are pulling us in a certain direction or trying to move us away from something, how often are you overriding that in yourself, and what does that look like to go into 2026 with more of a trusting yourself?
00:20:05:20 - 00:20:33:13
Lisa
And this is a this is a big piece of what I work with clients on, is trusting themselves because they're so used to trying to think their way through problems, but thinking their way through problems generally leads to them having more problems. So it's all about how can we think less? How can we use the data? How can we also interpret what our emotions are telling us, or our feelings are telling us and make decisions, even if it doesn't make sense?
00:20:33:13 - 00:20:59:04
Lisa
But you're like, you know what? Like I'm really being pulled this way. So this year for me, when I have ideas providing they all align with the overall big vision, it's executing on them. Before I can get into my head and talk myself out of them, because that is how I override myself. I will talk myself out of stuff instead of just saying, like, Lisa, how about we just do it and see what happens on the other side?
00:20:59:06 - 00:21:23:26
Lisa
So that's what it looks like for me to override myself. And that's the question for you. What does it look like when you're overriding yourself? You're overriding your intuition. You're overriding those things that you know you don't want to do. You're overriding the boundaries she set. Even so, it's very like with this kind of less resolutions and more reverence for yourself, it's really grounding into the statement that you've heard me say a million times by now.
00:21:23:26 - 00:21:43:01
Lisa
It's the things that we love and we value, we take care of. And this is about you deciding to really take care of yourself in a different way in 2026, by looking at your energy. So then, you know, we can't I can't do this episode without talking about redefining success. Oh my gosh, I got a stutter in 2026.
00:21:43:04 - 00:22:05:10
Lisa
Because it is such an important part of living a more fulfilled life, because congruence is looking at everything you've learned over your lifetime and going, wait a minute, what parts of these are not actually even mine? And I honestly think it takes until we get to to our 40s before we really start questioning life, questioning the world, questioning the things we've been taught.
00:22:05:13 - 00:22:25:24
Lisa
And it it is very disruptive when that happens. It creates a lot of, cognitive dissonance because we have to look at things and go, wow, what if that isn't true anymore? And that's really what this work invites you into, is looking at. Well, what if that isn't true? And how do I want how do I want to see the world?
00:22:25:24 - 00:22:46:23
Lisa
What would that look like for me? So I can tell you that how I see the world now versus how I saw it in even 2019 to now is completely different. So we're looking for the internal metrics of what feels true versus, the external like, but this is how you should be living, this is how you should define it.
00:22:46:26 - 00:23:11:03
Lisa
So again, how do you want to define success in 2026? How have you defined it in the past, and how would you like to define it? Because it really has nothing to do with external metrics, has everything to do with how you feel about yourself. So what does it look like to live a congruent life versus how you might have seen that in the past?
00:23:11:05 - 00:23:37:03
Lisa
I think most of us live our lives for other people for a long time, whether it's our parents, our kids, our partners. But what does it look like to live a life that feels truly authentic and congruent and aligned? Whatever word you want to use for you, how do you want success to feel in your body? I've done quite a few different episodes on how to redefine success.
00:23:37:03 - 00:23:59:19
Lisa
We can we can link them in the show notes. I'll get my team to link them in the show notes, but it really is. Success is not a destination. It is a feeling and you can choose to feel successful. And I know for me took a long time before I really got that and it required me no longer chasing, all these achievements as a way to feel good, as a way to feel successful.
00:23:59:19 - 00:24:20:24
Lisa
Because like I said, ironically, it didn't matter what I achieved, how many certificates, how many clients I signed, how much money I made, how big my business grew. I never actually felt the way I wanted to feel until I decided to choose to feel that way. So if nothing changed on the outside of your life, what would need to shift internally for you to feel successful in 2026?
00:24:20:27 - 00:24:36:02
Lisa
Because if your success is costing you everything your relationships, your energy, your peace of mind, then it's then it's not success. So.
00:24:36:05 - 00:24:54:19
Lisa
Now let's kind of play a game. Now we're going to jump into the future. So we spent some time looking back into 2025. We've spent some time kind of thinking about what would a successful 2026 look like. How do you want to redefine it? What are you bringing with you? What are you leaving behind? What is it that you want?
00:24:54:19 - 00:25:26:17
Lisa
How do you want to feel all of those things. So now we want to look at we're going to jump ahead a little bit. And this is kind of a fun this is a fun way to look at 2026 because your identity, who you're being in the world, how you're showing up comes before the outcome. If you are committed to being a couch potato, playing video games, but you really want to have, a fit, healthy body, you have to become the person who has a fit, healthy body.
00:25:26:17 - 00:26:00:29
Lisa
You have to become an athlete. You have to become somebody who loves activity. Okay? To be a successful business owner, same thing. You cannot become a successful business owner unless you allow yourself to embody what that would look like for you. And there's so many lessons that I've had to learn, you know, they get my identity around money and changing how I, thought and felt about money so I could expand my capacity to even hold the amount of revenue that was coming into my business, because I believed that I wasn't smart, and if I wasn't smart and I wasn't good at math, and I couldn't possibly be good at numbers, and if I wasn't
00:26:00:29 - 00:26:22:21
Lisa
good at numbers, then how could I possibly, manage my revenue and feel safe with revenue? So I said I wanted to make more money in my business, but ultimately my identity did not support the outcome that I wanted. So I changed my identity around money and numbers and being smart. And that shifted the results that showed up in my business.
00:26:22:21 - 00:26:44:26
Lisa
So I want you to imagine it's the end of 2026 now. So we're tuning in to an episode at the end of 2026. You're sitting down with your journal, and I want you to ask yourself, what would need to happen in 2026 for you to look back on the year and feel really proud of yourself. What behaviors do you want to honor?
00:26:44:28 - 00:27:06:28
Lisa
What beliefs do you want to leave behind? What do you want to create? Who do you want to be? Yeah. If we get to the end of 2026, which we all will get to the end of 26, what would make you feel proud of that year? What would need to change? How would you need to change in order for you to feel proud of yourself?
00:27:06:28 - 00:27:28:17
Lisa
At the end of 2026, what did you stop pushing through? So at the end of 2026, if you look back and you saw it, yeah, like, God, I stopped doing that thing that I just been pushing and pushing and pushing and I started to give myself more grace and compassion. What did that look like? What needed to change in you?
00:27:28:19 - 00:27:59:23
Lisa
What would need to change in you in order for you to be proud of yourself? At the end of 2026? Are you somebody right now that can even sit back and acknowledge your accomplishments and celebrate your wins? So that may even be something for you to look at. And what were you committed to in all of 2026 that made that moment of feeling proud and looking at what changed in your world, made it inevitable?
00:27:59:26 - 00:28:22:24
Lisa
Okay, so what were you committed to that made the outcome of 2026 inevitable? Right. So your commitment, whatever you're committed to, is what you're going to get. So if you are committed to not making change, you won't make change. If you are committed to the changes you want to make truly committed, then those changes will happen and we're all committed to something.
00:28:22:24 - 00:28:40:20
Lisa
If you're sitting on the couch, you're committed to sitting on the couch. If you're committed to being in your suffering and making everything hard and committed to worry, you're going to get more of that. So you get to choose what you're going to be committed to in order to create the outcome that you want. At the end of 2026.
00:28:40:22 - 00:29:02:24
Lisa
Now, this is something that I adopted quite a few years ago. And to be honest, like some years, I've repeated the same word and there are always really powerful words. So I set my word or my energy for the year. And I usually have multiple words because, you know, life is two, life is too fun to have just one word.
00:29:02:26 - 00:29:20:10
Lisa
But I do put a lot of thought into what is the word and what is the energy that I want to pull into the year that is going to carry me forward. And if I stay committed to that word, and energy will really shift a lot of things for me. And a lot of people have adopted this as opposed to doing New Year's resolutions.
00:29:20:12 - 00:29:42:16
Lisa
They set these words of the energy, and it's actually it's optional. If it doesn't feel like a right thing for you to do, then you don't have to do it again. This whole episode is completely optional. So last year my word was intentional and I was pretty intentional. In fact, that was my word of the year for two years in a row.
00:29:42:16 - 00:30:10:06
Lisa
To be to be intentional, to be intentional about where I was holding my energy in my attention, to be intentional about my healing, to be intentional in my relationships. And this year, I've really thought about the things that I'm stepping into because I have changed so much and I have such big visions for myself. And as you know, personal responsibility is a core, a core value of mine.
00:30:10:06 - 00:30:34:23
Lisa
It's one of my top values. And I was reading through other people's words because sometimes I look at other people's words to get inspiration, like what's really resonating with me. And I knew one of my words for 2026 is fun because I don't actually consider myself a fun person. Most people, when they meet me and spend time with me, tell me that I'm way more fun than they thought I would be, which is super fun.
00:30:34:25 - 00:30:54:05
Lisa
Compliment again, I actually can be a lot of a lot of fun, but the work that I do is pretty. It's pretty intense. So I want to bring more fun, more playfulness into my life and being very intentional about that. But the other word that I'm that I'm calling in, that I'm really grounding into for 2026 is ownership.
00:30:54:07 - 00:31:13:06
Lisa
Because as I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, so often I've leaned back waiting for people to choose me or for the opportunity to come to me. And what I've noticed is the most successful people, they don't wait for opportunity to come to them. They go create the opportunity. So ownership truly is about if this is what you want.
00:31:13:06 - 00:31:32:29
Lisa
Lisa, if these are the goals, what is it that I need to be responsible for? What is what is it that I need to take ownership of in order to create that? And this is what I mean about not overriding my gut instinct. If I have an idea, okay, we're going to go and execute on that. So I had an idea about getting together with one of my clients and hosting a dinner for a bunch of women she knows.
00:31:32:29 - 00:31:57:09
Lisa
So I'm just like, just let's just book it before you change your mind. So sure enough, I will be going. That is all booked and happening, and it's going to be a lot of fun. I've never done it before, but in order to to grow my audience, to have a bigger impact, to get my work more out in the world, I need to take ownership of creating the stages for myself instead of waiting to be put on a stage.
00:31:57:11 - 00:32:20:27
Lisa
And also, I've had a lot of fear around that. This is the year we're going to move past that, and it's going to start with me being me, taking full ownership of creating those stages and putting myself in uncomfortable positions in order for me to grow and really create the, authority that I want in this world. Meaning I'm an authority on what I coach on, and I've been kind of like keeping myself as the best kept secret.
00:32:20:27 - 00:32:40:02
Lisa
And I don't really want to do that anymore. So I'm not sure exactly what it's going to look like. But this year is really about ownership and authority for me. So those are the words that I'm calling in. So they just anchor in every decision I make has to go through those words, right? If I'm avoiding things, I'm not taking ownership.
00:32:40:05 - 00:32:58:08
Lisa
If I'm in fear about taking action on something, I'm not in ownership of that. So you can, you can decide if that works for you. If you want to call in, if you want to call in a word or an energy or multiple words, you you can do that. But I find that that it is much more impactful than a resolution.
00:32:58:10 - 00:33:18:25
Lisa
Resolution really is. Most people don't keep their resolutions. So what do you want to be committed to in 2026? What is the energy you're grounding into? What are you leaving behind? What do you want more of? There's so many powerful questions that you can go back through this episode and ask yourself and really give yourself the time to reflect, create space, right?
00:33:18:25 - 00:33:38:24
Lisa
Like I light a candle, I pull up different cards. I crack open a new journal at the beginning of every year. I love the energy of a new journal, even if I haven't filled the old one. It doesn't matter. And, yeah, I just I'm like, okay, we're bringing in some new energy. And like I said, you know, the turn of the calendar doesn't really mean anything.
00:33:38:24 - 00:34:01:23
Lisa
I give myself all the way into February to kind of like, integrate this new energy. And I also know that, you know, from what would we call it, Lunar New Year. Last year was the year of the snake. So the snake is all about shedding and letting go very appropriate for also being a nine year nine, which is a closing year and a year.
00:34:01:28 - 00:34:20:25
Lisa
We're stepping into what is considered the fire horse year. So a horse and a snake energy very different. Even though I got a I'm going to be a turtle on top of the snake or story, I'm going to be a turtle on top of the fire horse. But the horse is about forward momentum. Like, let's go, right. This is this is the year of like, let's go.
00:34:21:03 - 00:34:43:00
Lisa
Although new beginnings are always going to be bumpy. When I think about giving birth, that would be the equivalent of a year one, right? It's messy and painful and so beautiful at the same time. I think that that's what 2026 holds for us with this momentum of the horse coming in with the with the Lunar New Year. So lots of different like energies at play too.
00:34:43:03 - 00:35:06:05
Lisa
So I like to take the very I like to take a very pragmatic approach, but I also do like to look at the energies that are also happening all around us, because everything really is energy. And for me and for many of my clients, it just allows them to sink, like get out of their heads a little bit more and tap into, divine connection, whatever you want to call it, universal energy.
00:35:06:07 - 00:35:24:05
Lisa
Things that so many of us have gotten disconnected from because we were told to, like, grow up and and show up. So again, you don't have to answer every question that I laid out here. This is a little bit of a framework for you. You can start and stop, pause this episode as much as you need to to take what you need out of it.
00:35:24:08 - 00:35:47:09
Lisa
And even sitting and pondering it might be enough for you. Let the questions do their work. They're meant to be disruptive. They're meant to bring things to the surface for you. So the last thing that I'm going to leave you with, if you're feeling called for more fun, maybe adventure is your word for 20, 26. Over the past couple of years, I've really started to integrate in-person connection with people.
00:35:47:09 - 00:36:02:25
Lisa
Connection is also one of my highest values. And in a world where we're having a hard time figuring out what's real and what's fake, I mean, I was literally watching the cutest dog account, only to find out that the dog was I. I was so disappointed, and I think a lot of us are feeling a little bit disillusioned.
00:36:02:25 - 00:36:32:27
Lisa
What's real and what's not? Having been around for over two decades now, you can tell by all my janky selfies on Instagram that I am actually a real person, but I'm finding that, you know, we are so connected now digitally, but it's creating a lot of disconnect. So I've really woven it into my business to have more in-person opportunities to connect, whether it's dinners I'm hosting, inviting you into my city, coming into your city, or hosting retreats.
00:36:32:27 - 00:36:53:29
Lisa
So I wanted to let you know about the retreat that I have planned for 2026. I'm actually doing this with my best friend Sarah. And to tomorrow we are going back to Spain and we are going to be walking the Camino. This will be my third time now that this section of the Camino that we're walking is from Syria to Santiago de de Compostela.
00:36:54:01 - 00:37:24:11
Lisa
My Spanish is, well, it's non-existent. Let's face it. Anyways, this is the. This is the route that I walked in 2024 when I was really deep in, a lot of grief and it just feels so full circle, felt so full circle to be coming back in 2026 and actually leading a group and being shoulder to shoulder with the men and women who choose to walk this with us, on their own journey to connect with themselves, because that's really what it's about.
00:37:24:11 - 00:37:48:08
Lisa
It's for most of you, it's the first time you will ever really be disconnected. Will be walking, over 100km from September 20th 5th to October 3rd. So you're walking like, you know, between 3 to 5 hours every day, depending on your cadence, your pace and the walking really strips away the noise. This is a really sacred, journey that many, many people have walked.
00:37:48:11 - 00:38:12:13
Lisa
And it is such a great way to leave things behind, to be with your own thoughts, without the noise of the rest of the world. So we do have limited spaces for that. If that's something that you are interested in, we are taking deposits and starting payments, because we are going in September. So if you need a lot of lead time to make sure that you can, have payments that work for your budget, this is the time to register.
00:38:12:13 - 00:38:34:17
Lisa
So I will have the I will have the link, I will have the link for that in the show notes, because I do not have the link off the top of my head sitting here. My team hates it when I do this. But anyways, we will put the link in the show notes for you. You know, and this is just a really an opportunity to, to learn that the answers that you're looking for aren't going to come from thinking harder.
00:38:34:19 - 00:38:54:20
Lisa
They actually come from creating space. And the Camino is definitely going to create space, but you're also going to have the support of both me and Sarah coaching you so we can help you integrate the things that are coming up and ask, you know, my deep dive probing questions to really pull out whatever is is weighing you down.
00:38:54:23 - 00:39:13:18
Lisa
So that's it. Here we are, 2026. Thank you so much for being here. You know, I just want to say just a reminder, you don't need a new year to become someone else. And in fact, you don't need to become someone else. It's really about becoming who you already are, just peeling off all the layers of garbage that you've been wearing.
00:39:13:20 - 00:39:38:19
Lisa
I often reference the episode from friends when Joey came out wearing all of Chandler's clothes. Right. It's this. This is what it looks like. It's like we need to start taking off all the layers that aren't ours that we thought we needed to wear in order to fit in, to belong, to be loved. And it's just I believe that every new year gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect.
00:39:38:21 - 00:39:57:06
Lisa
And that's what this episode was, was about. It's, you know, are you willing to live in a way that actually fits what you want and, and allows you to feel the way you want to feel and move forward from there? So that's what I've got for you today. Very meaty episode. I hope you enjoy it. Take some time.
00:39:57:06 - 00:40:13:20
Lisa
If you feel called to sit with those questions, and, I look forward to bringing you so many more amazing episodes in 2026. And who knows, maybe you'll be walking shoulder to shoulder with me in September on the Camino. I'd love to see you there. So until next time, take good care of you.
