Recently I’ve been reminded that as much as our brains believe they can control and predict what’s going to happen, they can’t. Life is impermanent and there is plenty that we can neither predict nor control.

What we do control is our choices in the present. What we do have is the moment right here in the now. Sometimes it can be a powerful exercise to remember that there are no guarantees, that today is all you have, and to make decisions and choices from that reality. 

In this episode of the podcast, I’m welcoming you, not to the “new” year, but to the “now” year and inviting you to stop waiting and start creating and living in the daily rhythm of your goals and dreams.

I’m sharing five tips to help you make this new year the year where you live the life you want to live right now.  

**You can find the Interview with David Roche that I mention in this podcast here: https://www.richroll.com/podcast/david-roche-875

We’re just a couple of weeks into a brand new year and I’ve noticed myself feeling hesitant—hesitant to decide and declare my goals, hesitant to finalize plans and decisions and intentions, just hesitant to start.

If you’ve been feeling hesitant when you think you should be feeling motivated and refreshed and ready to go, then this episode is for you.

In today’s episode I talk about why we sometimes feel hesitant at a “start line” and give you three tools to help make yourself feel safe and encouraged when you’re ready to move past your hesitations and begin. 

I also share an announcement about the future of the podcast on this episode and some changes I’m making in the new year.

Welcome to a brand new year! 

Here at the starting line of the new year, it can be tempting to want to change some (or all) of the things we’re doing, but don’t forget that every action begins as a thought. That means that the most important changes you can make in your life are the things you choose to think.

As we start another revolution around the sun, I want to encourage you to start a thought revolution in your head and choose some new thoughts to power and fuel your life.

On today’s podcast, I’m sharing some of the thoughts that I’m using to create my year, fuel my actions, and make decisions from. I hope they inspire you to purposefully choose the thoughts that will create the things you want and remind you that you get to believe whatever you want about yourself and your life. 

Before we start thinking about plans and goals and desires for the new year, it’s important to review the year we just finished and take the time to look back and see what we’ve created. 

On today’s podcast, I’ll show you how to review, receive, rejoice, and reexamine your year with love, so that you can celebrate and appreciate all the work you’ve done and the choices you made, and so that you can find the best way to support yourself in the new year.

As you think back on the highs and lows of this year, as you think about what you did or what went undone, free yourself from the illusion that it should have or could have been any other way than it was. It was. And it was good. And on today’s episode I’ll show you that there’s plenty to celebrate and there’s plenty to learn from and it’s all found in your year review.

*****

Here’s a link to the large, year-at-a-glance calendar I use: https://jesseitzler.com/products/the-big-a-calendar?srsltid=AfmBOoqz76LrETRqK_9x79Y0Bl2pyOAwBcq2AxFYEGjm1vb6PPhH1PqI

Christmas is less than a week away and so I’m taking the opportunity today to share my thoughts about Christmas and about Jesus Christ, and reflect on the impact his life and death have had on my own life. 

Every year I write a Christmas letter that I send to all our family and friends in which I try to find the lessons and make meaning of the biggest experiences of my year. And today I’m sharing that letter with you.

Of all the thoughts I share on my podcast, these thoughts about Christ and his love and grace are the ones that mean the most to me and bring me the most comfort and peace and joy in my life. 

I hope they help you feel the love of God in your own life. Merry Christmas!

We are fully in the gift-giving season. Everywhere you look there is another ad or gift guide to help you find the perfect gift for someone in your life. 

Today I thought it might be fun to create my own take on this and make a list of the best gifts I think you can give yourself—and actually, they are all gifts that only you can give yourself. 

As you think about the end of this year and the start of the next one, these are things you should think about purposefully giving yourself and incorporating into your life in the new year. 

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour ends this Sunday and as a tribute to her, her music, and the most epic tour of all time, today I invited my daughter, Olivia onto the podcast to talk all things Taylor Swift. We share what we learned and loved from the tour, as well as take a deep dive on our favorite Taylor Swift songs, some of which made the tour and some of which didn’t.  

In a break from our usual programming, today I’m taking off my coaching hat and donning my fan girl outfit complete with friendship bracelet to gush with my daughter about Taylor Swift and talk about what her songs have meant to each of us. 

Fair warning…this episode is a long one (we have A LOT to say!!) and only meant for you if you’re a fan of Taylor Swift. Come listen as we share our takes on Taylor’s best work, the songs we just can’t get over, and the feelings we feel when we hear them. This one’s just for fun! Are you ready for it?!

If you want to listen to our playlist of the songs we talk about on the podcast, you can click here: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4OJGdeDNUTLjn7n4jDaWaw?si=LKMjMxnXRH6hVFxRwAwAZg

And if you want more of Olivia, you can check out her Youtube channel, Liv in Literature, where she talks all things books: 

https://youtube.com/@livinliterature?si=k5pPrOe1jYwXmosj

Recently I was reading a book by Julia Cameron who wrote, “The universe is prodigal in its support. We are miserly in what we accept.”

Most of us are uncomfortable receiving and there’s a good reason for this. Psychologically, it feels better for us humans to feel like we are giving more than we are getting. This makes receiving hard because our brains, which like things to be even, are always calculating whether we’ve done enough to deserve the gifts or service or abundance we have.

Today on this special Thanksgiving episode of the podcast, I’m bringing your attention to your ability to receive and the thoughts that get in the way of us fully receiving the abundance of our lives. I think getting better at receiving makes your whole life better, enriches your enjoyment of it, and makes all your relationships sweeter.

Today we’ll talk about how to get better at receiving the goodness that is already present in your life, and I’ll share some ideas, thoughts, and feelings to help you practice noticing and receiving the gifts of your beautiful life. 

The holiday season is in full swing and today I want to give you some help as you navigate the stresses, obligations and feelings of the season.

Because no matter how long your to-do list is or how much extra work you might have to do, it’s always our thoughts that are making us feel bad and our brains that end up making things even harder on ourselves.

So today’s podcast is a little holiday peptalk to help you handle the holidays and feel good during one of the most stressful parts of the year.  We’ll talk about what to say no to, what to say yes to, how to use your agency to take care of yourself so you can have more of the experiences and feelings you want and less of the ones you don’t. 

Just in time, here’s the holiday halftime speech you’ve been needing!

Even though the election is over, there are still a lot of thoughts and feelings about it to process. No matter what your political viewpoint is, it’s hard to wake up and realize that half the country doesn’t think and feel the way you do (p.s. the right way). That realization can make us feel scared and uncertain about our future.

In today’s episode of the podcast, I’m talking about how to process your feelings about the outcome of the election and how to process your feelings about the people who voted differently than you and who might feel like the enemy right now. And what if they are the people across the street, across the pew, or across the dinner table?  

If you’ve felt heavy or anxious in the aftermath of the election, I hope this episode will help you compassionately take care of yourself as well as give you a reason to love other people and embrace our common humanity.