Why do so many people feel motivated in January… only to quit their goals by February?

In today’s episode, we’re doing a 2026 reality check - breaking down why New Year goals fall apart and, more importantly, how you can be the exception. If you’re an early or aspiring coach, entrepreneur, or woman who is serious about building something real this year, this episode is your roadmap.

We’re talking about the real reason motivation fades, why willpower isn’t the problem, and how to build habits and systems that actually last - even when life gets busy and excitement wears off.

Inspired by principles from Atomic Habits, this episode focuses on identity-based habits, systems over goals, and designing your environment for consistency, not burnout.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why most people quit their goals by February (and why it’s not a failure of discipline)
• The biggest mistake people make with New Year goal setting
• Why motivation is unreliable - and what to rely on instead
• The difference between outcome-based goals and identity-based habits
• How early-stage coaches should think about consistency and momentum
• Why systems matter more than confidence, clarity, or perfection
• How to make quitting harder than continuing
• The truth about slow growth vs. failure in business
• How to stay consistent in 2026 without burning out
• What successful coaches do differently in the first 90 days of the year

If you’ve ever told yourself:
“I’ll start when I feel more confident.”
“I just need more motivation.”
“I always fall off by February.”

This episode will lovingly call you out - and give you a smarter, more sustainable way forward.

2025 REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

- What am I most proud of myself in 2025 - even if no one else noticed it?

- Where did I stretch myself this year...and where did I play if safe?

- What belief about myself quietly shifted in 2025?

- What did this year teach me about my capacity - emotionally, mentally or financially?

- What felt heavy this year? What helped me carry it?

- Where did I show up braver that an older version of me would have?

- What am I grateful I stopped doing in 2025?

- What patterns, habits, or relationships no longer align with who I'm becoming?

- When did I feel most like myself this year?

- If 2025 had a lesson or theme, what would it be?

What if the season of life you’re afraid will slow you down is actually the one that helps you rise?

In this deeply honest, full-circle conversation, Katja sits down with her longtime mentor Sam to unpack the identity shifts, mindset breakthroughs, and uncomfortable truths that come with building a business while life is expanding.

This episode goes beyond strategy. It’s about the internal work that actually determines your success — especially when you’re navigating ambition, motherhood, relationships, and personal growth all at once.

If you’re a woman who wants more — more alignment, more confidence, more ease and more success — this conversation will hit.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why waiting for confidence before taking action is keeping you stuck — and what to do instead
• The mindset shift from hustle and grind to flow, ease, and trust (without losing momentum)
• The fear so many women have but rarely admit: “Will motherhood ruin my business?”
• How courage — not belief — is often the missing piece in personal growth and entrepreneurship
• What changes when your identity expands faster than your old routines can support
• How becoming a mom can actually sharpen your focus, boundaries, and leadership
• Why personal development isn’t optional if you want success that lasts

This is a conversation about evolution — who you become as your life grows, how your mindset shapes your outcomes, and why you don’t have to choose between ambition and presence.

If you’re in a season of change — or you feel one coming — this episode will help you feel less alone, more grounded, and deeply validated in your desire for both growth and fulfillment.

🎧 Press play and let this conversation meet you where you are.

👉 If this episode resonates, share it with a friend who’s navigating business, motherhood, or a major life transition — these are the conversations we need more of.

If your life “looks good on paper” but you’re still craving more - more purpose, more freedom, more money - this episode is your permission slip. I’m reflecting on 2025 and sharing the patterns I see in the women I coach 1:1: high-achievers who are grateful for what they have and still feel called to something bigger. Whether your pivot is a career change, a new city, or starting a business, I’ll help you normalize reinvention and move from stuck to self-led.

Inside you’ll learn:

• Why wanting more doesn’t make you ungrateful - it makes you a leader.
• How to stop waiting for “clarity” and create it through action.
• The mindset reframe that turns the “unknown” from a scary void into a blank canvas.
• My 4-step Reinvention Method you can start today

If you’re a coach (or an aspiring one), an entrepreneur at heart, or a corporate girlie ready to pivot, this one will give you the courage and the plan.

Next steps

• I have 2 spots for 1:1 coaching opening for 2026 - apply here!
• SheEO (my mastermind for early & aspiring coaches) kicks off March 2026. DM me “MORE” (all caps) on Instagram and we’ll see if it’s the right fit.

You’re not behind. You’re not too late. You’re just in your reinvention era - and that’s where the magic happens. 

I started as a women’s life & mindset coach, grew into business mentorship, and built a top podcast—but it didn’t happen because of a fancy degree. After a BA in Interpersonal Communications and a certification from the Integrative Wellness Academy, I still heard crickets. What changed? Personal development (Tony Robbins’ UPW), brave decisions, and a lot of imperfect action.

In this episode, I break down the five fears that keep high-achieving women stuck in lives that “look good on paper” but don’t feel good:

• Fear of judgment (the perceived opinions holding you back)
• Fear of failure (and why the only way to fail is to quit)
• Golden handcuffs (comfort that’s still… handcuffs)
• Identity tied to achievement (rules you outgrew)
• Waiting for permission / fear of the unknown (swapping “leap of faith” for repeatable steps of faith)

You’ll learn the reframes and actions I used to go from people-pleasing to purpose: the “What if best-case scenario?”mindset, letting fear ride passenger while you drive, and how I went from certificate to six-figure coaching business in one year (and later, master coach on a top show).

Listen if: you’re a new or aspiring coach, a corporate girlie ready to pivot, or a mom/high-achiever who knows you’re made for more.
Takeaway: You don’t need a perfect plan—just the next brave step. Brick by brick, you can rewrite the resume and build a life that actually feels good.

If this hits, share it with a friend and leave a quick review—it helps more women find the show. 💛

Episodes Referenced:

1. How I Overcame My Fear Of Speaking - and You Can Too

2. The Confidence Framework: 5 Reframes I Shared On Stage

The biggest sale of the year is HERE & I don't want you to miss out on saving thousands (yes, thousands 🤫)

Make sure you check out the deals & save up to 40% off!

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In this episode, I’m breaking down the real power of investing in yourself and your business—beyond the sales page promises and income screenshots. If you’ve ever thought, “Why would I take my hard-earned money and spend it on a coach/program/mentorship?” this one is for you.

We dive into:

• 🧠 The fears that come up around investing: losing money, making the wrong decision, failing, being judged, even fear of success
• ⏳ Why not investing is actually more expensive when you think about time, missed opportunities, and staying stuck
• 💸 How I went from my first terrifying $900 life-coach investment to multiple 4–5 figure business investments
• 🔍 The invisible ROI no one talks about: identity shifts, energetic upgrades, proximity, emotional maturity, and rewiring your relationship with money
• 💬 The difference between asking for permission vs. asking for support (and how it changes your whole energy)
• 💥 Why you don’t need to “feel ready”—you just need to be courageous

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about getting in the room, joining a program, or hiring a coach, consider this your loving big-sis wake-up call. The moment you bet on yourself is the moment your life starts to change.

The biggest sale of the year kicks off on Monday & I don't want you to miss out on saving thousands (yes, thousands 🤫)

Make sure you add your name to the Black Friday waitlist to unlock early access and shop the sale before anyone else. This matters due to limited spots in my 1:1 program!

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In today’s episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my latest mastermind immersion - the expansion, the up levels, the breakthroughs, the yacht (yes, the yacht), and the moments that shifted something deep in my identity as a woman, mother, and CEO.

From arriving at the house and finally meeting everyone in real life… to the breathwork session that brought up pressure, responsibility, butterflies on my wrist, and even a vision of my inner child playing with Ama… to a full-panel discussion that left me with pages of notes… this trip cracked me open in the best way.

Inside, I’m sharing:

• ✨ The full mastermind itinerary
• 💛 My favorite moments (including the “what is my life?” yacht moment)
• 🧘‍♀️ The breathwork breakthroughs that hit me on a soul level
• 📝 The unexpected clarity I gained during the panel
• 🚀 My top takeaways:
  • Living my dream life while building my dream life
  • Why my business is just like a stock market chart
  • What it really means to be ready to scale

This episode is all about expansion - the kind that happens when you put yourself in the right rooms with the right women and let yourself be stretched, softened, and activated all at once.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be surrounded by powerful women doing extraordinary things… or what can happen when you say yes to your next level… this is your sign to listen in.

In this episode of Building HER, I sit down with my mentor, friend, and soul sister Samantha Daily to talk about what it really looks like to build a wildly successful business without sacrificing your peace, relationships, or future family.

Samantha is a Spiritual Business & Mindset Coach, certified Past Life Regression Practitioner & top podcast host from New York. Her journey into the world of self-development began after she graduated college and decided to take the untraditional path by turning down her corporate job offers and moving to Europe. She packed her life into two suitcases and left everything behind to explore the world, expand her mind and find her purpose. Now, as a professional coach she helps women all over the world rewire their subconscious minds, build successful businesses, attract love & money, and manifest their dreams by empowering them with elite mindset tools and powerful daily rituals.

We start with the story of Sam inviting her clients into her actual home (yes, like inside her condo) and why creating depth, intimacy, and “real life” connection in a digital coaching world matters more than ever. From there, we go deep on:

• The “eternal flame” that drives high achievers and why we never seem to stop
• The double-edged sword of ambition, perfectionism, and overachieving
• Sam’s explosive 2023: million downloads, million in revenue, first 100K month… and the crash that followed
• Losing a large amount of money in a bad investment and choosing a soft CEO era instead of hustling harder
• “If money is your master, you’ll always be a slave” – how she rewired her relationship with success & profit
• Redefining “balance” as seasons and eras instead of a perfect 50/50 split
• How to stay ahead in a shifting coaching industry by being so fully you that no one can copy it
• Why she doesn’t believe 1:1 coaching is dead (and how to be a secure CEO in your own business model)
• The loneliness of big money milestones and why we need to normalize celebrating women’s financial wins
• Friendships shifting in motherhood, grief around old dynamics, and building a new kind of village
• Preparing (and not preparing) for motherhood, trusting God’s timing, and living where faith begins where certainty ends

If you’re a coach, entrepreneur, or high-achieving woman who craves big impact and a life that feels soft, human, and honest… this conversation will land in all the right places. 💛

📲 Connect with us

• Katja on IG: @katja.lillian
• Sam on IG: @_samanthadaily
  Screenshot this episode and tag us so we can see you listening + say hi!

In today’s episode, I’m bringing you a cozy, real-life catch up from my very loud Florida house (construction noises and all 🙃). Baby girl just turned 11 months, and I’m sharing honestly about the time vortex of new motherhood, juggling nap-time work blocks, and why I feel like I’m still in the “newborn bubble” almost a year later.

We chat about life lately—Halloween as the Flintstones, traveling to California for my brother’s baby shower, my first solo trip away from Amalia for a mastermind retreat, plus all the family + travel plans stacked around Thanksgiving and the holidays. And because we’re all feeling the end-of-year energy, I walk you through the simple system I’m using to stay sane: my brain dump + 4-quadrant prioritization grid that’s helping me manage business, motherhood, travel, and, you know… being a human.

Inside this episode, we talk about:

• What 11 months of motherhood really feels like (the guilt, the rush, the joy, the presence)
• How I’m navigating work in tiny pockets of time (nap windows + evenings)
• Halloween with a baby, a California trip recap, and upcoming travel to a mastermind retreat & Chicago
• How I’m prepping for being away from baby for the first time (milk, boobs, feelings… all of it)
• Black Friday + 2026 planning energy and why I’m already thinking about the new year - DM me "BLACK FRIDAY" on IG to learn about what my offers are and the discounts!
• My brain dump ritual for when life feels like “too much”
• The Do / Schedule / Delegate / Delete grid that’s saving my mental health
• The uncomfortable realization that I don’t ask for help enough—and how I’m actively changing that

If you’re a mom, a future mom, or just a woman with a lot on her plate heading into the holidays, this one will make you feel seen, a little less alone, and hopefully a lot more supported with some practical tools you can start using today.

That voice in your head saying “I’m not ready” or “I’m not good enough” isn’t truth—it’s programming. In this episode, Katja walks you through her 6-step “Uninstall Method” to help you catch your negative thoughts, challenge old stories, and replace them with beliefs that actually empower you. Learn how to reframe your inner dialogue, practice new thought patterns, and take action even when fear tags along for the ride. You’ll walk away feeling clear, confident, and ready to become the woman your goals need you to be.

Go Watch the video over on Youtube! Like & Subscribe!

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Please subscribe, rate and review over on Apple Podcasts & Spotify to help support the show! Share to your IG stories and follow along on instagram @katja.lillian for updates and inspiring content.

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Customer Testimonials

Today, rather than a solo recording or hearing me interview someone, I am actually getting interviewed. I was interviewed by my client Kayla Bowen on her new podcast "Where the Woo Meets the Work". 

Kayla Bowen is a Life Coach, Spiritual Entrepreneur, and Host of the Where the Woo Meets the Work Podcast. She helps high-achieving women break free from self-sabotage and procrastination, exit their perfectionist era, and finally take action on their big goals so that they can live the life they’ve been dreaming about. You can find her on Instagram at @heykaylabowen.

We discuss:

• Redefining confidence: why “quiet confidence” can be more powerful than loud.
• The external vs. internal shift: owning shyness/introversion instead of masking it.
• Body image to self-acceptance: tall-girl stories, shoe-size insecurity, and pregnancy/postpartum commentary.
• The biggest myth: confident people still feel fear— they just don’t let it stop them.
• Decision > readiness: there’s no “right/wrong,” make a move and course-correct.

and so much more!

Where to find Kayla:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heykaylabowen/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-the-woo-meets-the-work/id1837801896