In today's episode, I'm talking about what happened when I broke my New Year's resolution on January 3rd - and why perfectionism is the real enemy, not imperfection.

I share the story of reflexively reaching for my phone and playing Wordle before my morning practice, and how my yoga teacher told the exact same story that day.

We'll explore why the goal isn't to never mess up - it's to learn how to mess up and keep going anyway.

Question to carry into your day: What resolution or intention are you holding with too much perfectionism - and what would it look like to hold it with both commitment and self-compassion instead?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about what happens when we stop assuming we're incapable and let ourselves stay with discomfort long enough to learn.

I share a personal story about facing a skill I wanted to avoid and what it taught me about self-trust and growth.

We'll explore spiritual growth, emotional recovery, and a powerful reading from Keep It Simple about willingness and progress.

Question to carry into your day: Where might you be deciding you "can't," without ever letting yourself find out?

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

If this episode helped you see yourself differently, consider subscribing or sharing it with someone who's learning to trust themselves again.

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about how the resurgence of skinny culture can destabilize even the most grounded healing journeys.

I share a story from my work with someone who was doing beautifully — and how cultural noise pulled her attention from her insides to her outsides.

We'll explore spiritual growth, emotional recovery, and a grounding insight from Inner Harvest about choosing serenity over perfection.

Question to carry into your day: Where have you noticed your attention drifting to the outside — and what helps you come back to yourself?

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode I'm talking about a difficult but deeply clarifying leadership lesson: when letting go early can actually be the most loving and honest decision.

I share the story of releasing an assistant I genuinely cared about, the moment a friend's advice challenged a lifelong pattern of staying too long, and how choosing based on the goal rather than personalities changed everything.

This episode explores emotional maturity, spiritual growth, and the cost of carrying misalignment until it turns into resentment.

We'll explore how Stoic wisdom helps us face reality without drama, why clarity can feel painful and still be right, and how ending something early can preserve dignity for everyone involved.

Question to carry into your day: Where in your life might clarity be asking you to choose based on the goal, rather than the comfort of familiarity?

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, I'd be so grateful if you'd subscribe, rate, and share the show with someone who might need it.

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about the power of saying no — especially during the holidays — and how honoring your body's limits can be deeply restorative.

I share a personal story about choosing rest over obligation and the surprising clarity that followed.

We'll explore emotional recovery, boundaries, and a beloved reading from Melody Beattie about why saying no allows us to say yes to the good.

Question to carry into your day: Where in your life is your body quietly asking for a no — and what might become possible if you listened?

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about the winter seasons of our lives — those moments that feel dark, uncertain, or stripped down to the essentials.

I share a story about supporting a friend who is in a difficult moment in her business, and the unexpected wisdom that arrived as autumn leaves fell across my windshield.

We explore the quiet power of winter, the truth that every season holds meaning, and how resurgence is always preparing beneath the surface.

Question to carry into your day: Where in your life might you be in a winter season, and can you soften into the possibility that something is gathering strength beneath the surface, preparing for its resurgence?

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, share it with someone who might need a little light in their winter.

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

Happy 2026, Ascenders!!! In today's episode, I'm talking about why casual indifference costs us more than we realize — and how choosing to live courageously open can change everything.

On New Year's Day, I reflect on regret minimization, fear, visibility, and the decision to leave it all on the field.

We'll explore Sharon Salzberg's teachings from Faith, why fear doesn't get to determine the limits of our lives, and what it means to live a big, beautiful life without holding back.

Question to carry into your day: Where are you still playing it cool when what you really want is to go all in?

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

If this episode resonated, consider subscribing, sharing it with someone who's ready to live more boldly, or leaving a review.

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about the art of letting good things end well — and how closure can be an act of love, not loss.

I share the story of ending my podcast Food Shrinks with my dear friends Molly P. and Clarissa K., how at first I felt abandoned and angry, and how I came to see the ending as something whole and holy — a moment that made room for The Daily Ascent to be born.

We'll explore how to recognize when something's complete, how to find the middle ground between holding on and cutting out, and how to let things end with grace and gratitude.

Question to carry into your day: Where in your life might you be gripping too tightly or cutting too quickly — and what would completion look like if you met it with grace instead of fear?

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, share it with someone who might need that reminder today.

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about transformation through life's curveballs — spiritual growth born from collapse. At her book launch, my friend Alisa Kriegel shared how discovering her husband was gay shattered her life — and ultimately set her free.

I share how I've seen that same pattern in my own life: when businesses shifted, relationships ended, and old stories fell away.

We'll explore how to stay open when things fall apart, how to let heartbreak become your teacher, and how to trust that even the hardest endings can lead to sacred beginnings.

Question to carry into your day: When something is ending in your life, how can you keep even a small part of yourself open to the possibility that this catalyst is here to grow you?

Purchase Alisa Kreigel's AMAZING BOOK: https://amzn.to/4aFgCbe

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, share it with someone who might need that reminder today.

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about devotion — not as discipline or perfection, but as the steady, human practice of showing up when things are hard or uncertain.

I share a story about a young woman whose commitment to learning reshaped my understanding of perseverance, humility, and what it really means to stay the course.

We'll explore why devotion is a spiritual practice, how small acts of consistency transform us, and why the willingness to return — even imperfectly — matters more than the results.

Question to carry into your day: Where in your life are you being invited to keep showing up — not perfectly, but consistently?

Connect with Molly Carmel:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Website: www.mollycarmel.com
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)

If this episode spoke to you, subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast