Early Accountability

Having the courage to let go is not an easy thing to do, but sometimes it is exactly what you need to do in order to move forward and start new things. On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi describes the 3 lies that you need to let go of: 1. Lies society has told you – Perhaps it seems like everyone else has it together and has figured out the magic formula for the perfect home life and perfect work life. Maybe you think that your life would be perfect if you could just get married, start a family, land your dream job, or be able to stay home with your kids. To take it a step further, you don’t feel like you are good enough because of the expectations that the world has for people to look a certain way. Try to diffuse your media exposure and look at the lives of others through a different lens, recognizing that they are also human. 2. Lies others have told you – Well-meaning friends and family members have likely said something hurtful to you and it could be holding you back. Recognize that they might not have meant it the way you heard it, and if they did, take it with a grain of salt and speak the truth to yourself. Their fears or desires don’t have to be yours, so use discernment and try to take the genuine and constructive pieces of their comments to heart. 3. Lies you have told yourself – You might find that you have created mental patterns or barriers for yourself that are keeping you from reaching your potential. Take a step back and identify this negativity and instead affirm the truth about the situation to yourself even before you believe it. You put your energy into what is important to you, so focus on making it more positive energy and less negative. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Mindset shifts • Making space for new things • Letting go • Don’t believe the lies

The topic of this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is “the power of pause.” Kimi shares about the impact of taking a mini vacation right before the end of the school year and she provides listeners with her perspective of the 3 benefits of experiencing a mental shift to allow yourself to pause: 1. Prevent burnout and reduce stress – There is a tendency in our society to just keep going at unsustainable speeds and never need to take a breather. This can happen in your home life, your work life, your fitness pursuits, or other areas of your life, but it is crucial to listen to your body when it says you need a break. By stepping away for a few hours or days, you allow yourself to clear your mind and get centered before jumping back in. 2. Increase productivity and mental focus – Give yourself some time to get away from expectations, obligations, and supposed requirements and allow your brain and body to recharge. By abiding by these rest boundaries, you will be able to come back to the “real world” sharper and ready to get back to work. 3. Better relationships – Your relationships with yourself and others will be healthier, happier, more relaxed, and overall refreshed after some time away. When you are centered and rested, this will spill over into the world around you, just like when you are not centered and rested, you tend to blow up on those around you. You might not have the time or resources to go on a vacation, but you know what you could do to press “pause.” Unplug from your phone one day per week, prioritize exercising every day, spend a weekend at a friend’s house, set up a hammock in your backyard and stay there all afternoon. Make the best version of yourself a priority! Topics Covered in this Episode: • Mindset shifts • Preventing burnout • Increasing productivity • Best version of yourself

If you have ever struggled with preparing for the unknown, this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is for you. It can be difficult to know how to start something new, so a certain amount of thinking and planning is required, but how do you know when it is time to just jump in with both feet? What if you aren’t ready for that yet? Kimi walks listeners through the mindset shifts that need to take place in order for you to venture into new territory with resolve and confidence. 1. Chill – Get grounded, be mindful, be self-aware, don’t overthink what is going on, and let go of fear. Instead of thinking about what could go wrong, try to just focus on the step in front of you. 2. Search for your hang-ups – Take a look at your crippling beliefs or behavior patterns and try to dig a little deeper to discover the root of the issue. Perhaps you are hesitant to start something new because of the hurtful words of a friend many years ago that you don’t realize are still affecting you. 3. Resist the urge to over-plan – Over-planning is really just a form of procrastination. It is very necessary to be prepared, but you should avoid analysis paralysis. Spend some time planning out the framework for your long-term and short-term goals, and then get started. Continue the planning process as you go and make tweaks along the way. It will all work out even if you don’t have it planned out down to the minute. 4. Enjoy the journey – Soak in the experiences and the lessons you are learning along the way, noticing new things about yourself as you grow. Be grateful for the opportunities and challenges that are making you into who you want to be. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Mindset shifts • Facing the unknown • Avoiding analysis paralysis • Starting something new

Our topic on this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is shifting your mindset to move past disappointment, despair, and defeat. These feelings can be common when you are starting something new, but they do not have to slow you down or keep you from reaching your goals. It is important to practice mindfulness and self-awareness throughout the process of starting something new, and this is especially important when you’re facing an obstacle along the way such as disappointment, despair, or defeat. Here are some specific thoughts about each of these obstacles and steps you can take to move past them: • Disappointment: o Disappointment comes from not meeting your expectations – Make sure that your expectations are realistic and attainable o Stay present and recognize the source of your disappointment, but don’t stay stuck – Accept it, then move forward o Often, we have closed ourselves off to any result other than our expectations – Be open to the possibility that there might be something better than you had planned out there • Despair: o Despair usually comes from the discomfort of the unknown, which can make you feel hopeless o Clear your mind and realize that you have the power to create the life you want for yourself – You are not subject to that fear o Faith is the substance of things hoped for, so you must have faith – Through positive energy and affirmations, truly come to believe in what is possible • Defeat: o Defeat comes from things not working out the way you wanted them to, especially in a competitive setting o This may feel crippling in the moment, but it does not have to be permanent – Remember that there is always more to your journey than what you can currently see o Recount all of your victories and celebrate all of the lessons you have learned leading up to this point o Put your current situation into perspective – Take away the lesson that you need to learn and start to apply them o Choose not to dwell in this feeling – Trust the process Topics Covered in this Episode: • Mindset shifts • Mindfulness • Moving forward • Pushing past disappointment, despair, and defeat • Trusting the process

We talk a lot on the Early Accountability Podcast about goal setting and goal activation, but are there times when it is ok to quit or stop pursuing a goal? Is that counterproductive, or could it possibly be more productive? A key factor in knowing when to keep pushing and when to stop is being mindful and in touch with your passions. Once you have established in your mind what you really want to be doing, it may become clear to you that you need to stop doing some of the things you have been working towards. Here are a few examples of times when it is in your best interest to quit or stop: 1. When your goal doesn’t align with your passions anymore. Perhaps when you set the goal, you were at a much different place in your life, and now that so much has changed, this goal isn’t something you want to pursue. It is important to recognize the distinction between the goal not aligning with your passions and just not knowing how to get started. Don’t get caught making excuses for quitting on something because of the unknowns. 2. When you were pursuing the goal for the wrong reasons. This can happen frequently when you join something that you’ve seen others doing but when it comes down to it, you just don’t have the drive to get to the finish line. 3. When it is just not the right time. In this instance, you are just putting things on pause until things fall into place or your mindset shifts so you are ready to get started. It is important to come up with a plan for when you will start this goal back up based on timing or other factors to ensure it is still a priority. Quitting is not shameful, and you do not need to feel embarrassed to talk to people about it. However, it may be awkward to tell your accountability partners or other people you were participating with that you’re moving on. The first thing to do is to get grounded and truly understand your “whys” for quitting. You will then be able to candidly talk with your friends about this change and ask them for their support as you go in a new direction. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Quitting or stopping a goal • Changing your mind • Getting grounded • Mindfulness and goal setting

During the process of goal activation, you are sure to run into discouragements and obstacles, and maybe these cause you to feel like you aren’t making progress towards your goals. But you may be surprised how much progress you really are making, even when you don’t see it. Tracking your progress towards your goals is an excellent way to stay motivated and on track along the way. Here are the Early Accountability Podcast tips for tracking your progress: 1. Break large tasks down into smaller tasks – While you may want to lose 100 pounds in 2 years, the thought of that drastic transformation is daunting and may seem impossible. However, focusing on losing 5 or 10 pounds in a month is much easier to comprehend, and it is easier to see what choices you need to make on a daily basis to lose those 5 or 10 pounds. Then you can move on to the next 5 or 10 pounds. 2. Celebrate small victories – These don’t have to be extravagant celebrations, but they should be something out of the norm to reward yourself for accomplishing your recent milestone towards your goal. Binge watch a show, go out with friends, give yourself extra time on social media, or get your nails done – these are all great ways to celebrate. 3. Set daily goals – By tracking your progress daily, you have the opportunity to intentionally choose what tasks to do towards your goal and then look back at the end of the day and take stock of how you did and what needs to be done next. 4. Create deadlines/reminders – Take ownership of your time and foster healthy and productive habits by setting alarms, reminders, or timers to keep you on task and doing what you want to be doing. You may also find that writing yourself notes or using a visual map can help you maintain the right perspective. 5. Practice mindfulness frequently – Stilling your mind and focusing on the present moment has a way of keeping you grounded and affirming your goals and methods amidst the busy-ness of daily life. Find the right modality for you, such as yoga, journaling, exercising, or meditation. 6. Look for accountability – Research and reach out to accountability groups and networks in your geographical area and your area of need – there are plenty of groups out there if you will just look for them. Accountability partners can help you stay motivated, provide support, help you with problem solving based on their own experiences, and maintain your progress after reaching your goal. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Tracking your progress • Staying focused on your goals • Maintaining the right perspective • Reaching out for accountability support • Mindfulness

Perhaps you’ve reached that time of the year where your new year’s resolutions have worn off, or winter was a hard season for you to stay on track, or you have good intentions of working towards your goals but something keeps tripping you up. On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi shares with listeners her 5 ways to stop making excuses and start reaching your goals to get the results you want. 1. Stop comparing yourself to others – There is no need to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or compare your life to those around you. Everyone is different, and even if that girl looks like she has it all together, she doesn’t. Recognize the differences between yourself and others and capitalize on the things that make you unique. 2. Conquer the fear of the unknown – By worrying about what could happen, the potential of failure, or the possibility that you are not up for the challenge, you get into a cycle of analysis paralysis and never move forward. Accept that unexpected things are going to happen, recognize that obstacles are going to get thrown into your path, and expect – rather than dread – challenges. If it helps your process, think through alternative paths you could take if things go awry and keep the right perspective on your long-term goal. 3. Take responsibility – Try not to use your past as an excuse for not moving forward in the present. You have the power to choose what you want to do and then step up and get it done. 4. Take small, adequate steps towards your goals – Stick with a realistic pace and regularly assess how things are going. Are you going too slow? Too fast? Using all of the resources at your disposal? Neglecting a resource available to you? 5. Learn from your mistakes – If and when you slip up, don’t be so discouraged that you get derailed completely from your goal. Pick yourself back up and start with a clean slate tomorrow. Focus on your strengths and let them carry your weaknesses until your weaknesses are strengths as well. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Stop making excuses • Goal activation • Adjusting your expectations • Persistence • Conquering fear

On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, our guest is Shante Haymore-Kearney, founder of the Brown Goddess Collective, focused on empowerment and wellness for women of all shades of brown. Shante’s yoga journey began in 2009 when she was doing some rehab work following an ACL injury. Initially, she was not a fan, especially of hot yoga, but before long she observed the strong community focus and benefits of doing yoga with other people. During this turning point in her journey with yoga, she was also adjusting from a move from Chicago to Miami and changing careers, so these factors really made this a turning point in Shante’s life. She soon met her teacher who opened her eyes to some of the spiritual and mindfulness aspects of yoga and she found herself training to become a yoga instructor as well. Shante is passionate about helping other people experience the mind-body connection that yoga facilitates, and she has seen the impacts that these simple tools have had on brown goddesses and the community at large. Providing a multi-sensory experience through her Brown Goddess Magic gatherings allows participants to open up to each other and see their true selves, perhaps for the first time. People might find themselves sharing something that they have never told anyone before because they feel so comfortable with themselves and in the space Shante creates, which is very healthy. In addition to being active on social media, Shante hosts monthly gatherings and other events, is working on a website, and is planning some exciting retreats – so follow her to stay updated and join her community! Topics Covered in this Episode: • Yoga • Mindfulness and meditation • Thriving in community • #tearsonmymat • Movement, health, and wellness

Belinda Jackson, visual strategist and founder of Picture It Possible, joins us on this episode of the Early Accountability podcast. Belinda always had a passion for art and doodled her way to many creative solutions in her own life before realizing that those skills could be paired with her experience in organizational strategy and teaching to help others. She started Picture It Possible in 2017, after establishing how her skills could solve her clients’ problems with systematic planning and change management. Belinda’s clients typically come to her when they are at a decision point regarding their product/service or their career. Struggling to decipher the way they should go, they often find themselves delaying their decisions or taking steps in the dark, but Belinda is able to come in and help. In her experience, people tend to lose sight of their end goals in the moment of struggling with a decision, but Belinda helps them put the dynamics they are considering down on paper in a way that brings them clarity they previously didn’t have. These vision maps identify imbalances and discrepancies between where they are and where they want to go, and by highlighting the accelerants and deterrents to their successful progress, Belinda’s artistic infographics provide the needed push towards execution. In a more general sense, visual mapping is often a turning point for the client because they have received so much clarity during the process. Belinda often encourages clients to create vision boards for themselves that showcase photos or quotes that they want to embody in their own lives. Taking a step back from the daily grind to evaluate where they are personally reinforces their vision casting or perhaps encourages them to shift their vision to better motivate them. Belinda offers a Plan Your Possible course on her website as well as complimentary consultation for anyone wondering if Belinda’s services could help them or their organization. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Visual strategy • Systematic planning • Organizational strategy • Clarifying your goals and vision

On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, we are joined by Shannon Beacham, a doula, breastfeeding coach, and owner of Pregnancy with Mrs. B., focusing on holistic women’s health. When Shannon became a mom, she suddenly realized how much she loved being a mother and her passion for helping other women feel the same was sparked. Through her own experience with young children, she became aware of the importance of self-care, and she now integrates the health of body, mind, and spirit into her services to other moms who struggle to prioritize self-care. In addition to helping women feel excited and empowered by their birthing and breastfeeding experiences, Shannon homeschools her kids and helps her family maintain a vegan diet. While she relies on organization to keep her on track, she also recognizes that things do not always go as planned, so being flexible and having a sense of humor are her keys to daily success. Shannon has learned through her own endeavors the importance of finding a supportive community for whatever journey she is on: entrepreneurship, coaching, homeschooling, vegan eating, herbal medicines, etc. She encourages others who are starting a journey to reach out to others who are farther down the road and commit to reaching your goal. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Empowered birthing and breastfeeding • Homeschooling • Finding a supportive community • Starting a new journey • Self-care for moms

Kimi takes a break from interviewing guests to continue this Early Accountability Podcast mini-series and provide her own insights about self-care. Self-care is important for setting goals, starting new endeavors, maintaining your sanity in the daily grind, and working towards becoming the best version of yourself. Setting aside this time for yourself brings you back to “ground zero” where you can be still and assess how things are going and can improve both your mental and physical health. The specific benefits that Kimi mentions in this episode are: • Rejuvenation from being alone – By putting yourself in “do not disturb” mode – literally and figuratively – you give yourself the space to recharge and fill your cup so you can go back out there and pour into others. • Being more present – Self-care provides you with the proper perspective that you can only find by taking a step back from the chaos to process and refocus. • Goal activation – Calming your mind to listen to yourself through meditation, art, writing, exercising, etc. is the best way to reflect on your potential, passions, and purpose and perhaps realign your actions and behaviors to match those goals. • Increased productivity – One of the simplest but most neglected self-care practices is getting enough sleep. You will be amazed how much more productive you will be when you commit to consistently getting 6-8 hours of sleep per night. This new energy will improve your performance and give you the push you need to tackle your goals. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Benefits of self-care • Improving your mental and physical health • Optimizing your goal activation • Having the right perspective

Our guest on this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is Elisha Beach, founder of TheMom-Forum.com blog and mom of 8. Elisha as 3 children of her own, 4 step-children, and 1 adopted child, so she has seen it all. Her husband travels a lot and has an unpredictable work schedule sometimes, so Elisha found herself responsible for the household more often than not. She eventually started having anxiety and realized that she couldn’t keep putting off her self-care until she “had time”. She needed to find ways to manage stress, decrease overwhelm, and prioritize her self-care. Elisha knew that she thrived in community, so she started the Mom Forum Facebook group. Before long, she pulled together the first Mom Forum event and started a personal blog focused on moms themselves rather than on their kids. She found that many other women out there could relate to her struggles with burnout and the guilt that she had felt previously when she had prioritized her self-care. Elisha says that the key to prioritizing self-care is to put it on your to-do list and actually schedule it in as a part of your routine, perhaps early in the morning, later at night, or during your lunch break. Elisha’s non-negotiable self-care practice is eating nutritious meals three times a day and she has also found that by getting up before her kids to and getting herself ready first, the mornings are much more pleasant and less chaotic. Some other helpful self-care routines are drinking plenty of water, working out, meditating, and scheduling doctor’s appointments. Most moms have trouble asking for help or being honest with their partner about their needs. A key to prioritizing self-care is to communicate with those around you before you get down the road of stress and overwhelm. Elisha has built a community on social media to this end, and she has also started a podcast as well as hosting quarterly events and annual mom retreats. For more information about The Mom Forum and to get a copy of Elisha’s self-care workbook, check her out at the links below. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Self-care for moms • Building a community of support • Reducing stress • Taking charge of your life and household

Aisha Moore, health educator and founder of Self-Care by Aisha, is our guest on this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, and she had several gems to share with listeners about stress management and erasing chaos in their lives. Aisha’s commitment to helping women recognize the signs of burnout and combatting stress originated from her own experience with burnout several years ago. At that time, she was exhibiting many of the physical signs of overwork and overstress that lead to burnout, but she did not recognize that anything was going on until she had what she later realized was a panic attack. She was able to take some time off of work to focus on her mental and physical wellbeing, and she comprehended that other women were struggling with burnout without their knowledge and they could use her help. Aisha shares that some of the initial signs of burnout are not things that most people would think about: chaos and lack of order in your daily life (things such as losing your car keys or running out of gas in your car) and having a messy living situation (constantly having a mountain of dirty laundry or dishes). If you do not have time to keep these basic life elements organized and taken care of, this is a sign that you have too much on your plate, and more important things are likely falling through the cracks as well. The first steps to getting order back in your life are doing a self-care and energy audit to determine what elements of your daily life are depositing energy and withdrawing energy from you, and what your overall balance looks like. Once you have an accurate picture of how the things you are doing are affecting you, you can take active steps to regain some of your balance by letting go of things that are draining you and picking up more of the activities that fill you up. Many people assume that “self-care” just means getting manicures and massages, but the root of self-care is making yourself a priority and investing in your foundation. Having a handle on your schedule and commitments will help you personally and professionally, solving or reducing the problems that have been piling up. Honestly evaluate how you are doing and only commit to what you have energy to do. Aisha has a lot of resources on her website to help you in this journey towards self-care, including a free self-care plan workbook, and she also provides group and individual coaching, in person and online. Be sure to check out her website for more information. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Self-care • Maintaining your energy bank’s deposits and withdrawals • Avoiding burnout • Warning signs of burnout Free Self-care Template: www.selfcarebyaisha.com/freegift

The topic of this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is readiness to change, and Kimi outlines the 5 phases in the transtheoretical model or process of change. This change could pertain to your personal or professional life, likely involves something you want to stop or start doing, and is a necessary step in achieving your goals. The 5 phases in the change process are: 1. Pre-contemplation – This is a fancy way of saying that you are not ready for change: you do not see the need, benefits, or the problem that would require change. Even if people around you are telling you that you need to change, you aren’t even considering it. 2. Contemplation – During this phase, you are thinking about the change and processing how it would look in your life. You may ask yourself the questions: “What happens if I do change?” and “What happens if I don’t change?” 3. Preparation – This phase is characterized by the intention to take action in the near future, meaning that you have a timeline, an action plan, and an organizational system in place. 4. Action – Finally, you are implementing the change, actualizing the change that you have thought about and prepared for. 5. Maintenance – The final step in the change process is maintaining sustained action without losing momentum. If you begin to lose some of your fire or slip into a relapse of your previous behaviors, pick yourself back up and refocus on your goals, then consistently act on them. After hearing this episode, as yourself these questions: • Where am I in the process of change? • How can I apply this awareness to my situation? Topics Covered in this Episode: • Readiness to change • The 5 phases of the change process • How to handle relapses • Being self-aware and focused on your goals

During this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi is checking in with listeners to see how their resolutions and goals are going this year. She provides some vital perspective and tips for getting back on track if things haven’t been working out as you wanted them to. In fact, US News reports that 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by the second week of February, so it is likely that one or more of your resolutions have made you part of this statistic. Here are Kimi’s tips for bouncing back if things have not gone as planned: 1. Get grounded – Take a beat to reflect on what has happened recently and practice mindfulness before trying to move forward. 2. Don’t dwell on what is going wrong – Once you have learned from the past, move on from it. You can’t change anything that has already happened, but you can decide what to do next. 3. Look at your “why” – Evaluate your motivations for setting and working towards your goals. Are those goals in alignment with you and your passions? Is this the right goal but the wrong time? Is this the right time but the wrong goal? It is ok to change your mind and reframe your goal, and it is also ok to start your goals during a different time of year. 4. Make adjustments so you can succeed – If you are being prevented from reaching your goals because of a lack of time or resources, change your system to take advantage of productivity hacks and time maximization. 5. Lean in on your support system – Hopefully, you have people in all areas of your life who are holding you accountable. Reach out to them to talk about your struggles and ask them to help you get where you want to go. 6. Look at the long-term – Don’t let yourself get tied up and overwhelmed with the small details leading up to your goal right now. In this moment of renewed focus and determination, pay attention to the end goal. Topics Covered in this Episode: • New Year’s Resolutions • Goal setting and adjustments • Being true to yourself in goal-setting • Mindfulness and reflection • Why resolutions and goals fail