About Progress

Have you ever met a teenager who you felt sure would change the world? Lucy Siale is that teen to me. Lucy might be just 16 years old, but she has the wisdom and power of someone much, much older. Lucy is a poet, writer, activist, singer, among other things, and above all she is a champion of acceptance of others. But for many dark years, Lucy could not accept herself.  When you see Lucy's social media feed, she is powerful, real, and unapologetic. When you see her in real life, she is all that but also warm, inviting, open, and kind. Lucy is both of these, and she is this way for a reason.  In this podcast, Lucy shares her hard life experiences that created a young teen full of self-hatred and doubt, and one ridden by an obsessive drive of perfectionism. She describes the terrible lows she one through as a result, as well as the turning points toward her reclaiming her life. Lucy's fight for activism is her way of reclaiming the things life took away from her; it's her way of reclaiming that for others.  (PS: you've got to stick around to hear her life-changing poem at the end.)   Show Notes: Lucy's Instagram My "Do Something" podcast episode More information on "Do Something" My Instagram and Facebook--contact me and share what you are up to while listening, or what your "Do Something" is and how it is going!   Did you like this podcast? SUBSCRIBE and listen to more podcasts here.  Song Credit: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The thing that hurt me the most . . . was all the time I had wasted preoccupied with food, and not being present."   Eating disorders are really tricky to talk about. Not only are they shame-driven and shrouded in secrecy, but the depth and significance of an eating disorder's roots is difficult to convey in a way that people truly understand what a lasting effect it has on a person's life.    Danielle Hansen does the impossible, though.      In today's podcast, Danielle bravely untangles some of what fed her need to obsessively control her eating, exercise, and body, and how perfectionism and its related need to worry about other people's opinions of her fueled her disease.   Danielle tried to work on her recovery while simultaneously battling infertility, but it wasn't until the birth of her firstborn and hitting her lowest low that Danielle felt determined to take back her life. She says, "I just remember being so mad, because I had this beautiful baby, I was in heaven; and the ugliest thing--my eating disorder--was tainting that for me."    Now three years into facing her struggles with disordered eating and infertility head-on, Danielle speaks on what made the difference in her recovery, how she has grown, and what life can be like on the other side.   Show Notes: Danielle's blog and  Instagram My "Do Something" podcast episode More information on "Do Something" My Instagram and Facebook--contact me and share what you are up to while listening, or what your "Do Something" is and how it is going! Did you like this podcast? SUBSCRIBE and listen to more podcasts here.  Song Credit: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 months ago, I tried to start a movement. Annnnnnnd, it failed. I'm not giving up on it yet! In today's mini-episode, I share more behind why I started this series entitled, "Do Something," how it relates to pushing against our fears, my plan to revive it, and how you can participate.   You can share your "Do Something" with me by emailing me here, or tagging me on social media with #aboutprogresspodcast. I want to highlight YOU and the big and small ways you are challenging yourself. So please let me know about them!    More podcasts. My blog. Me on Instagram. Me on Facebook.   Song Credit: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'd be hard-pressed to find any one else who is more knowledgeable on all things self-improvement and human development related. Lisa has a wealth of knowledge on these topics in great part because of her lifelong insatiable drive to learn and improve herself; but it also arose from the huge struggles she faced after the birth of her first son. Lisa found herself immediately facing extreme postpartum anxiety; anxiety fueled by perfectionism Lisa didn't fully realize was in control; anxiety so intense that she couldn't sleep or eat, take care of herself or, most devastatingly, take care of her baby. Lisa describes the low points of being the opposite of her usual self, how she made recovery her top priority, and the growth she has built the past five years as she has run towards her fears instead of away from them.    Lisa is in a much better place now, is still passionate about self-improvement, but also has great wisdom in how to do so without being obsessive and imbalanced. There are so many jewels in this interview, including Lisa's tips on how to set goals and manage them in a way that they are achievable in our day-to-day lives.   **** Please see the blog www.aboutprogress.com for more, including past podcast episodes in addition to Monica's (our host) own journey as a recovering perfectionist. You can also follow Monica at her handle @aboutprogress. Music cred: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May I be straight with you? Aubrey Greenan is a female unicorn.   She is gorgeous, obviously; she is mega talented as a professionally trained opera singer (and I'd add so many more talents to that list); she is incredibly bright, knowledgeable, and eloquent; and, the best part, Aubrey is one of the most sincerely kind and level-headed people I've ever known.    In the podcast today, Aubrey and I speak about her path to attending one of the most prestigious vocal programs in the country, her struggles with health and anxiety that humbled her, and how acknowledging her limits and what mattered most to her better empowered her to choose a path that looked very different from the one she easily could have pursued. In short, this woman chose family over fame.   I know Aubrey's interview will empower you to take stock of your own needs, your deepest goals in life, and to better place your heart in the work that matters most to you, instead of what the world tell you to.   See other podcasts and more on my website, www.aboutprogress.com, or my Instagram.   Song credit: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you haven't heard of Meg from MOMSTRONG, then let me introduce you to this rare jewel of a human being.  Meg is blessed with an abundance of gifts, from her knowledge of health, exercise, and nutrition (she is a pediatric nurse and a certified trainer, after all!), to her amazing food recipes, mom tips, and even her photography and interior design savvy. But Meg is unusual in that she works incredibly hard at all of these, and does so in an effort to light the lives of those around her, particularly women. She isn't in it for the glory; she is in it to spread the love. I was first drawn to Meg's Instagram account and then her blog. She was the first "fitness" social media guru who actually made me feel inspired AND good about myself at the same time. That is no easy feat! Her workouts, food recommendations, and more are all geared to help women become stronger and healthier, sure; but even better, she wants each woman to accept herself for who she is, to remain balanced, and to not give in to society's dictates on what a well-rounded, healthy woman looks like. As Meg says, "healthy looks different for everyone." Meg shares about some times in her life where she struggled greatly with the weaknesses of her perfectionism. During these times, she compared herself too much and too often to the girls around her and struggled with her self-confidence. Despite looking like she was on the top of her game from the outside, Meg felt everything but that on the inside. For a good while, Meg tried to stuff down the talents she possessed out of fear of not measuring up as well due to her experiences of getting made fun of by her peers for being good at something.  But as a young adult, she learned to shed those voices and strove to accept herself, work on her gifts, and then share them with the world in hopes to help other women discover and share their own talents as well. Meg also talks about how her work as a pediatric nurse has also inspired her balance-minded focus. Finally, Meg speaks more about what inspired her interview series, The MOMSTRONG Project and what she has learned from the remarkable women she has interviewed. Truly, this woman has a heart of gold and I can't wait for you to hear more! Please see my blog for more about Meg and our show notes! Song credit: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Courtney Rich is so wise. Sure, she is also a major success as a media consultant, blogger, cake queen, entrepreneur, and a mother, too! But I think on top of alllll the gifts that Courtney has to offer the world, her wisdom is the best.    What's extra inspiring about Courtney is that she is willing to share the lessons she has hard-earned with others. Courtney is wonderfully open about her struggles as an adult with battling depression and anxiety. People who don't personally know Courtney might be surprised with the struggles she talks about in this episode, as she is so warm and happy. But this go-getter is constantly staying optimistic, productive, and focused as a learned method to deal with the deep sadness that she has to routinely face.     What can you take from this interview?    You can learn from Courtney's passionate spirit. She pursues things--not without fear--but with a full heart. She is a go-getter to the core, despite having so many reasons not to be.   You can be encouraged. Courtney is a champion of others. She learned to compare herself to no one but Courtney, and because of that she doesn't compete with others' successes, but instead cheers them on.    You can be strengthened. Through her years of battling depression and anxiety, Courtney says she can look back and now tell herself, "You are stronger than you thought you were." Courtney's inner strength is driven by a healthy dose of self-acceptance, as she embraces these hard parts of her life and does what is within her power to prevent her bouts of depression and anxiety, but also better face them when they do arise.    You can borrow Courtney's tools she uses to battle these demons, some of which include plenty of daily routines, list-making, self-care, and pursuing passions that give her purpose and fulfillment. Oh, and learning how to say "no." And most importantly, the underlying motivation of her life to live in a way that inspires her own children to live happy, meaningful lives.   Finally, you can borrow the mantra Courtney left us with, "I am capable."   Please see www.aboutprogress.com for more!   Song credit: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let me tell you something about Jaimee: she is a total rockstar. A few years ago, Jaimee was an amateur athlete who caught the running bug first, and then the triathlon bug. After completing a sprint triathlon, she set a goal to participate in the IRONMAN World Championships, held in Kona, Hawaii. Only the most elect of athletes are accepted: they have to win first place in their age group of another full IRONMAN competition. (Oh, and that entails a 2.4 mile swim, 100 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.) Jaimee decided this was something she could achieve in four years.   She did it in two.   This involved a tremendous amount of grit, sacrifice, dedication, and . . . self-doubt. When you decide to not only become an IRONMAN, but to win one, you also decide to make small goals to reach for every single day, in every swim, run, and bike ride. And the thing I love the most about Jaimee? She says that the majority of the time, she didn't reach her target goals. But she didn't let that stop her. She surrounded herself with people who believed in her, and didn't listen to the ones who tried to tell her otherwise. Jaimee says she is not a perfectionist, which is something that most definitely separates her from her fellow Ironman competitors. In fact, she says her flexibility and the positive view she keeps of herself made up the very key to her success. If she had only been satisfied with perfection, then she would have quit a thousand times. Instead, Jaimee let her vision of herself achieving her goal drive her past those days where every workout didn't pan out as planned. Each step mattered to her, and each step--and misstep--drove her to that envisioned success as she crossed the finish line at the IRONMAN World Championships. To see pictures and a video of Jaimee crossing the Kona finish line, please see www.aboutprogress.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kim Christenson is one of the most talented women I know: she is a passionate writer, journalist, novelist, "namer," actress, voice-over artist, yoga instructor, social media queen, and mother to three young children. She radiates such light and positivity! Kim carefully uses her time spent on the internet to build up others and encourage them to be brave, evident in her incredible interviews of women who are shooting for the stars in her Dream Big Series.    We talk about Kim's growing up years as one of many children in a blended family, and how she learned from a young age the great importance in finding passions to reach for that help you feel of value. Kim is a dreamer and she seems to fearlessly go after one thing to the next; but it might surprise you some of the hard lessons she had to learn, including her regret over letting perfectionism and the trap of comparison stagnate her pursuits.     Kim also speaks about some failures she has faced, as well as some tough choices she had to make about when to let go of one dream in order to make room for another. From her, we learn that there is wisdom in evaluating what you are capable of doing, but then daring to say no to many things so you can more fully say yes to the pursuits that are of the greatest value in your life.    Finally, Kim shares what it looks like to dream big, and it involves taking one little step at a time. (This is for all you paralyzed dreamers out there!)   You can find Kim at her wonderful, real, I'm-with-you blog, Talk Wordy to Me, and her Instagram account of the same name, here.   Song credit: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know I could not ask for a better person to be my first guest of my podcast. If you know Heather Fujikawa, then you love, love, love her. Pure and simple.    Everything Heather touches is made golden! Alongside her twin sister, Heidi, Heather is a successful entrepreneur, writer, and interior designer. With her built-in-business-partner, Heather created an incredible jewelry business (True Birds), published a beautiful children's book (Fairy Birds), and is now officially delving into her interior design business and online shop. Heather is always working on something, including herself! Right now, she is also working on adding twin brothers for her toddler son.   Heather is loving, genuine, joyful, and encouraging. She is a champion for all those around her. Behind this cheery disposition though, was a purposeful decision Heather made to choose happiness amidst the many health struggles she faced the past ten years, including thyroid cancer and six years of infertility. These burden-filled years taught her to make balance and self-care a high priority every day, amidst all of her incredible passion-fueled projects. Related, Heather and her sister also made the tough decision to step back from their opportunity-rich fashion accessory business in order to pursue their greater desire to write children's books.   Heather intently prioritizes what is most important to her for each day, does the best she can for those areas, and lets the rest of it go. We have so much to learn from her!   Additional Show Notes: See blog for links to Heather's book Heather's website (and be sure to check out her shop) Song credit: "Sweet Promise" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices