As we step into the new year and recalibrate after the holiday season (whether it felt restorative or not), this is a good time to make sure we have a solid foundation of health in place.

Before we demand of ourselves that we produce/create anything new, it's wise and kind to first ensure that we have the mental, emotional, and physical capacity to do so. Or that we are giving ourselves what we need to fill up and feel healthy and rooted.

In this short episode, I share 7 ways I'm taking good care of myself these days. Most of these ideas are basic (we still need to be willing to practice!) but no.7 might be new to you.

The Life Visioning Course: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/life-visioning-course/

In this course you will get the tools and support you need to reimagine your life from the inside out — learning to listen inward and build self-trust while creating values-aligned rhythms and practices that support you in feeling safe, at home, and joyful in your body and life.

Happy new year!

In this episode I share one of my favourite all-time practices that has a huge ROI in my life. This will invite you to claim your PRACTICE for the year ahead.

It's a wonderful way to begin a new year because it invites us to get honest about how we want to feel in our bodies and lives and what we are willing to practice every day.

Beginning each new day, as part of our morning routine, by reviewing how we want to FEEL and how we can show up that way as move throughout our day, changes us.

With consistent (messy, imperfect) practice, we begin to embody the characteristics that we desire.

Don't defer your happiness or wellbeing for some future date when you arrive at a finish line or goal post.

Every single day you can choose how you want to feel and who you want to BE. It's not magic fairy dust... it's simply about what you are willing to practice.

How we can work together

1. Join me for an intention setting workshop: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/intention-setting-workshop/
2. Handcraft a Soul-Honouring Life in the Life Visioning Course: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/life-visioning-course/
3. Become the woman you truly want to be. Join the Brave + Beautiful Community Winter Session (we begin January 12th): https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

We're making our way to winter solstice, or heading into the darkness.

I mostly love this time of year... I love twinkly lights, dusky walks in wooded trails, and listening inward as I prepare to wrap up the calendar year.

But at this time of year people are also tired and sometimes emotionally reactive. In this episode I share one of my favourite quotes along with a couple key things to pay attention to for your benefit and that of everyone around you.

Then I share with you how a practice of seasonal living helps you befriend yourself and build self-trust.

The Intention Setting Workshop*free today and tomorrow when you join the B+B Community or Life Visioning Course: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/intention-setting-workshop/

Join the Brave + Beautiful Community Winter Session: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

Mentioned in this episode:

Seasonal Living clip

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, resentful, or disconnected during the holidays, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, I share practical strategies for being on your own side throughout the holiday season—without abandoning your needs or losing yourself in the chaos. You'll learn why I recommend setting a clear intention that helps you honour your boundaries and stay empowered rather than falling into old patterns of people-pleasing or self-neglect.

In this episode, you'll explore:

• How setting a clear intention for the holidays helps you quiet the noise, focus on what truly matters, and release unnecessary pressure or expectations.
• The difference between what's yours to carry and what belongs to other people—and how to stop getting pulled into other people's drama or emotions.
• Why the story "I have to" keeps you disempowered, and how owning your power of choice (even when it feels uncomfortable) brings you back into agency.
• Simple strategies for preparing yourself before holiday events, including identifying regulating strategies for when you get activated, pre-deciding your boundaries, and building in daily rest and recovery time.
• How to be honest about internal conflict without shame—and why truth-telling is the pathway to integrity, empowerment, and ultimately more freedom and joy.

Being on your own side during the holidays isn't selfish—it's the foundation for showing up regulated, present, and truly able to create the experiences you actually want.

Begin your year on purpose. Take a look at the January Intention Setting Workshop: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/intention-setting-workshop/

In this episode, I explore what it means to truly be on your own side and why this shifts everything else in life. The truth is, if you can't accept yourself today, you won't magically do so tomorrow. The goal line just keeps moving.

By the end of this episode, you'll understand:

• Why everything in life feels lighter and easier when you're on your own side.
• How being on your own side builds self-trust and helps your inner critic finally relax.
• Real examples of what becomes possible when you're on your own side: setting boundaries, advocating for yourself, trusting your body's wisdom, and asking for support, for example.
• Why self-acceptance isn't about lowering standards—it's about creating the foundation for real growth.

This isn't about perfection or pretending. It's about choosing to love yourself now, show up for yourself now, and stop abandoning yourself or rejecting any part of yourself. Because who you are is needed.

Sign up for the free Befriend Yourself Workshop: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/befriend-yourself-workshop/

Things break, people get sick, plans are disrupted, life is messy.

When we make peace with messiness, we make space for joy.

When we hit a bumpy patch or we feel discomfort because life is not going according to our thoughtful plans, and we believe that surely we must have done something wrong, or worse that WE ARE bad, wrong, or broken we are 1) resisting the reality of life and 2) causing our own suffering. Not everything is on your shoulders.

What you CAN do is 1) build examination into your day, week, and year so that you can mine for the wisdom in each life experience and 2) remind yourself often that the messiness or imperfection of life does not disqualify you from a brave, beautiful, meaningful life.

*In the episode I share how a friend and I both hate dipping into our emergency funds even thought that's what they're there for (but I said our "spending plans")

I had to postpone my befriend Yourself Workshops due to illness. So there is still time to register: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/befriend-yourself-workshop/

Today I'm sharing a recording I made for a lesson inside my Life Visioning Course. It speaks to the importance of recognizing and taking responsibility for who you are BEING - your current identity.

Often, we want to change the circumstances of life but we don't realize that the only way to do so in a sustainable and soul-honouring way, and in order to truly craft lives in which we feel at home, on purpose, and joyful... we must be or become the person who can and is open/willing to create and receive what we truly want.

When we take ownership for who we are being, we stop feeling disempowered and step into agency. We stop letting our emotions or thoughts (or other people insofar as we have power of choice) control our lives. And instead we build the habit of interrupting unhelpful thoughts and redirecting our thoughts toward what we DO want or what we CHOOSE to grow/water. We stop letting ourselves get away with mean self-talk and we commit to a no-bullying policy and to being on our own side.

At the core of all of this is your relationship with yourself. Do you value yourself, respect yourself, and believe that you are capable and worthy of safety, love, belonging, and goodness? Or do you not?

Your past, your previous struggles, your old ingrained patterns... they don't, determine your future. You have permission to heal, grow, and become.

You have permission to change - to change your story, change your relationship with yourself, change the people you allow to speak into your life, change your relationship to money, creativity, using your gifting, and more.

Learn more about walking in agency in episode 66, Sep 25.

Join me for the free Befriend Yourself Workshop on November 19th: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/befriend-yourself-workshop/

If you talk to yourself (out loud or in your head) and wonder if it's weird, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I break down the science of self-talk and share practical ways to use it to reduce stress, improve performance, and strengthen your relationship with yourself. You'll discover why the WAY you talk to yourself matters more than you might think.

By the end of this episode, you'll understand:

• Why talking to yourself out loud is actually healthy and research-backed (not weird!).
• The surprising difference between first-person, second-person, and third-person self-talk—and which creates the most emotional distance from stress.
• How negative self-talk increases cortisol, impairs memory, and makes tasks feel harder.
• Why speaking to yourself like a good friend activates different brain regions and helps you regulate emotions faster.
• Simple ways to use self-talk during complex tasks, before high-pressure moments, and when you're feeling overwhelmed or alone.

Talking to yourself is a free, accessible tool to help your nervous system regulate, help you think more clearly, and practice being on your own side.

Sign up for the (free) Befriend Yourself Workshop: go here

Or set up a time to talk about working together: Contact Krista | A Life In Progress