3 amazing podcasts that will inspire you to take on your goals

I'm way late to the podcast party and just discovered the amazingness of these free audio life changing tools last fall. I know a lot of people who listen to podcasts for entertainment and yes I know that Serial is addicting and so good, but I prefer to listen to them to either learn something useful, or to stay motivated and boost my confidence while I'm doing a mindless task like walking, driving, cutting/ironing fabric, or sewing.

When I discover something new and exciting I immediately go into obsessive accumulation mode and I've "discovered" and burned through soooo many podcast subscriptions.

In the spirit of making 2015 THE BEST YEAR EVER, here are my top three favorite podcasts that will inspire you to lead a more fulfilling and positive life.

Listen, be inspired, and go forth to set some goals and take action towards your dreams!

1.The Lively Show

I don't remember when or how I first discovered Jess Lively, but I immediately clicked with her blog and personality. A former creative small business owner and Chicagoan, she now lives in Austin, TX and has made it her mission to uplift and inspire other women to live intentional, values-based lives. Her podcast is hands down my number one favorite and I never miss an episode! She interviews other successful female business owners and creatives and their conversations are always so deep and inspiring. I almost always feel a click or "omg YES" moment while listening to them talk about their struggles, successes, and the resistance they've faced along the way. I love that Jess ends each interview by asking "what advice would you give someone who's just starting out on this journey?" because oh heyyy that's me! I've also picked up a gazillion little nuggets of useful business advice and learned about resources like Creative Live and Nicole's Classes through her guests!

Great for 
Creatives, new mothers, anyone who is considering starting a small business/Etsy shop/blog, women who want to live more intentionally in regards to their personal habits, relationships, home, career.

Listen to
+Redefining Pretty with Elizabeth Piper

+Increasing Our Joy with Rachel MacDonald

+Three Tips for When You Feel Overwhelmed

2.The Chalene Show

Oh Chalene Johnson. Joyful influencer. I discovered Chalene when I became involved with Beachbody last year. I worked through her goal setting book PUSH and instantly became obsessed with her energetic, tough love, positive attitude. She's a self made businesswoman, celebrity fitness trainer, social media marketing expert, life/business coach and an all around genuinely awesome lady, wife, and mother. I've had the honor of hearing her speak at The Platinum Edge conference last fall and also attended two live workouts with her that literally changed my life. She is very clear that no matter how busy or successful she might be, she always puts her husband and children first, and she's taught me how to align my life and goals based on my own true priorities (family, faith, friends). And also how to MAKE SHIT HAPPEN! I'm obsessed with her workout PiYo and one of my 2015 goals is to become a certified instructor, eek! Chalene's podcast is focused on motivation, leadership, and life coaching and will help you boost your self confidence and look at your life with a bigger sense of possibility.

Great for
Introverts! Small business owners, and anyone really, if you click with her strong personality. You must be willing and ready to turbo-charge your life ;)

Notes: The Chalene Show is best listened to while power-walking outside or at the gym.

Listen to

+Motivation and Energy On Demand

+Introvert or Extrovert? How to Overcome Shyness

+Too Scared to Try? How to Break Free From Perfectionism

3.Raise Your Hand Say Yes

I discovered Tiffany Han fairly recently, and immediately connected with her podcast and mission: to pull back the curtain on what it means to be highly creative and share your talents with others. Her focus is on interviewing creative female entrepreneurs about what it means to live an authentic and courageous life. The background behind the title is that when life hands you an opportunity, you should immediately raise your hand, say yes, and then figure it out later! It's encouraging to hear from established and successful creative professionals that it's ok to feel insecure, it's ok to dive in and learn from failure, and that you can't live your dream until you embrace the abyss and just go for it!

Great for
Creative entrepreneurs, women who feel like they "should" do something scary, anyone who wants to take a leap of faith/add value/start a blog/share their art but needs an extra boost of encouragement.

Listen to
+Erin Loechner on Saying Yes

+Lisa Congdon on Creative Evolution

+aaaand basically all of them

I hope that you connect with one of these podcasts too! Life is really short, and I encourage you to find pockets of "wasted time" while you drive, commute, or do mindless busy-work and fill your mind with uplifting stories.

No matter what you're dreaming about, I'm on your side. Let's make this our year :)

xo Anna

how to set 2015 goals and follow through

I've been thinking and obsessing A LOT lately about what I want to accomplish in 2015, and I'm just now finally hashing out my goals and intentions even though we're already almost a month into the year. Better late than never! This is the first full calendar year that I'll be self-employed, so I feel a lot of self imposed pressure to have all my goals and dreams beautifully organized with made to match action plans and long term and short term objectives. But it's not that easy!

It's freaking hard to set goals and follow through. This is why only 8% of people actually achieve their New Years Resolutions. It's really scary to trust yourself enough to set a long term goal because who knows what will happen! The great unknown is a big obstacle.

Will I actually be able to make this happen?

There's only one way to find out. Obviously you have to have faith and give it your best shot, but the fear of failure can be self sabotaging and my own fears have been holding me back.

I'm obsessed with the big picture and long term dreaming and visioning, which is why I went to grad school for geography instead of ecology (if you're an environmental scientist you'll understand), but I also struggle with a lot of self doubt, which prevents me from setting and accepting really big scary goals. When I quit my day job to follow my dreams, I was surprised to discover that my self doubt hit me even harder and stronger than ever before!

For the first time in my life I'm cut free from external expectations of school or a job. I have complete control over how I spend and manage my time and let me tell you, it's not necessarily a blessing! Some days it feels more like a curse. I don't know what to prioritize. I don't know WHAT is the most important thing for me to be focusing on at any given moment, no structure, and that paralyzes me and prevents me from doing ANYTHING.

I'm also obsessed with absorbing books and blogs and podcasts and printable questionnaires that will tell me what I should want out of life, how I should feel, and how I should plan out my strategy, but it's hard for me to know what I'm capable of, or what is possible and realistic, because I'm so new at all of this. Because I don't know what to expect, I don't know what my end goals should be. I don't know how to plot out the details and baby steps because I hate not being able to see exactly where I'm going. I am a chronic overachiever and commitment-phobe, and I'm easily overwhelmed by all the information I'm overloading myself with.

Sooooo yeah. All this is what I've been dealing with this past month, but I'm starting to finally feel like I'm developing a plan. I've discovered several bloggers and coaches who have amazing perspectives on goal setting, and here are some of the resources and posts I've found most useful!

Goal Setting Resources

Blog Posts

• Know Where You're Headed by Tara Gentile
• How to Set Goals Intentionally by Jess Lively
• How to Set Goals and Commitments That You'll Actually Keep by Alexandra Franzen
• How to Make It Happen Already in 2015 by Lisa Jacobs
• Set Blog and Business Goals Without the New Year Hangover by Kyla Roma

Books

Push by Chalene Johnson (great for taking action and making shit happen!)

The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte (for putting values front and center in your jam packed crazy life)

Worksheets

PowerSheets by Lara Casey

Design Your Creative Year  by Kyla Roma (free!)

Unraveling the Year Ahead Workbook by Susannah Conway (free!)

What I've Learned About Goal Setting

-Start with how you want to feel. What makes you excited to think about? What would make you disappointed if it never happened (no matter how scary it seems now?)

-Instead of setting goals based on what you want to accomplish, think of benchmarks or milestones as intentions that align with your core desired feelings and values.

-Focus on daily actions that you can control. For example, you can't control the number on the scale, so instead of saying "I want to lose 10 pounds," say you're going to eat whole foods 6 days/week and exercise 4 times/week. Allow room for fun!

-It's important to focus and simplify! Set a Chief Initiative for the year ("Push" Goal), and a handful of supporting goals.

-Plan actions and benchmarks seasonally. Every three months ask yourself "what do I want to accomplish?"

-Braindump for each goal! What do you need to learn, do, acquire, and who do you need help from? Break all steps down into tiny daily action items.

-Sort the steps into 3 categories: This month, next month, third month.

-At the end of each season, re-assess!

-Set deadlines. Be aggressive with yourself so you don't procrastinate.

-Journaling every single morning really helps me feel more in control and less overwhelmed.

Now go forth and dream bigger, girl!

Do you set goals or New Years Resolutions? What is one big scary dream you want to accomplish in 2015? Let's make it happen!

Let's be internet friends!

the best lentil soup ever

For Thanksgiving at my sister in law's this past year I brought a lentil salad recipe I found in

Better Homes and Gardens

(or as Ben calls it, Better Homes and Gardens Than Yours) that had a dressing made with red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard and it freaking rocked. Like, it was ALMOST as good as the cornbread stuffing that our friend Meredith brought, and stuffing + cornbread are two of my most favorite foods.

A lot of people tell me I'm an amazing cook (and I will accept all compliments and accolades gladly, hehe), but really my secret is just paying attention to what I eat! If I eat something that makes me think

OMG this is the most delicious thing ever

, I make a mental note and try to remember the components of what made it so yummy to me.

When I'm making dinner I rarely follow a recipe exactly. I usually take inspiration from my hoard of cookbooks and magazines or the memory of a delicious meal I had at a restaurant and put my own spin on it. Once you start to learn what flavors go well together and some basic cooking skills, you'll become a chef too. (I started with Easy Mac, pasta with frozen garlic bread, Lean Pockets, and Hamburger Helper in college, so if I can learn how to cook you can too. I believe in you!)

Anyway, last week we were down to a few bare scraps in the fridge and I threw together this lentil soup that was inspired by our Thanksgiving side dish. It turned out to be the best lentil soup I've ever had! Healthy, hearty, savory, delicious, and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry. Try it this weekend!

The Best Lentil Soup Ever

serves 4

Ingredients

-1T olive oil

-1 onion, chopped

-4 carrots, chopped

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-1 cup green lentils, rinsed

-salt and pepper to taste

-1 tsp dried thyme

-4 cups broth

-1 cup water

-1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

-2T Dijon mustard

-2T red wine vinegar

-green onions

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onion, carrots, and garlic in olive oil until partially cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Add lentils, herbs and spices, broth, and water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until lentils are soft (the best way to test doneness is try a bite!). Stir in the beans, mustard, and vinegar and simmer for another 5 minutes. Top with chopped green onions and enjoy!

Toast and peanut butter makes the perfect side to lentil soup.

(21 Day Fix: 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 tsp per serving. Makes 4 servings.)