About Progress

"If I try to stamp [sadness] out, then I'm cutting myself off from happiness in many ways because it's part of the spectrum. The two things are not inseparable. You cannot have one without the other." I'm sure many of us can agree that our 20s were equal parts traumatizing and memorable. Meg Fee's writing has allowed thousands along the ride to her won experience of this transformative decade. Meg freely and beautifully shared her struggles to overcome deep sadness due to "Ned" (her Nasty Eating Disorder), amazing first dates, frustrating bad boyfriends, and terrible jobs, all with the backdrop of New York City. Listen to this episode to hear more about what Meg lost to and what she gained from sadness, how language and writing were always apart of her story, what she does to move forward without regret, and how life's many curves can take us to a place far more meaningful than we ever could have forged on our own. Meg teaches how we can better couple with the sadness that is often our lot in life and that by doing so, we create more room for happiness, too. Meg also shares some insight behind her new buzz-worthy memoir, Places I Stopped on the Way Home. It's a page-turner! Check the show notes below for more links, as well as how to stream the episode right here in your browser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There are all sorts of ways for us to make a nice big mess and come out with something glorious in the end.” I knew Cori Connors growing up as the "Mom" of the neighborhood--the one always ready to laugh with instead of scold you, eager to cheer you on, and willing to sit with you when you're down.  She is an angel to many, and she also has an angel voice backed by her record-selling songwriting abilities. Cori talks about how creativity cannot flourish while in the restraints of perfectionism; that in order to really get to the meat of who we are and the gifts we have, we need to get comfortable with being messy. Cori shares how we can better discover our talents and offer our own weirdness to the world with a bold confidence, one centered in love, curiosity, and imperfection. That's what Cori does, and she can tell you the truth--life is better messy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Those things I’m thinking or feeling are there to guide me, and I can trust what is going on inside of me and it will lead me to good.” Two years ago, Debbie Mayes and her family moved from a 5,000 sq foot home to a 200 sq foot remodeled bus and it changed everything.  Here's the thing: it's not about the bus. It's about RECONNECTION. You see, the problem the Mayes family had was that they weren't as connected as a couple, as a family, or individually as well with their own emotions. Debbie and her husband, Gabriel, dove deep to repair what was broken for their household, and for them it meant allowing their emotions to act as beacons for self-healing and spending real quality time together as a family. So after listening to this interview, maybe you'll be interested in pairing your life down to the basics like the Mayes family did. Or perhaps you'll figure out how to better own the inner voices within you. Either way, Debbie and her team just want you to know that what's on the other side of this work is a much happier life. Show NotesThe Mayes Team website, Instagram, and Facebook Bethel Podcast that Debbie referencedLast Week's Episode on COMPARISONVibrant Bite fitness and nutrition coaching (enter the code "PROGRESS") and your FREE WEEK hereThe Mama Ladder's High Five Grant, and FREE E-book for About Progress ListenersMonica's Facebook and InstagramContact Monica for coaching or podcast consultingMonat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat Instagram and websiteRelated: Monica's views on Sponsorship and WHY she's partnering with MonatFabletics! Get 2 leggings for $24 when you become a VIP member (they're the besssssst!) (Affiliate link)Free Audiobook through Audible! (Affiliate link)More Podcasts from About ProgressSong Credit: "Sweet Promise" and "Tonight" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you know that using social media directly correlates with higher rates of depression and anxiety? I believe the root of why this is the case is COMPARISON. After all, comparison truly is the thief of joy. I hate imagining how many times in my life (both on social media and in real life) I've been too caught up in seeing what I lack in comparison to others, only to miss the incredible blessings right in front of me. I'm sure the number is countless. I know that comparison is the root of my history of eating disorders, depression, anxiety, shame, worry, etc. Related to that are my flaws: I can be a people pleaser, I want people to like me, and I often look to others to reflect back my worth. BUT, I also believe that discovering this tendency in myself to compare has been a huge blessing. It's something I can actually work on and move past towards a richer, fuller life. Overcoming the comparison trap is a lesson I've had to learn over and over again, because it's sneaky and masks itself as other things (examples: stress, anxiety, apathy, sadness, etc.). Today's podcast episode is all about comparison. I talk about how it crept up on me the past few months and directly influenced my confidence and my productivity, and how I almost quit everything podcast-related because of it. I also share what the comparison trap can look like for all of us, including how easy it is to get caught in it through social media, and teach WHAT we can do to shift our mindset away from comparison towards self-assurance.If you like this episode, please SHARE it, subscribe, and leave a review!Show NotesLast Week's Episode on FEARThe Mama Ladder's website, Instagram, Facebook, High Five Grant, and FREE E-book for About Progress ListenersWorth Of Souls Project--where you can get the album, find out more about it and the project, and explore resources. PLEASE SHARE IT! (+ About Progress episode with three of the artists behind it.)Monica's Facebook and InstagramContact Monica for coaching or podcast consultingMonat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat Instagram and websiteRelated: Monica's views on Sponsorship and WHY she's partnering with MonatFabletics! Get 2 leggings for $24 when you become a VIP member (they're the besssssst!) (Affiliate link)Free Audiobook through Audible! (Affiliate link)More Podcasts from About ProgressSong Credit: "Sweet Promise" and "Tonight" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"You already have within you what you need." What's holding you back from going after a goal, business, or piece of self-improvement? I bet you a million dollars that we can take whatever reason you'd say and get it back to the real main root: FEAR. Crystalee Beck from The Mama Ladder is on the show to teach us about seven common fears people face on their way to success and how to overcome them. So whether you're a mama who wants to turn her hobby into a business, an empty nester who can't get out of a rut, or a single man who can't seem to find the courage to switch careers, this episode is for you. Listen in to hear how we can overcome fear in the form of self-doubt, fear of failure, fear of SUCCESS (yes, this is real!), fear of money, and more. Crystalee teaches that all you need to overcome your fears is already inside of you. Additionally, Crystalee shares an incredible opportunity for a mama who wants to get a business going with the High Five Grant. The Mama Ladder is hosting a contest to give 5K to a deserving mom-turned-entrepreneur. Let's make a winner an About Progress listener! (And if we do, I'll have the winner on the show!) Crystalee has kindly given our listeners her e-book on fear for FREE! Click here to get it. Show NotesThe Mama Ladder's website, Instagram, Facebook, High Five Grant, and FREE E-book for About Progress ListenersLast week's episode with Amber RunyonWorth Of Souls Project--where you can get the album, find out more about it and the project, and explore resources. PLEASE SHARE IT!Monica's Facebook and InstagramContact Monica for coaching or consultationsMonat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat Instagram and websiteRelated: Monica's views on Sponsorship and WHY she's partnering with MonatFabletics! Get 2 leggings for $24 when you become a VIP member (they're the besssssst!) (Affiliate link)Free Audiobook through Audible! (Affiliate link)More Podcasts from About ProgressSong Credit: "Sweet Promise" and "Tonight" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“People need three things to thrive: safe place, safe people, and safe purpose. We always forget that purpose piece” On a humanitarian trip to Ethiopia, Amber Runyon saw a big need--women and their families who were in the eleventh hour of suffering due to the effects of human trafficking. Imagine her shock when upon returning home, she discovered that her own city--Columbus, Ohio--was the fourth biggest city in the U.S. with human trafficking. What she first thought was a foreign problem was in her backyard--women who were sacrificing themselves to feed their children, with devastating outcomes. Amber wasn't going to have that. So this nurse became a founder of an incredible company, one that benefits victims of human trafficking, and in turn their families and larger communities, most domestic and abroad. Without any experience, but a lot of determination, Amber created a pathway out for those women by providing them with a save PLACE, PEOPLE, and PURPOSE. Amber talks about what her company does and how it helps those who are in darkness come back to the light. Amber also shares how she herself learned to create light in her own life after realizing she wouldn't want to be friends with herself. She now feels differently about that, and Amber teaches us how she got there. Be ready to be SUPER inspired by this incredible woman! Show NotesEleventh Candle Co. Website (use the code "PROGRESS" to get 20% off!), Instagram, and FacebookLast week's episode with Andi VeenkerWorth Of Souls Project--where you can get the album, find out more about it and the project, and explore resources. PLEASE SHARE IT!Monica's Facebook and InstagramMonat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat Instagram and websiteRelated: Monica's views on Sponsorship and WHY she's partnering with MonatFabletics! Get 2 leggings for $24 when you become a VIP member (they're the besssssst!) (Affiliate link)Free Audiobook through Audible! (Affiliate link)Contact Monica for coaching or consultationsMore Podcasts from About ProgressSong Credit: "Sweet Promise" and "Tonight" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The second you start doing something, you change your state.” Andi Veenker is a fitness wizard and self-help fanatic. But here's the best thing about her--she preaches that nothing will fix you (no book, no weight on the scale, no achievement, no nothing) UNTIL you love yourself first. And in order to find that self-love, you need to do something. (Does that sound familiar?) Andi is on the show to share how she learned to face depression head on by doing something about it as early on as possible (in contrast to her first round with postpartum depression). She teaches us how filling your life with daily small-to-great courageous acts will empower you to face those mental demons and create something spectacular with your life.Show NotesAndi's Instagram and WebsiteLast week's episode on JOYWorth Of Souls Project--where you can get the album, find out more about it and the project, and explore resources. PLEASE SHARE IT!Monica's Facebook and InstagramMonat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat Instagram and websiteRelated: Monica's views on Sponsorship and WHY she's partnering with MonatFabletics! Get 2 leggings for $24 when you become a VIP member (they're the besssssst!) (Affiliate link)Free Audiobook through Audible! (Affiliate link)Contact Monica for coaching or consultationsMore Podcasts from About ProgressSong Credit: "Sweet Promise" and "Tonight" by Nicolai Heidlas  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Joy [is] a spiritual way of engaging with the world that's connected to practicing gratitude."~Brene Brown If you've been working on happiness, get ready to up-level it to JOY.  Joy is different than happiness. It's deeper and more eternal in nature and effect. It's earned through opposition. It's chosen and cultivated. And when the going REALLY gets tough, the good news is that "joy" will be there for us. In this episode, we go deep in discussing why joy is different and longer lasting than happiness, and how we can choose it by focusing on: 1) Keeping Perspective2) Being Present3) Maintaining a Practice of Gratitude Show NotesDaring Greatly by Brene Brown (affiliate amazon link)Last week's episode with Paul Cardall, Kenz Hall, and Charley Jenkins: Worth Of Souls Project--where you can get the album, find out more about it and the project, and explore resources. PLEASE SHARE IT!Monica's Facebook and InstagramMonat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat Instagram and websiteRelated: Monica's views on Sponsorship and WHY she's partnering with MonatFabletics! Get 2 leggings for $24 when you become a VIP member (they're the besssssst!) (Affiliate link)Free Audiobook through Audible! (Affiliate link)Contact Monica for coaching or consultationsMore Podcasts from About Progress Song Credit: "Sweet Promise" and "Tonight" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"We need to create something for someone else that they might not be able to create themselves."   ~Charley Jenkins             Surely, we can all agree that music has defined our lives from time to time--but what about save our lives? That's exactly what the Worth of Souls project and album is trying to do. Paul Cardall and a troop of incredible artists collaborated to create a movement designed to save people who are at the brink of complete despair, to pull them back from depression, doubt, anxiety, negativity, and worthlessness.  Paul and two of his artists--Kenz Hall and Charley Jenkins--joined the podcast today to talk about the project and why they're passionate about it, the mission behind their songs, and how music has the unique ability to change--and even rescue--lives by reminding us all of our eternal value.Show NotesWorth Of Souls Project--where you can get the album, find out more about it and the project, and explore resources. PLEASE SHARE IT!Paul's website, Instagram, YouTube, and FacebookKenz's website, Instagram, Youtube, and FacebookCharley's website, YouTube, and FacebookPAST INTERVIEW WITH PAULLast week's episode: Managing Our Thoughts to Find More Joy in Parenthood, with Lisa AndersenMonica's Facebook and InstagramMonat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat Instagram and websiteRelated: Monica's views on Sponsorship and WHY she's partnering with MonatFabletics! Get 2 leggings for $24 when you become a VIP member (they're the besssssst!) (Affiliate link)Free Audiobook through Audible! (Affiliate link)Contact Monica for coaching or consultationsMore Podcasts from About ProgressSong Credit: "Sweet Promise" and "Tonight" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"We can flip our thinking about our kids. They don't make us feel any certain way. It's us. We have that control." You want to know a magical trick for parenting? You're in charge. I know, revolutionary right? But really--you are in charge. However, not in the way you might think. Here's how: You're in charge of YOURSELF. Your thoughts, your emotions, and your actions. Regardless of what your kids do and who they are (after all you can do to teach them, of course!), only you can manage how you show up around your kids.  It's not your kids' fault when you're up to your neck with stress, anger, bitterness, and anxiety about parenting them. That's on you! The good news is that because of this, you can actually shift how you feel about your kids and parenting--and you are truly capable of doing so. If you want more joy and less resentment/guilt in your parenthood journey, listen in to this episode with Lisa Andersen from @thrivingmotherhood. She is brilliant at instructing us how to better manage our thinking so that we find more fulfillment in our parenthood and by extension increase our capacity to better guide our children to manage their own thinking, emotions, and actions. Show NotesLisa's InstagramLast week's episode: Overcoming the Complexities of Our Childhoods, with Rachel NielsonMonica's Facebook and InstagramMonat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat Instagram and websiteRelated: Monica's views on Sponsorship and WHY she's partnering with MonatFabletics! Get 2 leggings for $24 when you become a VIP member (they're the besssssst!) (Affiliate link)Free Audiobook through Audible! (Affiliate link)Contact Monica for coaching or consultationsMore Podcasts from About ProgressSong Credit: "Sweet Promise" and "Tonight" by Nicolai Heidlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices