In this New Year’s Day episode, Joanna Lott invites listeners to think beyond goals and focus on identity. She explores how lasting change comes from who you choose to be when no one is watching. This is a practical, reflective episode about upgrading your habits, standards, and self-leadership as you step into 2026.

Timestamps

[00:00] Why You 2.0 starts with identity

[02:00] Habits that keep you loyal to the old version

[04:00] Naming You 1.0 without judgement

[06:00] Time, priorities, and non-negotiables

[09:00] Redesigning your mornings

[12:00] Letting go of outdated traits

[16:00] Expecting the wobble and staying the course

“Your business success will never exceed your level of personal development.”

This episode is for coaches who want 2026 to genuinely feel different and are ready to change how they operate day to day, not just what they aim for.

You 2.0 is built through small, deliberate choices about how you use your time, lead yourself, and tolerate discomfort.

Listen with a notebook, name the version of you that ran last year, and take one clear action today that aligns with who you’re becoming.

Useful Links

Join The Practice 2026 Cohort | Doors open once a year, and we start on 12 January

Learn about The Business of Coaching programme

Signature Solution Course

Download the Free Digital version of Coaches' Planner (NEW edition 2026)

Grow Your Business Without the Tech Overwhelm - One Stop Coach Shop

Free Essential AI Toolkit – 2 Must-Have Prompts for Coaches

How to secure more coaching clients' free training

Download the 12 ways to get clients now

Connect with Jo on LinkedIn

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If you found this episode of Women in the Coaching Arena helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you’re kind enough to leave a review, please do let Jo know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: joanna@joannalottcoaching.com

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About The Practice

The Practice is my new 12-month programme for coaches who want a steady rhythm in their business – not constant reinvention. It’s designed to support you with monthly reflection, planning, and focused action, so you can stay connected to what actually moves your business forward across the year. Inside The Practice, we: review what’s really happening in your business set clear priorities for the month ahead track the right things using a simple scorecard be coached and coach other thoughtful, ambitious coaches Doors are open until 31 December. You can join at the presale founder rate of £600 + VAT for the full year – just £50 per month. If you join now, I’ll also be posting you a welcome gift ahead of our January start. 👉 Find out more and join The Practice here: https://go.joannalottcoaching.com/thepractice

Happy New Year.

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I've realized this episode is going

to go out on New Year's Day, so

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what better than you version 2.0.

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This is the work.

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I am gonna be really going big on

this year because I have spent a long

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time working on business stuff, and

now I want to bring it back to my

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own personal development because your

business success will never exceed

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your level of personal development.

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If 2026 is going to be different, it

won't be because you wanted it more.

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I know you want it a lot already.

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It will be because you behaved

differently when no one was watching.

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Different mornings.

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This is something I really want to embody.

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I used to do The Miracle Morning, if

you have read that book, it was amazing

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and I had a great routine for a while.

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Savers was the acronym.

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So silence, in other words, meditation.

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Affirmations.

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Visualization, exercise, reading.

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And scribing.

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So it was quite a lot.

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Hence why probably I'm not

doing it anymore because it

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used to take quite a long time.

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But I really do want to bring

much more of that into my life.

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I'd recommend monitoring your

time for a week and jotting

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down what you're doing with it.

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Is that social media post

taking you two hours?

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If so, is it a valid use of

your time and is that version

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of you gonna grow your business?

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Maybe it's different standards for

yourself in terms of behaviors that are

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slowing you down, I will never get you

to the next version that you want to be.

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Today.

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Let's walk through what you 2.0

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actually looks like in practice.

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Not just a vague idea, but as something

you can really start embodying this week

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. I am Jo Lott, and this is

Women in the Coaching Arena.

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I help qualify coaches grow

businesses with honesty, not hype.

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If you are serious about being in

a year that genuinely shifts you,

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not just feels hopeful in January,

then this is the episode for you.

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Most New Year energy fades because

people aim it just at outcomes.

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Rather than thinking about the

identity it's gonna require

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to reach those outcomes.

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Maybe we set goals, but

we keep the same routines.

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We want change, but we want the same

level of comfort that we've always had.

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Maybe we expect growth, but don't

expect it to feel uncomfortable.

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And the very thing about growth, if we

are thinking about going to the gym or

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something, is that it only comes at that

point where you feel like, no, please

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don't make me lift another weight.

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And it's those moments of pushing through

them that actually grow our bodies.

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So it's the same with our

identity and our minds.

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You don't move into a

new chapter by accident.

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You move into it by noticing

where your current habits are

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loyal to an old version of you.

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So before we talk about doing anything

new, let's do something really simple.

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Take a piece of paper now and write

down 'the version of me that ran

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2025' and finish these sentences.

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Honestly

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makes decisions by prioritizing.

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Dot, dot, dot.

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Avoids discomfort by.do

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dot

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spends time, mainly on dot, do dot,

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and feels most confident when dot.

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So the version of me that ran 2025 makes

decisions by prioritizing comfort, maybe.

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The version of me that ran 2025

avoids discomfort by people pleasing

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the version of me that ran 2025

spends time mainly on my phone.

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The version of me that ran 2025

feels most confident when I'm

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doing a great job with my clients.

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So you complete those for you now

in your head or on paper, depending

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on where you're listening to this.

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No judgment at all.

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Just information that we can work

with because that is you 1.0.

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And as you 2.0

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starts to grow by noticing what

version of you is quietly limiting you.

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Something I'm working on for the

first session of The Practice.

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My new program starting in January

is understanding how we use our time.

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I'm intending to do an ideal week

exercise so you really block out

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what is a realistic amount of time

you spend on your business and

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other elements of your life as well.

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If, for example, we need to write one

social post or one email a week, that

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should be more than possible, but

people often don't think it is, and

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that's usually back to part one of

this episode, which might be taking

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time to go out for coffees with their

friends and lovely things that I used

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to do when I started my business.

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And now I look back and think like, I

didn't realize that I actually had a

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job to do because the time was my own.

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So if someone said, fancy

meeting up this Friday morning.

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I would've said yes without

even thinking, well, actually

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I've got business tasks to do.

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I'm not saying don't enjoy your life,

and now I can prioritize those things.

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But make sure you get your non-negotiables

in your business done just like

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you would if you were an employed

role before you say yes to coffee.

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So here is our second practical exercise.

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Track your real time for one average week.

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Not your ideal week, not what a

good week might look like, but

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just a normal average week for you.

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Really note down how much

time goes into delivery.

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How much time goes into thinking,

planning, making decisions?

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How much scrolling, or reacting

are you doing, and how much

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time are you spending on rest?

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You will definitely be shocked

if you do this exercise.

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Because everything takes so

much longer than we think.

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I've recently downloaded an app called

Opal, it restricts my phone use because

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I think it was above four hours a day,

which I don't actually think is that bad

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in terms of the average population, I

think we're at generally four or four plus

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hours a day, but isn't that just insane

of what we could be doing in those four

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hours every single day when we say we are

too busy to do really important things

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that will completely transform our lives?

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So the version of you that you maybe want

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like someone who's still in maintenance

mode or overthinking for hours.

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The You 2.0

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doesn't magically get more

hours in their calendar.

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They choose to allocate those hours

differently, maybe choosing to say goodbye

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to really hard habits like perfectionism,

and taking a really long time over things

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that really don't need a really long time.

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So you 2.0

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maybe relates to time differently.

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Maybe you protect it

more, protect your energy.

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Maybe you plan and ensure that

everything you're doing is really

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aligned with those goals and that

version of you that you want to be.

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Maybe you stop leaking your time through

indecision and over responsibility

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for things that aren't yours to carry.

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Let's talk about mornings now, I mentioned

earlier about the miracle mourning because

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this is where your identity shows up fast.

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This is not talking about getting in cold

tubs every day, although I am in complete

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admiration for people that can do that.

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It's just about being a tiny

bit more mindful about what we

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do first thing in the morning.

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I love having my coffee in bed, but

what that means is usually that the

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nearest thing to me is my phone.

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So I end up maybe checking emails

first thing in the morning , and

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often that brings you into reacting

to other people's needs versus your

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own goals and your own thinking.

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I loved the Miracle Morning as

I really prioritized visualizing

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what I wanted in life.

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Creating affirmations to

really help me get there.

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And one thing I'll be doing this Christmas

is writing up a new identity statement

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that I read each and every morning.

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If you saw my annual review last week,

then you know that I used to do this,

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and I have photos of the goals I've

written up, which I used to read every

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single morning and every single night.

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And at the time, I felt frustrated

that they were never gonna happen, and

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it was always slower than I expected.

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But now I look back and think, my

goodness, all of that work that I did,

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all of those seeds that I planted in

my mind to show me what was possible

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for me have actually flourished.

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So now is the time for me to upgrade

that version who has already been

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upgraded into that next level version.

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Because whatever got us here will not

get us there unless we make some changes.

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So let's redesign your

first 30 minutes of the day.

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Write down now what you currently do

in the first 30 minutes of a work day.

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Be specific.

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If you really read how bad it

may be sounds, then it might

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help you do something about it.

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And now ask yourself, what would the first

30 minutes look like if I was version 2.0

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and I trusted and valued myself more.

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Maybe you 2.0

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starts with deciding priorities before

consuming other people's requirements.

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Maybe it's choosing intention

over urgency and thinking you

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need to do something right away.

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That's not just productivity,

it's actually leadership.

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And here is the really

uncomfortable part that matters.

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Growth is not just about adding

new skills and learning new things.

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It's about loosening your grip

on traits that once helped

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you and now hold you back.

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So we all have these habits

that maybe helped us create

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the success that we have now.

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Maybe it's over explaining,

rescuing others.

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People pleasing and making

sure that everybody thinks

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you are an amazing person.

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Therefore, your own needs go

to the bottom of the list.

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Maybe waiting until you feel ready,

protected you in employment perhaps

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where you didn't make any mistakes.

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Therefore, you managed

to go under the radar.

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These aren't flaws.

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They're just outdated strategies,

which got you to the place you are

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at right now, but usually might not

get you to the next version of you

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that you know is ready to be born.

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So let's name what you are

letting go of right now.

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So write this sentence and

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longer lead from dot, dot dot".

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That might be in 2026.

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I no longer lead from people pleasing.

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It might be in 2026 I no

longer lead from perfectionism.

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Maybe it's in 2026 I no longer

lead from procrastination.

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But now the important part, write down

what that trait protected you from

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and what that trait now costs you.

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So people pleasing, protects

you from people not liking you.

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And what does it cost you?

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It costs you alignment sometimes

with maybe what you really think,

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maybe what you really want to

share, what's really on your heart.

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It also costs you time because

all of the time you are spending

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trying to please others, you are

usually not pleasing yourself.

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So really think about what it is for you.

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What did that trait protect you

from, and what does it cost you now?

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Expect this to feel

hard and uncomfortable.

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You're not meant to feel comfortable here.

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So if you feel uncomfortable doing these

exercises, just know that this means

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that you are stepping in unfamiliar

territory right now, and you are in

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this moment developing into you 2.0.

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One final thing I want you to expect

is if you start operating as you 2.0,

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there will be a wobble.

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There will be moments where you

miss the old certainty, you question

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your decisions, you feel exposed and

like this is totally uncomfortable.

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And that doesn't mean you're failing.

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It just means your nervous

system is recalibrating.

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Your body will always try to pull

you back to the comfort zone.

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So the work we do each and every

day, which is why being a business

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owner is the best personal

development growth you can ever do.

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Is trying to move away into that

growth zone from the comfort zone.

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And this is why business building is

so brilliant because your business

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is your full responsibility.

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So if something isn't working, it's

to do with decisions you've made.

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Old habits, something to do with what you

are deciding upon, and that may be your

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niche, your offer, all of those things.

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Small decisions maybe not to prioritize

business development, learning how

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to use social media or choosing

to go to that networking meeting.

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Every single thing in your

business is a mirror of you

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and who you are in this moment.

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So if that is uncomfortable, then it's

time to keep making these small changes.

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You want to go back to employment where

someone tells you you're doing a good job,

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where it's not all your responsibility.

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But in fact, how cool would it be if you

really stepped into this and thought, I

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will make this work and I will do what

it takes to start seeing the results in

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my business that reflect the personal

development and all of the discomfort

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that you are feeling in the moment.

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So instead of going back to old patterns

when it will feel uncomfortable, name it.

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So this feels uncomfortable

because I'm leading differently.

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This feels uncomfortable because I'm

choosing to be a new version of me.

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This feels uncomfortable because

I no longer will bow down to

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bad habits and perfectionism and

procrastination and things that

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feel like they're keeping me safe.

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So write down that sentence and read it.

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When you get to that

tipping point where 2.0

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starts to wear off and you start to think,

oh my goodness, let me get back to my old

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version of me 'cause it felt comfortable.

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So you 2.0

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is not built in a day.

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It's built through

repeated, brave choices.

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How you start your day, how

you use your time, what you

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stop tolerating in yourself.

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If you want 2026 to be different,

easeful, spacious, successful, whatever

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the word is for you that you'd like

to choose, then let's begin there.

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I will be doing this work because

my word of the year is going to be

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spacious, so I'm gonna have to make

different choices to bring that into

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my life and really design what does

spacious mean to me in tangible terms.

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It means working from my gym once a week.

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Maybe not working from my gym once a

week would be an even more spacious goal.

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It means leaving my laptop behind when I

go to my mother-in-law's for Christmas.

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It means communicating my ideas cleanly

and quickly so I don't let procrastination

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slip into my thoughts because I

have communicated what's on my mind.

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I hope today's episode was helpful in

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This is the work that you are here to do.

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To essentially work on yourself.

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And that is why I love business building

because you will start, you feel all the

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resistance, and if you stop at any point

or your bad habits slip in, then your

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business will reflect that back at you.

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I messaged my previous coach, who I

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day, saying the change that's happened

within me since I started working with

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him in 2019 is indescribable really.

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I said that I feel like i'd been

walking around most of my life with

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a curtain over my head having no

idea that I had so much power and

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that so much was within my control.

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So take this work.

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Re listen to the episode with a notepad.

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Write up that new version of you.

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Read it every morning.

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I promise you this will

be worth your time.

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And at the end of 2026, you'll

be so grateful of you 1.0

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doing this work now.

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Remind yourself what is

possible with small steps.

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So final a reminder.

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Get in the show notes.

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Join The Practice.

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My 12 month program.

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You will build an amazing

business without information

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overload, noise or distraction.

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Just tuning into what you need each month.

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And like I say at the end of

every episode, trust yourself.

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Believe in yourself, and be the wise

gardener who keeps on watering the seeds.

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

Thank you so much for listening to this

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episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

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I have a mess of free resources on

my website joannalottcoaching.com.

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That's Joanna with an A

and Lott with two T's.

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joannalottcoaching.com.

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And I'll also put links in the show notes.

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Let me know if you found

this episode useful.

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Share it with a friend and

leave me a review, and I will

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personally thank you for that.

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Remember to trust yourself, believe

in yourself and be the wise Gardner

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who keeps on watering the seed.

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Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.