Setting Standards Instead of Goals for Lasting Changes in 2026

In the final episode of 2025, Dr. Emily Kiberd of the Thyroid Strong Podcast addresses women with Hashimoto's, discussing the pitfalls of traditional goal setting and the benefits of establishing personal standards to create lasting changes.

Dr. Kiberd emphasizes the importance of identity shifts and consistency over motivation. She shares insights into how chronic stress and fluctuating cortisol levels affect women with Hashimoto's and provides actionable steps to create daily or weekly standards.

By setting standards like consistent strength training and protein-forward nutrition, and incorporating supporting actions, Dr. Kiberd offers a framework for sustainable lifestyle changes.

She also showcases success stories from her clients and invites listeners to join her Thyroid Strong Functional Medicine Program for personalized coaching and root cause approaches to healing your Hashimoto's.

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview

00:30 The Problem with Traditional Goal Setting

01:07 Why Standards Are More Effective Than Goals

02:47 The Science Behind Standards and Identity Shifts

07:23 Implementing the 1-3-5 Principle for Health

13:57 Client Success Stories and Practical Examples

16:58 Final Thoughts and Program Invitation

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Hello, beautiful ladies.

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This is Dr.

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Emily Kiberd with Thyroid Strong Podcast.

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This is the last podcast of 2025, and

this is the podcast for women with

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Hashimoto's who want to get stronger,

feel better in their body, get their

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energy back, feel like themselves again.

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And what if this year.

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For 2026, instead of setting

another goal that you potentially

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abandoned by February, you

changed who you believe you are.

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Here's the issue.

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Most women with Hashimoto's already know.

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A little bit of what to do, especially

if weight loss is their goal.

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They know to not overeat, to hit

their protein targets to work out.

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We do not need more goals.

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We need new standards.

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So today I wanna talk about why goals

or goal setting can potentially.

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Fail us, make us feel a lot

of shame, a lot of blame like,

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oh, I didn't end my goal.

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Uh, I need to work harder.

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I need to get up earlier.

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I need to do it better.

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So there's a lot of blame in that process.

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And why instead of creating

goals, we create standards for

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ourselves because standards stick.

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So we're gonna talk about why

goals fail, why standards stick,

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and how this actually changes your

body down to a cellular level.

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If you don't know who I am and you're

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I'm a chiropractor of 20 years.

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I've coached thousands of women on

how to lose weight and get their

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energy back with Hashimoto's.

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I, myself was diagnosed with

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later, put myself in remission and

have stayed in remission ever since.

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And the women that I work with,

the ones who are successful

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the ones who get results.

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Don't rely on motivation.

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And I'll talk about why motivation

is not the driving factor in

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making change in our body.

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The women who got results, they lost

weight, they got their energy back,

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they didn't take 2:00 PM naps anymore.

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They change their identity and they

change their standards for themselves.

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I wanna talk about why goals.

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Can fail.

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Women with Hashimoto's

goals are outcome-based.

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Oftentimes, we lean into motivation.

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To hit our goals and

motivation fluctuates, and

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especially with Hashimoto's.

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Motivation fluctuates with the quality

of our sleep, our blood sugar regulation,

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our hormones and stress and women

with Hashimoto's do not necessarily

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respond well to push harder energy If

you want a prime example of this, the

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last episode with my client, Selena,

she actually needed to do less to lose

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the 10 pounds she was already doing.

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Too much burning the candle on both ends.

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So if you want a in real time example

of that, go listen to the last episode.

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So, goals rely on willpower standards.

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Rely on identity.

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So here's an example of a goal.

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I want to lose 15 pounds.

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Okay?

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A lot of women with Hashimoto's

come to me with this request.

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Setting a standard for yourself.

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Gets you to that goal without motivation,

it gets you to that goal with momentum.

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So when we set a standard, a

non-negotiable, this is who I am, and a

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full on identity shift to get you to that

goal of losing 15 pounds, the standard

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is I am someone who strength trains three

times a week, and it's a non-negotiable.

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When we relate this to physiology,

if when we're setting goals, this

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can drive stress, chronic stress,

like, oh, I didn't meet my goal.

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I'm not doing enough.

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I see this all the time in the type

A go-getter, perfectionist women.

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I'm one of those women slowly

unraveling that in myself.

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and chronic stress.

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Imper perfectionism

creates cortisol spikes.

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High cortisol is not an issue.

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Low cortisol is not the issue.

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It's cortisol that is out of rhythm.

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And the natural rhythm of cortisol

is it starts high in the morning.

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It spikes 30 minutes after we wake, and

then it goes down as the day goes on.

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So for chronic stress, I

often see that cortisol will.

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start low when it should be high,

and then it stays high all day

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when it should be decreasing.

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Think of cortisol like the sun.

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It decreases as the day goes on.

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So that melatonin, it's yin to

the cortisol yang starts to come

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up and melatonin is like the

moon and puts us down to bed.

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So this chronic stress of,

oh, I didn't hit my goal.

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I need more motivation.

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That shame and blame cycle, along

with a little sprinkle of type A

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perfectionism, can spike, cortisol

and goals often increase this idea

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of like all or nothing thinking.

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Whereas standards really

stepping into this identity of

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like, who do I wanna become?

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Who do I wanna be?

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how do I wanna move through the

world as a human being on this

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planet with one beautiful life?

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We get one life standards, create

this nervous system safety, and

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it takes out that rumination.

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It takes out the hemming

and hawing of, did I do it?

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Did I not do it?

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Oh, I'm gonna beat myself up even though

I don't want to, and I know it's not

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healthy, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

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So goals, increases all or

nothing thinking standards

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create this nervous system.

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Safety if you just show up.

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You do the do you do it without

rumination, you do it with emotional

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neutrality, and you do it again and again.

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Consistently you will

see change in your body.

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I've seen it time and time again,

not only in myself, but in the

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clients I work with one-on-one

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standards.

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Ask us to step into an identity shift.

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So let's talk about this in a simple way.

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Every habit sends a signal to the body.

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Repeated behaviors, things we do time

and time again, like I work out, I lift

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weights three times a week, it's signals

to our cells, Whether it's your lifting

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weights and you're secreting myokines,

which are, signals released from the

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cells that can regulate hormones.

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That happen when we flex a muscle.

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They're endocrine regulators,

hormone regulators, which can

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then shift gene expression.

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So when we are setting a standard

for ourself, when we are stepping

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into an identity of who I wanna be

in this world, the body adapts to

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what it experiences consistently.

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So when you live by standards that you

set for yourself, your body stops waiting

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for motivation and starts trusting you.

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consistency can lower inflammatory

signaling that cortisol spike

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predictability and our habits because

we are stepping into an identity of,

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we'll just take this example, I'm someone

who lifts weights three times a week.

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This can help improve cortisol

rhythm, can help improve blood sugar.

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when cortisol is improved, when we are

lifting weights consistently, thyroid

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hormone conversion improves from the

inactive T four to the active T three.

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And then your cells respond to

reliability, not necessarily intensity

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of like go hard, go hard, go hard up.

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It's mid-February burnt out.

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a woman who lifts three

times a week for 20 years.

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Looks different than someone who

does a 30 day shred once a year.

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Right?

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So consistency sends a signal to

ourselves to respond from a place of

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reliability, not necessarily crazy

intensity, and then burnout, especially

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for those, perfectionist women.

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All right.

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I like to use, a 5 3, 1

principle from Keller Williams.

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And I'm gonna frame it for health.

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He frames it, for business.

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step one is the 1, 1, 3, 5 is

to create an identity anchor.

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So think about something that I

want to anchor into that will shift

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my identity of who I am becoming

and how I move through the world.

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ask yourself, who is the woman

you are becoming this year?

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Here's some examples.

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I'm a woman who trains for strength.

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I'm a woman who protects her energy.

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I am a woman who eats

to support my thyroid.

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just an important note.

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This is not aspirational.

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This is not like.

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One day I will become the

woman who protects her energy.

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This is declarative, like I am

a woman who protects my energy.

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Anything that feels negative or does

not align or crosses, an energetic

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boundary, it could even be I put everyone

else first before I put myself first.

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That is not protecting your energy.

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So protecting your energy could be

then I'm someone who puts myself first.

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I do that to fill my own cup first

before I fill everyone else's cup.

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That is a woman who protects her energy.

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So create one and just write it down

something that is declarative that

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relates to who am I becoming this year?

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Who is the woman from

an identity perspective?

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Think of this as an identity anchor,

something you can anchor into when

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you might feel like you've lost your

way to who you are becoming this year.

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Okay, so number two, in the 1,

3, 5 3, you're gonna set three

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non-negotiable standards for yourself.

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These are daily or weekly behaviors.

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They are not goals, they are

not wishes, they are things

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you do even on the bad days.

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So I'll give you an example for

myself and all the women that are

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thyroid, strong women in my thyroid

strong functional medicine program.

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the three non-negotiable standards,

I strength train three times a week.

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I hit 30 grams of protein minimum

at every meal, and I walk daily.

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I try to hit eight to 10,000 steps, but I

get a daily walk even if it's 10 minutes.

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when we set standards versus goals,

standards, don't ask you how you feel.

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I'll say that again.

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Standards.

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Do not ask how you feel.

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They ask who you are.

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So standards do not ask how

you feel, they ask who you are.

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So just take a moment.

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You are gonna write three either daily or

weekly behaviors that are non-negotiables.

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And as you do these consistently,

you will start to feel better.

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As you do these consistently,

you will feel a shift.

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As you do these consistently,

you'll physically see a shift.

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So standards do not ask how you feel.

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They ask who you are.

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Alright, so that's the three.

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And then 1, 3, 5.

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Number five is supporting actions.

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So these support the standards.

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They're not necessarily identity defining.

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So these support the standards.

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They aren't identity defining.

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number one is the identity anchor.

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We're just gonna review.

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So I'm a woman who protects my energy.

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You write three non-negotiables

for those standards.

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Okay.

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To protect my energy, I am going to

strength train three times a week.

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'cause I know that gives me energy.

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I'm gonna hit 30 grams of

protein every meal minimum.

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'cause that helps me with my

energy and I'm gonna walk daily.

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And these are my non-negotiables.

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If my kids wanna walk with me, they can.

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If my kids.

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Are also going to, get on board.

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They're going to eat protein with me.

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They're not going to eat

cereal while I eat protein.

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Okay?

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So three weekly or daily behaviors

that are non-negotiable standards.

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So number five are the supporting actions.

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these support the standards, they're

not necessarily identity defining.

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examples of how I protect my

energy that are supporting actions,

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what is my bedtime routine?

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I put myself to bed at a certain time.

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What are the supplements I

take to protect my energy?

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Is it l-theanine at night so that

I can go to bed and wind down or

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something like cortisol manager, if my

cortisol is spiking at night, is it.

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Taking, berberine to help

regulate my blood sugar so that

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my energy is stable and steady.

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Is it getting morning sunlight

the first 30 minutes of the

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day to regulate my cortisol?

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Is it planning my workouts or bringing

someone on board like myself to plan

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your workouts for you so that you

could, you can take the guess out of it.

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Is it doing meal prep on Sundays and

Wednesdays like I do If these five

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fall apart, these five supporting

actions, the three stay intact.

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how this looks in real life,

let me give you a real.

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A client example.

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So many women feel like they're

constantly starting over.

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Maybe it's the beginning of

the year, beginning of the

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month, beginning of the week.

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Every Monday falls apart.

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By Tuesday, these women

are waiting for motivation.

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You might be one of these women.

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You're waiting to get motivated.

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Well, motivation is fleeting.

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It is like trying to get

water from a dry well.

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So instead of leaning into

motivation, we lean into momentum.

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Momentum is doing a little bit

1% better every single day.

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Sticking to those three non-negotiable

standards that we set for

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ourself consistently over time.

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we do not wait for motivation.

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A lot of women do because when we lean

into motivation and we are constantly

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starting over, these women are often

over training, which can lead to burnout.

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if your goal was, I'm going to protect

my energy, my energy is so important

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to be a mom, to run a business, to

move through the world, to cook and

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clean and run the house, to be present

with my kids, what are the three

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standards I need to protect my energy?

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an example is I train three

times a week no matter what.

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If I don't train, I get tired.

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And that does not protect my energy.

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I might change the volume.

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So on days that I'm more tired,

I might change the volume.

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I might do, less reps, but

the same amount of sets.

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But maybe just with a little heavier

weight, I will stay consistent.

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And what happens when we do

this is a very simple example.

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Weight comes off, sleep is better,

energy's calmer, more steady.

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And here's the thing.

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From a nervous system perspective,

the body changes when it feels safe

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enough to adapt through consistency.

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how are you gonna apply this today?

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let me give you another

example, client example.

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So this is Mary Beth.

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Mary Beth is 68 years old, she

hasn't lost weight in 10 years.

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When she came to me, she's 1 77.

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she was doing a lot of the things already.

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She was going to Pilates,

she was getting walks.

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She was not eating enough protein,

so we offed her protein we changed

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how she was moving her body,

so we started lifting weights.

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She also had non-alcoholic

fatty liver disease.

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She had type two diabetes.

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she had been on Metformin,

tirzepatide, which is a GLP one,

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which helps regulate your blood sugar.

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Her glucose, when she would wake

up, would be like 180, and so the

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shifts that we made from a lifestyle

perspective were eating more protein,

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changing her caloric input, changing

the timing of her carbs, getting her

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strength training three times a week.

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Looking at root causes.

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there were some nutrient deficiencies.

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So we addressed those she had a

couple parasites and we addressed

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those Right now we've been

working together for six months.

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She started at 1 77.

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She has not lost weight as a 68-year-old

for 10 years a decade, despite being

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on Metformin, some weight came off with

Tirzepatide, maybe like 1 77 to 1 74.

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Right now she's 1 63, and

she chose an identity.

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She's like, I want to be strong.

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As I go into this season of

life, I'm gonna eat more protein,

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30 grams minimum per meal.

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I'm gonna lift weights and I'm

gonna be under the guidance of Dr.

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Emily Kiberd 'cause I trust her and

I feel confident she's gonna help me

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and I'm gonna hit 10,000 steps a day.

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So what did she do?

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She meal prepped.

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She found proteins that she liked.

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She found protein powders that she liked.

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She lifted weights.

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She got a barbell because the

PE kettlebells that she was

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deadlift were not heavy enough.

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So now she's dead lifting 1 1 10 with

a barbell and plates, she's hitting

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her steps, and one of her girlfriends

was like, oh my God, Mary Beth.

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You look amazing.

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I didn't even recognize you.

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So this is not about perfection,

it's about trusting your body

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and creating consistency.

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here's your action steps.

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Write one identity statement.

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I am someone in 2026 who wants to become

the woman who protects her energy.

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The woman who strength

trains three times a week.

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'cause I wanna lose 15 pounds.

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Then around that identity statement,

you're gonna create three standards

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I'm gonna start my day with protein.

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I'm gonna get the sun on my face.

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The first 30 minutes of my day.

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I'm gonna lift three times a week.

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'cause I know the more muscle

I have, the more mitochondria I

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have, and the more mitochondria

I have, the more energy I have.

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And then you're gonna pick

five supporting actions.

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And even if the five supporting

actions fall apart every week, you

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still have your three standards

and you're gonna ask yourself

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weekly, did I live by my standards?

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This is not about perfection ladies.

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It's about trust.

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you do not need new goals for 2026.

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The goal you've had is probably

the same goal you've, you've had

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the pro the past, like decade.

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You need a new standard for how you

treat yourself and who you are becoming.

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If you want help building your

standards that actually work for

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your thyroid and your Hashimoto's.

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I'm gonna drop a link in the show notes.

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It is my thyroid strong

functional medicine program.

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It's what Selena went through.

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It's what Mary Beth went through.

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if you're ready to stop starting

over again and again every Monday,

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every month, every week, every year.

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This is the work we do

inside my coaching program.

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We work together for six months.

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Weight will come off, your body

will change, your energy will

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stabilize you will not crash at

2:00 PM life will be different.

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And there are plenty of

podcast testimonials in here.

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It's not only working on the

basics, like how you're eating, how

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you're moving your body, how you're

sleeping, nervous system regulation.

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'cause as a mom, I know kids

are uber, dysregulating.

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From when they're babies and

they're crying and you're

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like, why are you crying?

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I don't know why to, I have a

9-year-old now and a 6-year-old,

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and it's Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy.

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nervous system, regulation.

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That's the foundation.

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That's the four corners of the house.

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Eating, working out, sleep,

nervous system, regulation, and

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then we pair that with root cause.

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What's going on in your gut?

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What's going on from an environmental

load perspective, parasites,

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mold exposure, heavy metals,

pesticides, hormone regulation.

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that is what's inside the thyroid

Strong functional medicine program.

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Strong women.

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The women who do the best in

thyroid, strong functional medicine,

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they do not wait for motivation.

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They live by standards.

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All right, ladies.

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Happy 2025.

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We got a couple days left.

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I'm heading to Aspen today,

and when I, um, get there,

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we're driving, there's a gym.

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I purposefully booked a condo

that has a 19,000 square foot gym.

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Right.

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That was a choice versus,

oh, I don't have any weights.

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I can't get my workout in.

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I am literally gonna hit that gym

every single day for the next week.

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It is Capricorn season.

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I'm a Capricorn.

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Sun, moon.

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I think my rising Leo, I used to

think I was a triple Capricorn.

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Set those standards for yourself for 2026.

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If you need help on executing

them, if you need help getting to

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your root cause, check out that

with strong functional medicine.

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I am here 2026 is gonna be

the best year ever turning 45.

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Alright ladies, I will see you next week.