Growth and Goals Podcast

I don't know about you but social media has become a bit of an addiction for me lately. Every single day I go to work, come home, sit on my couch and doom scroll. Social media is designed to be addictive so if you've fallen pray to it don't worry, you're not the only one. 

In today's episode I am going over some signs that you may need to get unplugged and tips on how you can start to limit your own screen time. If you're not ready to cut back but you want a more positive experience in your feed check out episode 95!

It's time we stop watching other people on social media live their lives and get unplugged so we can be present in our own!

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I have been in a funk recently. Every once in a while I get in these ruts where I don't feel like doing anything and I am so tired of my life feeling like groundhogs day just going to work, coming home, doom scrolling until way to late, going to sleep, and then waking up to do it all again the next day. 

I am sick of living for the weekend and just waiting for life to happen. I can just hear my 80 year old self screaming at me to get off the couch and go live life. If you have been in a rut lately, this episode is for you. 

I'm sharing my tips on how I have been pulling myself out of this funk and getting back on track. It's perfectly normal to feel down every now and again but you don't have to stay there.

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Lately I have been operating out of my masculie energy and I am starting to feel stressed, tense, overwhelmed and burntout. The tips I am sharing in today's episode have helped me move out of my masculine and into the devine feminine. 

Disclaimer, masculine and feminine energies have absolutely nothing to do with gender, every single person uses both. They're like yin and yang and there are seasons in everyone's life where one is needed more than the other. 

The masculine energy isn't bad, it's what drives us forward, gives us the courage to take risks and drives us to achieve goals; however, getting stuck in your masculine energy can lead to anxiety because you try to control everything, cause stress because you're in fight or flight mode all the time, and lead to burnout due to constantly striving.

If that sounds like you and you're wanting to move into the intuitive, creative, peaceful, and recieving energy of the divine feminine then this episode is for you!

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Lately I have been doing several sober stints and honestly I have loved it. I did the 75 soft, dry January and now I've given up alcohol for lent and in doing these periods of being sober I have decided that drinking really isn't for me. It is something that has never really served me and I also think a lot of it has just come with age so I just wanted to share my thoughts with y'all.

This episode is in no way intended to tell you what to do with your life, you do what works best for you, but I personally have really started to look at the role alcohol played in my life and reevaluated whether or not I want to continue doing it. 

I am so done with hangxiety, harming my health or spending tons of money on bar tabs. I have no intention of being sober forever but I do want to really take step back and start to change my habits around alcohol consumption.

If you are someone who struggles with alcohol please reach out and get help because addiction is a disease, you can reach out to the American Addiction Center at 855-504-6815

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This Valentine's Day my goal is to convince you to take yourself on a date, you don't have to go out on the actual day cause I know it's busy, but I hope this episode convinces you sometime this week to have a date with yourself.

Since I have started dating myself I have noticed so many improvements in my life, I know the idea of going out on your own can be intimidating and scary but growth happens when we get out of our comfort zone.

If this episode fired you up to go on a solo date but your unsure of where to start go back and listen to last weeks episode for solo date ideas and check out Episode 110: Date yourself instead for tips on how to overcome that intial uncomfortable feeling.

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It's February, which for many is a month of love, but as a single al that can be kind of hard. Whether you're happy being single or feeling a bit lonely I want to encourage you to intentionally date yourself this month and be your own Valentine.

I've seen a lot of solo date date ideas going around on TikTok lately and a lot of them have just been grabbing a coffee and going to Target, and don't get me wrong that sounds like a fun day, but there is a difference between romanticizing something like errands and intentionally dating yourself for the purpose of getting to know yourself better.

So I want to challenge you to be incredibly intentional with your solo dates. If you're just getting started with solo dates and you're feeling awkward and uncomfortable with the idea, go check out Episode 110: Date Yourself Instead for tips on how to get cofortable being out on your own.

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It's 2024! We're kicking off this year with a 5 week series where each episode will be a deep dive on one of the Growth Goals. Growth Goals are the 5 things you should do every single day to show up as the best version of you and achieve your goals, for more info on them check out episode 25. But today's episode we're dicussing the Growth Goal, one thing that brings you joy!

This Growth Goal is so important to me because I feel like our own joy is often something that gets put on the back burner, but we deserve to live happy lives so I want to challenge you to create small moments of joy for yourself every single day. We are responsible for our own happiness so it is up to you to create daily joy for yourself.

Now obviously I can't tell you exactly what to do to be happy, so this episode is full of tips and exercises you can do to try and figure out what you can do to create joy; as well as, some research backed, science backed things that have been proven to increase happiness, but joy looks different for everybody, do what works for you.

I am so sad to see this series ending because I have loved it, I hope you have too. If you haven't already make sure and check out all the episodes from this month!

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It's 2024! We're kicking off this year with a 5 week series where each episode will be a deep dive on one of the Growth Goals. Growth Goals are the 5 things you should do every single day to show up as the best version of you and achieve your goals, for more info on them check out episode 25. But today's episode we're discussing the Growth Goal: One Thing For Your Spirit.

I see lists all the time on the internet like '7 Daily Habits to Lose Weight' or '5 Things You Can Do Daily to Be Healthy' etc., but I felt like so many of those lists failed to help you grow in every area of your life, and honestly I think our spirit is so often negelcted. 

So in today's episode I wanted to share with you ways that you can grow in your spirit that have been scientifically proven to not only improve your spiritual health but your mental health, physical health and overall well-being. I hope that regardless of your faith or where you're at in your spiritual journey you take some time today to do one small thing for your spirit.

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It's 2024! We're kicking off this year with a 5-week series where each episode will be a deep dive on one of the Growth Goals. Growth Goals are the 5 things you should do every single day to show up as the best version of you and achieve your goals, for more info on Growth Goals check out episode 25. But today's episode we're discussing the Growth Goal, one thing for your mental health.

I have been on a journey for YEARS, but for the longest time I didn't incorporate mental health practices into my daily life. I have been in therapy for years and my therapist would give me habits, coping mechanisms, or tips that I just wouldn't do and then wondered why I wasn't getting better. It wasn't until I started making taking care of my mental health a part of my every day life that I really started to see changes and feel so much better.

In today's episode I share small things that you can do every day to improve your mental health. These are things that have helped me immensely to completely change the way I think, pull myself out of dark places and grow so much as a person. With that being said, I am not a mental health professional, and if you are really struggling with your mental health I want to encourage you to reach out to a professional and get the help you need.

If you haven't already make sure and go back and listen to the previous episodes in this Growth Goals series and make sure to come back for the rest of the month for a deep dive on the rest of the Growth Goals!

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It's 2024! We're kicking off this year with a 5 week series where each episode will be a deep dive on one of the Growth Goals. Growth Goals are the 5 things you should do every single day to show up as the best version of you and achieve your goals, for more info on them check out episode 25. But today's episode we're dicussing the Growth Goal, one thing for your physical health.

We all know there are so many benefits to taking care of our physical health. And this episode isn't to say you need to be a size two or be able to run a marathon, Lord knows I don't fall into either of those categories. It's about taking care of our bodies so that we can in turn show up for ourselves and others.

In today's episode I break down how you can take small, incremental steps each day to start improving your health and actually change your lifestyle by developing healthier habits.

Make sure to come back every Monday this month for a deep dive on a new Growth Goal and I hope you all had a great first day of 2024, this is going to be our year!

It's 2024! We're kicking off this year with a 5 week series where each episode will be a deep dive on one of the Growth Goals. Growth Goals are the 5 things you should do every single day to show up as the best version of you and achieve your goals, for more info on them check out episode 25. But today's episode we're dicussing the Growth Goal, taking one small step towards your goal.

I'm sure we all started off this year with a big goal in mind so today I am teaching you how to break that big goal down into tiny, easily attainable steps that you can take every single day. By doing this you will avoid burnout, make daily progress and slowly but surely chip away at achieving that goal, because Rome wasn't built in a day.

Make sure to come back every Monday this month for a deep dive on a new Growth Goal and I hope you all had a great first day of 2024, this is going to be our year!

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This year is QUICKLY coming to a close, and I know the week between Christmas and New Years can feel a bit like limbo but it is the perfect time to sit down and write out your goals for the upcoming year. If you're curious to know what mine are, or maybe you need some inspiration for yours, this episode is for you!

My Goals:

• Stay consisten with exercise and strive for working out 2-4 days a week
• Be more consistent with my morning and evening routines
• Pinterest>Tik Tok and being more mindful about my amount of screen time
• Posting on Tik Tok more regularly, go follow me @ashleigh.nicolle
• Making time for hobbies on weekends by doing my chores on weekday evenings
• Low buy year, check out episode 148 for a deep dive on that
• Eat more whole foods, trying to buy foods with fewer ingredients and cooking from scratch more
• Read 10 books
• Declutter one area of my house every long weekend

As you sit down to write out your goals for the new year I also want to encourage you to look back on 2023 and celebrate every single win you had this year. Even if it was all you could do to just get through the year, here you are! You made it and that deserves to be celebrated. 2024 has the potential to be what you make it and is a chance to start over, let's make this year the best one yet!

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So if you didn't know back in October I decided to start the 75 Soft Challenge, and after 58 days I have thrown in the towel. I seriously debated sharing this because I am a little disappointed, feeling guilty and frankly embarassed I came so far and didn't finish. However, I never want y'all to be under the impression that achieve every single goal I set out to achieve. I know this podcast is all about achieving your goals but I still fail sometimes and I want to normalize that.

I learned so much from this challenge but there were definetly some cons as well and I have learned that this is just not something that is sustainable for me. I am so proud of myself for having stuck with it for 58 days and I did see results and develop habits I will be carrying with me into the new year, so eventhough I didn't complete it I got something out of it.

Failure is a part of life but as long as we learn and grow from our failures we never truly fail. 

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I don't know if you've seen the Tik Tok trend of everyone posting lists of things that have made their life better, but I am obsessed with it. So this is my list of 10 things that have made my life so much better. By implementing the things on this list it has heloed me to romanticize my life, stay organized, live an easier life and uplevel in so many ways. 

In this episode I discuss:

1. Investing in nice jewelry
2. Luxurious matching pajama sets
3. Creating a skin care routine
4. Eating brekfast
5. Cleaning a little every single day
6. Making my bed
7. Unseen aesthetic things
8. Not saving things for special occasions
9. Not delaying gratification
10. Pre-deciding

I hope these 10 things inspire you to uplevel your life, I cannot recommend them enough because my life is so much better since implementing them. 

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I don't know about you, but for me, money has been tight lately. On top of that, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales your girl was influenced and made some impulse purchases. Wanting to improve my spending habits it something I have been working on for a while but after this last month of excessive spending I decided enough was enough and I am going to do a low buy year for 2024. So if yyou are wanting to do a low buy period of time or if you're just curious how I will be implementing it, this episode is for you.

I wanted to make sure I went into this challenge with a good minset because even though I over spent and impulse shopped this is not me punushing myself for bad financial decisions, this is simply learning to be more appreciative for the things I do have and actually using them. 

Also it is important to me that this is a lifestyle change so I wanted to make it sustainable which is why I made room for exceptions because I believe if things truly bring you joy they are worth the money. All that to say, if you are planning to do this challenge with me I want to encourage you to be realistice and kind to yourself while doing so.

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There's 34 days left in 2023 and now is the perfect time to start preparing for your glow up you're going to have in 2024, so if you're ready to make 2024 the best year yet, this episode is for you!

In this episode I discuss:

• Outline the best version of you- either create an avatar that represents the best version of you or write a letter to yourself from future you and outline all the habits, routines, schedule, and characteristics you want to have
• Create a vision board- there's a lot to be said for having a visual reminder of the life you want, it will keep you motivated and when you finally get to that picture perfect moment you'll know you've arrived
• Cut out everything that isn't in alignment- now that you have your outline and vision for yourself do a life edit and eliminate everything that doesn't align with the life you want to create for yourself
• Set boundaries- figure out your non-negotables required for yur dream life and set boundaries around the time, energy and money needed to reach those goals
• Start practicing now- you've got 34 days to start implementing the lifestyle you want to live, start today and build that momentum so you can go into the New Year with some progres under your belt

I am so looking forward to this new year I have been implementing new habits, making plans, setting goals and gearing up for my glow up. Y'all keep an eye out for a new and improved me this next year! Can't wait to see y'all glow up with me!

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We've all heard of hot girl summer, but lets carry that same energy into every season! I don't know about you but winter is my least favorite time of year. With the days being so short, everything being so dead and dreary outside and it being bitterly cold, it can be easy to slip into a state of hybernation or worse seasonal depression. So I wanted to share with you my tips on how we can romanticize this season and go from cold, crying girl winter to HOT girl winter.

In today's epiosde I discuss:

• Using the winter to focus on yourself- start outlining your goals for the new year, get clear on your intentions and even start practicing implementing your new years resolutions now so you're ready to hit the ground running come January 1
• Prioritize socializing- while winter is a great time to focus on you it can be easy to slip into an isolated, depressive state so make sure that you're still making time to get together with the people that love you
• Moisturize- winter is tough on your skin so make sure that you always have lip balm and hand cream ready to go and you're moisturizing your whole body every day cause no one wants to be crusty and chapped this winter
• Hair mask and face mask weekly- make it a priority to have a Sunday self-care spa night and carve out some time to take care of your hair and pretty face this winter
• Gua Sha- in the winter everyone gets a little sniffly and congested, but implementing gua sha into your self-care routine is a great way to make sure your lymphatic system is draining all that winter crud
• Hot girl walks- I know it's cold outside but bundle up and get to steppin, or if you'd rather do some cozy cardio around your house but getting those steps in will do wonders for fighting of seasonal depression
• Get cozy- bust out your favorite sweater, treat yourself to a new blanket or candle or pick up a cozy hobby and let's romanticize our lives this winter season

I can't wait to have the best winter yet and come this spring I will be a better version of me bacuse I used this time wisely! Stay warm out there y'all!

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We all struggle with our mental health from time to time so I wanted to share with you some therapy dupes that can help you reduce anxiety and stress, alleviate depression, and increace happiness and overall well-being. So whether you have been down in the dumps lately or you're just wanting to stay on top of your mental well-being this episode is for you.

In this episode I discuss:

• Cleaning and organizing your space- your physical space is a physical manifestation of your mental state. If you've been feeling overwhelmed and stressed cleaning your space is a great way to gain a sense of control, it has a calming effect and gives you a sense of accomplishment and purpose
• Getting outside- a study in the UK found that getting outdoors for as little as two hours a week can have amazing benefits for your well-being. So start gardening, play fetch with your dog, go for a walk or just sit outside. Whatever you do getting some sun in everyday will be so beneficial for your mental health
• Exercise- we all no exercise is great for our physical health but it has so many mental health benefits too. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression or ADHD exercise can help alleviate the symptoms of so many mental health struggles
• Self-care- it's so much more than just the latest tik tok tred, self-care is a commitment to yourself to start meeting your own need, so take time each day to check in with yourself and do something for you

While these tips are great for improving your mental health I want to remind you that there is absolutely no shame in needing help, needing medication, or struggling with your mental health. I have been in therapy for years and think everyone can benefit from it so if you need extra help I want to encourage you to seek it. We all struggle sometimes, it's okay and you're not alone.

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Dating in your late 20's is ROUGH! But I put together a list of advise that will hopefully help you navigate dating and find the person for you. So, if you're a girl with all the apps, feeling like you're endlessly swiping, looking for love then this episode is for you!

In this episode I discuss:

• Know what you want, become what you want, attract what you want. It's MANifistation 101
• Set expectations early on because the second you lower the bar or let something slide you have set a precedence 
• Dating is a numbers game, just remember that every bad date, person that ghosts you, missed connection, etc. is getting you one step closer to finding someone
• If I feel the need to go through someone's phone then I don't need to be in that relationship. You deserve someone who makes you feel safe and secure not anxious
• I'm pro ghost. If we have been on less than 3 dates I don't owe you an explanation and quite frankly I don't want a paragraph of why you don't like me when you barely even know me. The silence is the response.
• If you don't know where you stand, go stand somewhere else. I don't know about you but I am not looking to be in a situationship, either you want to be with me or you don't. Make me question that and you'll find yourself asking where I went.
• Lastly, there is no timeline, who you choose as your life partner is arguably the most important decision you will make so take your time and choose wisely

I am by no means a relationship expert, clearly because I am out here in the streets haha, but as someone who is also in the trenches I wanted to share with you what I have learned so far. Dating can be hard just remind yourself that you are worthy of someone amazing, they are out there waiting and praying for you, don't loose hope and never settle, ladies.

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What is imposter syndrome? Imposter syndrome is when your compitence is greater than your confidence and it's actually a lot more common than you might think. Even incredibly accomplished people like Maya Angelou and Albert Enstein struggled with it, so if you experience imposter syndrome you're in good company.

In today's episode I discuss:

• 4 signs that you might be struggling with imposter syndrome and how it can show up at work, home, school, and even in relationships
• Seperating feeling from fact- when it comes to imposter syndrome feelings of inadequecy are often a figment of our own minds. Take notes of your accomplishments, when you struggle with those feelings it can be nice to have a tangle reminder that you are capable
• Have alearning mindset- rather than going into something with the mindset of 'I am going to fail' shift to 'even if I don't succeed I will learn something'
• Avoid comparison- instead of looking at everyone else's success as highlighting your flaws, instead work towards collaboration and learn from others

If you weren't ready for more, the opportunity wouldn't present itself. If a door opens for you, trust that it is meant for you because you are ready, it wouldn't be there if you weren't. You are so capable, talented and have something unique to offer the world. Seize that opportunity, you are worthy and deserving of it!

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