About Progress

A good marriage takes work, that we know. But when mental health struggles come up for one or both spouses, it can try the most important relationship of our lives in very unique ways.   Matt and Celeste Davis believe that facing these struggles together can instead make a marriage even better. Both have taken turns struggling with depression (see their past solo episodes with me here and here!),...

Today's "Do Something Highlight" is with Melissa Lewis. After moving and facing huge trials, Melissa found herself again by making her own bucket list. Doing these small, fun, and challenging things helped Melissa get out of a dark place and helped her remember who she is. Listen in to hear what this looked like for Melissa and how you can do it, too! Show Notes Melissa's Instagram Monica's Facebo...

It's easy to dismiss someone else's success. "They have such good genetics!" "Amazing that their dad got them their first big break." "Wish I had that talent!"   The truth is, progress is HARD. For everyone, regardless for how "blessed" they are.   Ashton Barrett is on the podcast today to share how improving oneself is both messy and magical. As a crossfit junkie, macro coach, and nutrition speci...

Natasha Grasso quit her high corporate job with big hopes to slow down her life and finally get pregnant.     In the process, she started a new jewelry-making hobby that became a real passion. Natasha looked past what was practical and logical, listened to her intuition, and took a leap into making her hobby into a business that supported the greater purposes of her heart: one focused on her famil...

How often do you say the words, "I'm sorry?"   Odds are, it happens much more than you think. And most of the time, they're unnecessary apologies.      As women, we tend to fall into a cultural trap of apologizing for taking up space, for being human with human flaws, or for even getting bumped into at the grocery store.   At times, our apologies are a way of avoiding facing the parts of ourselves...

If you're not naturally a morning person (Monica is a member of that club!), you know the viscous cycle of going to bed too late and never starting your day off on the right foot.     But there is hope for us snooze queens! Establishing a morning routine that works for YOU can be done in a very manageable, doable way. You have to ditch the all-or-nothing thinking and start smaller than you think y...

Kim White has been told she has only months to live more times than she can count the past 4 1/2 years. And yet, she's still kickin' it! But doing so hasn't been born purely from her ability to see the good in her trials. In fact, Kim readily shares that for a few years she struggled in BIG ways emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.   BUT as Kim decided her own "WHY" behind her cancer and other...

"Vulnerability" is a popular term these days. But for very good reason.   Forget thinking "vulnerability" is where your distant relative shares all the horrible minutia of her life. True vulnerability demands courage. The kind where we look at our true selves in the mirror, see what needs to change, and get going.   It's also the kind that lends yourself a tremendous amount of compassion as you na...

"Stop being so childish!"    What if we encouraged the child-like strengths our children gravitate to instead of demanding they grow up?     What if we thought about what we liked to do as children ourselves--what our personalities were like, our interests, dreams, and even things we liked to do--and made that the basis for who we can better become as adults?    Neena Warburton believes that becom...

"I want to. I can. I will."   This is the mantra that got Kristina Southam to her goal of running a marathon and hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro.   She's our "Do Something Highlight" today and sharing ways that she has done things that have scared her and the effect of them. One of these included taking a break from a graduate program she had worked so hard to get into, and how deferring ended up being the...

As an international model turned student, turned missionary, turned business owner and clothing designer,n speaker, advocate, and author (phew!), Rosemary Card has done and seen more than most almost-30-year-olds!    Rosie's gift of using her unique voice was forged through years of standing up to bullies, living up to her values amidst great pressure, and speaking up even within her own religious...

Camille Andros is used to juggling a lot of balls. As an author and mother of six, she often battles having a lot of important priorities and all at the same time. Not just in spite of this, but because of it, Camille has learned that in order to be "all in" and present with the task at hand, you have to practice the mindset of intentionality. Creating this mindset shift has enabled Camille to be...

When Crystalee Beck got laid off three years ago, her first stop was to the library for some new books and then she took herself on a hike. Now as a successful entrepreneur and mother, Crystalee knows and practices the research behind how "playing" as an adult leads to far more productivity.     Playing for the pure fun of it will bless anyone's lives, whether you're a stay-at-home mama or a climb...

I am so ecstatic to reach 100 episodes today!   In honor of this wonderful number, I'm going to take you behind-the-scenes to the podcast: where the numbers are at, what's hard about it, what's wonderful, and where it's headed.   This is unscripted and unedited. Stick with me through all the awkwardness, pauses, and stutters! Because friends, I'm in this for you. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!   Show N...

 "If I hadn’t made the bad paintings, then I wouldn’t have made the good paintings either.”   I have three of Beth Allen's prints hanging on the walls of my home. I want about 100 more, and some of the "real thing," too.    Beth amazed me during our chat not just because of this artistry she has never known life without, but because of how she has worked so hard to hone her craft, given it permiss...

My daughter--Bear (secret code name!)--sat down in front of my desk on Sunday morning and asked to record an episode. I happily obliged, thinking it was just for the memories. But, she actually proved to record something pretty inspiring! She turns 7 today, so as a little surprise I thought I'd share this with you.  Bear is very unique. She's very bright, creative, and very sensitive. She's had to...

“When you think of your body in terms of what it can do and how you feel in it, instead of just how it looks, you open up this whole new world.”   The past few years, there has been some shifts in how society (and by extension, advertising) is labeling "beautiful." But Doctors Lindsay and Lexie Kite of Beauty Redefined think that we can do even better.   This is because even by broadening the defi...

“If you’re going to be someone who is interested in intimacy, you have to be accepting of your body as it is. If you’re going to be capable of doing that, you have to forge a kind of meaningful self acceptance and self compassion.”   Good body image = good sex. Bad body image = bad sex.   It’s really that simple.   Because it’s never about our bodies. It’s about how we are measuring our self-worth...

It's sad how easy it is to let our marriages slip into a place of neglect. But this needn't be if we just better prioritize our relationship and our spouse's needs!   Becky Squire is here to discuss what the research shows about how putting your marriage first benefits your children and what husbands and wives need more of from each other. While the actual practice of these concepts will look diff...

Kari Durrant is our wonderful highlight today! Kari shares boldly about how even as a health care professional, her own anxiety and depression pushed her to shift what she was doing in her life. For her, that meant admitting that the career path she was on wasn't the right thing for her, stepping back, and instead getting more honest with herself. The greatest thing about this? That meant doing th...

“It was when I chose to let those small pieces of criticism encompass my thoughts that I started to doubt what I was doing.”   Whether you are a working professional, a stay-at-home parent, or a star athlete, we all deal with the self-doubt, especially when initiated by criticism. Kylie Chenn created a very successful company at a very young age; but she constantly dealt with--and continues to--pe...

 “At what point do we figure out the cost is too high, and are we willing to put it down?”   It's one thing to know that our devices are getting in the way of our relationships, work, and creative outlets. But it's another to successfully do something about it.   Brooke White knows the struggle well. As an independent musician (she got her big break on American Idol ten years ago) and business wom...

“You’re allowed to choose to love yourself. It’s not selfish, it’s not self-centered. It’s quite simple. If you’re ready, go ahead.”   Part Two: Brooke talks about what her social media break taught her, including some heart-breaking lessons. She discusses the struggle she's encountered as she steps back into her online life while still trying to balance her greater priorities, and what has worked...

"We don’t want or need to be perfect all the time. We need to be open to change and learning."   If you're constantly berating yourself for falling short as a parent, I have fantastic news for you: You don't have to be a perfect parent to be a very good one.   Parenting expert Georgia Anderson is on the show to share how research proves that a perfectionist parent is actually an ineffective--and u...

Show Notes Joanna's Instagram and Website "Get Over Yourself" TICKETS for Perfectionism Workshop with Monica on June 21st in Utah Vibrant Bite fitness and nutrition coaching (enter the code "PROGRESS") and your FREE WEEK here Monica's Facebook and Instagram Contact Monica for coaching or podcast consulting Monat Natural, Anti-Aging Hair Care: Contact Monica to learn more, OR research via her Monat...