Early Accountability

On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi has a very special guest who is wise beyond her years. Harmony is a rising 6th grader who is involved in Girl Scouts, Girls on the Run, running club, soccer, and robotics club in addition to being voted 5th grade Class Mayor and keeping her grades up. In order to become Class Mayor, she had to write and deliver a speech in every class and then be elected by her peers to represent them in venues like Business Town. Her commitment to learning new things and improving herself through all of these extracurricular activities is admirable for someone her age, and she shares with listeners her guiding principles in rocking her goals. •Make the time for what you want to do, but don’t be too upset if you have to miss something sometimes. •Take a break to rejuvenate between activities. •Prioritize the activities that are really important to you and then see what else you can fit in. •When you are nervous about something, put in the effort to practice and do

Once you accomplish a goal or reach a milestone, it is important to set up a system to keep you from backsliding or getting off track. On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi outlines her 4 key steps based on her recent experiences in the Dominican Republic in a Spanish immersion program. Being back in the States now, it would be easy to revert back to speaking primarily in English, but there are some easy steps she can take to continue pursuing her goal of becoming bilingual. 1.Keep yourself excited about it – Set micro-goals to stay focused or join a team to keep the excitement going. 2.Stay on top of your progress – Have a plan to track what you have done so far, where you may need to improve, and how far you have to go. 3.Put in alternative supports – Come up with a schedule of when you are going to practice or work on your goals. 4.Find other methods of accountability – Grow, maintain, push forward, and accomplish what you say you will. Topics Covered in this Episode: •Staying on t

This episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is about the unexpected setbacks that Kimi experienced throughout her trip to the Dominican Republic. Her intention had been to study Spanish at a language school and volunteer with children in the community during her down time. However, due to some miscommunications and a series of unfortunate events, things did not work out as she had planned. She talks with listeners about her strategy for navigating experiences that don’t go as planned and still being able to pursue your original goal. 1.Stay calm – Try not to get too worked up about the situation and choose not to focus on it too much. The more you dwell on what has happened, the less clear-headed you will be. 2.Scope out alternatives – Research other opportunities that fit into your broader goal and timeframe and evaluate them to find the best fit. Reach out to locals or experts in the area for help. Be ok with saying “no” to opportunities that just aren’t the right fit. 3.Act and move forward – Work

At the time of recording this Early Accountability Podcast episode, Kimi is studying Spanish in the Dominican Republic. In the weeks and months prior to Kimi’s trip, several tragic events happened to Americans in the Dominican Republic, but she did not let fear stop her from pursuing this goal of becoming bi-lingual. She shares with listeners her tips for feeling fear about something and choosing to do it anyway, with an abundance of caution rather than out of recklessness: 1.Be strategic – Think through who you are going to tell about your plans and when you are going to tell them. When appropriate, use apps or other technology that will allow certain people to keep track of you while still giving you the space you need to work towards your goals. Don’t let the fears of others impact your thought process unnecessarily . 2.Remind yourself of your “why” – Any goal worth pursuing is worth the effort it takes to get there. Recognize the experience-building potential and the new opportunities that will be access

The topic of this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is creating your own “winner’s circle” of people who will encourage and motivate you in your personal and professional endeavors. It has been said that when you look at your friends, you see the future you are headed towards because so much of your potential abides in the company you keep. Some people are tempted to rely too heavily on one person to fulfill their accountability needs, but when you diversify the voices you’re listening to, you will see drastic improvements in your results. Kimi purports that your squad or tribe should have one of each of these types of people, recognizing that one person can fill one or two roles: 1.Mentor – Someone who is where you want to be. You can bounce things off of this person and learn from them. 2.Mentee – Having this person in your circle is an opportunity to teach what you are learning and continue your personal development. 3.Coach – Different than a mentor, a coach is meant to provide strategy and tec

When you are facing one (or more) of the storms of life, the last thing you usually want to do is press forward. Whether you are going through the loss of a loved one, a financial crisis, unexpected employment changes, broken relationships, or anything else that disrupts your sense of calm, it can be difficult to know how and when to move forward. On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi outlines her 6 things to keep in mind and action items that can help you weather the storm: 1.Allow yourself “yuck days” –Feel the feelings, accept the moment you are in and validate your emotions. 2.Just because you move forward doesn’t mean you completely let go – Especially when you are grieving the loss of a loved one or a significant aspect of your life, it is important to recognize that healing looks different for everyone. Know yourself and your process, and don’t be influenced by what other people think you should do in this moment. 3.Put a stop on it – After you have given yourself the time to fee

With Memorial Day signaling the unofficial start of summer, it can be easy to shift to “vacation mode” and start coming up short on your personal and professional goals. On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi gives listeners 4 strategies for enjoying summer while being productive. 1.Define your work-life balance – Understand your personal, professional, and family roles and goals. Think through your desires and what works best for you and those around you during this season and then define what and when your breaks are going to be. 2.Plan, plan, plan – Consult with the stakeholders in your various roles to make plans and then commit to them. Write them down, set reminders, create alarms on your phone, and use timers when you need to stay on track and hold yourself accountable. 3.Set contingencies for yourself – If you have something coming up that you are looking forward to, come up with productivity milestones along the way where you get to reward yourself with as aspect of the upcoming

As we wrap up this mini-series on mindset shifts during this Mental Health Awareness Month, Kimi talks through a topic she is very passionate about: you are what you eat, drink, and think. You have to make intentional and consistent decisions in these areas in order to take full advantage of the resiliency, mental clarity, and focus that help make you the best version of yourself. There are 5 specific categories of your life that Kimi recommends you focus on: 1.Exercising – It is a proven fact that people who exercise at least 2 hours per week have a higher rate of goal achievement because of their increased levels of mental clarity and self-awareness. Exercise does not have to be anything extreme, but just an activity that raises your heart rate: a YouTube workout video, gardening, yoga, and walking all qualify. 2.Eating Healthy – This goes hand-in-hand with exercising to get you moving in the right direction towards a healthy lifestyle. Recognize what works for you and how you need to plan ahead to make s

Having the courage to let go is not an easy thing to do, but sometimes it is exactly what you need to do in order to move forward and start new things. On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi describes the 3 lies that you need to let go of: 1.Lies society has told you – Perhaps it seems like everyone else has it together and has figured out the magic formula for the perfect home life and perfect work life. Maybe you think that your life would be perfect if you could just get married, start a family, land your dream job, or be able to stay home with your kids. To take it a step further, you don’t feel like you are good enough because of the expectations that the world has for people to look a certain way. Try to diffuse your media exposure and look at the lives of others through a different lens, recognizing that they are also human. 2.Lies others have told you – Well-meaning friends and family members have likely said something hurtful to you and it could be holding you back. Recognize tha

The topic of this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is “the power of pause.” Kimi shares about the impact of taking a mini vacation right before the end of the school year and she provides listeners with her perspective of the 3 benefits of experiencing a mental shift to allow yourself to pause: 1.Prevent burnout and reduce stress – There is a tendency in our society to just keep going at unsustainable speeds and never need to take a breather. This can happen in your home life, your work life, your fitness pursuits, or other areas of your life, but it is crucial to listen to your body when it says you need a break. By stepping away for a few hours or days, you allow yourself to clear your mind and get centered before jumping back in. 2.Increase productivity and mental focus – Give yourself some time to get away from expectations, obligations, and supposed requirements and allow your brain and body to recharge. By abiding by these rest boundaries, you will be able to come back to the “real world” s

If you have ever struggled with preparing for the unknown, this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is for you. It can be difficult to know how to start something new, so a certain amount of thinking and planning is required, but how do you know when it is time to just jump in with both feet? What if you aren’t ready for that yet? Kimi walks listeners through the mindset shifts that need to take place in order for you to venture into new territory with resolve and confidence. 1.Chill – Get grounded, be mindful, be self-aware, don’t overthink what is going on, and let go of fear. Instead of thinking about what could go wrong, try to just focus on the step in front of you. 2.Search for your hang-ups – Take a look at your crippling beliefs or behavior patterns and try to dig a little deeper to discover the root of the issue. Perhaps you are hesitant to start something new because of the hurtful words of a friend many years ago that you don’t realize are still affecting you. 3.Resist the urge to over-p

Our topic on this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is shifting your mindset to move past disappointment, despair, and defeat. These feelings can be common when you are starting something new, but they do not have to slow you down or keep you from reaching your goals. It is important to practice mindfulness and self-awareness throughout the process of starting something new, and this is especially important when you’re facing an obstacle along the way such as disappointment, despair, or defeat. Here are some specific thoughts about each of these obstacles and steps you can take to move past them: •Disappointment: oDisappointment comes from not meeting your expectations – Make sure that your expectations are realistic and attainable oStay present and recognize the source of your disappointment, but don’t stay stuck – Accept it, then move forward oOften, we have closed ourselves off to any result other than our expectations – Be open to the possibility that there might be something better than you h

We talk a lot on the Early Accountability Podcast about goal setting and goal activation, but are there times when it is ok to quit or stop pursuing a goal? Is that counterproductive, or could it possibly be more productive? A key factor in knowing when to keep pushing and when to stop is being mindful and in touch with your passions. Once you have established in your mind what you really want to be doing, it may become clear to you that you need to stop doing some of the things you have been working towards. Here are a few examples of times when it is in your best interest to quit or stop: 1.When your goal doesn’t align with your passions anymore. Perhaps when you set the goal, you were at a much different place in your life, and now that so much has changed, this goal isn’t something you want to pursue. It is important to recognize the distinction between the goal not aligning with your passions and just not knowing how to get started. Don’t get caught making excuses for quitting on something because of th

During the process of goal activation, you are sure to run into discouragements and obstacles, and maybe these cause you to feel like you aren’t making progress towards your goals. But you may be surprised how much progress you really are making, even when you don’t see it. Tracking your progress towards your goals is an excellent way to stay motivated and on track along the way. Here are the Early Accountability Podcast tips for tracking your progress: 1.Break large tasks down into smaller tasks – While you may want to lose 100 pounds in 2 years, the thought of that drastic transformation is daunting and may seem impossible. However, focusing on losing 5 or 10 pounds in a month is much easier to comprehend, and it is easier to see what choices you need to make on a daily basis to lose those 5 or 10 pounds. Then you can move on to the next 5 or 10 pounds. 2.Celebrate small victories – These don’t have to be extravagant celebrations, but they should be something out of the norm to reward yourself for accompl

Perhaps you’ve reached that time of the year where your new year’s resolutions have worn off, or winter was a hard season for you to stay on track, or you have good intentions of working towards your goals but something keeps tripping you up. On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi shares with listeners her 5 ways to stop making excuses and start reaching your goals to get the results you want. 1.Stop comparing yourself to others – There is no need to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or compare your life to those around you. Everyone is different, and even if that girl looks like she has it all together, she doesn’t. Recognize the differences between yourself and others and capitalize on the things that make you unique. 2.Conquer the fear of the unknown – By worrying about what could happen, the potential of failure, or the possibility that you are not up for the challenge, you get into a cycle of analysis paralysis and never move forward. Accept that unexpected things are going to

On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, our guest is Shante Haymore-Kearney, founder of the Brown Goddess Collective, focused on empowerment and wellness for women of all shades of brown. Shante’s yoga journey began in 2009 when she was doing some rehab work following an ACL injury. Initially, she was not a fan, especially of hot yoga, but before long she observed the strong community focus and benefits of doing yoga with other people. During this turning point in her journey with yoga, she was also adjusting from a move from Chicago to Miami and changing careers, so these factors really made this a turning point in Shante’s life. She soon met her teacher who opened her eyes to some of the spiritual and mindfulness aspects of yoga and she found herself training to become a yoga instructor as well. Shante is passionate about helping other people experience the mind-body connection that yoga facilitates, and she has seen the impacts that these simple tools have had on brown goddesses and the com

Belinda Jackson, visual strategist and founder of Picture It Possible, joins us on this episode of the Early Accountability podcast. Belinda always had a passion for art and doodled her way to many creative solutions in her own life before realizing that those skills could be paired with her experience in organizational strategy and teaching to help others. She started Picture It Possible in 2017, after establishing how her skills could solve her clients’ problems with systematic planning and change management. Belinda’s clients typically come to her when they are at a decision point regarding their product/service or their career. Struggling to decipher the way they should go, they often find themselves delaying their decisions or taking steps in the dark, but Belinda is able to come in and help. In her experience, people tend to lose sight of their end goals in the moment of struggling with a decision, but Belinda helps them put the dynamics they are considering down on paper in a way that brings them clar

On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, we are joined by Shannon Beacham, a doula, breastfeeding coach, and owner of Pregnancy with Mrs. B., focusing on holistic women’s health. When Shannon became a mom, she suddenly realized how much she loved being a mother and her passion for helping other women feel the same was sparked. Through her own experience with young children, she became aware of the importance of self-care, and she now integrates the health of body, mind, and spirit into her services to other moms who struggle to prioritize self-care. In addition to helping women feel excited and empowered by their birthing and breastfeeding experiences, Shannon homeschools her kids and helps her family maintain a vegan diet. While she relies on organization to keep her on track, she also recognizes that things do not always go as planned, so being flexible and having a sense of humor are her keys to daily success. Shannon has learned through her own endeavors the importance of finding a supporti

Kimi takes a break from interviewing guests to continue this Early Accountability Podcast mini-series and provide her own insights about self-care. Self-care is important for setting goals, starting new endeavors, maintaining your sanity in the daily grind, and working towards becoming the best version of yourself. Setting aside this time for yourself brings you back to “ground zero” where you can be still and assess how things are going and can improve both your mental and physical health. The specific benefits that Kimi mentions in this episode are: •Rejuvenation from being alone – By putting yourself in “do not disturb” mode – literally and figuratively – you give yourself the space to recharge and fill your cup so you can go back out there and pour into others. •Being more present – Self-care provides you with the proper perspective that you can only find by taking a step back from the chaos to process and refocus. •Goal activation – Calming your mind to listen to yourself through meditation, art, writ

Our guest on this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is Elisha Beach, founder of TheMom-Forum.com blog and mom of 8. Elisha as 3 children of her own, 4 step-children, and 1 adopted child, so she has seen it all. Her husband travels a lot and has an unpredictable work schedule sometimes, so Elisha found herself responsible for the household more often than not. She eventually started having anxiety and realized that she couldn’t keep putting off her self-care until she “had time”. She needed to find ways to manage stress, decrease overwhelm, and prioritize her self-care. Elisha knew that she thrived in community, so she started the Mom Forum Facebook group. Before long, she pulled together the first Mom Forum event and started a personal blog focused on moms themselves rather than on their kids. She found that many other women out there could relate to her struggles with burnout and the guilt that she had felt previously when she had prioritized her self-care. Elisha says that the key to prioritizi