One Thing I'm Not Taking With Me In 2025

There's probably more, but this one thing is for sure!

“Comparison is the thief of joy”…I’m sure you’ve heard that saying and yet, so often we continue to compare ourselves to others. I’ve found myself doing that and it’s the one thing I’m not going to take with me in 2025. Looking at what I’ve accomplished and then looking at others (especially online) has had me feeling like I must do more. I need to do more. The thing is, I’m looking at the wrong people.

Yesterday, Tara Jaye Frank posted this and it so perfectly said what I’ve been thinking but was struggling to put into words.

Whether it’s life advice, business advice or simply looking into someone’s life through the lens of social media, we need to simply stop comparing or taking advice.

Here’s where I’ve been struggling. I’ve gone down a rabbit hole wondering why I haven’t grown my podcast more, why isn’t my book a bestseller, why don’t I have sponsors throwing money at me, why am I not landing the big speaking gigs and so on. Why am I asking all of these questions of myself? Because I started to compare myself to what I see as I scroll someone else’s account.

I’ve beaten myself up over these ridiculous questions instead of taking a step back and not only recognizing what I have done but also recognizing that the person I’m comparing myself to hasn’t lived through what I have.

I had an 18 year corporate career and was laid off twice. I got through that and started my business in a brand new industry from absolutely nothing. If I spend a dollar, that’s a dollar I’ve made, not a dollar I was given.

I have two kids who were in diapers when I started my business and they’ve been by my side this entire time. I’m at every school drop off and pick up and volunteer in the classroom along with being present for all of the sports and extracurriculars. I’ve also co-parented two more kids who are now grown adults and navigated being a stepmom starting in my 20s…that’s no easy feat!

I’ve released 265 podcast episodes and while my downloads aren’t sky high, they’re consistent and growing. I don’t have sponsors which means there are no commercials in any episode, so if I plug my book or services, that’s why. My Simplified Life is simply great human beings having amazing conversations that spark inspiration and empathy in those that listen. I’ve read the books of every author I’ve interviewed, cover to cover. This year alone, that was 37 books. I share that number because I want you to know how invested I am in the people I interview and my show.

I landed a book deal and published my first book this year. I did that without knowing people in the publishing industry, having less than 3K Instagram followers and did all of the marketing and PR on my own. I made it into the Costco Connection Magazine!

I’m not an “accidental activist” as I saw someone post the other day. I am extremely intentional in using my voice and standing up for causes I believe in. I’m an activist and advocate and not for one issue but many issues, including those that don’t directly affect me.

Those are the things I’ve done and it all has to do with what I’ve lived through…growing up in a very small town (small by population and often small-minded), losing my hometown and the home I grew up in to a fire (I continue to speak out against PG&E, as I did on CNBC this year), losing my father at the age of 7 (there’s a lot more to unpack here and share!), working full-time in college and graduating early, moving to new cities six times before I was 26 years old, being a stepmom, having a miscarriage and unexplained infertility before having two kids a year and three weeks apart, being laid off after having each child, starting a business…

I don’t share this to say “look at me” but to encourage you to look at you. When you sit down and start to list out not only what you’ve done but what you’ve been through, you’re going to recognize how proud you should be of yourself and how unnecessary it is to look at anyone else and compare yourself to them.

As we look to the year ahead, I’m grateful for the people 2024 has brought into my life. I have connected with the most incredible human beings both online and in person. I’ve read books that changed my life and the chef’s kiss has been getting to meet the authors who wrote them. I’ve decided I wanted to do more for not only authors, but every human being, so I’m expanding my podcast with two interviews per week and it’s been the best investment I’ve ever made (in time reading more books, interviewing more people and producing more episodes).

My Simplified Life Podcast

December brought 9 podcast episodes…more than double the old norm. All guests happened to be authors (January has some non-author interviews and yes, January is already recorded and scheduled with another 9 episodes!).

If you like to not only hear the podcast, but also watch the interviews, you can catch the videos on Spotify and YouTube! If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, please do hit the 5 stars!

What I’m Reading

I track what I read not only on Goodreads but also on Bookshop.org so you can always find books by authors on the show and ones I’ve read in addition to those! I’m also posting a monthly roundup of the books and my reviews on my Instagram page!

How To Get On Podcasts

Next month marks one year since How To Get On Podcasts was published! I might get the book a birthday cake to celebrate! If you’ve read the book or listened to the audiobook, I’d love to ask if you’d give it 5 stars on Amazon. You don’t have to have purchased the book from Amazon to give it a review and the more reviews, the better the ranking in searches! You can grab the hardcover, digital or audiobook version for less than $20! It’s a great way to start your New Year!

2024 In Numbers

Thank you for being on this journey with me! My hope is that I’ve been able to bring something good to your day with my podcast and my work. I’m so grateful for the stories that people are willing to share with me, the books they’ve written and the voices who continue to make a difference for all of us. May 2025 be a happy, love filled year with more empathy and connection for all of us!