Planning for Tomorrows – coffee with Frank

In this episode of the Sober.coffee Podcast, hosts Mike R. and Glenn H. are joined by guest Frank for a vulnerable conversation about the transformative “gift of desperation” and the necessity of planning for “tomorrows” in recovery.

The trio explores how hitting rock bottom serves as a powerful catalyst, opening the mind to solutions that once seemed impossible. They emphasize that while sobriety begins with the decision to stop, long-term success requires “plugging in” to a community like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and following the guidance of those who have already navigated the path.

Key Discussion Points

  • The Gift of Desperation: All three speakers reached a point where the consequences of their drinking became so severe that they were finally willing to admit powerlessness and take any suggested action for recovery.
  • Unresolved Trauma: Mike, Glenn, and Frank share their histories with trauma, agreeing that healthy resolution is mandatory because “wounds will not heal with sobriety alone”.
  • Accountability & Connection: The group highlights the power of staying connected through “constant contact” and leaning on sponsors. They describe the recovery community as the “wounded healing the wounded”.
  • Frank’s Journey: Once a “weekend warrior” plagued by multiple DUIs and cycles of anger and regret, Frank discusses his shift toward a life of honesty and stress management.
  • Quality Begets Quality: Glenn introduces the idea that a commitment to a high-quality recovery leads to a higher quality of life, noting movements like “dry months” as potential starting points for the “sober curious”.
  • The “Next Suggested Thing”: Instead of trying to calculate a complex formula for success, the three concur that the most effective strategy is simply listening to guidance and doing the next right thing.

Takeaways for the Listener

  1. Set Success Expectations: Be open and intentional about your sobriety goals from the start.
  2. Embrace Guidance: Listen to those with more experience and be willing to follow directions without overthinking the process.
  3. Be There for the Next Guy: Recovery is a reciprocal process; being of service to others is vital for maintaining one’s own sobriety.
  4. Choose Truth: Honesty is the foundation of managing stress and breaking the “vicious cycle” of regret.

Life Isn’t Linear: How to Trust Your Own Timing

If you ask Megan Holly, we were taught that life moves in a straight line, but in hindsight, it really doesn’t. In this episode of the Magic Made Podcast, Megan unpacks the pressure of “linear growth” and the exhaustion that comes from believing you should always be improving, producing, or pushing forward.

This is a permission-slip episode for anyone who feels behind, stuck, or like their progress should look like a clean staircase instead of a messy, beautiful human rhythm. Megan talks hustle culture, burnout signs (especially when rest makes you feel “unworthy”), and why ease is not laziness, it’s wisdom.

You’ll explore how growth actually works: in cycles, seasons, and spirals. And how self-trust (not self-criticism) is the bridge that helps you move forward without crushing yourself in the process.

In this episode, we talk about:

Why “constant forward progress” is exhausting

How hustle culture messes with your worth

The truth: growth ebbs, flows, and circles back

Why stillness and different approaches are not stagnation

Replacing urgency with ease (especially for recovering perfectionists)

Building self-trust so your goals feel lighter

A question to ground you: Where are you rushing yourself unnecessarily?

✨ Reflection prompt:
What brings you ease, and how can you do more of it on purpose?

If you’ve spotted any “magic” lately, sunbeams, rainbows, light through the trees, tag Megan and share it. And if you’re new here, subscribe/follow so you can hang out weekly with Megan (and Leroy, obviously).

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Comment below: What part of your brand feels most not you right now? Let’s talk about it.

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Understanding Dementia Types And What Caregivers Need To Know

I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments.

We break down the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s, then walk through real signs, major types, and what caregivers can do right now. We share our family stories, the limits of diagnosis, and how to meet loved ones with calm, dignity, and practical steps.

• dementia as an umbrella term and why it matters
• Alzheimer’s as the most common cause of dementia
• mixed dementia and overlapping symptoms
• vascular dementia links to stroke and blood flow
• Lewy body features including hallucinations and REM sleep issues
• early red flags at home and on the road
• why diagnosis is clinical and imperfect
• caregiver mindset, validation, and safety planning
• resources from the Alzheimer’s Association

“Hopefully you find some comfort in this and knowledge because knowledge is power”

Support the show

SPEAKER_00:
0:10

Welcome to Patty's Place. It's a place where we will talk about grief, dementia, and caregiving. I'm your host, Lisa. I dedicated this uh podcast in honor of my mom, Pat, who passed away from dementia about two years ago. And so I want this to be a place where we can talk about these things and you'll not feel like you're alone in all this because it is very overwhelming. So pull up your cup of tea, your cup of coffee, or if you're having a really bad day, that glass of wine. And I thought today we would talk about, we haven't talked about this in a little while, but the difference between understanding Alzheimer's and dementia, because it is very um, you know, we use the terms interchangeably, but they're not interchangeable. And especially if you watch a lot of TV and stuff, they they use they use them interchangeably, and they're not. So if you uh the Alzheimer's Association website has a lot of very, very good information on it. So Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, and it's a general term for memory loss and cognitive abilities, seriously enough to interfere with daily life. So Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. So what's the difference, right? The difference between dementia and Alzheimer's. So dementia is a general term for symptoms like decline in memory, reasoning, or other thinking skills. So it's an umbrella term if you look at it like that. And it also encompasses a collection of different symptoms. So like your cognitive, functional, and behavioral, and they're caused by specific diseases. Alzheimer's is the disease most the most common disease that causes dementia. But there's also frontal temporal degeneration. That's one of the diseases that, like, say Bruce Willis has. He has several other ones, but that is one of his diseases that they that he has. Uh Lewy body disease. That's another one that is what they said Robin Williams had. There's also vascular disease, can also cause symptoms of dementia. Um, they think my mom had some of that uh with it, but not all cognitive decline is considered dementia. So dementia is driven by an underlying progressive neurogenerative disease. So as you start to learn about the two terms and the differences between them, it's important because when you are dealing with somebody who you think might have Alzheimer's dementia with their with your family and your caregivers, you have to understand the difference with it. And you'll come to find out that a lot of people don't. It is a learning curve, it's an experience because it's very overwhelming. So look at it like this. So we'll start with dementia. Dementia describes a group of symptoms, it's usually associated with your decline in memory, your reasoning or thinking skills. And there's many different types of dementia, as I just mentioned, uh, with it. So usually like it's the umbrella of dementia with it. Uh, and many different conditions can cause it. They don't really have that one thing that says, oh, you have this, this causes dementia. And that's part of why this disease is so overwhelming and you feel so helpless and frustrated because they really don't completely know what causes it. A lot of times people will have what's called mixed dementia, and that's a condition in which the brain changes, and there's more than one type of dementia dementia that occurs simultaneously with the Alzheimer's disease. That's what I was referencing that uh the report say Bruce Willis has a couple different types of dementia, and sometimes people do, it's a mix of them. So, like I said, Alzheimer's is the most common for it. Now, here's the thing dementia is not a normal part of aging. Okay. You know, we say that and we joke about that, but when you are actually dealing with somebody who has it, it is completely different. So, what it does is what dementia does is it it is caused by damage to brain cells that affects their ability to communicate, which then of course affects your thinking, your behavior, and your feelings with it. So, what are some of the symptoms? So it could be some of the examples would include problems with your short-term memory. So, your short-term memory is what did you do yesterday? What did you do a few hours ago? You know, we joke sometimes, people say, Where were you on such and such date? And you're like, I'm lucky I remember what I had for lunch yesterday. A lot of times with dementia patients, they can remember what they did 20, 30, 40 years ago. And sometimes they think that's where they are, but they truly can't remember what they just did five minutes ago. So maybe it's also keeping track of a purse or a wallet or your keys. You know, sometimes people will joke like, oh my God, I lose my phone all the time, or I lose my keys. That's a normal thing. But if it's like consistent, like they cannot keep track of it. They, you know, they lose things all the time. And a lot of times then they find in um they f you'll find the item in like the weirdest places. Um when with my mom, uh, my mom was never a big cell phone user. She only had a flip phone and and we only did it for emergencies. But when we you know, she had to go into memory care, and my dad was cleaning out the house, and he found her cell phone. It was wrapped in paper towels, wrapped in a sock, in the back of a box, in a in the back of a cabinet. Like it was ridiculous. Or she had those dis you know how you buy the the disposable, the the wands to clean your toilet bowl. I cannot tell you how many of those my dad and I found in my mom's dresser. It's like those types of things. Paying bills. They can't pay the bills anymore. They think they paid them, but they didn't. Or maybe they start signing it, say uh a a woman may sign it with her married name uh, I'm sorry, her maiden name instead of her married name, those types of things. So that so all of a sudden you realize, wait a minute, they didn't pay the bills. And this might have been somebody who was always on top of things, planning and preparing meals. My mom was a wonderful cook, and she started where she she just couldn't do it. I I think I've told the story before where she was making pizzas and they should have been on a round pizza pan, and she she couldn't find them. And so what she did was is she flipped the square pans and she put the crust uh on the flipped square pan. Well, obviously it started um it dripped, and so then the oven started to smoke and everything, and well, obviously we didn't have pizza that night, the homemade pizzas, we ordered pizza, but what was in her mind was that my dad had hid the pans and he did it on purpose to her, and well, he he didn't. So it's those types of things, or you know, things that they normally make all the time and they can't do it anymore. Like it, or it doesn't turn out. It's those types of things, not like, oh my god, they forgot to buy, you know, milk for the for the one recipe. Remembering appointments or remembering dates. My mom was always really good with birthdays and in appointments and stuff, and she didn't remember people's birthdays anymore. Like I had to tell her, hey, this is an important date, or this is so-and-so's birthday. It just didn't mean anything to her. Uh, traveling out of the neighborhood, that's a big one too, where all of a sudden people who my mom was never good with directions, but she knew how to get to the places she wanted to go to. So it's a common one, especially when they're driving, and you have to really pay attention to these things because they get lost easily, you know, and it's it's not just they got lost to someplace they'd never been before. It's they got lost coming from the store that they go to all the time. Or my mom would be the library. I think that's what happened to my mom. She never said it, but that's when she stopped driving. She blamed it on my dad. She blamed it that he bought the this car that she didn't like and it was too big. But I I think looking back, she probably got turned around and it scared her. So she just said she was never driving again. So it's those types of things, but they're progressive. It's not just something that happens right away. Um you have to kind of slowly pay attention. So it means that their cognitive impairment starts out slowly and it gradually gets worse over time. That leads to the dementia. It's all of a sudden maybe they can't follow watching a TV show. You know, something may be very simple and they can't follow it anymore with it. So, like I said, they don't really know what causes it with it. Now, like there are some different there's different types, the different types of dementia with it. Uh, with that. So those are the different symptoms of them. So we'll kind of talk a little bit about the different types for it in case you're wondering, because it does worsen over time with it for it. Um now early symptoms are things you need to kind of pay attention to with it. And again, there with the different types, sometimes they sometimes you don't exactly know what the different types are until later, and sometimes they're able to figure it out based on what it is. So again, when you want to think about this, is their memory loss is it disrupts their daily life. Okay, it isn't just that, like I said, you misplaced your phone. Uh for my mom, she couldn't figure out how to do the phone anymore. And like I said, she had a flip phone. And I I had to explain to her, I don't know how many times, how to dial a number and it was already stored in there. So it's those types of things, forgetting names, appointments, you know, challenges and planning or solving problems, especially if there were somebody, somebody that they were always good at those things, completing familiar tasks, those types of things. And they get confused with time and place with that. They might might also have trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, or they have problems with words or speaking and writing. I know for my mom, uh, the one time I noticed when we went, uh, I believe it was for her MRI, and she had a hard time signing her name anymore. Those types of things for it. Alzheimer's, like I said, is one type of dementia for it. So we'll start with the mixed dementia. So mixed dementia is the most common form for it. It's uh they think it's their abnormal protein deposits associated with the Alzheimer's disease, and it also coexists with blood vessel problems linked to vascular dementia. So Alzheimer's brain changes can also coexist with Lewy body. In some cases, a person may have brain changes linked to all three conditions Alzheimer's, vascular, and dementia with Lewy body. So, vascular dementia. So you're like, okay, that's nice. What is that? So vascular dementia is a decline in your thinking skills caused by a condition that blocks or reduces blood flow to various regions of the brain. So it deprives them of oxygen and nutrients. So an inadequate blood flow can damage and eventually kill cells anywhere in the body, but the brain is especially vulnerable. So in vascular dementia, changes in thinking skills sometimes occur suddenly. It could be after a stroke, which could block blood vessels in the brain. Thinking difficulties may also begin as mild changes, and then they gradually worsen as a result of multiple minor strokes or another condition that affects smaller blood vessels. A lot of experts prefer the term vascular cognitive impairment or VCI to vascular dementia because they feel it better expresses the concept. So the vascular brain changes, it often coexists with changes linked to other types of dementia, which again could be Alzheimer's, could be Lewy body. So a lot of times they've done some studies and they found that vascular changes and other brain abnormalities may interact in ways that might increase the likelihood of dementia diagnosis. So they think about 5 to 10% of people with dementia may have vascular dementia alone. It's more common as part of a mixed dementia. Many experts believe that vascular dementia remains undiagnosed, like Alzheimer's disease, even though it's recognized as the most common. Now, on my mom's death certificate, they listed vascular dementia. So hers could have been obviously that's what the doctor said. My mom had some heart problems growing up. So, and she always and she had a heart murmur for the rest of her life. And at one point they thought she might have had to have valve surgery on her heart. She didn't end up having that. So it is quite possible that is what led to my mom's. I don't really know, but that's what the heart certificate said. So it is always something to look at too. Like it, like I said, when they say what strokes or heart attacks or things like that, because if the brain isn't getting enough oxygen, that can cause it as well. So think about it like this. So here are some of the symptoms. So the impact of the vascular conditions on your thinking skills, it kind of varies, you know, on it. So it really depends on the severity of the blood vessel damage and the part of the brain it affects. So the memory loss may or may not be significant, uh depending on the specific brain areas where the blood flow is reduced. And that's kind of the fascinating part about dementia. Everybody is different because it all depends on what part of the brain it affects and when for it. So vascular damage that starts in the brain area, they also can play a key role in storing and retrieving information, and it may cause memory loss that's similar to Alzheimer's disease. So some of the symptoms that are the most obvious when it happens could be after a major stroke or sudden post-stroke changes in thinking and perception may include. This can also include, you know, sometimes people have mini strokes and they don't know that they had mini strokes, but then they start to notice the different changes. So there could be confusion with them, a disorientation, trouble speaking or understanding speech. Obviously, uh, you know, if they have a physical stroke symptom such as the sudden headache or that, they might have difficulty walking or they might have poor balance. Obviously, they may have a numbness or paralysis on one side of the face. Uh, and like I was saying, they may have multiple small strokes or other conditions that affect the blood vessels and the nerve fibers deep inside the brain. So a lot of times the common early signs may widespread with small vessel diseases. And again, that could include impaired planning and judgment. Maybe they have uncontrollable laughing and crying, uh, and they maybe just stop paying attention. Like you notice they're in a social situation and you could just tell they're zoned out, they're not paying attention, they're not participating, and they might have been somebody who always did. So they have impaired function in social situations and they have difficulty finding the right words. So there are diagnostic guidelines for vascular dementia for it. So, again, obviously it's hard to diagnose because it's something that people are like, oh, it's just old age, but it's not. So diagnose of the dementia or the mild cognitive impairment is usually confirmed with they call it neurocognitive testing, and that is with a neurologist. And they might do MRIs, they do sometimes hour-long uh memory tests and things like that. A lot of times the vascular dementia goes unrecognized, and many experts recommend professional cognitive screening for everyone considered to be at high risk. So that would be anybody that has a stroke or those TIAs, those are the transient ischemic attacks with that. So they really don't know what causes it either. A lot has to do with obviously your heart for that. So now there's also so you're so you might have dementia with Lewy body. Uh dementia with Lewy body is a type of progressive dementia that leads to decline in thinking, reasoning, and independent function. And it features, it may include spontaneous changes in attention and alertness, uh, recurrent visual hallucinations, your REM sleep behavior disorder, and slow movement tremors or rigid might happen with Lewy body. So if they're diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies is one of the causes of dementia, it's also alongside types of dementia like the Alzheimer's and vascular. So they kind of say, according to Alzheimer's website, uh, Alzheimer's Association website, Lewy body dementia is a broad term that includes both dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease, dementia. So we're just going to talk about dementia with Lewy body. So they said that the hallmark brain and abnormalities linked to the Lewy body are named after a doctor, Dr. Lewy. He was the neurologist who discovered them while he was working with Dr. Alzheimer's. That's how we got the that's how we got the name of the disease. So in the early 1900s, so they figured out that alpha cynocline protein is the chief component of Lewy bodies. It's found widely in the brain, but its normal function, they still don't know. And that's one of the other fascinating things about dementia, Alzheimer's, and all of these different types is that as much as they study the brain, there's still so much they don't know with it. And that's why there is no cure for it, and there's really no, they don't really know what causes it. There isn't this one thing where like, oh, eat this and this will help this and things like that. And that's what's so you feel so helpless and you feel so frustrated with it. I mean, they're studying it, they're making a lot of progress, but it's still not there. So a lot of times they say the overlap in symptoms and other evidence suggests that dementia with Lewy bodies or Parkinson's too, uh Parkinson's disease dementia can be linked to some underlying abnormalities and how the brain processes the protein. Uh, a lot of times they think that they have uh plaque entangles, which is a hallmark brain changes leaked to Alzheimer's disease. They know that there's this certain type of plaque that comes on the brain. Um, so a lot of times people have brain changes of more than one type of dementia, and they're said to have mixed dementia. So some of the symptoms of dementia with Louis body would include changes in your thinking and reasoning, fluctuating cognition that is delirium-like, recurrent well-formed visual hallucinations, the REM sleep behavior disorder that involves acting out dreams, spontaneous Parkinsonisms, that one's hard to say, with slowness of movement, the rest tremor, or rigidity for it. Other symptoms could be they have trouble interpreting visual information. So that might be they could be looking right at you or looking at a picture or looking at something visual, and they just it's not comprehending. They just they they don't know how to interpret it. Uh, other malfunctions of the automatic nervous system, which controls the automatic functions of the body, which would be sweating, blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, they they might have malfunctions with that. Uh, the memory loss might be more significant, but it's less prominent than in Alzheimer's. So, as you see, a lot of these symptoms overlap. So that's why a lot of times they say it's a mixed dementia with it, because they're they're very similar with it. As with all the other dementia, there's really no single test that can conclusively diagnose dementia with Lewy bodies. Uh, it's a the dementia with Lewy body is a clinical diagnosis, which means it represents a doctor's best professional judgment about the reason for a person's symptoms. Obviously, the only way they can conclusively know is through an autopsy. That's actually a lot too with uh the Alzheimer's diagnosis, and that is uh the autopsy of the brain. Uh, we thought about doing that with my mom, but in the end we didn't uh with it. Uh so that's always something, I mean, if something if you really want it to know that you you can have that. Um, a lot of experts believe that dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease dementia are two different expressions of the same underlying problem with brain processing of the protein. Alpha C. Sinocline, if I'm saying this correctly. So they they recommend continuing to diagnose the Lewy body and Parkinson's disease as separate disorders. So the diagnosis with Lewy body is when a person experiences dementia either before or at the same time or with one year of the onset of symptoms of Parkinson's disease. In some cases, the dementia with Lewy body has symptoms of Parkinson's disease, like changes in movement, but may never occur. The diagnosis in Parkinson's disease dementia is when a person experiences dementia at least one year and usually several years after the onset of Parkinson's disease. And obviously, Parkinson's disease symptoms may include changes in movement, like tremors. So you see, like you look at this and you feel very overwhelmed. You're like, oh my God. And a lot of it is they overlap with it. And at some point, I mean, I always feel like knowledge is power and to understand and to know what you're dealing with as best as you can. But in the end, you still need to know how to deal with any of the different types of dementia and look at it from that the person who's sick point of view and kind of step into their and try to step into their world. And they may not they're in the beginning, some may understand what's going on with them and some may not. And it's important not to get angry with the person who doesn't understand what's going on with them. They're never gonna understand it. They're not trying to be difficult, they're not in denial. It's just the way their brain is functioning. So the information is important for the caregiver to understand and to know and to learn how to deal with it and also to know that they're never gonna get better. And that's really hard to deal with, especially when you're reading all this and you're finding this information and you're like, oh my God. So try to do it in little snippets. Like I know I gave you a lot of information right now, and all of this you can find on the Alzheimer's Association website and look into more information for yourself. It's also good to look at this and go ask questions when you're dealing, you know, when you're gonna go with your loved one to their doctor's appointment to go ahead and ask those questions to the doctor with it because maybe you can get those tests. Now, my mom was difficult. She refused to go for testing. And you might have somebody that is like my mom and doesn't do it until eventually it's pretty obvious and you get her diagnosed through the emergency room with it. But no matter how you do it, you have to have that information and you have to look into who they are and think about how you would want to be treated for it. And it has to be so scary and so difficult when your brain starts to do this to yourself. I mean, think about it like that. How would that feel? That you just don't have control anymore of your brain with it. So if you can kind of think about it like that, when you're learning about these symptoms and knowing what's gonna happen, and think about how would you feel with this? Because it is overwhelming, whether it's dementia, it's vascular dementia, it's Alzheimer's, it's dementia with Louis Body, or it's dementia with Parkinson's. All of it is a lot to deal with and to handle. So just try to take it a little bit at a time, learn what you can. And in the end, like I said, if you look at it, a lot of the symptoms are very similar. So it's just important to learn about it and to understand it and to treat that person, no matter what type of dementia they have, with some dignity and care and think about how would you want to be treated if your brain did that to you for it. And then depending on what parts of the brain shuts off at what time, they also may not be able to, you know, their physical movements stop too, where they can't walk on their own or things like that as well. So hopefully this has been helpful for you today. I know it was a lot of information. Like I said, you can always go back to the Alzheimer's Association website. And hopefully, like I said, you find some comfort in this and knowledge because knowledge is power. So hopefully you will join us next time. So hope you enjoyed your cup of tea, your cup of coffee, or if it was that really bad day, your glass of wine, and you will join us next time on another episode of Caddy's Place.

America Thinks You’re an Idiot, How to Stop Proving Them Right | Intruder’s Thoughts 194

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Why Your New Year’s Resolutions Fail (Physical Therapist Explains) | The Art of Wellness Podcast #15

Why You Fail at New Year’s Resolutions (The “February Trap”)

Why do most New Year’s Resolutions fail by mid-February? In this episode, Dr. Gerry (Doctor of Physical Therapy) breaks down the fitness and wellness mistakes that lead to burnout, injury, and quitting. If you’ve ever felt motivated in January only to feel achy and tired by March, this 3-step system is for you.

We dive deep into why motivation is a trap, how to build an identity shift as someone who trains, and why recovery and wellness are more important than intensity.

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#fitness #fitnessconsistency #physicaltherapy #newyearsresolution #injuryprevention

0:04
What’s up? It’s Dr. Gerry. Welcome back to the podcast. Today, I want to talk about why you fail at your New Year’s resolutions. Actually, my goal this year resolution is to actually do this podcast more regularly. So, I’m kind of talking to myself in this podcast as well. But I came up with four reasons as to why people usually fail at their goals this year or this coming year. And also, I made up a three-step system for you to hopefully follow and actually accomplish those goals.

0:50
So usually by mid-February people start to well mid-February early March people start to fail and they stop doing their New Year’s goals and resolutions. I see it all the time being in the fitness and wellness and strength and conditioning realm. People just kind of they want to go all-in. They go super hard January, February, and then they start getting aches, pains. They start getting a little bit tired, fatigued, and they quit. And that’s it. And there goes their goals for the new year.

1:23
Every January as a as a physical therapist, I see the same thing. People start getting hurt. They start getting, like I said, achy. They start getting these twinges in their muscles because they haven’t really built that tolerance of exercise at all in their lives. And it takes a while to build that. The human body needs to adapt. So again, people go all in. They train super hard. They ignore the recovery. They push through pain. And then they wonder why they’re burnt out and they get injured and they come see me, which is good for me. I get good business from it, but also I don’t like to see it.

2:04
And you know, the problem is that a lot of these goals and resolutions, we’ve been taught that motivation is the answer. And when motivation is actually the weakest part of the equation. So what’s actually going on? Why does motivation not stick? You know what’s actually happening in your nervous system when all this is happening? When you watch a motivational video and you’re like, “Oh, I can do this. Let’s do it.” And then you do it for two weeks and then you hate your life or you just stop.

2:38
And you know, this episode is great especially if you want to stay healthy, active, be pain-free in the new year and of course long term because this is a lifestyle decision. It’s a lifestyle change. It’s not just something you do for a year and then you stop. You have to keep it consistent and it takes building that mental muscle and it takes a while to build those habits. But there’s ways to do it where you just actually keep it consistent. You don’t just quit.

3:37
Let’s talk about why we keep failing with what I call the New Year’s trap. Being in the fitness and wellness realm, being a performance physical therapist, I see it all the time again, that uptick in injuries and pain in people. Your body doesn’t care that it’s January. It doesn’t care that the calendar flipped to a new year. Your habits don’t magically reset just because the calendar changed. But what does change is expectations. And we suddenly expect ourselves to completely overhaul our lifestyle.

4:45
Social media doesn’t help either. You’re on Instagram or TikTok seeing these influencers doing these extreme challenges. That’s not practical. That’s not real. And they’re just trying to sell you something. And it makes you feel like you’re behind when obviously, as we all know, comparison is a thief of joy. And that emotional high you feel, that motivation you feel, it’s real, but it’s temporary. It’s a fleeting emotion.

6:40
Reason number one I have is you do too much too fast. And this is probably the biggest reason why people fail. January comes, more workouts, higher intensity, less rest, more stress, all in one period of time. And your body’s like, “What the heck just happened? I haven’t done this before.” Well, what do you expect’s going to happen? Your body’s going to fight you. You have to emphasize recovery. People intuitively know they’re doing too much too fast, yet they still do it. A big part of my job is to kind of help them scale back.

8:46
The second reason I wrote down here is you focus too much on outcome goals and not on process driven goals. Sounds familiar, right? Focus on the process, not just on the end goal. It’s never the end goal that you want. It’s the whole process that you go through to actually get to that end goal. The big mistake is people focus on big outcome goals, like they want to lose 20 pounds. Those aren’t bad goals, they’re good goals. At the same time, your brain can’t execute them super fast like you want them to.

9:39
But what your brain does execute is behaviors. And when the scale doesn’t move fast enough, motivation drops and then you just stop. Process goals are different. You know, things like I want to train once a week, I want to walk for 15 minutes a day, or I want to go to bed an hour earlier. Little things like that add up and they’re a lot easier to accomplish. Small wins build momentum. Momentum builds consistency and consistency beats motivation every single time.

12:00
Reason number three I have is there’s no real identity shift when trying to accomplish these goals. A lot of people try to do fitness instead of actually becoming someone who trains. The more you do those little things, the more it becomes your identity. You want to be someone where it’s just automatic. You wake up, you go to the gym. You’re not thinking about, “Oh, I got to wake up and go to the gym. I hate it.” It becomes a part of you. If you’re dreading it, then you’re doing it wrong. Plain and simple.

14:21
Now that I’m older and even more busy, I have no time to work out that much. But I just go two to three times a week and I feel great and I look forward to it every single time. It’s not as much as I used to work out, but it’s something and I feel great. Fitness shouldn’t be a nuisance in your life. It should be integrated in your life. It should give you more energy, not drain your energy.

15:06
Heads up, guys. This episode is brought to you by Thorne Supplements, and I’m a proud partner of Thorne, and you could use my link in the description. Here’s a bottle of their multivitamin that I use. I love their multivitamins. Again, I personally use multivitamin and creatine as well. Great stuff. Thorne products are backed by science, trusted by health professionals and athletes. Many Thorne products are NSF certified for sport, meaning what’s on the label is what’s in the bottle. Thorne focuses on high quality ingredients and clinical testing for purity and potency. Thorne offers personalized health solutions across nutrition, sleep, focus, energy, and recovery. Every product is designed to help you feel, perform, and live better every day. So, click on the link below that I have on Thorne. There might be a QR code here somewhere. And thanks again for Thorne for sponsoring this episode.
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16:08
The fourth reason I wrote down as to why you fail at your goals in the new year is—and people get this backwards a lot—is ignoring recovery and wellness. Most people try to solve everything by doing things harder, by training harder, by being hard all the time. When actually you have to do it the other way. Get the recovery down stuff first and then add in the intensity stuff. If you don’t have your sleep schedule down, managing your stress well, you’re not hydrating correctly, the gym’s going to feel crappy. You’re not weak. You’re just fatigued and under-recovered.

17:51
Recovery isn’t soft. It’s strategic. It’s smart. You don’t have to stay hard all the time and be intense all the time. You’re going to have days where you feel off and you have to be smart about it. Live to fight another day as I tell all my patients. If it hurts, take it easy at the gym. Live to fight another day. I promise if you do that, it’s going to help you in the long term easily.

19:15
So, I have a three rule system that I came up with to help you with your goals. Rule number one that I have written down is to find the minimum effective dose. Going to the gym once a week is fine. Twice a week, walking every day for 10 minutes, it’s better than nothing. Minimums keep streaks alive. It keeps you consistent.

20:49
Number two is to stack wellness or recovery before intensity. Intensity should come after sleep, after stress management, after nutrition and hydration habits. When you flip that order, injuries, aches, and pains start to creep up and burnout sets in.

21:34
Rule number three is to commit. I put commit to 30 days—let’s change that to commit to 20 days. Stop committing to the whole year. 20 days, build confidence, build proof, add in those minimum effective doses and then repeat from there. After those 20 days, assess how you feel, adjust it as needed.

22:25
Let’s talk about some things that I see people should stop doing. Let’s stop chasing soreness. Just because you’re not sore doesn’t mean it was a bad workout. Let’s stop copying influencer programs. Stop comparing yourself to those influencers. Stop punishing yourself for missed workout days. And stop this all or nothing thinking. Balance is key. Consistency is key.

23:54
If you want this year to be different, stop chasing motivation. Start building your own system. Take the one that I just gave you and kind of make it your own. Find something you can do daily, minimum effective dose, commit to 20 days, and just do it. It’ll become a part of you and it becomes automatic. Pick one habit, comment it in the YouTube channel, DM me on Instagram. If this episode helped you, share this to your friends.

25:48
Hopefully this episode helped you. And remember to subscribe to my channel. I’ll be doing it much more this year. And comment, like, subscribe, all that stuff. My newsletter is in the description as well. It’s called the PT Handbook. Follow me on Instagram, AP Dr.G. And I’ll see you guys next time. Peace.

Being a Richard – another coffee with Tim D

Podcast Summary: Don’t Be a Richard

This week on Sober.Coffee, Tim D joins Mike and Glenn to discuss the nuances of living a life in recovery beyond simple abstinence. The episode, titled “Don’t be a Richard,” explores the shift from just “not drinking” to actively “living better” through consistent, responsible action.

Key Talking Points

  • The “Next Right Thing”: Sobriety is more than just avoiding alcohol; it is a way of life focused on doing the next right thing rather than the next wrong thing.
  • Living Better: Once the initial hurdle of drinking is cleared, the focus shifts to creating a new, healthier path.
  • Redemptive Qualities: Identifying with our “core selves”—the third grader inside—stirs qualities like trust and accountability that develop over time.
  • Hard Work After the Drink: Real recovery starts after stopping the substance; it involves persistent effort to maintain accountability and consistent action.
  • Perspective and Pause: When old, distorted thoughts surface, a simple pause provides the perspective needed to avoid old patterns and rejoin the right path.
  • From Chaos to Calm: The journey leads from a life of chaos to one of confidence, comfort, and internal peace.
  • The Role of Community: Ultimate answers and support are found within the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and the fellowship of others who have walked the path.

Recovery qualifies us for a “more better” life, where we no longer regret the past but allow it to shape our future for the good.

Rest vs Numbing Out: How to Actually Feel Rested Again

Not all rest restores us. In this episode of the Magic Made Podcast, Megan Holly breaks down the difference between true rest that replenishes you and the kind of “rest” that’s actually numbing, avoidance, or disappearing into the abyss (hello, doom scroll 👀).

If you’ve ever collapsed into the couch thinking you were resting, only to feel more drained, anxious, or disconnected afterward, this episode will help you identify what’s happening and how to shift it with compassion, not shame.

Megan shares the subtle cues that reveal when you’re restoring versus when you’re checking out, plus how to bring emotional presence back into everyday downtime so your rest actually nourishes you.

In this episode, we talk about:

  • The difference between resting, restoring, numbing, and disappearing
  • Why doom scrolling can leave you feeling worse (and how to tell)
  • How your body signals real rest (deep breath, relaxed shoulders) vs numbing (fidgeting, discomfort, mental chatter)
  • A simple “flag system” to check your habits: green, yellow, red
  • Why vices and coping mechanisms aren’t “bad” but they are informative
  • How to find your own “top tier” restoration practices (Megan’s: movement, stillness, creativity)

Reflection prompt:
What truly replenishes you, and how can you do more of it intentionally (not accidentally)?

If you find little moments of magic (sunbeams, rainbows, prisms, glimmers), share them on your socials and tag Megan. And if you’re new here, subscribe/follow so you don’t miss weekly conversations designed to help you live with more ease, joy, and intention.

If this resonated, please subscribe for weekly confidence coaching and creative branding energy (& hit the 🔔 to never miss an upload).

Like this video if you want more confidence-based branding tips.

Comment below: What part of your brand feels most not you right now? Let’s talk about it.

Need me for a speaking opportunity, email me at: meganholly@artisticphoto.org

Resources & Links:
Visit my website for branding coaching and upcoming workshops: meganhollyartist.com

Listen to the full audio podcast on episodes Spotify, Apple and Transistor or anywhere you listen to podcast

Want to get some coaching from me! Book a time with me here: bit.ly/MeganHollyCoaching

👉Subscribe & come join the flight. Together we shall fly!

Join my Radiant Reflections creative email list & get my “Creative Confidence Starter Kit”: bit.ly/MeganHollyEmail

Wired to Feel – Dr. Chis Duncan

What if the future amputees have imagined for decades is no longer theoretical?

I’m sitting down with Dr. Chris Duncan, Chief Medical Officer at BIOS, Biologic Input Output Systems, a company working at the frontier of neural interface technology. What they are building sounds like science fiction, but it is very real, very deliberate, and moving forward.

For years, prosthetic innovation has focused on materials, fit, lighter components, better mechanics. But BIOS is asking a more radical question. What if the real breakthrough isn’t in the device, but in the connection?

In this conversation, we explore the possibility of direct communication between the nervous system and a prosthetic limb. Not just movement triggered by muscle signals. Not just improved control. But true, bidirectional integration where intention flows outward and sensation flows back.

But this episode isn’t just about technology. It is about people. It is about the amputee community and why our voices matter in shaping what comes next. It is about hope balanced with realism. It is about progress that must be thoughtful, accessible, and grounded in lived experience.

If you have ever wondered what it would mean to move a prosthetic limb as naturally as you once moved your own, or to feel something again where there has been silence, this conversation will challenge and expand your thinking.

The future of limb loss may not just be lighter or faster. It may be neural. And it may be closer than we think.

Listen to the full conversation on The AMP’D UP211 Podcast, available NOW on YouTube and all major audio platforms. Subscribe, follow, and share the episode at http://www.ampup211.com
 and join a global community that is redefining what is possible after limb loss.