Decluttered By Design

I am sharing a foolproof two-step process to help you overcome anxiety from all the 'what if' scenarios that get in the way of taking confident action. If you've been pussyfooting around because you're afraid you'll regret your decision then this episode is for you. It's the perfect antidote for anxious ruminating. The beauty of the process is you can use it whenever you are stuck between wanting to take action and feeling scared that it may not turn out well (that's an icky place, right)? What I'm sharing is super simple but incredibly powerful.As promised in the episode, I'm doing something scary myself. I am sharing Ten Things about me that I'm nervous about letting you in on, but I know it's the right thing to do because they inform my work in a deep and meaningful way.  And you deserve transparency about who I am (hello know, like, and trust factor!).  Here's the link to get the list: Ten Things I'm Nervous To Share.  I'll also send you a bonus - my framework for rewriting your own stories and beliefs so you can feel better about the past and move forward with greater confidence. It has the potential to be life-changing - it's that good!  Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

Engaging in the right kind of self-care might be one of the quickest ways to begin decluttering your life.  Spoiler: I'm not talking about spa days and meditation retreats. Not that there's anything wrong with those, but there's a different way of looking at self-care that can have a lasting impact on your mental and emotional well-being. It's a way of caring for yourself that can eliminate much of the internal inner clutter that casts a cloud over our days. Listen for my take on the importance of self-care and how it's a critical part of living a clutter-free life. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six-step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question.  Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

What do decluttering and organizing have in common? They're both projects, right? This means to be your most effective you need to put on your project manager hat. Why? Because one of the biggest threats to any project is scope creep. It's something project managers are always on the lookout for. It's the leading cause of project failures.  If you've ever started a decluttering or organizing project but didn't finish, it's likely scope creep was part of the problem. Listen in to hear what it looks like and what to do about it. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six-step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question.   Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

If you're not doing everything you want to do, it's probably because fear is tricking you into staying stuck. Sounds harsh, but for most of us, it's true. Fear often stops us from taking action and following through on our ambitions. Luckily, we don't have to settle. We can push past the fear using this super simple and oh-so-powerful four-step process. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six-step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question.    Special Note: If you're enjoying this podcast and ready to accelerate your decluttering efforts, I invite you to sign up for my Clutter Control 101 E-Course. It's a holistic approach to decluttering and organizing, where we don't just treat the problem, we solve it! It's deeply discounted right now to just $19 (psst: that's a $60 savings!).  Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

When you have multiple goals, trying to decide which goal to focus on first can be crazy-making. Far too often, we bounce back and forth, doing some of this, some of that, and never making much progress on any of them.  It's frustrating to put in the effort and never get any sense of satisfaction. It doesn't have to be like that though. I'm sharing a simple process to help you decide exactly what goal to focus first on so that you can more easily reach every other goal. It's a game-changer! Plus, I'm sharing what goal I'm focusing on right now and why I chose it. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six-step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question.   Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

 This mini-season focuses on bridging the gap between dreaming and doing.  We're on episode 6 of 6, where I'm sharing a strategy to help you keep your energy level up. Spoiler: It's not about exercise, nutrition, or getting more rest.  There's a bonus benefit to implementing this idea, it will help you reduce stress. And it takes nothing more than a little imagination to make it work. If you're long-time listener, I'll be back with a brand new season on September 1st, but I would wholly encourage you to listen, and maybe even relisten, to this mini-series, because it will help you lay a strong foundation for creating any kind of change you seek. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your decluttering question.       Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

This mini-season focuses on bridging the gap between dreaming and doing.  We're on episode 5 of 6 where I'm sharing why leniency toward yourself is as important as discipline. If you're struggling with building discipline you need to listen. I'm giving counterintuitive guidance but when you hear it, it will make perfects sense. Plus, implementing it will help you reduce mental and emotional clutter.  And I've got an easy strategy to help you turn negative self-talk, into something empowering.   If you're long-time listener, I'll be back with a brand new season on September 1st, but I would wholly encourage you to listen, and maybe even relisten, to this mini-series, because it will help you lay a strong foundation for creating any kind of change you seek. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your decluttering question.      Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

 This mini-season focuses on bridging the gap between dreaming and doing.  We're on episode 4 of 6 where I'm sharing why belief in yourself is actually the deciding factor in whether you succeed or not.  If you're struggling with believing in yourself, you'll want to listen in because I'm providing evidence that will help you realize you've got what it takes to go after your goals. Plus, I'm sharing a personal tidbit about me and my struggle with self-confidence and self-esteem.  If you're long-time listener, I'll be back with a brand new season on September 1st, but I would wholly encourage you to listen, and maybe even relisten, to this mini-series, because it will help you lay a strong foundation for creating any kind of change you seek. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your decluttering question.     Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

This mini-season focuses on bridging the gap between dreaming and doing.  We're on episode 3 of 6 where we're learning why you must practice self-awareness and I'm sharing two ways to help you become more aware.  One is specific to decluttering and will help you become more discerning about what you allow into your space. The other is will help you apply what you learn from any experience, so you can enjoy continuous improvement.  If you're long-time listener, I'll be back with a brand new season on September 1st, but I would wholly encourage you to listen, and maybe even relisten, to this mini-series, because it will help you lay a strong foundation for creating any kind of change you seek. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your decluttering question.    Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

This mini-season focuses on bridging the gap between dreaming and doing using the VIABLE Goal Framework. It's a process that will help you gain clarity around your vision and create consistency so you can bring that vision to life. We're on episode 2 of 6 where we're exploring the role of intentional living and learning how we can make the shift from reactive to proactive.   If you're long-time listener, I'll be back with a brand new season on September 1st, but I would wholly encourage you to listen, and maybe even relisten, to this mini-series, because it will help you lay a strong foundation for creating any kind of change you seek. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your decluttering question.   Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

Ready to bridge the gap between dreaming and doing? This episode will help you do it.  Before we dive in, you should know that this is the first in a 6 part series, or mini-season if you will, where I am going to walk you through a process that will help you gain clarity around your vision and create consistency so you can bring that vision to life. It's called the VIABLE Goal Framework and it will help you move from goal setter to goal getter! If you're long-time listener, I'll be back with a brand new season on September 1st, but I would wholly encourage you to listen, and maybe even relisten, to this mini-series, because it will help you lay a strong foundation for creating any kind of change you seek. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question.  Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

You made a decision, you're ready to let something go. Yay for you! But then that little voice pipes up and says, "Hey, what are you doing, girl? That might be useful someday. You shouldn't give it away." You stop and think, "Maybe I'm not making the right decision after all. Maybe I should hold on to this thing." Boom! Just like that you wind up keeping the very thing you were so ready to let go. Ugh. But it doesn't have to be like that. We have the power to remove all that frustration. And I've got a one-two punch that will help you do just that. It's a simple strategy that will have you hushing up that little voice in no uncertain terms. So get ready to clear the clutter with confidence!If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question.  Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

Have you ever woken up and realized that the day ahead of you is going to feel like nails on a chalkboard sound? Or worse, realized that just before drifting off to dreamland, meaning sleep is not exactly going to be your friend? If not, count yourself supernaturally lucky.But if you're like most of us and find yourself over-committing and resenting it, this episode will help you ditch all that stress. It's about really evaluating what we say yes to to start with. Or in other words, deactivating our people pleasing default behavior (seriously, we've got to shut. it. down.)After all, our time is precious, right? And saying yes to something we'll regret later is self sabotage, so use this tip to help eliminate that possibility altogether! Consider it a lesson in self care 101. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question. Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

This is the perfect year to declutter your holiday traditions. If you've been yearning to try something new, this is your year, thanks to the pandemic.Now, I am not here to minimize what’s happening, things are serious. However, at times like this, I think it’s critical we don’t give up our personal power and allow ourselves to be fully devoured by the situation. ⠀As trite as it might sound, we need to remember that in every crisis, there is opportunity. And it's up to us to seek it out and leverage it. From my perspective, this holiday season has endless opportunities to redefine what the holidays are about and clear away the clutter that shrouds the meaningful aspects. Listen in to hear just what I mean. Psst: If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question.   Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

Get ready for a story, because this episode is the sad little tale of how clutter typically takes hold. Spoiler: In general, there is no grand event to blame. Clutter is caused by (gasp!) our decisions. And not the biggies, but the everyday choices we make. FYI - This actually great news. If clutter is rooted in the smallest decisions, then we can start weeding it out just by making better decisions. Tune in to hear exactly what I mean and learn how simple reversing course really is. If you're ready to declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.For ongoing motivation and support, join our private Facebook group: Clear Your Clutter, Find Your Happy. Want to connect directly with me? Find me on Facebook and Instagram. Say hello, or better yet ask me your clutter question. Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

You aren't truly free from the clutter until it's out of your space. So deciding where it's going to go is necessity. It's easy to get caught up wanting to find just the right place, but that's complicated and exhausting. This episode proposes a different and better way to handle the question of where to donate.If you're ready to get declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

If we feel like we're losing money, it can be much harder to let go of stuff we don't use.  But the truth is pretty simple: the item isn't the same as the money was - it's now just clutter. This episode focuses on what you need to know about those kinds of sunk costs and gives you a process to help you learn from them so you don't make the same mistakes again.If you're ready to get declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

This episode focuses on a particular kind of emotional clutter. So often people feel bad about the things they struggle with. I don't mean bad about the struggle per se. I mean they feel bad about the *type* of situation they are struggling with. I'm talking about shame. It's born from a tendency we all have, and that is to compare our lives to others. When we compare our struggle to what we see others struggling with, we often invalidate our own struggle. Listen in to learn why you need to stop comparing and start acknowledging the validity of your struggle. If you're ready to get declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro. Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

Setting limits is a critical part of keeping your space free from clutter. It's hard to let go of the excess if you don't know what enough is, so you need to decide just how much you really need. As you lighten up, you free yourself from the burden of being responsible for so much, which means more time to enjoy life!If you're ready to get declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)

What if you could easily and consistently make better decisions? You can with one simple question. Asking yourself what feels like love will allow you to make the choices that lead to greater satisfaction. This question will help you build your confidence and reach your goals quicker. Listen in to see how to apply this principle. If you're ready to get declutter your life, then grab my free e-course: ESCAPE Clutter And Get Organized. It's a simple six step process to help you clear the clutter and organize your space like a pro.Thanks for listening! For more great stuff, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a dynamite support group on Facebook - that community is on fire, 7000+ members making stuff happen and I'd love for you to join us.If you haven't already, be sure to get the free ESCAPE Clutter and Get Organized E-course. It's the bomb!Last, if you want to get to know me, I'm opening my virtual kimono and giving you the 411 on my life (the good, bad and ugly, it's all there). Get the deets here (there's a surprise bonus included that has the potential to change your life - no jokes!)