Decision Masters

Periods of transition and uncertainty can upend us.  And when you're thrown out of your norms, it's easy to make impulsive decisions you don't really love later on, get super overwhelmed and end up drained, wondering why that had to be so hard. This episode will help you do the smallest (read: most doable) planning possible for these periods of time, so you can set yourself up for more success and much less chaos. Listen for: How to clarify your priorities during transitions (even if you have tons of questions) Why consciously "deprioritizing" things is so important How to anticipate your needs based on how you tend to respond to transitions and uncertainty   LINKS! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Ready to talk about getting clear, intentional & sure of your choices? Book your free consultation for a no-strings conversation about your goals and if this coaching is right for you!

If you're in a period of overwhelm, or it looks like you could be soon, this episode is for YOU. I have 5 actionable, super practical things you can scan for and do to decrease the overwhelm you experience this week.  In this episode, I walk you through: What to look for in your calendar How to edit your To Do List Ways to plan on recharging And the one tactic people are most likely to miss (#5) that will make the biggest difference (whether this overwhelm is temporary or feels "indefinite"!) You don't have to suffer overwhelm with no end in sight! These tactics will help you be more stingy with your resources so you can be more restored and get back to feeling like your fullest self. LINKS! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Ready to talk about getting clear, intentional & sure of your choices? Book your free consultation for a no-strings conversation about your goals and if this coaching is right for you!

Want to feel more confident, unlimited and authentic? Happier? More "like yourself"? Have you considered how your style impacts all of this? After today, you will! Closet Coach Kelsea Neal is here to reveal just how connected your mental & energetic states and your STYLE are. It turns out, after you weed out the bogus societal expectations and unnecessary judgments and assumptions, your style can be the key to ease, peace of mind and being fully on your own team. Listen in for: 3 Super Common Style Myths Busted A powerful new way to start responding to thoughts like "Ugh, my hips are too big." What your style is impacting that you might not even know (and definitely want to take advantage of!) Why "style" needs to factor into the changes you make after a big life change! The ONE easy thing to do today to start changing how you see yourself and liking how you feel when you get dressed      Meet Kelsea Neal, Your Closet Coach! She brings her two decades of experience in the fashion industry to your closet to help you find your unique style and love getting dressed every day. True style isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about knowing what works for you and feeling confident in your choices. Kelsea will help you discover your authentic style and transform your wardrobe from “meh” to “WOW!”. Find her on Instagram @your.closetcoach and at her website your-closet-coach.com.     LINKS! NEW! Decision Mastery Week is coming! Are you in?  The 10-week Decision Masters Program is where you'll solidify decisive habits and make faster, more authentic choices for life: Book your free consultation! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free.  

This conversation is for you if: You think of yourself as "creative"  You absolutely do NOT think of yourself as "creative" You've struggled with the confidence to try something new  You've changed careers and hesitated to own your new identity You'd love to create more novelty in your life Paige Ray and I get into it, y'all!   Some highlights: "Don't let other people's doubt and projections decide what you do with your life because it'll go by faster than you think and — here's hoping you did what you wanted to do!" "Every act of imagination is a creative act...I can't think of anything more creative than making a decision because it requires you to use your imagination on the different paths that you can go down...Being creative is really sitting down and being willing to picture a different world or a different moment." "If you're ever worried about what other people think, or 'am I gonna flop on this,'...you might not have decided yet that you are simply the authority figure for your own life." 🤯🤯🤯 Paige Ray Creative makes stand-out visuals—photos, video and website design—for creative brands that are ready to cut through the noise and make the algorithm irrelevant. Learn how to build a brand that only competes with itself: @paigeraycreative on IG @paigekatray on TT paigeray.com LINKS! NEW! Decision Mastery Week is coming! Are you in?  The 10-week Decision Masters Program is where you'll solidify decisive habits and make faster, more authentic choices for life: Book your free consultation! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free.

Welcome to “I’ll Think About It” Part 3 🙌 A top contributor to the habit of delaying decisions for "later" is our fear of how people will react to them - yikes! Learning to effectively process this fear — and intentionally muster the courage to communicate your decisions — can save you YEARS of angst, inauthentic people-pleasing and time spent doing crap you wish you hadn't. In this episode, you'll hear: How thinking about people's reactions like "the weather" can help you release responsibility for them A surprising upside to being honest (even if someone DOESN"T like your choice) And the best question to ask when you want the courage to overcome your fear and voice your decision   LINKS! NEW! Decision Mastery Week is coming! Are you in?  The 10-week Decision Masters Program is where you'll solidify decisive habits and make faster, more authentic choices for life: Book your free consultation! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free.

Welcome to “I’ll Think About It” Part 2 🙌 A huge reason we put decisions off, drag them out, and end up making impulsive choices we don't trust (or just not making them at all) is our lack of a plan. Specifically: A plan for HOW you want to approach a decision. The good news? You're already making some choices with a plan — hooray! The news we gotta work on: You're used to reserving this decision-making method for the few and far between choices that seem to warrant it. In this episode, I show you: Why "throwing decisions in the backseat for later" is costing you more than you think What questions to ask, to decide HOW you want to make a choice How to apply helpful structure to big and small decisions in under two minutes     LINKS! NEW! Decision Mastery Week is coming! Are you in?  The 10-week Decision Masters Program is where you'll solidify decisive habits and make faster, more authentic choices for life: Book your free consultation! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free.

Welcome to "I'll Think About It" Part 1! What keeps you from making a decision quickly — like, on the spot? When faced with a choice, a very natural default can be to "need to think about it, and decide later." But how often is this a conscious decision to delay vs. a unconscious habit — and how often is that habit COSTING you time, energy and vital (life-changing) opportunities? In this series, we're breaking down the decision-making paradigm that you should always think about it and decide later. Today's episode gets into: The 3 keys to deciding quickly The 1 question you need to break this habit I'll empower you to make more decisions NOW — decreasing your mental load and making things happen faster!   LINKS! NEW! Decision Mastery Week is coming! Are you in?  The 10-week Decision Masters Program is where you'll solidify decisive habits and make faster, more authentic choices for life: Book your free consultation! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free.

Where do the expectations you set for "what you should be able to do" in a day or week or month come from? I bring news!  If you've:  Been overscheduling yourself lately Or crossing off 1/10th of your To Do List every day for the past year Or find yourself constantly disappointed in today's performance because "back in the day" you could do things faster ...Or worse: Sheryl over there is coping just fine, so why are you struggling?... You might be suffering from "Realistic Expectation Syndrome," which is a condition I just made up but is completely real. Too often, we idealize our capacity and capability to the point that our plans (and To Do Lists) would only be achievable by 6-armed superhumans who don't require sleep. Be honest: How many times have you looked at tomorrow's jam-packed schedule and said, "Well, if I focused enough or had the right energy, I should realistically be able to do all this"...?  That right there is why today, we're differentiating "realistic" from HONEST.  In the episode, I explain why adopting the latter perspective will not, as you fear, doom you to utter failure and ruin — and why it is, in fact, the KEY to being able to ramp up your productivity and focus when you need to!     LINKS! NEW! Decision Mastery Week is coming! Are you in?  What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!

It seems like the more adulting we do, the harder it gets for FUN to be an effortless part of everyday life. But when you think about "fun" being a choice available to you - kind of all the time - that can change. Especially when "fun" doesn't have to mean what it might have for the past few years. (What comes to mind? Vacations? Day trips? Isolated periods of time that are separate from "regular life"?) Today I invite you to consider the kind of person you want to be and the kind of life you want to have.  Where does FUN fit into that? With your answer, you'll learn how to make the decision to have fun more often - even in boring meetings! - and you'll understand the value and impact that will have on the life you create!   LINKS! NEW! Decision Mastery Week is coming! Are you in?  What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!

Today, we're solving an issue I see costing a lot of people unnecessary time, energy and ANGST. You're going to assess if the standards and expectations you're setting for today are current... Or if they are, in fact, holdovers from a previous season. For many high-achievers who've done amazing, very hard things in life and work, it's super common to almost "cement" those times as permanent reference points for "how I should be" and "what I should be able to do." So if you lived in hustle-mode for years building your business, or survived on 4 hours sleep in grad school, or produced amazing reports at the last-minute in your 30's...guess what. Your brain remembers. And part of you might be trying to hold yourself to those same standards today! This isn't just about getting older, though. MOST people experience "season changes" throughout the year - and things that worked well and felt easy in April suddenly don't in August.  If you're making this a big, personal problem - this episode is for you. Because you may just need to recognize that you're not a robot who's supposed to reach a certain level of productivity / efficiency / happiness / energy / etc...and "stay that way." Let's update your standards and make everything easier, shall we?      LINKS! NEW! Decision Mastery Week is coming! Are you in?  What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!

Ok before you gear up for 20 minutes about "worst case scenarios," lemme stop you right there. Today's episode (inspired by my recent experience in Budapest - I explain inside) will teach you how to use this question to get out of your head, take faster action and feel more in charge of your choices. I actually found myself asking this all the time walking around Hungary - and it helped me have MORE experiences (like getting a manicure in a foreign country for the first time, and riding an air balloon solo 😅) and not feel like I "missed out" just because I didn't feel like asking, trying or exploring things. When you know how and when to use this question to your advantage, you'll see yourself speaking up more at work, taking up more space in your life, and feeling like a bigger, more authentic version of yourself! YES PLEASE. Enjoy!   ANNOUNCEMENT! Decision Masters Week is coming 🙌 Grab your spot and the BONUS now!   LINKS! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the free Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation! Podcast episodes on FEAR: #16: The 4 FEAR Questions to Guarantee a Powerful, Authentic Choice - Includes FREE DOWNLOADABLE exercise #48: How to Stop Living in Fear of Regret #67: How is FOPO (fear of people’s opinions) costing you your agency? #68: How to make authentic choices when you have FOPO  #69: When you’re afraid how someone will react (What’s REALLY going on) #90 - How to Cut Decision Time in Half When You’re Confused (an Intro to Fear Fluency) #91 - Fear in decision-making: The Don’ts #92 - Fear in decision-making: The Do’s Client Conversations w/Ariell #18: Leaving the "Carved Path" & Learning to Talk to Fear w/Ariell Ilunga - Apple / YouTube#19: When you think "Something terrible has to happen to balance the scales" with Ariell Ilunga - Apple / YouTube

In today's summer-themed episode, we’re doing a mini mid-year decision check-in.😎 I ask you questions just like we were in a coaching session, like: What do you want to have achieved or experienced or changed 6-12 months from now? What would be disappointing if it weren’t done or different a year from now? With your answers, you'll be able to identify small (SUPER impactful) actions you can take this month to make sure you end up where you want to be by Christmas!   LINKS! Download the FREE Mid-Year Reflect & Reset Exercise here Get on the waitlist for the next Decision Masters Program  NEW! Join the Alignment and Accountability Club for month-to-month support focusing on a single goal or priority. What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!

Ever wish you could just detox the crap that makes decisions difficult outta your system? Well, ok, you may not have ever thought about it like that - but I bet it sounds pretty good all the same. This week, I introduce a Decision Mastery Fundamental: Decision Detox. We look at three specific behaviors that derail the decision process, spike your stress, and basically make it impossible to land on a choice you trust in any kind of efficient or clear-headed way. And we look at the pattern interrupts you're going to start using to DETOX these behaviors out of your decision-making system. If you struggle with Spinning, Shaming or Snowball Thinking - this episode is for you!     LINKS! Decision Masters Podcast Ep #21: Expert Interview! How We "Type A" Women can Thrive in Our Marriages w/Coach Maggie Reyes Maggie Reyes' The Marriage Life Coach Podcast Ep #97 – Making Powerful Decisions in your Marriage with Kirsten Parker and Ep #38: Advanced Emotional Weightloss Get on the waitlist for the next Decision Masters Program now NEW! Join the Alignment and Accountability Club for month-to-month support focusing on a single goal or priority. What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!

If you've ever seen improvisational theatre that works, you've seen "yes, and" in action. It's the concept that helps scenes keep going (and growing) without anyone having a script or knowing what their fellow actors will do next. It ALSO happens to be an excellent decision-making tool. In today's episode, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the Decision Masters Course, as I walk you all the way through the "Yes, and" lesson all my clients get! You'll learn how to use this tool in your everyday life to better:  Bring conscious awareness to your thoughts and feelings Accept the reality in which you find yourself Positively adapt to it in a self-honoring way And we look at specific examples, using "Yes, and" to respond to thoughts, feelings and circumstances! Listen good. This'll change your life.     LINKS! Get on the waitlist for the next Decision Masters Program now NEW! Join the Alignment and Accountability Club for month-to-month support focusing on a single goal or priority. What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!

Episodes 101-103 broke down what self-compassion is (and isn't), and how it can change the direction and quality of your entire life. YES PLEASE! So...what does it look like in real life?  In this episode, I share specific, everyday examples from my own life and (a version of*) my clients' lives to demonstrate how self-compassion can show up in any choice you make. Including everyday decisions like: How to set up your day or put together a game plan What to do when you had a plan but a "fire" comes up  What to do next when you're totally spent What to do when you find yourself "totally spent" at the end of pretty much EVERY day How to respond when you realize you've made a silly mistake When you've made a more public mistake (or put yourself out there in some vulnerable way) How to approach your next career move (in a decision you're making today) How to deal with family or friends who have expectations of you   LINKS! NEW! Join the Alignment and Accountability Club for month-to-month support focusing on a single goal or priority. What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!

Did you know there are two kinds of self-compassion? It makes sense! Especially when you remember what the purpose of self-compassion is: to alleviate your own suffering. Sometimes, to lower that "suffering severity," what we need is a big ole' dose of self-acceptance...self-kindness...basically a friendly hug from ourselves. Other times, we need to take ACTION. In this week's episode, we break down: The 3 specific functions that Fierce Self-Compassion serves in your life How to spot fierce self-compassion as a force in your own decisions What impact it can have on your life when you know how to activate this force!   LINKS! NEW! Join the Alignment and Accountability Club for month-to-month support focusing on a single goal or priority. What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation! Here's Dr. Kristin Neff's resource-filled site on Self-Compassion

Let's get nitty 'n gritty, shall we?  What - exactly - does it look and sound like to "practice self-compassion"? To answer that, we first have to clarify what self-compassion even is: And you may be pleasantly surprised to hear the answer! Turns out, the primary function of self-compassion is to alleviate your own suffering. Not ignore it, or gloss over it, or GET over it, or fix it, or indulge it, or explain it. Alleviating your suffering means make it less severe. (Who wouldn't want that?) In today's episode, I introduce you to what Dr. Kristin Neff calls "Tender Self-Compassion" and we get into all the details about what it means to TALK and THINK self-compassionately: We explore common misconceptions & fears (like "This will make me lazy") The 3 Components of Self-Compassion How Tender (or "Inner") Self-Compassion functions in your life And what to do this week to bump up your self-compassion (no matter where you're starting from)   LINKS! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation! Here's Dr. Kristin Neff's resource-filled site on Self-Compassion

Let's talk about the TRUTH of self-compassion. Today's intro episode is essentially 2-in-1 (more bang for ya' buck!). In Part 1 [0:00-20:26], we: Define what self-compassion even is Dispel common myths about it And break down what the research has to say (particularly about its impact on your drive & success) In Part 2 [20:26-end]: I share personal stories that demonstrate the tangible impact that self-compassion can have on your experience, your relationship with yourself, and obviously, your decisions! One story's from Dr. Kristin Neff (who pioneered self-compassion research) I also give specific examples of how I used to talk to and think about myself (...woof), and what self-compassion in real life has looked like for me in the past few years Essentially, I share the results of two experiments I've run over the course of my life: What fulfilment, professional success and peace with myself look like without self-compassion vs with it — the results are in! The ultimate question of today's episode is: What role does self-compassion play in your life (and what role could it play)?  You might be disinclined to even try it...you might already have a strong self-compassion practice! Either way — this episode will help you look at what impact your self-compassion (or lack thereof) is impacting your decisions, and how you can decide to make a change if you want to! LINKS! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation! Here's Dr. Kristin Neff's resource-filled site on Self-Compassion

It's Episode #100!! And we're celebrating with a GIVEAWAY 🎉 If you love the podcast, just leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it, and post in your IG Stories (tag me! @kpcoaching) by 6pm PT Wed 5/1! You'll be entered to win one of the beautiful Decision Masters Daily Check-Set Journals or the Grand Prize of a two-week Private Coaching Program with me! Let's keep the celebration going with a necessary conversation about Self-Trust. This is one of the foundational elements of Conscious Decision-Making (a Decision Masters concept), and I'm going to help you build it in under 10 minutes! What I've found over years of creating, achieving and (let's be honest) surviving things that I never anticipated — and years of helping high-achieving, busy-brained clients do the same — is that self-trust is at the heart of all of our success. AND our enjoyment of it. Listen for: The breakdown of my definition of Self-Trust ("the awareness and cultivation of your resilience and resourcefulness," if you're curious) - and why it's important not to think it's just a "feeling" How to proactively tune into and cultivate self-trust  What difference this will make on your perspective on past decisions and how you prepare for and face future situations!   LINKS! ENTER THE 100th EPISODE GIVEAWAY! 4/25-5/1/24: Screenshot your 5-star rating and review of the Decision Masters Podcast on Apple Podcasts and post it to your IG Stories (tag me! @kpcoaching) by 6pm PT Wed 5/1. Enter to win a Decision Masters Daily Check-Set Journal and possibly a two-week Private Coaching Program with me! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!

"I don't want to make a selfish decision" is something I hear a lot. "Here's exactly what I mean by that..." is not! This is why it's so easy to default to decisions you don't really want to make. If you're afraid a choice might be selfish — but you don't have a clear definition of "selfish" — of course the safest option is to avoid that choice, and thereby avoid the possibility of being selfish! In this episode, I'm going to help you know what you're really afraid of, when this "selfish" concern comes up. We explore 5 common fears (from thoughts people might think about you to negative consequences, and more!) And we break down how to truly identify if a choice is selfish (according to your definition), or if it's actually self-honoring. Because you don't just deserve to make decisions you stand behind, that serve you — you deserve to not feel GUILTY about them! This will set the record straight.   Links! What's your DECISION STYLE? Take the Quiz! Need to say NO? Here's your 11-minute Crash Course on Saying NO Guilt-Free. Want to work together? Book your free consultation!