Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone.

Erica: Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum. We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder.

Erica: It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com. Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. Happy New Year.

Erica: It is 2024, and I could not be more excited for this year. It is going to be such an amazing and awesome year for all of us, and I cannot wait for just all of the amazing things that I know are going to happen. Now, what I wanna do in this episode is share with you all of the things that worked and all of the things that did not work for me in 2023. Now full transparency, I was going to do the 23 things I learned in 2023, but I heard Jenna Kutcher's podcast episode called What Worked and What Sucked. And I thought that is brilliant.

Erica: So today, I'm here to share with you all of the great things that flipped and all of the things that flopped and what I've got coming just around the corner in 2024. I'm also going to share all of the tips, the tricks, and the strategies that I learned along the way, both on what I got right and on what I got totally wrong. So let's go ahead and dive in to this year's review. So I started this episode by flipping back through my 2023 planner, which I love and really is my source of truth for all of my dreams and hopes that I had for 2023.

Erica: And if I was consistent with the habits that I needed to be consistent with to achieve those hopes and dreams. So let me tell you, we're first gonna dive in with what those goals were and what actually happened with those goals. So my biggest goal was to write a book, and y'all, I did it. I actually wrote an entire novel. Now this time last year, I had that spark, that spark of an idea to write a book based on my experiences of climbing the corporate ladder and shattering the proverbial glass ceiling.

Erica: And I wanted to combine it with the stories from all of the amazing and wildly successful women that have guest starred on this podcast. And I wanted each chapter to be about a different sticky floor, confidence, the fear of what other people will think of you, toxic relationships. You know these. But I also wanted my book to be rooted and based in research and science. So I broke down that spark of a dream into chapters, and I actually started writing.

Erica: Now what worked is I did stay super focused. I set deadlines for each chapter. And not only did I stick to those deadlines, but I blew right through them, and I got it done. Now what I did not account for was writer's block. Yep.

Erica: It is a real thing. Now on the days where the creativity just hit, the words flowed out onto the paper, y'all. It felt easy. But on the days when I was feeling a little less than creative, nothing. I would literally stare at a blank sheet of paper, or I guess a word document with the cursor just flashing at me.

Erica: And if I got any writing out on those days, it was my worst writing and I would have to completely redo it. So what I quickly learned is that while setting deadlines for myself, as it related to this creative process, it wasn't something that worked for me. Now, while it may work for other writers, it did not work for me. And my goal originally was to write one chapter a month, which included the research, the brainstorming, the writing, the editing, but I ended up blowing that out of the water by really capitalizing on the moments when the creativity hit just right. So if you're looking to write a book or really just create, here are some of my tips.

Erica: Number one, set the goals. Yes, while I didn't necessarily stick to my timelines, the end goal was to write a book, and I did that. Check, done. But what I learned is that you must set the goal, and then you must be flexible in how you achieve that goal.

Erica: While I had a road map and everything mapped out for me, it was something I'd never done before. So I was kind of learning along the way. But being flexible in how I achieved that goal and modifying how I got there is key to achieving a goal and also enjoying the journey. The second tip I have for you is get community. Whether your goal is to write a book, run a marathon, whatever it is, community is going to help you get there.

Erica: So for example, when you're writing a book, you've got three routes, self publishing, hybrid publishing, or traditional publishing. Number one, I don't know how to publish. I don't have the knowledge nor do I have the time to figure that out. So self publishing was never gonna be an option for me. The traditional publishing route, that was gonna take way too long because I am no Brene Brown.

Erica: I am no Mel Robbins yet, yet, but I knew I wanted to write a book. And if I were to go the traditional route, I would have to submit a book proposal, which by the way, I didn't know anything about book proposals or that that was even a thing, and you have to have it accepted. And while that is something I may do in the future, I knew nothing about it. And it just wasn't gonna be for me this go around. So I chose the third option, which is hybrid publishing, which basically means that you pay a fee to a publisher to walk you through and basically project manage your book.

Erica: They walk you through all the steps, get you an editor, book design, all the things that you need for a successful book launch. And I went this route mainly because of community. I knew that I was not an expert in writing books. And I knew that when I went with a hybrid publisher, I would be surrounding myself with a community of people who were truly understanding what I was trying to do and had done it before. So they would be able to help me along the way.

Erica: So that second tip is all about finding the community to help you along the way. Find the people who've done it. Find the people who know what they're doing and let them guide you. Now, another goal that I have for myself that I wrote down was to stretch myself in ways I never thought possible. And that was through writing my book, through delivering keynotes and through executive coaching clients.

Erica: And looking back on this goal, it's a very loose goal and very subjective, but I do feel like I accomplished this in 2023. It was certainly a successful year for me as it related to delivering keynotes and working with clients and absolutely my book, but it's also a goal that will be a forever ongoing goal for me. It's a 2024 goal. It will be a 2025 goal. I want more clients and I want more keynotes, and I want to continue to stretch myself in ways I never thought possible.

Erica: Now I encourage you to also have this big, hairy, audacious, and ongoing goal that is kind of open ended. Think about why you're motivated to achieve this goal and what you need to do to achieve it. Do you need time? Do you need money, physical space, or maybe help or advice from others? Shoot, I needed all of that.

Erica: But if you have one of those big ongoing goals, I want you to grab a pen and paper, and I want you to write this out. Okay? Got it? Good. At the top of the page, I want you to write the words, what I want, in all capital letters, what I want, and then write out your big, hairy, and open ended audacious goal.

Erica: Then I want you to write out why you are motivated to achieve that goal. Literally, you can just start the sentence with, I am motivated to achieve this goal because, is it because you want more freedom? Is it a dream that you've always had? What is the underlying cause for wanting this goal? For me, I wrote down that I wanted to achieve my goal of stretching myself because I know how I feel when I'm doing the work that inspires me.

Erica: So my root cause, my why, was the inspiration that I felt, the personal fulfillment that I was getting, and I want more of that. I want more of that because that is me living in my purpose. Next, I want you to write this out, what I can do. And then I want you to write out what you need. If it's time, right, I need thirty minutes each day to do x.

Erica: If it's money, I will save x amount of dollars each week to put aside for this dream. If it's physical space, write out how you can make that happen. You get the drift. Think about all of the things that you will need from a resource standpoint. And then next, answer this question.

Erica: What does success look like for this goal at the end of the year? The more detailed you can be, the better. What did not work for me was that I was very loose on what success looked like. Now in 2024, I will be much more detailed as I go into my goal action planning, because all I wrote was success was going all in on myself. What does that even mean?

Erica: Y'all, seriously. So be as detailed as possible. Visualize what this looks like, what this feels like, and write it all down. And then answer the question, what might happen if I do not make progress on this goal? So for me in writing the book, it was disappointment in myself.

Erica: It was the fact that nothing would change if I did nothing, and I want change. So think about what will happen if you do nothing towards this goal. And keep in mind, to help you stay focused and help you show up at the end of the day, what that is, because it will keep you motivated. And lastly, I want you to ask yourself and write it down, how will you have fun with this goal along the way?

Erica: Life is all about celebration. And, yes, you will be working towards that goal. Work is not always enjoyable. But how can you make it fun? Will you reward yourself when you hit certain milestones, maybe with a massage or a facial or a dinner with a friend, whatever that is for you?

Erica: How will you make it fun? And I want you to do this for every big or small goal that you have, because it is a recipe for success. Seriously, write it all down, because science does show that when you write things down with pen and paper, not on a computer, pen and paper, you are more likely to stay focused on the dream than if you do not. So go out there today, buy yourself a notebook, just for twenty dollars if you need to, and start writing it down. Now what else worked for me was consistency and habit tracking.

Erica: There is something about checking off a box and seeing the daily progress on paper that helped keep me focused. I had a few different planners, one for social media, one for other daily habits like fitness and meal planning, but here's what I learned so far. Number one, consistency is key, and motivation creates more motivation. Now what do I mean by that? It's like a snowball that grows bigger and bigger and bigger as it rolls down a hill.

Erica: It is small and slow at first, but as it rolls, it grows and it takes up speed. And y'all, since we are coming off Christmas, think about that big snowball in the movie The Grinch, the original cartoon Grinch, where it is rolling down the hill and gaining speed. The more you do something, the easier it gets. Now when I was in the flow, I was in the flow, y'all. I had a consistent morning routine, and I was killing the game when it came to checking all my boxes.

Erica: But I don't want you to think that this was all easy for me. What did not work for me was keeping this day planner up in my office, because it was so easy to just close it up and bury it under papers. And when things hit the fan, I would just shut it away for weeks at a time. Seriously, there were weeks at a time where I didn't check one box, even if I was doing it or not. Now, sure, I was somewhat going after my goals, but I went through those periods where consistency went straight out the window, and that snowball was more like reversing course and going up the hill in the wrong direction.

Erica: So what I learned about myself in this moment was that I can easily justify ignoring my goals and the daily things that I need to do to achieve them if I want to. And this goes to my sticky floor of perfection, that when I would fall off track, I was really letting myself fall way off track and not bouncing back as quickly as I would like. So in 2024, I'm gonna make my plan more visible in my life. I'm gonna talk about it with my kids, and I'm gonna show them my daily goals and make it a bigger part of my life and include more people in it. And my hope here is that it also will teach my kids that while we may fall off, and that's okay, we may not check every box, we can pick back up any moment we choose.

Erica: What also did not work this year was rhythm and time. And I am seeing that more than ever from December 2023. And I'm gonna lump these two together for a reason, but I'm gonna break them down first. Now when I say I did not have a rhythm, I mean, I was at moments flying by the seat of my pants when it came to a schedule for my business. Some months, I would be super ahead on content and planning.

Erica: And then other months, I would have that oh, shoot moment where I would realize literally two days before that I did not have a podcast or a blog uploaded and ready to go. And this would lead to panic and anxiety, and I would scramble to get it all done in time. And y'all, that's not fun. That is not fun. But this ties together with time.

Erica: Because even though I feel like I did get it all done, I did not get it all done with ease, at least the ease that I would like to have in my business. And that was because I did not schedule my life accordingly. So 2024 is going to be the year that I set more clear and defined boundaries for myself when it comes to scheduling things for my business and in my life. And giving myself the gift of time by blocking my calendar and really establishing that rhythm, that flow. I feel like if I can do that, then my life will flow and things will come with ease.

Erica: Now I don't know, it's a 2024 goal, and it's one of those big, hairy, loose, audacious goals. So I will take any tips and tricks that you might have. I just know that what I did in 2023 did not allow me to live in the alignment that I wanted to. So this is gonna be an area of focus as we move into 2024.

Erica: So now let's talk about what is next. Y'all, a lot of things. My book is coming out this quarter, 2024, which I am beyond thrilled and nervous and excited and scared about. And I cannot wait though to have this in my hands. It is just something I never thought I would do.

Erica: So I am thrilled about this, but also more stages and bigger stages. 2024 is the year I'm gonna go all in on my communities and share my message wherever and whenever I can. Because y'all, this is the reason I do what I do, because I know what it feels like to be the only person in a room full of men. I know what it feels like to be the only sober person in a room full of drinkers. I know what it's like to have big dreams and feel like there's no way you can achieve them.

Erica: I know the struggle and I know the shame of keeping your sticky floors hidden inside you and not asking for help. And that's why I do what I do, really, because I want to help other women break free from these sticky floors. Y'all, we can be our own worst enemy. It's true. But we don't have to be.

Erica: And my hope is that by sharing my message of just this average mom who has big dreams, that other women will start to believe that they have the power to achieve those big dreams and that they can have it all without sacrificing their sanity or burning out. It doesn't have to be that way. And I will also have a digital course coming out, y'all. Yes. I am working behind the scenes to bring you the course that I wish I had before I busted the glass ceiling.

Erica: It's gonna be super comprehensive, and it includes both the mindset work necessary and the actual skills needed to climb the ladder and shatter the ceiling. It's gonna go hand in hand with my book, so stay tuned for this one, but I am super excited to share it with you. For those who sign up early, there is going to be a pretty sweet discount. So make sure that you stay tuned. If you're not signed up for the email list, make sure that you head over there and get signed up so that you don't miss out.

Erica: And if you listened to the episode on my word of the year, it's community. And I'm gonna go all in on my communities this year. I'm going to pour myself into them. And that is my big, big goal. I wanna cultivate stronger relationships in all of the communities that I'm in.

Erica: And I wanna show up for more people in those communities because I admire them and I respect them. And you know what? You are a part of my community. So please reach out, hit me up on LinkedIn, Instagram, wherever you are. Really.

Erica: I wanna hear more from you, and I wanna connect more with you. And that's a wrap, y'all. Happy New Year. This truly is the ultimate new year, the ultimate fresh start, because it's a new month, a new year, and a new week all on the same day. So let's take 2024 by storm.

Erica: And I encourage you to start today. Start it off with a reflection of the past year. What worked for you, what didn't, and map out what's next. And remember, I am with you every step of the way, and I am always going to encourage you to stop putting a ceiling on what is possible and start breaking through it. Thank you so much for being here today.

Erica: Thank you for listening. Thank you for being a part of my community. I am so grateful for y'all, and I will talk to you next time.

Erica: Happy New Year.