Episode 2 - Small Changes, Everything Changes

How many times have you started over?

Not started...

Restarted.

If you've ever promised yourself that this Monday will be different, only to find yourself giving up a few days later, this episode is for you.

What if the problem isn't your discipline?

What if the plans you've been following were simply too big for the life you're actually living?

In this episode of Unsolicited Permission, we're talking about why tiny, sustainable changes create lasting transformation—and why becoming healthier isn't about perfection. It's about rebuilding trust with yourself one small promise at a time.

If you've been waiting for the perfect time to begin...

This is your reminder that you don't need a new Monday.

You just need today.

👑 Free Mom Identity Quiz: https://momstrong-quiz.base44.app

👑 Join the FREE MomStrong Crown Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momstrongcrownclub

🌐 Website: getstarted.behealthybeyoufitness.com

If this episode encouraged you, don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and Share it with another mom who needs this reminder.

Remember...

You never needed anyone else's permission.

Only your own.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is Unsolicited Permission, the podcast for moms who are done waiting for permission to take care of themselves, because the only permission you've been waiting for is your own. I'm Emily. Every Tuesday I'll hand you one permission slip to become healthier, stronger, more confident, and to remember the woman you've always been. So take a deep breath, grab your coffee, and let's fix some crowds. Hey mama, welcome back. I'm really glad you're here. If this is your first episode, I'm so honored you found us. And if you came back after last week, thank you. Seriously, there are thousands of podcasts you could be listening to right now, and the fact that you chose to spend a little bit of your day with me, it means more than you know. Last week we talked about something deeply personal. We asked the question, who were you before mom became your entire identity? We talked about the woman underneath the responsibilities, underneath the laundry, the lunches, the endless to-do list, and underneath everyone else's expectations. Because here's what I hope you walked away knowing. She isn't gone. She's still there. She may be married beneath years of putting everyone else first, but she isn't gone. And if you missed that episode, don't worry. Today's conversation will still make perfect sense. But if you've ever looked in the mirror and wondered where you went, I think you'll want to go back. And today we're taking the next step because remembering who she is only the beginning. Now we have to learn how to become her again. So before we dive in, it's time for this week's permission slip. You have permission to start embarrassingly small. I know that probably wasn't the permission you expected. Maybe you were hoping I'd hand you the perfect workout or the magic meal plan or the secret that finally makes everything click. Instead, I'm telling you to go smaller, much smaller. Because what if the thing you've been overlooking is actually the thing that's been missing all along? Let me ask you something. How many times have you restarted? Not started, restarted. How many Mondays have you promised yourself this is it? How many fresh planners have you brought? How many workout programs have you started? How many times have you said, this time I'm really going to stick with it? Only to find yourself a few days later wondering, why can't I ever do this? If every fresh start you've ever made required a Monday, a meal plan, and a miracle, and somehow by Thursday had already fallen apart, then today's permission slip is for you. Because I want to tell you something that I wish someone had told me years ago. You don't have a discipline problem. What you have is a size problem. Every plan you've ever quit was simply too big for the life you're actually living. That's it. That's the whole diagnosis. Not laziness, not lack of motivation, not because you don't care enough. The plan, it didn't fit your life. And today, we're going to talk about why the smallest promise you can make to yourself might just become the biggest transformation you've ever experienced. Last week I told you something that completely changed the way I look at health. I told you that saving myself didn't happen all at once. It happened one small decision at a time. Today I want to show you what that actually looked like. Because here's the mistake so many of us make. We think small changes are about habits. They're not. They're about identity. Think about it. A 10-minute walk doesn't change your life because of the calories you burned. A glass of water doesn't magically transform your health overnight. Five quiet minutes with a devotional doesn't instantly erase your stress. So why do those tiny things matter so much? Because every time you keep one small promise to yourself, you collect proof. Proof that you're still in there. Proof that you're worth showing up for. Trust. Because confidence isn't built by accomplishing one huge thing. Confidence is built by keeping tiny promises over and over and over again. That's why small changes don't just change your habits. They reintroduce you to you. Let me tell you what that looked like for me. Because if you followed my journey for any amount of time, you'd know I've lost weight, I've gained it back, I've lost it again. I don't tell that story because I'm proud of the roller coaster. I tell it because it's real. And because I know so many moms think they're the only ones who keep starting over. You're not. I was right there with you. The thing that finally stuck wasn't a workout. It wasn't counting calories. It wasn't drinking a gallon of water. It wasn't meal prep. It wasn't some magical morning routine I found on Instagram. It was one quiet hour. I started waking up at five o'clock in the morning. Now, before you laugh or immediately decide this isn't for you, stay with me. Because this isn't about the time on the clock. It's about what the hour gave me. You know what happens the moments our kids wake up. The day belongs to everyone else. Shoes, breakfast, mom, where's my backpack? Mom, I can't find my water bottle. One child to the bus, the other to preschool, work, school pickup, homework, dinner, activities, activities, activities, laundry, lunches, baths, bedtime, brush your teeth. And just when you finally sit down, you remember the clothes are still in the washing machine, or someone needs cupcakes tomorrow, or you forgot to sign the permission slip sitting at the bottom of the backpack. It's beautiful. It's exhausting. And it's the season we're living. For me, those 60 quiet minutes became something I'd been missing for years. Not another thing on my to-do list. A gift. It was time with God, time to read, time to learn, time to work on becoming the woman I wanted to be, not just the mom I needed to be. Lately, that has meant learning about budgeting, financial literacy, and building a future for my family. Some mornings it was simply sitting in silence with a hot cup of coffee before anyone needed me. And honestly, that hour reminded me that Emily still exists. Something unexpected happened. Once I set up protecting that hour, I wanted to take care of myself in other ways too. Not because I felt guilty, not because I hated my body. Not because someone told me I should. Because I remembered I mattered. Working out became easier, drinking water became more easier, eating foods that made me feel good became easier. Not because I suddenly had more discipline, because I had something I hadn't had in a long time. Me. That's the part nobody shows you in a before and after picture. The first transformation isn't your body, it's your relationship with yourself. You become someone who keeps her word to herself and a woman who trusts herself. Doesn't need another Monday. She simply starts again today. But grace is what keeps you moving for a lifetime. And maybe that's permission you've really needed all along. Not permission to be perfect, permission to begin exactly where you are, with exactly what you have today. Because small isn't weak, small is sustainable, and sustainable changes everything. So where do you begin? Not tomorrow, not Monday, today. I want to leave you with three simple rules. Not because life needs more rules, because sometimes we just need someone to make the first step feel clear. So rule number one: choose something so small your worst day can't steal it. Not your best day, not the day the laundry is caught up, the kids are getting along, dinner is already in the crock pot, and somehow everyone made it out the door on time. No, think about your hardest day. The day someone wakes up sick, the dog throws up on the carpet, the school calls, the car won't start, dinner ends up being serial that day. If your promise can't survive that day, it's still too big. That probably feels wrong. Part of you is thinking, that's too easy. Or perhaps that doesn't count. Or maybe even, how is five minutes supposed to change my life? Because we've been taught that change has to hurt before it counts. That if it isn't hard, it isn't working. But what if we've had it backwards all along? Easy isn't cheating. Easy is repeatable, and repeatable is what changes your life. Rule number two: don't create more time. Borrow time. You're already busy. You don't need another hour in your calendar. You need to attach one small promise to something you're already doing. Drink a glass of water while your coffee is brewing. Read one page before you scroll your phone. Walk for 10 minutes while your kids ride their bikes. Say one prayer before your feet hit the floor in the morning. Your life already has rhythms. Let those rhythms work for you, because rhythm will always beat willpower every single time. Number three. Just one, not five, not a color-coded morning routine you found on Pinterest, not a complete life makeover. One promise. One promise kept every day. Because the goal was never the habit. The goal is becoming a woman who trusts herself again. Every time you keep one promise, you cast one vote for the your for the woman you're becoming. Not in one giant leap, but one faithful step at a time. You know, there's something I wish every mom understood. You don't have to earn rest. You don't have to earn care. You don't have to earn the right to matter. Those things aren't rewards for finishing your to-do list. They're part of being human. And somewhere along the way, so many of us started believing we had to empty ourselves before we were allowed to fill ourselves back up. But that's not how here's your permission self challenge for this week. Pick one promise. Just one. Make it so small your worst day can't steal it. And then keep that promise every day this week. That's it. No perfection, no starting over if you miss one day, no guilt. Just come back tomorrow because that's what women who trust themselves do. They do what your one promise is. Come join us inside the Mom Strong Crown Club on Facebook. It's completely free. It's full of moms who are learning to choose progress over perfection, grace over guilt, and consistency over excuses. Share your one promise with us, and every day you keep it, drop a crown in the comments. Not because you were perfect, because queens keep promises to themselves, and I promise you will be selling every single crown right alongside you. Alright, Mama, that's episode two. If no one told you this today, let me be the one. I'm proud of you. Not for everything you've accomplished, not for everything you still have left to do. I'm proud of you for showing up, for listening, for believing, even just a little, that maybe you deserve this too. This episode encouraged you. Would you do me a favor? Share it with Mon Mom who's stuck in the restart cycle. Because chances are she doesn't need another diet. She needs permission. And if you're enjoying the show, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode. If you're wondering where to begin on your own journey, I've linked my mom identity quiz in the show notes. It's it only takes a few minutes, and it'll help you discover which area of your life needs the most care right now. Next Tuesday, we're talking about something that has been on my heart for a long time. Your daughter is watching. Not just what you say about yourself, but what you believe in yourself. It's a conversation every mom needs to hear, and I can't wait to share it with you. Remember, you never needed anyone else's permission. Only young. Go become the woman you've been missing. Because your kids aren't watching perfection. They are watching courage. Until next Tuesday, keep fixing your crown. I'll see you then.