E52: New Year, TRUE You: The Real Secret to Lasting Change
Wanna kick off 2025 feeling vibrant, calm, and grounded? The Anxiety & Stress Reset is your invitation to prioritize yourself—without the overwhelm. Grab your spot here: https://www.megan-nolan.com/resetjan
Tired of the pressure to overhaul your entire life every January 1st? In this episode, we’re ditching the overplayed “New Year, New Me” narrative and exploring a more sustainable, empowering approach to personal growth.
Discover how to reconnect with your essence—the unchanging, true you—and create meaningful, lasting change from a place of alignment.
We’ll unpack:
- Why resolutions often fail and what you can do instead.
- The secret to transformation that sticks
- Getting your nervous system on body
- 3 guiding forces in your life to consult
Whether you’re ready to stress less, feel better, or fully cutlivate the life you’re meant to live, this episode will give you tools and inspiration to make 2025 your most grounded, aligned year yet.
Perfect for anyone who wants to stress less, cultivate clarity, and live in alignment with their true essence.
#TrueSelfTransformation #AlignedLiving2025 #LastingChangeTips #MindBodyAlignment #StressLessThriveMore
Please find the show notes below. Since it is a transcription there may be spelling errors and/or weird grammar. Ignore that and enjoy!
Well, hello and welcome back.
So are you with me on this?
I'm done with the New Year, New You storyline narrative.
I think it's time for a refresh.
I think it's time for an update that actually is really supportive and encouraging and a lot more accurate.
How about this?
Hear me out.
New Year.
True you.
When you get back to the essence of you and who you are and how you want to feel and totally integrate all of the beautiful pieces of your life and all the self-care tools and all the things so that you are really anchored in that essence, in that truth of who you are and showing up from that place and making your decisions and taking your actions from that true you.
Are you on board?
That is what this week's episode is all about, but before we get into it.
I will let you know that this week's episode is being sponsored by the Anxiety and Stress Reset.
We are kicking it off live in 2025.
The first live session for the new year is starting on January 13th.
So what's it all about?
Well, power pauses, or the tools that you're going to learn in there, are described by some of the incredible people in the community as little magical moments of reset.
When they feel like everything is just kind of blowing up all around them and it literally is the thread that holds everything together, that's what you're gonna get inside the reset.
I'm not gonna say more.
The link for you to check it out is in the description of this show, and it's really all about that, giving you the tools to drop into the present moment, using the signals that your body is giving you.
Like, I don't know, that spinning feeling in your stomach or that tightness or that resistance or whatever it is.
As an opportunity to pause, to give yourself what you need to cultivate that sense of groundedness and presence and clarity and regulation and peace and calm.
And so that you can move from there.
Really coming back to that truth.
There it is, because that's the true you.
And using these power pause tools to be able to weave that throughout your day so that you can stay in that place of that true essence and that true self as you do the things.
So that's what the reset is all about.
So join us for that.
So back to New Year.
True you.
I don't know if you know this about me is that I for a long time, I mean for 20 years almost have been a personal trainer and I've worked in several gyms.
And so I would really see that, you know, new year, new you phenomenon first hand.
Like first couple weeks of January, it was full explosion.
Like there was no machines available.
It was packed.
My classes would be packed.
Everyone's like, yeah, I'm feeling the bad.
And then January 19th ish, it's back to just the regulars, back to the people in class that are always showing up to class.
And why is that?
Well, when we start the year with these massive resolutions and we just have these ideas of, OK, this is how it's going to go for me and having that story of, OK, I need to change this, that and the other thing that can lead to.
A lot of things.
And we're going to unpack that a little bit more.
But first of all, it's that pressurized situation of everything needs to change right now and the complete overhaul of the system and the lifestyle.
And let's be real, that's not realistic for most of us, right?
Small steps lead to big changes when it comes to integrating changes in your life or implementing changes in your life.
And So what tends to happen is when we have this big, like, I'm going to change it all over the place, is that.
There's a there's a difference between having a belief that we're going to do something and truly changing at the level of the being that's doing the thing.
So the difference between I'm going to work out every day and I'm a person who cares so much about how I feel in my health that I am going to make time to move my body every day.
There's a very stark difference in the energy of those, right?
It's that thatThat statement and then not making the shift at the deeper level of the belief that supports it and the identity transformation that's necessary.
And so you might be thinking, OK, well, how do we even do that?
I mean, that seems like a big jump is that there's a difference between having a goal and having the belief that supports it and having the strategy and the systems and the tools and the support in place to really make that a transformation that actually sticks for you.
Because a lot of times what happens is we we set these these goals for ourselves and we don't really look at who we get to become to really make them part of who we are and how we spend our days.
And so that's where when it's like, OK, well, you know, new year, new me, I'm what am I gonna do that's different this year?
Well, instead of that, take a step back and look at what you're doing that's working, that you've already made a habit that you can do more of.
Right.
And so maybe you know you're hopefully you're drinking water and looking at that as an easy example and how can we increase on that, right.
What what are we doing to eat well that that you can then improve on so that we're not trying to remove all sorts of things.
Instead we're looking at what you're doing already and how we can lean into that a little bit more and really look at it from the perspective of sustainability, right.
Because if if you're you're only going.
And I shouldn't say that.
If you are going to work, if we're going to work out or do yoga once a week, right, you're only going once a week.
That's OK.
It's great.
It's perfect.
That's your starting point.
Is it realistic for you to say I'm gonna go do this every day now?
Is that something that's realistic to you?
We wanna make sure that you know why you're doing that and the belief behind it that will support you actually doing that thing, whatever it is, right.
So you know, that's where.
People tend to get a little bit tripped up.
It is this sort of like all or nothing mentality of, all right, it's the new year, I need to do this for myself.
Well, the other thing is, is that, you know, seasonally as as beings here on this incredible planet, depending on the the hemisphere that you live in, many of us here in the northern hemisphere, it's a wintering time.
This isn't really a time of new beginnings per se, from a cycles of nature perspective.
It's the middle of a season, right?
And so, you know, for us it's the middle of winter.
And so there's that internal awareness, that slowing down this rest and recuperation and recovery that's actually the qualities of winter.
Whereas those of you that are in the southern hemisphere, it's different, right?
And summer is a more active and outgoing and energized, but it's also hot.
Right.
And so it's not a pushing ourselves to do a lot of things.
It's how can we make our way through that time in a way that's sustainable.
So either way, you know, this arbitrary day of New Year's Day and changing everything over, do you want to make that a really pivotal point in your life?
That's the question for you, right?
Like, is that important to you that it happens on this day just because other people do it on that day?
Does that suit and serve you?
Maybe, you know, for me it's my birthday, so it feels like, OK, you know, this is a fresh start, it's a new year, it's a literal new year for me as well.
So for me it makes sense.
But I've also recognized that based on the seasons of nature and the seasons of my industry, right?
You know, because this is a time when other people are really interested in stuff like this, there's a lot going for me, going on for me in my work.
So I don't need to, you know, have this be a time where I feel obligated to do a lot of changes for myself.
So is it a good time for you, right, in the cycles of your work and your business, does it make sense right now?
OK, that's another question that you can ask.
And is that that's coming back to that, this new proclamation that we are hopefully you're behind as part of this movement is the new year true you.
Let's get back to the truth of you, who you are.
Does this truly serve you to do this right now, right?
Does this?
Is this a time of reflection and introspection like is winter that will then lend to you preparing to do that in spring when energy naturally starts to climb, right.
So that's when there is that natural kind of uncovering and expression expression.
That's a word I'm having trouble with that, you know, think of the little seed pod that was planted and is now starting to kind of germinate and come up to the surface and and start to pop towards the sun in the spring.
So when you think about that, what is, what is the time of year for you that's really supportive to do this sort of shifting of belief work and identity work and patterns and habits and and ways of doing things.
And what I wanted to suggest is that, you know, coming back to the truth of what really feels good to you, what are you doing that really lights you up and feels good and you want to do more of?
Yes, there is room for.
I'm recognizing that this pattern or this story that I'm telling myself is not necessarily feeling very good and I don't want to continue this.
Then that is an area to look at.
OK, I want to shift that out of my life, but what can you do instead that would be more supportive and truthful and aligned rather than just looking at like, I'm never going to do this again.
I am never going to be critical to myself again and just focus on that.
Well, you know that what you focus on grows.
So what can you be intentional and make that decision and commitment to doing instead, right.
So we want to flip it.
So that's one thing.
And so the thing when we when we ponder those, when you're looking for this information, when you're gathering these intentions and commitments and decisions for yourself, whatever time, right, it might be early January, it might be April or whenever.
There's three guiding forces to.
Consider and consult.
And those are really so powerful and available to you all the time, but we often forget about them.
So when you come back to that true you, that timeless, unchanging essence that is you, that you that's really been with you through every chapter of your life, those are the guiding forces.
And So what you can really tap into is that that younger version of you, what did she, he, they really dream about?
What brought them joy, right?
And and what is that playful essence that you want to cultivate?
Because that still exists within you, right?
That's that that childlike vibrancy.
So the younger you as well as the wise version of you, the wise woman, the wise version of the being within, right?
Depending on, you know, however you identify and we are all welcome here.
So that that wisdom within, if you will, and that soul, that spirit, that essence, right?
And and what does that version of you know to be true?
And really what feels like something that would be maybe some advice and guidance that they would give you.
And that's really communicating with your higher self, your soul, the future self, you know, your soul self, however you want to describe that, that's that wisdom within.
And then the other thing to consult about the truth of who you are, that really is very similar and parallel to that wisdom within is the vibrant vision that's pulling you forward of what do you see for your life?
What do you want to have become your reality?
What feels like a purpose or an action that you are here to do uniquely?
And maybe that's clear to you.
Maybe that's coming, becoming more clear.
So we want to look at that, right?
What is that most aligned, expansive, expressive self look like as far as your day, the way you feel, the way you walk into the room, the way you show up, your magnetism?
Like, what does that version of you that's living in that vision?
What do they want from you?
What do they want for you, right?
What are they calling forward from you that you can begin to commit to and have as your intentions?
Because that's where it becomes really exciting, right?
And I apologize, I don't know who to credit for this.
Well, Michael Beckwith said it to us.
I don't know if it was him, but we're either pushed forward by the pain of the past or we're pulled forward by the vision of the future.
And I don't know about you, but I'm gonna tell you here straight up is that for a long time I was pushed forward by the pain of the past.
Of a struggle story that I had very much identified with that I just wanted to get out of.
I just didn't want it to be like this anymore.
I wanted to be different.
I was so frustrated by that.
And what happens is that because I was so fixated on the problems and the struggles and the shortcomings, I was giving my energy that and I was recreating that day after day and.
I had not really stepped back to recognize that I was just pouring my energy into that and therefore recreating that, right?
Because we co-create our future from the present moment.
And in those present moments, that's what I was focused on.
And so that's what I was continuing to get evidence of in my reality, right?
And yeah, it happens.
It happens.
And so I can look back with this perspective.
of, well isn't that interesting?
Yeah, and that happened for a long time.
And not allow that that critical channel, those voices, those judgy jerk in my head that is just, you know, wants to make it bad and oh my God, you wasted so much time.
Those, really those lies of limitation that the mind gives us, right?
And it's just feeding the dialogue of the characters in our head that are just wanting to make us feel bad and and overwork and all the things.
And those are protective patterns, right?
And so we we it's all an awareness.
It's just coming at it from that place of OK, I that happened.
But now that I know better, I can do better.
And so once I started to create this really vibrant vision for myself and for what I wanted my life to feel and to be like and what I.
How I wanted to spend my days and what I wanted to do in the world to share my gifts and and connect with other people and lead a global movement of change.
You know, stuff like that.
That to me became so compelling and inspiring that I began to use that as my guiding light and my North Star and that is what pulled me forward.
Right.
And that's what kept me going.
And there are days for sure.
There's days, there's minutes, there's times when, you know, I've talked about it a couple episodes ago where I had a bit of a meltdown and just kind of needed to fall apart a little bit to come back together because that's life, right?
We're not going to be all like super high vibing, alignment all the time.
No, we need the contrast.
And So what was happening is that once I could calibrate.
To the that vibrant vibe of my vision and know what that felt like to me, because that's the ultimate goal, right?
And that's a huge part of your intentions is, is how do you want to feel every day?
How do you want to show up?
How do you want to walk into a room?
And what we're doing by knowing that and having that as your North Star is then you can begin to decide on what you're going to do each day.
To really calibrate to that sensation, to tune yourself to that frequency, if you will, right?
Like think of it as a radio station and you are changing the dial on the car dial and you're changing the channel till you get to.
Whatever 104.1 and that 104.1 is that that joyfulness, the playfulness, the creativity.
Whereas if we're we're off that and we're in the struggle stories and we're listening to the lies of limitation from the mind, we're like we're not tuned to 104.1, we're tuned to something different.
And that's the signal that we are calibrated to.
And what I speak to is yes, from an energetic frequency, you know on the emotional frequency scale, which is verifiable done by.
Doctor Hawkins, who did some incredible work, but that's energetically and and scientifically proven.
But what we're also speaking to, what's happening is that that that tuning, that frequency is actually happening in your nervous system, right?
And So what we're doing here is beginning to calibrate yourself, create that sense of awareness in your body of how you're feeling in each given moment by becoming present.
Right.
And what we're doing there is using the signals of your body, which is how your body and your nervous system communicates with you, to understand and feel where you're at in any given moment, right.
And most of us spend a lot of time up here in our head taking action, moving forward, and we're ignoring or bypassing or just, you know, not giving our attention to the way that we feel.
And for many of us, you know, who deal with anxiety and stress.
We tend to have some patterns, protective patterns that will allow us to ignore it pretty well, right?
And for me, having high functioning anxiety, my pattern was to overwork myself constantly, to push harder, longer, faster, more.
That was just what I did and how I did it.
And I would ignore that feeling of anxiety by focusing on that and pressurize myself.
But I could feel in my body a tightening and resisting it and then like, you know, I wish you could see me if you can't, but that like.
Gargoyles sort of gripping and tightening.
I could feel internally and that was my body's way of saying hi, hello, alert, alert, we have a problem.
But I I bypassed it and I just kept going until I would crash.
And so I was going from a fight or flight state in my nervous system, a stress state in my nervous system to a shutdown, right?
I was in freeze mode.
And then I would just spiral into doubt and confusion and sadness.
And so it was just like 1 extreme or the other.
And that's not how I want to live.
And I I recognize that and I learned that and I looked at that with compassionate curiosity.
And So what we're what I'm saying is when you notice these sensations of stress and anxiety and tension and worry and what have you in your body, these emotional experiences, these feelings in your body, that's a sign.
It's a sign that you get to pay attention to right and you get to pause.
That's what our one of our mantras in the power pause movement is feel the feels, take a power pause.
And that's it's so important to be in this conversation with yourself ultimately.
And you know we have conversations with people all day long, but do you actually have a conversation with yourself and.
Your body speaks in the language of emotions and sensations, and so it will start to speak quietly, right?
It will start to, you know, start with these sensations and it'll start as a whisper and it will continue to progress and it will get louder and louder and louder until we pay attention, right?
And what our goal is to learn to pay attention closely enough that we can hear the whispers.
Of need, of desire, of that younger you that's guiding you, that wisdom within that's inspiring you, the vibe of the vision that's nurturing and pulling you forward so that we don't have to hear the screams of I need help now and having a panic attack or totally shutting down or you know, we know, you know what it means to get to that point when you're like, wow, I really, it went really far and you know, you got exhausted, you got burnt out, whatever it was, you got sick, like.
It's just an awareness.
And I just bring all this to the table because I've definitely lived that myself, right?
And so it's so important that we get to talk about how we are showing up for ourselves and who we are being when we do this and how can we approach this from a a place of decision and commitment and integration, right?
Because you have the tools already, you have the tools, you know what to do.
It's that that making that commitment to yourself.
And figuring out a way to integrate it in a way that works for you, that's not overwhelming, that actually supports you, that's actually really fun.
Dare I say it, you know, we we we want this to be fun.
Life should be fun.
Like how can we have more play in our day?
And you know, we don't have to be so bloody serious all the time because boring.
I know that I'm not here for that and I doubt that you are either.
And so when we feel those feels.
How can you take power pause?
Well, first of all, you can join us for the anxiety and stress reset because that's what it's all about.
You learn five different ways to take two-minute power pauses that literally are so incredible and so effective.
Immediate shifts that you can do most of them anywhere, anytime, some of them in the presence of others, and they will never even know you're doing it.
Oh my God, they're so cool.
So make sure to grab your spot for that.
So when we pause, check in.
Bring your focus within yourself.
Notice that you need a little minute, right?
You need a little minute.
What do we need, right?
What do you need?
Where are you coming from in that moment?
Have you only drank oat milk lattes and had three almonds and it's 5:00?
Do you need to get up and move your body?
Because PS, you're not a rock and sitting in a chair all day doesn't feel great.
Do you need to go outside, right?
Like you're basically a houseplant with more complicated motions.
Maybe you need some sunlight, you know, maybe maybe you need a hug.
Like, what is it?
What is it?
And that that level of awareness and self-compassion is what we're here for.
And to be true to you, speaking of coming to the truth of who you are and the truth of what I do, the truth of what I do is really that.
Is really coming to this deeper level of self-awareness and self-compassion.
And through these tools, right, learning to give ourself what we need and to truly anchor into that essence that is you to truly embody it at the deepest level so that it is fully expressed within you from a place of authenticity.
And sometimes you show up in neatly from that place.
But what we do is is create these pauses so that you can drop into that, create these reminders in your life and in your day so that you are connected to that.
That's really the work that I do when it boils down to it.
So I have some questions for you before the new year, or whenever you happen to be listening to this.
I'd love for you to ask yourself these questions.
What am I ready for more of in 2025?
What am I ready for more of in 2025?
How do I want to feel every day?
OK, what sustainable actions that I do and love?
Will help me feel that way.
So things that you know and you you love already that you do, that will really lend to you feeling that way that you can begin to really lean into.
There's of course room for you to add in new things and try new things, but really lean into what you're doing and loving already so that you can grow that even more.
And then finally, who is the person that does those things?
Who is the version of you that does those things and describe them, right?
Like how do they walk into a room?
What's their energy like?
How do they wake up?
How do they start the day?
Like what is your ideal?
Because you are co-creating your life and that's where you remember that you are truly powerful.
And when you have this, we need the GPS, right?
And that's why having these goals and intentions is important.
But can we look at it from a wider lens?
Can we look at it from?
The truth of what you really want and who you really are and what you're really capable of.
And not like I'm not doing this, that and the other thing ever again because no, no, no, no, noIt's we're doing something because of who it allows you to evolve into even more deeply, right?
Because that's where the new year, new you is turning into something different.
What if you're even more authentically becoming and being who you are?
What if we are peeling off the things that don't serve you anymore?
The stories, the patterns, the beliefs, and by activating the ones that really do right?
It's that coming back to the core of who you are and aligning to that and living from that place every day.
That's my vision for you for the new year.
That is what my vision is for myself for the new year and for our community for the new year, because that's where the magic is.
It's you.
You already have these beautiful things.
It's about embodying them and expressing them even more fully.
So I really want you to honor that essence.
And truly, rather than striving for perfection, it's all about anchoring into that from a place of playfulness and expression and easefulness and joyfulness.
So that's what I wanted to share with you today.
I hope that you found some inspiration in that.
I'm excited because.
Truly, truly, I've been really sitting with some changes and so I'm excited to show that there's some changes coming up in 2025, including the focus of this show and my focus in my work.
But everything that I'm just sharing is it.
But stay tuned.
Some big shifts are coming.
I'm excited.
So last thing I'll say is as we wrap up.
Knowing that if you are ready to have tools to shift your state fast in literally 2 minutes, having habits that feel good and fit easily into your life, and really moving into 2025 from this place of yes, all right, I can do this.
You're feeling calm, you're feeling grounded, you're getting clear on what you want and how you're showing up.
Then make sure to grab your spot for the anxiety and stress reset set, because that is what it's all about.
And it's really not about changing who you are.
It's about remembering who you've always been and giving yourself permission to live fully from that place.
That's what this is about.
So sending you all the everythings, all the loves.
Merry, happy, everything.
Happy whatever day it is.
I hope this was insightful and inspirational for you.
And remember that it's not about doing more and achieving more.
It's about being more, more present, more aligned, more authentic.
And I can't wait to support you on that and in that in the new year.
So take care for now.
See you soon.
Bye, bye.
