The Motivation Mindset with Risa Williams

Send us a textHappy 2026, everyone! If you're listening to this episode, you made it to the new year, and that's a wonderful thing! Risa Williams talks to fellow therapists, Erica Curtis and Darrin Kagele about new tools they're going to try in the new year ahead.They discuss:-How the words we're using with ourselves are so important to become mindful of-Darrin shares a few phrases he tells himself whenever he feels stuck or anxious-Erica shares a useful tool where you turn a phrase you're saying into a question, which changes our emotional reaction to the phrase-Risa shares the one journaling prompt she's been using to stretch her imagination and cognitive flexibility-Other ways you can gently move into the new year ahead while remembering to be kind to yourself along the way!A great episode to feel more motivated and inspired in 2026... Happy New Year, everyone!**Risa will be launching her TINY WINS WORKSHOP, a 4 week online class, in January - sign up here to be one of the first to get in: https://www.risawilliams.com/tinywinscourse.html**Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com @risawilliamstherapyGuest Hosts: Darrin Kagele, darrinkagele.com, and Erica Curtis, therapywitherica.com.Support the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send us a textWhen someone's behavior or emotional state is bothering us, how do we take a pause and validate what they are feeling without judgement? This can be tricky to do! Dr. Marcus Rodriguez, founder of the Youth and Family Institute and an expert in teaching validation, talks to Risa Williams about some practical ways to practice validating the emotional experience of others.They discuss:-What validation really means and how you can start to practice it-One easy sentence that can start to build your "validation skill set"-Understanding what's happening when communication goes awry and gaining awareness as to the validation needs of others-Teaching others emotional validation by learning do it more regularly throughout everyday life***New Book out: The Tiny Wins Journal: Your Year of Small Steps and Big Changes - buy one for the holidaysSupport the show: If you've enjoyed any of the 100+ episodes we've made on this show, please consider supporting the show by doing a tiny action here: risawilliams.com/support, so that The Motivation Mindset can continue next year!***Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Dr. Marcus Rodriguez, youthandfamilyinstitute.com, @drmarcusrodriguezSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send us a textEvery so often, Risa Williams runs into someone on the show who has a tool that is very aligned with one of her own! This was the case in this episode, Holiday Time Tools, in which Risa Williams shares her tool, The Time Wardrobe, and Jenny Layton shares her tool, The Time Pantry, both with many similarities on how to visualize your time in an easier and more tangible way.They discuss:-How to visualize your weekly time as a pantry or a closet-How to group tasks you need to do in different "containers" and organize them on "shelves"-Jenny introduces her idea of "Costco-sized tasks" where you take on a giant task that requires a lot of room on the shelf to store-Risa talks about energy management of tasks and how each task we're doing has an energy and time cost that plays out across other areas of our lives-They discuss small ways to start to form habits and routines so that you don't have to make as many decisions each week-How to apply these ideas to the holidays and to give yourself credit for all you're taking on during this time of year!***New Book out: The Tiny Wins Journal: Your Year of Small Steps and Big Changes - buy one for the holidaysSupport the show: If you've enjoyed any of the 100+ episodes we've made on this show, please consider supporting the show by doing a tiny action here: risawilliams.com/support, so that The Motivation Mindset can continue next year!***Host; Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Jenny Layton, thehappygal.com, @jlthehappygal, Get Organized Bootcamp: go.thehappygal.com/bootcamp-97Support the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send us a textAre you starting to feel the holiday overwhelm kick in this week? Are seasonal things feeling a little too busy, too rushed, too chaotic, and too exhausting to manage? Then, this episode is for you! Dr. Michelle Chung and Risa Williams discuss the concept of "Holiday Mindfulness," which includes intentionally slowing down for the holidays so that we can feel more joy and connection in the present moment. They discuss:-Navigating "Holiday FOMO" that's all around us and what to do about it-Learning to get into the present moment instead of getting stuck in "holiday planning mode" and stressing ourselves out-Learning to navigate and regulate our emotions during the holidays-For families and other groups, how can we more effectively express our needs and our energy levels without causing conflicts for the holidays?-Tiny mindful moments we can create for ourselves this week!-Learning to ask yourself ONE SIMPLE QUESTION to figure out what the next best step is for you for the holidays**NEW BOOK LAUNCH: Risa' newest book, THE TINY WINS JOURNAL: YOUR YEAR OF SMALL STEPS AND BIG CHANGES is in stores today! Buy one at risawilliams.com or on amazon, makes a great gift for the holidays! Learn to celebrate your tiny weekly wins and boost your motivation for the year ahead...***Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Dr. Michelle Chung, drmichellechung.com,@dr.michellechungSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

Send us a textThe holiday season can often feel really stressful, even though we often feel like we should be feeling more gratitude at this time of year. So how do we slow down enough to notice the small things that are actually going right...especially when life feels busy, chaotic, or overwhelming? Author and podcaster Lori Oberbroeckling joins Risa Williams to talk about simple, actionable ways to build gratitude into your daily routine. She also shares her “Gratitude Questions List,” a tool she created to help make everyday appreciation feel easier for us allThey discuss:-Learning to notice the tiny daily things around us as a way to work the "gratitude muscle"-How to recognize moments as they happen to us as a daily gratitude practice-How we can start sharing our gratitude with others more regularly-How setting up daily "practices" helps us to notice the "happy little moments" with more consistent intention***New Book: The Tiny Wins Journal by Risa Williams, illustrated by Dulcie Yamanaka, will go on sale next week just in time for the holidays! Risa will be giving away 10 free copies of the books to newsletter subscribers - sign up for her newsletter at risawilliams.com today ***Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapyGuest: Lori Oberbroeckling, secretsofsupermom.com, @secretsofsupermomSupport the showFor info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.