Feedback or Questions? Send us a text!

I said I'd come back and answer three questions I left you with in December. I didn't — not the way I promised. What I found instead: the difference between ground I was just navigating, and ground that's actually mine.

A few things to sit with:

1. What path are you on because it was offered, not because it was yours?
2. Where are you still asking permission from a role instead of giving it to yourself?
3. What's one piece of ground, however small, you're ready to call yours?

If this stirred something —
Start slow: https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/start-here
Talk it out: https://www.everyexpert.com/andreajohnson

LET’S CONNECT
Instagram + LinkedIn → @theintentionaloptimist
Email → andrea@theintentionaloptimist.com

ENJOYING THE SHOW? LEAVE A RATING & REVIEW
Apple → Scroll down on the podcast page, hit 5-stars, and write a quick review.
Podchaser (Android) → podchaser.com/podcasts/stand-tall-own-it-empowering-p-1406762

Feedback or Questions? Send us a text!

1 BIG IDEA
Before you step into a new year or set a single goal, pause long enough to name what’s still true. Identity-level truths don’t flip with the calendar. They anchor your leadership, give you direction, and help you move into 2026 with intention rather than urgency.

3 WAYS TO APPLY THIS

• Write down one truth about who you are right now. Use it as an orientation point, not a performance metric.
• Identify the Core Value that refused to be negotiated this year and let it guide your next decisions.
• Notice the thread or direction that keeps resurfacing and allow it to quietly shape your approach to the new year.

3 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

1. What truth about yourself kept resurfacing this year?
2. Which Core Value remained non-negotiable, even when circumstances shifted?
3. What thread—however faint—keeps tugging you toward 2026?

GO DEEPER
Core Values Resources:
Blueprint (Free Download): https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/corevaluesexercise
Digital Course: https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/values
Coaching: https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/core-values-beta
Healthy Boundaries Make Happy Holidays: https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/healthyboundaries

Missed Live2Lead? You can still experience it online through LeaderPass ($79).
Watch the keynotes and leadership lessons anytime through February 2026:
https://leaderpass.com/pass/live2lead/host/?ref=RHYBTBBY

PREFER YouTube?
Catch the full episode → https://youtu.be/cjhNz8eSI00

PROUD PARTNERS OF STAND TALL & OWN IT

PodMatch: https://joinpodmatch.com/theintentionaloptimist

Liz Wilcox Email Marketing Membership: https://lizwilcox.com?aff=andrea

LET’S CONNECT
Instagram + LinkedIn → @theintentionaloptimist
Email → andrea@theintentionaloptimist.com

ENJOYING THE SHOW? LEAVE A RATING & REVIEW
Apple → Scroll down on the podcast page, hit 5-stars, and write a quick review.
Podchaser (Android) → podchaser.com/podcasts/stand-tall-own-it-empowering-p-1406762

Feedback or Questions? Send us a text!

1 BIG IDEA
Gratitude isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. It’s the practice of seeing clearly what remains true—of letting awareness, not avoidance, steady your heart. When life feels uncertain, gratitude grounds you in your Core Values and helps you lead from what’s still real, good, and enduring.

3 WAYS TO APPLY THIS

• Pause before reacting. Name one truth that still holds steady, even in change.
• Write a note of thanks for a value that showed up this season—in yourself or someone else.
• Use Intentional Optimism to move your values into action: choose curiosity, courage, and presence over reactivity.

3 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

1. What value has anchored me through this season?
2. Where have I seen growth or grace, even in hardship?
3. Who might need to hear a word of thanks from me today?

ACTION STEP:

Choose one Core Value and one simple way to honor it this week—through gratitude, action, or acknowledgment. Let that be your steady place to lead from what’s still true.

GO DEEPER
Core Values Resources: Anchor your decisions in clarity, define what matters, and build steady, values-based confidence.
Blueprint (Free Download): https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/corevaluesexercise
Course: https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/values
Coaching: https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/core-values-beta
Healthy Boundaries Make Happy Holidays: https://www.theintentionaloptimist.com/healthyboundaries

🎁 Black Friday Special: When you purchase the Uncovering Your Core Values Digital Course between Friday, Nov 28-Dec 1, you’ll receive a free one-hour coaching session with me as a bonus. It’s the perfect time to get anchored in your Core Values — and step fully into the work that matters most.

Missed Live2Lead? You can still experience it online through LeaderPass ($79).
Watch the keynotes and leadership lessons anytime through February 2026:
https://leaderpass.com/pass/live2lead/host/?ref=RHYBTBBY

PREFER YouTube?
Catch the full episode → https://youtu.be/9sznDhNDEpg

PROUD PARTNERS OF STAND TALL & OWN IT

🎙️ PodMatch — Book interviews and share your message with aligned audiences: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theintentionaloptimist

💌 Liz Wilcox’s Email Marketing Membership — $9/month to stay visible and consistent. Join through my link for a free Healthy Boundaries Make Happy Holidays Masterclass: https://andreamjohnson--lizwilcox.thrivecart.com/email-marketing-membership/

LET’S CONNECT
Instagram + LinkedIn → @theintentionaloptimist
Email → andrea@theintentionaloptimist.com

ENJOYING THE SHOW? LEAVE A RATING & REVIEW
Apple → Scroll down on the podcast page, hit 5-stars, and write a quick review.
Podchaser (Android) → podchaser.com/podcasts/stand-tall-own-it-empowering-p-1406762