Early Accountability

EAP 166: The Quickest Way to Ruin Your Progress

Our topic on this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is very timely since spring break and warmer weather are upon us. Many people are also getting the COVID-19 vaccine and are ready to get back out into the world and to a semblance of normalcy. Kimi takes this opportunity to talk about how these circumstances may lead some people to adopt bulldozer personalities, ready to do what they want to do when they want to do it without putting a whole lot of thought into the repercussions or how those things might fit into or ruin their goals. Most goals are meant to be sustained and they take considerable time and effort to work towards and achieve. It is important during these times to remember that long-term goals involve a lifestyle change where sustained behaviors lead to sustained success. Since this is a journey rather than a destination, keep in mind what this needs to look like on a daily basis as well as how you will sustain your progress once you reach the goal. What will you need to adopt or adapt in order to reach and maintain? Another consideration is how to celebrate your milestones within reason. Kimi is a huge advocate for rewarding yourself once you reach certain milestones, but make sure you do it in a way that will not set you back on the long-term goal. For instance, with the pandemic still going on, going on vacation is a good idea as long as you take the necessary precautions to keep yourself and others safe. Topics Covered in this Episode: • The quickest way to ruin your progress • Bulldozer personality • Sustaining goals • Celebrating milestones • Planning appropriately Connect with Kimi: https://kimiwalker.live/squad http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell

Eap 165: Spring Forward With a Digital Declutter

On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi focuses on another good way to do some spring cleaning – by being intentional about a digital declutter. These days, it seems like everything that needs to be done can be done online or through an app, especially since COVID-19 pushed so many things to go virtual. This can lead to digital clutter and unnecessary overwhelm, so take this as your sign that you need to follow this list and bring back some clarity to your life. 1. Unhoard – You know that iPhone 4 and your laptop from 10 years ago that you keep in that closet in the hall? You aren’t going to need them, but perhaps someone else can. Do some research in your area about technology donation and recycling programs to take that weight off of your mind. 2. Unsubscribe – Check out your latest bank statement or account summary to see what subscriptions you are paying for every month or every year – chances are, you will find a few things that you aren’t using and you can stop paying for. The same goes for your email – don’t be afraid to unsubscribe from newsletters and mailing lists that don’t interest you anymore! 3. Uninstall – Comb through the apps that you have on your phone, tablet, or computer and evaluate what you really need to have on there. Getting back to the basics will reduce the number of notifications you receive and the number of apps that can take your time. 4. Unplug – Make space for yourself to just think and be. Kimi recommends setting a “wind down” timer on your phone so you can turn off your screens or start using a blue light filter to get your mind ready to go to sleep. You could also consider completely unplugging for a few hours or a weekend as long as people know where you are and that you are safe. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Spring cleaning • Digital declutter • Getting into a better flow • Create space for yourself Connect with Kimi: https://kimiwalker.live/squad http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell

EAP 164: Planning for a Prosperous Spring

Our topic on this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is the positive changes you can make this spring, as you spring forward into more daylight and towards your goals. Spring is a natural time of reflection and refreshment because we can visually see new life springing up around us and it calls new life to spring up within us as well. Kimi provides 3 suggestions for entering this new season: 1. Recalibrate – Prioritize sleep and rest by starting to wind down earlier in the evenings and setting the environment to facilitate rest. Schedule breaks for yourself during the day, during the week, during the month, and beyond to reduce the likelihood of burnout. Track a positive habit that you are doing and you want to keep doing. 2. Spring clean – Look for things you can let go of – material things, emotional things, relationships, responsibilities, and anything else that might be holding you back. This will give you the space to be open to the next level. 3. Plant and grow – Look for what you can nurture – with your health, your time spent with family and friends, your job, or any other goals you have. Claim and be intentional about pursuing them. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Spring forward • Recalibrate, Reflect, and Refresh • Be intentional • Spring cleaning Connect with Kimi: https://kimiwalker.live/squad http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell

EAP 163: International Women's Day 2021 #ChooseToChallenge

On this International Women’s Day (Monday, March 8, 2021), Kimi reflects on the meaning and purpose of the day as well as ways listeners can participate in promoting change. The theme of this year’s celebration is “choose to challenge” which aligns well with the Early Accountability mindset of promoting inclusivity, calling out inequalities, and celebrating the achievements of those around you – in particular, women. Here are 5 ways that you can be involved in promoting change, today and every day: 1. Dialogue with others – Have open lines of communication with your family, friends, coworkers, children, and members of groups you are involved with about ways that women are being marginalized. 2. Share information – Encourage yourself and others to learn more about inequality. 3. Highlight the accomplishments of others – Be intentional about lifting up people from marginalized groups and underrepresented fields – Black women in STEM, for instance. 4. Support businesses – Promote positive behavior by patronizing businesses who are working towards change and by holding businesses accountable. 5. Respond when you see things that are wrong – This does not have to be a hostile confrontation. You can stop shopping at certain businesses who are not speaking out about injustices and inequalities. Another way is to question their practices and start a discussion with them about advocating for women’s rights. Topics Covered in this Episode: • International Women’s Day • Choose to challenge • Promote change • Celebrate the achievements of women Connect with Kimi: https://kimiwalker.live/squad http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell

EAP 162: Level Up - There Is No Growth in Your Comfort Zone

On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, Kimi finishes up her 3-part 3-year anniversary series by sharing the third lesson that she has learned in the past year of podcasting. As you may remember, the first lesson was “do what works for you” and the second lesson was “find your squad.” This third lesson is “know when it is time to level up.” After 3 years of podcasting, Kimi has gotten pretty comfortable behind the mic, interviewing guests and bringing relevant content to you, the listeners. So now she is feeling the pull to expand Early Accountability into more than just a podcast, mainly through the new community and through YouTube content. It isn’t easy to step outside of your comfort zone, but that is the only way you will grow in knowledge, understanding, and experience. Hopefully you will find Kimi’s expansions into the online community and more video content to be helpful to you in connecting with others who are on similar journeys and collaborating to bring about more of the results and goal activation you have been seeking. Topics Covered in this Episode: • 3-year anniversary • Leveling up • Stepping out of your comfort zone • Pursuing growth Connect with Kimi: https://kimiwalker.live/squad http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell

EAP 161: Moving Past Privilege

This episode of the Early Accountability Podcast focuses on privilege, the different ways that it manifests, and Kimi’s suggestions for moving past it to practice more empathy. With February being Black History Month and all of the conversations about privilege that have taken place over the past year or so, this seemed like a good time to talk about privilege when it comes to race, culture, preferences, and beliefs. While recording this episode, Kimi is in Colombia. She likes to prioritize immersing herself in other cultures, particularly to help her become fluent in Spanish, and her current trip is making her very aware of the privilege that she has in being a foreigner and particularly an American. It is human nature to feel privilege when you are faced with people or circumstances that are different than you are used to, but it doesn’t have to be your default setting. 1. Have an honest dialogue with yourself – Consider any conscious and unconscious biases you may have and try to see things from the other point of view. 2. Do some research – Look at data regarding inequality, discrimination, and oppression and you will likely have a better understanding. 3. Stay open to having conversations with others – Try to understand rather than to judge. This will give you anecdotal awareness and empathy. 4. Become an ally – If you believe in fair treatment for certain groups of people, speak up and influence change. Especially if you are in the majority group, your voice can reach high places and positively impact the lives of those who have been marginalized. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Moving past privilege • Black History Month • Social concepts and dynamics • Self-awareness • Being open to other points of view Connect with Kimi: https://kimiwalker.live/squad http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell

EAP 160: SQUAD UP! There is no "I" in Team or Success

We are letting the good times roll over here at Early Accountability Podcast as we continue to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the show! On the last episode, Kimi talked about her first key takeaway from the show so far: do what works for you and be consistent. Going along with the overall purpose of the podcast, helping others set, achieve, and sustain their goals, the takeaway on this episode is finding your squad. As Kimi mentioned last week, she doesn’t ever relisten to her episodes after recording them, so she knew from day one that she was not going to edit or write show notes for the Early Accountability Podcast. She found Emmy to edit the episodes and he has been consistently editing the podcast for 160 episodes and counting! For show notes, Kimi started out using a service to do show notes and transcription, but she changed gears and found Kelsey to just do show notes a few episodes after launch. At this point, the editing and writing is basically a seamless and automatic process because the team has been working together for so long. Now that Kimi is expanding Early Accountability into a community, she is going to be adding a few more team members as well. When you are thinking about your own goals, take the time to evaluate what you want to do yourself and what would be better for you to outsource to save yourself time and/or stress. Good help is hard to find, but the right help can make all the difference. Topics Covered in this Episode: • 3-year anniversary • Find your squad • Outsource to make your life simpler • Collaborate with others • Evaluate where you might need help Connect with Kimi: https://kimiwalker.live/squad http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell

EAP 159: Celebrating & Reflecting on 3 Years of Podcasting (Anniversary Special Part 1)

The Early Accountability Podcast is 3 years old and we are so excited! To mark this special milestone, Kimi is going to do a 3-part mini-series on the purpose of the podcast and her key takeaways from doing a weekly show for the past 159 weeks. Kimi is discussing the first takeaway on this episode: consistency is king. It has taken a lot of intentionality and planning to produce a podcast episode every single week. You can always come up with reasons not to do something, but you have to make sure that your reasons why you should are more important to you and will spur you on to action. For Kimi, it has been crucial to find what works for her and tune out the noise of what other people are saying that could put her off-course. When she first started podcasting, she reached out to a few experienced podcasters to see how they approached their podcasts, but she never took what they said as gospel and she realized the importance of blazing her own trail. Kimi outsources the editing of her podcast to someone who enjoys editing because if she were to have to edit (or even listen to!) her own podcast, it likely would never get published. You can apply those same principles to your own goals: evaluate what people are saying but ultimately do what works best for you. Topics Covered in this Episode: • 3-year podcast anniversary • Leveling up • Lessons learned • Consistency is king • Learn how to do you Connect with Kimi: https://kimiwalker.live/squad http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell

EAP 158: Connection, Collaboration, & Change - Join the EAP Community Now (It's FREE)

The Early Accountability Podcast has finally launched a community! This is the (FREE) place to be for all things early accountability and goal activation! There will be exclusive content, special events, opportunities to connect with past guests, and best of all, so many ways for you to STAY ACCOUNTABLE, no matter what your goals are! Here is the link to sign up: https://kimiwalker.live/squad

EAP 157: Own Your Methods of Success & Apologize to No One

This episode of the Early Accountability Podcast addresses a recent situation that happened to Kimi that turned out to be a good learning experience for listeners of the podcast. As you walk your own path, there will be times that you are confronted by people who don’t catch your vision and who take it upon themselves to give unsolicited advice that might feel abrupt and unnecessary. But rather than letting that push you off course or immediately respond with the wrong tone, Kimi recommends stepping back and considering a few things: 1. Everyone isn’t going to have your best interests at heart 2. People will give you unsolicited advice from time to time 3. The best immediate response is to pause and collect your thoughts – Once you have gotten grounded in who you are and the path you are walking, you can explain to them your motivations and why what they said was not helpful. 4. Remember that you don’t know their journey either – Empathy is often lacking in situations where feelings are hurt, so be careful not to jab back at them to “get even.” 5. Be firm in understanding who you are and what works for you – Don’t feel like you have to justify yourself to anyone. You don’t need to line up with other people’s methods or expectations. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Owning your methods of success • Tuning out the noise • Being unaffected by naysayers • Understanding who you are Connect with Kimi: http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker https://www.youtube.com/user/KimiFitWell