December 1, 2025 • 37 mins
Come and listen to our Host, Tina Spoletini, as she chats with today's guest, Laura Hill, for our “End of Year, Beginning of Me” Podcast Series.
A powerfully themed mini-series helping women close the year with clarity and step into the next one with grounded self-love and vision.
As the founder of A Million Dreams Coaching, Laura Hill guides women to rediscover their confidence and direction through her transformational life coaching and motivational speaking . After navigating her own journey of reinvention, she now helps others find clarity, courage, and purpose in both their personal and professional lives.
Website: amilliondreamscoaching.com
Facebook: A Million Dreams Coaching
Instagram: @laurahill9861
We sit with coach and speaker Laura Hill to trace a year of releasing shoulds, choosing daily courage, and letting confidence grow from roots, not rush. From a first big talk to the Bamboo Within, we share practical ways to stop comparing and lead with values.
• the shy-to-stage moment and what made it possible
• letting go of shoulds to reclaim joy
• people pleasing versus honest giving
• expanding comfort zones with small brave steps
• why comparison fails and values guide progress
• parenting insights, listening without fixing
• autism, self-regulation, and compassionate leadership
• the Bamboo Within metaphor for slow, strong growth
• retreat dreams for 2026 and purpose-led work
• you are enough as a foundation for change
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
It's Divas the Care Radio.
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Welcome to Divas The Care, anetwork of women committed to
making our world a better placefor everyone.
This is a global movement forwomen by women engaged in a
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generations.
(00:20):
To find out more about themovement, visit
divasThatCare.com after theshow.
Right now, though, stay tunedfor another jaunt of
inspiration.
SPEAKER_02 (00:31):
Welcome to Confidence in Bloom, the podcast
that reminds you that confidenceisn't about becoming someone
new, it's about coming home toyourself.
I'm your host, Tina Spellettini,and this season we're embracing
the theme End of Year, Beginningof Me.
A time to pause, reflect, andlet go of what no longer serves
you.
(00:51):
Together we'll explore realstories and soulful insights to
help you quiet that itty bittyshitty committee, release the
shoulds that weigh you down, andstep into the new year grounded
in self-love, clarity, andconfidence.
Today's conversation is going tobe a great one, of course.
I'm chatting with the founder ofA Million Dreams Coaching, Laura
(01:17):
Hill.
Laura guides women to rediscovertheir confidence and direction
through her transformationallife coaching and motivational
speaking.
After navigating her own journeyof reinvention, she now helps
others find clarity, courage,and purpose in both their
personal and professional lives.
So welcome, Laura.
(01:39):
Thank you.
I'm so honored to have you heretoday.
Um, let's get right into somequestions.
I want to know more about you,but first I want to ask you like
when you look back on 2025, whatversion of Laura are you the
most proud of?
And if she showed, like I guesswhat what's the most moment that
(02:05):
you're proud of that she showedup?
I don't know.
Does that does that questionmake sense?
I got it in my head.
I want to know like the momentthat you're the most proud of in
the last 20, like in the lastyear.
SPEAKER_00 (02:17):
I I feel like the one that I'm most proud of is
standing up on stage in front of200 people.
Uh I was always known as thequiet, shy person, like voted
the shyest person in highschool.
Um, and so for me to have grownover the years to a point where
I uh took the step to stand upin front of hundreds of people
(02:41):
to share a message that feltvery important to me was a huge
step for me and something thatI'm really proud of myself for
for doing and taking myself outof that comfort zone that I've
been in.
SPEAKER_02 (02:53):
Yeah, congratulations.
I was there.
You're talking about BizBrigade, right?
Yeah, I was there, I heard it,and I was like, wow, good for
you.
I was so proud too.
And I did I had never met youbefore, and I felt so good for
you because I know that's big,right?
I'm I have yet to do that.
I don't know that I ever will,right?
Um, but it it's a huge step.
SPEAKER_00 (03:15):
It is, and honestly, I loved it and I am excited for
more opportunities like it.
Um, I felt myself shaking thewhole time, but in that
nervousness, I also just I lovedit.
Just having a message that I wasreally inspired by and uh
something that meant so much tome that I was really excited
(03:38):
just to share it with people.
SPEAKER_02 (03:39):
Yeah, and I and I guess that's what it comes down
to, right?
When you believe in what you'resaying, right, it makes the job
so much easier, right?
Because I mean that that's ajob, right?
It's not that you just stand up,you know, first you have to
prepare what you're gonna say,but you have to like believe it,
right?
You have to like really embodywhat you're about to say, you
(04:00):
know.
I mean, it was a networkingevent, you know, but it was also
an event where, you know, youyou had there's potential
clients there, right?
You want people to know, like,and trust you.
And so that's a big deal.
So you're preparing your speech.
Plus, you're I don't know ifyou're like me, but you have to
walk through the room.
There was like tables of like200 women.
(04:20):
That alone is like a littlefreaky, right?
And then you're getting up onthe stage, you're being
introduced, so you know thateveryone in the room now is
looking at you.
And yeah, I I I get that feelingfor you because I I'm like, oh
my god, I can't, you know,walking, I hate walking into a
room late by myself.
Yes, right.
(04:41):
I like if I'm late and I'm bymyself, I will wait until people
are starting to move around,right?
Because I don't like that.
And really, if you're late,especially an meeting like this,
no one's gonna look at you.
They're looking up at the front.
But in my heart, I'm like, no,they're gonna see me.
I get it, I totally get it.
So in this year, do you likewith that like experience, do
(05:07):
you feel like you releasedsomething that wants to find
you?
Like you said, your shyness, andhow has that really opened up
space for who you're gonnabecome?
SPEAKER_00 (05:23):
I think one of the things that I feel like I'm
really what I have been workingon a lot this year is releasing
that should stuff.
All the times that you say, Oh,I should do something.
Um that's what kind of my focushas been this year is letting go
of all those things that I feltlike I was supposed to be doing.
(05:47):
And I think uh I for a long timedid things because I thought
it's what I needed to do to makeeveryone else happy.
And if I could just try harderor be better or show up
differently, all the shouldsthat I thought I needed to do to
(06:10):
make life better or make life ormake other people happier, I
realized over this last yearthat all my trying to be
somebody else for other peoplewasn't bringing happiness to
anybody.
And realizing that the more Ishowed up as myself, what felt
(06:30):
true to me, what held the valuesthat I had more and was more
authentic to who I was, thehappier I was.
And in me being happier, thehappier the people around me
became also.
SPEAKER_02 (06:46):
My gosh, I love I love that answer because that is
it's so real, right?
We are all, I mean, I don't knowthat everybody is people
pleasing, but I think, you know,just from growing up and the
people that were around me, andeven in the last, you know,
(07:07):
let's say 15, 20 years, there'sso much of that shooting on
ourselves, right?
I should do this and I should dothat, and I should go see this
person.
And I, you know, well, whatabout how like what do you
really want?
Right?
How how can I give to satisfyyou and me?
(07:27):
Right now, I used to tellmyself, but I want to do that.
I want to make that other personhappy, right?
But when that wanting you to behappy became me being unhappy,
right?
That's when I needed to sit backand go, wait a minute, it's
changed, right?
And am I giving myself, youknow, the love and the attention
(07:49):
that I need so that I can makeyou happy?
And I think that's kind of whatyou were saying, right?
SPEAKER_00 (07:55):
I like what you said about that.
Like, what is the real reasonwhy I'm doing this?
Am I doing it just because I'mtrying to make somebody else
happy at the expense of what'sgonna make me happy?
If we can do something becausewe want to help somebody,
knowing that it's going to bringus happiness, then that's a good
reason to do it.
SPEAKER_02 (08:13):
Right.
And and you we have to be happytogether, right?
Like if you're giving and givingand giving and really getting
nothing back, right, then whatis your purpose?
Right.
And I think, I think that's whatI went through.
I mean, I there were times whereI would sit back and go, but no,
but that is really what I dowant.
You know, I might not want it inthis way, but I do want that
(08:35):
connection, or I do want to makeher happy or or him happy, or
you know, who whatever thesituation was, you know.
But I think it also comes downto, you know, my way or no way.
Would you agree?
Yeah, yeah.
I love this.
I love these kind ofconversations because it makes
it makes me wonder like why wedo the things that we do.
(08:57):
What makes us want to makesomeone else happy and leave
ourselves behind?
SPEAKER_00 (09:05):
I think even in my own personal experience over the
last year, we do what we feellike we have to to keep
something feeling the way that'scomfortable for us.
It's easier to make someone elsehappier if it means that we can
(09:25):
stay comfortable.
SPEAKER_02 (09:27):
I think, yeah, like I think you hit that right on
the nose.
Like, I think comfort zone isimportant to all of us, right?
And and and I used to say jumpout of your comfort zone, but I
don't really actually believethat anymore.
I think that we need to becomfortable, you know, in order
for us to feel safe and um Iguess comfortable, we have to
(09:50):
stay there, but we can expandthat boundary, right?
Like I can still be comfortableand push it just a little bit,
right?
And then, you know, maybe nexttime push it a little bit even
further and still feel that I'mcomfortable and safe.
Right.
I love that.
Now, if if confidence had avoice, what would it be telling
(10:11):
you to leave behind as you stepinto your next chapter?
SPEAKER_00 (10:17):
For me, I feel like I would be leaving behind
comparison.
I feel that it's very easy forus to fall into a trap of
measuring our journey againstother people's journey.
But in doing that, we don'treally know what their journey
looks like.
And so our success compared tosomeone else's success isn't a
(10:39):
fair assessment because we eachhave our own challenges, we each
have our own lessons to learn,and we can't see someone else's
full picture.
And so when we're comparing oursuccess to someone else's
success, it sets us up forfailure because we're comparing
their best with what we'reprobably comparing as our not so
(11:02):
good parts.
And so if I can focus more onputting my attention on the wins
that I've had and the successesthat I've seen in my own life
and see the journey as being oneof constant growth, that would
be my goal.
SPEAKER_02 (11:18):
So that I again I really like that answer because
I think we all compare, right?
We all play that comparison gameand comparison like we compare
to others, but really what itcomes down to is every action
that we take comes down to ourbeliefs and our values, right?
And every person has a differentsystem of beliefs and values,
(11:43):
and so what you value comparedto what I value are probably
very different, and yet I'mcomparing my actions, my
successes to yours, right?
And so they don't they don'tequal up, right?
So yeah, and we're alwayslooking externally for that,
right?
We're always like but instead ofgoing inside and saying, okay,
(12:06):
so why did I do what I do?
Like, you know, what what is thereason why I'm doing what I'm
doing?
And is it really aligned withwhat I truly want?
Right.
And so that's I love that youanswered that.
My husband and I actually justhad a conversation the other
day, and we were, and I was, Ican't remember what the
conversation was about, but Itold him that I often compare
(12:27):
myself to, you know, a relativeof ours.
And, you know, I used to shedoes everything like she works
and she does, you know,gardening and she works in her
husband's business and she likeshe's everywhere, right?
And and then I was like, Ifocused so much on my kids that
I didn't really have the energyfor any of that, right?
(12:49):
I mean, obviously I did thethings that were important, but
I didn't focus on any of theother things.
And now when I look back atthat, man, wait, maybe we would
be even further ahead had I donethat.
But then I look at my kids and Ithink, well, if I'd have done
that, I would have had to likeum neglect my kids to some
degree, right?
And I think, you know, again,that's where the values and the
(13:11):
beliefs come in because what ismost important to you, that's
where you put your focus, right?
And I'm sure like you, I mean,you have six kids, you know,
right?
You know that if you neglectone, you're gonna neglect all,
right, to some degree, right?
SPEAKER_00 (13:26):
So I think sometimes it isn't even necessarily even
the neglect part of it.
It's just I like what you saidabout the value part.
So if I'm trying to grow mybusiness right now, how much do
I value the growth of mybusiness over how much do I
value the time spent with mychildren?
And it doesn't have to be aneglect, even, it could just be
(13:51):
something that is very importantto me, is playing games with my
kids.
It brings me so much happiness.
And so if I can take time everyday just to play some games with
my kids, that's what the valueis for me because my kids are
only going to be here with mefor a certain period of time,
and then they'll be off on theirown.
And then I have all this othertime that I can be doing
(14:13):
focusing on different things.
But for me, the most valuablething for me at this time of my
life is time spent with my kids.
And so it's just, I liked Iliked how you said, like you can
compare what other people aredoing, but without knowing their
values, it's not a faircomparison.
SPEAKER_02 (14:31):
Right.
If they don't enjoy time withtheir kids, right, they're
that's not gonna be a value tothem.
Not that they wouldn't, I mean,some people don't enjoy their
time with their kids, but youknow what I mean, right?
If that's not important to them,right?
And I'm reading a book rightnow, and off the top of my head,
I can't remember what it'scalled.
I think it's feel better fast orsomething.
But he says, and he's apsychiatrist, but he says, in
(14:54):
order to have a goodrelationship with your kids, all
you need is 20 minutes a daywith them.
That's it, that's all it takes,right?
Now, sometimes 20 minutes a day,it sounds, I mean, with six
kids, I can't, that's two hours,right?
I can't imagine, you know, likethat's a long time, right?
But it's 20 minutes for each kidin order for you for them to
(15:16):
feel valued by you and want tobe with you, right?
That's not very much time,right?
With 24 hours in a day, 20minutes is nothing, right?
So I that is that was astatistic that I was like, wow,
right?
Like that's that to me is awell.
Right.
Because you think I always usedto think, you know, you need to
(15:37):
spend like an afternoon, right?
Well, we don't, I was astay-at-home mom, and yeah, I
mean, I could have made thetime, but an afternoon with the
kids every day, that was it seeit felt like a lot, right?
And I did spend, I mean, I washome, so I did spend the time
with them, and I'm sure you didthe same with your kids, you
know.
But you know, when when you lookat it in a time perspective, 20
(15:58):
minutes is really not that much.
Right.
Anyway, let's get back tocomfort and courage.
What where did you live?
Where did your life where inyour life, let's I'm gonna get
myself together here, where inyour life did you choose courage
over comfort?
Obviously, that speech wouldhave taken a lot of courage.
(16:20):
Um, and what did that choicereveal about the direction
you're taking now?
SPEAKER_00 (16:27):
I think for me, I was thinking that choosing
courage over comfort is a dailyaction for me.
Every day I have the choice (16:38):
do I want to make phone calls?
Do I want to send emails?
Do I want to invite people to myworkshop?
Do I want to do a workshop?
All of these things are takingcourage when really sometimes it
seems so much easier just tosay, you know what, I'm just
gonna go watch a movie.
Or maybe in my case, I'm gonnaplay a few extra rounds of games
with my children because that'scomfort.
(17:00):
And it's way easier to do thecomfort than to reach out to all
these people that feelsintimidating to me.
And so every day I have to makethe choice of do I want to stay
in my comfort zone or do I wantto take a step towards the
vision that I've created for away to help other women?
SPEAKER_02 (17:23):
That's you know, that's another great answer.
Because really, if you don'ttake that step, if you don't,
you know, take on the courage todo it, if you're not gonna go
anywhere.
And I can I can tell you that'show it works because it's that's
how it is for me, right?
There's times where I have alist of things I want to do or I
need to do, and I would muchrather go sit on my couch and
(17:43):
either read a book or play on myphone, right?
Because that's easy, that'scomfort, right?
But at the end of the day,nothing grows, right?
You just stay stuck in thatsame, yeah.
Yeah, I love, I really like youranswers here.
Thank you.
And and and okay, so and whenyou're playing with your kids, I
mean, I don't know how I thinkyour your oldest is 18, am I
(18:07):
right?
Uh my oldest is actually 21.
21.
So, I mean, they're not they'renot babies anymore, but I would
love to be have my kids like youknow, 12, 14 again and you know,
hang out with mom.
Like, you know, mom, let's let'splay a game.
I would if I could go back intime, I would love that, right?
(18:27):
But it, I mean, let's face it,at 14, they were like, Mom, I
don't want to play with you,right?
Like, I'm not playing with you,right?
I mean, but I would, you know,if I could take that time back,
I would take that time back.
SPEAKER_00 (18:38):
I feel very lucky that I have that in my life
still.
Uh, my youngest are 12.
Uh, I have twins that are 12 andand so I still have that little
bit of a younger, but I lovethis stage because everybody is
very independent.
Right.
But uh my 19-year-old isprobably one of my most gung-ho
game players with me.
(18:59):
She'll play a game anytime.
Oh, I love that.
I love that chance to connect.
And I was gonna say too, like, Ifeel like uh with being a mom,
it's not even always the amountof time, it's the ability to
listen to what they're trying tosay and just hear them without
having to try and fix theproblem.
They just want to be heard, andthe more they feel heard, the
(19:22):
more they'll open up to you.
So um, maybe that's one of thereasons why I like playing games
with them is it's a chance justto play and talk, and there's no
agenda, there's just a chance toyeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:36):
Do you find yourself coaching your kids when they
come to you and say, Mom, thisis what happened to me?
Do you find yourself like usingyour coaching skills with them?
SPEAKER_00 (19:44):
It would depend probably on the child and the
circumstance.
Ah, um, I'm definitely findingmyself using different tools
that I'm learning to help myson.
Um, my son is a big part of thiswhole journey that I came on,
and uh I share my story abouthim in a lot of different areas,
(20:07):
but um he's autistic, and so I'malways looking for ways to help
him learn how to self-regulate alittle bit differently, um, and
try and encourage him to becomehis best self while still giving
(20:32):
him space to make his ownchoices, I guess I would say.
And so um even in trying toparent him or parent my children
in general, sometimes I findmyself just trying to coach
myself, like what is the bestway to handle this situation in
this moment in a way that willhelp them grow to become their
(20:53):
best selves.
SPEAKER_02 (20:53):
Right.
And that, you know, really Ithink at the end of the day,
that's probably the best, thebest, you know, um way to take
that, right?
We they have to learn, and youknow, I struggled with this a
lot, especially with the teenageyears.
They have to figure it out,right?
They we really, they like yousaid earlier, they want us just
(21:15):
to listen, right?
Just they want to be heard likeeverybody else in the world.
We just want to be heard, right?
And if you could be just alistening ear without giving the
advice and trying to fix theproblem, they can figure it out
because we all have the answersin us, right?
We just need that opportunity toexpress it because sometimes,
(21:36):
and most of us, I I believe I'veread somewhere that once we say
it out loud, it not only feelsreal, but all the the like the
stuff inside us starts to moveand it, you know, the the
solutions start coming up.
So that's that's really awesome.
I don't really know a whole lotof um, you know, parenting
(21:59):
autistic children.
I know that there's you know awide spectrum, and they
sometimes, you know, I justfinished watching the show
Parenthood on Netflix, andthere's a child in there that
has Asperger's, which is used tobe part of the autism spectrum.
I don't know now, I guess itdoesn't really exist.
I'm not really sure on how itworks, but there's also like an
adult who has it but was neverdiagnosed.
(22:23):
And so, you know, like thedynamic of living a life with it
and raising a child with this islike it's unbelievable because
you know, like as a parent, Iknow that three of my kids it
doesn't always work the samewith all three kids.
And then you throw in, you know,a disorder.
(22:43):
I don't know if it's called adisorder.
I hate to like I don't like tolabel that, but you know, this
autism, you know, this poorchild cannot understand what,
you know, like the parents aretrying to explain to him.
And so you watching that islike, wow, like parents had to
do a lot of self-coaching,right?
They had to work it out firstwith themselves before they
(23:04):
could handle him.
So I can kind of relate withwhat you're saying, or at least
understand with what you'resaying.
I don't, I didn't, you know, Ididn't have to deal with that
myself, but you know, I know, Imean, it's there's lots.
I know lots of people that havehad to deal with it.
And I can only imagine howdifficult it could be.
And with six kids, honestly, Ithink you're amazing, right?
(23:29):
I mean, like I think, yeah,three kids was difficult.
I can't even imagine any morethan that.
So good, good on you.
Well, thank you.
What now for the new year 2026?
Uh, do you have a dream or adesire that you're quietly
holding that maybe now deservesto take center stage in your
(23:52):
world?
SPEAKER_00 (23:54):
I think the dream that feels most alive inside
that I would love to have becomecenter stage in my life for the
new year would be retreats.
I would love to host retreatsfor women, uh, where I can give
people a place to come and feelrejuvenated, connect with other
(24:17):
people, and be able to gainclarity on their purpose and
their dreams.
I want to be able to build anexperience that reminds women
how powerful and capable theyare and really help them to
return to their lives feelinginspired and alive again.
SPEAKER_02 (24:35):
Oh, that sounds amazing.
I uh I think retreats are sopopular right now, and there's
so many different kinds, right?
I mean, there's people, youknow, there's go away retreats,
there's you know, come to myhouse retreats, there's let's go
to a restaurant, you know, likethere's so many different ways
of having it.
And, you know, women lookforward to that.
(24:56):
I don't know, I don't know ifmen are into it as much, but
women like I like we heard wehear the word retreat and we're
like, oh, where is it?
What's it about?
Can I come?
Right?
Like it just seems to be likethe thing right now, right?
So it's great that you'regetting into that.
I mean, I know you haven't haveyou started planning any yet, or
is that just something that'smaybe you know further down the
(25:17):
road?
SPEAKER_00 (25:19):
Um more my goal, my goal is to have one, well, at
least one for the new year, butI do not have any dates set yet,
or picked a place even where Iwould love it to be.
So it's definitely kind of inthat quiet dream place right
now.
I love it.
I love it.
But I mean, I look forward tohaving it come alive.
SPEAKER_02 (25:40):
Yeah, well, and it's starting it all, everything
starts with the dream.
And so, you know, dreams areallowed to come to life at some
point, right?
And it might not be for thisyear, but at least you know
you're working towards it.
So, how can you lead yourselfwith more compassion, clarity,
and conviction moving forward?
SPEAKER_00 (26:03):
I I don't know if you saw it at the thing that the
event that we were at.
I had on the table, I had avendor table, and on the table I
had a paper for people to read.
If they wanted, they could takeone home.
And it was called the BambooWithin.
And this has become somethingthat I I read to myself often as
(26:26):
a reminder of who I'm becoming.
Um, I don't know if you knowmuch about the story of how
bamboo grows.
SPEAKER_02 (26:34):
Not really, no.
SPEAKER_00 (26:36):
So you can start with a bamboo, and the first
year it will grow maybe an inch,and the second year it'll grow
maybe an inch, and the thirdyear another inch, and the
fourth year another inch.
And then by about year five, allof a sudden it just shoots up
several feet, like somewherebetween nine and ninety, with a
(26:58):
crazy amount of growth in just avery short period of time, and
so you look at those first fouryears where it seemed like
nothing is happening, but whenyou look really closely, those
first four years was all aboutthe roots growing and
developing, and so I took thatidea and kind of created this um
(27:25):
kind of like a meditationalmost, or just like a something
to ponder on, and I called itthe bamboo within.
And essentially, just kind of ona smaller scale, it's it's
reminding me that I'm like abamboo.
There's all this time that'shappening in the beginning years
(27:47):
where I'm growing my roots,where I'm learning the lessons
that will help me be a stronger,better, more confident version
of myself, which will give me abetter support system for myself
when that big growth, big growthcomes.
And so whenever I feel like I'mstruggling on where I'm at at
(28:09):
the moment, feeling like I'm notdoing enough or having the
success that I felt like Iwanted to be having at this
time, I remind myself that I'mjust in that early stages of the
bamboo growth where you can'tsee that big growth on the
outside because the big growthis all happening inside.
And so the more I can havecompassion on myself to allow
(28:31):
myself that time to grow myroots and really become strong
in who I am, then the more I cango forward with more intention
and clarity in in how I live mylife.
SPEAKER_02 (28:45):
I love that.
I love that.
I didn't, I think I actuallyremember you telling me
something about the bamboo.
Now you said it, when it's likegrows slowly for the first few
years and then it just kind ofyou know grows.
And I think bamboo is also oneof those things that you can't
like you can't kill it.
Am I right?
Like it's kind of like alwaysthere.
SPEAKER_00 (29:07):
That one I'm not sure about.
Now I'm gonna have to look intothat.
SPEAKER_02 (29:10):
Yeah, I it I think I heard sometime one time that you
you can't really kill a bambootree.
Well, I mean, I don't I can'tgrow a tree, so I don't know,
right?
I'm not green thumb at all, so II could probably kill it.
But I I think I've heardsomething like that.
So if in 2026 were titled TheBeginning of Me, what would your
(29:34):
first chapter be called?
SPEAKER_00 (29:39):
I think I would call it Becoming Me.
Because I think that thischapter would be about reminding
myself that I'm not reinventingmyself.
It's about returning to who I'vealways been, beneath the layers
of expectations and the layersof fear.
(30:00):
It's about being able to standin my own truth and being rooted
in love and creating from aplace of authenticity.
I want to be able to remember totake away the expectations and
living from those shoulds andgiving myself space to become
(30:23):
me.
SPEAKER_02 (30:24):
That's absolutely beautiful.
I love that.
I love that.
And I think 2026 is going to bean awesome year.
You know, I mean, you've you'vecome out of your comfort zone a
lot this year, right?
And I feel like, you know, youknow where you're headed, right?
You you've got you've got yourfeet on the ground.
(30:45):
You've and I mean it's prettyobvious to me that you know
where you're where you have togo.
And we're all we all havesetbacks, you know, like there's
nothing carved in stone thatonce you get your feet planted,
it's just go from there.
I mean, we all have those, youknow, those setbacks.
Growth doesn't happen just likethat.
It, you know, you you have totake the little baby steps to do
(31:05):
the next thing that makes youfeel happy, first of all,
because if you're not happy withthe growth, it doesn't become,
it's not gonna be growth, right?
If you're not feeling happy andexcited about what you're doing,
you're gonna pull yourself back,right?
And you you've been, I mean, tobe named the shyest person in
(31:26):
high school to standing up infront of a stage, you know,
standing up on a stage in frontof 200 people.
I mean, I don't know how longago high school was, that's a
huge feat, right?
I don't think, you know, I mean,standing in front of 30 people
like it makes me like kind of mymy throat kind of closes up,
right?
(31:46):
I'm like, I don't know that Icould do that, right?
And it's like in person, like II don't have a problem talking
on the phone or on the camera,right?
But on the in front, likestanding in front of a group of
people, I I don't know why thatis.
I don't, you know, I am notready for that.
You did it, and you did it withgrace, and you like honestly, I
(32:07):
was like, that's her first time,right?
Like, there's no way, like sheyou you didn't sound nervous,
you didn't sound unprepared.
It was beautiful.
So watching you and then hearingyour and you know, hearing where
you're wanting to go, I thinkit's absolutely beautiful.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
Yeah, well, did is thereanything sorry?
SPEAKER_00 (32:31):
I'm excited for the new year, yes, and so you should
be.
SPEAKER_02 (32:34):
I think 2000, I think things in the world are I
I get this feeling, and I'm notpsychic in any way, but I get
this feeling that 2026 is gonnabe very different from 2025.
Now, that could be just for me,right?
Because I mean, my husband and Ihave gone into we've kind of
we're going into a transitionperiod, but I also think that
(32:55):
the world is gonna be a littlebit different, and I don't know
in what way.
I don't follow the news, I don'tfollow politics, so I don't
really know what's going on, butat the same time, I just feel
like there's a shift coming.
So let's hope, let's hope I'mright, and I hope it's for the
positive because we've hadenough negative.
Is there anything that you wouldlike to add?
(33:16):
Uh tell our custom our c ourlisteners, you know, maybe a
piece of advice for the end ofthe year.
SPEAKER_00 (33:23):
Would want to share.
And one of the lessons that I'vereally been trying to learn
myself over this last year, umfor me, this last year has been
a very challenging year.
Um, a lot of personal growth inmyself through some
circumstances that I've beenthrough and uh also in in being
able to work with a couple ofclients and have it come up in
(33:46):
their conversations or inconversations with them.
I think my biggest message wouldbe for people to hear that you
are enough because how you areexactly in this moment is who
you need to be in this moment.
And yes, there's always room forgrowth and becoming better.
Um, I don't I don't want someoneto say that, oh, I'm enough
(34:08):
means that I don't have to tomake changes or or do anything.
But I think it's so importantfor for people and maybe
especially women to know thatyou are enough right now with
everything that that you'veyou've got.
What you have to offer isenough.
SPEAKER_02 (34:28):
That is beautiful.
Thank you so much for that.
And I think you're right.
Every we all need to hear it,right?
And and I think we all, like weas a every single person in the
world needs to hear it.
But you're right.
I think women, women need tohear it maybe more.
I'm not, I don't know thatthat's true, but as a woman,
(34:49):
right, I I feel like we need tohear it more because that's who
I talk to, and we all seem tobelieve that we are not, right?
So yeah, thank you for that.
Well, this has been awesome.
I knew it was gonna be a greatconversation.
I had, you know, I I mean, I Ijust knew.
I knew that, you know, just fromchatting with you, you know,
(35:10):
this last few months, I knowthat um life is made to change,
right?
We can't always be the sameperson.
And I think I I I feel likethere's a lot of um, I don't
know what the word is, but wefeel like we're supposed to be
the same person all the time,right?
(35:30):
This is who I was in highschool, so that's who I have to
stay as, right?
But I mean, it when we lookback, I mean, in our 40s and our
50s, we've been through morethan high school.
High school is such a small,small, small, tiny part of our
life, right?
When we start getting into theadult world and then, you know,
getting married and havingfamilies, I mean, that creates
(35:53):
change in all of us.
And we need to allow that changeto become who we are, right?
Or become like we become thatchange.
I don't know the right way ofyou know forming that sentence,
but you know, we can't always bethe same, right?
And when we're in our 70s and80s, we're gonna look back and
say the same thing about our 40sand 50s, right?
(36:14):
Like that's who shaped, that'swhat shaped us to be who we are
right now, right?
And I think, like you said, wenot only are we enough, but we
need to accept that, right?
We need to accept that we arewho we are because of what we've
done and you know who we wereput here to be.
Awesome, awesome.
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00 (36:36):
Thank you for this opportunity.
I it was a pleasure.
SPEAKER_02 (36:39):
Oh, it was a great pleasure, thank you.
Thank you for tuning in toConfidence in Bloom.
I hope today's conversationreminded you that you're not
alone on this journey and thatyour confidence grows every time
you tell that itty bitty shittycommittee to hush.
If you're ready to take thiseven deeper, I'd love to invite
you to the Bloom Room, anurturing community where women
come together to releaseself-doubt, reconnect with
(37:01):
themselves, and bloom into thetruest version of who they're
meant to be.
Until next time, remember,confidence isn't something you
find, it's something that bloomsfrom within.
SPEAKER_01 (37:12):
Thanks for listening.
This show was brought to you byDivas That Care.
Connect with us on Facebook, onInstagram, and of course on
divas that care.com, where youcan subscribe to our newsletter
so you don't miss a thing.
It's Divas the Care Radio.
Stories, strategies, and ideasto inspire positive change.
Welcome to Divas The Care, anetwork of women committed to
making our world a better placefor everyone.
This is a global movement forwomen by women engaged in a
collaborative effort to create abetter world for future
generations.
(00:20):
To find out more about themovement, visit
divasThatCare.com after theshow.
Right now, though, stay tunedfor another jaunt of
inspiration.
SPEAKER_02 (00:31):
Welcome to Confidence in Bloom, the podcast
that reminds you that confidenceisn't about becoming someone
new, it's about coming home toyourself.
I'm your host, Tina Spellettini,and this season we're embracing
the theme End of Year, Beginningof Me.
A time to pause, reflect, andlet go of what no longer serves
you.
(00:51):
Together we'll explore realstories and soulful insights to
help you quiet that itty bittyshitty committee, release the
shoulds that weigh you down, andstep into the new year grounded
in self-love, clarity, andconfidence.
Today's conversation is going tobe a great one, of course.
I'm chatting with the founder ofA Million Dreams Coaching, Laura
(01:17):
Hill.
Laura guides women to rediscovertheir confidence and direction
through her transformationallife coaching and motivational
speaking.
After navigating her own journeyof reinvention, she now helps
others find clarity, courage,and purpose in both their
personal and professional lives.
So welcome, Laura.
(01:39):
Thank you.
I'm so honored to have you heretoday.
Um, let's get right into somequestions.
I want to know more about you,but first I want to ask you like
when you look back on 2025, whatversion of Laura are you the
most proud of?
And if she showed, like I guesswhat what's the most moment that
(02:05):
you're proud of that she showedup?
I don't know.
Does that does that questionmake sense?
I got it in my head.
I want to know like the momentthat you're the most proud of in
the last 20, like in the lastyear.
SPEAKER_00 (02:17):
I I feel like the one that I'm most proud of is
standing up on stage in front of200 people.
Uh I was always known as thequiet, shy person, like voted
the shyest person in highschool.
Um, and so for me to have grownover the years to a point where
I uh took the step to stand upin front of hundreds of people
(02:41):
to share a message that feltvery important to me was a huge
step for me and something thatI'm really proud of myself for
for doing and taking myself outof that comfort zone that I've
been in.
SPEAKER_02 (02:53):
Yeah, congratulations.
I was there.
You're talking about BizBrigade, right?
Yeah, I was there, I heard it,and I was like, wow, good for
you.
I was so proud too.
And I did I had never met youbefore, and I felt so good for
you because I know that's big,right?
I'm I have yet to do that.
I don't know that I ever will,right?
Um, but it it's a huge step.
SPEAKER_00 (03:15):
It is, and honestly, I loved it and I am excited for
more opportunities like it.
Um, I felt myself shaking thewhole time, but in that
nervousness, I also just I lovedit.
Just having a message that I wasreally inspired by and uh
something that meant so much tome that I was really excited
(03:38):
just to share it with people.
SPEAKER_02 (03:39):
Yeah, and I and I guess that's what it comes down
to, right?
When you believe in what you'resaying, right, it makes the job
so much easier, right?
Because I mean that that's ajob, right?
It's not that you just stand up,you know, first you have to
prepare what you're gonna say,but you have to like believe it,
right?
You have to like really embodywhat you're about to say, you
(04:00):
know.
I mean, it was a networkingevent, you know, but it was also
an event where, you know, youyou had there's potential
clients there, right?
You want people to know, like,and trust you.
And so that's a big deal.
So you're preparing your speech.
Plus, you're I don't know ifyou're like me, but you have to
walk through the room.
There was like tables of like200 women.
(04:20):
That alone is like a littlefreaky, right?
And then you're getting up onthe stage, you're being
introduced, so you know thateveryone in the room now is
looking at you.
And yeah, I I I get that feelingfor you because I I'm like, oh
my god, I can't, you know,walking, I hate walking into a
room late by myself.
Yes, right.
(04:41):
I like if I'm late and I'm bymyself, I will wait until people
are starting to move around,right?
Because I don't like that.
And really, if you're late,especially an meeting like this,
no one's gonna look at you.
They're looking up at the front.
But in my heart, I'm like, no,they're gonna see me.
I get it, I totally get it.
So in this year, do you likewith that like experience, do
(05:07):
you feel like you releasedsomething that wants to find
you?
Like you said, your shyness, andhow has that really opened up
space for who you're gonnabecome?
SPEAKER_00 (05:23):
I think one of the things that I feel like I'm
really what I have been workingon a lot this year is releasing
that should stuff.
All the times that you say, Oh,I should do something.
Um that's what kind of my focushas been this year is letting go
of all those things that I feltlike I was supposed to be doing.
(05:47):
And I think uh I for a long timedid things because I thought
it's what I needed to do to makeeveryone else happy.
And if I could just try harderor be better or show up
differently, all the shouldsthat I thought I needed to do to
(06:10):
make life better or make life ormake other people happier, I
realized over this last yearthat all my trying to be
somebody else for other peoplewasn't bringing happiness to
anybody.
And realizing that the more Ishowed up as myself, what felt
(06:30):
true to me, what held the valuesthat I had more and was more
authentic to who I was, thehappier I was.
And in me being happier, thehappier the people around me
became also.
SPEAKER_02 (06:46):
My gosh, I love I love that answer because that is
it's so real, right?
We are all, I mean, I don't knowthat everybody is people
pleasing, but I think, you know,just from growing up and the
people that were around me, andeven in the last, you know,
(07:07):
let's say 15, 20 years, there'sso much of that shooting on
ourselves, right?
I should do this and I should dothat, and I should go see this
person.
And I, you know, well, whatabout how like what do you
really want?
Right?
How how can I give to satisfyyou and me?
(07:27):
Right now, I used to tellmyself, but I want to do that.
I want to make that other personhappy, right?
But when that wanting you to behappy became me being unhappy,
right?
That's when I needed to sit backand go, wait a minute, it's
changed, right?
And am I giving myself, youknow, the love and the attention
(07:49):
that I need so that I can makeyou happy?
And I think that's kind of whatyou were saying, right?
SPEAKER_00 (07:55):
I like what you said about that.
Like, what is the real reasonwhy I'm doing this?
Am I doing it just because I'mtrying to make somebody else
happy at the expense of what'sgonna make me happy?
If we can do something becausewe want to help somebody,
knowing that it's going to bringus happiness, then that's a good
reason to do it.
SPEAKER_02 (08:13):
Right.
And and you we have to be happytogether, right?
Like if you're giving and givingand giving and really getting
nothing back, right, then whatis your purpose?
Right.
And I think, I think that's whatI went through.
I mean, I there were times whereI would sit back and go, but no,
but that is really what I dowant.
You know, I might not want it inthis way, but I do want that
(08:35):
connection, or I do want to makeher happy or or him happy, or
you know, who whatever thesituation was, you know.
But I think it also comes downto, you know, my way or no way.
Would you agree?
Yeah, yeah.
I love this.
I love these kind ofconversations because it makes
it makes me wonder like why wedo the things that we do.
(08:57):
What makes us want to makesomeone else happy and leave
ourselves behind?
SPEAKER_00 (09:05):
I think even in my own personal experience over the
last year, we do what we feellike we have to to keep
something feeling the way that'scomfortable for us.
It's easier to make someone elsehappier if it means that we can
(09:25):
stay comfortable.
SPEAKER_02 (09:27):
I think, yeah, like I think you hit that right on
the nose.
Like, I think comfort zone isimportant to all of us, right?
And and and I used to say jumpout of your comfort zone, but I
don't really actually believethat anymore.
I think that we need to becomfortable, you know, in order
for us to feel safe and um Iguess comfortable, we have to
(09:50):
stay there, but we can expandthat boundary, right?
Like I can still be comfortableand push it just a little bit,
right?
And then, you know, maybe nexttime push it a little bit even
further and still feel that I'mcomfortable and safe.
Right.
I love that.
Now, if if confidence had avoice, what would it be telling
(10:11):
you to leave behind as you stepinto your next chapter?
SPEAKER_00 (10:17):
For me, I feel like I would be leaving behind
comparison.
I feel that it's very easy forus to fall into a trap of
measuring our journey againstother people's journey.
But in doing that, we don'treally know what their journey
looks like.
And so our success compared tosomeone else's success isn't a
(10:39):
fair assessment because we eachhave our own challenges, we each
have our own lessons to learn,and we can't see someone else's
full picture.
And so when we're comparing oursuccess to someone else's
success, it sets us up forfailure because we're comparing
their best with what we'reprobably comparing as our not so
(11:02):
good parts.
And so if I can focus more onputting my attention on the wins
that I've had and the successesthat I've seen in my own life
and see the journey as being oneof constant growth, that would
be my goal.
SPEAKER_02 (11:18):
So that I again I really like that answer because
I think we all compare, right?
We all play that comparison gameand comparison like we compare
to others, but really what itcomes down to is every action
that we take comes down to ourbeliefs and our values, right?
And every person has a differentsystem of beliefs and values,
(11:43):
and so what you value comparedto what I value are probably
very different, and yet I'mcomparing my actions, my
successes to yours, right?
And so they don't they don'tequal up, right?
So yeah, and we're alwayslooking externally for that,
right?
We're always like but instead ofgoing inside and saying, okay,
(12:06):
so why did I do what I do?
Like, you know, what what is thereason why I'm doing what I'm
doing?
And is it really aligned withwhat I truly want?
Right.
And so that's I love that youanswered that.
My husband and I actually justhad a conversation the other
day, and we were, and I was, Ican't remember what the
conversation was about, but Itold him that I often compare
(12:27):
myself to, you know, a relativeof ours.
And, you know, I used to shedoes everything like she works
and she does, you know,gardening and she works in her
husband's business and she likeshe's everywhere, right?
And and then I was like, Ifocused so much on my kids that
I didn't really have the energyfor any of that, right?
(12:49):
I mean, obviously I did thethings that were important, but
I didn't focus on any of theother things.
And now when I look back atthat, man, wait, maybe we would
be even further ahead had I donethat.
But then I look at my kids and Ithink, well, if I'd have done
that, I would have had to likeum neglect my kids to some
degree, right?
And I think, you know, again,that's where the values and the
(13:11):
beliefs come in because what ismost important to you, that's
where you put your focus, right?
And I'm sure like you, I mean,you have six kids, you know,
right?
You know that if you neglectone, you're gonna neglect all,
right, to some degree, right?
SPEAKER_00 (13:26):
So I think sometimes it isn't even necessarily even
the neglect part of it.
It's just I like what you saidabout the value part.
So if I'm trying to grow mybusiness right now, how much do
I value the growth of mybusiness over how much do I
value the time spent with mychildren?
And it doesn't have to be aneglect, even, it could just be
(13:51):
something that is very importantto me, is playing games with my
kids.
It brings me so much happiness.
And so if I can take time everyday just to play some games with
my kids, that's what the valueis for me because my kids are
only going to be here with mefor a certain period of time,
and then they'll be off on theirown.
And then I have all this othertime that I can be doing
(14:13):
focusing on different things.
But for me, the most valuablething for me at this time of my
life is time spent with my kids.
And so it's just, I liked Iliked how you said, like you can
compare what other people aredoing, but without knowing their
values, it's not a faircomparison.
SPEAKER_02 (14:31):
Right.
If they don't enjoy time withtheir kids, right, they're
that's not gonna be a value tothem.
Not that they wouldn't, I mean,some people don't enjoy their
time with their kids, but youknow what I mean, right?
If that's not important to them,right?
And I'm reading a book rightnow, and off the top of my head,
I can't remember what it'scalled.
I think it's feel better fast orsomething.
But he says, and he's apsychiatrist, but he says, in
(14:54):
order to have a goodrelationship with your kids, all
you need is 20 minutes a daywith them.
That's it, that's all it takes,right?
Now, sometimes 20 minutes a day,it sounds, I mean, with six
kids, I can't, that's two hours,right?
I can't imagine, you know, likethat's a long time, right?
But it's 20 minutes for each kidin order for you for them to
(15:16):
feel valued by you and want tobe with you, right?
That's not very much time,right?
With 24 hours in a day, 20minutes is nothing, right?
So I that is that was astatistic that I was like, wow,
right?
Like that's that to me is awell.
Right.
Because you think I always usedto think, you know, you need to
(15:37):
spend like an afternoon, right?
Well, we don't, I was astay-at-home mom, and yeah, I
mean, I could have made thetime, but an afternoon with the
kids every day, that was it seeit felt like a lot, right?
And I did spend, I mean, I washome, so I did spend the time
with them, and I'm sure you didthe same with your kids, you
know.
But you know, when when you lookat it in a time perspective, 20
(15:58):
minutes is really not that much.
Right.
Anyway, let's get back tocomfort and courage.
What where did you live?
Where did your life where inyour life, let's I'm gonna get
myself together here, where inyour life did you choose courage
over comfort?
Obviously, that speech wouldhave taken a lot of courage.
(16:20):
Um, and what did that choicereveal about the direction
you're taking now?
SPEAKER_00 (16:27):
I think for me, I was thinking that choosing
courage over comfort is a dailyaction for me.
Every day I have the choice (16:38):
do I want to make phone calls?
Do I want to send emails?
Do I want to invite people to myworkshop?
Do I want to do a workshop?
All of these things are takingcourage when really sometimes it
seems so much easier just tosay, you know what, I'm just
gonna go watch a movie.
Or maybe in my case, I'm gonnaplay a few extra rounds of games
with my children because that'scomfort.
(17:00):
And it's way easier to do thecomfort than to reach out to all
these people that feelsintimidating to me.
And so every day I have to makethe choice of do I want to stay
in my comfort zone or do I wantto take a step towards the
vision that I've created for away to help other women?
SPEAKER_02 (17:23):
That's you know, that's another great answer.
Because really, if you don'ttake that step, if you don't,
you know, take on the courage todo it, if you're not gonna go
anywhere.
And I can I can tell you that'show it works because it's that's
how it is for me, right?
There's times where I have alist of things I want to do or I
need to do, and I would muchrather go sit on my couch and
(17:43):
either read a book or play on myphone, right?
Because that's easy, that'scomfort, right?
But at the end of the day,nothing grows, right?
You just stay stuck in thatsame, yeah.
Yeah, I love, I really like youranswers here.
Thank you.
And and and okay, so and whenyou're playing with your kids, I
mean, I don't know how I thinkyour your oldest is 18, am I
(18:07):
right?
Uh my oldest is actually 21.
21.
So, I mean, they're not they'renot babies anymore, but I would
love to be have my kids like youknow, 12, 14 again and you know,
hang out with mom.
Like, you know, mom, let's let'splay a game.
I would if I could go back intime, I would love that, right?
(18:27):
But it, I mean, let's face it,at 14, they were like, Mom, I
don't want to play with you,right?
Like, I'm not playing with you,right?
I mean, but I would, you know,if I could take that time back,
I would take that time back.
SPEAKER_00 (18:38):
I feel very lucky that I have that in my life
still.
Uh, my youngest are 12.
Uh, I have twins that are 12 andand so I still have that little
bit of a younger, but I lovethis stage because everybody is
very independent.
Right.
But uh my 19-year-old isprobably one of my most gung-ho
game players with me.
(18:59):
She'll play a game anytime.
Oh, I love that.
I love that chance to connect.
And I was gonna say too, like, Ifeel like uh with being a mom,
it's not even always the amountof time, it's the ability to
listen to what they're trying tosay and just hear them without
having to try and fix theproblem.
They just want to be heard, andthe more they feel heard, the
(19:22):
more they'll open up to you.
So um, maybe that's one of thereasons why I like playing games
with them is it's a chance justto play and talk, and there's no
agenda, there's just a chance toyeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:36):
Do you find yourself coaching your kids when they
come to you and say, Mom, thisis what happened to me?
Do you find yourself like usingyour coaching skills with them?
SPEAKER_00 (19:44):
It would depend probably on the child and the
circumstance.
Ah, um, I'm definitely findingmyself using different tools
that I'm learning to help myson.
Um, my son is a big part of thiswhole journey that I came on,
and uh I share my story abouthim in a lot of different areas,
(20:07):
but um he's autistic, and so I'malways looking for ways to help
him learn how to self-regulate alittle bit differently, um, and
try and encourage him to becomehis best self while still giving
(20:32):
him space to make his ownchoices, I guess I would say.
And so um even in trying toparent him or parent my children
in general, sometimes I findmyself just trying to coach
myself, like what is the bestway to handle this situation in
this moment in a way that willhelp them grow to become their
(20:53):
best selves.
SPEAKER_02 (20:53):
Right.
And that, you know, really Ithink at the end of the day,
that's probably the best, thebest, you know, um way to take
that, right?
We they have to learn, and youknow, I struggled with this a
lot, especially with the teenageyears.
They have to figure it out,right?
They we really, they like yousaid earlier, they want us just
(21:15):
to listen, right?
Just they want to be heard likeeverybody else in the world.
We just want to be heard, right?
And if you could be just alistening ear without giving the
advice and trying to fix theproblem, they can figure it out
because we all have the answersin us, right?
We just need that opportunity toexpress it because sometimes,
(21:36):
and most of us, I I believe I'veread somewhere that once we say
it out loud, it not only feelsreal, but all the the like the
stuff inside us starts to moveand it, you know, the the
solutions start coming up.
So that's that's really awesome.
I don't really know a whole lotof um, you know, parenting
(21:59):
autistic children.
I know that there's you know awide spectrum, and they
sometimes, you know, I justfinished watching the show
Parenthood on Netflix, andthere's a child in there that
has Asperger's, which is used tobe part of the autism spectrum.
I don't know now, I guess itdoesn't really exist.
I'm not really sure on how itworks, but there's also like an
adult who has it but was neverdiagnosed.
(22:23):
And so, you know, like thedynamic of living a life with it
and raising a child with this islike it's unbelievable because
you know, like as a parent, Iknow that three of my kids it
doesn't always work the samewith all three kids.
And then you throw in, you know,a disorder.
(22:43):
I don't know if it's called adisorder.
I hate to like I don't like tolabel that, but you know, this
autism, you know, this poorchild cannot understand what,
you know, like the parents aretrying to explain to him.
And so you watching that islike, wow, like parents had to
do a lot of self-coaching,right?
They had to work it out firstwith themselves before they
(23:04):
could handle him.
So I can kind of relate withwhat you're saying, or at least
understand with what you'resaying.
I don't, I didn't, you know, Ididn't have to deal with that
myself, but you know, I know, Imean, it's there's lots.
I know lots of people that havehad to deal with it.
And I can only imagine howdifficult it could be.
And with six kids, honestly, Ithink you're amazing, right?
(23:29):
I mean, like I think, yeah,three kids was difficult.
I can't even imagine any morethan that.
So good, good on you.
Well, thank you.
What now for the new year 2026?
Uh, do you have a dream or adesire that you're quietly
holding that maybe now deservesto take center stage in your
(23:52):
world?
SPEAKER_00 (23:54):
I think the dream that feels most alive inside
that I would love to have becomecenter stage in my life for the
new year would be retreats.
I would love to host retreatsfor women, uh, where I can give
people a place to come and feelrejuvenated, connect with other
(24:17):
people, and be able to gainclarity on their purpose and
their dreams.
I want to be able to build anexperience that reminds women
how powerful and capable theyare and really help them to
return to their lives feelinginspired and alive again.
SPEAKER_02 (24:35):
Oh, that sounds amazing.
I uh I think retreats are sopopular right now, and there's
so many different kinds, right?
I mean, there's people, youknow, there's go away retreats,
there's you know, come to myhouse retreats, there's let's go
to a restaurant, you know, likethere's so many different ways
of having it.
And, you know, women lookforward to that.
(24:56):
I don't know, I don't know ifmen are into it as much, but
women like I like we heard wehear the word retreat and we're
like, oh, where is it?
What's it about?
Can I come?
Right?
Like it just seems to be likethe thing right now, right?
So it's great that you'regetting into that.
I mean, I know you haven't haveyou started planning any yet, or
is that just something that'smaybe you know further down the
(25:17):
road?
SPEAKER_00 (25:19):
Um more my goal, my goal is to have one, well, at
least one for the new year, butI do not have any dates set yet,
or picked a place even where Iwould love it to be.
So it's definitely kind of inthat quiet dream place right
now.
I love it.
I love it.
But I mean, I look forward tohaving it come alive.
SPEAKER_02 (25:40):
Yeah, well, and it's starting it all, everything
starts with the dream.
And so, you know, dreams areallowed to come to life at some
point, right?
And it might not be for thisyear, but at least you know
you're working towards it.
So, how can you lead yourselfwith more compassion, clarity,
and conviction moving forward?
SPEAKER_00 (26:03):
I I don't know if you saw it at the thing that the
event that we were at.
I had on the table, I had avendor table, and on the table I
had a paper for people to read.
If they wanted, they could takeone home.
And it was called the BambooWithin.
And this has become somethingthat I I read to myself often as
(26:26):
a reminder of who I'm becoming.
Um, I don't know if you knowmuch about the story of how
bamboo grows.
SPEAKER_02 (26:34):
Not really, no.
SPEAKER_00 (26:36):
So you can start with a bamboo, and the first
year it will grow maybe an inch,and the second year it'll grow
maybe an inch, and the thirdyear another inch, and the
fourth year another inch.
And then by about year five, allof a sudden it just shoots up
several feet, like somewherebetween nine and ninety, with a
(26:58):
crazy amount of growth in just avery short period of time, and
so you look at those first fouryears where it seemed like
nothing is happening, but whenyou look really closely, those
first four years was all aboutthe roots growing and
developing, and so I took thatidea and kind of created this um
(27:25):
kind of like a meditationalmost, or just like a something
to ponder on, and I called itthe bamboo within.
And essentially, just kind of ona smaller scale, it's it's
reminding me that I'm like abamboo.
There's all this time that'shappening in the beginning years
(27:47):
where I'm growing my roots,where I'm learning the lessons
that will help me be a stronger,better, more confident version
of myself, which will give me abetter support system for myself
when that big growth, big growthcomes.
And so whenever I feel like I'mstruggling on where I'm at at
(28:09):
the moment, feeling like I'm notdoing enough or having the
success that I felt like Iwanted to be having at this
time, I remind myself that I'mjust in that early stages of the
bamboo growth where you can'tsee that big growth on the
outside because the big growthis all happening inside.
And so the more I can havecompassion on myself to allow
(28:31):
myself that time to grow myroots and really become strong
in who I am, then the more I cango forward with more intention
and clarity in in how I live mylife.
SPEAKER_02 (28:45):
I love that.
I love that.
I didn't, I think I actuallyremember you telling me
something about the bamboo.
Now you said it, when it's likegrows slowly for the first few
years and then it just kind ofyou know grows.
And I think bamboo is also oneof those things that you can't
like you can't kill it.
Am I right?
Like it's kind of like alwaysthere.
SPEAKER_00 (29:07):
That one I'm not sure about.
Now I'm gonna have to look intothat.
SPEAKER_02 (29:10):
Yeah, I it I think I heard sometime one time that you
you can't really kill a bambootree.
Well, I mean, I don't I can'tgrow a tree, so I don't know,
right?
I'm not green thumb at all, so II could probably kill it.
But I I think I've heardsomething like that.
So if in 2026 were titled TheBeginning of Me, what would your
(29:34):
first chapter be called?
SPEAKER_00 (29:39):
I think I would call it Becoming Me.
Because I think that thischapter would be about reminding
myself that I'm not reinventingmyself.
It's about returning to who I'vealways been, beneath the layers
of expectations and the layersof fear.
(30:00):
It's about being able to standin my own truth and being rooted
in love and creating from aplace of authenticity.
I want to be able to remember totake away the expectations and
living from those shoulds andgiving myself space to become
(30:23):
me.
SPEAKER_02 (30:24):
That's absolutely beautiful.
I love that.
I love that.
And I think 2026 is going to bean awesome year.
You know, I mean, you've you'vecome out of your comfort zone a
lot this year, right?
And I feel like, you know, youknow where you're headed, right?
You you've got you've got yourfeet on the ground.
(30:45):
You've and I mean it's prettyobvious to me that you know
where you're where you have togo.
And we're all we all havesetbacks, you know, like there's
nothing carved in stone thatonce you get your feet planted,
it's just go from there.
I mean, we all have those, youknow, those setbacks.
Growth doesn't happen just likethat.
It, you know, you you have totake the little baby steps to do
(31:05):
the next thing that makes youfeel happy, first of all,
because if you're not happy withthe growth, it doesn't become,
it's not gonna be growth, right?
If you're not feeling happy andexcited about what you're doing,
you're gonna pull yourself back,right?
And you you've been, I mean, tobe named the shyest person in
(31:26):
high school to standing up infront of a stage, you know,
standing up on a stage in frontof 200 people.
I mean, I don't know how longago high school was, that's a
huge feat, right?
I don't think, you know, I mean,standing in front of 30 people
like it makes me like kind of mymy throat kind of closes up,
right?
(31:46):
I'm like, I don't know that Icould do that, right?
And it's like in person, like II don't have a problem talking
on the phone or on the camera,right?
But on the in front, likestanding in front of a group of
people, I I don't know why thatis.
I don't, you know, I am notready for that.
You did it, and you did it withgrace, and you like honestly, I
(32:07):
was like, that's her first time,right?
Like, there's no way, like sheyou you didn't sound nervous,
you didn't sound unprepared.
It was beautiful.
So watching you and then hearingyour and you know, hearing where
you're wanting to go, I thinkit's absolutely beautiful.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
Yeah, well, did is thereanything sorry?
SPEAKER_00 (32:31):
I'm excited for the new year, yes, and so you should
be.
SPEAKER_02 (32:34):
I think 2000, I think things in the world are I
I get this feeling, and I'm notpsychic in any way, but I get
this feeling that 2026 is gonnabe very different from 2025.
Now, that could be just for me,right?
Because I mean, my husband and Ihave gone into we've kind of
we're going into a transitionperiod, but I also think that
(32:55):
the world is gonna be a littlebit different, and I don't know
in what way.
I don't follow the news, I don'tfollow politics, so I don't
really know what's going on, butat the same time, I just feel
like there's a shift coming.
So let's hope, let's hope I'mright, and I hope it's for the
positive because we've hadenough negative.
Is there anything that you wouldlike to add?
(33:16):
Uh tell our custom our c ourlisteners, you know, maybe a
piece of advice for the end ofthe year.
SPEAKER_00 (33:23):
Would want to share.
And one of the lessons that I'vereally been trying to learn
myself over this last year, umfor me, this last year has been
a very challenging year.
Um, a lot of personal growth inmyself through some
circumstances that I've beenthrough and uh also in in being
able to work with a couple ofclients and have it come up in
(33:46):
their conversations or inconversations with them.
I think my biggest message wouldbe for people to hear that you
are enough because how you areexactly in this moment is who
you need to be in this moment.
And yes, there's always room forgrowth and becoming better.
Um, I don't I don't want someoneto say that, oh, I'm enough
(34:08):
means that I don't have to tomake changes or or do anything.
But I think it's so importantfor for people and maybe
especially women to know thatyou are enough right now with
everything that that you'veyou've got.
What you have to offer isenough.
SPEAKER_02 (34:28):
That is beautiful.
Thank you so much for that.
And I think you're right.
Every we all need to hear it,right?
And and I think we all, like weas a every single person in the
world needs to hear it.
But you're right.
I think women, women need tohear it maybe more.
I'm not, I don't know thatthat's true, but as a woman,
(34:49):
right, I I feel like we need tohear it more because that's who
I talk to, and we all seem tobelieve that we are not, right?
So yeah, thank you for that.
Well, this has been awesome.
I knew it was gonna be a greatconversation.
I had, you know, I I mean, I Ijust knew.
I knew that, you know, just fromchatting with you, you know,
(35:10):
this last few months, I knowthat um life is made to change,
right?
We can't always be the sameperson.
And I think I I I feel likethere's a lot of um, I don't
know what the word is, but wefeel like we're supposed to be
the same person all the time,right?
(35:30):
This is who I was in highschool, so that's who I have to
stay as, right?
But I mean, it when we lookback, I mean, in our 40s and our
50s, we've been through morethan high school.
High school is such a small,small, small, tiny part of our
life, right?
When we start getting into theadult world and then, you know,
getting married and havingfamilies, I mean, that creates
(35:53):
change in all of us.
And we need to allow that changeto become who we are, right?
Or become like we become thatchange.
I don't know the right way ofyou know forming that sentence,
but you know, we can't always bethe same, right?
And when we're in our 70s and80s, we're gonna look back and
say the same thing about our 40sand 50s, right?
(36:14):
Like that's who shaped, that'swhat shaped us to be who we are
right now, right?
And I think, like you said, wenot only are we enough, but we
need to accept that, right?
We need to accept that we arewho we are because of what we've
done and you know who we wereput here to be.
Awesome, awesome.
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00 (36:36):
Thank you for this opportunity.
I it was a pleasure.
SPEAKER_02 (36:39):
Oh, it was a great pleasure, thank you.
Thank you for tuning in toConfidence in Bloom.
I hope today's conversationreminded you that you're not
alone on this journey and thatyour confidence grows every time
you tell that itty bitty shittycommittee to hush.
If you're ready to take thiseven deeper, I'd love to invite
you to the Bloom Room, anurturing community where women
come together to releaseself-doubt, reconnect with
(37:01):
themselves, and bloom into thetruest version of who they're
meant to be.
Until next time, remember,confidence isn't something you
find, it's something that bloomsfrom within.
SPEAKER_01 (37:12):
Thanks for listening.
This show was brought to you byDivas That Care.
Connect with us on Facebook, onInstagram, and of course on
divas that care.com, where youcan subscribe to our newsletter
so you don't miss a thing.
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