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The New Year Goal Setting Process That's Changed My Life
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In this behind-the-scenes New Year episode, executive coach Leanna McGrath shares the goal setting process she uses every year—and how it’s helped her build a life and career in alignment with her values and vision. Designed for executive moms, working mothers, and high-achieving women, this episode explores why reflection matters, how consistency beats intensity, and what actually keeps ambitious women following through on their goals. If you’re ready for a more sustainable approach to the New Year—without burnout—this episode will help you approach 2026 differently.
Ready to make 2026 the year you achieve your goals? Join the 2026 January Reset for High Achieving Women!
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast and Theme
00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome to the Executive Coach for Moms podcast, where we support women who are attempting to find balance and joy while simultaneously leading people at work and at home.
00:00:14
Speaker
I'm your host, Leanna Lasky-McGrath, former tech exec turned full-time mom, recovering perfectionist and workaholic, and certified executive coach.
Optimism for the Future and Reflecting on the Past
00:00:27
Speaker
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2026. We it. we made it So great to see you. I'm so glad you're joining me for the very first day of this new year. I love new year energy. I just think that there's so much hope and optimism. I think especially coming off of a year like 2025, we feel like let's put that in the past. Let's look forward to what we can create in this new year, what we can do better, how we can make the world better. So i am excited about this new year and I hope you are too.
Goal Setting and Reflection Process
00:01:01
Speaker
So what I want to talk about today is just to share my process of what I do every year at this time of year. And hopefully it can help you. And maybe you want to do something similar. i have been doing a process like this for about 10 years And it has created massive positive results in my life.
00:01:25
Speaker
It brings me closer and closer to my dream life. And it helps me to live in alignment. It helps me to stay on track. and also just to support myself in asking myself the questions of what do I need and how do I continue moving this forward and what do I want to set down and what do I want to carry forward into the new year. So the first part of my process is all to look back on the previous year.
00:01:52
Speaker
I think that especially as high achievers, we like to charge forward. We just love forward progress. That's our default. And we just want to keep on going. And so before we plan what's next, I think it's really important to look back at what actually happened, because if we don't stop and check in and evaluate, then we're going to keep repeating the same mistakes that we have in the past. We are not going to be able to really tangibly see how far we've come because when we make incremental progress throughout the year, it's very easy to overlook that. And it's really important that we celebrate ourselves and we just celebrate our accomplishments because that gives us energy and momentum and fuels us for future accomplishments.
Flawless Execution Model
00:02:40
Speaker
So I read this book several years back called Flawless Execution, and it introduces the model used by the United States Air Force. And if you think about the Air Force, accuracy is kind of important. It is crucial because when mistakes are made, lives can potentially be lost. So I think that they have this model down... pretty well. And I think it's something that we can use as well. The book is all about how to apply it to business. And I really enjoyed it.
00:03:12
Speaker
And I enjoy applying it in business as well as in my personal life. And the model is to plan, brief, execute, debrief. So plan out your goals, figure out what you're going to do this year, brief, talk to the people around you, talk to your team members, your family members, yourself, make sure everybody understands what's happening, what the goals are, what the plan is, and then execute the plan and then debrief. And I think that that debrief step is so, so common for us to just skip over and move on to the next thing, start a new plan. And really we want to jump right into execution most of the time.
00:03:50
Speaker
But when we skip over the debrief, we lose so much of the learning because we don't synthesize it. We don't document it We don't really crystallize it and make it a crucial part of our learning.
00:04:05
Speaker
And I think a lot of times the reason that we don't do this part is because of how we are going to feel if we didn't meet our goals, because we're going to usually beat ourselves up and feel bad and feel like failures and feel shame and guilt and all the terrible emotions that we make ourselves feel whenever we don't do something that we said we were going to do or we don't live up to our own expectations
Goal Setting, Setbacks, and Adaptability
00:04:33
Speaker
of ourselves. But that is all optional. We don't have to feel all of those terrible feelings in a debrief. If you had just done a project at work and you were debriefing it at the conclusion of the project, There's no need for it to be something where you're shaming everybody for their mistakes, right? Like that feels terrible. No one would do that. No one would stay motivated to do the next project and work environment. And similarly, when you're with yourself, and you're debriefing what goals you met and didn't meet and what you did well and what you didn't do well, there's no need for shame. It's just all information.
00:05:11
Speaker
And it's all about extracting wisdom. So I'm going to talk about my debrief of 2025. I'm going to talk about some of my big goals that I had for this past year and where I met the goals, where I came up short, so that you can hear how I'm thinking about it.
00:05:30
Speaker
So last year at this time, when I was looking ahead at 2025, I had three goals. i always like to set three. I think three is attainable.
00:05:40
Speaker
it's a good number. It's my favorite number. And it just allows us to actually stay focused without feeling like we're spread too thin. Sometimes I only set two so that I can focus on them. And then if I meet one of them, that'll set another one mid-year.
00:05:56
Speaker
So for me, my number one goal for 2025 was I had a very big revenue goal for my business. Number two was to complete a triathlon.
00:06:08
Speaker
I used to do triathlons before I got pregnant with my daughter and I haven't done a triathlon for seven years and I haven't trained for them. I have been strength training for the past year, but i haven't done endurance training.
00:06:21
Speaker
So that was a goal as well. And then my third goal was to maintain balance. I wanted to meet these goals, but not at the expense of my personal life And my relationship with my daughter and my husband and my family and my friends wanted to really find a good balance.
00:06:39
Speaker
And then i had these, i wouldn't call them sub goals, just kind of more directional, like the way that I wanted to live and show up in 2025. And they were less consuming, more connecting.
00:06:55
Speaker
consistency over intensity, small steps every day add up to big change, consistent creation, unstifled by perfection, and be more myself unapologetically. So those were my big goals and my kind of identity type goals. And when I set these, I wasn't trying to like add a bunch more stuff to my plate. I think that's important to notice. I wasn't like, Ooh, I'm going to take on so much more and try to slice up my schedule and cram more in. i was really trying to be really intentional about how I wanted to show up, how I wanted to do do things differently.
00:07:35
Speaker
So then let's talk about when I look back, what the year actually looked like in terms of those three big goals and also in how I wanted to show up this year. In some ways, I met the goals and in other ways, I did
2025 Goals Review and Insights
00:07:51
Speaker
not. So first, my big revenue goal, I did not meet the revenue goal that I set out to meet 2025. I did increase my revenue year over year, and i probably brought in a lot more than I would have if I wasn't set on that big goal.
00:08:07
Speaker
I think what happens a lot of times whenever we have set big goals for ourselves in the past and then not achieve them is that we stop setting goals altogether. We just kind of abandon the whole goal setting process because we're like, well, if I don't meet it, then I'm going to feel terrible. and I don't want to feel those negative emotions that I'm going to feel if I don't meet my goal.
00:08:30
Speaker
And i have definitely done this as well. I've been coached on this by my coach because I think it's definitely common for us high achievers where we want to achieve, we want to succeed and we don't want to fall short and we feel terrible whenever we do. And so then our brain is like, okay, well, I know a solution here. Let's just not set any more goals that are too big for us to achieve. And then we won't fall short and we can still feel good. So I did set this big revenue goal.
00:09:00
Speaker
I did not meet the goal. And I'm going to tell right now, I do not feel terrible about myself for it because i have looked back at what I did. And now I have all this information and data that I can use to make changes in my business for 2026. And using that information is going to help me to meet my goal for 2026, because I am not going to lower that revenue goal. Of course i am going to keep after it in 2026. So that was my first goal again, no shame in not meeting it. Of course I feel disappointment, but I also learned so much and I'm excited now.
00:09:39
Speaker
Like I'm even more excited about 2026 because I'm like, let's go. Now I know what I need to do. So that was my first one. My second one was to complete a triathlon. And just like stepping back, I think that the goal of completing the triathlon, that was the big goal. But there is a lot that goes into endurance training for a multi-sport event.
00:10:02
Speaker
So when you're doing triathlon, it's swim, bike, and run. i also have started incorporating a lot of strength training. I have really kind of fallen in love with strength training, which I never thought I would say, but I wanted to incorporate this time. So I was essentially having four different kinds of workouts every week to try to fit into my schedule and prioritize. And because it was one of my big goals, I was prioritizing it. And because balance was one of my big goals as well, I was also finding ways of like, how can i incorporate my daughter in this training? So whenever possible, if I was going for a swim session on the weekends, then i would have my husband bring her to the pool as well. And they would go play in the kiddie pool and I would do laps and then we could play together afterwards. She loves riding her bike as well. So every once in a while she would come up with me. to ride. And obviously I wasn't riding for speed and distance, but more for fun and just enjoying the process and getting in some miles. I learned that she loves to run on the track. So
00:11:07
Speaker
she would run around the track while I was running the tracks. Whenever I looked at how I want to show up for the year, I found ways of meeting both goals. And then one thing that I was really proud of was in prioritizing consistency over intensity. I think that anytime I have started a workout program or training program in the past, it's like go all in, work out hard, and then burn myself out after a few months. i do it for a while and then I stop.
00:11:36
Speaker
And so at the beginning of the year, I said, i don't want to do that. I want to work out every single week this year. That was my goal. I want to work out every single week. I want to prioritize consistency over intensity. And some weeks I'm going work out one time a week and other weeks I'm going work out six days a week. And so that's what I did throughout the year. And I'm so proud of myself, honestly, because it's the longest that I've been doing. that I've been doing this since October, 2024, which is when I started working with a personal trainer, which by the way, highly recommend the personal trainer, because then you've got the accountability, like you're paying for it. You have an appointment. and you go to the gym and you do the thing and you knock out your workout for that week. And so some weeks that was all I did, but most weeks I also worked out at home. I would do at least one more strength training session. And then of course, when I started my training program for triathlon, I was also running and swimming and biking.
00:12:35
Speaker
So I think that when I look back on that specific goal, what I'm most proud of is It wasn't necessarily about the big goal. I did sign up for a race. I actually didn't end up doing the triathlon because the run portion was a trail run, which I learned when I went and did the race preview. And I'm more of a track girl. It rained all week before that and overnight. And so it was really muddy. i just had a hip surgery a couple of years back. And the race director was like, people always get hurt on this. Like someone will always fall. And I was like, oh my gosh, I don't want that to be me. And I was finding myself just dreading the race. And so I almost pulled out. You know, I was like, I don't want to do this. And then I realized, you know what? I do want to do this I just don't want to do the run portion. That's just the part I don't want to do. i really want to do the bike and the swim. So they have an Aqua bike option for this race. And so that's what I did. i just switched my registration to that. And I did the swim and the bike and it was so much fun. My whole family
Micro Decisions and Big Goals Framework
00:13:38
Speaker
came and watched. We went out to breakfast afterwards. It was amazing. And my little nieces and my daughter were there cheering me on and they got to see what's possible whenever you set a goal and work towards it. But I think in that, one of the things that I found was so beneficial was really learning to build the muscle of making all the little micro decisions throughout the day and changing some of my default patterns. So often we start off the year super, super motivated and we're like, yes, I feel so excited and energized and optimistic and hopeful. And then we get going in the year and then we start making these tiny decisions like, oh, I'm not going to go to the gym today or I'm not even going to look at my workout program and track my progress. We start to slowly disengage from the goal and then we end up almost always quitting. That's why when they talk about New Year's resolutions, so many are abandoned each year because we're relying on that energy and that motivation that we feel at the beginning of the year. But what it really comes down to is making a bunch of different decisions throughout the day, little micro decisions that we don't usually give too much thought to. Like I'm on the way to the gym and I have an hour to work out once I get there. And I get a call from my best friend and like, do I answer it and sit there and talk to her for 30 minutes and then be like, Oh, well, there's no point in going in now or cut my workout at time in half.
00:15:19
Speaker
Or do I check in and make sure it's not an emergency and then go in? or let her know I'm going to call you on my way home from the gym because this is a priority for me, right? It's those tiny micro decisions that we have to make every single day that don't feel big, but that are so important.
00:15:41
Speaker
And I think in my third goal of maintaining balance, same thing, a lot of little decisions throughout the day of like, okay, my daughter's home from school now. I still have a long to do list. What am I going to do?
00:15:58
Speaker
You know, I need to make a decision. Am I going to try and be half here and half with her and half get my work done? am I going disengage with my work for a little bit, spend some time with her? Am I going tell her, sorry, I need to finish this work. There is no right answer.
00:16:13
Speaker
Although for me, probably 99.9% the time there is a wrong answer. And that is trying to split myself into doing two things at the same time, but what I choose in those moments add up over time and lead to me feeling balanced or totally out of balance.
00:16:34
Speaker
Obviously maintaining balance is very subjective. And so in terms of that goal, For me, I felt like I maintained a good balance this year. So I think one of the big things I learned from 2025 is that obviously big goals are more sexy. Complete a triathlon after seven years in hip surgery and a C-section, like, whoa, that is a big goal. And that's really sexy. And it's an amazing thing to feel like, yes, I accomplished that.
00:17:05
Speaker
And also I feel so much more proud of myself, honestly, for maintaining a consistent workout routine all year long and for honoring myself and choosing myself day in and day out. Not every day, not perfectly, but i did it every single week this year.
00:17:24
Speaker
And to me, that is a huge win. And so I think that sometimes, of course, like set your big sexy goals. But also when we only focus on the big sexy goals, sometimes they feel super overwhelming and we might put all of our eggs into that basket and then judge ourselves if we don't meet it. I mean, technically I did not meet two of my goals this year, but like to me, it's more about all of the habits that I created and practices and disciplines that weren't there before that I didn't possess 2024, that I intentionally worked to build that muscle. And I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't set the big goals, but it's like, do you see big goal? Isn't the point?
00:18:10
Speaker
One of my coaches always says a big goal isn't a place to get to. It's a place to come from because it's like, okay, if I am a triathlete, how do I approach my day today? It's like you're coming from that place. if If I am a person who has balance in my life, how do I approach my day today? If I am a person who has this level of income and revenue into my business, What do I do today?
00:18:42
Speaker
How do I show up to today? They just help us to stay on track and to make decisions throughout our days. But the point of it isn't necessarily the big goal. The point of it is who we're becoming in the process and how we are changing ourselves. in the process, in positive ways to get ourselves closer and closer to our goals.
00:19:05
Speaker
Because I know that there are so many people out there who abandon goals when life gets hard. And I am going to tell you right now that prior to 2025, was one of those people.
00:19:18
Speaker
I know that there are so many of us who we get started out at the beginning of the year and we feel so excited and so ready. and then something comes up or we get sick or our kids get sick. i know the flu is terrible this year. So some of you might be listening to this from your bed and we feel like, oh man, now I'm thrown out.
00:19:36
Speaker
I can't meet that goal. I'm totally off track. And there are so many women, especially who assume that consistency means perfection.
00:19:46
Speaker
When in reality, it just means continuing. One of the things that i tried to embrace this year was when you think about that fable about the tortoise and the hare and slow and steady wins the race. That has never been me.
Resilience and Consistency in Goal Pursuit
00:20:00
Speaker
I have always been the hare. I have always been like fast out the gate. Let's go. So excited. And then I lose momentum. I lose energy and I slow down and eventually stop And it doesn't even feel like a conscious decision. It just feels like, i don't know, all this stuff came up and life happened and and I got off track.
00:20:20
Speaker
And i know that that's true for so many people. And since I learned this skill in 2025, wanted to create program. wanted to create a program where I could teach that to more women of how do you bring yourself back whenever you get knocked out? Because let's just be honest, this year, 2026, as optimistic and as hopeful as we feel about it,
00:20:44
Speaker
right now, today on day one, stuff's going to come up. Life's going to happen. Life is 50-50. So there are going to be good things that happen and there are going to be bad things that happen. and we get to decide, do we want to let that keep us from meeting our goals? Do we want to let those things knock us out like they have every year before? And if you want to make 2026 the year where you actually follow through and stick to those goals and learn the very important skill of bringing yourself back when you get knocked out, then I would like to invite you to join the January reset for high achieving women, because that is what I'm going to teach you. Because I think that this is such an essential life skill. And what I want to do is to bring
00:21:35
Speaker
a group of high achieving women together. executives, moms, leaders, anyone who has goals for themselves that they want to achieve. If you want to learn the skill of how do I get myself back on track when I get knocked off? How do i shorten the amount of time that I'm knocked off track? How do i reduce that and get myself back faster?
00:21:57
Speaker
Then this is the program
Programs for High-Achieving Women
00:21:59
Speaker
for you. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this program because this is something that I have wanted for so long. And I finally know how to do it. And I finally have the formula and I just want to teach it to you.
00:22:14
Speaker
And it's going to take more than a podcast episode. I think it will be so much better where we're in a container, where we can share stories, where you can see me coach you or other women who have been knocked off so that that way you can see how we get back on.
00:22:30
Speaker
You can feel it. You can experience it for yourself so that throughout the year when it happens, you can do it for yourself. So if that sounds like a skill that you want to have, and I want you to have, and I want everybody to have this skill, then head on over to coachleanna.com and get registered.
00:22:46
Speaker
I always make my January program a very accessible price. It's the lowest price that I offer of any of my programs because I want everyone there. and As an added bonus for being a podcast listener, if you use the code podcast, you'll actually get a discount as well.
00:23:05
Speaker
So head on over to coachleana.com, sign up. We have got to get you in this program. I want to teach this so badly to as many women as possible. So please tell your friends, invite them, tell everyone you know about this program and come and join us.
00:23:21
Speaker
I cannot wait to see you there. Okay. So as we head into 2026, if you haven't already, please be sure to debrief 2025. Ask yourself questions like what worked? What didn't work? What did you learn about yourself?
00:23:35
Speaker
What do you want to do differently in 2026? Real change does not come from having a perfect plan. It comes from small intentional choices made over and over again, even when life is happening, even when challenges arise. All right, everyone. Happy 2026. I hope to see you in the January reset and I'm wishing you an amazing, amazing year.
Coaching Program for Executive Moms
00:24:06
Speaker
If you're loving what you're learning on this podcast, I'd love to invite you to check out the executive mom reset. It's my six-month coaching program for ambitious, success-driven, career-focused women who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.
00:24:22
Speaker
Together, we'll tackle the stress, guilt, and overwhelm that come with being a high-achieving executive mom. You'll learn how to set boundaries, prioritize what truly matters, and build the confidence to show up powerfully at work, at home, and for yourself.
00:24:36
Speaker
Head on over to CoachLeanna.com right now, to schedule a free discovery call. We'll spend an hour talking about where you are now, what you wanna create, and how I can help you get there. Because every woman deserves to live the life of her dreams.
00:24:50
Speaker
Let's create yours together.