Embracing Change with Nicole Mixdorf

Understanding and embracing change — whether it was your idea to change or not — will help you handle it better and make the most of it. That’s why episode 33 of The Positively Living Podcast is about embracing change!

Why is change so hard? Why do we fear it? Resist it? Immediately think it’s for the worst instead of a good thing? The reasons might surprise you, unless you’ve been listening to the podcast for awhile. Understanding and embracing change — whether it was your idea to change or not — helps you handle it better and make the most of it. And that’s what my guest and I are talking about today.

Have you heard the expression the only constant is change? I feel like there are some days it’s more accurate than others…or in the case of 2020, some years. My guest and I reflect on change and what it means for us, especially in light of everything we’ve experienced in 2020. But what we talk about applies to any season of change in your life, whether you initiated it or not.

Today I welcome Nicole Mixdorf to the Positively Living Podcast.

Nicole Mixdorf is the Chief Wellness Officer of Balance by Nature and a motivational leader who inspires people to be the absolute best that they can be. She spent over a decade working her way up the corporate ladder in a global firm, until she experienced the debilitating health consequences of a stressful work environment. After healing her body, she launched Balance by Nature to inspire busy professionals to create more balance in their lives and thrive.

Nicole and I have similar stories in that we both experienced burnout and made intentional changes to heal and to help others. We both know change can be good…can be necessary. But if that’s so, why doesn’t it seem that popular with most people? A big part of this resistance comes from the unplanned kind of change. It’s one thing to decide you’re going to make changes and you do your best to create new habits (which can still be a challenge). But when change wasn’t your idea and wasn’t expected, your first response is often fear. Our brains like certainty and we can perceive change as a threat. The key to shifting our response is to see it, instead, as an opportunity. This distinction highlights the difference between fixed and growth mindset.

In today’s conversation, Nicole and I cover the resistance we feel and why, our stress responses and how fear plays into that, and the steps we can take to manage unplanned change and take back our power. Nicole describes a practice that will help you see the opportunity when change is thrust upon you — you’ll want to listen for that as it’s a key step in turning around your initial resistance. We also discuss how to seek out what works and what’s good in what is happening, which lends itself so beautifully to gratitude.

We cover a variety of topics: stress, fear, authenticity, and gratitude to name a few and there are Positively Living Podcast episodes on each of these topics I’d recommend you visit or revisit. For Stress, check out episodes 6 and 13 and for gratitude, episode 4…plus you’ll find references to it sprinkled throughout many episodes. Most recently, episodes 30 and 31cover taking action through fear and authenticity in life and business.

It never ceases to amaze me how these topics keep coming up over and over again, but it makes sense because it’s all connected and my conversation with Nicole highlights that beautifully. If you’d like to explore this topic more and have access to a Q&A directly with Nicole, be sure to join the Positively Living Membership Community. This membership offers accountability and action taking support for less than $20/month and extends the podcast topics in a way that helps you go from learning to living them. Head to positivelyproductive.com/membership to enroll and I look forward to seeing you there!

Thank you for listening! Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips to create space for what really matters in your life.

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