Description

Are your goals inspiring you—or overwhelming you? Ever feel like your relationship with goals is more “complicated” than “motivating”? You’re not alone. Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about making progress when big ambitions feel heavy, and how the power of “quarter turns”—small, consistent tweaks—can transform your results in work, health, and life. If you’re ready to end the year strong without burning out, let’s talk about how to make your goals work for you, one simple step at a time.

Highlights

• Reflections from the Global Leadership Summit and insights from John Acuff’s “All It Takes is a Goal”
• Real talk: how people describe their relationship with goals (spoiler: it’s not always positive)
• The concept of “quarter turns” and why small changes matter more than big overhauls
• Personal stories about family routines, health, and building better habits
• The difference between goals and results—and why focusing on effort is the real game-changer
• Practical tweaks for making progress, even when life feels chaotic
• Encouragement for anyone feeling overwhelmed as the year wraps up

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome & gratitude

00:23 – Why talk about goals? Global Leadership Summit recap

01:15 – Partnering with the Global Leadership Summit & John Acuff’s influence

01:51 – Community impact and the GLS Next Leader program

02:42 – Group discussion: “Describe your relationship with goals in one word”

03:12 – Why goals feel heavy (and why that’s normal)

03:57 – The real challenge: systems behind the goals

04:22 – Dreaming vs. executing on goals

04:54 – What I’m learning: the power of “quarter turns”

05:20 – The “quarter turn” metaphor from cycling and life

06:12 – How small steps add up (and why I used to resist them)

06:43 – Learning from my team: consistency over perfection

07:10 – Family routines: the “nightly three” for smoother evenings

08:00 – Health changes: using a blood test to make better choices

09:00 – The surprising impact of one small dietary tweak

10:00 – Focusing on effort, not just results

11:00 – Separating goals from results: a writing example

12:00 – Why your goals should be in your control

13:00 – Final encouragement: finish the year with small, meaningful steps

14:00 – Wrap up & see you next week

Resources

• Global Leadership Summit
• John Acuff, All It Takes is a Goal
• Substack (for building a writing habit)

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.