AP 816: The Cover Design Journey for Sticky Habits || From My Original Vision to the End Product, How I Got the Book Cover of My Dreams

In this episode, I open the 2024 time capsule — my "make it or break it" year for the podcast. I revisit a world of elections, the Paris Olympics, and "very demure, very mindful," then get personal: I almost walked away from the show, threw spaghetti at the wall with the Supporters Club and one-on-one coaching, navigated a new ADHD diagnosis and speech delays with my kids, and discovered enough stuck to keep going. I share two standout episodes, the lessons I'm carrying forward, and why I'm choosing to stay as the 10-year anniversary approaches. Old episodes to support: Interviews with ⁠Hal Elrod⁠, ⁠Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell⁠, ⁠Jessica Jackson⁠, ⁠Joy Marie Clarkson⁠, ⁠KC Davis⁠, ⁠Dr. Aditi Nerurkar⁠, ⁠Emily Nagoski⁠, ⁠Rachel Coons⁠, ⁠Amber Brueseke⁠, ⁠Emily Hamlin⁠, ⁠Julie Rose⁠, and ⁠Jen Smith⁠ Order Sticky Habits! Sign up for the More for Moms Conference with $10 early bird pass: “LISTENER.” Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.  This episode is brought to you by Quince and REBEL. Go to Quince for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Your next favorite find is waiting at fromrebel.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever been made to feel like you're too much and not enough at the same time? Sharon McMahon is back to talk about the women throughout history who refused to shrink themselves — women like María de López, Ida B. Wells, and Claudette Colvin — even when their own communities told them to sit down and shut up. We explore what we can learn from these women right now: that courage isn't about not caring what people think. It's about caring — and deciding not to let it stop you. No work for liberty can be lost. You just have to decide what you want to stand for and take the next needed step. Sharon's website, newsletter, Instagram, books  Complementary episodes: Past episode with Sharon McMahon on how it’s never too late and never too small Watch this episode on ⁠Youtube⁠   ⁠Order Sticky Habits⁠! Leave a ⁠review⁠ of the book Sign up for the ⁠More for Moms Conference⁠ with $10 early bird pass: “LISTENER.” Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.  This episode brought to you by ⁠⁠Quince⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns; and from REBEL, your next favorite find is waiting at fromrebel.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We don't always clock it, but the things sitting in our closet can quietly shape how we feel about ourselves — especially in seasons when everything else feels like it's shifting. In this clip, stylist Jenny Eversole walks through her simple, soul-searching approach to rediscovering your personal style, while Monica opens up about the very real "who am I?" moment she hit postpartum, wondering if she was now just "an old, middle-aged mom with a newborn." It's a conversation about so much more than clothes. It's about identity, self-compassion, and giving yourself permission to feel like you again — even when your body, your role, or your daily life looks completely different than it used to. If you've ever stood in front of your closet feeling disconnected from what's hanging there, this one's for you. Getting dressed can be one small daily habit that either drains your confidence or quietly restores it — and this clip is a gentle nudge toward the version of personal development that starts with self-compassion, not self-improvement pressure. Listen to the full episode here: https://www.aboutprogress.com/blog/jenny-eversole-of-style-space  ⁠Order Sticky Habits⁠! Leave a ⁠review⁠ of the book Sign up for the ⁠More for Moms Conference⁠ with $10 early bird pass: “LISTENER.” Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm taking you behind the scenes of the wild but wonderful journey to the Sticky Habits book cover—from my very first DIY mock-up to the unexpected title change to the final holographic pink and gold cover I absolutely love. I was nervous about having any say at all, and I probably pushed the limits by sending my publisher a whole vision board. But I'm so glad I did, because the Wiley team made it even better. Grab your copy at stickyhabitsbook.com! Watch this episode on Youtube Order Sticky Habits! Leave a review of the book Sign up for the More for Moms Conference with $10 early bird pass: “LISTENER.” Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.  Complementary episodes: The BTS episodes: Here and Here; Messy Middle of Dreams This episode brought to you by ⁠⁠Quince⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns; and from REBEL, your next favorite find is waiting at fromrebel.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A year or two ago, I did a whole deep dive on positive thinking—and while we all know the importance of believing in ourselves, science actually shows that if you don't already have a strong sense of self-worth, positive thinking can backfire and hurt you more. That research uncovered by my friend Dr. Marisa G. Franco, was the result of years of study that completely changed how she thinks about self-esteem, self-love, and secure attachment. In this episode, Marisa is back to reframe the way we think about self-worth. We talk about why some of our hardest patterns may be rooted in old memories, why shaming ourselves into change doesn't actually help us change, and what it looks like to become a safe place for every version of ourselves—including the messy, needy, angry, or insecure ones. If you've spent years trying to fix yourself into finally feeling worthy, this conversation is going to give you a very different way forward. You can follow her on Instagram (@DrMarisaGFranco) or sign up for her free quiz (www.DrMarisaGFranco.com) to assess your friendship strengths.  Complementary episodes: Past episode with Dr. Franco on friendship Order Sticky Habits! Sign up for the More for Moms Conference with $10 early bird pass: “LISTENER.” Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.  ⁠Get the free DSL Training⁠. This episode brought to you by Quince. For free shipping on your order and 365-day returns at https://www.quince.com/monica. And by REBEL, your next favorite find is waiting at fromrebel.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrice Washington opens up about a truth so many of us recognize but rarely say out loud: her busyness was never really about productivity — it was about earning love. She traces it back to childhood, to always being "the smart one," and how achievement became the way she proved her worth. Even after years of therapy and real self-awareness, she found herself still trapped in cycles of hurry long after she'd outgrown the need for them. This clip is for anyone caught in that same loop — the go-go-go that feels less like ambition and more like survival. Patrice's honesty about needing to be "so much more selective" and learning that she has to validate her own gift before anyone else does is such a powerful reframe for how to be happier and finally stop being a perfectionist. It's a gentle nudge toward self-compassion, daily habits that protect your peace, and the kind of personal growth that starts with asking why you're really doing what you're doing. Listen to the full episode here: https://www.aboutprogress.com/blog/ways-to-stop-chasing-busy-and-live-with-more-purpose Order Sticky Habits! Sign up for the More for Moms Conference with $10 early bird pass: “LISTENER.” Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I can't believe it — we recorded a live episode of About Progress, and you're invited to join us for the whole thing. My friend Julie Rose, an NPR journalist and incredible interviewer, took the mic and asked me everything: how Sticky Habits went from a failed course to a published book, what 10 years and four million downloads of podcasting has taught me, and why I finally stopped waiting for permission to call myself a writer.  This conversation is about so much more than habits or books. It's about learning to be bad at things, giving yourself permission to be mediocre, and realizing that your worth isn't tied to your output. If you've ever felt like you're doing it all wrong, or that progress is something other people have figured out — this one's for you. Order Sticky Habits! Sign up for the More for Moms Conference with $10 early bird pass: “LISTENER.” Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.  This episode brought to you by ⁠⁠Quince⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns; and from REBEL, your next favorite find is waiting at fromrebel.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I'm getting real with you the day before my book Sticky Habits officially publishes. This isn't a heavily outlined or scripted episode — it's a fireside chat where I'm sharing honestly about what this moment feels like from the inside. I talk about the intense, exhausting year it's been, the stress that's shown up in my body, the self-doubt that keeps creeping in alongside the excitement, and how publishing a book that's so deeply personal feels like standing at mile 25 of a marathon with no idea what waits on the other side of the finish line. I also share my hopes for what this book can do — not just for my own work and family, but for women everywhere who deserve a better, more realistic approach to habits. And I get honest about the choice I know I'll have to keep making: to pay attention to the empty chairs or the full ones. This episode is my way of thanking you for being part of this journey, and asking you to help me carry this book across the finish line. Complementary episodes: The BTS episodes: Here and Here; Messy Middle of Dreams Order Sticky Habits! Sign up for the More for Moms Conference with $10 early bird pass: “LISTENER.” Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.  ⁠Get the free DSL Training⁠. This episode brought to you by ⁠⁠Quince⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns; and from REBEL, your next favorite find is waiting at fromrebel.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heather Chauvin has a metaphor for change that's going to stick with you: double dutch. You're standing outside the ropes, terrified of getting smacked, but the courage is in jumping in anyway — even if it hurts. In this clip, Heather gets into why personal development and self improvement rarely happen in comfort, and why building real confidence means being willing to jump back in after you've been knocked down. She also shares one of her go-to daily habits for feeling happier: the "wouldn't it be nice if" journal prompt, a low-pressure way to notice what you actually want instead of white-knuckling your way toward rigid goals. For the moms in our community who feel stuck between wanting change and freezing up at the fear of it, this one's for you. You don't need it all figured out to take the next small step — a glass of water, a blocked-off Friday, whatever scares you a little. It's also a good reminder on how to stop being a perfectionist about your own growth: drop the need to do it flawlessly, and just start. Listen to the full episode here: https://www.aboutprogress.com/blog/how-to-make-self-sabotoge-your-friend ⁠Preorder Sticky Habits ⁠book today! ⁠Leave a rating and review⁠ Get the free DSL Training. Follow About Progress on ⁠YOUTUBE⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This monthly series features an episode sharing my recent highs and lows, how my habits are going, a Do Something List update, plus what I'm loving lately and my commitments for the upcoming month. I hope this glimpse into my life, my family, my work, and my own self development encourages you in your own journey. Around here the goal is never perfection, just to keep trying, even if in very simple ways. I think you'll see that with all of the big changes going on for me, taking the smallest of steps has helped to keep me afloat and feeling like myself. As always, I encourage you to get messy, too!   ⁠Preorder Sticky Habits ⁠book today! Join the ⁠Book Launch Committee⁠ for behind-the-scenes and first peeks at all things book. Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.  ⁠Get the free DSL Training⁠. This episode brought to you by ⁠⁠Quince⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns; and from REBEL, your next favorite find is waiting at fromrebel.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices