The Difference Between Independence & Isolation

Have you ever been completely happy with your life, opened Instagram for five minutes and suddenly felt like everyone else is living a more exciting life than you?Maybe someone's travelling overseas, buying their dream home, getting engaged or constantly out doing something exciting, and suddenly your perfectly normal life feels a little bit boring.In this episode of Doing It Anyway, we're talking about how to stop comparing your life to everyone else's in your 20s, why social media comparison can make you question your own happiness and how to stop feeling like you're missing out on the life you should be living.Because one of the strangest things about comparison in your 20s is that sometimes you find yourself feeling jealous of a lifestyle you don't even want.You might love your routine, your home, your relationships and the life you're building, but seeing someone else's Instagram highlights can suddenly make you question whether you're doing enough, experiencing enough or making the most of your 20s.We're getting into why everyone else's life can look more exciting from the outside, the difference between admiring someone's experiences and genuinely wanting their lifestyle, and how to recognise when comparison is actually telling you something about what you want.I'm also sharing some practical ways to manage comparison without needing to delete social media, including how to question what you're comparing, figure out whether you genuinely want what someone else has and start making choices that make your own life more enjoyable.If you're in your mid 20s, navigating social media comparison, lifestyle FOMO or the pressure to have an exciting life, this episode is your reminder that you can appreciate what someone else is doing without making their life the standard for your own.Because you can be happy with the life you're building and still appreciate someone else's. The two don't have to compete.Work with me:Instagram:

When did staying home on a Saturday night become more exciting than going out? And why does having no weekend plans sometimes feel amazing, until you open Instagram and suddenly feel like you're missing out?In this episode of Doing It Anyway, we're talking about going out in your 20s, drinking culture, FOMO, becoming a homebody and the pressure to have an exciting social life.There's something about your mid-20s where your relationship with going out starts to change. Maybe you used to love having plans every weekend, but now a quiet night at home, a coffee date or a slow Sunday sounds just as good. Yet somehow, seeing everyone else's nights out, holidays and social plans can make you question whether you're making the most of your 20s.We're getting into the social expectations around drinking, why so many catch ups revolve around alcohol, the difference between genuinely enjoying staying in and avoiding social situations, and whether we're actually doing things because we want to or because we feel like we should.I also share my own experiences with becoming more of a homebody, what I genuinely enjoy doing on weekends and why I think there's so much pressure to make your 20s look exciting from the outside.Because building a life you love doesn't necessarily mean having plans every weekend, constantly going out or doing what everyone else is doing. Sometimes it's about figuring out what you actually enjoy, even if that looks completely different from the people around you.Whether you're navigating FOMO, changing social priorities, drinking culture or simply wondering if you're becoming boring in your mid-20s, this episode is for you.Work with me: https://msha.ke/successwithjessInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjesshugo/

What if you spend your entire life trying to arrive… and never actually let yourself enjoy where you are?This year, my word was “growth.” I wanted to grow my business, my confidence, my body, my experiences and myself. But somewhere along the way, I started thinking about the darker side of constantly chasing personal growth: what happens when nothing is ever allowed to be enough?You hit the goal and immediately set another one. You lose the weight and find another thing you want to change. You reach the income goal and move the target. You book the trip and start thinking about where you’re going next.And then there’s the bigger life checklist we’re handed in our 20s. Career. Relationship. Engagement. Wedding. House. Travel. Kids. Promotion. Bigger house. Next milestone.Cool, you did it. What’s next?In this episode of Doing It Anyway, we’re talking about feeling behind in your 20s, the pressure to have your life figured out by 30, constantly chasing goals, comparing your timeline to everyone else’s and the “I’ll be happy when…” mentality that can leave you waiting for your real life to begin.I’m also getting into something I’m becoming much more comfortable admitting: I genuinely don’t know exactly what I want next.There are things I know I want, things I think I want, things I’ve completely changed my mind about and parts of my future I simply haven’t figured out yet. Maybe not knowing what you want doesn’t mean you’re behind. Maybe it means you’re finally giving yourself enough space to work out what YOU want instead of automatically ticking the next socially acceptable box.Because do you actually want the engagement, house, promotion, next body goal or five-year plan right now… or does having a destination just feel safer than saying “I don’t know”?We’re talking ambition versus contentment, life timelines, the pressure to constantly achieve, why every year of your 20s doesn’t need to be a massive character-development year, and whether you can have direction without knowing the final destination.I still have huge goals. I still want growth. I still want to become a better version of myself.I just don’t want to be so obsessed with becoming her that I completely miss being me.Work with meInstagram

At the start of this year, I would’ve told you strength training was the ultimate way to train, growing my business meant taking on more clients, and I’d feel more confident once my body looked a certain way. I don’t think that anymore.In this episode of Doing It Anyway, I’m sharing seven things I’ve changed my mind about this year, from fitness and body confidence to spending money on myself, questioning wellness advice and letting go of the timeline I thought I was supposed to follow in my 20s.We’re talking about returning to dance after ten years and realising I want a body that can actually DO things, noticing physical progress when I wasn’t constantly looking for it, and why personal growth doesn’t always mean doing more or getting bigger. Plus, the experiences I nearly talked myself out of and why I’m getting more comfortable asking questions about what’s being sold to us as “wellness”.And the biggest one? Losing weight didn’t magically make me confident. Showing up alone, trying something I wasn’t good at and taking messy action have done far more for my self-belief than a smaller clothing size ever did.If you’re working on becoming the best version of yourself but your dream life is starting to look different from what you originally imagined, this episode is permission to change your mind and back yourself anyway.Work with me: msha.ke/successwithjessInstagram: @itsjesshugo

When did simply existing become a full time self improvement project?It feels like there is ALWAYS something we’re supposed to be optimising. Our morning routine, 10k steps, protein intake, gut health, cortisol, supplements, sleep, screen time, cycle, productivity, finances, relationships… even our downtime somehow needs to be productive.In this episode of Doing It Anyway, I’m talking about our obsession with wellness, self-improvement and becoming the “best version” of ourselves, and whether constantly trying to optimise our lives is actually making us feel any better.We get into why the boring basics of health and fitness have been replaced by obsessing over the tiny 2%, why we’re constantly searching for stimulation through TikTok, podcasts, music and our phones, and why I’ve noticed I can barely go for a walk, cook dinner or drive somewhere anymore without feeling like I need something playing in the background.I also unpack the pressure to make every second productive. Your walk needs a podcast. Your book needs to teach you something. Your hobby needs to make you better at something. Your rest becomes “recovery” so you can perform better tomorrow. At what point are we allowed to do something simply because we enjoy it?This isn’t about giving up on your health, fitness goals, personal development or ambition. It’s about figuring out what actually makes a difference, getting back to the basics and giving yourself permission to stop turning every part of your life into another project to improve.And because the last thing you need after this episode is another habit to add to your morning routine, I’m giving you a very different challenge for the week: remove something, stop trying to optimise the thing that probably doesn’t matter anyway, and spend 20 minutes consuming absolutely nothing.No TikTok. No podcast. No music.Maybe we all need to get a little better at being bored again.Work with meInstagram

SOMEONE STOLE MY PODCAST NAME??? Consider this the podcast equivalent of me sending you a 47-minute voice note because apparently I have a LOT to say.We’re having a proper unfiltered life update this week, and there is absolutely no educational structure to this episode. Just everything that’s been happening lately, everything that’s been pissing me off, the random things I can’t stop thinking about and a few moments that have genuinely made me think about life a little differently.We’re talking about a documentary that unexpectedly got me thinking about mental strength, resilience and what actually keeps you going through life, a health update I’ve been waiting a long time for, my current battle with biting my nails and whether I’m about to become a DIY gel manicure girl, and somehow getting sunburnt when I absolutely was not prepared for it.Then, naturally, things get a little chaotic.I’ve got an absolutely unhinged encounter with a stranger to tell you about, some recent experiences that have made me question customer service entirely, a birthday dinner that did NOT deliver what I expected, and apparently I have beef with one of my healthcare providers.We also need to settle an extremely important frozen yoghurt debate, because I have thoughts.And finally, I discovered someone has started a podcast with the SAME NAME as mine, so obviously we need to discuss.Basically, if you’re in your 20s, figuring life out as you go and want an episode that feels less like a self-development podcast and more like catching up with a friend who has been saving stories specifically to tell you, this one is for you.Life is weird, people are weird, I apparently have a lot of opinions right now, and we’re doing it anyway.Work with me: Instagram:

What does it actually take to buy property in your 20s, build wealth AND still have money to enjoy your life?This week on Doing It Anyway, I’m joined by Tiana for a very honest chat about money, property investing, travel, business and figuring out what you actually want your 20s to look like.Tiana already owns two properties in her 20s, so we get into exactly where she started, how she approached saving for her first property and what she would tell someone who wants to start investing but has absolutely no idea what their first step should be.Because do you just save as much money as possible and let it sit in your bank account? How much should you have before you even THINK about buying? Do you need to give up travelling, dinners and actually enjoying your 20s to get ahead financially?We also chat about balancing property investment with travel and lifestyle goals, structuring and running a company, setting yourself up financially for the future and why building your dream life doesn't have to mean putting your actual life on hold in the process.If you're in your 20s and thinking about buying your first property, investing, saving money, building wealth, running a business or creating more financial freedom, this episode will give you a realistic look at what getting started can actually look like.And as always, you don't need to have your entire life mapped out before you start. Sometimes you figure it out by doing it anyway.Tiana's studio (Wollongong/Syd)Connect with TianaWork with me:Instagram:

When was the last time you did something you weren’t already good at?In this episode of Doing It Anyway, I’m chatting about what it’s actually been like picking Physie back up again after 10 years and why starting a new sport or hobby in your 20s has taught me WAY more than I expected about confidence, mindset, strength and backing yourself.Coming back to Physie has been humbling in the best way. I strength train consistently and consider myself a pretty strong person, but getting back on the floor has shown me completely different weaknesses in my body. Balance, stability, control, mobility and all the little things you don’t necessarily notice when you’re doing your normal gym training.It’s also changed the way I’m approaching my own training because I’m not just training to look a certain way anymore. I want my body to actually be capable of doing the things I’m asking it to do.But the biggest shift has probably been mentally.I chat about my mindset going into competitions, learning to be on the floor without putting ridiculous pressure on myself, supporting the people around me and how important your self-talk becomes when you’re doing something that genuinely challenges you.I’ve realised I naturally become a bit of a rock within the group too. I LOVE encouraging the people around me to back themselves, especially when I can see that they’re capable of more than they think they are.Because the more I do this, the more I realise performance isn’t necessarily just about how many times you’ve practised a routine. It’s everything happening outside of it too. Your strength. Your stability. Your balance. Your confidence. Your mindset. How you speak to yourself when something doesn’t go perfectly.If you’ve been thinking about starting a new hobby in your 20s, returning to a sport you used to love, trying something completely outside your comfort zone or finding something that makes you feel like YOU outside of work, relationships and your normal routine, I think you’ll get a lot out of this one.Work with meInstagram:

I've Always Been Hard to Crack... Here's What I've LearntMy parents have always described me the same way: "You're hard to crack."I've always had a tough exterior. I've never been someone who naturally lets people in, and I've always been incredibly strong-minded. Once I've made my mind up, good luck changing it.But over the last couple of years, I've realised something that's completely changed the way I look at confidence, friendships and self-growth...There's a huge difference between being independent and shutting people out.In this episode of Doing It Anyway, I'm sharing what being strong-willed has taught me, why I've always backed myself (even through moments of self-doubt), and why learning to nurture friendships has been one of the biggest personal growth lessons of my twenties.We dive into why I never want one person to be responsible for my happiness, how I've intentionally become a better friend, and the surprising thing that happens when you start showing up for the people you care about... you quickly realise who shows up for you too.I also share why I believe self-trust is far more powerful than confidence. Confidence comes and goes. Self-trust is knowing that even if things don't work out, you'll figure it out anyway. Whether it's posting content online, competing in physie, building a business or taking a risk, I've learnt that backing yourself is one of the greatest skills you can develop.If you've ever struggled with opening up, found yourself relying too much on other people for your happiness, or you're trying to become more confident while building meaningful friendships, this episode is for you.In this episode, we cover:Why being independent doesn't mean doing life alone.The difference between confidence and self-trust.How to back yourself even when you're feeling nervous.Why I never rely on one person for my happiness.The friendship lessons that have changed me over the past two years.How to recognise reciprocal friendships and healthy relationships.Why investing in the right people can completely change your life.How to become resilient without losing your softness.If there's one thing I hope you take away from this episode, it's this:You can be strong and soft.Independent and deeply connected.Confident and still vulnerable.The goal isn't to need no one. The goal is to build enough self-trust that you know you'll be okay on your own, while also creating meaningful relationships that make your life even better.If you loved this episode, I'd be so grateful if you shared it with a friend, left a review, or tagged me on Instagram so I can hear your biggest takeaway.Work with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjesshugo/LAST CHANCE - PHOTOSHOOT READY.

You Want Better Friends? Become a Better Friend.Making friends in your 20s can feel weirdly hard. Everyone is busy, everyone has their own lives going on, and suddenly you’re wondering why friendships that used to feel effortless now require so much more intention.But what if the problem isn’t that good friends are impossible to find?What if you need to become a better friend first?In this episode of Doing It Anyway, I’m getting brutally honest about what it actually takes to build good, healthy friendships in your 20s and the standards I think matter when it comes to friendship.Because having good intentions isn’t enough. You can think about your friend while driving, tell yourself you’ll message them later or plan something nice for them… but if you never actually do it, does the intention count?We’re talking about actions over intentions, respecting your friends’ time and boundaries, reciprocity, one-sided friendships, showing up for people and knowing when a friendship genuinely feels out of alignment.I’m also getting into the uncomfortable stuff: being the friend who constantly makes everything about herself, pretending to care about someone’s life just so you can get back to talking about yours, and why people can feel that energy a mile away.And then there’s the other side of friendship: attracting good friends.I’m sharing why I think you need to stop playing the victim, stop dwelling on bad experiences and start looking at the energy and effort you’re bringing into your own friendships.Plus, why I’ve recently realised that some of the best friendships can come from the most unexpected people, even when they don’t fit the picture you had in your head of who your “people” would be.Because you don’t need 30 friends.You need good people who respect you, show up for you, make your life feel lighter and genuinely want to see you win.And if you want those friendships?Start by becoming that friend yourself.Work with me:msha.ke/successwithjessInstagram:@itsjesshugo