Episode Summary: Roadmap to Referrals — Ep #392: Horizon Destination Planning

Host: Stacey Brown Randall
Guest: Kathy Brown, Business Coach and Owner of Goldfirm
Date: December 16, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

In this insightful episode, Stacey welcomes client and business coach Kathy Brown to unpack "Horizon Destination Planning," a framework Kathy uses to help solopreneurs and small business owners get clear on what they truly want long-term—without the burden and negativity often attached to traditional goal-setting. Instead of aiming for rigid goals, Kathy advocates for a flexible, curiosity-driven vision that focuses on designing meaningful, enjoyable everyday lives over 3-10 years, guiding listeners to build sustainable futures with intention and attention rather than default routines.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Who is Kathy Brown?

• Kathy’s background in special education leadership and her transition into business coaching.
• She now helps solopreneurs and small business owners figure out "what you want and how to get it" ([03:41]).

2. What is Horizon Destination Planning?

• Definition:
  • “A long term goal...from three to ten years into the future. And it's really important because...there's a magic to it." (Kathy, [05:30])
• Why it’s not traditional goal-setting:
  • Many people have negative associations with "goals." Kathy reframes it: "It really just opens up, it gives us more space. People don't freak out over it. And then we can like lean into curiosity and exploration." (Kathy, [05:58])
• Focus on Imagination & Curiosity:
  • Horizon planning taps into our often underused adult imagination and curiosity as a starting point ([07:01]).

3. The Four Questions Framework ([08:06])

To audit current life and inspire vision:

• What do you want more of?
• What do you want less of?
• What would you like to start?
• What would you like to stop?

4. Designing the “Average Thursday”

• Rather than only focusing on big, audacious achievements, Horizon Destination Planning helps people intentionally design their everyday life:
  • “What do you want your average Thursday to look and feel like?” (Kathy, [09:19])
• This grounds vision in reality and daily experience, not just milestone moments.

5. Overcoming Challenges

• Many adults struggle with imagination and curiosity—Kathy encourages small, playful changes:
  • "Change your route to work…Try some new recipes…We're just starting by just kind of rekindling our curiosity and imagination, and that's where it starts." (Kathy, [07:01], [13:49])
• It’s difficult because:
  • "We get in a routine, and I am one. I can form routines very easily. Then that's just what we do. We don't give it any thought." (Kathy, [13:49])
• Play in the “sandbox of life”—try new things, even if you’re convinced you won’t like them (example: Kathy's Paris trip and discovering a love for sculpture, not art [15:35]).

6. It's Meant to Evolve—No Pressure to Be Perfect

• “Just relax. There's no deadline. You don't need 100% of the answer. And it's going to change. And it's supposed to change.” (Kathy, [17:51])
• Changing course or discovering you don’t like something isn’t failure—it's information.

7. Stacey’s Personal Reflection

• Stacey shares her own experience, realizing her “horizon destination” shifted after trying new experiences (“I thought I wanted...to live in a tiny house...but after exploring it...I realized I don’t actually want that” [18:54]).

8. Simple, Actionable Advice for Getting Started

• Go small: Even minor changes can rekindle curiosity and start the process ([17:51]).
• There’s no rush: Horizon destination planning is a flexible, ongoing journey.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A lot of people have an issue with goals...So I really...reframed that into really talking about what it is you want. And horizon destination...People don't freak out over it. And then we can like lean into curiosity and exploration. And then people start having fun with it.”
  — Kathy Brown ([05:58])

• “We spend most of our time in kind of our average, ordinary Thursday...It's things like, well, do you set an alarm in the morning? What's the flooring that you put your feet on?...Where are you living?”
  — Kathy Brown ([09:39])

• “When we are intentional and we pay attention, we can do and create almost anything. But really, most of us want our everyday lives to be lovely and abundant and all these kind of wonderful things. Well, that only happens with intention and attention.”
  — Kathy Brown ([11:18])

• “[If] you're not having fun with this, you won't do it.”
  — Stacey Brown Randall ([06:39])

• “Just relax. There's no deadline. You don't need 100% of the answer. And it's going to change. And it's supposed to change.”
  — Kathy Brown ([17:51])

• “Had my friend not pretty much insist that we were going to take a trip to Paris, I never would have discovered [my love for sculpture] because I was sure I did not enjoy art.”
  — Kathy Brown ([15:35])

• “I always remind myself, like, I am living at what I allow...If you want your life to look different, you gotta raise yourself to another level.”
  — Stacey Brown Randall ([12:36])

Important Segments & Timestamps

• [03:38] Kathy’s background and her "little corner of the world"
• [05:30] What is a "horizon destination"?
• [05:58] Why reframe “goals” as “horizon destination”?
• [07:01] Imagination and curiosity as starting point
• [08:06] The four questions for current life reflection
• [09:19] Designing your “average Thursday” in the future
• [13:49] Why adults struggle (imagination, curiosity, routines, story about trying new things)
• [15:35] Kathy’s Paris story: accidental discovery of new passions
• [17:51] Advice for overwhelmed listeners: “Go small” and be flexible
• [18:54] Horizons shift: Stacey’s tiny house/mountains reflection
• [20:45] Kathy on Referral Accelerator experience

Referral Accelerator: Reflections ([20:45])

• Kathy recommends the in-person Referral Accelerator for its:
  • “Community of other learners...with you [Stacey] in the room...That ability to ask questions, to hear other people ask questions...and then the way you structure it, that we're doing the work while we're there...It had all of the elements of solid content, great delivery, a community of learners, doing some of the work so that I wasn't coming home with a whole list of work.”
    — Kathy Brown ([20:45])

How to Connect with Kathy

• Best place: LinkedIn ([22:39])
• More details and resources are linked in the show notes at staceybrownrandall.com/392

Key Takeaways

• Horizon Destination Planning reframes “goal setting” into an imaginative, curiosity-fueled approach to designing everyday life.
• Focuses on the lived daily experience (“average Thursday”), not just big moments.
• Start with small experiments and remain ready to evolve your vision—there’s no one “right” answer, and it’s never set in stone.
• Intention and attention—rather than habit and default—are the keys to an abundant life.

For listeners ready to shake up routines, think bigger, and design a joyful future—Kathy’s framework offers an inviting, judgement-free starting line.