Podcast Summary: Self Obsessed
Host: Tam Kaur
Episode: Your 30 Day Glow Up Plan for 2026
Release Date: December 12, 2025
Episode Overview
Tam Kaur invites her listeners to embark on a transformative 30-day “glow up” plan leading into 2026. The episode serves as a practical, no-nonsense roadmap for women looking to bridge the gap between their current and desired selves before the new year begins. With her characteristic candidness, Tam shares 30 actionable steps—ranging from mindset shifts to daily routines—to support personal growth, self-acceptance, and confidence. This guide is not only rooted in her own lived experiences but also includes new strategies she’s implementing herself.
Tone: Empowering, warm, direct, occasionally humorous, and always practical.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
The Power of Pre-January Preparation
- Tam emphasizes the importance of starting transformation before January 1st.
- She notes that real change springs from preparation ("the work you put in before January even arrives") and encourages listeners to treat these 30 tips as a day-by-day challenge or a personal toolkit.
Step-By-Step Glow Up Plan
1. Script Your Worst-Case Scenario
- Instead of only scripting your ideal future, also script your nightmare outcome—what life would look like if you don’t grow or change.
- This “nightmare script” works because "our brain is wired to help us avoid pain rather than chase pleasure."
- Memorable Quote:
- “Most people only ever script their dreams... But right now I want you to script your nightmare.” [05:00]
2. Progress Check Yourself
- Tam suggests weekly and end-of-year "progress checks"—reflect on wins, losses, growth, and patterns.
- Ask yourself questions about self-love, boundaries, people-pleasing, and where you made yourself proud or fell short.
- Quote:
- “Your best life coach is you.” [13:40]
3. Calendar and Habit Evaluation
- Review your calendar or habit tracker—identify which habits, events, or routines uplifted you and which drained you.
- Tamuses color-coded journal entries to quickly spot "good days" and find patterns.
4. Close Your Loose Ends
- Address unfinished tasks, conversations, hobbies, grudges, or clutter.
- Reach out to people for closure and free up mental space.
5. Rewrite Your Inner Narrative
- Identify self-limiting stories ("I’m shy", "I can’t be seen") and script new empowering beliefs.
- Quote:
- “None of these truths actually need to be lifelong lasting. You can change your inner narrative... at any given moment.” [25:40]
6. Unfollow the Old You
- Audit social feeds, delete photos with people no longer in your life, clear digital clutter. Curate your online and physical environments to match who you are becoming.
7. Prioritize Nervous System Regulation
- Incorporate habits like walks, meditation, stretching, or tech-free evenings to calm and center yourself.
8. Design Your Default Evening Routine
- Many obsess over morning routines but neglect evenings—set calming rituals for restful sleep and emotional reset.
9. Embrace Being a Beginner
- Seek out new hobbies or challenges; value the growth that comes with discomfort and imperfection.
- Humorous Moment:
- Tam recounts her failed calligraphy attempt: “I am horrific at it. I thought I was gonna take a cute picture and put it on my Snapchat story and I just couldn’t. I also spilled the ink everywhere, so there’s that, but... I actually enjoyed it.” [38:00]
10. Immerse Yourself in Inspiration
- Use social media intentionally—watch vlogs, follow creators who embody your goals, normalize what you aspire to.
11. Establish Coping Systems (Not Just Mechanisms)
- Replace unhealthy coping (doomscrolling, avoidance) with proactive systems (talking to a friend, walking, affirmations) for tough moments.
12. Dopamine Reset
- Cut out “cheap dopamine”: TikTok, junk food, impulsive shopping. Replace with sustainable pleasure like nature, pets, real-life conversation.
13 & 27. Financial Glow Up
- Give your future self a financial gift: Start or upgrade your savings/investment plan, learn investing basics, automate healthy habits.
- Quote:
- “You are not going to enter another year being financially irresponsible... We are going to be savvy with our money because that is what is going to build our future.” [1:19:50]
14. Set a Bare Minimum Glow Up Routine
- Identify non-negotiable, manageable self-care steps for rushed or low-motivation days (“skincare, shower, lymphatic drainage”).
15. One Step for Healing
- Journal, burn a resentment letter, book a therapy session—move past lingering pain.
16. Upgrade Your Foundation
- Invest in basic daily wear to look and feel good even on casual, at-home days. “Look good, feel good.”
17. Switch from Outcome to Identity
- Focus on who you must become, not just the goals.
- Example: “I am the type of creator who...(shows up for my audience as if I have a million followers).”
18. Portfolio of Proof
- Create a record of times you’ve succeeded against your doubts—notes, photos, journal entries—for confidence and encouragement.
19. Health Non-Negotiable
- Choose the one health habit you always stick with, e.g., sleep or daily movement, and track it visually.
20. Honor Your Inner Teen
- Reflect with compassion on your teenage self. Keep promises she would have made. Revisit her dreams, interests, and nurture her wounds.
21. Address Money Shame
- Identify and journal about your hidden fears or limiting beliefs around money (e.g., “more money means more problems”).
22. Write Your Future Self a Letter
- Document hopes and intentions to read in a year—either as a letter or recorded video.
- Emotional Moment:
- Tam describes rereading last year’s letter, feeling proud for the goals she hit and a “kick up the bum” about the ones she didn’t.
23. Upgrade Key Environments
- Refresh the rooms or routines you use the most—small changes can reinvigorate your daily life.
24. Stop Negotiating Non-Negotiables
- Keep your promises to yourself, reflect honestly on why boundaries or goals slipped, and plan to prevent this in the year ahead.
25. Turn Envy into Action
- When envy strikes, let it inspire you: “Write a to-do list every time you feel a bit of jealousy... let it inspire you into action instead.”
26. Plan the Year Ahead
- Outline monthly themes, personal milestones, fun plans—not just productivity goals.
28 & 29. Welcome New Paths & Deep Dives
- Try a class, hobby, or scary new thing; see where it leads. Go down the “rabbit hole” with new interests.
30. Hyper-Specific Vision Boards
- On Pinterest or elsewhere, break boards into precise categories (appearance, career, lifestyle) for absolute clarity and inspiration.
- Quote:
- “This opens you up to new ideas on how you can do things and how you can elevate them and just enjoy the process of it all a little bit more.” [1:28:18]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Event | |------------|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:00 | Tam | “Most people only ever script their dreams... But right now I want you to script your nightmare.” | | 13:40 | Tam | “Your best life coach is you.” | | 25:40 | Tam | “None of these truths actually need to be lifelong lasting. You can change your inner narrative... at any given moment.” | | 38:00 | Tam | [Calligraphy fail story, with humor and self-acceptance] | | 1:19:50 | Tam | “You are not going to enter another year being financially irresponsible... We are going to be savvy with our money because that is what is going to build our future.” | | 1:28:18 | Tam | “This opens you up to new ideas on how you can do things and how you can elevate them and just enjoy the process of it all a little bit more.” | | ~1:25:00 | Tam | [On reading her own future self letter:] “...I was sitting here like I didn’t do that or I didn’t go as hard in that as she thought I would. And that feels not good at all. But it gives me the kick up the bum I need...” |
Important Segments & Timestamps
- [01:00] - Episode’s main theme and framing the “glow up” plan
- [05:00] - Scripting your nightmare
- [13:00] - Progress check and journaling for clarity
- [25:00] - Changing your self-concept and narrative
- [38:00] - Embracing being a beginner (calligraphy story)
- [1:19:50] - Financial growth and planning
- [1:25:00] - Writing a letter to your future self
- [1:28:18] - Hyper-specific vision boards
Takeaway
Tam’s 30-Day Glow Up Plan is a challenging, compassionate, and actionable approach to stepping into your best self for 2026. It’s not about arbitrary resolutions, but about clear self-reflection, purposeful routines, upgrading your mindset and environment, and envisioning the life you truly want—all presented in Tam’s authentic, relatable style.
Listeners are encouraged to:
- Try one or all 30 steps as a buffet of ideas
- Personalize their action plan
- Share which tip resonated most, to foster supportive community feedback
Final Words from Tam:
“I love you, I appreciate you and I’ll see you in the next one.”
For additional tools, journaling prompts, and related content, see Tam’s provided links and resources.