Success With Jewelry – Episode 155 Summary
Episode Title: Laryssa and Liz Talk Goal Setting for 2026: Aligned Intentions, Realistic Plans, and Staying Motivated
Release Date: January 5, 2026
Hosts: Laryssa Wirstiuk and Liz Kantner
Overview
In this lively New Year episode, Laryssa and Liz dive into the art and challenge of goal setting, focusing on how to craft intentions that are truly aligned with your values, realistic to accomplish, and designed to keep you energized throughout the year. Sharing personal reflections and professional strategies—both as marketers and business owners—they discuss navigating post-holiday burnout, lessons from 2025 pivots, and practical frameworks to keep progress on track. The conversation is candid, relatable, and packed with actionable insights for anyone running a creative business, especially jewelry designers.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Emotional Landscape of Goal Setting
- New Year as a Reset Button:
Both hosts appreciate the fresh start energy the new year provides. Laryssa notes, “There’s this energy...you can really shape ahead of you. It is kind of like you’re starting over, you’re starting fresh.” (04:21) - Balancing Personal & Professional Demands:
The holiday season is filled with both business and family chaos, which can leave little headspace for strategic business planning. Liz shares the overwhelm: “Just the number of events and, you know, magical moments and craft shows...it was a lot, but I did it.” (03:19)
2. Reflecting on Goals From 2025
- Personal Wins:
- Laryssa: “One of my goals for 2025 was to play tennis pretty regularly...And also...conversations, Spanish practice every week, which I had never done before this year.” (07:01)
- Liz: “My biggest 2025 goal was to get really involved in the Asheville creative community. And I think I did that...” (09:11)
- Business Focuses:
- Laryssa aimed to be more consistent with direct sales outreach rather than sporadic effort tied to seasonality. (07:01)
- Liz wanted to promote her business and services more consistently, moving past sporadic promotion cycles. (08:19)
3. Pivoting & Letting Go
- On Letting Go of Past Goals:
Laryssa reflects on shifting directions: “There were definitely things in 2025 that evolved and changed...I would say 2025 in general was such a year of transition for me...we niched into email marketing and that was not something I had in my head in January 2025.” (11:04) - Entrepreneurship Realities:
Liz admits, “The entrepreneur’s journey...you’re like, up and down and like, spinning around...I would love to find some sort of consistency.” (11:51)
Laryssa highlights how mood swings play a role: “One week I’ll be, like, having a meltdown...and then the next week, I’ll be like, I got this.” (12:38)
4. Specific Goals for 2026
- Laryssa:
Staying consistent with business outreach, and continuing personal habits like tennis and Spanish. - Liz:
- Promote business more frequently and consistently (across all seasons). “It’s hard because you have to be so repetitive. Sometimes it’s like, why—I feel like I’m saying the same thing over and over again.” (08:19)
- Show up more on social media, including showing her own face.
- Explore and nurture her creativity, inspired by Laryssa’s proud creative identity. “I want to explore that in myself because I don’t see myself as a creative person, even though I think I am.” (10:11)
5. Podcast Goals & Community Engagement
- After a Major Rebrand:
- The podcast recently underwent a rebranding, and now the hosts want to “recalibrate.” (13:18)
- Fostering Listener Community:
Liz: “I really want to engage the followers more and the listeners...it would be amazing to just have a little bit more listener feedback.” (13:34) - Cross-Promotion & Guests :
Laryssa suggests revisiting the idea of cross-promoting with their own communities and bringing in guest experts only as topics truly require them. (14:20) - Fun, Small Goals:
Add intro music to the podcast—a lighter, creative task. (15:38)
6. Strategies & Tips for Healthy Goal Setting
- Start with Clarity
- Define goals with specificity and authenticity.
- Liz: “Start with clarity...don’t want to pressure yourself. You want goals really rooted in your values and goals that feel authentic and make sense for your business, not something...you feel like you should have.” (16:08)
- Make Goals Specific & Measurable
- Laryssa: “In the past, I’d make very general goals, like, ‘I want to grow my business.’ Okay. What does that mean?” (16:52)
- Liz: “The goal should be measurable too...doesn’t just need to be financial goals...you can have very meaningful goals as well.” (17:13)
- Consider a Life Matrix
- Set intentions for various aspects: intellectual, physical, spiritual, relational, financial, to maintain holistic balance. (17:28)
- Break Down Into Repeatable Actions
- Dismantle big goals into smaller, actionable steps—monthly or weekly.
- Liz: “Having a big financial goal for the year isn’t super helpful. But if you break it down into months...it feels easier to digest.” (18:09)
- Regular Check-Ins
- Quarterly is recommended, but Laryssa admits she needs even more frequent reviews to avoid drifting. (18:48)
- Write It Down
- Liz’s actionable takeaway: “Like, write down your goals. Like, that is my goal. I’m going to do it as soon as we are done recording.” (19:25)
- Track What Moves the Needle
- Try to observe which actions make a tangible difference, even if the pathways aren’t always obvious. (19:39)
- Let Goals Evolve
- “You don’t need to carve them in stone...It’s important to be flexible.” (20:09)
- Laryssa: “Sometimes we get so stuck on a goal...it’s like, no, sometimes it needs to change, sometimes it needs to evolve.” (20:11)
- Celebrate Small Wins
- Acknowledge and record weekly achievements, no matter how minor.
- Liz: “On Fridays, what was my win for the week? Jot it down or say it out loud.” (20:31)
- Laryssa: “That’s a lesson that you taught me at some point...I don’t do that enough and I’m just brutal on myself.” (20:46)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (by Timestamp)
- “There’s this energy...you can really shape ahead of you. It is kind of like you’re starting over, you’re starting fresh.”
— Laryssa (04:21) - “Just the number of events, you know, magical moments and craft shows...it was a lot, but I did it.”
— Liz (03:19) - “My biggest 2025 goal was to get really involved in the Asheville creative community. And I think I did that.”
— Liz (09:11) - “One week I’ll be, like, having a meltdown...and then the next week, I’ll be like, I got this.”
— Laryssa (12:38) - “I really want to engage the followers more and the listeners...it would be amazing to just have a little bit more listener feedback.”
— Liz (13:34) - “Start with clarity...you want goals really rooted in your values and goals that feel authentic and make sense for your business.”
— Liz (16:08) - “You can have very meaningful goals as well.”
— Liz (17:13) - “You don’t need to carve them in stone...It’s important to be flexible.”
— Liz (20:09) - “Create small wins to stay motivated. I like checking out some small wins every week.”
— Liz (20:31) - “That’s a lesson that you taught me at some point in the journey of this podcast because I don’t do that enough and I’m just brutal on myself.”
— Laryssa (20:47)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:58 — Introduction to goal setting episode and its importance after the holidays
- 03:19 — Navigating the overwhelm of December and post-holiday downtime
- 07:01 — Personal and business goals for 2025 reviewed
- 08:19 — Liz’s push for more sustained business promotion & Liz’s social media intentions
- 10:11 — Liz’s personal desire to explore her own creativity
- 11:04 — Letting go of and adjusting goals during business pivots
- 13:18 — Podcast rebrand and shifting community strategy for 2026
- 16:08 — Step-by-step tips for goal setting that sticks
- 19:25 — Importance of writing down goals; practical accountability for 2026
- 20:31 — Celebrating small wins and self-kindness in the journey
In Summary
Laryssa and Liz use their real-life experiences as both jewelry industry marketers and business owners to illustrate the heart and hurdles of goal setting. Their advice is grounded in practical reality—emphasizing clarity, measurability, and flexibility—while never losing sight of the emotional swings and surprise pivots that come with entrepreneurship. Their approach turns the daunting process of annual planning into a dynamic, life-enriching practice.
If you're looking for grounded, expert advice on setting and actually reaching your goals (while staying sane), this episode offers both inspiration and actionable wisdom for the year ahead.