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The following podcast is a Dear Media Production. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.
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Fantastic.
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And he's a serial entrepreneur, a very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostick are bringing you along for the ride.
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Get ready for some major realness.
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Welcome to the Skinny Confidential. Him and her. Hello everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Skinny Confidential, him and her show. Today you have me, Michael Bostick. So solo on the mic, on the camera, I guess now that this is audio and video and I wanted to do a little bit of a year end show that I think one will help kind of recap the year that we've had as well as maybe give some purpose around why we do some of the things we do both professionally and personally and then also hopefully give you some ideas to set up your new year for success, focus and purpose. Not that you're not already doing that and focusing on that, but there's some things that we've learned over the last few years, and me especially on how to make sure that you're setting up your year with purpose, with focus, and so that you can have success, and not just personal success, but professional success as well. So I want to start this episode by, you know, acknowledging that it's coming out around the holidays, but that really you could listen to this anytime, beginning of the year, end of the first quarter, you could listen it before the new year. It's really meant to be evergreen and it's meant for anyone, someone that is looking to get a little bit more structure and focus around the year ahead. And again, you can do this at any time. So one of the things that I've learned over two decades of running a business and now being in a long term relationship and building a family, is that some of the secret sauce that people, you know, kind of glaze over sometimes. Not they don't talk about it, but they kind of move past it real quick. When it comes to like what makes people successful is that most of these successful people that I've met, most of the businesses that I've seen with, in our case the businesses that have worked and the ones that haven't, there's a real differentiator. And that differentiator is that there's an extreme focus. Most great companies, if you really think about it, whether it's a tech business or an entertainment business, or if it's a restaurant or whatever it may be, if you really think about the operation, when you acknowledge the businesses that have made it and done well, is there's a huge focus in that company, in that operation. If you think about a relationship, a personal relationship, most of the relationships that have been successful and lasted is there's a big focus from the individuals involved on making sure that they're really focused on that relationship and taking care of that relationship. When you think about children that have been, you know, raised right or come out the other side and find success personally and professionally and are happy and healthy, there's. There's usually been an intense focus from the parents to make sure that they're, you know, raising these kids in a way that they can find success later in life. And what I've experienced firsthand personally running businesses and working on my own family, is that anytime things start to go off the rails or any times I start to kind of lose some of the momentum or I start to kind of wobble a little bit, it's when I have a lack of focus or when I start to get all over the place. And so this episode's a lot about that. But, you know, one of the things I want to mention is that we live in a time when, you know, people want it all and they want it all right away. And I don't think there's anything wrong necessarily with wanting to have it all. People talk about balance all the time, which I, you know, I've said multiple times on the show I don't believe in. But there's this idea that you can have it all. You can have the career, you can have the relationship, you can have, you know, your health, you can have all that. And that's true, you can have it all. But as Scott Galloway says, you can have it all, but you might not be able to have it all right away. And so this episode is, is talking about how you can work towards having it all, but, but what you need to do in the midterm or in the meantime to make sure that you are staying focused and taking big swings and big chunks out of the things that you're really pursuing. What I do every time I start to think about a new year is everybody's got their goals and we've done goal setting podcasts. All you have to do is search Skinny Confidential goal setting. And, you know, we've, we've talked about things that, that can help us from a health perspective, wellness. We've gotten real detailed over the years, as you guys know, on this show, about tactics, but high level, one of the things that I do every single year is, is I pick a theme for the year. And this sounds strange because, you know, you can't. There's obviously a lot of things that happen in a year and there's a lot of responsibilities. But I think anchoring the year and starting a year in with a theme that is the most important theme to you personally for that year, immediately puts you in a position where when you start the year, you have a focus, you have a direction. And what I've realized over the years, running companies and working towards goals is that one of the most important things you can do for an organization or for a team or for yourself is giving people a North Star, including yourself in a direction to move in. And so I pick a theme every single time at the beginning of the year. And that theme kind of rules my year from a decision making process, for example. And I have some notes. In 2020, Lauren and I moved from LA to Texas. It was also the first year that I brought on new partners for Dear Media. We raised some capital and that meant that we were changing the partnership structure up. And so the theme of that year also there was Covid. There's a lot of things happening. The theme of that year was change. There was a lot of things that I personally had to get comfortable with. There was a lot of directions that I had to start moving in that I hadn't moved in before. We did a huge move out here to Texas. We had to figure out what that looked like. We left our family and friends. And so the entire, entire theme of that year was all about embracing change. And the reason, I know that sounds like vague and out there, whenever we made decisions, whenever we got that little bit of discomfort or wherever we were confused, oh, should we do this or not, we reminded ourselves that that year in particular was all about change. And then with that, we had to think about the things that were required for us in order to make a positive change. And so we were able to make decisions and look at the that year through the lens of that. And at the end of that year, we had successfully moved to Texas. We had our first daughter, we had opened the company over here in Texas. We had completely changed the way that we lived and that we operated. And it was a, it was really important to get us comfortable and build a foundation. You know, a lot of people make moves and they're a little bit resistant to it or they, or they go through changes and they, they're not necessarily ready for that change. And so this, the theme of that year was that in 2021 and 2022, I actually had the same theme. And that was health. And for Those listening that are really, you know, they've been concerned about their health, they want to make a change. I realized in 2021 and 2022 that I was out of integrity with myself as it related to taking care of myself. I was losing way too much weight. I was losing a lot of muscle. I mentally was exhausted. I think a lot of people were during that time. This was Covid. There was, you know, a lot of unrest in the country. There was a lot of doom and gloom on the news all the time. And so what I did going into 21 and 22 was I said, these are going to be my healthiest years yet. So every decision I made in those two years focused around putting my health first, right? Everything revolved around my time in the gym and what I was eating and what I was taking and how I was taking care of myself and. And the businesses. And even, honestly, the. Maybe the family and the relationship at that time kind of took a back burner to that. But it helped me stay focused on changing my health, which I did. And then as I got into 23, we had our second child and our first, and Lauren and I were new parents. And so I really thought that year was all about family. And so everything was built around building the family unit and thinking about how to take care of the family, thinking about how to evolve as a husband, as a father. And again, this is not to say that you are not focused on other things. And here's a. I'll pause at this moment. In 23, what happens when you pick a theme like I'm talking about is you're able to make decisions that service that theme. And so I. If you're really focused on your health for one year, like, if you say, okay, 2026 is going to be the year where I focus on my health. Every main decision you make, every big decision, every action you take, everything that you eat, every, you know, every activity you participate in, friends with family, whatever, is focused around that health narrative. And so you're able to also eliminate things that aren't serving that. So it's really just a framework. It's not to say that during those years, you don't also have to show up for your career or take care of your finances or, you know, work on your relationship, but you can now build the infrastructure to service the thing that is your main priority. And what happens at the end of those themes, and I'll share a little bit more here soon, is, is you get to the end of that year and you realize that once you have that kind of focus. You look back, if you, if you stay disciplined and you do the things that are required again, which we've, we've talked about a million times on this show, you look back and say, whoa. Like I can actually now map out. In 2020, I embraced a lot of change. In 2021 and 22, I really changed my health. I, I, I completely overhauled the health. The way I feel, the way I sleep, the way I look, the way I eat, all of it. In 23, Lauren and I got even tighter as a family. We got, you know, it was, it was a time we learned really how to, like, step into parenthood. You know, we set routines and practices with our children that we still carry to this day. And so when I look back, I'm like, oh, having that kind of focus, you pick up these new habits and you pick up these new tactics in order to enhance these areas that maybe you let lack or you let slip along the way. In 2024, it was all about growth. And when I say not just growth, but maturing, and I applied that not only to myself, but to the business. If you, you know, for, for Dear Media in particular, and I know not everyone's under the hood here, but there was a ton of growth for the company. There was a ton of growth for individuals in the company. There was a lot of growth for myself as a leader. There was a lot of thinking about, you know, what I needed to do to mature the businesses, to mature the people around me professionally, obviously not personally. Even though, you know, when you, I think when you mature professionally, you also kind of mature personally and also ways to, to basically mature myself as a leader. And so a lot of the decisions I was making, a lot of the things I was showing up to, a lot of the places that I was going, books I was reading, all were in that theme. Quick break to talk about Jevity. Lauren and I recently released an episode with the founder of Jevity on this podcast, and it is, was a game changer. There is so much in there that was illuminating for Lauren and I as it relates to personal health and wellness. Here's the thing. Jevoty tests 100 plus biomarkers, hormones, metabolic health, inflammation, micronutrients, biological age markers from your home, and uses functional ranges, not just clinical ones, to give you what you need in order to take care of yourself. They do this by sending an individual to your house to take a little bit of blood. Yes, you have to give a little bit of blood work. But here's the Thing. This is the future of health care. We live in a time where we have all of this data right at our fingers, fingertips. We're no longer running around in the dark wondering what supplements to take, what not to take, wondering what's going on in our body. Jevity was started because their founder Nate lost his dad unexpectedly. The late stage lung cancer. The tragedy wasn't just the loss. It was a realization that it could have been caught earlier with better screening and proactive monitoring. We just did a whole episode on this. Most serious conditions brew for years undetected. Annual physicals. Miss them. And this is how you stay ahead of it. By getting the real data, understanding your blood work, and understanding what's right for you.
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What?
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Once Gevity knows what's right for you, they also create a specialized personalized supplementation routine. And it's not one size fits all. Everything is built from your actual biomarkers. Your care team interprets results, identifies what's suboptimal, and creates a protocol specifically for you, then retests every six months to track improvement. Lauren and I are jumping on the jevoty train. We want to know exactly what's going on with our bodies and we definitely want to know what supplements are going to work the best in our bodies. So check them out. Go to gojevity.com skinny and use code skinny at checkout for 20% off. That's G O G E V I T I.com skinny and if there's someone in your life you want to keep around as long as possible. Your parents, your partner, yourself, this is one of the most meaningful things you can do. You can literally give someone the gift of better health. Don't wait until something's wrong to start paying attention. Quick break to talk about Primal Kitchen. Primal Kitchen is on a mission to make real food exciting and delicious so you can feel good about every single bite that you take. Lauren and I first learned about Primal Kitchen from Mark Sisson, who's our friend who started the company. And we have not looked back. Ever since then, we have been huge Primal Kitchen fans. One of their standout stars is that Primal Kitchen makes this pure avocado oil, which is one thing that you can use for almost every single recipe. Whether you're grilling, sauteing, baking, air frying, or marinating. Primal Kitchen is a brand you can trust to deliver high quality products. And their avocado oil is pure and quality tested so you can feel good about what you're cooking with. It is such a minefield out there these days. In the grocery store, wondering what condiments work, what don't, what ingredients are there, who's compromising, who's not. With Primal Kitchen, you never have to worry about it. And here's the thing. They're not just good for you. They taste delicious. Every single morning, I make my kids sandwiches for school. I use Primal Kitchen condiments and we cook with their avocado oil. Like I said, it's pure and it's quality tested. Never blended with other oils. It has a light, neutral flavor that lets your cooking really shine. And thanks to its high smoke point, this high heat oil can stand up to any kitchen task. It's versatile for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You never have to worry about what oil to use. And most importantly, it's healthy. Like I said, there's no guesswork. You don't have to wonder if it's going to be good for you or not. It's all great ingredients, all natural ingredients. And you get the good fats from avocados, so check them out. It's easier than ever to find Primal Kitchen Pure avocado oil because it's now available at Walmart. You can find Primal Kitchen in Walmart stores or online at walmart.com and primalkitchen.com.
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So many times during the day, I just want a drink that feels real. Something bubbly and cultured that tastes great and actually heals my gu. That's why I've been drinking so much. Synergy Kombucha Both at the studio and at home, our fridge is always stocked with synergy. Here's the thing. This is real Kombucha. No shortcuts. It's always raw and never pasteurized. Synergy is made with real organic ingredients that you can see and taste, and that's how you know they're working. You're getting scientifically backed benefits with every sip. Like gut health, digestive support, immunity and protein absorption, Synergy is the OG Kombucha and I've always loved their story, which goes back 30 years. Founder GT Dave first began brewing in his parents kitchen in 1995 after his mother's breast cancer diagnosis. Inspired by her recovery and the healing powers of Kombucha, he kept perfecting the recipe and eventually shared it with the world. That very same recipe is what you'll still find on shelves today. Crafted with authenticity and trusted for its real benefits, each bottle delivers 9 billion living probiotics across a diverse spectrum of beneficial bacteria you won't find in your aver supplement. That diversity comes naturally from the way Each batch is slowly fermented. These living cultures work hard to help your gut thrive. And when your gut microbiome is more diverse, the benefits multiply, all working to make your gut feel better. It's a daily reset for your body, any time of day that you'll actually feel. And senergy doesn't just improve your wellness, it also tastes great. There are over 20 bold flavors, so you'll definitely find one that you love. I've been into Synergy forever and I usually gravitate towards the tropical flavors. But this fall, I've been reaching for more flavors that celebrate the season. Honeycrisp, apple, cranberry, blood orange. They really have a flavor for everyone. Each one is tangy, vibrant, and naturally bubbly. There's a party in every bottle. There's a reason Kombucha is my go to. And of course, there's a reason it's always synergy. They were the first bottled kombucha, paving the way for Kombucha as we know it. And it's been the number one in the US and worldwide for over 30 years. So sip it, love your gut, and feel the power of Kombucha when it's crafted the right way. The Senergy team can't wait for you to experience the gut health benefits of real Kombucha, so they're treating you to a free bottle. Just slide into Energy Kombucha's DMs on Instagram and send them the code synergieskinny to claim your coupon. That's energicambutra on Instagram. Drop the code and sip on your complimentary bottle while supplies last.
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Moving into the new year, what I've been telling the leadership team here at Dear Media and what I've told Lauren is that, you know, we want to pick a theme, which I'll share in a little bit. But to get really granular, some of you may remember in a couple episodes that I called this out a few times and I said, In 2025, I'm going to be all in on business and I'm going to be really aggressive about it. And I think this is an important thing to talk about because sometimes as an entrepreneur or, you know, as, as a, as a career oriented person or as a professional, you can get burnout on your job, your career, your business. And, and I think it's, it happens a lot of the time when you don't get in the right mindset to take on the responsibility that's required to kind of accelerate to that next level or to push past that kind of wall that you're facing. So for me this year, I basically went into the year saying this is going to be the most challenging year. It's going to be stressful, it's going to be tiring. We had another kid on the way. You know, I was doing all the things to take care of myself and I just kind of went into it saying no matter what happens this year, this is the year where I'm just going to bite down, grit my teeth and go through all the things that are required to accelerate the businesses in the way that I, that I had hoped for in the beginning of the year. So, you know, high level. Dear Media, we had our, our best year ever. We grew phenomenally. We, you know, we acquired a business. I did that without having a banker, which for people that are aware, like it's a very stressful process. Personally. I ended up buying some properties. I did that without a broker and chatgpt I had another kid and my wife also went on maternity leave, which obviously she has the right to do. But I did it and really, you know, still never missed putting this show out there and working with the team and also, you know, my day to day responsibilities of Dear Media and it was looking back, one of the most tiring and exhausting years that I've ever had as an entrepreneur. But setting the theme for the year and, and telling myself that that was going to be the focus of the year enabled me to do it. So the lesson there is that you can mentally prime yourself to take on kind of any task that's coming your way in the upcoming year. If this is the year you want to take that leap and jump out of, you know, maybe the, the safe job and start your own thing, maybe it's out here. Maybe if this is the year that you want to grow in, in, in your job and your career and take on more, maybe that's like your focus is gonna every, you're going to everything that's gonna point you in that direction. If this is the year, maybe you want to take that relationship to the next level and maybe buckle down and have a family. Maybe there's that. Or if you've been putting your health on the back burner and that could be mental or physical, maybe there's that and, and I think drilling down and really deciding what the focus is going to be for the year and is, is a really helpful exercise because it not only teaches you what to strive for from a goal perspective, but it tells you what to eliminate. So this year, as I was focused on business, unfortunately, a lot of my personal fun and personal relationships in travel and stuff that I would normally do in the year to unwind and let loose fell by the wayside. I was able to compartmentalize that and say, okay, that's okay, because this year, this is the theme and this what it's about. And I, and I looked at it as almost like I'm going to do things for one year that is going to enable me to do those other things for all the years to come. And, you know, maybe even at times the relationship might have suffered with me and Lauren. We're in a great place, thankfully. But I can, I can point back and look and say, okay, there was probably times where I was too focused on the businesses and too focused professionally, but kind of sharing with her in the beginning of the year that, hey, this is my goal, this is my intention, this is the theme of my year, I could go back to her and say, remember when we talked about this? And this is why. And by the way, it's not forever. And what's great about doing these things and having these immense focuses at the beginning of each year and in staying true to them throughout the year is, as you go into later years, next year is not going to be like this. Like you like, for example, I now no longer have to be so focused on my health, where I'm beating myself up every single day and worrying about what's going into my mouth at every single meal. I can maintain now because I got a base level of fitness and there's. There's practices and things that I picked up and habits I picked up along the way that I can now lean into without the stress of worrying about it all the time. It was, It's. It's really about actually developing new habits, new tactics, new ways of life and from a lifestyle perspective so that you can carry these new positive habits and attributes into every year moving forward. So there's things that I can do now when I met with resistance that from the year that I went through a lot of change, there's things that I do now on a regular basis for my health. There's muscles that I stretched this year as an executive in the business that I'll now be able to carry forward and use as I continue to work on the business and open new companies moving forward. There's things I learned, things I did. But what it, what these years also taught me is I'm able to kind of get rid of things that don't service the focus of that year. So again, to recap some of this, I think it's important for individuals as they go into the year to not only have a list of goals and resolutions which, which sometimes fall by the wayside and become challenging to accomplish, but to really pick the theme so that you have a filter of what you focus on and what you don't focus on. I've seen way too many times, and especially with entrepreneurs getting in a situation where they start to lose their focus and they start to do well at one thing and accelerate, and then maybe they get bored or get excited or they want to do something else and they jump to another thing. This happens all the time with entrepreneurs where, you know, they've got a great business, a great brand, a hero product, or, you know, service, and they're like, well, what about these other X, Y and Z things? This also happens with entrepreneurs that, you know, maybe they sell their business and they come into some money and the thing that they made their money doing in the business that they were focused on building, now all of a sudden, they're in eight different things. They're in clubs, they're in restaurants, they're in businesses they have no understanding of. Again, it's a lack of focus. This happens with people in relationships. You could be in a really great relationship and have a great partner, and you start to take that person for granted and you start to look around and say, what else is out there? Is the grass greener? You lose focus on servicing and focusing on the relationship that you have, and, and those things fall apart. This happens all the time, unfortunately, with children, right? You, you have your child, you think they're fine, and you do what they, you know, they're, they've got it, and we lose focus. And so again, this theme of every year, picking the theme, whether it's, you know, I want to be in a relationship with love, or I want to be, you know, focused on the business, or I want to be a health perspective or whatever. Just picking the theme is going to create a situation where as you go and you create that New Year's resolution list, and as you go and you create that goal in those systems, you're going to, you're going to be able to cross things off. I think the other thing that's challenging as you go into a new year is we start our year with 18 different goals on a piece of paper. And from my personal experience, and as somebody who's goal oriented, I've realized sometimes less goals, but bigger goals with Tactics towards moving micro goals, to move towards that one big goal tend to get me to that big goal a lot faster. Whenever I have a bunch of different things on a sheet of paper, like 18 different goals, maybe I hit some of them, maybe I don't. Maybe I don't hit them as well as I could have. And it's because we as human beings aren't great at multitasking. There's a great book called the One Thing. I think the guy's Gary Keller who wrote it. If it's not, I apologize. I read it a long time ago. But it's a book called the One Thing, which I've recommended on this podcast before, and it argues that focusing on one thing is the way that human beings tend to make the most progress. He also argues that we are not great multitaskers. When everyone tells me, michael, you can't multitask, I take it as a compliment because we're not supposed to. I think task switching all day long over and over and over our brains are not meant to do that. And sometimes people think that because they can multitask and switch all the time, it's great. But there's a study in that book that shows a lot of those multitaskers actually didn't accomplish as many of their goals as the people that just would focus on one goal. It's not to say you can't have a few goals in the year, but having multiple goals all at the same time tends to set people up for some failure. And what he said is a better approach is to just focus on one thing, get it done, then focus on the next thing, get that thing done. And that's been my experience through a lot of trial and error and through a lot of distraction over the years. This upcoming year is all about elevating. And when I say elevating, it's for me, in my world, it means elevating the profile of the business, elevating the personal brands. It means elevating the way that I am with as a dad in a relationship. It means elevating in general, making sure that if we're doing things, could we be doing them better? And it's not just for myself. When I think about, like, how do I elevate my family? How do I elevate people that are around and near me? How do I elevate the people that work with me in the company? And how do we create that energy and that focus for the rest of the team? We have the benefit of now running Dear Media and this podcast for close to a decade. And so when you think of a more mature business, what you don't want to do is get comfortable. And so the narrative to the company and Sam, keep note of this is that we are going to focus in the coming years on elevation. And I'm not exactly sure what that'll fully look like in a detailed perspective right now, but as you share that message with the people around you and as you share it with the people you work with, when you get buy in in that way, everybody kind of comes to the table moving in the same direction. Which again, goes back to my first point. If you can start the year with a focus and you can share that focus and put it out there to the world and it doesn't have to be with everyone. But, you know, in my case, I've shared a lot with Lauren. I've shared some with friends, I've shared some with the company. You also get buy in from them, which, which builds what I call momentum. You have, you have people all now focused on that same kind of direction and that same goal, or at least supporting you individually in that direction to go. When I told people that I wanted to get healthy, I had a lot of great people around me helping me to do that. I had my trainer, Brent, I had Lauren, I had family members, I had people that were understanding of why I could either participate in some things or couldn't in others. And creating that support system was extremely helpful. Again this year when I said I'm going to be all in on the business, I had co workers and colleagues and friends and my wife saying, okay, well, that's the theme of this year for him. And I understand why he's this way or a little bit more stressed or, you know, kind of burning the midnight oil. It's, it's because they had the buy in. This podcast is brought to you by Cotton. Quick break to talk about one of my favorite partners. Something that I live in pretty much every single day, every single night, and that is cotton, the fabric of our lives. I love cotton. I love cotton T shirts. I love cotton shirts. I love cotton pants. I love cotton sheets. What I love about it is it's naturally made from real plants. There's no plastics, it breathes well, and most importantly, it feels good on your body and is functional throughout the day. Like I said, I only wear cotton T shirts. I use them as undershirts. I use them on sweaters. I use cotton pants when I sleep. And cotton is so versatile, whether it's denim or corduroy. Or flannel. All of these materials are used for your favorite outfits. I love cotton flannels. I love to wear denim all the time. And cotton is the material that's the backbone of all of these items. So next time you're shopping for a piece of clothing or a bed linen, cotton is the way to go. Cotton is gentle on your skin and cotton is hypoallergenic. As we get into the winter, Lauren and I switch all of our sheets to cotton sheets because it gets a little cold here in Texas and we want something a little bit warmer. We also want something that's breathable and natural on our skin. On this show, we talk all the time about natural ingredients, but what about not only what you're ingesting, but what you're wearing and what you're putting in your skin? You're sleeping in your bed seven to eight hours a night. This is one third of your life. If you're not sleeping on a nice cotton sheet, something that is breathable and nice and again, good for you, then what are you even doing? Cotton is the perfect material for winter as we get into these colder months and as we get into these colder days. So if you've been thinking about switching bed linens, check out 100% cotton materials. With the holidays, it's a time to dress up. It's also time to dress down. Whether you're in T shirts or button ups, make sure when you're putting those items on that you're going with 100% cotton options, knowing that you can swap those items out and keep the same consistent, great natural material on your skin. With the chaos of the holiday season, you know, with cotton, it's one less thing to worry about. Also, this is a bit of personal information. Whenever I shop for undergarments, underwear, boxers, I'm always looking for products that are made with 100% cotton. With cotton, you don't have to worry about that. You know, you're putting healthy materials on your body in your most intimate areas. Learn more at the Fabric of Our Lives. Calm.
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All right, save up to 70% you guys on the best brands. This holiday season. All you have to do is go to from Rebel. I'm obsessed. So you go there. They have nespresso, they have KitchenAid, they have Nuna, which has been recommended on this show as the best for babies. It's non toxic. They also have Lalo. And this site has new products that are up to 70% off. So you go to from rebel.com but here's the thing. You have to act fast because every deal is one of a kind. So if you see something that you're a obsessed with, add it to your cart before it's gone because it might not be there tomorrow. I actually had this experience where I went on to buy something from Lalo. It's one of my favorite baby brands and I didn't act fast enough and someone else grabbed it and it was a real bummer because it was up to like 70% off, which is insane. So whether you're checking off your own list, if you're upgrading your home or you're hosting or you're treating yourself, Rebel has everything for way less. Up to 70% off. Spread some holiday cheer and serious savings at from Rebel. Go check out all the hottest brands and definitely grab some caraway and KitchenAid. I mean, that is a no brainer, especially if you've been listening to this show for a long time. That is an easy decision. Go to from rebel.com that's from rebel.com to save up to 70% off on the best brands this holiday season. Do you guys hear that? That's fresh. New Skinny Confidential drop. Okay. This has been something that I have been working on for the last year. Introducing face towels. Your skincare routine has been reimagined once again. There is no more using butthole towels on your face. There is no more using the towel that your boyfriend has used on his balls. You are going to be using the cleanest face towel on your face with no formaldehyde, no inks, no fragrances, no dyes, no bpa. Okay? Our towels are so thoughtfully designed. They're vegan, they're cruelty free. Because your skin deserves the best. I, a long time ago wrote a blog post about how a lot of people are washing their face and then they're drying their face with the same towels that they're using on their body. Or they're using a towel that maybe has a bunch of, I don't know, detergent in it. So I wanted to create something that was fresh to remove your makeup, to remove your oil without irritation. I wanted it to be buttery soft. I wanted it to be a hundred percent sustainable bamboo, silky soft. You never have to worry about buildup with these towels. It's just like a breath of fresh air for your face. So how I use them is two ways. The first way is I will cleanse my skin with an oil cleanser and then I'll exfoliate it and I'll do this in the shower or in my sink and then if I get out of the shower or I'm done with my sink, I'll take my towel and I'll pat it across my face and my neck to dry my skin off. My skin feels so much cleaner doing it with a facial towel than using some random towel that who knows where it's been. So if you want to support a healthy skin barrier and you want something really sensitive, especially if you have acne or you have hyperpigmentation, this has a really gentle texture. It's absolutely beautiful. I'm such a fan. I've been using them for a long time. I know you guys have maybe seen them in my Instagram stories. Each box includes 50 disposable face towels. And like I said, they're made from 100 sustainable bamboo. This is the travel size. It's like a little box that you can throw in your makeup bag. And then we also have the one that can sit on your vanity. It's a box that you want out. It's so cute. It's baby pink. And I should tell you, the towels are shaped like a doily, so that's fun too. Go to shopskinnyconfidential.com to grab your face towels today.
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As we go into the new year, the takeaway for this episode and the tactic that you can start to apply is, yes, kind of audit your year, go through the accomplishments that you had this year, maybe write down some of the wins, and then with that, pick the most important theme. And I don't mean important to other people. The most important theme for you individually. And again, that could be you personally. That could be something you're working on, that could be professionally, it could be for somebody else. Whatever it may be, pick the most important theme of the year and make that the main focus and priority of your year. We. We call them priorities, but really priority means the one, the most important. And so whatever that priority is for you next year, whatever that theme is, write it down at the top of a piece of paper. And then what I do is I go, okay, if that's the theme of the year, what are all the things that I need to do this year? And it could be high level or it could be detailed that I need to accomplish in order for me to feel like I achieved that theme by the end of the year. And, you know, going through that exercise, talking about things you need to do or not do will will then illuminate the path for you to create that, you know, set of goals or that to do. List what it will also do as you Start to fill that out is you'll start to find yourself filling in things that don't go towards that theme. And if that's a moment in time where you have to then ask yourself, okay, if I do these other things, is it going to lend to this overall narrative and theme that I'm trying to build? Right. If I'm trying to be the healthiest version of myself, I might not be able to, you know, not sleep and be so focused on the business or my career. I might need to like really overhaul that. If I really want to be focused on my career and get that raise or start that company, I might have to cancel some of these trips or some of these nights outs with friends. If I'm, you know, wanting to build a family, I might need to think about what I need to do to be in that kind of relationship or you know, what kind of health shape I need to be in in order to, you know, become a parent, whatever it may be. And so it's, it's a little bit of a reverse like to do and not to do list by setting these themes. And again, they don't limit you. I carry all these practices now moving forward. There's things that I keep from each year and I look them as little building blocks that I can carry forward to build routines that, you know, continue to enhance my life and improve my well being. And I think you can too. So that's the idea for today, I think as an exercise that you can start to do now and in the new year is you can start to think back on the years that you had previously and you can actually start to write down what was the theme of that year. And it could be good or bad, right? Like maybe one year you went through terrible breakups and terrible relationships. You'd be like, the theme of that year was that and you can actually track back to what did you do right? What did you do wrong that year? You could, if you just had your, your most successful year ever, which I hope you did, you can write what was the overall theme of that year and what are the things that you did in order to get there? What worked, what didn't work. And I think what you'll find is as I was doing this episode and I started to think back four or five, six, you know, 10 years back, there was a clear theme to each year, high level as I got there. And of course, like I said, there's a lot of things that happen in all of these years and a lot of different micro events that happen but we all can say, you know, like, you go back, oh, 2020 was that year, or 2018, was this, or 2017. We all know what we're talking about when we look back on that year. And I think it's interesting as I get older in age to kind of go back and audit thematically what each year meant for me and what I was doing in each year. And another useful tool you can do is depending on those years, especially if you keep a diary or a calendar or a journal, whatever is, you can go back and revisit some of the things you were doing, some of the thought processes you were having. Like when I think back, for example, to 2015, for me, the theme of that year was stress and misery and it was self inflicted. And when I go back and I read some of my journal entries or I read some of the things I was doing in the calendar, you can see exactly why I wasn't thinking right. I wasn't reading the right materials, I wasn't taking care of myself the way I needed to. I was focused on the wrong things. And so now what I can do moving forward is know, okay, I don't want to repeat a year. Like that's one of the things I need to avoid. One of the biggest mistakes we make as human beings is we sometimes create situations for ourselves. Again, this show's about accountability. And then we fail to acknowledge what got us into that situation in the first place. And a lot of the times it's our thought patterns, it's our actions we're taking, it's the things we're doing, it's the, the things we're not doing. And it maps out to a pretty clear picture at the end of that year or, or whatever. And so this exercise is also about setting positive intention. Lauren and I recently, and it'll be in the new year, had a doctor on this or Dr. Kitz. And a lot of that episode was how. And we've. Everyone knows this and everyone talks about this and we definitely do on this show, how our mindset actually maps to the life we experience. And so if we're, if our life is not mapping the way we want it to, it could be be because we set the wrong intention or set the wrong theme. So starting the year with a healthy, positive outlook and theme for the year also creates this positive mindset that you then reinforce with habits to move towards the direction that you're doing again to achieve that goal or the theme of that year. So that's my advice for this episode. I hope it helps. I hope it kicks off your year in the right way. I hope it ends the year in the right way as well. Again, it's evergreen. I'd love it if you share with a friend. A lot of people out there probably creating New Year's content about goal setting and, and New Year's resolutions and things that you can do tactically. But this is meant to be a high level approach to get you to think a little bit larger and also a little bit longer about your approach for the New year or any year. All right, guys, with that. Happy New Year, Happy Holidays, whatever they say these days, whatever politically correct or incorrect, and see you next time.
Episode: Michael Bosstick On How To Make Every Year A Success & Achieve Your Personal Goals
Host: Michael Bosstick (solo)
Release Date: December 25, 2025
In this reflective solo episode, Michael Bosstick shares his personal strategy for making each year a success, both professionally and personally. Drawing on decades of experience as an entrepreneur, husband, and father, he dives deep into his practice of anchoring each year to a single, overarching theme. Michael outlines how this approach sharpens focus, shapes priorities, and enables growth—ultimately helping individuals achieve their biggest goals. The episode is packed with actionable advice, honest self-assessment, and real-world examples.
"Most of these successful people I've met, most of the businesses I've seen...there's an extreme focus." (02:05)
"People talk about balance all the time, which...I don't believe in. You can have it all, but as Scott Galloway says, you can have it all, but you might not be able to have it all right away." (03:45)
“I realized in 2021 and 2022 I was out of integrity with myself...everything revolved around my time in the gym and what I was eating…”
“This is going to be the most challenging year. It's going to be stressful, it's going to be tiring...I just kind of went into it saying no matter what happens, this is the year where I'm just going to bite down, grit my teeth, and go through all the things…” (17:45)
“You look back…and say, whoa, I can now map out: in 2020 I embraced a lot of change; in 2021–22, I overhauled my health; in 2023, Lauren and I got tighter as a family...” (11:50)
“This year, as I was focused on business, unfortunately a lot of my personal fun and relationships and travel...fell by the wayside. I was able to compartmentalize and say, that's okay, because this is the theme.” (19:30)
“Less goals, but bigger goals with tactics...tend to get me to that big goal a lot faster.” (24:35)
“Creating that support system was extremely helpful.” (28:55)
“Whatever that priority is for you next year, whatever that theme is, write it down...Then, what are all the things I need to do...for me to feel like I achieved that theme by the end of the year?” (34:40)
On the power of theme:
“Anchoring the year and starting with a theme immediately puts you in a position where...you have a focus, you have a direction.” (05:10)
On seasons of imbalance:
“You can have it all, but you might not be able to have it all right away.” (04:10)
On learning from tough years:
"2015, for me, the theme of that year was stress and misery and it was self-inflicted...I was focused on the wrong things." (37:30)
On goal-setters’ pitfalls:
“I’ve seen way too many entrepreneurs...they start to do well at one thing…and then they jump to another thing. This happens all the time with entrepreneurs...It's a lack of focus.” (22:50)
Theme for the coming year:
"This upcoming year is all about elevating...how do I elevate my family, the people around me, the company..." (26:10)
“This is meant to be a high-level approach to get you to think a little bit larger and also a little bit longer about your approach for the new year or any year.” (39:57)
For listeners (and readers) looking for a focused, achievable plan to make each year purposeful and impactful, Michael’s single-theme method offers a simple, time-tested framework—refined over years of entrepreneurial and personal growth.