TheUPside Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: The Q4 Playbook: Finish Strong and Start Stronger
Host: Theresa Flood
Date: October 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this focused, reflection-driven episode, host Theresa Flood lays out “The Q4 Playbook” — a set of 10 impactful questions designed to help listeners thoughtfully close out 2025, learn from the year’s experiences, and ignite a clear, energized vision for the year ahead. Theresa emphasizes the power of questions over immediate answers, advocating for an intentional, introspective approach to growth, achievement, and leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Reflection in Q4 (00:18–02:10)

• Q4 is presented as a strategic time for gaining clarity, learning from both wins and losses, and reigniting one’s vision for the future.
• Burnout Antidote: Theresa shares that focusing on vision and creative thinking can prevent or remedy burnout.
• Process Over Perfection: The value is in contemplating the questions, not rushing to answers.

“Questions oftentimes are even more important than the answer… It’s less about what answers you come up with… and more about the process of sitting with these questions.”
— Theresa Flood (01:15)

2. The 10 Reflection Questions for Q4

Question 1: Celebrating Your Wins (02:15)

• What are the three wins that I am most proud of this year and what do they reveal about my strengths?
  • Importance of analyzing strengths, not just mistakes.
  • Recognize and intentionally celebrate progress.

"If you look back on how far you've come in one year, you need to take just a moment and celebrate some of those wins."
— Theresa Flood (03:10)

Question 2: Learning from Challenges (05:30)

• Where did I experience the biggest challenge, and what did it teach me?
  • Reflection is not just about failure, but about growth and resilience.

Question 3: Releasing or Finishing Unfinished Goals (06:35)

• What is something that I started and didn’t finish?
  • Should you finish it, or is it something you need to let go?

"Is this something that you should have finished, or was it something that you need to release and let go of?"
— Theresa Flood (07:20)

Question 4: Vision Casting for the Next Year (08:10)

• If I could design my ideal life and business by December 2026, what would that look like?
  • Go beyond goals—envision feelings, relationships, daily experience, learning, and growth.

Question 5: Defining Your Year with a Theme or Word (09:46)

• What word, theme, or value do I want to define my next year?
  • Take time to pick a meaningful word or theme to guide your actions.

"For me, the word for the last two years has been alignment... alignment to the purposes and the call of God in my life, alignment in relationships, alignment with my business."
— Theresa Flood (10:25)

Question 6: Becoming Who You Need to Be (11:15)

• Who do I need to become to achieve what I want in 2026?
  • Internal transformation is the foundation for external results.

"Who you need to become is the number one thing in determining what you will achieve in the future."
— Theresa Flood (11:56)

Question 7: Bold Action to Set the Tone (13:02)

• What is one bold move that if I made it in Q1, would set the tone for the rest of the year?
  • Step out of your comfort zone; don’t wait until later in the year.

"My bold move last year was launching this podcast. And it absolutely changed the entire course of 2025 for me."
— Theresa Flood (13:20)

Question 8: Investing in Relationships (14:12)

• What relationships do I need to invest in next year?
  • Think in terms of mentors, accountability circles, community, and family.
  • Success is a team effort — ask “Who?” before “How?”

"Success is never a one man job. Never ever, ever. Success is always with multiple people."
— Theresa Flood (15:30)

Question 9: Compound Habits for Big Wins (16:24)

• What weekly or daily habit, if I built it now, would compound into my biggest wins next year?
  • Theresa’s personal example: Committing to daily writing/journaling.

"I must become a writer... that is going to compound into more podcast episodes, more value that I can bring online."
— Theresa Flood (17:10)

Question 10: Stopping Energy Drainers/Amplifying Joy (18:20)

• What can you stop doing that’s draining your energy or no longer serving you?
• What do you love and what should you do more of?

"Double down on the things that you love, shed the things that drain your energy and watch 2026 transform."
— Theresa Flood (19:25)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Reflection vs. Goal Setting:
  "This isn’t a 30 minute activity… There's going to be certain things that come immediately and then other things you need to stop, put it down and come back tomorrow."
  — Theresa Flood (20:18)

• On Growth & Process:
  "Everything starts internally before it manifests externally. Everything starts with the way we think, the way we feel, the thoughts that we believe, the stories that we tell."
  — Theresa Flood (11:32)

• On Letting Go:
  "Maybe when you put it on the goal list or when you started doing it, it aligned with your vision, and yet things have changed... and you need to just release that and let it go."
  — Theresa Flood (07:40)

Episode Structure & Suggested Practice

• Reflection is a Journey: Theresa encourages listeners to spread out their answers over weeks, not minutes — making reflection part of a deeper, more organic process.
• Resource Offer: Questions available via email for subscribers at teresaflood.com.
• Solidarity: Theresa shares her own struggles and ambitions (e.g., journaling) to build rapport and accountability with listeners.

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:18 – Q4 as a time for clarity and vision
• 02:15 – Question 1: Celebrating Wins
• 05:30 – Question 2: Learning from Challenges
• 06:35 – Question 3: Letting Go or Finishing
• 08:10 – Question 4: Ideal Life & Business
• 09:46 – Question 5: Year’s Theme/Word
• 11:15 – Question 6: Who Do You Need to Become?
• 13:02 – Question 7: Bold Q1 Move
• 14:12 – Question 8: Investing in Relationships
• 16:24 – Question 9: Compound Habits
• 18:20 – Question 10: Energy Drainers & Amplifiers

Final Takeaways

Theresa Flood’s Q4 Playbook is a powerful, introspective tool for anyone seeking to intentionally close this year and build momentum for the next. By engaging deeply with these ten reflection questions — over time, not in a rush — listeners are invited to unlock clarity, rekindle their vision, and set the stage for meaningful change, both inside and out.