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Most people set “nice to have goals” and then wonder why they achieve none.

In this episode, I break down my process to create 2026 in advance and make sure I commit fully to my goals.

I share why content is my #1 priority this year, the BIG needle movers that will 4x my business, and what I do before writing my goals.

Key Takeaways

• Identity, not goals, is what changes your life
• How to focus on big needle movers as a CEO
• Why content and reach matter more than ever
• Capacity determines how much you can grow

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READ THE EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Emily Hirsh: 

That identity is more important than any goal you could ever set. You have to think about who is the version of you that already has all of these things that is already living the life where all these things are true. There also has to be an element of flowing with your life, because otherwise you’ll derail yourself and you’ll be all or nothing.

And I think a theme for me this year is really go big. It’s full send. Embodied CEOs don’t chase trends. They pave the way they lead from within. Moved by purpose, unshaken by noise. When you are the source, you do not need permission. Hello everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. I hope you guys are having an amazing week.

I thought it would be fun to just do a personal share with you guys on my own goals for 2026. Share a little bit of how I got to these. I think there’s something powerful in that the process that I used, but also just give you behind the scenes, behind the curtain look on my business goals and my personal goals.

So that’s what we’ll do. First thing is, this is super important and something that I have done more and more of, which is. The version of you that you choose to become is more important than any goal. So the very first thing I did before planning my 2026 was I sat down with my journal and I described.

The 2026 version of Emily, and for me, I don’t have that in front of me, but for me, what really stood out in that was she is somebody who trusts the unknown. She is somebody who is optimized and disciplined with the flexibility for the magic of the unknown, meaning she’s both. Focused and disciplined on all the goals and all the different areas of my life that I have really big goals for, but she’s also open to.

God in the universe’s plan and doesn’t think she knows better than that and trust that when it feels hard. And that was a big theme is like how I wanna show up as a mom, as a wife, as a CEO and have that balance for myself. And so the very first thing I did was like two pages in my journal as they described me.

This is Emily. This is 2026, Emily. This is what she believes. This is how she shows up. I think I wrote like she’s magnetic. She’s rooted in who she is because that identity is more important than any goal you could ever set. You have to think about who is. The version of you that is going, that already has all of these things that is already living the life where all these things are true.

So that’s the first thing I did. And then I created a document in my notes app called the 2026 Reality Creation. So it wasn’t even to-dos. And then I categorized it. So I categorized health, family business. Personal growth and then home slash wealth. And so I’m gonna share a few of these. And so I made categories, and I’ve done this forever.

So I categorize my life like this is behind the scenes of my have it all right? It’s what does have it all look like? And for me, that’s a lot of these categories. What does have it all look like in my training, in my health in the business, revenue, financial, and then the family traveling adventures.

What does that have it all picture look like for me right now? And then how do I bring that to reality? What has to actually happen for that to come true? And there’s two parts to our goals. It’s who do we have to become? For that to be a reality. Who is that version of us? What do they believe?

How do they show up? How do they think? How do they act? And then what are the actual tangible, cross it off the list goals that we put in place to be able to create that into a reality. I’ll start with business ’cause there’s the theme here. Instead of making 20 or 30 different goals, which I did go to my team with these and go these are our big drivers and now we can break these down into, how are we gonna make them become true?

I really stuck to a handful that I feel will move the needle the most. And there is a theme. So here’s my main business focus for the year, Instagram to 75,000 followers. Work up to posting three times a day content by March 1st. Hire a content person by February 1st, start of an in-person office slash embodied headquarters.

A certain monthly run rate, which I’m not gonna share speak on six stages, have a book idea. And the next steps for a book in motion, 50 tickets sold to both of our EM Embodied Marketing Live events. So we have two events, 50 tickets to each and two days a week that I dedicate to content creation. And then I took the monthly run rate and I broke it down all of our offers and like how we can basically get there.

So the theme in this is obviously content. And that’s my theme. I’m not saying that has to be your theme, but I truly believe that by focusing on content and reach this year, pairing that with everything we already do well with ads in our webinars and our live launches, and all these things that we crush it at, and then focusing on.

Speaking book like impact, leverage and also the monthly run rate allows me to have goals for are done with you are done for you. So those are broken down and then we go even further on how we’re gonna do that, what the quarterly goal is. Our live event is a big goal of mine to grow the amount of tickets sold each one because it’s just such a connector.

Like I just. Builds such incredible relationships with people who come to that event and transform their business, transform their life. And my team. So in-person office, start of a headquarters. So my theme is content. My theme is content. It is more of my time in content, my team resources, bringing on a full-time content person by February 1st.

So we’re working on that. And working up to the three times a day content because yes I think that you can grow your business without that being the case for sure. And I actually think like using ads to amplify it first and then having the time to expand to that level. Is important. And then like the Instagram, 75,000, a lot of these a year ago, I would’ve been like, are you kidding?

These are your goals. These are so different. But I truly believe that like that brand and that reach needs to be my priority this year. And so everything we do is really gonna be focused on that. It’s gonna be focused on really quality content, high volume of quality content. Category, of one type of content.

And then for me, my second priority is team and I would like to start building an in-person team. I’m not gonna make my whole team in person. I don’t know, actually, I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I do know I want an in-person headquarters. I just think there is nothing like being able to be in person and strategize and brainstorm and build that relationship.

And so my existing team is not in person and I’m not planning to be like a huge transition, but I do live in Austin, Texas and it’s a great place for hiring. So we’re gonna test that out. And the next place we rent when I move this podcast studio will be. A kind of combination podcast studio, start of a headquarters, be able to have four people in the office.

So those are my business goals, and my team takes this and goes, okay, if these are the goals, like we need actions. So we need actions for getting the content to three times a day. We need actions for being able to speak on six big stages. We need actions on selling 50 tickets like this drives. Our actual marketing and business actions.

And then of course there’s things around operations and retention rate and all those things. So those are the business. Okay I’ll share my personal goals. So this is like self for me. Daily meditation, two times a month. New adventures with friends or family. One of my words of the year is alive, and so I really am trying to bring more like spontaneity, fun.

Pull myself outta my routine. Two times Dispenza events, one hour of learning a week. I spend a good amount of time driving between my kids and to my gym downtown. So my intention is to spend some of that time, not all of it. ’cause sometimes I just need to chill and like numb out and not be learning. But one hour a week is reasonable of audio or reading.

No social media until 9:30 AM. One hour fully unplugged with my family every evening, so like consecutive, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but we don’t even get back from sporting stuff until usually like six 30. So my intention is get home. And dinner all the way till bedtime is unplugged fully with my family phone put away in my office by nine.

And then Saturday and Sunday I’m gonna do social detoxes. So I’m gonna take Instagram off my phone. So I’m trying that you guys know, I’ve played with a lot of things with Instagram. And then last thing is a daily check-in with myself after my meditation, asking myself one question, which is, what do I need and how can I feel more alive today because my word of the year is alive.

I wanna feel that alive energy in the business and in the everyday. I think it leads to so much creativity and just inspiration. The next category is my health, which. If you followed me at all, I’m pretty dialed in. I have some goals here, but a lot of this is like continuing to uplevel what I’m doing.

I train 10 to 12 hours a week. I have goals for competitions. I wanna get in CrossFit, but it’s really like. How can I take this to the next level? So for me, nutrition and my macros was something that I needed to pay attention to. I don’t track any of that, or I haven’t, and I probably don’t eat enough food and eat enough carbs for how much I train.

So my one goal that I’ve already started and have a really good thing going with is dialing in my macros, tracking nutrition. Weighing my food for the time being and just honestly making sure I’m getting enough food. I’m gonna do every six months a blood test and supplement plan. I’m adding, trying out the hyperbaric.

There’s a cool place in Austin where you can go on a hyperbaric and test it out four times a week. Sauna two times a week, three minute plunge. And then I have things I wanna master in CrossFit and competitions I wanna get in. So obviously somebody else’s health could look completely different, but for me it’s about how do I take it to the next level?

How do I optimize it even more? And to be honest with you, I need to focus on recovery. Like my training is. Dialed. It’s like I’m so committed and maxed out in what I’m able to do, but I, in order for me to keep training that hard and also push it to the max, I have to focus double on recovery. So sauna, hyperbaric vitamins, my nutrition is my priority, and then under family.

I put some goals with the kids, like an extracurricular for my son, but some of the main things are trips. Our summer trip, a solo trip with my oldest because he turned 10, and then I’m gonna implement every other week and rotate the kids that we do a solo date with the kids. So I get a lot of time with my kids, but I don’t get a lot of solo time with my kids.

So one of my goals for this year is to create experiences one-on-one with all the kids. So I picked a day of the week. It’ll be Saturday or Sunday, depending on the weekend, and then I’ll rotate the kids and every other week I’ll take one of them somewhere fun. Because I’m all about creating those memories and really creating those experiences, feeling alive, not just in the day-to-day grind, which can be so easy, like so easy in business, but so easy with the kids too, with all their activities and how busy we get.

I feel like experiences and travel are what get remembered at the end of the year. So then I have a couple things for our house and like savings, investment goals. But yeah, that’s pretty simple. My 2026 reality creation. And then what I do is I take that and I make a January goal. So I take my goals and then I say, okay, in order to implement these, I need to book a hyperbaric session.

I need to get my blood drawn. I need to find a new studio by this state. Hire the content support. So this drives my monthly goals weekly and daily. I don’t know. I thought it’d be fun to show you guys behind the scenes. Like for me, it’s not about becoming completely different and changing everything I’m doing.

I’m pretty dialed in. But it’s like, where are the areas that I haven’t looked at in a while, or I feel like could be optimized? And I think a theme for me this year is really go big. It’s full cent. It’s like I’m gonna make some pretty big CrossFit competitions. I wanna be in the top 5% of the world in the CrossFit Open.

I have a huge revenue goal. It’s four times. What we did last year, huge monthly run rate that I wanna be at by the end of the year. Big goals with content, like I am going big and I may not meet all these goals, but I know that the process of implementing them and going after them and who I will become in that process is 100% necessary for my next level.

So I encourage you guys to, maybe you’ve done your planning. I just thought it would be fun to share with you my behind the scenes, but. I think like the big needle movers of actually creating the life of your dreams is one, who’s that person? What are their beliefs? What are their thoughts?

How do they show up? How are they living their day? How are they spending their time? Get so clear on that person and describe them. Write it down. You can do the, this is the 2026 Me, you can do another exercise. I love is the perfect day. What is your perfect ordinary day in detail from beginning to end the things you’re doing how you’re spending your time, who you’re surrounded with, et cetera.

So doing those and then going, okay, what are the big needle moving goals? Like you’ll notice, especially on the business, like I could have had a hundred goals ’cause we will have to do different launches and different promotions and different things to make all of those happen. But I focused on the big needle movers.

Growing my Instagram, a certain volume of content speaking a monthly run rate that’s driven by a certain volume of selling all of our offers, our live event. So I focused on the big needle movers. Then I give that to my team and we plan our quarterly and our monthly goals. Same thing in the family.

Like what would create more connection? What would create more memories? More experiences. And I’m like solo dates. With my kids a trip with my husband. Like those things, if you don’t prioritize them and schedule them months are gonna go by, the year is gonna go by and you’re not gonna have done those things.

So I do those and these become my non-negotiables. Like nothing gets in the way of these unless, it absolutely has to. But it’s like I keep these so top of mind. So that’s the other piece is. The repetition of looking at this, like it’s, whatever, middle of January, I’ve already read that statement that I wrote of the 2026 me, like four times I go back to it.

I look at it like, okay, am I being her? Where’s the gap? How can I show up more as her this week? Habits, like I’ll take this and go, okay, yeah, I wanna meditate every day, but what do I want my morning routine to look like? What are my habits? But I wanna say this, there is a balance. And this is a lesson I have learned personally and I don’t know if everyone will resonate with this, but three, four years ago, I used to be so rigid.

Like I was that person that was like everything had to be planned by the minute. Every day I needed to get all these habits done. And if I didn’t, it was like a failure and I’ll start again tomorrow, or I’ll start again Monday, and I really learned so much better. How to flow with life. I was gone the beginning of January.

I was snowboarding and so I didn’t get to kick off the year with like my habits all dialed in three years ago. That would’ve really sent me I would’ve been frustrated over that. I can’t come home on a Tuesday and then start this. But I did this year, like I was clear on it, came home, gave myself some grace ’cause I was in Pacific time and then, central time and there also has to be an element of flowing with your life, because otherwise you’ll derail yourself and you’ll be all or nothing. And I think where that comes in is the who are you? Who are you choosing to be? Because when I go look at that version of who is the 2026? Emily and I read that, it’s okay, she would show up this way.

She would show up this way. If she was on a trip and came home in the middle of the week, or she got sick and she couldn’t do these things. And so that identity of who we choose to be guides us when we are off script or we are off the plan, which is gonna happen all the time. And in fact, I’m welcoming that more and more, right?

As long as I’m not going numb and becoming not intentional with my actions to my decisions. But I am welcoming the unknown because there’s so much magic in it. I don’t know best, I don’t know where things will be in six months. I could have a massive opportunity presented to me that diverts my attention and resources that I wasn’t expecting, right?

And I’m not gonna be like, no, I can’t do that because I have this list of goals over here that I have to prioritize, right? We’re of course gonna take the big opportunity. So my year is really about optimizing. Who am I becoming? Who am I being already? Who am I choosing to be choosing to show up in all areas of my life?

And how can I feel more alive? And more welcoming and open to the unknown because that’s where the magic is. So I don’t know if you guys enjoyed this. That’s my goals for 2026. It’s gonna be a great year. I can feel it, and maybe I’ll take some of these parts to my process and implement it in yours. I keep it simple.

Literally it’s all in my notes app, like all in my notes app, and I look at it every single week and sometimes. Just as a reminder, I literally have it as a widget on my phone, so it’s big and I can click into it and it’s like there’s my 2026 reality creation. It’s always top of mind, always being repeated because then it guides me in the moments that maybe I do go unconscious or I divert back to an old pattern.

All right, everybody. Hope you enjoyed this. I’ll talk to you all next week.