I’ve always been obsessed with how we can unlock our next opportunities, what I believe is truly meant for us. Even from an extremely young age, I understood there was more to life if you were willing to take the unconventional route.
I actually “worked” part-time in my elementary school office when I was in kindergarten.
I can feel some of your heads shaking with a little giggle as my productivity and organizational tendencies seem to all start adding up.
I continued to find small ways to take the less travelled path, but it wasn’t until I launched my powerlifting apparel business in university that I really returned home to my commitment to trusting the unconventional route.
That business really validated for me that there was so much more we are willing to experience in this life if we are willing.
I kept chasing that feeling of “more, more, more” and it worked. But it also made me burn out incredibly hard.
I’m talking unshakeable pneumonia, unexplainable rashes, and my hair falling out in chunks.
Since then, I’ve said goodbye to an approach that runs me into the ground and instead kept a consistent toolkit that allows me to experience life now while still building for my future self. It helps me unlock the characteristics required to step into my next chapter each time, maintain my day-to-day productivity and peace simultaneously, and accomplish things I didn’t even know to dream of.
I’m sharing with you 7 tools I leverage every year in my Growth Toolkit to grow our wealth without sacrificing our health or happiness along the way.
If you’re looking to step into your next level in 2025, I’ve included my most impactful and practical from each of these tools for you to explore.
1. Die with Zero – Expand your Mind
This book is an important read for all of us who are zeroed in on securing our future life but need the reminder to keep living for now too.
Die with Zero helps you reconsider how you perceive money, important for any growth mission. It will help you find the balance between enjoying your life before it’s too late and making sure future you is covered – very on brand for our mission here.
One of my favourite things about this book is the way the author, Bill Perkins, actively tackles your hesitations throughout the book with counter arguments that are *frustratingly good*. We love some good stats to open our eyes!
Already read this or looking for different ways to expand your mind by reading? Here are my top book recommendations for growth by focus category or you can browse my most common recommendations here.
Reading has been such a fundamental part of my Growth Toolkit. You simply don’t know what you don’t know and I’ve found some of my most impactful lessons have come from the unexpected takeaways in a book I pick up, whether it’s designed for self help or not.
Not into the self-help type of books? No problem. I’ve had massive takeaways from fiction or memoirs that I relate to deeply. Start with reading stories of people you admire or who have gone through challenges so unique you couldn’t imagine. You’ll be surprised how much resonates and changes you.
2. Todoist – Organization System
I love a simple system. Apps like Notion can be incredible for getting you organized, but can also be overwhelming when starting from scratch or if you’re someone who ends up focusing more on perfecting the system than actually using it.
We built our entire $350K+ product business using Todoist to create + manage our project lists.
Todoist is a great tool for a simple project management option that operates between your different devices. It’s a great catch-all tool for a focused task list.
The last four years I’ve primarily leaned on my notebook to-do list “expiration” system, but my partner still uses Todoist and credits it with the reason he no longer lets tasks fall through the cracks.
The lesson here? Regardless of the system that works for you, you need somethingsupporting your day-to-day organization.
3. Unlocking Us – Expand your Mind
You may be picking up on a theme here that a big part of our Growth Toolkit is integrating new lessons that will grow us as an individual and in our work.
If you’re more of a podcast listener than a reader (or ideally you’re both!), Unlocking us with Brené Brown has some of the best, thorough conversational episodes I’ve experienced. I have learned so much from this podcast, and it carried me through many Hot Girl Walks and home DIY projects.
I literally get flashbacks to painting my front stairs at our old place when I think about it! Anyone else’s brain tie different sensory experiences with memories? Shows or podcasts always remind me of exactly where I was or what I was doing when I heard it.
Here are a few of the episodes in particular I’d seek out based on how they impacted me:
- James Clear on Atomic Habits, Part 1 & Part 2
- I’m Sorry: How to Apologize & Why it Matters, Part 1 & 2 (okay it maybe sounds lame or elementary but truly, so good)
- Emmanuel Acho on Being Illogical
Sending these recommendations made me realize she’s been dropping new episodes since September?! Back to listening I go!
A few other podcasts that have changed how I see the world: Maintenance Phase, Books that Kill, Planet Money, Stuff You Should Know.
4. Balance Meditation App – Daily Regulation
Even five minutes of meditation daily can bring calmness and clarity to your day.
Here’s how I use Balance specifically:
- 20-minute guided meditation ‘Reflection’ to help me fall asleep
- 3 or 5 min ‘Wake Up’ in the AM
- Themed ‘Singles’ as needed to address specific feelings
It can be tempting to lean into the 8-step morning routine or all the daily habits we can choose from, but it’s also incredibly easy to fall off when life inevitably gets in the way.
Find some simple tools to serve as your daily regulation or anchors.
I use a meditation or reading to bring back that calmness, brushing my teeth & washing my face as my morning and night anchors, a quick workout, and oracle card deck pulls for when I need an extra grounding message.
5. Colouring – Play and Rest
I constantly remind myself “It’s not that deep” when I feel I’m overstressing or taking life way too seriously.
For the love of all things joy + happiness + a regulated nervous system…please do not forget to play! It’s something we leave behind as we face adulthood whether it’s because we can’t justify the time, we feel embarrassed trying new things, or we simply have different priorities.
In a world of 8 hrs of screen time for most of us, colouring gets me off my devices and back connected with my hands, my creativity, and my sense of play. Keep a pack of markers and a few colouring books on hand, and you’re good to go.
Some of my other go-to ways to play:
- Leisurely swimming in a pool
- Making candles (okay I just did my first one but it’s always been something I want to start doing to reuse containers + gift to my loved ones!)
- Sticker books
- Silly games with my partner
6. Breathwork – The Deep Work
Our Growth Toolkit tools like our organizational systems and daily regulation enable us to keep moving forward and “stay on track”, but doing the deeper work has always been the most impactful for me.
For myself, non-verbal healing modules have brought things to the surface I would have never been able to identify as a root issue for me. Tackling these head on has been an absolute driver in my success in life.
Energy healing, a facilitated psychedelic trip, breathwork, and yoga are all tools that have allowed me to dive in deeper and connect with what’s really going on underneath the surface.
Up next: I’m about to explore Neurofeedback therapy. Will keep you posted if you’re interested!
7. Stardust – Cycle Syncing
For my pals who experience menstruation or even those who live with someone who does, consider cycle syncing where you build your tasks around which part of your cycle you may be in.
Stardust is a great period app that walks us through each cycle phase, not just our menstrual week. Some other alternatives for tracking in general are Clue and Flo.
(Reminder: do your own research if you are worried about your data. From my understanding, Clue is best for data protection.)
A few resources for this:
- Menstrual cycle syncing cheatsheet
- 5 lessons from menstrual cycle syncing
- Menstrual cycle sync: productivity guide
- Menstrual cycle sync: nutrition guide
- How I use menstrual cycle syncing
- Comparing menstrual phases to seasons
- This YouTube video that gives a great breakdown
You can also apply this concept to the seasons as well. Here are 5 habits I cycle with the seasons for reference.
Hopefully these have given you a great starting point for building your Growth Toolkit for 2025. You’ll likely notice a theme with everything I teach: it’s not a stiff blueprint. It’s yours to discover.
Your Growth Toolkit should contain at least one from the following categories:
1. Daily Regulation (meditation, movement, grounding)
2. Organizational System (expiry to do list, Todoist, Notion)
3. Expand your Mind (read, learn, my community here/IG/TikTok, podcasts)
4. The Deep Work (breathwork, energy healing)
5. Play and Rest (colour, paint, play!)
And for my pals with periods, consider cycle syncing to see how it feels.
More than anything, commit to learning more everyday and treating your own life like an experiment. We’re all just figuring it out, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can build what works for you.
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