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What if the “small changes” you keep putting off are actually the ones that would change everything?

In this episode of Manders Mindset, host Amanda Russo sits down with author and acupuncturist Elizabeth Bruckner, creator of The Homesteader Mindset, for a conversation that feels equal parts grounding, funny, and quietly life-altering. Elizabeth shares how a lifetime shaped by immigrant family history, chronic illness, and deep curiosity led her to the unexpected path of homesteading… starting in a Southern California suburb with a concrete backyard and a history of killing plants.

Together, Amanda and Elizabeth explore what integrity really means, why routines outperform willpower, and how “tiny increments” can pull someone out of survival mode and into self-trust. From habit chaining and gratitude practices to the power of frivolous joy, this episode is a reminder that healing and transformation don’t usually happen through massive overhauls… they happen through small, doable choices repeated with grace.

💡 In this episode, listeners will discover:

🌿 How chronic illness became the turning point that shifted Elizabeth’s relationship with self-care
🏡 What “homesteading” can look like even in a suburb with limited space
🧠 Why routines work better than willpower when building lasting habits
⏳ The “five-minute rule” that helps people restart habits without shame
💛 How gratitude can interrupt hopelessness and bring someone back to the present
✨ Why “frivolous joy” is not optional... it’s nervous system medicine
📝 What Elizabeth means by “badly done is better than well said” (and why it changes everything)

⏰ Timeline Summary

[0:49] Elizabeth’s core values: integrity and being a lifelong learner
[3:11] Family history, immigration trauma, and how early stories shaped her worldview
[10:52] Chronic illness in her 40s and the moment everything had to change
[13:09] Starting homesteading during COVID and building community through curiosity
[15:57] Learning languages during illness and why it helped her avoid identifying with being “sick”
[22:08] Why Elizabeth wrote The Homesteader Mindset and the power of tiny increments
[28:01] Willpower vs. routines and how habits live in the brain differently
[31:42] Practical tools for getting back into habits (five-minute rule + function stacking)
[35:30] Gratitude as a mindset shift, especially in hard seasons
[58:35] “Badly done is better than well said” and why action beats perfection

To Connect with Amanda:

Schedule a 1:1 Virtual Breathwork Session HERE

📸 Instagram: @thebreathinggoddess

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📱Instagram: @MandersMindset
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To Connect with Elizabeth Bruckner:
Website: https://createwellnessproject.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createwellnessproject/