New Year's resolutions often set us up for disappointment: long lists of goals, mounting pressure, and the weight of unmet expectations. But what if there was a better way? What if instead of waiting for January 1st to give us permission to change, we embraced a process that honors our growth every single day?

In this episode, I share the three powerful practices that have carried me through 15 years of personal transformation, major life challenges, career shifts, and achieving goals that once felt impossible. These aren't quick fixes or empty promises. They're intentional practices that bring clarity, strengthen belief, and reveal the ways we might be standing in our own way.

In this episode, I share:

• Why I don't believe in New Year's resolutions and what I do instead
• How vision boarding creates clarity and trains your mind to recognize your desires
• The power of writing gratitude letters to the universe in the past tense, as if your goals have already happened
• Why resistance while writing reveals limiting beliefs you need to work through
• The importance of working hard, then releasing control and trusting the timing
• How manifestation isn't magic. It's about aligning your actions with your vision
• Why this process has been transformative for me over 15 years
• A challenge to replace resolutions with vision boarding, gratitude letters, and intentional action

When we stop waiting for a date on the calendar and start stepping into a process that nurtures our growth, aligns with our dreams, and honors the life we're meant to live, that's when real transformation begins.

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

Follow @journeywithritaorg on Instagram to keep building resilience through proven guiding principles, practical tools, and weekly inspiration.

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

As women, we're encouraged to be emotionally resilient, spiritually resilient—but financially resilient? We don't talk about that enough. That part of the conversation can feel intimidating or even off-limits. But not here, not today.

Meet Roxana Maddahi: financial advisor, president of Maddahi Wealth, and contributor for Forbes and HuffPost. Roxana's journey isn't just about spreadsheets or portfolios. She's seen what it's like to lose everything—to watch her savings slip away when Lehman Brothers filed for the biggest bankruptcy in history. Out of that painful experience rose her dedication to help others avoid the same struggles.

In this conversation, we explore what financial resilience really means—and how to build the habits, knowledge, and mindsets that help us withstand and recover from financial shocks like illness, job loss, market downturns, or divorce.

Disclaimer: This conversation is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial professional for guidance tailored to your personal situation.

In this episode, Roxana shares:

• The mindset of a financially resilient person: accepting that emergencies are inevitable
• Why meditation is essential for managing financial stress and making clear decisions
• How to build an emergency fund (and why it doesn't have to be all liquid cash)
• The biggest misconception about the stock market—it's not gambling
• Why women are as financially literate as men but 44% less likely to believe it
• Her story of working at Lehman Brothers during the 2008 bankruptcy
• Why she invested her life savings in Lehman Brothers stock—and lost it all
• How watching families lose everything shaped her mission to provide good guidance
• Why 90% of women will have to manage their finances alone at some point
• The importance of finding a financial advisor who truly understands you

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Follow Roxana Maddahi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxana.maddahi/?hl=en
• Visit Maddahi Wealth for more information: https://maddahiwealth.com/
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

Gratitude isn't meant to be a once-a-year tradition reserved for the Thanksgiving table. It's something we can weave into our daily lives—a practice that shapes how we see the world, respond to challenges, and move through each day.

In this solo episode, I share my personal journey with gratitude, from hearing Oprah talk about gratitude journals as a teenager to how this simple practice carried me through breast cancer, miscarriages, and Guillain-Barré syndrome when I temporarily lost the ability to move.

In this episode, I share:

• How Oprah Winfrey's gratitude journal practice changed my life as a teenager
• Finding gratitude during breast cancer—feeling lucky to have treatment options and access to incredible doctors
• The moment I became paralyzed and was overwhelmed not by fear, but by the kindness of those who surrounded me
• Why gratitude is like a pearl in the ocean—you have to dive deep through murky waters to find it
• The science behind gratitude: How it rewires your brain and reduces anxiety
• Practical ways to build gratitude daily: savoring moments, journaling, dinnertime reflections, and the gratitude shift
• Teaching my children to look for the good, even on hard days
• Why gratitude doesn't mean pretending everything is okay—it means choosing to focus on what helps you move forward

When gratitude becomes part of how we live—not something we only visit once a year—life truly begins to shift. We start seeing beauty in ordinary moments, we become more resilient in hard times, and we realize that even when everything feels uncertain, there's always something to be thankful for.

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

Follow @journeywithritaorg on Instagram to keep building resilience through proven guiding principles, practical tools, and weekly inspiration.

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources