Want to know a secret about me? I really don't like change.

But there are different kinds of change. Good change? New opportunities? LOVE those.

The kind that comes out of nowhere and changes everything in your life? No thank you.

But as we all know, change happens. We don't always get to control it, and we definitely don't always know how it's going to turn out. Sometimes, what feels completely disruptive in the moment can eventually open the door to something we never could have seen coming.

And that's really what this episode is about: the change you choose, the change you don't - and what you do with both.

A few years ago, when I was newly separated and my life felt like it had been turned completely upside down, a woman gave me a piece of advice I have never forgotten:

Say yes to Uganda.

She told me that when her own marriage ended, she decided to start saying yes to things she might previously have talked herself out of. A dance class? Yes. A party? Yes. An invitation? Yes. Something new and healthy that pushed her outside the life she already knew? Yes.

Eventually, one of those yeses took her all the way to Uganda.

I didn't literally go to Uganda.

But I took the lesson.

And soon enough, invitations started showing up in my own life. I said yes to as many as I could. One of those yeses became a gift I never could have planned for - something that entered my life only because life had changed enough to make room for it.

And that's what Say Yes to Uganda came to mean to me. Its a mantra I use to this day.

It doesn't mean running away, reinventing yourself every five minutes, or convincing yourself that everything happens for a reason.

It means remembering that even when you cannot control what has happened, you can still participate in what happens next.

In this solo episode of The Ambition Code, I'm looking at the psychology of change - why we cling to what's familiar, why a fresh start can feel so powerful, and why fear can make us stay when we should go or run when we should stay.

We're talking about the difference between commitment and fear, courage and escape, voluntary and involuntary change - and one of my favorite truths from this entire episode:

Problems are portable.

You can change the relationship, the job, the city, the house, the friends - maybe even buy some excellent new throw pillows - but wherever you go, you still bring yourself with you.

So maybe navigating change isn't about constantly searching for a completely new life.

Maybe it's about asking better questions.

What am I moving toward, or running from?

What is this change showing me, and what is mine to decide?

And most importantly:

What do I want from this change?

Because we don't always get to choose the beginning of a new chapter.

But we do get a say in how we write what comes next.

Sometimes that starts with a huge decision.

And sometimes it starts with one tiny yes.

Say yes to Uganda.

The Ambition Code is about ambition, identity, reinvention, career, relationships and the choices — expected and unexpected — that shape our lives.

Created, Hosted & Executive Produced by Julie Kellman Reading
Produced by Love + Daydreams
Music by Moby Gratis
A Love + Daydreams Production

Listen to The Ambition Code on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Instagram: @TheAmbitionCodePod
YouTube: @TheAmbitionCodePod

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliekellmanreading

Website: LoveAndDaydreams.com
Instagram: @loveanddaydreams

For guest inquiries, creative partnerships, production inquiries and more, visit LoveAndDaydreams.com.

If this episode spoke to you, follow The Ambition Code, rate and review the show, and send this episode to someone navigating a change of their own.

Your Life Is Waiting For You.