Do you feel stuck not because you’re behind, but because you’re waiting to feel ready?

In today’s episode of The SMARTA Podcast, I sit down with Musonda Veronica, Insider LA’s Person of the Year 2026, TEDx speaker, leadership coach, and keynote speaker, to break down how to step into this year with courage, clarity, and momentum even when your path doesn’t make sense yet.

This conversation is about choosing movement over perfection, courage over readiness, and trusting that you already have more value than you think.

What you’ll walk away with:

• Why your career path doesn’t need to make sense right now

• Why courage always beats readiness

• How to name fear so it stops controlling you

• How to build confidence through competence and familiarity

• How Gen Z mindset can reshape leadership at any age

• How to network, find mentors, and build opportunities from where you are

• Why your differences are not disadvantages, they’re your edge

Musonda Veronica’s work focuses on confidence, career transitions, leadership identity, and helping people step into opportunities before they feel ready.

This is your reminder that your dreams don’t need to make sense to anyone else. They just need movement from you.

In this episode:

00:00 – Welcome to Episode 2 of the Year

02:10 – Why you don’t need to be Gen Z to think like one

05:15 – The 3 truths that change how you approach your career

08:45 – Why courage beats readiness every time

12:40 – Saying yes before you’re ready changed everything

18:10 – How to name fear and turn it into a plan

22:30 – Confidence comes from familiarity

26:00 – Networking without fear or awkwardness

31:40 – Transferable skills when you have no experience

36:50 – Finding mentors when you think no one will say yes

40:10 – Books that changed Musonda’s life

45:45 – Final message you need to hear this year

If you learned something new from this episode, do me a huge favor: double-check that you’re subscribed, follow the show, and rate this episode 5 stars. It’s the single best way to help us bring you more amazing guests and tools to help you live your best life ever. Now, go out there and make this your best year yet!

📺 Watch on YouTube: The SMARTA Podcast Playlist

📖 See Sonia’s books: www.soniamarta.com/books.

📲 Follow Sonia’s Journey linktr.ee/soniamartauthor

Music by epic_musictracks on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-drama-113886/

You don’t have to try harder and post more. You have to get more clarity on what you do. Find your ‘why’. Your purpose.

As a new year begins, most people set goals. Very few build the discipline, clarity, and mindset required to actually follow through.

In today’s episode of The SMARTA Podcast, I sit down with one of the most direct, no-nonsense voices in business to talk about productivity with purpose, cutting through distractions, and doing the work that actually moves the needle.

This conversation is for anyone who’s tired of talking about change, and ready to commit to it.

What we cover in today’s episode:

• Why productivity without purpose leads to burnout

• How to stop overthinking and start executing

• The difference between being busy and being effective

• Why clarity beats motivation every single time

• How to build habits that actually stick in the new year

• What most people get wrong about success and discipline

• How to make 2026 the year you finally take ownership of your life and career

Brad Burton is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and author, best known as the founder of 4Networking, one of the UK’s largest and most successful business networking organisations.

With decades of experience building communities, businesses, and people, Brad is known for his straight-talking, action-first approach to success. He challenges excuses, calls out comfort zones, and helps individuals and leaders reconnect with purpose, accountability, and momentum.

You can find Brad on LinkedIn, YouTube, and through his books and speaking work, where he continues to push people to stop waiting and start doing.

In this episode:

00:00 Welcome

02:00 Why most New Year goals fail

04:05 Top 3 takeaways you’ll gain from this episode

06:10 Productivity vs purpose — why both matter

09:22 The danger of being “busy”

12:01 Clarity as the real productivity hack

15:45 Breaking the cycle of procrastination

19:20 Discipline over motivation

22:58 Habits that create long-term results

27:10 How to reset your mindset for 2026

31:40 Advice Brad would give his younger self

35:15 Final message: ownership, action, and execution

If you learned something new from this episode, do me a huge favor: double-check that you’re subscribed, follow the show, and rate this episode 5 stars. It’s the single best way to help us bring you more amazing guests and tools to help you live your best life ever. Now, go out there and make this your best year yet!

📺 Watch on YouTube: The SMARTA Podcast Playlist

📖 See Sonia’s books: www.soniamarta.com/books.

📲 Follow Sonia’s Journey linktr.ee/soniamartauthor

Music by epic_musictracks on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-drama-113886/

What if 2026 doesn’t need more pressure... just more energy?

This is the final episode of 2025 on The SMARTA Podcast, and it’s not about resolutions you’ll abandon by February. It’s about learning how to enter 2026 with clarity, confidence, and sustainable energy, without burning out or betraying yourself.

In today’s conversation, I’m joined by Michele Phillips, an expert in emotional intelligence, happiness, and energy management, to break down what actually creates momentum in your life. Not motivation. Not hustle. Alignment.

We talk about why happiness comes before success, how emotions are simply energy asking for direction, and how small, repeatable habits, not massive goals, are what change your life year over year.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, reset, and choose a different way of moving forward.

What you’ll learn:

• How to enter 2026 with more energy (not exhaustion)

• Why happiness is a habit, not a destination

• How to stop letting emotions run your life, and start guiding them

• Why small habits beat big resolutions every time

• How to build confidence by keeping promises to yourself

• The difference between running on adrenaline vs alignment

Michele Phillips is a speaker, corporate trainer, and bestselling author of Happiness Is a Habit and Energize Your Happiness. Her work focuses on emotional intelligence, energy management, and helping people live with greater clarity, confidence, and joy.

In this episode:

00:00 – Welcome & why this episode matters for 2026

02:34 – You have more power than you think

04:20 – Happiness as a habit (not a reward)

06:10 – Journaling, clarity & celebrating small wins

09:18 – Navigating emotional lows without spiraling

12:30 – Naming emotions: “name it to tame it”

15:30 – Energy vs time as the real performance driver

18:05 – Why dopamine shortcuts don’t work

20:35 – Alignment vs adrenaline

23:40 – Rejection as redirection

27:14 – Why New Year’s resolutions fail

30:10 – The power of starting so small you can’t fail

34:49 – Consistency, patience & long-term confidence

37:00 – Morning rituals & grounded leadership

39:00 – Energize Your Happiness (book pitch)

42:20 – Advice Michele wishes she knew at 17

46:40 – How to live a more energized, happy life

47:50 – Final reflections & closing the year

If you learned something new from this episode, do me a huge favor: double-check that you’re subscribed, follow the show, and rate this episode 5 stars. It’s the single best way to help us bring you more amazing guests and tools to help you live your best life ever. Now, go out there and make this your best year yet!

📺 Watch on YouTube: The SMARTA Podcast Playlist

📖 See Sonia’s books: www.soniamarta.com/books.

📲 Follow Sonia’s Journey linktr.ee/soniamartauthor

Music by epic_musictracks on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-drama-113886/