Wellness Inspired Podcast

Starting Small Is the Smartest Way to Begin the Year

• Sheri Davidson

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The start of a new year often comes with big goals, high motivation, and pressure to reset everything, but I’ve seen again and again that this intensity often leads to burnout instead of lasting change.

In this episode of The Wellness Inspired Podcast, I share a steadier, smarter approach to habit-building—one that works even when life feels full, stressful, or unpredictable. I talk about why motivation and inspiration matter, but why they can’t be the foundation of sustainable habits, and why starting small is often the most strategic way to build consistency that actually lasts.

In this episode, I explore:

  • Why motivation and inspiration are important, but can’t sustain habits on their own
  • How pressure and intensity quietly sabotage consistency
  • Why starting small helps your nervous system feel safe moving forward
  • How habits shift from effort to identity over time
  • A more realistic way to approach wellness during demanding seasons

“When you stay consistent long enough, you don’t just do the thing. You become the kind of person who does it.” — Sheri Davidson

✨ Want support turning insight into habits that stick?
Download The Make It Stick Kit—a short audio companion designed to support consistency, return, and follow-through. Link in the show notes.


➡️ Why Your Nervous System Is the Missing Link to Habits That Stick: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806187/episodes/18363892-why-your-nervous-system-is-the-missing-link-to-habits-that-stick.mp3?download=true

➡️ Did You Know | Motivation is a mood, not a strategy?: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806187/episodes/17539878-did-you-know-motivation-is-a-mood-not-a-strategy.mp3?download=true

🌿Want to add a little more ease and energy to your day? Grab my free guide: The Daily Wellness Spark—5 simple micro-habits to help you feel more grounded and alive. Download it at wellnessinspiredpodcast.com 

🌿 Want wellness habits that actually last? Grab The Make It Stick Kit — a 5-day audio bundle designed to help you stay consistent without pressure or perfection. Build habits that fit your real life and feel good doing it. 

➡️ Download here:  Make It Stick Kit

🌿 Ready for support that helps wellness stick?
Work 1:1 with me through Wellness Inspired Coaching — where we turn insight into real-life integration. Together, we’ll create sustainable habits, shift your mindset, and design wellness that fits you.

➡️ Apply now to work with me: APPLY HERE

Subscribe for more grounded, curiosity-driven wellness conversations and never stop exploring, learning, and being you.

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SPEAKER_00:

Welcome back to another episode of the Wellness Inspired Podcast, a place where you can find inspiration, motivation, and empowerment in the pursuit of a wellness lifestyle. I'm your host, Sherry Davidson. I'm a certified wellness coach, acupuncturist, trailrunner, and former interior designer in Houston, Texas. And I am deeply passionate about health and well-being. And as always, I'm here with my co-host Finn. And if you're new to the podcast, Finn is my Terrier Mix Rescue dog trailrunner and loyal companion. He is also a therapy dog and greeter at Element 5 Acupuncture and Wellness. And I'm really glad you're here today. This is the first episode of 2026. So happy new year, everyone. I hope uh you all are off to a fantastic start. And this is a time for fresh beginnings. And everywhere you look right now, the message is loud and familiar. Do more, fix everything, go all in. New routines, big plans, total resets. And if you've been here before, if you started your year strong, only to feel overwhelmed, behind, or frustrated a few weeks later, I want to say this clearly from the start. That experience does not mean you lack discipline. It does not mean you're inconsistent. And it definitely doesn't mean something's wrong with you. It means you're human. Most of us have lived this cycle many times over. Strong intentions, big expectations, life happens, momentum fades, self-blame kicks in. And quietly we start believing the problem is us. Well, this year, I want to offer something different. No hype, no pressure, no dramatic overhaul, just a steadier, smarter way to begin. So how does that sound? All right, well, let's jump in. I want to start with something that I think often gets misunderstood. Motivation and inspiration matter. They're important, they're the spark, they're what lights the fire. But motivation alone isn't what keeps the fire going. What keeps the fire burning is the wood. And habits built only on motivation tend to burn hot and fast. You see, motivation is emotional energy. And emotional energy, well, it fluctuates. It rises when things feel new and exciting, and it dips when life gets busy, stressful, or emotionally demanding. When we build habits that depend on intensity or perfect conditions, they're fragile by design. At a tough week, a poor night's sleep, a family issue, a schedule change, and suddenly that big plan feels heavy. Pressure builds, the habit starts to feel like another demand. And once something feels demanding, our system looks for relief. That's not a character flaw, that's biology. I want to share something personal here because it's shaped how I think about this deeply. Over the past year, maybe year and a half, my family has been navigating some new waters. My parents are aging, and for the first time in our family's history, we've had to face real health issues. We've always been a healthy family. Thank you. Very grateful of that. So this it this really was new territory for all of us. Um, just to say they're doing well now, both of them, and I'm grateful for that. But the emotional toll of having appointments and certainty and concern for the people you love most, that takes energy. And here's the part I think we don't talk enough about. You only have so much attention, you only have so much emotional bandwidth. During that season, I made a very conscious decision not to pressure myself. I didn't stop caring about my health by any means, but I adjusted how I showed up. Some days I made it to the gym, some days I went for a run. Some days I did a quick kettlebell workout at home. And some days I reframed my movement entirely, not as training or progress, but as stress relief. I'll jump back in more fully when things settle down. And that permission mattered because the pressure would have made everything so much harder. Um, so, anyways, this is the reframe I want you to carry with you into this year. That starting small is not playing it safe. It's playing it smart. Small habits do something big ones can't. They fit tired days, they survive disruption, and they feel supportive instead of demanding. A habit that only works when you're energized, focused, and ahead of schedule isn't a habit. It's a performance. Real consistency comes from repeatability, not excitement. And here's something important I've seen again and again in my own life and with my clients. When you stay consistent long enough, you don't just do the thing, you start to become the kind of person who does it. Now that's important. It shifts from effort to identity. And starting small makes that identity shift safer for your nervous system. Small actions are easier to trust, easier to repeat, and easier to return to. Over time, your system learns this is safe. This is who I am now, this is just how I live. That's where a real lasting change takes hold. Now, I want to pause here and invite you into this, not as a task, but as a moment of reflection. You can think about this quietly, write it down, or come back to it later. Doesn't matter. But I want you to ask yourself, what's one small habit you could repeat even on your hardest days? Not your best days, not your most motivated days, your hardest ones. Or you might ask, what's one simple thing that would support your energy this year? No pressure to get it perfect, just notice what comes up. So if you're listening and thinking, I know what supports me. I just struggle to keep coming back. That is exactly why I created the make it stick kit. It's not a reset, it's not a challenge, and it's not about doing more. It's a set of short audios designed to help you return gently to the habits that support you, especially when life feels full or motivation fades. Think of it as support for consistency, not perfection. So if you are interested, I will link it in the show notes if you want to explore it. Uh yeah, well, I guess this is a short and sweet, happy new year 2026 episode. As we move into this year, I want to leave you with this. This year doesn't need to be a total overhaul. It needs to be something you can keep returning to. Something steady, something realistic, something that works even when life doesn't cooperate. That's the tone that I'm setting for 2026, here on the podcast and in my own life. So thanks for being here. Thanks for choosing a smarter, steadier way forward. I'll see you in the next episode. Bye. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and share with your family and friends. You can also give me a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcast. It helps others find me as well. To get updates on new episodes and wellness inspiration in your inbox, please join the wellness inspired community. Go to the wellness inspired podcast.com to sign up. I'll put the link to the website in the show notes so you can click and join. Also, there's a Facebook community at the Wellness Inspired, and you can follow me on Instagram at wellness underscore inspired. If you're in the Houston area or just visiting and interested in our services, acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, zinshiatsu, or dry needling therapy, contact us. You can find out more on our website at element5om.com. That's element5thenumber5om.com. And again, I'll put the link in the show notes. If you're interested in health and wellness coaching, we can connect in the clinic or on Zoom. Reach out to us and we'll get you on the schedule. And as always, I would love to hear your feedback. I am dedicated to bringing you great content that is inspiring and informative with an artsy fun edgy spin. Thank you so much for listening. We'll meet here again next time. And remember, never stop exploring, learning, loving, and being you. Bye.