90-day planning dream life dream life momentum formula dream life podcast episode 500 habits Kristina Karlsson milestone personal growth podcast start before you're ready write it down

#500 - 500 Episodes Later: The 12 Lessons That Turned My Dreams into Reality


Hi there!

Five hundred episodes. I can't quite believe it.

When “podcast” first came up on my dream list, I straight away thought, I can't do that. English is my second language, I'm not a journalist, and I had never interviewed anyone. I wrote it down anyway, and I started.

In this episode, it's just you and me. I share the 12 lessons that have turned my dreams into reality, grouped into what I call the Dream Life Momentum Formula: clarity and belief, courageous and consistent action, and an experienced mentor and a supportive community.

As you listen, ask yourself: which of these is strong for me, and which one needs a little love?

As always, I’d LOVE to hear what resonated most with you - so please share and let’s keep the conversation going in the Dream Life Podcast Facebook Group here.

Have a wonderful week ...and remember, it all starts with a dream.

Enjoy!

PS: If you would like support turning your dreams into momentum alongside a group of inspiring women, explore Dream Life Coaching: https://www.yourdreamlifestartshere.com/course

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TRANSCRIPT:

Hi there, and welcome back. Guess what? This is episode 500. I can't quite believe it. A few years ago, I sat down to do some dreaming, and I asked myself a question I often ask you, "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" And creating my own podcast came up for me. As soon as that dream came up, something else came up as well. Straight away I thought, "I can't do that." And the reasons came really quickly as well. English is my second language. I'm not a journalist. I have never interviewed anyone before, and I've always been the one who'd been interviewed. So this was a really big deal for me. But it kept coming up. When I asked myself another question I often ask you, "What would you do if you had all the skills to do whatever you want?" There it was again, a podcast. So I did what I always encourage you to do. I wrote it down, even though I had no idea how to make it. And then all we need to do is to start. You have heard me say this here many, many times before, but I think it's worth saying again. You do not have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. It's a Zig Ziglar quote that I repeat to myself often, and I say frequently here, "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." And let me tell you, starting my podcast, I was so nervous. I was so bad when I recorded my first interview. I was so conscious that it was the worst interview that I could possibly have done. Knowing what I know now, I should have just relaxed and just have a great conversation. But I was so conscious.

And in fact, I actually remember saying to Paul before I was going on to record, I think it was maybe the third podcast with Alisa Camplin-Warner, and I know Alisa personally, so it was like speaking to a friend. So I don't know. But I just remember saying to Paul, "I think I rather open 20 stores in one day than record a podcast."

And I know that sounds crazy for some of you who speak English as their first language and speaks very naturally and perhaps are really good at interviewing and you think, "What is that?" And that is the thing with dreams. We all are confident in certain areas where we have a bit of experience, and we have self-doubt, and not sure if we can do it if we never done it before.

But as we know, all it takes is practice. And that is what I have done 500 times. And guess what? I still don't think I'm great. But if I keep going, maybe one day I will be a world-class podcaster. And just for the record, I actually don't strive to be a world-class podcaster. I absolutely love doing this because I feel like I've got so much to share, and also I get to meet so many incredible people that I interview on this podcast.

So even if I never get to world-class, I am really happy with just keep going and I'm excited about the next 500. I thought a lot about this episode. I was thinking of inviting someone big, someone we all would love to hear from, and the lady I had in mind, she will still come. But today, I just wanted it to be you and me. Because over the last few years, I have started a podcast, written a book, started a coaching program, started two book clubs, opened the Dream Life Store, and spoken on stages across the globe. And I have learnt a lot along the way. I could talk about it for hours, but there are a few things I really want to make sure I share with you today, and here is the most important one: it all starts with dreaming. I know you have heard me say it many times on this show, but I want to make it really, really clear today.

Everything I have done since starting my first business, kikki.K, and everything I've done since then came from dreaming without knowing how to do any of it.

It really is quite simple to dream, but it doesn't mean it's easy. The dreaming part is actually the easy bit if you take time to do it. For some of you, that might be hard as well because you don't have the time or you don't take the time. And if you don't take the time, I really, really think you should.

Give yourself one quiet hour, a pen and a piece of paper. Dream without limits first. You can edit later. And if you find it really difficult to do, I am having a workshop if you're listening to this at the time of recording next week, and we're going to do some dreaming, so if you can't do it on your own, definitely book into that workshop.

I'll share a bit more about it later. But this is what I want you to know. Once you start dreaming big, once you get excited about what your dream life could look like, it often starts to feel a bit uncomfortable because it's one thing to dream, it's another thing to actually make those dreams come true.

And I want to remind you, all you need to do is start with one small action. But even a small action can feel uncomfortable, and I know this because I have felt that uncomfortable feeling so many times.

So here is what I have learnt. I want you to imagine you have two buckets in front of you. In the first bucket, you go for it. You take the step, you feel a bit scared, you feel a bit uncomfortable, you don't know exactly how, and you do it anyway. I know that that's going to feel uncomfortable.

In the second bucket, you let those dreams sit there. You do nothing. Life stays the same. You're still busy, and you just keep going what you've always done, and that is a bit uncomfortable too because deep down you know your life could be so different. Two buckets, both uncomfortable. So which one will you choose? The discomfort of going for it usually gets smaller each time you take a step. The discomfort of not going for it tends to get bigger year after year. I have always chosen the first bucket, not because I am braver than you or anyone else. It's because I think life is short, and I want to make the most of this one precious life we have been given.

And I really hope you want to make the most of your life, too. So here is what I've learned from creating my own dream life and from coaching so many people in the Dream Life coaching program over the years. The people who make their dreams happen aren't luckier or more talented or smarter than anyone else.

What I've seen again and again is that they have three things working together. I call it the Dream Life Momentum Formula. The first one is clarity and belief, knowing what you want and believing it's possible. The second is courageous, consistent action. Brave steps again and again. And the third is an experienced mentor and a supportive community, the right people around you.

When all three are working, you get momentum. When one is missing, things stall. You might have a beautiful clarity but no action, or lots of action but no real direction, or you are doing it all on your own and you run out of steam. So let's go through each one. I'll share four things I've learned from each of these, and I would love for you to listen with one question in mind: "Which of these is strong for me, and which one needs a little love?"

You might like to grab a journal and a pen. If it's safe to do so, not if you're driving, obviously. All right, here we go. Lesson one, get it out of your head and onto paper. The first thing I've learned is a dream in your head is just a wish. A dream on paper is the beginning of a plan. So many of us carry our dreams around for years and never write them down, and I get it.

Life is full, and life gets busy, but something changes when you see it in your own handwriting. It becomes real, and it becomes something you can come back to. And what I've learned as well is when you have a lot of things in your head, and most of us do because we live such a full life, they can get to the back of the queue of all those things that we have in our head.

That is why it's so important to write them down. Here is a simple thing I would love for you to try. Sit down with my four favourite questions. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? And what would you do if you had all the skills, knowledge, time, money, and resources? And what would you do if you had all the health and energy and all the self-belief and courage to do whatever you want in your one precious life?

Write down everything that comes up, big and small, then circle the three that makes your heart beat a little bit faster. Lesson number two, know what matters most, and let it make your decisions. The second thing I want to talk about is values. When you know what matters most to you, decisions get so much simpler.

When I'm stuck on a decision, it might be a new project, an invitation, investment in a course or a coach, which I as a coach do frequently. One of my highest values is actually learning, so I have coaches in lots of different areas of my life and mentors and I often buy courses because I love learning.

But it can also be how to spend a weekend. When I have all those decisions to make, I come back to my values. Does this fit with what matters most to me? If yes, I lean in and I'm happy to spend the time and the money. If not, I can say no without feeling guilty. So ask yourself, "What are the five things that matters most to me right now at this stage of my life?" Write them down, and if you're not sure how to work out what your values are, we have a whole module in Your Dream Life Starts Here digital course, which you get part of coaching if you're part of that. You can also buy it separately. I want you to write down your values, and this week try using them to just make one decision. It's such a game changer when you know your values, but not just only know them, but you actually live your values. Lesson number three: find the why behind your top dreams. Your why is what gets you out of bed in the morning, especially on the days when it would be easier not to, and of course we all have those days.

A dream without a why is so easy to put off. A dream with a strong why pulls you forward. Try this. Take your top dream and ask yourself, "Why does this matter to me?" Then ask it again and again. By the third or fourth time, you usually find the real reason. Often it's about the people you love or the person you want to become.

Write that down too and put it somewhere you will see it every single day. Lesson number four: belief grows with evidence. Believe you can make your dreams come true. Now, I know that that one can feel the hardest. Remember me, English as a second language, never interviewed anyone.

If I had waited until I believed I could do a podcast, we would not be at episode 500. In fact, we would not even have started. What I've learned is that belief doesn't always comes first. Very often it grows from evidence. You take a small step, it goes okay, and your belief grows a little.

Then another step, and it grows a bit more. I say this over and over in the coaching program, confidence comes from action, not the other way around. You do not wait until you have the belief or you have the confidence. Do not wait to feel ready. Look back at what you have already done, the hard things you got through, the things you once thought you couldn't do. Write down three of them. That's your proof. You have done it before, and you can do it again. And if that feels too hard, get a coach or a mentor.

It's worth every cent to get the support you need. Most of the women who join the Dream Life coaching program do not believe that they can do it yet. But when they share their dreams to me, there's not one that I have seen that I don't think is possible. They might not think it's possible for them yet because it's all new for them, and that is why it helps when someone else believes in you to start with.

Clarity is beautiful, but on its own, it's still a dream. This is where it becomes practical.

Lesson number five, plan in 90-day chunks. Plan every quarter around your top three dreams. Treat each quarter as a mini year. You know that excitement you have when the new year comes around? I don't know about you, but I love end of December. I just cannot wait for new possibilities, a new year, a fresh start with new possibilities.

But what I've learned, chunking my quarters into kind of what I call mini years, you can have that four times a year. I absolutely love it, and it makes such a difference when it comes to productivity. A year can feel so big that it's easy to put things off, and the reality is that when we start a new year, beginning of January, we all feel we've got plenty of time.

And then, I don't know about you, but time goes really fast, and suddenly it's October, and we wonder where the year went. And most importantly, we wonder what we got done. And yes, all of us, it's not like we're lying on the couch doing nothing. Our lives are so full, and we're all so busy. I rarely hear someone says, "I've got so much time."

It's the opposite. Everyone says how busy they are, how burnt out they are. And then when we do this in the coaching program, we reflect on the year. A lot of people wonder where the year went and what happened to the top three that we set at the beginning of the year.

But 90 days is close enough to feel real and long enough to make a real progress. So at the start of each quarter, look at your top three dreams for the year and ask, "What is one meaningful step I can take on each of these in the next 90 days?" And then write it down. Put it in your diary, then review, reflect and reset at the end of the quarter, and then you go again.

We do this together in the Dream Life coaching program a month before each quarter, and it's so amazing. Lesson number six: let your habits do the heavy lifting. Make sure your habits support the life you are creating. You may not realise, but our days are made of habits. If I have a dream when it comes to having more health and energy, but my evenings are spent scrolling until midnight or watching Netflix until mid-morning, my habits are pulling me in one way, and my dream is pulling me the other.

You don't need to change everything at once. In fact, please don't. I see this all the time, and of course, I have been guilty of that as well. Choose one habit to focus on. Maybe it's a morning walk, maybe it's a morning ritual, ten minutes of journaling or switching off your phone one hour before bed or even more if you can.

Practise it for a month, then choose the next one. Small habits repeated change your life. I promise you that. The seventh lesson is the one I have lived over and over again. Take the brave step even when you feel unsure. Remember the two buckets. You will never feel completely ready.

I certainly didn't feel ready before my first interview. What I've learned is that confidence usually comes after a brave step, not before it. So here is the question for you. What is the brave step you have been putting off? Maybe it's writing an email, a conversation, an application, or the first post.

What's the smallest version of it that you could do this week? Do that one. Lesson number eight, keep showing up. Take action every day or every week towards your dream life. It does not have to be big. 15 minutes counts. One phone call counts. Episode 500 did not happen because of one big leap.

It happened one episode at a time. Consistency beats intensity every single time.

The people that I see that are making their dreams happen, they are the ones who are still showing up week after week, even if they haven't taken any action. So choose a time every day or once a week that belongs to your dreams. So for us in the Dream Life coaching program, it's Monday nights, and that is because most of us don't have appointments or events or things happening on Monday nights.

Most of us just get home after the big first day of the week, and perhaps we just land in front of the television or scrolling or whatever we're doing. So we dedicate every Monday night to our dreams, and we protect it, so choose when it's for you. If you're joining us, you can do that with us on Monday nights. The most important thing is to protect it like you would an appointment with someone you love because it is.

And now I want to go into the third circle, and that is the one that so many of us skip. We think we have to do it all on our own. You don't. Lesson number nine: say it out loud. The one thing that I've learned, share what you are working on. It keeps you accountable.

First, it's really amazing when you say things out loud, and when you say it to other people, it makes you much more accountable, even if that person you say it to do not really care. So the last Monday of every month in the Dream Life coaching program, we have an accountability call.

I break people in in pairs, and it's just random, so they sometimes know the people and sometimes they don't. And everyone share what three things they worked on last month and the three things that they're going to work on for the next month. But what's so amazing with accountability is when you say it out loud, even if the person do not really care, it makes you so much more accountable. When a dream lives only in your journal, it's very easy to let it sit there and let it slide.

When you have told someone, something completely shifts. You have made a promise not just to yourself, but to the person that you tell it to. This episode is a bit of a proof. I have said it out loud many times that I want to inspire and empower 101 million people. Saying it keeps me going, and there's no one really who is on the side asking, "How close are you?"

Sometimes I do get that question. But for me, it's never about the number. For me, it's about really thinking big and thinking outside the square and doing things that I would not do if I didn't have that massive, big dream overarching everything that I do. So this week, share one dream with one person, but the most important thing is a person who will support you, not the person who will tell you all the reasons it won't work.

The one who will ask you next week, "How is it going?" And this is the hardest part for many of us. When we have big dreams and we share it with maybe it's our partner, maybe it's our family, maybe it's our parents, maybe it's our colleagues, maybe it's our friends, and they think that the dream is too big or too scary, they often take you down.

And that's why, one of the reason why I started the coaching program, because a lot of people who come into my program do not have the support around them. And it's so important that you share it with someone who supports you, because what happens when you share it with someone who are not as big dreamer as you, they will put their insecurities and their fear into your dreams, and it has nothing to do with you.

But it's so easy to be influenced by other people in both ways, inspiring but also the other way. Lesson number 10, when you fall off track, start again quickly. This one is so important. When you fall off track, and you will, we all do, start again quickly. Falling off track is part of it when you have big dreams.

It's part of every meaningful journey. Life happens, someone gets sick, work gets crazy, a week becomes a month. The difference isn't whether you fall off, it's how long you stay off. So no shame, no beating yourself up, just notice it and come back. Open the journal again, take one small step today. You can always, always start again.

And that is why I love that we have a weekly catch-up on our Monday because life happens for everyone. Even if you have the best intention, there will be weeks and sometimes month where you're off track. But if you show up every single Monday, you get back quickly again. Lesson number 11, find someone who's walked the road.

Have a mentor or a coach who helps and support you. When I was starting my first business, kikki.K, I learned by doing. But I also learned so much from people who's been there before me. A good mentor can see what you can't see. They can save you years of trial and error, and they believe in you on the days that you don't.

It might be a coach or a mentor, or a friend further along the path, or even an author whose books you return to. Ask yourself, "Who is one person who's already done what I'm dreaming of doing, and what could I learn from them?" And this is why I learn a lot from books, that's why I have two book clubs now. One is for small business and one is for personal growth. And the one for the personal growth actually always aligns with the theme in the coaching program because a lot of people who are in the coaching program are also in my book club. And then we do all the work and the workshops and all the things, and then we also read a book on that theme.

It just really helps to think outside the square. It's a really, really great combination. The final lesson, lesson 12, surround yourself with dreamers and doers. Be around like-minded people who are also creating their dream life. We become like the people we spend our time with. When you are surrounded by people who are dreaming and doing, it becomes so much easier to keep going.

Their courage rubs off on you. Their wins reminds you what is possible. This is one of the reason I started the Dream Life coaching program in the first place. The same with our book clubs, and why I love this podcast community so much. So look around you, where can you find your people? And if you don't have those people, I'm always here when you are ready.

So there they are, 12 things I've learnt across the three circles: clarity and belief, courageous, consistent action, and an experienced mentor and a supportive community. As you listen, I'm sure one of them spoke to you a little louder than the others. Maybe you are beautifully clear, but the action keeps slipping.

Or maybe you're busy doing, but not sure it's taking you where you want to go. Or maybe you have been doing it all on your own. If you'd like to find out exactly where your dreams are getting stuck, I have created a free tool so you can work out where you're at. And as mentioned earlier, I would love for you to join me for a live workshop I'm running called Make 2027 Your Best Year Yet, Starting Now.

It's on Tuesday, 27th of October, 2026 at 7:00 PM Sydney time. It's one hour, and it's live online, and in that hour we're going to reflect on 2026 to see what worked and what didn't, and then we'll do some dreaming and get excited about making 2027 your best year yet, and then the best part.

Imagine if you get clear on what you want for 2027 now, and you start now, and then when January comes along, 2027, you are already well on your way and already got momentum. If you can't make it live, book anyway and you'll get the replay. You'll find all the details as usual at yourdreamlifestartshere.com and in the show notes.

I would love to see you there. And before I go today, I want to say a massive thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening. Whether this is your first episode or you've been here since the very beginning, thank you so very much. Thank you for every message, every review, every star rating that you've given me, every time you shared an episode with a friend.

Thank you for showing up for your own dreams week after week. When I wrote podcast on my dream list all those years ago, I had no idea how. I definitely have had no idea I would get to sit here 500 episodes later talking with you. You are a big part of my dream life, and I absolutely love what I get to do.

I love creating content to help you live your dream life. I love recording this podcast. I love showing up every single Monday, wherever I am in the world, to run workshops, answer your questions, help you being accountable, and get you really clear on your dreams, working out what you're passionate about, making sure you live, know and live your values and of course, why you're doing all that, your purpose.

You are so part of my dream life, and I absolutely love it. And while I'm at it, I wanted to thank Brianna and the team for always editing this podcast to absolutely world-class and always being so flexible with my sometimes crazy schedule with traveling and not always delivering on time.

So thank you. Your team is amazing. And not only are you amazing at what you do, you're also a beautiful bunch to work with. And for me, living my own dream life, that is so important. And for anyone listening, if you have your own business or even if you don't, it's so important to align yourself with people that have similar view on life values and are nice and kind people.

That to me is so, so important. And I have seen both sides, and I'm definitely never going back to work with anyone that I don't personally like. So thank you, Brianna and team. So here is my wish for you. Pick your bucket, write down your dream, and take one small step this week. Life is short. Let's make the most of it.

That is all I want for you. Thank you for 500. Here is to the next 500.

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