7d • 📢Announcements
Our first meeting of 2026
2026 FRESH START: Goal Setting That Actually Works
Your VIP Plantz4merz Meeting - January 2026
I have included here a PDF of a worksheet for the meeting & to use throughout the week, even if you can not attend AND our full agenda written in the email and in a download. I appreciate you all & look forward to seeing anyone who can make it. Starts 2:10 ends 3:10
Come celebrate the new year with JJ
🎉 WELCOME & ICEBREAKER (10 minutes)
Opening:
"Happy 2026, Plantz4merz! Welcome back! I'm so excited for this year and what we're going to accomplish together. Let's start by celebrating what we've ALREADY done!"
Activity - Celebrate Your Wins:
"In the chat (or out loud), share:
Name 2 things from ALL of 2025 you're proud of - can be TINY! Maybe you tried a new fruit, showed up to a workout, were kind to someone, drank more water consistently - anything that made you feel good about yourself.
Now 2 things from LAST WEEK. Let's get specific - what did you do well?"
Why we're doing this: "We're training our brains to look for WINS, not just problems. When you actively search for what's going RIGHT, your brain starts naturally noticing more positive things throughout your day. This is called 'reticular activating system' training - basically, whatever you focus on, you see more of. So let's focus on WINS. This sets the tone for everything we're doing today."
💡 PROCESS GOALS VS. OUTCOME GOALS (15 minutes)
The Problem with Outcome Goals:
"How many of us have set goals like 'I want to lose 20 pounds' or 'I want to be 100% raw' or 'I want to get healthy'?"
[Let them respond]
"Here's why those don't work long-term: You can't celebrate until you reach the END. And if you don't hit it perfectly, you feel like you failed. Plus, outcome goals are often not fully in your control - your body might lose weight at its own pace, hormones fluctuate, life happens. So you're setting yourself up to feel powerless."
The Power of Process Goals:
"Process goals are ACTIONS you have 100% control over. You either did the thing or you didn't - it's clear, it's measurable, and YOU are in charge."
Examples:
❌ Outcome: "Lose 20 pounds"
✅ Process: "I'm eating fruit for breakfast Monday through Friday"
❌ Outcome: "Be 100% raw"
✅ Process: "I'm having a big salad for lunch 5 days this week"
❌ Outcome: "Get healthier"
✅ Process: "I'm drinking 8 glasses of water every day and walking 10 minutes after lunch"
❌ Outcome: "Stop eating junk food"
✅ Process: "I'm prepping cut veggies every Sunday so I have easy snacks ready"
Why this works psychologically:
"Your brain operates on a reward system. It releases dopamine - your 'feel good' chemical - when you achieve something.
With outcome goals, your brain has to wait WEEKS or MONTHS for that dopamine hit. That's too long. Your brain gets impatient and gives up.
With process goals, you get a dopamine hit EVERY SINGLE DAY you complete the action. 'I did the thing!' = immediate reward = your brain stays motivated.
Think of it like a video game: would you rather play a game where you only get points at the very end after months of playing, or a game where you get points every level? Same concept."
The Beautiful Secret:
"Here's what's amazing: when you focus on the daily process, the OUTCOME happens anyway. You still lose the weight. You still get healthier. You still increase your raw food percentage. But you stop obsessing over it because you're celebrating every single day.
The outcome becomes the BONUS, not the only thing that matters."
🧠 WORKING WITH YOUR BRAIN, NOT AGAINST IT (15 minutes)
Understanding Your Brain's Job
"Your brain has ONE primary job: keep you alive, safe, and comfortable. That's it. It's been doing this job for thousands of years, and it's REALLY good at it.
So when you try something new, challenging, or different from your routine, your brain sees that as a THREAT. Not a physical threat, but a threat to your comfort and safety.
Your brain doesn't know the difference between:
A lion chasing you (actual danger)
Changing your eating habits (feels dangerous because it's unfamiliar)
To your brain, both are CHANGE, and change = potential danger.
That's why change feels so HARD. Your brain is literally fighting you, thinking it's protecting you."
The Brain is Like a Muscle
"Here's what you need to know: your brain is like a muscle.
A little discomfort = growth.
You go to the gym, lift weights that challenge you a bit, your muscles get stronger. That's GOOD discomfort.
Too much discomfort = strain and injury.
You try to lift 300 pounds on day one? You get hurt. You quit. You're worse off than before.
Same with your brain and habits:
A little change = your brain adapts and grows.
Example: Adding fruit for breakfast 3 days this week. Your brain goes 'okay, this is manageable, we can do this.'
Too much change at once = your brain rebels.
Example: 'Starting Monday I'm 100% raw, working out daily, meal prepping everything, quitting sugar, and meditating.' Your brain goes 'NOPE. This is too much. I'm shutting this down.'
This is why slow, steady progress WORKS. This is why 'starting small' isn't being weak - it's being SMART.
You're working WITH your brain's natural design, not against it."
AET for Self-Talk (How to Work WITH Your Brain)
"So what do you do when your brain is freaking out and giving you negative self-talk?
Let me introduce you to the AET Method - the same one I use in customer service, but applied to how you talk to YOURSELF."
A - ACKNOWLEDGE what's happening
"First, just NOTICE what's going on without judgment.
Examples:
'I'm craving processed food right now'
'I'm feeling really guilty about my choices yesterday'
'I'm overwhelmed and want to give up'
'I ate something that doesn't serve my goals and I'm spiraling'
You're not ignoring it. You're not pushing it down. You're just naming it clearly.
Why this matters: You can't change what you don't acknowledge. Awareness is always step one."
E - EMPATHIZE with yourself (understand the real need)
"Now here's the magic part: talk to yourself like you'd talk to your BEST FRIEND who's struggling.
Your brain isn't your enemy. It's not trying to sabotage you. It's trying to HELP you feel safe and comfortable using the only strategies it knows.
The self-talk sounds like:
'I know you're trying to help me feel [safe/comfortable/in control/less stressed]. I get it. You're not trying to ruin my progress - you're trying to protect me. Thank you for that.'
Then dig deeper - what was the REAL need?
If you're craving processed food that doesn't serve you:
Are you actually HUNGRY? (Need: real food)
Are you TIRED? (Need: rest, not food)
Are you STRESSED? (Need: stress relief, not food)
Are you BORED? (Need: stimulation or connection)
Are you feeling DEPRIVED? (Need: abundance mindset, not restriction)
Example:
'I know you want the chips because we're stressed and chips feel like comfort. You're trying to soothe me. You remember chips made us feel better before. I see that. Thank you for trying to take care of me.'
Why this works: When you empathize with yourself instead of shame yourself, your nervous system CALMS DOWN. Shame activates your stress response (fight/flight/freeze), which makes everything harder. Compassion activates your 'rest and digest' system, which lets you think clearly and make better choices."
T - TELL yourself the new story (guide yourself forward)
"Now you redirect WITH kindness, not force. You're not your own drill sergeant - you're your own supportive coach.
The self-talk:
'Here's what we're doing instead: [new choice]. Here's why this serves us better: [specific reason]. Here's how we're going to feel after: [positive outcome]. We've got this.'
Full Example:
ACKNOWLEDGE:
'I want to eat processed food that I know won't make me feel good.'
EMPATHIZE:
'I know you want those chips because we're stressed about work and chips feel like instant relief. You're trying to comfort me. You remember that salty crunch feeling satisfying. I appreciate that you're trying to help me feel better right now.'
TAKE OWNERSHIP/TELL NEW STORY:
'Here's what we're doing instead: we're going to have some fruit with nut butter, or we're going to make that salad with the creamy dressing we love. We're going to feel satisfied AND energized, not bloated and guilty. And if we still want those chips this weekend, we can decide then. Right now, we're choosing something that serves us. I trust us to make this choice.'
Another Example - The 'I Messed Up' Spiral:
ACKNOWLEDGE:
'I ate fast food yesterday and I'm feeling really guilty and like I ruined everything.'
EMPATHIZE:
'I know you're scared we're failing. You're trying to protect me from disappointment by telling me to just give up now before I get hurt. You think if we quit first, it won't hurt as much. That's actually really sweet - you're trying to protect my feelings. Thank you.'
TELL NEW STORY:
'But here's the truth: one meal doesn't erase all the progress we made this week. We had fruit for breakfast 5 times. We made salads 4 times. We drank tons of water. ONE meal doesn't undo all of that. We're not starting over. We're just continuing forward. Today is a new day, and we get to make choices that serve us again. We've got this.'
Why AET Works:
"When you use this framework:
You STOP the shame spiral before it starts
You understand your brain is trying to HELP, not hurt
You redirect with COMPASSION instead of force
You build TRUST with yourself instead of fighting yourself
Over time, that negative voice gets quieter. Not because you silenced it by force, but because your brain learned there's a better way."
Stop Starting Over - Just Keep Going
The Biggest Mistake:
"You eat something that doesn't serve your goals and your brain says: 'See? You messed up. You can't do this. You have no willpower. Might as well eat whatever now. You'll start over Monday.'
Let me be really clear: STOP STARTING OVER.
Here's why 'starting over' is actually sabotaging you:
Every time you 'start over,' you're telling your brain: 'What I did before doesn't count. It's all or nothing.'
This creates an ALL-OR-NOTHING mindset where one choice you're not proud of erases ALL the good choices.
Think about it this way:
You wouldn't throw your entire phone in the trash just because you dropped it once, would you?
You wouldn't burn down your house because you left a dish in the sink, right?
So why do we do this with our health?
One less-than-ideal meal doesn't erase:
The 10 other great meals you had this week
The fruit you ate for breakfast
The water you drank
The walk you took
The sleep you got
ALL the other good choices
The New Mindset:
'I'm not starting over. I'm just CONTINUING. This is one moment in my week. The next moment, I make another choice. That's it.'
Progress isn't a straight line. It's messy. It's two steps forward, one step back, then three steps forward, then a sideways step. That's NORMAL. That's HUMAN. That's what REAL progress looks like.
You don't need to start over. You just need to keep going."
💪 WHY FEAR DOESN'T WORK (10 minutes)
The Old Way - Fear-Based Motivation:
"How many of us have been motivated by fear at some point?
'Eat healthy or you'll get sick!'
'Lose weight or you'll have health problems!'
'Be perfect or you're failing!'
'Don't eat that or you'll ruin your progress!'
'If you don't do this, bad things will happen!'
Here's the problem with fear-based motivation:
Short-term: Fear works GREAT at first. You feel scared, so you take action immediately. You're super strict, super disciplined, super motivated.
Long-term: Your brain can only stay in fear-mode for so long. It's exhausting. Eventually one of three things happens:
You get numb to the fear. It stops working. You stop caring about the scary outcome.
You rebel against it. Your brain says 'I'm sick of being controlled by fear' and you do the OPPOSITE of what you're 'supposed' to do just to feel free.
You burn out completely. The stress of fear-based living raises your cortisol (stress hormone), which actually makes it HARDER to make good choices, HARDER to lose weight, HARDER to stick with healthy habits.
The science: When you're stressed (fear = stress), your body goes into survival mode. Blood flow goes to your muscles (to run from danger), away from your digestive system and your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain that makes good decisions).
So fear literally makes you WORSE at making the choices you want to make."
The Better Way - Love-Based Motivation:
"What if instead of running AWAY from something scary, you were running TOWARD something beautiful?
Love-based motivation sounds like:
'I'm choosing this salad because I LOVE how energized I feel after'
'I'm adding more fruit because I love that my skin is glowing'
'I'm doing this because I DESERVE to feel amazing'
'I want to wake up feeling light and clear-headed, not groggy and heavy'
'I'm choosing this because I love my body and want to treat it well'
Why this works better:
When you're motivated by LOVE (for yourself, for how you feel, for your future), your body releases:
Dopamine (motivation and reward)
Serotonin (contentment and happiness)
Oxytocin (connection and bonding with yourself)
These chemicals make you feel GOOD, which makes your brain want to repeat the behavior.
Fear = stress = harder to stick with it.
Love = joy = sustainable forever."
Addition Before Subtraction:
"This is one of my core philosophies and it's BACKED by psychology:
Stop focusing on what you CAN'T have. Start focusing on what you're ADDING IN.
Why this matters:
When you focus on RESTRICTION ('I can't have this, I can't have that'), your brain feels DEPRIVED. And what does a deprived brain do? It REBELS. It wants the thing even MORE.
It's like if I said: 'Don't think about pink elephants.' What are you thinking about right now? PINK ELEPHANTS.
Same with food:
'Don't eat processed food!' = all you think about is processed food.
But when you focus on ADDITION:
'I'm adding MORE fruit'
'I'm adding MORE big colorful salads'
'I'm adding MORE water'
'I'm adding MORE energy to my day'
'I'm adding MORE nutrients'
Your brain focuses on ABUNDANCE, not deprivation.
And here's the beautiful thing: When you fill up on fruits, vegetables, water, and nutrient-dense foods, you naturally have less ROOM and less DESIRE for the processed stuff.
Not because you're forcing yourself to avoid it. Not because you're white-knuckling through cravings.
But because you genuinely feel SO GOOD eating this way that the other food stops being appealing.
You're not giving anything up. You're GAINING everything."
🌟 PERFECTION IS GETTING BETTER, NOT BEING PERFECT (5 minutes)
"Let's talk about this idea of 'perfection' for a second.
There's no such thing as 'perfectly raw.'
Even if you ate 100% raw 24/7, someone would say 'but are you eating organic? Local? In season? Are you combining foods properly? Are you eating at the right times?'
You can't win the perfection game because the goalposts keep moving.
So let's redefine what we're aiming for:
Your goal isn't perfection. Your goal is BETTER.
Better than last month
Better than last week
Better than yesterday
Better than an hour ago
THAT'S progress. THAT'S success.
Examples of 'better':
Last month you ate fruit 2x a week. This month you're eating it 5x a week. BETTER.
Last week you had one salad. This week you had three. BETTER.
Yesterday you had a processed meal and spiraled for hours. Today you had a processed meal and moved on in 5 minutes. BETTER.
Progress isn't about being perfect. It's about being consistently better over time.
And guess what? 'Better' compounds.
Small improvements every day = MASSIVE transformation over time.
1% better every day = 37x better in a year. That's not motivational fluff - that's literal math."
Homework - Celebrate Publicly:
"Here's your assignment for this week, and it's IMPORTANT:
Every single time you have fruit, a salad, or a plant-based meal - CELEBRATE IT PUBLICLY.
What does that mean?
Post it in our VIP community (ideal!)
Text a friend
Email me
Share it on your personal social media
Write it in your journal and share your win count at the end of the week
Why public celebration matters:
1. Accountability: When you share, you're more likely to follow through.
2. Momentum: Celebrating creates positive emotion, which your brain remembers and wants to repeat.
3. Inspiration: When you share your win, you inspire someone else to have THEIR win. We lift each other up.
4. Community connection: This is how we build the 'supportive friends' pillar - by showing up for each other's wins.
5. Trains your brain: The more you celebrate small wins, the more your brain looks for things to celebrate. You're literally rewiring your neural pathways.
This isn't bragging. This isn't showing off. This is BUILDING MOMENTUM.
And when you're having a tough day, you can scroll back and see all your wins. Proof that you CAN do this. Proof that you ARE doing this."
🥗 4 BENEFITS OF PLANT-BASED HIGH-RAW FOR MIND & BODY (5 minutes)
Benefit #1: Mental Clarity & Focus
"High-water-content foods like fruits and vegetables hydrate your BRAIN.
Your brain is about 75% water. When you're even slightly dehydrated, you experience:
Brain fog
Difficulty concentrating
Slower thinking
Memory problems
But when you eat water-rich foods ALL DAY LONG (not just drinking water, but EATING your water through produce), your brain stays hydrated and functions optimally.
Result: Better focus, faster thinking, clearer decision-making, no afternoon brain fog."
Benefit #2: Stable Energy (No More Crashes!)
"Plant-based whole foods - especially fruits and vegetables - stabilize your blood sugar.
Here's what most people experience:
Eat processed food → blood sugar spikes → insulin rushes in → blood sugar crashes → you're exhausted and craving more processed food. It's a roller coaster.
With plant-based high-raw:
Natural sugars from fruit + fiber = slow, steady release of energy. No spike. No crash. Just steady fuel all day.
Result: No 3pm slump. No needing five cups of coffee. Just consistent, reliable energy from morning to night."
Benefit #3: Mood Boost (Natural Antidepressant)
"Fruits and vegetables are PACKED with vitamins and minerals that your brain needs to produce neurotransmitters - your brain chemicals that regulate mood.
Specifically:
Vitamin B6 (in bananas, leafy greens): helps produce serotonin (your 'happy chemical')
Folate (in spinach, avocado): helps produce dopamine (your 'motivation chemical')
Magnesium (in greens, nuts): regulates your stress response
Vitamin C (in citrus, berries): reduces cortisol (your 'stress hormone')
This isn't woo-woo. This is biochemistry.
Result: Better mood, less anxiety, more resilience to stress, more emotional stability. Food literally changes how you FEEL."
Benefit #4: Faster Recovery & Reduced Inflammation
"Plant-based eating is naturally anti-inflammatory.
What is inflammation? It's your body's response to injury or irritation. A little inflammation is GOOD (it's how you heal). But CHRONIC inflammation - inflammation that never goes away - causes:
Joint pain and stiffness
Slow recovery from workouts
Poor sleep quality
Skin issues (acne, redness, premature aging)
Digestive problems
Increased disease risk
Processed foods, saturated fats, and refined sugars CAUSE inflammation.
Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds REDUCE inflammation.
Result: Less joint pain, faster workout recovery, better sleep, clearer skin, better digestion. Your body heals faster and functions better when you give it real nutrition.
Plus: Many of our members have reported chronic pain disappearing, seasonal allergies going away, and decades-old health issues resolving. Why? Because you removed the inflammatory foods and added healing foods. Your body finally got what it needed to repair itself."
🎯 YOUR PROCESS GOAL FOR THIS WEEK (5 minutes)
Activity:
"Right now - don't wait, do it NOW - write down or type in the chat:
ONE specific process goal for this week.
Not vague:
❌ 'Eat healthier'
❌ 'Try to be better'
❌ 'Be more raw'
Specific and measurable:
✅ 'I'm having fruit for breakfast Monday, Wednesday, and Friday'
✅ 'I'm making a big salad for lunch Tuesday and Thursday'
✅ 'I'm drinking 8 glasses of water every single day'
✅ 'I'm posting my wins in the community 3 times this week'
✅ 'I'm meal prepping cut veggies every Sunday so I have easy snacks'
Your goal must pass this test:
At the end of the week, can you answer YES or NO - did I do it?
If you can't answer definitively, it's not specific enough.
Make it something you can CELEBRATE when you do it.
[Give them 2-3 minutes to write/share in chat]
Now - ACCOUNTABILITY:
Tell someone your goal. Right now. Out loud or in the chat. When you speak it or write it, you're 42% more likely to follow through.
And remember: This is YOUR goal. Not your partner's. Not your friend's. Not mine. YOURS. Choose something that feels doable but slightly challenging. That 'good discomfort' zone we talked about."
🎉 CLOSING (5 minutes)
"Plantz4merz, I'm so proud of you for being here. I'm so excited for what 2026 is going to bring for all of us.
Let's review what we covered today:
✅ Celebrate wins - Train your brain to look for what's going RIGHT
✅ Process over outcome - Control the actions, let the results follow
✅ Work WITH your brain - Small changes, not overwhelming transformations
✅ Use AET on yourself - Acknowledge, Empathize, Tell new story
✅ Keep going, don't start over - One choice doesn't erase your progress
✅ Choose love, not fear - Run toward feeling amazing, not away from fear
✅ Addition before subtraction - Focus on what you're GAINING
✅ Progress over perfection - Better is the goal, not perfect
You already have everything you need to succeed.
You don't need more information. You don't need more rules. You don't need perfect circumstances.
You just need to take one small step. Then another. Then another.
And I'm here to guide you, support you, and celebrate every single win with you.
Let's make 2026 the year we're finally NICE to ourselves while reaching our goals.
Who's in? 🙌💚
Before we go - because we need to end on a laugh:
Why don't we ever tell secrets on a farm?
Because the potatoes have eyes, the corn has ears, and the beans stalk! 🥔👂🫘😂
Now go set that process goal, celebrate your first win, and I'll see you in the community!
Let's DO this, Plantz4merz! 🌱✨
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