Coach Mikki and Friends

Breaking Free from Negative Thinking:- Kerry Tepedino - S3E8

Coach Mikki Season 3 Episode 8

Ever felt trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and negativity? You're not alone. This episode features our powerful conversation with Kerry Tepedino, who shares her journey from battling low self-esteem and an eating disorder to becoming the CEO of One Thought Away Project. Kerry's story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of self-love and belief.
Book - One Thought Away

We get down to the nitty-gritty of thought-by-thought reprogramming - a technique Kerry swears by for achieving a healthier, more positive mindset. Tune in to uncover practical strategies to interrupt patterns of negativity and discover how you can program your mind to create a new mindset and ultimately, a new life. It's time to break free from the chains of negative thinking and embrace the possibility of a brighter tomorrow.

Lastly, we touch upon the immense power of mentorship and a supportive community for personal transformation. We discuss the various programs offered through One Thought Away Project, and how they combine group and private work to achieve the best results. Kerry shares how her platform supports charities and emphasizes the importance of investing in oneself, creating a strong support network, and braving life with courage. Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation that will fill you with the fire to create positive change in your life.

We look forward to seeing you succeed! - www.KeepOnSharing.com - Code - KOS

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Coach Mikki:

Hey, I'm Coach Mikki and I'm so glad that you joined us, and if this is your first time joining us, come on in and make yourself comfortable. For those of you that joined us on a regular basis, I am so glad that you do. I love your comments, your questions and your suggestions that you guys send to us on a regular basis. I love the fact that you guys actually reach out to my guests and connect with them. That is really exciting, and I want to thank those of you that I actually had an opportunity to meet on my trip to Utah. How fun it is when I get to meet some of my circle of friends that you guys listen to on a regular basis and I get to meet you in person. I love that. So I am so glad that I got to meet many of you on my trip. For those of you that are listening for the first time, please connect with our guests and please send me a message, because if I'm in your area, I would love to see your smiling faces. I'm really excited.

Coach Mikki:

Today I had an opportunity to meet this gal at an event. It was a global event that was the first one that was kicked off. She is a ray of sunshine. I loved everything that she was about. Her story is amazing. It's a lot that we can identify with. So I'm going to tell you guys a little bit about her, I'm going to introduce her and we're going to jump right in and make your life a little bit better today. So she is the CEO and founder of One Thought Away Project. It is a global company and movement that has influenced over 250,000 people to transform their lives.

Coach Mikki:

She has struggled in the past with low self-esteem, lack of self-worth, poor body image and spiraled into a personal battle with an eating disorder. This journey led her to a defining moment in her life that got her to make a decision to continue down a path of unhappiness, poor health and to find the freedom and happiness in her soul that she's always craved. She has done amazing things with a lot of different people. Her own personal development, her leadership, her holistic health, her nutrition through meditation, yoga and many, many other systems that I know you guys are going to benefit from when you hear her story has helped her on her unique path. This includes also mindset, mastering, emotional intelligence, self-love and believing. With the proper mentorship and community and strategies, anything is possible. She is a perfect example of you, arth, one thought away from having the life that you want. I am so excited to have you with me today. Kiri Tepidino, how are you?

Kerry Tepedino:

I'm so good. Thank you so much for having me. Coach Mikki, I know that you don't bring just anybody onto your program, your podcast, and so it really does mean a lot to me. I know that you are very clear that you want to be aligned with who you bring on for your audience, so I am humbled.

Coach Mikki:

Oh well, the first time I met you, when we were standing next to each other and we started to talk, I was like, oh my gosh, I've got to have her on my podcast. Well, first of all, I am excited to hear your story. I really am, because for myself and we didn't get a chance to really share this, you know, because the timing was just so minimal, because we were at an event and you're kind of meeting people for the first time but I want to tell you, prior to you going with your story, I myself have struggled with an eating disorder. So when I saw your information and saw that you that's what you're all about I was very excited to have you come on and share your story with our circle of friends. So I'm going to let you dive right in and start talking about you and what you're all about for our circle of friends.

Kerry Tepedino:

Oh, thank you. Well, you know, the eating disorder was really not about the eating disorder. It's not just one way that it played out. My inner, you know the things that I was lacking inside, which was the mindset mastery skills, the emotional mastery skills, you know, not believing in myself, having a conversation inside about not good enough or need to be somebody different, and it played out as an eating disorder. That was like. It was like it's one of the symptoms to the gap that was going on inside and it was the way that I was trying to feel in control of something, when really what was happening is I was getting more out of control.

Kerry Tepedino:

And because I didn't feel like I was in control, with some stresses that I had in my life at that time, which was before I had the business I have to do that I have today, which I've been in this business for about 20 years, maybe a little bit more.

Kerry Tepedino:

But at the time I had work stress, I had relationship stress, you know, poor, poor body image. There's just stuff going on, life stuff. You know it's just life stuff. But because I didn't have the self mastery skills, then it became this. It became a detriment to my health really, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. And the business that I have today I always say it birthed itself because after I cracked the code for myself and and figured out how to heal, then I just felt like and I know you feel this way too about your mission in the world I just felt a personal responsibility to share what I had learned with any other woman that was also having a broken down moment, to help her realize she can have the life that she really wants. You know, the wealth, the health, the travel, the fun, the adventure, the family, the relationships like that's how this, this company, even got born. Birth is because it was exactly what I needed when I couldn't find it.

Coach Mikki:

That's that is really powerful, because I think a lot of times what happens is we go through these, these things in our lives, like you said, and they all collaborate together with whether it's emotional, spiritual, physical, you have.

Coach Mikki:

They all kind of intertwine with each other. And I think there's an element of where we're going through something but we're like we're afraid to say because we don't know if somebody else is doing that. And there is such a comfort that I have found over the years and you said you've been doing this for you know, for many, many years too Don't you find that when you start to share, especially for what you do and I know you go out as a keynote speaker and you've got this incredible book that you have out now called One Thought Away and, as you guys know, that'll be in the links to the, the podcast. You guys can grab a copy of that but don't you find that when you go out and start to share all your information, that people are like, oh my gosh, me too, or I. I was so glad that I'm not alone in this and it's almost a very comforting feeling to know that you can put yourself out there and know that it's helping someone else, because it's pretty personal. Our stories are very personal.

Kerry Tepedino:

Absolutely, and it was. I don't know, it was probably about nine years ago or so and it was Christmas time and I was at the Northern California visiting with my mom, and I remember exactly where I was. I was sitting at the island in her kitchen, I was sitting on a high stool and the Christmas tree was there and the lights were on. It was beautiful and glowing in the room. And I was in there on my own and all of a sudden, my mom comes in the room and she's like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, look at this, this is exactly what you've been saying and doing for so long. And I'm like well, what is it? And she had come in with the. She was reading the magazine the Economist and there was a little blurb. It was just this little tiny blurb, but there was a blurb in there that said and I believe it was Harvard that said that there is a study at, I believe, harvard, that they had researched, they had focused on a group of people that did an online it was an online program did an online program based on health. That one was based on health and they were following these people to determine who was the most successful at reaching their goals. And then who was the most successful within the group at sustaining their results? And both answers related back to the people who made friends within the program and did it as a community. They were the ones that had the best results and then they were also the ones that sustained their results.

Kerry Tepedino:

And my mom was like this is what you've been doing, because we've been like the backbone of every single thing we do as community. And you know we definitely were not put on this planet to do life as isolated islands. We're here to do life together and there's just so many reasons why the collective is so important, like the collective wisdom, the accountability, not feeling alone. You know making those brave declarations about what you want to create in your life, whatever the area well, health, relationships, what you want to create in your life and having somebody else say oh yeah, I did that, I did that already here. Let me share what works so that you can get to your result faster. You know there's just so many benefits to it.

Coach Mikki:

That is so true because I think sometimes having the opportunity to share what you're going through or to, like you said, to bring yourself together with the accountability, even as just with one person, it gives you an opportunity. And, for lack of better words, I always say purge everything that we stifle and hold in, you know, to get it out and be able to talk to someone else about it or have them go. Okay, you know what, let's get through this together. Let's you know, or, like you said, your experience and your experience saves somebody else all that other time that they would, they would have to go through what you having the tools and the insight and the experience to share with someone and to lead them through the path, or down that path, to help them accomplish their goals or get through what they need to do, that mentorship is so valuable. It really is, because I look back on some of the people that I've had an opportunity to meet or work with or, you know, just to have time with, and here the time that they have utilized or and I never want to say the word wasted, because it's never wasted time, because we always learn and I think we get to a time in our lives when we're ready, compared to when we're not, to receive the information that we need to move forward. So, but having someone like you who takes what you have and then leave them down and help them with, you know, accomplish these goals, like I said, that is that is so valuable and that accountability.

Coach Mikki:

I got to ask you how did you come up with the idea with your book One Thought Away, because it's very powerful, and you were so kind you know to, to offer me this book and I was like, oh, how sweet, you know. And the more I look through it and the more I was reading and I'm like, oh my gosh, I mean you've packed a lot of information and a lot of great things that people can take away from in such an easy read and valuable book. But how did you come up with it?

Kerry Tepedino:

That's so. That's such a great question. Somebody else just asked me the same question.

Kerry Tepedino:

The mindset work is the work that we have been doing for you know, decades, like it's always been a part of our curriculum, as a part of every single masterclass that we've ever done, or or mentorship that we've ever done, or keynote that we've ever given or have ever given, and it was, it was a part of. It was a part of it all, like a part of the success formula that we have proven works within for our clients. But then what was happening is we were talking about it more and more and more and we realized that even just pulling out that one tidbit from the bigger success equation, even just pulling out that one tidbit, gives people something to hook into immediately and make a change for themselves. And I study the brain a lot and how the brain works and how the mind works, and research shows that the brain, the brain, really wants to have a have something to hook into in regards to a plan. If our brains don't have a plan to hook into, then it'll create one right. And so having something to work on like, oh, okay, I can work on one thought at a time, I can if I just work on this one thought, like maybe thinking about what I want to create in this by the end of the day is too big. You know, like when I was in my eating disorder, thinking what I wanted to create in one day to turn that habit around felt too big at the time. And so instead of saying okay, you know, focus on my results for today, in that moment I had to say you know what, I'm just going to focus on my results for this hour.

Kerry Tepedino:

And then sometimes, when I was in overwhelm or stress and anxiety or whatever it was, that felt too big. So I'd say, okay, just focus on the next 15 minutes. And if that felt too big in the moment that, I said, okay, just let's just work on this one thought, just one thought at a time. And and the truth is, if we continue to presence ourselves to the thought that we're having in this moment, then that's going to lead to the next amazing opportunity to focus on the next thought. And then, all of a sudden, we have this thread of positive thoughts that are leading to positive actions and, bit by bit, we start to pull ourselves out of the hole or out of the contraction or out of wherever we are. That's not working for us.

Kerry Tepedino:

And so that saying just one thought at a time, I believe, is something that everyone can focus on, like it's not too overwhelming, it doesn't create stress for most people and it can help us start to rewire the neuro connections in our brain. It'll start to help us rewire the programming in our brain to go from the struggle to ease, to go from I can't to oh my gosh, I can. To go from this is too hard to oh my gosh, I was just successful at that one thought. And so then we start to identify with ourselves differently.

Kerry Tepedino:

Oh my gosh, if I had a positive thought that led me to a positive action, that one time. Who's to say I can't do it again. And then, bit by bit, we start to create a different relationship to ourselves. We start to, we start to identify with ourselves as someone who can have follow through, who can have integrity, who can create a different result versus somebody who's always overwhelmed or always stressed or nothing overworks for us. You know, and bit by bit, thought by thought, one holy thought, by one holy thought at a time, we start to create a different result for ourselves.

Coach Mikki:

That makes a lot of sense because we are so in tune with. I guess it's like a loop of you know. It's like what are you saying to yourself, you know, and then I just think it comes down to when you keep saying it over and over again, it becomes your belief. You know, so I can, yeah, so I can see how. If you take that one little thought you know to reprogram, then it becomes a new belief to be able to keep moving your forward. You know, in your journey of a positive change that is very powerful.

Coach Mikki:

Yeah, the mind is an incredible thing and I always, I always wonder when those thoughts pop into your head. You know, I find for myself I'm like, why am I thinking that? You know it's like, do I really believe this? And you almost have to catch yourself and go let me, let me change that to something different. But that does take energy and it does take a moment of having to recognize it. So what would you, what would you say to someone who's a first listener that feels like their life is just winding out of control? What would be one of the very first things that they could do today to start to make the change?

Kerry Tepedino:

Yeah. So what I'm going to say to somebody in that situation and I'm not the one who made this up, and maybe this isn't a new a new strategy for our friends but put a rubber band on your wrist and every time you catch yourself having a negative thought, snap that rubber band and immediately replace it with a positive thought. Because what you're doing with that with it, with that rubber band and if you don't have a rubber band, you know what you could do is every time you catch yourself having a negative thought, you can clap your hands three times and immediately replace it with a positive thought, whatever the action is but the action, what it is is is called a pattern interrupt, and so what we want to do in that moment is we want to interrupt that, that old pattern of going down the rabbit hole. We want to interrupt that pattern. We want to interrupt that, that connection that's happening in the brain, that's getting reinforced in the brain, and we want to give it something positive to focus on. And so you do that enough times. Then what what starts to happen is you start to catch yourself mid snap and then you start to catch yourself before you snap the rubber band, and then you start to say, oh my gosh, I'm not really snapping that rubber band that much anymore If you, you know, and it doesn't go away in one day.

Kerry Tepedino:

I mean, most of us have had decades and decades of programming ourselves to think the negative thought which, by the way, the brain thinks about. Research now shows the brain thinks 80,000 thoughts a day, and 60 to 60,000 to 70,000 of those thoughts tend to be negative for most people. And so just imagine if you're shooting off 60,000 negative thoughts a day and many of them you're not even aware of. So it's just so critical to catch yourself in that moment. But it doesn't happen overnight. So even the rubber band and you might, and some of our friends might go, oh, that's just sound so simple that that's not going to work. But if you stay consistent with it, it's not going to work for most people in one day or one hour. But stay disciplined, stay consistent with the exercise and you can. Many, many people, many women we work with women many women are very surprised by how many negative thoughts they were actually having a day and they didn't even realize it.

Coach Mikki:

Yeah, that's because we're so programmed to do. It just becomes natural. She's not good either, right, exactly.

Kerry Tepedino:

That's why we want to catch it.

Coach Mikki:

Yes, there was a chapter in your book that I really liked and it was Can't is Not my Vocabulary, and I really want to touch on that one because I think a lot of us, like I said, it's just too easy, it's just too natural to say I can't do that, and for a while I was always thinking you can't or you won't. But I like how you actually brought this to light within your book, where you said to read, program, to re-change the words, and this is a very simple thing to do. It's just a matter of knowing how to do it, and I really like the fact that you went from I can't do this or I'm not this or I'm not. That too, I am. I am strong, I am a kind person, I am limitless, and to make that conscious change does take work, but the outcome and the value is going to change your life, I mean, and you really nailed it in this chapter, and I love how you did that.

Coach Mikki:

So let me ask you, because I know from the start of your journey, you were at a place in your life where things were difficult and you were trying to get by it. When you started doing this and making these changes, when and I guess everybody's different. I mean, even I'm different. It took me. Sometimes Things happen right away, other times I'm still evolving. It still takes time to get over and you never get over stuff. You get through it, you get through it Right yeah.

Coach Mikki:

Right. So with you I mean, because you go out there, I know you help so many people. What would you say are some of the things that you start to see the positive changes like right away, because somebody's like well, I want to feel good now. So what would you say, based on your experience and what you do, what is the things that people can do? Obviously, I think that change in the negative thought process, but what other little actions could they do? Or what did you do to help you keep moving forward?

Kerry Tepedino:

Yeah, so get a mentor and community because that is what I would say is like number one because oftentimes we're too emotionally close to our own stuff to even be able to see our stuff Right, like we're too emotionally close to ourselves and our story and our issues and our labels and everything that we're dealing with to even see that it might be working against us. And so I always have mentors, my mentors always have mentors, because having somebody else's eyes that aren't so emotionally attached to whatever outcome might happen from whatever you're in is.

Kerry Tepedino:

I feel priceless. And then the other thing is community, and we touched on this a little bit before and around the collective. But when we belong to a community of people who are also forward focused on I'm going to speak into transformation, who are also forward focused on their transformation, but you're doing it as a community, like they're invested in your results because they really start to care about you and you're invested in their results because you care about them, like it is unbelievable how people as a collective can rise up together. And a perfect example is I was just leading some group calls from my clients just this past week, just a few days ago, and somebody in the group and one of the groups was sharing a breakthrough that she got, like a really big breakthrough that she's been working on for years and she's new to our community and since she started to do this work she has shifted so much around this thing that was so hard for her for so long a good portion of her life and when she shared that, there were so many other women on that call that were like, oh my gosh, thank you so much for sharing this with me.

Kerry Tepedino:

I'm dealing with the same thing. I felt like they felt like when we're showing up in a way that we're not proud of. Oftentimes we then slide down a really slippery slope of guilt or shame, and so just seeing that they weren't alone, like they're not a monster, they're not a horrible person for losing their patience or for acting out in a way that they didn't want to with their kids or whatever it was, it just helps us diffuse the charge and that inner I call it the inner toxic conversation that oftentimes we have inside of ourselves about ourselves and so, having that community in place, it is just so priceless to be on the path of healing and transformation with other people who are also willing to do whatever it takes to also get their healing and transformation.

Coach Mikki:

I love that and when you were talking about it it made me think of. I've got a group of really good friends that do not hesitate to call me out on my stuff, and that's exactly what we need, I think. A lot of times we don't even call ourselves out. So to have somebody call you out on your stuff or, like you said, to share something that everybody goes, oh my gosh, just to have that ability also to lift you up.

Coach Mikki:

I think there's a miracle in the middle where somebody can call you out on your stuff and then offer something that brings it so valuable to help you through that. And again, there's that miracle in the middle and I truly, truly believe that you're right. You've got to have that mentor. So, with that being said I know you've mentioned it a couple times it sounds like and I'm going to let you go ahead and share this so, do you offer groups? Do you do one-on-one? I mean, how can? And again, your links and everything will be embedded in the podcast so everybody can reach out to you. But if somebody you know one of our circle of friends, is listening and goes, hey, I really want to connect with you, what do you have to offer that they can reach out to you to help with this.

Kerry Tepedino:

Thank you, coach Mickey. Yes, so we do what we would normally. Where we would normally start somebody who's new to us and really ready to transform we work with women, so women over 21, really ready to transform her life we would probably look at our year-long program, maybe a shorter program it would depend on when she contacts us and what would be right for her. But it's a combination of both group and private, and the reason is is because when I was broken down on my bathroom floor, that combination was really what helped me pick myself up and turn my life around, and so I definitely feel that group is so, so important, and then I definitely feel that having somebody else's eyes personally on our own stuff is so valuable. So it's a mixture. It's a mixture of both and that's where that's where we usually like to start with people. I mean our mid-level program. You can't even get in until you do the first year's program because it's just, it's a different level of conversation. So that's where we usually start.

Coach Mikki:

That's good, and then people can reach out to you. Now, do you work one-on-one or is it all group?

Kerry Tepedino:

So it's and we all and I should also add, we only offer that group once or twice a year. So you know, as our friends, our circle of friends here, are listening to this, the best thing that you can do is email support at carrytipadinocom. When you hear this and and just see where we are at with the enrolling process and the qualifying process, the application process is a good way to say it, and we can, we can answer all questions at that time. But yeah, again, it's a combination. It's a combination of group and private.

Coach Mikki:

Okay, okay, that's all. That's good to know, because I know there's quite a few people that you know sometimes people do really well in a group. Other people are like you know, they're very vulnerable, they're going to be vulnerable to putting things out there, you know. But what you have to offer, and the other thing too, is and if you guys, I highly recommend you go and get her book One Thought Away, because it really is packed with a lot of great information that you guys can do and just start, like right now, to help transform your life. And, like you said in the beginning, I mean I have a lot of people that want to be on my podcast and come through. But, man, I'll tell you what.

Coach Mikki:

I looked at your book and I looked at your stuff and I think what really was appealing to me, honestly, carrie, was the fact that you know you really it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there. It really does. I mean we share some really personal stories and go. You know what? This is what happened with me. This is what I went through, this is what's going on in my life, but let me, let me tell you how I got through it, or let me share the information. You know that I used to help you and what you have is priceless.

Coach Mikki:

It really is because your experience and your insight and what you've been through is not like anybody else's. It may be similar, you know. I always tell people. You know, I don't know how you feel, but I can understand how you feel and I can give you a little bit about what you know, what I've been through. So I love the fact that you have taken these things that have happened in your life and you have put yourself out there to be able to help other people get through these things. I mean, it really is a gift and I commend you for being so courageous to take personal stories like this and then share it so other people can can live an extraordinary life. I mean, thank you so much for that.

Kerry Tepedino:

Oh well, thank you, Coach Mickey, and it's the same for you, you know, like the work that you're doing in the world and how you're such a stand for safety and people not to suffer in silence Like it's really amazing and it's been such a joy to get to know you and see your mission unfold and how passionate you are about it.

Coach Mikki:

Oh, thank you, Thank you. Well, I am excited to see what you were doing and I know that now you keynote, speak quite a few places and we've got your book and obviously you got your program. So go ahead and just give a shout out to your website right now. And again, everybody that's going to pull it up on whatever platform they listen to was going to see where they can click on it, connect with you. But for those that are listening, you know that want to get there listening right away. Just go ahead so they can just kind of put a little mental note. So how can people reach out to?

Kerry Tepedino:

you One thought away projectcom. So remember the book's name is one thought away, so it's the one thought away, projectcom. And if, if somebody's driving and that's hard to remember as you're listening to this or something, you can also probably just do my name karyateppadinocom and it'll redirect you.

Coach Mikki:

Okay, yeah, and then when you guys get to a safe place, wherever you are, then you guys can always click on the links too, and that'll take you right there. So is there anything else you want to share? You got the platform, girlfriend. Anything else you want to?

Kerry Tepedino:

share with us, oh, my goodness. Well, what I would say is, you know, for our circle of friends, you guys, you found this episode for a reason. You know. I just so totally believe that you either prayed this episode in or you meditated this episode in.

Kerry Tepedino:

I'm very faith-based, Like I believe that there is a divine plan on our lives and if you made it to this episode, trust that. Trust that you're here for a reason, Trust that that you know you're made for more, you're made to not feel broken or feel like life has to be overwhelming or a struggle. So trust that. And then take one inspired action from this conversation you know, whether it's reaching out at support, our support emails, or going to our website or getting the book, like, just take some action, some action and know that even one action, just like one thought, you know, one thought away from having the way, from having the life that you want today or not, one thought away from feeling healed, more healed today or not, from being inspired today or not, and so it's also like you're also one action away, and so every single baby step, well, like baby step upon baby step, is going to help you lead yourself to the top. So just take some inspired. Action today from this conversation.

Coach Mikki:

I love it. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for being with me today and being with our circle of friends and sharing your insight. I am it's been my pleasure to have you. I thank you so much for being with us.

Kerry Tepedino:

Well, thank you for having me coach Mickey. You're amazing. I love your podcast and what you're doing in the world, and please just let me know how I can support you.

Coach Mikki:

Absolutely. I'm gonna have you back on my YouTube channel because we need to have some fun. We need, so I want to have you back on my YouTube channel and that way we can share some of your, some of your things and and have you Give a little bit more insight. We'll have a little bit of fun and, yes, I would love to have you have you back on. And for those of you that want to connect, please do. And again, all those links will be embedded in the podcast.

Coach Mikki:

But also do something for yourself. You deserve it. You are valuable, you are strong. You need to be successful in who you are and I highly highly recommend that you reach out to carry in one avenue or another. For those of you that have joined us for the first time, like she said, you probably heard this for a reason. So you are ready. You are ready to make changes in your life. So keep that in mind and keep moving forward. Please connect with me.

Coach Mikki:

If you guys have not had an opportunity to go to my store on bonfire, please do. You can go to coach, mickey and friends, calm and see all the inspiration where and as you guys know all Most I'd say probably 90% of those proceeds, you guys know I'm putting back either into education, scholarships or other charities so you can wear something a little bit fun and also give back to a great program. So I will look forward to seeing you guys next week. And Remember the most courageous thing you can do is be yourself. I love you. I will see you guys next week. Bye, bye, everyone.