At the start of every year, we quietly hope that this will be the one where we finally feel in control of our time. We imagine a calendar that feels calm, a life that feels balanced, and a year that feels ours.

But the truth is, most of us aren’t overwhelmed because we lack discipline. We’re overwhelmed because we’re trying to keep every option open, and the pressure of possibility quietly becomes a weight to carry.

In this episode, Monique shares the exact vision-planning framework her family uses to design their year with intention - without burnout, guilt, or decision fatigue. It’s not about doing more, but choosing with clarity. It’s a grounded, realistic method that turns broad dreams into a clear calendar, while still leaving room for life’s unpredictability. You’ll learn how to prioritize outcomes, reduce mental load, and make big decisions early so your year can flow with purpose.

(00:54) - The Family Vision Planning Tradition (02:27) - The 4000 Weeks Reminder (03:11) - Why You’ll Never Do Everything - And Why It’s OK (07:03) - Defining the Outcomes (08:46) - Planning in Order of Priority (10:47) - The Regret-Minimization Test (11:48) - Locking In Priorities to Eliminate Decision Fatigue (12:40) - Staying Flexible Without Losing Structure

• Book - Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman | https://a.co/d/iFhCsrC

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

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If 2026 is going to be your year, the secret isn’t doing more. It’s doing the small things consistently.

In this episode, Monique reflects on the power of showing up for yourself, even when life is busy or messy. Drawing from her experience of launching The Great Life Experiment Podcast, she shares why repeated small actions, not perfect execution, are the key to building identity, momentum, and meaningful results.

Whether you’re growing a business, experimenting personal habits, or building long-term routines, this episode offers a simple but powerful framework to make 2026 a year defined by consistency and results.

(02:11) - Starting the New Year with reflection and goals (03:44) - Consistency as a central goal for 2026 (04:38) - Lessons from recording 40 episodes last year (06:11) - The “Don’t Miss Twice” Rule (06:49) - When to adjust goals that no longer fit (07:46) - Setting realistic goals (08:30) - Applying consistency across life, work, and personal growth

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

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Have you ever been in a meeting when someone proposes an idea, and your first thought is, “That will never work”? Maybe you hesitated to speak up because you didn’t want to come across as negative, or worse, shut down creativity. But what if that gut reaction could actually become your most powerful tool?

In this episode, Monique explores how diverse experiences, expertise, and biases can shape the way we respond to new ideas. She shares a practical framework for turning a “hard NO” into curiosity-driven questions that guide collaboration, uncover hidden opportunities, and help others think through their solutions.

Whether it’s at work, in your side projects, or even in your home life, this episode shows you how to influence outcomes without dominating the conversation, how to walk through scenarios constructively, and how to create space for breakthroughs that might never have happened otherwise. Let’s dive in!

(00:54) - Reflections from an off-site activity with the team (01:50) - The challenge of diverse experiences and solution bias (02:52) - How to say “No” without shutting down the conversation (04:13) - Finding a common ground and aligning on the problem (06:35) - Walking through solutions with curiosity-driven questions (08:22) - Holiday reflections and sneak peek into 2026

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

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Thanksgiving is more than just gratitude. It’s a mirror for what’s next.

In this Thanksgiving episode, Monique invites you to reflect on your life in a way that honors what’s really good, while listening to the whispers of your next chapter. She offers a grounded, compassionate perspective on gratitude that goes beyond the usual “be thankful for what you have.” It’s an invitation to listen to the quiet nudges that often come up while we’re gathered around tables, traveling, missing people we love, or simply taking a breath between holidays.

Whether it’s a small nudge towards better health, a new career challenge, or a subtle idea that keeps surfacing, Monique unpacks why the desire for a new chapter doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful, how to distinguish passing thoughts from meaningful whispers, and why December is one of the most powerful months to plant the seeds for your next evolution.

(01:42) - Holiday reflections, stress, and opportunities (02:28) - Understanding gratitude beyond “being thankful” (03:31) - Loving your life while stepping toward growth (04:54) - Being grateful yet ready for more (05:45) - From overthinking to brave decisions (06:02) - Long-term results of starting today

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Missed the live workshop? Here’s everything you need to know to catch up and move your ideas forward.

In this episode, Monique recaps the Great Life Experiment Sprint, sharing key lessons, breakthroughs, and exercises from the two-day workshop. From uncovering your real “why” to experimenting with new ideas and using AI thoughtfully, she distills the most important takeaways to help listeners move forward with clarity, purpose, and curiosity - experimenting in ways that actually create results.

(00:53) - Great Life Experiment Sprint: Workshop Overview (02:38) - Uncovering your true WHY (05:27) - Turning ideas into small, testable experiments (08:44) - Using AI to amplify creativity without losing human insight (11:37) - Community and accountability (12:24) - Five Whys Technique

• Access the Replay and Workbook Now | https://greatlifeexperiment.com/sprint

• Join the waitlist | https://greatlifeexperiment.com/Collective

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

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What if the same principles that build great products could help you build a life that feels more aligned, intentional, and alive?

In this episode, Monique reflects on the unexpected ways product thinking has shaped the way she creates, leads, and makes decisions that matter. She shares how the principles of discovery and design apply not just to business, but to family rhythms, unfinished ideas, and the quiet callings that never seem to fade.

Through honest insight and practical wisdom, Monique invites you to rethink how you approach your own “soulful idea” and to start designing a life that can actually hold it. Because sometimes the difference between stuck and starting again isn’t more time or talent, but learning to see your life as the most important thing you’ll ever build. Let’s dive in!

(01:28) - The intersection of product and life (02:09) - Defining the problem you are solving for (02:52) - Applying product thinking to home projects and priorities (05:31) - Using AI wisely: how prompts shape your outcome (07:10) - Discovery and Design - why iteration matters (09:01) - The “Soulful Idea” and the struggle with capacity (12:09) - Sneak Peek of The Great Life Experiment Sprint (13:50) - Progress, not perfection - embracing constraints

• Learn more and reserve your spot | https://greatlifexperiment.com/sprint

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

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There will always be more time to do than the time we have to do it.

In this intimate birthday reflection, Monique invites you into the truth most high-achievers avoid: There will always be more ideas, more ambition, more responsibility than there will ever be time. And strangely, accepting that might be the most liberating shift of your life.

Monique explores the transition between seasons, the grace required, the courage to slow down, and the deep wisdom of listening to the whisper before it becomes a roar. This episode is for the person who is grateful and grounded, yet quietly overwhelmed with the weight of everything he carries, for the leader who cheers others on to rest but can’t give himself the same permission, and for the mother who can hold the world together but rarely has a moment to breathe.

This isn’t about abandoning ambition. It’s about creating capacity for what your soul is actually asking for next.

(00:00) - Introduction to the Great Life Experiment (00:44) - Reflections on Birthdays and Seasons (02:38) - The Importance of Health and Self-Care (06:35) - Taking Time Off for Health (08:50) - Creating Capacity for Personal Growth (11:37) - Prioritizing What Matters Most (15:20) - Invitation to reimagine capacity for the next season

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

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Product leadership has always been about navigating complexity - people, priorities, and pressure to deliver. But in a world being reshaped by AI, where change is faster than our ability to process it, the real challenge isn’t what we do, it’s how we think.

In this episode, Monique sits down with Ravi Mehta, one of the most respected voices in modern product leadership. Ravi has served as Chief Product Officer at Tinder, Product Director at Facebook, and VP of Consumer Products at TripAdvisor, where he led large-scale teams and helped drive billion-dollar growth. Today, he is a hands-on advisor to fast-growing consumer and AI startups and the co-creator of Reforge’s Product Leadership and AI Strategy Programs, where he teaches the frameworks that help leaders scale themselves, not just their products.

Together, Monique and Ravi unpack the mental frameworks behind exceptional product leadership and how to build systems that think, not just teams that execute. They explore the necessity of self-promotion, the balance between speed and quality in decision-making, and the ethical considerations surrounding AI. Ravi shares insights on recognizing when to transition in one's career and the significance of aligning strategic goals with customer value. This is a conversation for anyone redefining what great leadership means and how to think like the kind of leader the future will need.

(05:53) - Why Product Leadership Needs Its Own Playbook (11:02) - Navigating Career Transitions (14:03) - AI’s Impact on Product Management (20:39) - Understanding Customer Needs (22:59) - The Escalator Analogy in Career Progression (25:56) - The “Impact = Environment × Skills” framework for career clarity (28:37) - The Power of Frameworks (32:01) - Recognition and Impact in Organizations (33:57) - Self-Promotion as an Act of Service (36:34) - Velocity vs Latency in Decision-Making (43:59) - Strategic Goal Setting: Why Goals Are Not A Strategy (51:23) - Ravi’s message to every product leader navigating AI change

• Website | https://www.ravi-mehta.com/
• LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravimehta/

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

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