I’ll Start on Monday!

What if lasting weight health isn’t about being perfect, but about practicing healthy choices long enough that they simply become your normal?
In this episode of I’ll Start on Monday, I sit down with my longtime friend Jill Erickson for a candid, funny, and very real conversation about weight loss, maintenance, strength, food, and what it actually takes to create change that lasts.
Like so many people, Jill tried diet after diet. They worked temporarily, but eventually the old habits returned. It wasn't until her third attempt at a familiar weight-loss program that something finally clicked. Today, she has maintained a loss of more than 30 pounds for over a decade.
But what I love about Jill's story is that she doesn't credit perfection.
She talks about learning her own patterns, finding community, building routines, enjoying food without turning every indulgence into a spiral, and recognizing that one difficult day doesn't have to become a difficult month.
We also talk about Jill's love of strength training, and how a woman who once wasn't sure she could lift 100 pounds eventually lifted 150 pounds. For Jill, that accomplishment wasn't just physical. It changed what she believed she was capable of. It added to her identity as the woman she is. 
In this episode, we explore sustainable weight health, moderation versus restriction, the importance of community, getting out of your own head, strength and healthy aging, self-acceptance, and learning how to reset instead of punishing yourself when things don't go according to plan.
One of my favorite Jill-isms from our conversation is her “Etch A Sketch” approach to life:
Yesterday happened. You can't change it. Clear the screen and begin again today.
Because lasting change isn't about never slipping.
It's about not letting one slip become a snowball.
You don't have to wait for another Monday.
Your next choice can be your new beginning.
 

Stop Waiting for Perfect | Lauri Clontz on Fear, Procrastination & Taking Back Your Life
How many things have you postponed because you were waiting to feel ready?
Ready to make the change.Ready to take the risk.Ready to put yourself first.Ready to finally get it “right.”
For Lauri Clontz, that version of I’ll start on Monday was rooted in perfectionism, the need to perform, avoid failure, and keep from disappointing other people. And Monday simply kept moving.
In this episode of I’ll Start on Monday, I sit down with Lauri, a neuroscience-driven transformation coach, high-impact speaker, Amazon best-selling author, Dual Elite Certified Neuroencoding Specialist, and founder of Start Driving Your Destiny®. After 24 years in Corporate America, Lauri now helps people break free from perfectionism, overwhelm, and internal pressure so they can move from fear to freedom.
And, wait until you hear what a motorcycle had to do with all of it.
A woman who had grown up afraid of motorcycles took a chance on a ride, and discovered something she hadn’t realized she was missing: freedom.
That ride became the beginning of a much bigger transformation.
Lauri shares the painful wake-up calls that followed, including the day she chose to finish work responsibilities before leaving to be with her dying father—and arrived too late to spend those final moments with him. Eventually, after years of long hours and performing for everyone else, she began asking herself: Where is this getting me? Is this really where I want to be?
Together, we talk about perfectionism, fear, procrastination, courage, purpose, and what happens when we realize we’ve been living our lives on autopilot.
Lauri also shares a beautifully simple strategy for anyone stuck in the “I’ll start Monday” loop:
Name what you want. Name what’s stopping you. Then take one small step.
Because that small action begins creating evidence in your brain that you can do it and that you are capable.
You don't need to have the entire road mapped out.
You need to stop waiting for perfect, take back the keys, and start moving.
Because maybe Monday isn't a day of the week.
Maybe Monday is the moment you decide to begin.

"Life Is Not Something You Postpone". ~Lucia Montanaro
Have you ever told yourself:
After this project.After this crisis.When work slows down.When everyone else is taken care of.
Then I’ll take care of me.
In this episode of I’ll Start on Monday, I sit down with Lucia Montanaro, leadership strategist, executive coach, trainer, keynote speaker, and fellow Elite Neuroencoding Specialist, for a conversation about what happens when the thing we keep postponing is ourselves.
Lucia describes her own version of “I’ll start on Monday” as postponing her vitality, putting her energy, health, clarity, and well-being behind the demands of work, family, responsibility, and life.
But procrastination, she explains, isn’t always laziness.
Sometimes it’s fear.Overwhelm.Emotional stress.Pressure.Or a nervous system that doesn’t feel safe.
And simply demanding more discipline can be like trying to put out the smoke without addressing the fire underneath it.
In this conversation, we explore:
Why we postpone our own health and well-being
How stress and pressure can show up in the body
Why getting to the root cause matters more than treating symptoms
The connection between the brain, body, emotions, and our choices
How accountability can become empowering rather than blaming
Why identity often needs to change before our results do
The importance of calming the nervous system and listening to the body
How small, loving actions can interrupt the “I’ll start Monday” cycle
Why choosing yourself isn’t selfish; it supports your ability to serve, lead, and love others
Lucia also shares two pivotal experiences: a serious family crisis and the death of her mother that changed how she viewed time, health, purpose, and the way she wanted to live. Her realization was simple and profound:
Life is not something you postpone.
This isn’t about suddenly doing everything perfectly.
It’s about becoming more conscious of what supports your vitality, listening to what your body is telling you, and making choices that align with the life you actually want to live.
As Lucia says, the shift is from pressure to presence and from controlling the body to trusting and listening to it.
If you’ve been waiting for life to calm down before you finally take care of yourself, this conversation is your invitation to stop waiting.
Because your life isn’t waiting for Monday.
And neither should you.Guest:   Lucia Montanaro
Leadership Strategist, Elite Neuroencoding Specialist
Executive Coach | Trainer | Keynote Speaker
www.luciamontanaro.com
linkedin.com/in/lucia-montanaro
lucia.montanaro.coaching@gmail.com

What if the reason you keep saying “I’ll start on Monday” has less to do with motivation… and more to do with perfectionism?
In this episode of I’ll Start on Monday, I sit down with Catherine Veronica — spiritual advisor, manifesting coach, and founder of the Podcast Babes community — for a powerful conversation about healing, identity, and the small actions that create real transformation.
Catherine shares her personal journey from restaurant manager to yoga teacher, holistic health coach, and spiritual guide, and opens up about a time in her life when she felt overwhelmed, disconnected, and stuck in the same cycle so many of us know well: I’ll start Monday, next Monday, maybe Monday after that.
Together, we explore:
why perfectionism keeps us stuck in procrastination
how tiny, doable actions create real momentum
the difference between massive action and overwhelming yourself
why tracking your habits can build awareness instead of shame
how to “crowd out” less supportive habits with healthier ones
the role of yoga, meditation, and holistic healing in reconnecting to yourself
why progress matters more than perfection
how small wins help you build a new identity and stronger self-trust
Catherine also shares practical examples from her own health journey from cutting out sugary drinks and tracking her food, to using challenges, walking routines, and what she calls “keeping the portal open” so new support, ideas, and opportunities can meet you once you start moving.
If you’ve been waiting for the perfect Monday, the perfect mood, or the perfect plan before taking action, this episode is your reminder:
You do not need a total life overhaul to begin.
You need one honest step you can take today.
Because change doesn’t begin on Monday.
It begins the moment you stop waiting for perfect and start choosing progress.

I GAINED IT BACK
What happens when you’ve already lost the weight,  and then some of it comes back?
In this episode of I’ll Start on Monday, I sit down with Josh Pettit — Tony Robbins trainer, CPA, and lifelong Star Wars fan — for a real conversation about weight loss, weight regain, identity, habits, and the courage to begin again.
Josh shares his decades-long health journey, including losing over 80 pounds, gradually regaining some of the weight, and then making the decision to restart on March 1; not with punishment or perfection, but with movement, community, coaching, and sustainable routines.
In this conversation, we talk about:
✨ how old habits and identities can quietly return✨ why weight regain doesn’t erase your progress✨ walking, rebounding, and making movement fun again✨ how community and accountability can change everything✨ letting go of all-or-nothing thinking✨ giving up alcohol and creating habits that actually support your goals✨ why sustainable change is built through consistency, not perfection
Josh also shares the simple habits that are helping him this time around: walking, rebounding while watching shows, celebrating wins with a WhatsApp support group, and choosing routines he actually enjoys instead of forcing himself into a plan he can’t maintain.
If you’ve ever felt discouraged because you “fell off track,” this episode is your reminder:
👉 A setback doesn’t erase your progress.👉 It just gives you another chance to begin again.
Because change doesn’t begin on Monday.
It begins the moment you decide to take the next step.
🎙 Subscribe for more conversations about procrastination, self-trust, identity, food, habits, healing, and what it really takes to stop waiting and start becoming.
#IllStartOnMonday #WeightLossJourney #SelfTrust #Habits #IdentityShift #PersonalGrowth #JoshPettit #SustainableWeightLoss #StartAgain

What happens when you've already lost the weight, and then some of it comes back?
In this inspiring episode of I'll Start on Monday, host Yayoi Komiyama sits down with Tony Robbins Trainer, CPA, and longtime Star Wars fan Josh Pettit to discuss the realities of weight loss, weight regain, identity, and starting over.
Josh shares his remarkable journey of losing more than 80 pounds after reaching his highest weight during 2020, only to find old habits slowly creeping back as life returned to normal. Travel, social events, office life, stress, and identity shifts all played a role in regaining some of the weight he had worked so hard to lose.
Rather than giving up, Josh made a different choice.
On March 1st, he decided to begin again.
In this conversation, we explore:
Why sustainable weight loss requires more than motivation• The difference between temporary success and lasting transformation• How old identities and habits can quietly return if they're not nurtured• The role of community, accountability, and coaching in creating change• Why movement became the foundation of Josh's restart• Walking, rebounding, and making exercise enjoyable and sustainable• Letting go of alcohol and other habits that no longer serve your goals• Clearing old emotional patterns to make room for a new identity
Josh also shares practical strategies that helped him regain momentum, including habit stacking, celebrating small wins, joining a supportive accountability group, and making healthy choices enjoyable instead of restrictive.
His message is simple and powerful:
You don't have to wait for a perfect Monday.
You don't have to be perfect.
You just have to begin again.
Whether you're struggling with weight, health, habits, or any area of life where you've fallen off track, this episode is a reminder that setbacks are not failures.
They're simply opportunities to restart.
Because change doesn't begin on Monday.
It begins the moment you decide to take the next step.

In this episode, host, Yayoi Komiyama and guest Stella Tokar explore the roots of procrastination, explaining how fear and the amygdala can override the prefrontal cortex and how neuroplasticity lets you reprogram habits.
They share practical strategies—tiny rituals, pattern interrupts like "killing the ants," the WHOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) model, and celebrating small wins—to build lasting routines and reduce decision fatigue.
Stella offers real-life tips for morning and evening rituals, setting boundaries, and staying consistent so listeners can stop waiting for Monday and start making progress today.

Sometimes the weight we carry isn’t food. It’s grief.
What if the weight you’re carrying has nothing to do with food?
In this deeply emotional episode of I’ll Start on Monday, I sit down with fellow coach Cindy Gould to talk about grief, emotional eating, healing, and the hidden emotional patterns that keep so many people stuck.
Cindy shares her powerful story of releasing over 135 pounds, and how the real transformation didn’t begin with another diet.
It began with healing.
In this conversation, Cindy opens up about:
childhood body image struggles
feeling different and wanting to fit in
pregnancy loss and unprocessed grief
emotional eating and “sad fat”
divorce, loss, and navigating unimaginable heartbreak
retraining the nervous system for joy instead of survival
gratitude, heart coherence, and the STOP technique
learning to see life through the lens of the heart instead of wounds
One of the most powerful moments comes when Cindy shares this realization:
“The weight wasn’t just physical. It was emotional.”
Together, we explore how unresolved pain can silently shape behaviors, habits, and even our relationship with food and our bodies.
But this episode is also about hope.
About healing.About resilience.About learning that two things can be true at the same time:Pain can exist, and joy can still be available.
If you’ve ever struggled with emotional eating, self-worth, grief, or feeling stuck in old patterns, this episode will remind you that lasting change doesn’t begin with punishment.
It begins with healing.
Because real transformation starts when we stop fighting ourselves, and start listening to what our pain has been trying to say.

Host Yayoi Komiyama welcomes returning guest Cindy Gould to share her powerful story of releasing 135 pounds through emotional healing after trauma, miscarriage, and multiple losses. They discuss how grief, self‑love, and rewiring the nervous system shaped Cindy’s transformation.The episode explains practical tools—neuroencoding, the "stop" technique, gratitude practice, and mirror/I‑am exercises—to interrupt old patterns, retrain responses, and begin living with purpose. A concise, encouraging conversation about choosing joy and starting now.

What if the reason nothing has worked is that you’ve been taught to fight yourself instead of love yourself?
In this episode of I’ll Start on Monday, I sit down with Chris Rosa, who shares his powerful journey of losing over 150 pounds; not through punishment or restriction, but through a complete shift in mindset and identity.
Chris opens up about years of yo-yo dieting, people-pleasing, and using food as a form of self-soothing, and the moment everything changed.
It wasn’t another diet.
👉 It was a question:“How do I treat myself today if I love myself?”
In this deeply honest conversation, we explore:
• Breaking the cycle of yo-yo dieting and “starting over”• Why deprivation and diet culture keep people stuck• How self-love, not discipline, created lasting change• Ending “food noise” through proper nourishment• The role of identity and intrinsic motivation in transformation• How habits become effortless when they align with who you are• Why you don’t need to rush the process to create real results
Chris also shares how his relationship with food completely shifted, from using food for comfort to using it as nourishment, and how that change brought him something even more valuable than weight loss:
Peace.
This episode is a powerful reminder that transformation doesn’t come from forcing yourself to change.
It comes from finally learning how to care for yourself.
Because real change doesn’t begin on Monday.
It begins the moment you start treating yourself with love.