Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to what's Next? I'm Christine Conti, and today we're exploring the mindset that transforms breakthroughs into lasting success. You're watching now Media Television.
[00:00:11] Welcome to the premiere episode of what's Next? I'm Christine Conti, and I'm excited to go on this journey with you. You're probably wondering what next even means. This show is beginning with a question that sounds simple but can change everything in someone's life. What's next?
[00:00:29] Not what happened to you, not what almost broke you, not what is your fear, grief, trauma, self doubt, failure, burnout, whatever. Not what people assume you could not become. Or those are all real parts, and we'll honor them. But this show begins at the moment when you realize change is needed. What happens when you realize that you're in the wrong place?
[00:00:52] What happens when the belief that you held back no longer has the same power over you?
[00:00:57] What happens after the role you played no longer fits?
[00:01:01] What happens after you realize you've been living inside a box that someone else built, or maybe one that life taught you to build around yourself? What happens when the old story no longer fits, but the new story has not fully revealed itself yet?
[00:01:19] This is the space where the show lives, the space people avoid because it doesn't come with a script. There are no directions. We know how to talk about a problem. We know how to celebrate our successes. But we don't always know how to honor that middle. That middle where our nervous system is learning a new level of safety, where our mind is learning a new level of permission.
[00:01:42] It's where our identity is shifting from who we were to who we are becoming. And for some people, that middle arrives after a life transition. But for others, it arrives after burnout, boredom, divorce, career change, health challenge, parenting moment, an entrepreneurial risk, or a quiet realization that the life you've built no longer reflects the person who you're becoming.
[00:02:08] This show is interested in that middle and what it takes to break the old patterns, to begin to practice a new one. And here is the truth I want every viewer to hear from the beginning. You do not have to be fully healed. You do not have to be in the right head space to begin moving forward. You do not have to have every answer or a perfect plan.
[00:02:30] You don't need anyone's permission to prove you are ready. Sometimes readiness is not a feeling. Sometimes it is a choice to take responsibility for that next.
[00:02:42] What's next is about that turning point, that moment when a person decides, sometimes quietly, sometimes out loud, that things have not been the way that you don't have to stay that way any longer. It's about an entrepreneur who wants to rebuild after a failure or they were told their idea isn't worth backing. It's about the athlete who had to redefine themselves after an injury or lost.
[00:03:08] It's about a business leader who had to grow beyond fear, ego, people pleasing, perfectionism, whatever. It's about the creative who had to stop hiding. It's about a parent who had to be stronger than they ever expected.
[00:03:23] It's for people of every walk of life who look at a mental barrier and say, this is not going to be the end.
[00:03:31] And for this premiere episode, I'm going to begin with my own why.
[00:03:36] And I'm going to take you through the beginning and all of my what next moments and to where I got to be here today with you all.
[00:03:44] So I started. I was born. I'm a New York City girl.
[00:03:48] I happened to.
[00:03:50] My parents had a messy divorce in the 80s when no one was divorced. So that was, that was probably my first what next moment? The moment when a child realizes life throws unexpected curve balls. And those factors being a New Yorker going through that crazy divorce that shaped who I am. And I still carry that with me today.
[00:04:16] As a New Yorker, you learn life moves fast and you learn to be situational awareness, adapt quickly, keep moving even when things are chaotic. You learn to read the energy around you. Couple that with an unexpected divorce, it teaches you that life is uncertain and you need to rely on yourself to survive.
[00:04:39] These factors in many ways create a resilience that have become part of my path. But that resilience can be complicated because sometimes, you know, being strong can teach you to put up walls.
[00:04:51] It kind of makes you an island and forget to rely on others.
[00:04:56] Sometimes we confuse surviving with thriving because survival is kind of what you learn first.
[00:05:04] So another what's next moment like for everyone is you know, that transition from elementary school to high school.
[00:05:11] I was fortunate enough to go to an amazing high school in New York City called the Mary Lewis Academy where it taught me to work. Not just work to get by, but to work hard.
[00:05:25] I had a great, it's a great administration, my peers, all of that taught me to self love and acceptance and service to others.
[00:05:35] It provided me opportunities to see beyond my small world and encouraged me to become a leader amongst my peers, which all were factors that helped me in my life.
[00:05:46] Some of that helped me. I came from an Air Force family, like every man in my family had joined the Air Force. But I was the first woman to even consider it.
[00:05:57] So when I went to college, I went on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and went to Villanova University, graduated and served 10 years in the military. And you know, most people think military is about structure and discipline, but it really is so much more than that.
[00:06:13] Kind of like my high school, it pushes you past what you think you're capable of, continues to challenge and support you along the way, and it teaches you to become part of something bigger than yourself, which is something, again, I've carried throughout my life. And so when you work in these environments built around excellence, duty, mission, you learn not only to push through, you learn how to perform under pressure, you learn to compartmentalize, to show up even when your internal world is complicated. And that's really powerful.
[00:06:47] While I was in the Air Force, I kept hearing over and over again, God, I wish I had a guidance counselor like you. I had no idea how progressive my high school had been and how unusual it was to have teachers and administrators who really took looked at your future, encouraged you to think about your future.
[00:07:05] So as life goes, serving in the military and throwing throws you a curve ball. And as much as I was enjoying my time serving, it was time to put family first. And so my next what next moment brought my path to become a school counselor.
[00:07:23] And that is valuable time where I spent with young people at a stage in their life where identity, belonging, peer pressure, family dynamics, learning difficulties, anxiety, self worth, they all collide in one place.
[00:07:41] And that experience showed me something that I still believe today, that people do not struggle in isolation from their environment.
[00:07:49] A child's behavior is a message. A teenager's shutdown may be a form of protection. A parent's frustration may be grief in disguise. A teacher's exhaustion may be the result of care carrying inside a system that asks too much.
[00:08:06] I enjoyed that academic experience and the ability to be with my family, But I realized that that really wasn't where my passion was. And so that brought me to my next what next moment.
[00:08:18] It didn't come from tragedy. It was simply realizing that I needed to do something else to find that personal satisfaction. And it took a lot of courage to take that next step. That leap can be terrifying.
[00:08:34] So then I became a mental health therapist, and I realized that my life experiences gave me the ability to understand what was not being said. And so my personality also aligned most with solution focused. Because I believe people need tools, not just insight. It's great to know why you feel a certain way or why you do something, but then what happens?
[00:08:57] And so understanding that, yeah, your past matters. But people need practical ways to move forward. They need tools. They need to know what to do once they have that awareness. They need to understand that healing is not about naming the problem.
[00:09:14] It's about having the courage to take that next step. The capacity to choose differently each time, to recognize and respond differently, and to start to live differently and choosing not to live out their experiences, but overcome it.
[00:09:31] To do that, I've used a lot of mindfulness, being very intentional with teaching people how to be intentional, because so many people are disconnected from the present moment. They're either living too far into the future or just rehearsing that disaster of their past and replaying it over and over in their mind. And so with mindfulness, it helps people to stop pretending that everything is peaceful.
[00:09:55] It's about learning to meet the present moment and stay present in the moment and focus on what's within their power to get past it and to achieve whatever it is that they want to achieve.
[00:10:08] Along the way, I also learned that a lot of people, that inner child, you got to be aware of that inner child. And I've incorporated a lot of that internal family systems where you're aware of all the parts. We're all made up of parts, and to start loving each part and to start incorporating each part into who we are becoming.
[00:10:31] You know, recognizing that the part's there, that there's a part that wants love but then pushes people away.
[00:10:38] A part that dreams but says, oh, no, we can't risk it, to remembering that these parts serve a purpose for us, but maybe they're kind of holding us back.
[00:10:50] And so sometimes when we get stuck, you know, there are other modalities besides talk therapy. I incorporate a lot of San Tray, recently trained in emdr, to do that deeper trauma work to help to realize that our barrier is not just a mindset issue.
[00:11:10] Sometimes our body is still carrying something to protect our mind.
[00:11:14] Sometimes a person knows logically that they are safe and capable, talented, worthy, the whole nine, but their nervous system doesn't believe it yet.
[00:11:24] So healing has to include the body, not just the belief system.
[00:11:28] So my goal was to incorporate. To create a practice with vision of wellness.
[00:11:36] Where I started incorporating energy healing, added some small group yoga. I wanted to introduce these underutilized modalities for mental health and remove these obstacles for people who might be curious but intimidated.
[00:11:54] Yoga can feel inaccessible when it's in a room that's too many people or everyone knows what they're doing and it's moving Too fast and feels too performative. It prevents people from maybe taking that step in that healing process.
[00:12:12] So healing can feel out of reach. When people believe they have to look a certain way, know all of the terminologies, appear calm, like they know what they're doing. So I wanted to create a space where people can come as they are, with small groups, with real bodies, with real stories, with real nervous systems, with real healing. And I also come to this show as a single mom of four kids.
[00:12:41] Two of my children have learning disabilities, so I understand it. That shaped me not only as a mother, but as a professional and a human being.
[00:12:50] When you parent a child who learns differently, shows up differently, you become a witness to how our system rewards one version of success, how our society looks at people in different ways.
[00:13:06] So as a parent, sometimes you have to learn to advocate. You have to learn to slow down. You have to find the strength that may not show up in typical ways. Most importantly, you learn to parent through the grief of realizing your child is different and your child is going to face struggles you cannot protect them from.
[00:13:31] That has changed. Those struggles that I've witnessed has changed. So I see everyone because many adults are still walking around with internal report cards they received years ago. They were told they were too much, not enough. Lazy, difficult, emotional, dramatic, average, behind, unrealistic, not leadership material. And even when life changes, those internal labels can keep operating in the background. So you have to know that that part of yourself exists.
[00:14:05] This show is how to challenge those labels. It is also here to slow down the way we define potential.
[00:14:12] Potential is not only measured by speed, color, confidence, income, titles, visibility.
[00:14:19] Sometimes potential is measured by a person's willingness to heal that belief that keeps them hidden.
[00:14:26] Sometimes it is measured by the courage to ask for help.
[00:14:30] Sometimes it's measured by choosing a healthier pattern, even when the old pattern would be easier.
[00:14:37] That's the kind of potential I want this show to explore.
[00:14:41] The potential that lives underneath performance, underneath survival, underneath identity. Someone built to get through the hard season.
[00:14:52] What's Next is not about pretending life is easy. It's not about telling people to simply think positive. It is about developing the perspective of growth.
[00:15:02] It is asking a stronger question.
[00:15:05] What if the belief that protected you until this is now limiting you?
[00:15:10] What if your identity that helped you survive is not the identity that can help you expand?
[00:15:17] What if your next level requires not more pressure, but more awareness?
[00:15:23] So throughout this series, I'll sit down with people who've moved beyond those internal obstacles and discovered what came next. We'll Talk about fear, failure, ambition, healing, leadership, creativity, business, family, reinvention, trauma, confidence, and, of course, possibility.
[00:15:44] But today, in this first segment, I want to make the promise of the show clear.
[00:15:50] If you've ever felt stuck between who you were and who you are becoming, this show is for you. If you have ever achieved something and still felt there was more, this show is for you. If you have been underestimated, overwhelmed, burned out, quietly afraid of your own potential, this show is for you. If you have ever asked, what now? After a breakthrough, a breakdown, a transition, a loss, a reinvention, or a new beginning, this show is for you. Because sometimes the most important part of the journey is not the moment you break through. It's the moment after.
[00:16:27] That's the moment when you decide what you will build with the freedom you have just created.
[00:16:33] That is when you discover what's next. Coming up, we are going deeper into the invisible walls that keep people stuck. Limiting beliefs, old identities, fear of success, perfectionism, the internal stories that quietly decide how much our potential we allow ourselves to pursue.
[00:16:52] We'll be right back with more inspiring stories and practical insights to help you discover what's next. Stay with us. And we're back. I'm Christine Conti, and this is what's Next on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the conversation.
[00:17:09] Welcome back to what's Next. In this segment, I want to talk about mental barriers. Because they're often quieter than people expect. A mental barrier doesn't always show up as fear.
[00:17:20] Sometimes it sounds practical, sometimes it sounds like, this is just who I am. I don't have time. I'm too old. These sentences feel reasonable, but they can become invisible walls. One of the reasons I wanted to create this show is because I've seen how people can live for years inside a belief they never consciously chose. They may be successful on the outside, but feel limited on the inside and be high performers. But they have this internal message. The world often talks about growth as if it's the only thing people need is motivation to grow. But in my experience, motivation is not enough if a person is carrying shame, fear, trauma, perfectionism, or a deep belief that they're not safe to be seen.
[00:18:11] Motivation gets you started, but awareness is what helps you understand what keeps pulling you back.
[00:18:18] A mental barrier is not always irrational.
[00:18:22] If you learned early in life that being visible led to criticism, a part of you may avoid that visibility, even if your business needs it, even if you know another obstacle. If you learn that making mistakes that can can be dangerous, you become a perfectionist. If you learn that love requires performance. You may over give or over function.
[00:18:48] That's why I don't believe in shaming people for the patterns they carry. Patterns often make sense when we understand where they came from. The question is whether the pattern is still serving you.
[00:19:01] This is where my background in psychology comes to the the heart of the show. As a therapist and before that a school counselor, I learned that people don't simply need to be told what to do. They need to understand why they do what they do, what's happening inside of them. They need to know why their new goal feels exciting and threatening at the same time.
[00:19:23] They need to know that while they can want something deeply, they resist it.
[00:19:28] You know, they need to understand that resistance isn't laziness.
[00:19:32] Sometimes it's self protection. You know, using my solution focused work, I help people create the goal and to look for those exceptions in their performances. We don't want to ignore the problem, but we don't want the problem to become our whole identity. This matters because often people come to change through their story and understanding. What's wrong? What's wrong with me? Why can't I do this? Why do I keep repeating the pattern? The questions are understandable, but they're the wrong questions to ask.
[00:20:06] Solution Focus helps you to start asking different questions. It helps you change your perspective. It helps you change how you reflect back on situations rather than looking at the problem you look on, well, what can I do better the next time?
[00:20:24] Or how can I change that didn't work and how can I change to have a different outcome? It's reprogramming our perspective in a way that moves us towards self love and acceptance and away from shame.
[00:20:38] Mindfulness adds that other label layer where you're recognizing when you're having these thoughts. Like the moment that trigger happens, you have that pause, that limiting belief. You're starting to recognize that limiting belief because once you recognize it now you have a choice. You now have that place to move forward to.
[00:21:02] You know, understanding where the limiting belief is also important. That's where that internal family systems work comes in. Understanding where that, where that eliminate that part of you when it was born, why it was born. And is it a people pleaser trying to preserve connection? Is it a controller trying to prevent chaos? Is it a high achiever trying to prove that you are worthy understanding all of these parts of you, Incorporating that with mindfulness and then using that solution focus to change how you reflect on situations, that changes your outcome.
[00:21:41] You start to ask questions differently because what comes next Often requires a new relationship with the parts of ourselves, and that is important for that expansion. For an entrepreneur, that barrier may be fear of visibility, fear of changing. For the business leader, the barrier may be over controlling, conflict avoidance. For an athlete, it may be, you know, the terror behind not performing to the best that they used to perform.
[00:22:10] The barrier is different for everyone, but the process begins the same way. You first have to name it, and then you have to start identifying what wasn't working and creating new ideas, you know, coming up with a new possibility of how you're going to respond to the same situation.
[00:22:30] That is one of the themes I want the show to bring to it, is naming. Is that a weakness? Naming is leadership, naming the fear, breaking the pattern. That's courageous. And for many people, the hardest barrier is to acknowledge the fear of failure. You know, it's to acknowledge that they have to change in order to get what they want.
[00:22:55] You have to change relationships. You have to change how you know. You have to change your internal dialogue more than anything else.
[00:23:03] Otherwise you will remain stuck in the same patterns.
[00:23:09] That is why the breakthrough is not just about reaching a goal. It's about becoming that person who can abandon the fear and to start reflecting on, well, that didn't work.
[00:23:22] Maybe I should do it differently, and this is what I'm going to do differently. Sometimes it's also those life challenges, those moments in your life where you have to leave the familiar and to take on a new adventure.
[00:23:40] Whether it's leaving the military and going back to school to become something else, or parenting a child who is different from everyone else and learning how to advocate.
[00:23:54] Maybe it's starting over after a loss, whether it's divorce, injury, whatever that loss may be, that's one of the reasons the show matters to me. I know what it feels like to be in a space between chapters. I know what it feels like to carry responsibility and still feel called towards something more. I know what it feels like to want to build something meaningful while also navigating the realities of life, whether that's meant motherhood, career, healing, becoming the person you were meant to be. So when I ask a guest, what's next, I'm not asking from distance. I'm asking as someone who believes that the next chapter often begins with the brave internal conversation.
[00:24:41] Here is the invitation for this segment. Think about one belief you have been treating as a fact.
[00:24:48] I'm not ready. I always mess things up. I'm all alone.
[00:24:52] I can't change now. I'm too old. Whatever it may be. Ask Yourself, what your limiting belief is, what you're running from.
[00:25:01] Not who would you be if your life were perfect, not what would it be if there weren't any obstacles. I want you to change the questions and start opening new doors.
[00:25:15] You know, if a guest, if you're. If it turns out the viewer from a spectator, if it changes you from a viewer of your life to a participant in your life, you don't want to watch your life, you want to participate in it. You don't want to watch other people live their life. You want to live your own. This is a show designed to help people transform and to become the person that they were meant to be.
[00:25:42] And so, as you listen to future guests, I want you to listen for yourself in their stories. Not to compare, but to recognize. The details may be different, but that inner work often speaks a shared language. Fear is a language. Courage is a language. Possibility is a language. And so we want to start opening these doors.
[00:26:03] We want to respect the part of us that's scared to walk through it and develop the courage and compassion to walk through that door. Courage without compassion just becomes another form of pressure. Compassion without courage is another form of avoidance.
[00:26:21] We're looking for that middle path, that new direction, that place where you start becoming who you're meant to be.
[00:26:29] Not just looking for that external achievement, but that inner negotiate, recognizing that inner self that wants to be healed. What did they have to do to stop believing? What did they have to start practicing? What did they have? What fears have to be overcome? What did they learn about themselves that took them to the next level? Because the audience doesn't want to hear that someone made it. What you want to hear is how they got there. There's wisdom in that, one that builds on hope, hope for change, understanding. Avoidance is information. Jealousy is information. Exhaustion is information.
[00:27:09] You want to stop repeating these same patterns. You're longing for that change, that what do I do to get to that next step?
[00:27:19] It can be a point towards that honest conversation with yourself, a point where you are recognizing the barriers keeping you stuck.
[00:27:29] So when we come back, we are going to widen the conversation around healing and growth. Because sometimes what helps us move forward is not one single method, but the courage to find the right doorway for the person that we really want to be or who we're becoming.
[00:27:46] We'll be right back with more inspiring stories and practical insights to help you discover what's next. Stay with us. And we're back. I'm Christine Conti, and this is what's Next on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the conversation.
[00:28:02] And welcome back to what's Next. In this segment, I want to talk about healing in a broader way. Because one of the reasons I created the show is to expand the conversation about what helps people move forward.
[00:28:17] Mental health is not a one size fits all. Human beings are not one dimensional. So it makes sense that healing and growth may require more than one doorway. Traditional talk therapy can be powerful. It can give people language, insight, relationship. But there are times when language alone is not enough. There are times when a body is carrying what the mind has already explained. And there are times when a person can describe, describe their patterns beautifully, but still feel stuck inside.
[00:28:47] There are times when someone knows what is true intellectually but cannot access the truth emotionally or physically.
[00:28:55] Through my own what's next moments, I became interested in underutilized modalities for mental health. In my own learning, I became aware of how psychology, mindfulness, body awareness, energy work, yoga, food, food and trauma, informed care, and practical strategies for a change.
[00:29:14] It's not a replacement for clinical support, especially if clinical support is needed, but it can be part of a fuller conversation about the healing. For many people, the biggest obstacle for this healing is not a lack of desire, it's access. And access can mean cost, but it can also mean time.
[00:29:34] It can also mean shame and embarrassment. It can mean not knowing where to start. And so sometimes it can feel intimidating to go into spaces that look too advanced or too spiritual, too clinical, too exclusive, too athletic, too whatever, you know, Yoga is a perfect example. Many people think yoga is about being flexible and thin or, you know, calm and spiritual, spiritual, or people who already know what they're doing.
[00:30:03] Yoga is a great way to practice returning to the body with awareness. It's about breath, work, it's about presence, it's about regulation.
[00:30:13] It's about your relationship with yourself.
[00:30:16] And so when I imagined my practice, it was a little bit different.
[00:30:20] Where we would offer things like a smaller group yoga with the mental health context in mind. I wanted to remove obstacles, offer smaller groups, create safety, to allow people to give more permission. It's less about performance, less about comparison, and more room for a person who is just nervous about starting something new or fearing judgment of some kind. Because for some people, stepping into a large class can feel like too much or taking that step to try anything new. But stepping into a small group where they are seen or not seen, whatever the case may be, where they feel supported and not judged, can become a bridge to healing. Another modality is energy healing.
[00:31:07] Some people understand energy healing immediately and others approach it with curiosity. Other skepticism. I respect that my goal is not to force anyone to do something, but to create curiosity. And what is different? Providing yourself options of support rather than continuing to do the same thing over and over again. And whether it's in conjunction with your mental health journey or just continued wellness or standalone care. But the common thread I want everyone to understand is wellness requires continued attention.
[00:31:44] You know, many high functioning people are experts in overriding. They override the exhaustion, they override the grief, they override the resentment, they override the intuition, they override the body signals, they override their own needs because someone else needs are more urgent or more important.
[00:32:03] And so they override until their body or their relationship or their business or their family or their mind begins to speak louder. That is why this show is not only about success stories. It is about that inner mechanics of change.
[00:32:19] How did that person learn to listen? How did they learn to recognize the barriers? What helped them to stop abandoning themselves? What gave them the courage to try something new? What support did they need? What modality, mindset, relationship or moment shifted the pattern? When I think about the phrase what's next? I don't think about achievement. I think about integration. It's one thing to have a breakthrough during a retreat, a therapy session, a coaching conversation, a crisis or a moment of clarity.
[00:32:50] It's another thing to bring that breakthrough home and live it on a random Tuesday morning when the kids are late, the inbox is full, your body is tired, and that old pattern just wants to take take over, pull you back so that you don't make that change.
[00:33:09] That is where transformation becomes real.
[00:33:12] This is also where some of my trauma informed training connects. Show's Purpose Trauma is not just something that happened. It's often something that remains disorganized inside your nervous system after something happened. A person may be successful, capable, loving, intelligent, ambitious. They may look like they they have it all together while they're still carrying unresolved material that shapes all of their actions. They may know they want to lead differently, or love differently, or build differently, or speak differently. But the nervous system may still be responding to the old threat in the same old way. So in that sense, what next may require more than confidence. It may require healing at the level of the nervous system. This matters in business. It matters in leadership. It matters in parenting. It matters in creativity. It matters in relationships. A founder with unprocessed fear may avoid risk or or take reckless risks. A leader with unhealed rejection may over control the team. A parent Carrying shame may react strongly to a child's struggle. A creative with old criticism stored in the body may never release the work. A person with trauma around safety may confuse calm with danger because the chaos feels more familiar. This is not about blaming the past. It's about understanding how the past is impacting the present.
[00:34:44] When we understand the present, we can choose that next step with more compassion and more agency. That is why I want what next to be a place where the conversation is both deep and practical. I want viewers to hear from people who have done hard things, yes, but I also want them to hear how those people worked with their internal world.
[00:35:06] What did they have to believe differently? What did they have to heal?
[00:35:10] What support did they resist at first?
[00:35:13] What helped them keep going when the old identity tried to pull them back? And so, for this premiere, I want the audience to understand that my own path has been built from many chapters that did not always look connected from the outside. But now I know that I am lucky. I was born with this internal, optimistic attitude, which not everyone is. But through learning how to shift your perspective, doors can open. And so that's the journey that I want to help people with, is creating that new perspective.
[00:35:45] Underneath all of the chapters of my life is one consistent thread I am interested in. What helps people move beyond the place where they thought they had to stop.
[00:35:54] Sometimes that's a mind shift, mindset shift, sometimes emotional healing.
[00:35:59] Sometimes it's nervous system regulation, sometimes it's building community, sometimes it's really engaging in strategy. But most importantly, it's about writing a new story and learning that thing you thought made you different is actually part of your strength.
[00:36:15] As a mother of four with two with learning disabilities, I've seen how powerful it could be when someone is supported in a way that actually matches who they are. Not forced into a narrow definition of success, but taught to love and celebrate their differences, not treated as less capable because they learn, process, or move or respond differently.
[00:36:36] A lesson applies far beyond children because many adults today still try to heal from environments they never understood.
[00:36:44] They're still trying to build lives using strategies designed for someone else. They're still trying to force themselves to change who they are, rather than loving every aspect, however broken.
[00:36:56] What if what's next is not about someone else? What if what's next is becoming more fully yourself with the right tools, the right support, the right awareness and the right permission. That is the kind of conversation this show will keep opening. In every episode. I want to explore tools people use to cross the threshold, some traditional, some unconventional Some spiritual, some strategic, some physical, some will be emotional, some rational. But all of them will point back to one central idea. The human potential expands when we lean into life with curiosity and not shame.
[00:37:32] So today I want to invite you to ask yourself, what kind of support have I dismissed that might actually help me? What doorway have I avoided because it felt beyond my reach? What modality, practice, conversation, or community might help me move from insight to embodiment? Because sometimes what's next is not a giant leap. Sometimes what's next is the first time you open yourself up to vulnerability, where your body finally believes you're allowed to change and creates a safe space, one that can look different for every person. It may be therapy, it may be exercise, maybe a support group. It may be a trusted conversation, a spiritual practice, breath work.
[00:38:16] EMDR could be community.
[00:38:19] It could be just five minutes of stillness every day. The point is not to collect modalities. The point is to become honest about what your system needs in order to move from survival to possibility.
[00:38:30] That is what I want this show to normalize. We are allowed to use different tools. We are allowed to be curious. We are allowed to heal. And in layers, we are allowed to grow through the body, the mind, the spirit, the relationship, the environment, and the choices we make every day. What's next is not always discovering.
[00:38:49] What's next is not always discovered by thinking harder. Sometimes it's discovered by listening more deeply. For the person who feels skeptical, that's welcome here too. You don't have to believe in every modality or be curious.
[00:39:06] Your own healing. I know I didn't the first time I tried Reiki. You do not have to use the same tools your partners, friends, therapists suggest.
[00:39:14] You do not have to enter growth through the same doorway as someone else. What matters is you're open to try a new doorway in hopes that it might help you become more present, more honest, more regulated, and more connected, more able to choose your life instead of simply repeating the same patterns over. That's where transformation becomes practical. It's not a feeling. It's developing a new relationship with your own energy, tension, body limits, and future.
[00:39:44] And for many people, that's the bridge between knowing what needs to change and actually living the change. That is where transformation becomes practical. It is not, like I said, it's not a feeling. It's visibly how you speak to yourself, how you lead, how you recover from stress, how you parent, how you work, how you rest, and how you ask for support.
[00:40:09] And most importantly, how you define success.
[00:40:14] When we return, we will Bring everything back to the central promise of the show. What happens after the barriers break? And how do we begin living for the next version of who we are becoming?
[00:40:25] We'll be right back with more inspiring stories and practical insights to help you discover what's next. Stay with us. And we're back. I'm Christine Conti, and this is what's Next on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the conversation.
[00:40:42] Welcome back to the premiere episode of what's Next. I'm Christine Conti. As we close this first episode, I want to bring everything back to the heart of the show.
[00:40:52] What happens after the barriers break? Because the breakthrough is powerful, but it's not the finish line. A breakthrough can give you clarity, but clarity still has to become action. A breakthrough can help you see the old pattern, but you still have to practice a new response. A breakthrough can open the door, but you still have to walk through it. And sometimes one uncertain step at a time.
[00:41:19] That is why I want this show to be an honest space about the breakthrough. It can also be uncomfortable when an old belief no longer fits. There may be a gap before the new identity feels natural.
[00:41:34] When a person stops living in fear, they may have to learn how to live from choice. And when a person stops people pleasing, they may have to tolerate disappointment.
[00:41:46] When a person stops shrinking, they may have to allow themselves to become visible.
[00:41:52] When a person stops defining themselves by survival, they have to learn what joy, rest, ambition and purpose and feeling without guilt. The next chapter often requires patience and practice.
[00:42:07] That is true for entrepreneurs. It is true for leaders. It is true for actors, athletes. It's true for creatives, for parents, for anyone who has ever asked, who am I now? One of the things I hope this show does is normalize the truth. That transformation is not a straight line.
[00:42:25] People love before and after stories, but real life has the middle chapters. And there are setbacks and there are triggers, and there are moments when old beliefs come back very loudly. There are days when you know the truth and you stay still, don't feel it.
[00:42:44] There are times when progress looks invisible because it's too small. That doesn't mean you're failing. It means you're integrating. And for me, this premiere is personal because I understand reinvention. I understand what it means to move from one identity to another. And I understand what's next is not always glamorous. Sometimes what's next is getting through the day with compassion. Sometimes it's asking for help, and sometimes it is reinventing yourself.
[00:43:15] Sometimes it's building a business between responsibilities.
[00:43:19] Sometimes it's admitting that you're tired, you don't know which way to go sometimes. It's choosing not to pass your unhealed pressure onto the people you love.
[00:43:30] People are not problems to be fixed.
[00:43:33] Peoples are stories to be understood and supported, strengths to be uncovered and futures to be expanded. That belief is the center of what's next. This show will not be about perfect people. It will be about real people. People who have doubted themselves, people who have been afraid and have failed, people who have been underestimated, people who grieved an older version of themselves and who you've had to build something meaningful from a place that was left in pieces. We will talk about business, but it won't only be business. We'll talk about achievement, but not just the success.
[00:44:13] We are also going to talk about the failures, but not separate from success or mental health or identity and family and trauma and purpose and emotional truth.
[00:44:27] Because when you talk about success, you need to talk about success. That requires you to abandon yourself to the freedom of becoming who you are meant to be. That is why this show is rooted in perspective and mindset, but not the surface level mindset. We are not here just to repeat affirmation and over pain or confidence. We are here to understand what our internal beliefs mean may be how they formed, how they are protecting us and limiting us, and how they can be transformed. We are here to ask what becomes possible when people stop living out those limiting beliefs, but create beliefs that allow them to become a truer version of themselves. In upcoming episodes, I want guests to share the candid truth behind their growth, not just the polished moments.
[00:45:18] I want to know what they had to face internally, what beliefs almost stopped them. What did they think they were not capable of? What identity did they have to release?
[00:45:29] What did they do when that old fear came back?
[00:45:33] What supports had to change? What did they discover once they got to the other side? Because when people hear honest stories, they knew that. They don't just feel inspired. Inspired, they feel less alone. And feeling less alone can become the first step toward change.
[00:45:50] For the viewer watching this premiere, I want to leave you with a simple reflection. This show is going to ask people to be honest, but it is also going to ask people to be brave with what honesty reveals. If you realize a belief has been limiting you. That awareness is not meant to create shame. It is meant to create choice. If you realize you have outgrown an old identity, that doesn't mean the old identity failed you. It may have protected you for the season of life that it needed to. It may have helped you survive that season, but what helped you survive may not help you expand. So the invitation is not to reject your past. It's to accept the past as a factual part of your life and to stop letting your past be the architect of your future.
[00:46:37] You can honor what shaped you and still decide what leads you now.
[00:46:41] You can be grateful for the strategies that got you here and still build new strategies for where you're going. You can be both a work in progress and a person ready for the next chapter. So for the viewer watching this premiere, I want to leave you with a simple reflection. There may be an area of your life where you already know something has shifted.
[00:47:02] Maybe you're no longer willing to stay small. Maybe you're tired of performing strength while feeling disconnected.
[00:47:10] Maybe you're ready to build the business, grow your career, have the conversation.
[00:47:15] Start the healing. Leave the old identity.
[00:47:19] Finally, believe that your life can expand. You may not know the whole path yet. That's okay. In fact, most meaningful next chapters begin with uncertainty. They begin with the courage to admit all aspects of the past, both good and bad, occurred, but do not have to be brought forth into whatever future you're trying to create. They begin with a small act of self trust. They begin when you stop asking for permission for the fear that has been managing your life. This premiere is also a commitment. A commitment to talk about success without pretending to the inner work is optional. A commitment to make room for healing without making it abstract. This premiere is my invitation to build that conversation together.
[00:48:03] I will bring guests who have walked through the things and created something new. And I will bring questions rooted in psychology and lived experience. I bring curiosity, compassion and honesty. And I hope you bring your own willingness to ask, what barrier is ready to be moved? What life is waiting beyond it? That is okay. The next chapter often begins before the full plan is visible. So start with one honest question. What is the obstacle that is keeping me stuck? Then ask, what is one next step that would honor the person I am becoming? Not a perfect step. Not a step that proves everything.
[00:48:39] Just one small step. One small win.
[00:48:43] Maybe it's making the call. Letting go of the shame. Applying for the opportunity. Letting yourself be seen.
[00:48:52] Choosing a new response one time.
[00:48:55] That's it. That's how what next begins. It begins when awareness becomes choice. When choice becomes action. When action becomes identity. And it begins when you realize that the old barrier may have shaped part of your story, but it does not get to write the ending. I am Christine Conti, and this is what's next?
