Small Moves Big Life With Andrea Rogers: Create Transformational Change Through Consistency

Welcome to The Amberly Lago Show, where grit, grace, and joy connect you to unstoppable success. Thank you for tuning in to The Amberly Lago Show. I am so excited about today's guest. She is such an inspiration for me. She's the founder of Xtend Barre. She has a new book coming out that I have had the honor of reading. It's so, so good. It's called Small Moves, Big Life. Andrea Rogers is here. She has taken— oh my goodness, so many of us, like, we complicate things. We don't have the clarity, and we just want to have energy and confidence and that clarity. And so she's here today to help us with that. She's got a very simple yet powerful philosophy, Do the Thing Method, which can change your life. I can't wait for her to share more about that. Her approach is small. But consistent, non-negotiable actions that create meaningful transformation over time. Y'all, you're going to love the wisdom that she brings. You're going to love her book. And I know this conversation will inspire you to see that sometimes the tiniest moves are what unlock biggest breakthroughs. So, Andrea, you are in the middle of it right now. Thank you for taking the time to come and share your wisdom and your heart with us here on the show.

Thank you. Well, I'm so appreciative of being here. And, you know, I adore you and I'm a big fan of yours. So I am so thankful to have this opportunity to chat today with you.

Well, you know, from the moment I met you, I think our friend— did our friend Doug introduce us originally?

Did Doug introduce us? I think so. I think that's how we originally met.

I think so. And you were in this area and we have yet to see each other in person.

I know.

Only on Zoom calls and through texting and all that. But I can't wait to see you in person. To be at your book signing. And I felt an instant connection when I met you. But then when I read your book, I'm like, oh my goodness, no wonder, because you were once a dancer, as I was.

Mm-hmm.

And I think dancing teaches so much about grit, about consistency, about working hard for what you want. If you go and follow— go follow Andrea right now on Instagram, and I'll put all the links and social media, website and the book, everything in the notes for you. So if you're out on a jog, you can see those. But to look at you and all the success that you have achieved, some people go, oh, well, she's lucky, or must be easy for her.

Yeah.

Can you take us back? Because I really like to share the struggles to success too. Kind of like, what was the turning point for you that shifted everything? to get you to where you are today?

Yes. I think it's very true that it is very easy to look at someone in a position that you admire, respect, or long to be in and go, well, that was easy. The path was cleared. The road was smooth. And it was anything but for most people, I think. There's always a story behind the accomplishments and where you get. And I still have a long way to go, girl. So, so many accomplishments I want to achieve. But I think the biggest thing is— oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot to put Chuddy in his crate.

Oh, that's okay. Hey, we keep it real here.

Okay, I always put him in his crate.

They know, they all know about Nugget and my crazy—

Okay, sorry about that, guys. I have construction workers here at the same time as I have the dog. You know, this is real life. Um, but, but as I was saying, I think the biggest thing is, is being able to be honest that there's a lot of smoke and mirrors when you're looking at people from the Instagram or social media filter. And for me, you know, there were a lot of great wins and great opportunities presented, but there were also a lot of failures and hard, challenging times that eventually led me to create these habits that helped me to crawl out of those very challenging dark times. And it wasn't because I said, oh, Amberly, let's write a book and figure out 7 daily practices that are going to supercharge your energy, productivity, and happiness. It wasn't that. It was simply like, Andrea, you got to find out how to actually push the grocery cart through the store without your knees buckling. And you're going to have to get up and take the kids to school today. And you're going to have to figure out how to get through this very, very hard time that you never thought you'd be in. And so, it was just one little thing at a time that I would do that would make me feel good. One little strategy, one little practice. And that made me feel good that day. Let's do it again tomorrow. And these little things just started to add up. And then, over time, it became my way. It became my way of life. It became my foundation. Also became something that I shared with my circle, with my best, closest, dearest friends, my clients, my members across the globe. And I started to feel these 7 practices come into a place where I thought, well, this is something— this is actually really working for a lot of women all over the, you know, world, and this needs to be written down. So I put it into a workshop first, and then I decided to put it into a book. So these are things that have just over the years have helped me to maintain my sanity, my direction, my calm, my energy, and my focus, both in my personal life, my career, and when I'm wearing my mom hat as well.

Well, thank you for bringing that up because I just— so I have a group chat for my mastermind ladies, and it's, you know, we're constantly all day, all night sometimes, people are putting things in the chat, and it's a good way for us to support each other. Yes. And I think your book is coming at exactly the right time because there are women who are doing new and scary things and they're having a lot of— like, they're freaking out because they're like, how do I do it all? How do I, you know, manage being a mom? And you were a single mom, I think. Are you still a single mom?

Yes, I am a single mom.

I was a single mom for 10 years. And so I built a business. Being a single mom. But no matter if you're a single mom or you're married, I mean, single mom is a whole other level of like, you got to get stuff done. But what would you say to somebody who is like challenged with— they're starting to be on that brink of burnout and they want to do these new things and go after their dreams, but they're like, I don't know how to balance between my mental and physical health and go after those things. What is the number one, like, a little advice you could give them?

Yes, I think that comes down to my do the thing strategy, Amberly. So for me, it was about getting more clear with my priorities, fewer, clearer priorities, like doing the things during the day that were actually going to move the needle in my life.

Yes.

Not just ticking a box, not just adding onto the to-do list, not just being productive to be productive for production's sake. Like it would, it was actually real productivity and I had to focus and say no to certain things. You know, like I had to get really clear with, at the end of the day, when I put my head on the pillow at night, what am I gonna feel a sense of accomplishment and pride over doing today? And sometimes that was a very big thing. Sometimes it required me to spend, you know, 2 or 3 hours writing, right? Or sometimes it was me picking up a phone call and finally making that call to somebody that you just keep putting off. Or sometimes it was something very simple, like finally returning the boxes to Amazon that had been sitting there for the last week, that every time I passed the box, I felt a sense of defeat. So I found those things every day. And in the morning, that's what I do. I do my do the thing strategy. I find 3 non-negotiable things that I'm going to do every single day. It doesn't require me to overhaul my life. It doesn't require me to go out and buy a new app or some gadget. It just requires you to sit down with a pen and paper and write down 3 things that you're gonna do that day that no matter what, without excuses, you are going to do to your fullest extent of effort. And that is going to help you to feel that sense of accomplishment. And when you feel that sense of accomplishment and you move the needle, even the littlest inch of a move, right? When you move it just a teeny tiny bit, there's that moment where you go, okay, I, that, that felt good. Attagirl.

It's flexible.

It's possible. I'm doing it. Like I'm moving in the right direction. I was just talking with a friend of mine who felt, who feels very stuck right now in her, in her job. And, and I was like, but look what you did today. You move the needle, and she's like, "Well, it doesn't feel like it." I'm like, "But you did because you did something that you're moving towards the direction you want to go. You're not staying where you don't want to be. You're taking action, and even though you don't see the fruits of that labor yet, you don't see the action in its fruition yet, you still are doing it. You're moving towards it, and that's where the pride has to come in. And so those little bits of pride end up being what we call motivation, right? It happens because you take action, and once you take action, you start to feel motivated, and it becomes a. beautiful cycle where you start to do it again the next day and again the next day. And before you know it, you zoom out and you're a few weeks into doing these tiny little things that seem minor. And then you're like, wait a minute, I actually, I got a lot done. I'm moving towards this.

Yeah. I think oftentimes when somebody's new, they're going after their big dream and maybe they've had this corporate job or a job that they've always had a side hustle that they want to be their new thing. And I think sometimes when people get in it, there are a lot of what I call shiny object syndrome.

That looks good.

That looks good.

It's a great analogy. Yes.

You know, and it's like, I feel like people can binge the podcast, they can read all the books and underline things, they can go to all the conferences. But you said something that was key. It was like, you have You have wisdom because you have experience and you've taken action. And you said you've had failures and challenges, but what that has taught you is you have the wisdom so you can keep moving forward. And I think that's what a lot of people do is they just gather all the information and feel overwhelmed. But you're saying break it down. And yeah, it seems simple, but it's possible. And I love that you say once you do those 3 things, it gives you the motivation.

It does.

What is it in you that gives you the discipline to do the thing? Do you think dancing helped you with that?

Yes, I do. I think from— I mean, I asked my mother this as I was writing the book. I asked her quite a few questions and she's like, you were just wired that way. She said, from a very young age, you were wired with that energy, with that tenacity, with that determination. But I think becoming a dancer and being locked into that, like really wanting to go after not just dance, but Be the best at my craft. I wanted to be the best at my craft, the best I could be. I wanted to be the best that I knew I could be. And so I had that discipline from a very young age. Started dancing when I was three. I started teaching dance when I was like twelve years old. I probably looked like I was like six, you know, and started teaching dance. And then I started choreographing, and then I got into dancing professionally. And so that whole career, I I had a lot of you know nos to me, right? Like you didn't get the job. You didn't get the you didn't make the audition. I had a lot of nos, but I also just. Discovered what hard work meant and physically saw that happen. You know, I was just talking about this with a friend, how I would spend hours in my basement practicing turns, right? Because I wanted to land a triple or quad pirouette. And I just remember practice. I mean, I would practice and practice and practice and practice and fall and fall and fall and fall and just keep doing it until I finally got it. And it didn't happen overnight. You know, it took months and months and months of practice. And so when you're able to physically do something, whether it's a sport or a dance or anything along those lines, and you see the effort put in physically, and then you see the output, and you're like, okay. And then you see that happen, something you work towards. It's a great parallel for life, right? When you put in the effort in a relationship, in parenting, in work, in your career, whatever it is that you want to accomplish, you put in that effort and you'll see it. But as you said, Amberly, what I've seen with all of the people and clients that I'm working with is everybody freezes because they're collecting data. Like you said, they're collecting motivation, they're collecting information, they're collecting it all. And they're like, okay. And then you just stop because you're like, well, this is so much. It's so overwhelming.

Yeah.

And I feel like we just need to find that antidote to that hustle culture, that do everything, be everything kind of expectation, which is so unrealistic, and just sit down every day and figure out 3 things that you're going to do that day that are going to bring you closer towards that goal.

Oh, look, I do it every day. Like, I have a new list every day. I love it.

I love it.

And I check off and I put at the very top what the most important thing is for me to do. But I also just put this in my group text this morning about— and you know what, I'm going to share your book with my mastermind group because they—

I appreciate that.

It's more apparent now than ever because they're doing big things that they really have to do the thing. But like you said, and focus on what's important because you're right. I feel like we collect so much data. I actually put in the group chat, stop consuming and start creating.

That is it. That is it.

Stop scrolling. Stop scrolling. Like, stop it, you know? And so sometimes I think we have to be reminded of that. So I see— I'm amazed by all you do. You run a company, you've got, you know, your Xtend Bar, you've got 2 huge platforms, probably more on Instagram, but those are the two that I follow. You are traveling, you're starting, you're like in the middle. By the time this episode comes out, you will already be on tour for your book, book signings, all the things.

All the things.

What, like, especially being a mom, do you take your kids with you? I know there's a lot of friends and clients that I have, and there's even people that reach out to me and say, well, don't you feel guilty for not, you know, your daughter's not gonna get— she's growing up, she's gonna be gone, like trying to put that Mom guilt on me.

Oh boy. Yes.

And I'm always like, you know what? I'm setting an example for her and she's a little entrepreneur.

You bet. You bet.

Do you get that from people?

Uh, yes, I get that question quite often. And, and I get some nasty comments too sometimes on Instagram.

Really?

Yeah. Not often. I will say very, very few. Very few. Most of the women that I interact with are, uh, incredible, incredible supporters. And, and, um, they give me comments of like, look at you go. Your girls must be so proud. So, and that's most of it. That's 99% of it. it. But that 1% tends to stick, doesn't it?

Yes.

It's that 1% that tends to like think— you start to percolate on that at night, and then you're like, you know, that doesn't mean anything. But you know that, oh wow, you're on another trip away from your kids. And it's like, yeah, I'm not sipping a margarita on the beach with my girlfriends. Even if I was, I'm allowed to, right? Like, I'm allowed to do that. But I'm like working my butt off, honey, because I'm paying the bills and I'm like trying to run the show. So like, you know, I, I, I, I don't take that to heart. Even though it does stay with me sometimes, I don't let it sink into my soul. I don't have a lot of mom guilt, and I'll tell you why. Because I am honest with myself in the effort that I am providing to my children. I am a— I'm working my tushy off to be the best mother I can be. I feel like I'm there for them. I show up and I'm present when I'm home. They are so proud of me. They are so motivated by what I'm doing, and That alone is like, you know, that's everything to me. And most of the time they don't come with me because they're in school and they have their responsibilities at home. But when we are going for our book launch, I talk to their teachers and we're taking 2 days off school for them. And they're gonna come with me to New York City and see what it's like. 'Cause I want them to understand, they know I've been working on this book for years. They know how much effort I put into it. And I want them to see it. I want them to see that come to life. I want them to see, you know, the book signing and the billboard in Times Square. I want them to see all of it come together and have that. pride and just understand, like, they know that's why I can't be at some things and that they know what I've done to get there. And I want them to see that. So, I tell mothers and especially my friends as well, you got to let go of that. You just have to let go of it. You have to, again, zoom out and say, are you doing a great job? Yeah. You're doing your best? Yes. Are you perfect? No. And nobody is. But if your children feel loved and you're showing up for them, that's all that matters, right? It doesn't have to be perfection or anybody else's idea of perfection.

Yeah. Well, how old are your kids?

They are 12 and 14.

Oh, they are so gorgeous. So I love the post that you did with them when you were looking at your book.

That was everything to me. I was like, if this book doesn't do anything else, if it just did that, Like, and it's so cute, you know. Lane had friends over the other day and she was like, did you see my mom's book? And she's just like talking about it with her friends and, and, and pulling me up online. And she like, it's just so cute, you know. She's, she's just proud of me. They're both proud of me. And that's the best feeling in the entire world. Nothing is better than that.

Oh, it is the best feeling ever. Um, and you know, the other day I Got an email from Ruby, my youngest daughter's teacher. She was so— such a sweet email. And it makes you proud as a mom when they say that she's like, comes in with a smile and is always so kind to everybody and really is, you know, puts her work first. And it's such hard work.

So beautiful.

But she said, and I listened to your podcast and I hope to get you— hope to meet you soon. And I asked Ruby, I was like, Your teacher emailed me. She listens to the show. And I was like, oh gosh, I don't say anything. I know.

I'm going to think about that. I know.

And but I was just so touched. And Ruby said, oh yeah, Mom, I told her about you and she pulled you up. And that makes me so proud that Ruby is proud to tell her teachers about me. Now, I do have to get permission from Ruby. It was just homecoming this weekend and I had to get permission. I was like, is it okay? Hey, if I post this—

Same with me. I have to get permission now too.

You do?

I do. Yes, yes. Everything I post, I have to make sure they're okay with it, which we should. You know, at this age, they, they need their personal space and their privacy. And so, yes.

Oh yeah, I got, I got in trouble. I had done, uh, something. I'd put something in my story, and right away Ruby texted, goes, Mom, take that down. And I thought she looked so adorable.

I know, I've been there.

And she was like, all my friends saw. I'm like, how did all your friends see? She goes, They follow you. And I was like, oh, well, that's kind of weird. They follow me? So now I have to ask permission for all of it. And what's so funny, I told Ruby last night, I looked at Instagram, I was like, oh my gosh, Ruby, your post went viral. I said, I need to just post you more often. And she just got this big smile on her face. But I love that video that you posted with your girls.

Love that.

And you said something super, super important that I think, in case moms missed it, I want to go back to what you said about being present. I think that's key. Like, yeah, we travel, we do things, but when we come back, if we can be where our feet are. And you are a present mom, and I see how you just— I love seeing your posts that you do with your daughters. And I think it's so cool you're going to take them with you to New York to be on the billboard. It's a time they'll never forget.

They'll never forget.

Yeah.

You know what? I think it's important to— we always say, be present, be present, be present. But like, I think you have to just stop and really assess it sometimes. And just go, is your phone in your hand? Does it need to be in your hand? Like, where can you— you know, like, we have, you know, we have rules in our house with the phone and usage and when we can use it, when we can't use it, and when we sit down for dinner. And what, you know, even in the car, like, phones down, let's talk. Those are our times to actually connect, you know, because everybody's so busy and we're going, going, going, and we never stop. And then they're doing homework, and you don't get that one-on-one time when, like, you do when they're younger, you know. So you have to find it. And I try to make time with each daughter independently. Right? So, like, here's some time with this daughter. I take this one out to lunch or this one out to dinner, just us, just to get that one-on-one time because it's hard, you know, when you're trying to balance it all and do it all. So, it's not always perfect. It's not always even and balanced. But, at the end of the day, we're doing our best.

Yeah. I heard Ed Mylett, who I love, he's been on the show, he's a friend of mine, and he said, balance is boring. And I was like, you know, if you think about it, it would be true. It'd be pretty mundane if everything was just balanced. But I really think there are seasons and sometimes—

That's what I always say. Yes, there are seasons.

There are seasons when it's like, this is a season and whatever season you're in, give it your all, you know?

You bet.

Yeah, for sure. How long did it take you to write your book?

You know, it's been years in the making. So I would say, you know, we started working on the proposal and originally it leaned a little bit more into the wellness and exercise side of things. We pitched it, didn't get a yes, didn't get any publishers that wanted to work with me. And that was defeating, but not entirely so. I just was like, okay, let's go back. Let's try to fix this and make this a little bit better. Let's try to tweak it. Let's try to focus on this more and this more. We just took the same ingredients and just kind of reframed it. And that took another 6 months. to just kind of, like, really stick it. So, before I even got the publishing deal, and then I got multiple offers that round, so that was good. But it took, I mean, a year and a half to even get that first deal, just a deal.

Yeah.

Before I even, like, wrote the book, you know? And by that point, I had written so much up to that point, so I had a lot of the work done. But, yeah, and then it took another, about another year before it was completed. So, It's been a long time in the making. I mean, I started this in 2021, just after COVID. So yeah, it's been a while.

Thank you for sharing that because there are so many different ways to publish a book. And I think it's important to know how you want to publish your book. And I thank you for sharing that because I want people to know it's not like an— for me, definitely my first book took me 2 years. And with the second book, I had a title in mind But didn't have— hadn't thought about writing a proposal or getting a literary agent or anything like that. And they reached— I had a publisher reach out to me and I just pitched this book off the top of my head and they said yes. And I got off the phone and I'm like, oh my gosh, what did I do?

Wait, I love that though. You never told me that. I love that.

Oh my gosh. And I came back to my office and I was like, Well, honey, I just got a book deal. And he goes, oh man, when are you going to have time for that? That was his reaction.

I can imagine.

But I wanted to go back to you because of your discipline and your time. And I can see that because we've met on a Zoom early on a Saturday, or you're willing to meet on a Sunday, or you're just like, Boom, boom, boom, you're going to schedule it and get it done. Do you have like a ritual or— okay, first of all, do you have a morning ritual that you do that helps you stay more grounded throughout the day? And then I'll ask the next question. I have so many questions.

Yes, yes, I do. And that is all part of the book. Most of these principles are done for me before 11 o'clock, 30 minutes or less a day. That is why I feel like I have such a strong foundation, and when curveballs come my way, I'm like, "It's all right." I just lean back into these simple seven strategies. Some of them I will have seasons where I need more than the others. Sometimes I'll have to lean into others a little bit lighter. It just depends on where I'm at in my life. But yes, I am very, very big on routine. Now that doesn't mean I'm inflexible. I have crazy flexibility in my routine because I need to be. I'm sometimes traveling. I'm some. I mean, my schedule is crazy. But I have these things that I go to. They are my go-to every day, must-do, do not deny, non-negotiable. And they make me feel my best. They put me in the best position for success every single day, hands down.

Yeah, I love that. I'm the same way and I'm flexible, but I think it helps you stay resilient. And I think we have to work on our resilience before we need it.

Oh, yeah, that is it. What you just said is so true. And a lot of these things in the book are exactly that. You might not need it right away. You might not need to really have intentional breathwork in your back pocket. But if you practice it now when you absolutely don't crucially need it, just wait for the power it's going to have when you do need it. And at some point, we all will. And so, it's that. It's that right there. Do you exercise every single day so you can look great? Yes. But you also exercise every day so that when you move your house, you can pick up boxes and move things around. And there's always— it's all about the work that you do in the in-between. That's what counts. So I think that resilience and building that resilience is key.

Yeah. And moving your body. Oh my goodness. I move my body because it moves my mood.

Oh, girl. Moves your mood. Moves you. Move. I say move your body, move your life. Move your body, move your life. Like, if you want anything in your life to change and you are not moving your body every single day, good luck, honey, because that is not going to happen. If you don't have the discipline to show up for your health and to show up for your mind and to show up for your mood, then don't expect it to all flow. You got to move your body every single day. Non-negotiable. And, that's one of my non-negotiables every day.

Actually, that was my next question for you. Do you have some non-negotiables?

Yes. I mean, and the thing is, here's the thing, I am not the person who's going to the gym every day and putting in 2 hours of crazy intense work. If that is you, Love it. Own it. That is so amazing. I have friends that do, and I and that's their thing, and I think that's wonderful. For me, I just have to move my body every single day. Some days that looks like ten minutes of movement, and I give it my all. Those ten minutes, I own those ten minutes. I am going to feel those ten minutes. I'm going to feel like I did an hour workout. And then some days I really need that hour workout, and I need more, and I need to push myself a little further. But I allow myself to have that flexibility in the routine. But I never Just have an excuse of like, nah, don't feel like it. I'm not gonna move today. It's like, well, I don't feel like brushing my teeth today, but I'm certainly going to brush them. You know? So it's just, it's non-negotiable. And once you become that person that finds that consistency, you can be that person that works out every single day. And that's what this book is all about, is teaching those habits and teaching you how to make these small moves that don't have to be overwhelming, that aren't gonna bury you, that aren't gonna put that fear in front of you and go, oh my God, where's the excuse? I need to have an excuse so I don't have to do this. It's just gonna be like, all right, I can I can move my body for 10 minutes. Everybody can move their body for 10 minutes. I actually filmed workouts to go along with this book, Amberly. They're 10-minute workouts. If you buy the book, you get them for free. Like, you buy the book, you get them for free.

So, like, there's no excuse. I signed up for that, by the way.

I love it. I love it.

What is the link for people to sign up for these workouts? Because I cannot stress enough. I mean, and this isn't just because I'm a former dancer and former fitness instructor, but, like, I really think the discipline of moving your body will move your life, like you said. Also, it will move your business, your career. And I was just right before we started recording this, Andrea, I was in the, I was in the kitchen and I had gotten a message from someone who is new and they're trying to do like these big things and they're kind of overwhelmed. And I told my husband, I was like, oh my gosh, if they don't have the discipline to at least move and do this and this, I don't know how they're going to make it. Like, I know that sounds terrible. No, no, because that's—

no, but that's That's exactly what it is. It is exactly that. And I say that to my friends. I'm very honest with them. I'm like, if you don't have the discipline to commit 10 minutes every day to this, it's going to be hard to do all the other things you want to do.

It's so true. Well, what is the link so I can make sure everybody knows it and I can put it in the show notes so people can do that?

I appreciate that. It's smallmovesbiglife.com. That's the website. And once you go to the website, you'll click on About and it'll show you everything It'll be under the section called Move. You click on Move and it'll give you all the information you need to submit your receipt and get access to the Move workout library.

I got it, by the way. Yeah, that's good.

It's good. It's so effective. It's 10 minutes and you're gonna be like, what did I just do in those 10 minutes?

Yes. And I, I said, you know, don't consume, create. But I have to say, I have binged your— I mean, your Instagram. I've binged it because you do some workouts even on your Instagram.

I do.

Yeah, but yeah, I do think that's a non-negotiable for me too. And, you know, I was just traveling. I got back, I went and traveled 3 and a half hours on a plane to get to the airport to have to take a bus to get a rental car and then drive in the rental car 2 hours to the location. It was in the middle of nowhere.

Oh my gosh, that's a lot. That's a lot.

It was a lot.

That's a lot.

And I forgot that I can't drive with my right leg for long distances because of the CRPS. And so I drove the whole way with my left leg. But I made it. But I did not— I really didn't have time to get to the gym before I went and spoke. And so what I did was somebody had come out and I was about to go on and speak and they're like, well, you're about to go on. I said, okay, let me go prepare. I said, I do push-ups and prayer. And she goes, oh, I love that. Kind of laughed. And then she saw me over in the corner in my skirt sitting there doing push-ups.

I just love that.

She goes, oh, you weren't kidding. And I'm like, oh no, I'm not kidding. Because it does, it moves your mood and it makes you feel like you're getting ready. And something that's really helped me, and I'm sharing this because I heard your sweet pup in the background earlier, is getting a new puppy has been a blessing because I'm the only one who takes her out for walks.

Mm-hmm.

And so even if it's a 10-minute walk, I get outside and get in nature. And so You can get— it can be draining being inside a tiny office all day. So, I encourage you to get outside and move your—

Get outside and move. And I say, that's what I say, if you don't— if you really are just starting from the very beginning and it is hard for you just to get up off that couch or out of that seat, just walk. Walking is the most underrated form of exercise. It is powerful because it creates movement. And when you get out and you go outside in nature and you are moving your body, even if it's for 10 I'm telling you, you're going to feel better than you did before, and you're going to feel better than you would had you not moved that day. I mean, it's science, right? We get those endorphins when we move our body. Not only that, when you get the vitamin D and nature, you're doing something really good for your body, especially if you can do it first thing in the morning, right? That circadian rhythm is going to be flowing. You're going to be feeling that energy. You're going to just feel like you did something that you didn't have to do, but you did anyway. And that's going to feel good. And you're more likely then to make another good decision during the day.

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Well, what is the biggest lesson you have learned with being a mom, an entrepreneur, owning a huge business, writing a book? You're speaking on stages. What is something that you have learned either from either a mistake you've made or money that you invested in a program or a coach that wasn't great? Like, what's the biggest lesson that you've learned that you've been able to take that lesson and then apply it towards growing yourself and your business?

I would say, and this is going to sound cliché, hence the title of my book, but I really have learned how to take my big dreams because I am a very ambitious person. I want to do it all and I have a million ideas going. I want to trademark everything. I want to patent everything and I want to create everything. And I have really learned how to focus and to take these big, big thoughts and bring it down to these small initiatives and focus on that one thing at that moment to really give it my all. I made some mistakes when I started launching my business. I grew very quickly before I was ready to grow. And there were a lot of things that I learned along that path, which is you got to sometimes stop, zoom out, and focus on what you have currently and just focus on moving that a little bit slower. That doesn't mean that you can't have big goals and big dreams and huge lofty ideas, because I always do. I can't squash those and I don't want to. But instead of just going full throttle, I sometimes now have the ability now to stop and go, okay, what is that need? It's back to that do the thing strategy. What is that need that I really want to focus on? And I tell a lot of new business owners this when they come to me and say, hey, I want to franchise. What is it like to franchise? I'm like, well, how long have you been in business? You know, you know, 6 months. I'm like, okay, we got to pause. Let's just wait. You got to give it some time. And I really think that sometimes staying more local, staying hyperfocused on that local, staying hyperfocused on that one singular aspect of your business is going to help you become a master at it. And once you're a master at it, then you can start to focus on how you can spread it out. Now, that doesn't mean you're always going to feel prepared for growth. You know, a lot of growth happens when you're not prepared. And that's a beautiful thing too. I think there's some beautiful lessons in going before you're absolutely ready. But I think it's also important to not always think that bigger is more, right? Maybe you don't need 10 stores. Maybe you just need 2. Maybe you don't need, you know, to have all these different revenue streams. Maybe you need to just focus on one. Maybe you don't need 10 products. Maybe you just need one, you know, so, and be the master at it and be the best at it and learn it and know it and be able to sell it. So, that's typically what I will always give as advice is like, just put the brakes on a little bit and don't be afraid to master what you're doing at the current moment.

Oh, I think that's so great. If you think about even something as far as like, well, where we live, like, I miss the food where I lived when I lived in California. I mean, I love living in Texas. There are things that I love, but the food is not great. It's not what I'm used to, you know? Where we live, we're about 20 miles outside of Dallas, and it's like all fast food, like just all fast food. But, and so I'm used to my daughter, I'm not gonna lie, she loves going to Chick-fil-A and In-N-Out.

Of course.

And I think that those 2 stores though, they rarely mess up the order. They have their systems, like their systems are down.

They are down. They are not, they're locked in, girl. They are locked in.

They are both. Restaurants, they are so locked in. So I think the advice that you gave is great. Like, really make sure what you have is running smooth. You have those systems in place. Maybe you can take people that you've trained and they know the business like the inside— outside of their hand to take that and go and open up a new store. And so I think that's great advice. What systems What systems in place do you have right now as far as like running your business, making sure that people are getting taken care of, that you're getting all your emails? Like, do you check all your emails? Do you have systems in place that you would recommend that have really helped you level up and also just find a little bit of serenity?

Yes. Again, back to the Do the Thing. That is my Bible. That is my go-to. That is my every— that's my organization. organizational Bible. Like, that is how I am able to, like, just— it's my guiding light for the day, right? That is, I can't start my day without giving that assessment to my day. And that's, I think, something we need to talk about. We just go through our day, right? We are constantly getting through it, right? It was funny. I was at the football game last week with my daughter, and someone asked someone, another parent, how's it going? And he was like, I'm maintaining. And I was like, oh, that's an interesting perspective. I'm maintaining, not thriving, not surviving, but just maintaining. And I thought, that's how a lot of us live our life, right? We're maintaining. We're just constantly, we wake up and we just go right into like maintain mode, right? Maintenance mode. We're maintaining, we're maintaining. And I think that we forget there's, there is the ability to be intentional with what we do with our hours. There's the ability to be intentional with what our energy is contributing toward and how we are getting that return on our energy. And so my strategy is to be clear with my intentions for the day. The night before, I look at my calendar. I make sure that I understand what my calendar looks like. Some days it is nuts. It is crazy. There's not a lot of time. Other days I have some gaps. And when I sit down that night before, I give myself a moment to just think about what I want to do tomorrow. Like, what is that main objective? You know, for example, this week I have to go to the DMV. Girl, you know how that's so much fun, right? I also have to get a new cell phone. Like, these are things that are just everyday things.

Me too.

And you don't want to do it, and you're like. So I just take the time from those little things to the big things, which are I have to book flights. I have to also talk to somebody else about jumping into this book signing. Like there's some big things and small things, but I take the time to go. Okay, you know what? Monday, I have a little more free time. Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna focus on A, B, C, and D, and I'm going to think about the night before. I don't write it down the night before. I don't like go into detail. I just give it some thought, so I don't go to bed at night with all those worries waking me up. You know, going knock knock knock. Let's think about this. Let's think about this. Let's stress about this. Let's worry about this. I'm like, I've already given it some oxygen. Then the next morning when I wake up in the morning, I sit down with my pen and paper. It's not fancy. I have my journals, but sometimes I don't have them with me and it's just a piece of paper. And I just write down those 3 non-negotiables. Once those 3 non-negotiables are there, I look at the calendar. I'm like, you know what? I think I've got room for 2 more. I'm going to write 2 more things down. Those are my bonus moves of the day. And then I'll always add like a signature move of the day. And my signature move of the day is something that is going to give me back something. Nothing else but like something for me, something to keep my mind, you know, from— I'm going crazy. It's like my go-to. So it could be as simple as I'm going to get my new fuzzy socks that I've been wanting because I haven't— I have my old fuzzy socks, I'm not cozy anymore, and I'm going to go get my new fuzzy socks. Or it could be, you know, I'm going to buy a new candle that I'm going to light for my bath every night. It just something small that just makes me feel like I'm doing something for And, as cheesy as that sounds, it does feel good. I love skincare. Maybe it's a mask that night and that mask might seem really silly, but for me, it's like giving myself an hour at the spa and it just feels— it gives me that calm. So, those are my strategies. The night before, I give it some thought. The morning of, I give it intention and then I move and take action.

That's so good. I love that. And, I love treating myself skincare, treating myself to a mask, or I even bought I bought this thing. One of my clients had this red infrared.

I use it every day.

You do? I need to get mine out again.

Every day, 10 minutes. I use the red light mask and I have a red light hat and I sit on my PEMF mat and that is my 10 minutes. 10 minutes. I do that every single day.

Okay, I'm getting my mask out again because I bought it. It works. I haven't had it out, but—

Oh, it works. You have to make it accessible. That's the thing. You know what? I'm like, you know me, I don't like clutter. Everything's in its place. But I keep that ugly red light mask on the side of my bedstand, and I keep my ugly black hat on the side of my bedstand, and I keep my mat tucked in, not on top of my bed, but tucked in a little bit, but I can still see it. And I used to be like, oh, I want to hide it. I don't want to see that. I want it to look clean. And now I'm like, you know what? I'm not going to use it if it's always underneath the bed or hidden. And now— and I really need to use it because it makes me feel better. So now I hide it to my best ability.

Yeah.

But it's accessible. And so, like, I put the mask out. I— it's out because if it's not out, I'm not going to use it.

That's so smart because, yeah, I'm the same. I like everything in its place.

You bet.

And mine's underneath the sink. And let me tell you, Nugget, our dog, freaked out the first time he got in the bathroom with that mask on. And so did my husband.

He was like, I love it.

Who are you? What are you doing? But, oh, it does make you feel good. And then I think sometimes I need somebody to remind me because like yesterday— so Sundays are my day to prepare for the week. And so I had just been like, I get like locked in on something. And I had just been like, I was writing a foreword for a book, another book.

Amazing.

And locked in. And finally, about 2 o'clock, my husband was like, you know what, you're gonna take a break now and come to the gym with me. And you're gonna have lunch with me. And you're not going to talk about work or even think about it.

And I was like, I love that.

Okay. And so, like, what feels good to me is to go to the gym and listen to my favorite music. And so, yeah, just the little things make such a big difference, which is what your book is all about.

Such a great partner too.

Yeah. And you know what? I have a short attention span, but your book had me locked in. And so I just love it. I can't wait for people to get their hands on it. And a couple of other questions. We talked about breathwork, and I have started doing breathwork every single night. Like, when I actually— when I get in bed, it's what calms my nervous system down. Do you do breathwork every day?

Every day, multiple times a day. I do it every morning and every night without fail, and then I do it throughout the day. It is my go-to. I do it in carpool, I do it while I'm driving, I do it when I start to feel the anxiety or stress come. It is the most incredible tool That we have at our disposal. You don't need a phone. You don't need an app. You don't need a book. You don't need anything. It's already there, and you're already equipped to use it. And once you teach yourself how to use it effectively, which I go through in the book, it is a game changer. I mean, it is unbelievable how good I can feel after I do these techniques, and how much it can calm me. How I can go from my fight or flight mode into my calm, my rest, my digest. Very quickly. It has been— I mean, that honestly is what got me through some of the hardest times in my life, truly, was just intentional breathing. And, as you said, some days I do it every day, even when I feel like I don't need it, I do it every single day. And, the days that I do need it, it is always there for me and never fails me.

Yeah, it is amazing. It really is scientifically proven.

Scientifically proven.

Your sympathetic nervous system.

Correct.

Which for me, a lot of times I get in bed at night and my mind, it's like, Like, my mind is just going and going and going, even though I've written some things down and I'm like, okay. And I can go through a meditation and some breathwork. And the breathwork literally is maybe 2 minutes at most. And sometimes I don't even make it through the rest of the meditation. I'm out, I'm asleep. And it makes me sleep so good.

It does. It really does. It really is so effective. And in the book, I talk about different techniques, some that are more energizing, some that are more calming, some that are great to do at bedtime, and you'll find what works for you. I have my go-to that I love. I love box breathing and I love my inhale and exhale technique. And, when you find the one that works for you, it is like it's in your back pocket and you can just reach for it whenever you need it.

Yeah. Hey, I just thought of something. When you do your TED Talk, are you going to take the audience through breathwork?

I would love to.

I would absolutely love to. That would be so cool. I have never seen another TED Talk that's done that.

Oh, I didn't know that. I'll have to look into it.

I mean, I'll look. I'm going to read it now. I'm curious. But I'm just thinking, because it is, it can be life-changing. I think so often doctors want to just put you on anti-anxiety medication when all you have to do is do these breathing techniques. I love that you share your experience in your book and your wisdom, your strength, and your hope that other people who are going through a hard time or a challenge, that they can Thrive. They don't have to do just maintain. They can actually thrive. Yes. In their life, in their mental health, in their physical health, and in their business. I think the book is just incredible. And like I said, I can't wait to get it for all of my mastermind members. I can't wait for it to be out. It's going to be—

Thank you. So soon.

Yes. And now, so give us the name of that website where people can get your book and get the 10-minute exercises again.

Yes. So, again, go to SmallMovesBigLife.com and the book is there along with all the links for the retailers, Amazon, Barnes Noble, all the retailers that you can purchase the book at, which launches October 14th. And then, once you purchase the book, you don't have to have it in your hands, you just show me a receipt, just screenshot a receipt and send it to me. The email is on the website. And then, I will quickly return the access to the workout library along with stretches too. I do a whole stretching series of videos as well. Well, which is incredibly powerful.

And you know what? I'm gonna have to do it again because I've already— I already did it and then my Microsoft got hacked.

Yes, it did.

I had saved all your inputs. They were just gone.

Gone.

So that just reminded me. I'm gonna do it again.

Perfect.

But I don't say this lightly, like how good your book is. It is gonna be life-changing for so many people.

I sure hope so.

And it's a page-turner. It was— it's easy to read. And we didn't even get into a lot of, like, your struggles, how you learned a lot of these lessons. And I like learning from people who have actually gone through something challenging, come out the other side, and they know how to, from experience, how to be resilient, how to thrive, how to build. And you are that. So thank you for being on the show and thank you for your wisdom. What is the best place for people to find you?

Yes, I think social media, Instagram is probably the best place. That's where I do a lot, post all of my content and things that are happening. So Andrea Lee Rogers is my Instagram, or you can just go to Small Moves, Big Life. And thank you so much for all those kind words. You are amazing. I'm so grateful that I found you in my life, and you are such a motivator for me. You know that. Um, and just grateful for our friendship.

I am too. Thank you so much for being here. And you guys, y'all, thank you. I say y'all, thank you for listening, for tuning in, Amen. Andrea, thank you for sharing your wisdom and your heart with us today. And I love how you remind us that it's not about the giant leaps, that it's really about choosing to do the thing. And you've broken down so much of your book. And I know that when people read your book, it is going to be just life-changing for them. So I really highly recommend your book. Y'all go give her a follow. And if you found some wisdom that you want to share, make sure you take a screenshot And tag us on Instagram and send in some, you know, response. I love when I get your emails. So email me at amberly@amberlylago.com and let me know any suggestions you have for the show. And thank you for tuning in. It's because of you that this show has become a 1% top-rated podcast. Couldn't do that without you listening. Thank you for being here. And Andrea, thank you again for being on the show.

Thank you.

And I will see y'all next week.