732 STRATEGIC LESSONS FROM 2025 I’M TAKING INTO 2026

Welcome to the Next Level Life podcast with Christine Corcoran. This podcast is made for the powerhouse business women who are ready to ignite their fullest potential. This is where we will dive deep into the mindset breakthroughs and sprinkle in some kick up the butt motivation so you can scale your business with confidence and clarity. Whether you're craving more income, impact or inspiration, this podcast will be your ultimate resource for all things next level. Listen in as we have authentic conversations with game changing female entrepreneurs as we reveal the secrets of what it takes to rise and thrive. So go ahead, ignite your inner fire and let's get you taking massive aligned action. Are you ready to elevate? Let's go. Hey. Hey. Welcome back to the podcast. What has 2025 been for you? It has been honestly like the most hectic year, but also like an amazing year and also a really challenging year. So I wanted to do a couple of podcast episodes on the lessons, like the lessons from 2025, but also the greatness that happened because we cannot have one without the other. And one of the biggest things I feel like 2025 was for me was a year of courageous action. And it was really having to tap into my courage time and time again to get through challenging times to have positive outcomes. So I want to share with you some of the proudest moments that I've had from 2025, but I also want to share with you like the almost like the face plants or the breakdowns around that in order for those things to happen. Because as much as like I can absolutely look back and go, wow, 2025 was incredible. Like, loved it. It was amazing. I had so many amazing things happen and it really did shift, like, had a huge identity shift for me as well this year. But it also was these moments of like complete doubt, questioning, like friction, stress, overwhelm, like, just like, are we still at the same shit? Like, I was still experiencing some shit from the year before that. I was like, why is this still happening? And I was like, why? Like, it's so frustrating. Even though so many amazing things on the external, like, if you were looking from the outside in, it may have looked like, oh my God, Christine's got it all together. So many things, amazing things happening for her. Wow, look at it go. And it may have felt like a contrast or it might have felt like an inspiration. Whatever it was for you, let that be your work, right? Let that be like, okay, a beautiful mirror for you to be able to look at that internal work that you need to do. But I want to share with you the good and the bad, because it's always both. It is always both. And please, please, please don't ever get caught up in a headspace thinking that you are the only one experiencing what you're experiencing or that it is great for everyone. The people that are successful, it is amazing for them all the time. No, one of the biggest things that I've learned this year is, and actually I was watching the Taylor Swift documentary series, and one of the things that really resonated with what she shared was this quote that she said. And I have to read it to you because it was just so so poignant when it comes to experiencing success. Right. That I think that we don't know until you experience certain stages of success that you're like, oh, now I get it. So it was one of, one of the first episodes and she was talking about how she was actually visiting the families of the children that were hurt. Some were killed at the London stabbing. Is one of her, like, it was a Taylor Swift dance party and these beautiful little children were stabbed. It was horrendous, absolutely horrendous. And they were showing behind the scenes before the Wembley shows that she went to visit some of these families. And just the emotion that she was taken over by, of course, right when you're experiencing something like that, like, holy hell. And she shared is as a voiceover, she shared, it's my responsibility to feel these big emotions. It's my job to handle all of these emotions, then perk up and perform. And why that really resonated with me is because it was actually something else that Erica Kramer said to me. We were talking about the Unstoppable Women event, and I was saying to her, like, one of the things that really resonated with me when she shared, and I could tell the crowd really resonated with it as well, was when she was saying, people keep saying to me, you're killing it. Like, you're killing it. You're doing so well. And she was like, yeah, but behind the scenes, I'm scared. I'm taking scary ass action. I am stressed. I'm anxious. I'm literally like pushing myself to the edge. Like, she was like, I wish people saw both sides. And that really resonated with me. And so throughout this year, I've had some major challenges. And to get the great things to happen, like Unstoppable Women event, to get my book to go number one bestseller, to have the book launch parties, to have successful launches, all of that, it did not come without challenge. And I think sometimes we can look to people being successful and think, oh, it's easier for them. Or they have gotten to a certain point and then they're just coasting like, no, mate. Like, it's actually that we move the goalposts and we're going for something even bigger. And so that's what. That's what 2025 has been for me. Because last year I had such a great year, right? 2024, amazing year. Got to travel into the States a few times, got to have some amazing experiences. It really leveled up my identity and it set the scene for 2025 in order for me to step into this next phase of now being more seen expanding with my book, having this event happen and have it go successfully. Like, I would not have been able to achieve that without the identity shifts that I'd had the year before. And these also were massive identity shifts, right? And I was saying to this to a client of mine, like, what you didn't see behind the scenes when it came to putting that event on Unstoppable Women was the constant stress, the major cash flow challenges that I had along the way. Like, it was so challenging. And I'll talk about it in a second. But like, the stress and the anxiety that I had leading up to that event was like nothing I'd had experienced before because I was literally putting myself on the line, right? Everything. Financial self, my leadership self, my, like on the stage with other incredible speakers and challenging myself to think that I could even like, speak at that level. Like, so many challenges. And so I want to share this with you because so often we just don't see this side. And so let's talk about it. Okay. So some of the biggest challenges that I had this year was I had some successful launches and I've worked with some amazing, amazing women this year. Like amazing women inside Unstoppable Sales and in my new program that I launched her expansion as well as the next level Mastermind. But what you may not have seen is some flopped launches in between. There were definitely some launches that did not go well. My her expansion launch did not go well based on my goals for it. And I ended up, then again not relaunching it. And it was a big lesson in don't break what ain't broke was one question. I got caught up in the headspace of thinking someone we needed something else. Like there was something else that was needed prior to people signing up to next level Mastermind. I thought I needed another offering in order for People to come in at an easier price point to see the value of working with me at the high level. That was actually not true. And I was getting caught up in scarcity. I was getting caught up in the doubt and fear beliefs. And that was my response to it. I was doing it out of not desperation, but it was more out of like, oh, I think I have to prove myself. And so I created her expansion. Actually really liked the program. It was really fun to launch, to run. And I had a small group of people in there at seven people, and I wanted a minimum of 20 for it to be a viable offering. And so it wasn't a viable offering. Right. I did not make a lot of money from it. It really wasn't viable. And that's why I also haven't run it again. But it was also just a confirmation of like, hey, I actually don't need this. And I think you just need to go back to launching effectively because that came out of launching and failing that launch. And that came from doubting. And I've did another whole podcast, podcast episode about this, about where I went against my own advice. I got caught up in shiny things syndrome and did something else that actually just didn't work for me. And so when it comes to launching, you really do have to be all in. You can't just do it half assed. And there were so many times where I actually launched too often in 2025. And then that caused a lack of positive result with the launches because I was pushing myself to the next thing, the next thing, the next thing. And it actually wasn't really setting up my energy effectively in order for me to effectively launch. And so I've like, I'm peeling it back next year, doing less launches and focusing more on the nurture building and the value add before the launches. Right. And so what happened this year in 2025 was I literally felt like I was on the back foot a lot of the time. When I look back, I now know why I was launching the biggest event of my life. And a lot of energy without an extra team member was all put on me. It was all put on me. And that was like running a whole new business. Right? So I launched that. I also launched my first debut book, Getting that ready, producing it, getting it ready, getting it uploaded, getting it launched, and then doing launch parties in Brisbane and in Victoria. Two of them in Victoria. Holy hell, Christine. Like, you're nuts. Like I look back, I'm just like, you're nuts. Absolutely crazy. Of course I didn't have time to launch. Of course, I didn't have time to prep those launches effectively. So moving into 2026, I'm like, oh, that was dumb. And I'm going to look back on that and go, well, I'm going to be much more prepped and I'm going to have more teams. I'm already hiring at the moment. I'm going through the process of that, even though it feels super stretchy and I don't know if I'm going to be able to, you know, fund so much of it, but it's still like, oh, I know I need it because if I'm going to set myself up for a massive 2026 especially, I'm going to do Unstoppable Women again. I'm going to need that support. And so the launch, some of the launches that didn't go well were because I was doing too much. I was actually doing way too much. And that's where your energy gets completely spread thin. And it's very hard to execute effectively when your energy is spread so thin. So one of the launches for Next level Mastermind completely bombed. I had someone sign up, just one person sign up, and then she ended up changing over to do some one on one with me before then joining the next round of the Mastermind. But that actually was a blessing in disguise because by not running that round, it actually give me the space to, to launch Unstoppable Women the way that it needed to be. So for me able to give my fullest energy and attention to that, I actually couldn't have run both in the, in self reflection now. Now I could, absolutely. Because I've done it before and now I know what to do and what to expect and I'm going to hire a team to support me. So looking back, I can look at that and be like, okay, these were the lessons. But I also know that I possibly couldn't have run both at the same time. And so that was like a blessing in disguise. But that came with major financial challenges. That meant my cash flow was all over the shop because I took a financial hit. Not having a group of people come through the next level Mastermind because it is my highest ticket offer. And so by taking that financial hit, it then meant I had to really get fucking savvy when it came to my cash flow. It was very challenging because I had all the invoices due for the Unstoppable Women event. I was still working on ticket sales, we were doing Facebook ads, like all the things that went along with getting that event up and running and also pumping for me to have enough, enough people in the room for it to be a viable event. That take a lot of financial backing. And it was all my financial backing. Right. I didn't have, I had actually had a couple of sponsors but very minimal input. And so it was more like they covered the cost of like all the printing and the banners and things like that. Not necessarily a lot of cash flow. And so cash flow was probably one of the biggest challenges. And I had a lot of last minute tickets come through and so that obviously supported then the financial piece then in August. But leading up to that it was really challenging. So yeah, I think one of the biggest things is like I tried to do too much and I'm going to peel it back next year with reason because you know me, I like to do big things and I am not going to shy away from doing big things and who knows what 2026 is going to bring. But one thing that I feel like I missed out on was the magic in between. When we are booking ourselves way too thin and too heavily, we don't allow for the magic. And so I want to make sure that I'm spreading out the year and supporting myself to actually allow more magic to come in, but also to give myself time for rest and breaks. I actually did so much this year that I didn't really rest. And so it's so interesting looking back and being like I know what drove it. I know that it was so much to do and there was all the financial pressure to then obviously keep the business running as well as like get this event up and running and all the things. And also to do my book launch parties because again, the book launch parties, they weren't supposed to be a profitable thing. Right. So I just basically did that at the price point to cover costs. And then people bought my book. Again, the book is a very low ticket item, so it wasn't a actually a very positive like cashflow positive move. But I know it will benefit me in the long run. So sometimes you have to take these big risks and that's where expansive years come from. You have to take those risks. And so I'm not going to not take big risks next year. I'm sure I will. I'm just going to be a little bit more structured and calculated and also make sure that I don't take on too much because I want to make sure that I'm executing effectively in the launches that I do end up doing, but also for the unstoppable Women eventually. So, so many things like, my gosh, like looking back, like there's so much reflection to do, like being able to. So many beautiful speaking opportunities and like getting to Canada, like being able to speak in Canada was an absolutely incredible experience. And just, yeah, so many, so many awesome things. But I wanted to share this with you authentically because I wanted you to know that it's not all the great stuff doesn't happen without the challenge. And so that quote from, from Taylor Swift is coming back to what she was saying. Like, your ability to manage and hold the stress at your, at the next level is actually what's going to support you to get there. Me being able to manage my mind through those times of anxiety, of stress, of overwhelm was the only way that I was able to execute effectively in the ways that I did right. For unstoppable women to come off the way that it did. My only way to get through that was to feel it, to process it, to reframe it, to support myself, nervous system wise. To support myself, mindset wise. To be able to get through that, to then have the greatness happen. Right. Watching that documentary with Taylor Swift was like, wow, like imagine the level of stress that she has at her level of success. Like if you look at what happened in Vienna and she had to cancel three shows because of the terrorist threat, like, imagine that. Like, we can't even imagine these things. And I think this is the thing that keeps us from stepping into that next level. Sometimes we imagine it's the worst case scenario or that we're thinking that it has to be easy and we're not willing to put ourselves on the line. We're not willing to like the level of risk that she put on herself to run the errors tour, right? A three hour show, 250 shows. Like, I know that she has the financial backing and all of that, but that's not, not without risk. Like that was what a massive risk for her to take. And so I want you to ask yourself, like, what risks are you willing to step into next year? And how can you support yourself to take the action while feeling it all? Because it's with it, it's not without it. Things don't just happen for people, like the people that you look to that you're admiring that they're like, oh my God, they're killing it. They are willing to risk it. They're willing to feel the uncomfortable feelings and they're willing to back themselves every step of the way. That's what you need to practice that's what you need to get into is like, how I am responding to my emotions and letting them drive the show is not going to support me. The other thing that I really took away from that documentary was this awesome growth, mindset, success mindset that she has this decision to go all in. When she was saying, like she was going to do 250 shows and there were three hour shows, there was no option for sickness, there was no option for her to not go on stage. Right. And that burn all the boats mentality like Tony Robbins talks about that I just absolutely love and that I honestly believe is one of the things that supported me in my business is the go all in energy that I'm not going to entertain the thoughts of giving up. The entertaining the thoughts of, like, go get another job. Entertain the thoughts of, oh, this launch isn't going to work, so I might just give up now and ghost the launch. No, no, it has to be. And this is what the horse energy is all about for 2026. It has to be all in energy. And that's what I loved about that mindset. Like, she was like, I'm cutting off every other option. There is no other option but to go on stage. So how are we going to make that work? Yes, there's the structure, the support, the team, the, the foundations. Like, there's all the things that's helping support that outcome and getting her on stage and having an incredible show, like, she's got everything backing her. Right? But that mindset, she was the leader, she stepped up because that means that anyone else was following her lead. It's the same thing with you and your business people are following your lead, your clients are following your lead, you are following your lead. What are you going to do and how are you going to shop? And what's your mindset going into 2026? So I hope this episode has given you a beautiful insight into the good with the bad. There is always going to be some good and it's really important that you take the time to process all the bad. But learn from it. Like, learn from it. This is what this reflection piece is. So why it's so important is because we look back, we can see like, oh, that's where I went wrong. And not from a place of judgment, from a place of opportunity. Like, I can take what I've learned from 2025 and take it to 2026 and absolutely kill it, because I know what works, what doesn't work, and I know what worked for me and what didn't. Work for me. So acknowledging that within yourself and take the lessons from 2025 into 2026 and I know that you'll also kill it. I hope you love this episode and I hope you enjoy the rest of the day. Thank you for listening. And if you found any value out of this episode, make sure you hit the follow button so you get access to the episodes as soon as they are live. And make sure you come hang out with me on Instagram. You can find me at Christine Corcoran Underscore Coach. Have an incredible weekend.