Ina Coveney
Happy Merry Christmas, everybody. It's over. Christmas is over?

Elyssa Smith
Yes. Has it been decreed?

Ina Coveney
Yes. We're done with groceries? This is the New Year's episode. Do we take down the decorations?

Elyssa Smith
In all fairness, in all honesty, mine stay up until April. So Christmas is never over.

Ina Coveney
And then it's Christmas in July, and then it just keeps being Christmas until the next December. Why do you keep them up for so long?

Elyssa Smith
Is it because you're procrastinating?

Ina Coveney
Oh, it's actually an active choice on my part. I refuse to bend to the cultural pressure of taking down beautiful lights before I'm done with them.

Elyssa Smith
Yeah, yeah.

Ina Coveney
It's a conscious decision.

Elyssa Smith
I thought we were like reaching something.

Ina Coveney
You thought you were going to uncover my darkest secret.

Elyssa Smith
It was like a gotcha.

Ina Coveney
It was. I felt it. I felt it happening.

Elyssa Smith
I could tell. I knew it. I knew you would trap me in one of these episodes.

Ina Coveney
Right?

Elyssa Smith
Yes. This was it. It happened.

Ina Coveney
This was it. Listen, I asked on my stories, I said, "Is Ina going to, in this podcast recording day, try and catch me?" And someone said, "Yes."

Elyssa Smith
Yes. She's going to try and catch you.

Ina Coveney
That was me.

Elyssa Smith
Catch me in a lie.

Ina Coveney
That was me who answered that poll. I said yes.

Elyssa Smith
That was you?

Ina Coveney
That was me.

Elyssa Smith
Perfect. All right.

Ina Coveney
So welcome everybody back to the podcast. My name is Ina Coveney.

Elyssa Smith
And I’m Elyssa Smith, and I pronounce it Elisa. Please don't pronounce it that way. That's just the way that I pronounce it.

Ina Coveney
Also, I'm not offended by that.

Elyssa Smith
It's just fine.

Ina Coveney
She's offended that she pronounces it differently than I do.

Elyssa Smith
I shouldn't, but I do pronounce it.

Ina Coveney
Just don't should on yourself.

Elyssa Smith
Stop shooting.

Ina Coveney
Stop shooting. Stop shooting it. Or shouldn't do. Don't do that either.

Elyssa Smith
And it is the New Year's episode.

Ina Coveney
So it's going to be 2025.

Elyssa Smith
No.

Ina Coveney
I mean, yes.

Elyssa Smith
Yes.

Ina Coveney
But this starts the time of the year where you try and write the date and you get it wrong every day for like 13 days. I'm going to tell you something that I've never told anybody before.

Elyssa Smith
You heard it here first, guys.

Ina Coveney
I miss the beginning of the 2000s.

Elyssa Smith
Because you could write the date January 7th of 2003 as 1/7/3.

Ina Coveney
I was that person not doing 03.

Elyssa Smith
You didn't do the zeros?

Ina Coveney
I didn't do the zeros. And I loved it because it was like, it's never going to happen again in my life.

Elyssa Smith
That's really true, you know?

Ina Coveney
That is a missed opportunity.

Elyssa Smith
Thank you for pointing out the missed opportunity, Ina. Now I have regrets.

Ina Coveney
Of course, I used the zeros.

Elyssa Smith
No, maybe not for like January if I was just…

Ina Coveney
One, yeah, I don't think I'd put the…

Elyssa Smith
Because, you know, right now it's like I don't put the zero.

Ina Coveney
Well, you might not do like 01/01/0 whatever, but for the year, I loved just doing single digits.

Elyssa Smith
Single digit year. I miss that.

Ina Coveney
That is messed up.

Elyssa Smith
I don't know. I'm second guessing on this episode now.

Ina Coveney
Yeah, it's never going to happen again.

Elyssa Smith
Do you realize that?

Ina Coveney
I can't think about that. I'm not going to live to 125 to see.

Elyssa Smith
My son says he wants me to live to 100.

Ina Coveney
Because there was somebody in the Bible that lived that long. So he said, "Mom, I want you to live till 100."

Elyssa Smith
No, he said 160 for me and 130 for him.

Ina Coveney
He also has it planned that we're going to go to heaven at the same time.

Elyssa Smith
Yeah. Okay.

Ina Coveney
So listen, if that happens for you too, we will both be in the single digit years again.

Elyssa Smith
That's a milestone to strive for. That's something we want to do.

Ina Coveney
This is all we're talking about today, too, by the way, everyone listening. You're welcome.

Elyssa Smith
How'd you write your dates?

Ina Coveney
Anyway. It's the New Year's episode, and we want to kind of start this off. By the way, if this is the first time that you visited the podcast…

Elyssa Smith
We normally do—well, I normally do…

Ina Coveney
I was going to say, I don't know. She's introducing me like I'm… I guess this is what I do now.

Elyssa Smith
Let me tell you why Elyssa is here, okay? Elyssa…

Ina Coveney
I'm on the edge of my seat.

Elyssa Smith
Elyssa is a really, really good friend of mine, and she just happens to be extremely funny.

Ina Coveney
That’s why you keep me around.

Elyssa Smith
Drama-informed life strategist who has completely changed the way that I see my own self-awareness and the way that I play any game.

Ina Coveney
And she has been helping so many women break through those fears.

Elyssa Smith
So if there's anybody in 2025 that you need to know who she is, it’s this woman right here.

Ina Coveney
And she also has a TEDx talk that I'm going to be linking below, which is amazing.

Elyssa Smith
At the time of this recording, it's fast approaching 50,000 views.

Ina Coveney
And that is a very, very special metric because not everybody gets 50,000 views on their TEDx talk.

Elyssa Smith
Thank you!

Ina Coveney
Elyssa is somebody that I really admire and that I feel like everybody needs to know

Ina Coveney
And I decided to bring her on for a couple of episodes at the end of this year so we can help you guys really get the year started and meet all of your goals and wildest dreams in 2025.

Elyssa Smith
So that’s why I’m here. If you’re new to the podcast, I normally do interviews with Superhumans, people who have reached amazing success despite adversity. Go back and listen to some of those episodes.

Ina Coveney
They’re going to blow your mind with how people actually get the things done that they do and why they do it. And they’re going to teach you a whole ton.

Elyssa Smith
We also have other episodes during the week where I come in, in a really brief manner, and teach you something you need to be doing right now to meet your wildest dreams.

Ina Coveney
That’s what we want—just wildest dreams here. So, we are here because it’s the New Year’s episode. It’s very special, and we want to get everybody started on the right foot. Everyone has goals right now, and we’re all just recovering from the holidays. Did you do resolutions?

Elyssa Smith
I don’t, because… well, there’s a whole—I did a TV segment on why I don’t do New Year’s resolutions.

Ina Coveney
Can we get a sneak peek of why you don’t do it? I want to know.

Elyssa Smith
Resolutions are things that people usually do based on self-judgment, like, "I’m going to be better at this this year." I much prefer for somebody to put in place a new system in their life. The likelihood that you will accomplish the goal you’re going after is much higher if you put a system in place rather than deciding on a resolution. Everyone knows gyms get joined in January. By February, if people are still going, it’s a miracle.

Ina Coveney
By the end of February, nobody’s going. Six weeks is the average length of time that someone lasts with a resolution. But if you create a system, like…

Elyssa Smith
I love… I’m forgetting the author’s name right now, but the guy who created Dilbert, what’s his name?

Ina Coveney
Oh, I don’t know Dilbert.

Elyssa Smith
Well, I didn’t birth him. He kind of did, though.

Ina Coveney
Okay, anyway, that’s a conversation for another day. So the creator of Dilbert talks about his system for fitness. He lays his clothing out the night before, wakes up, puts it on, and drives to the gym. If he gets to the gym and doesn’t feel like working out, he allows himself to go home. That’s his system.

Elyssa Smith
So, had he said, "I’m going to work out every day," or "I’m going to lose 50 pounds," that wouldn’t have worked. A lot of times, resolutions are arbitrary goals. You can’t control the results, but you can control the process. For example, I attempt to cut out sugar. I have a sticker chart, and if at the end of a day I haven’t had sugar, I get a sticker. That’s my system.

Ina Coveney
Okay, I love it because today’s topic is about sharing our favorite books that have really made an impact in our business. Those are going to help people establish systems and put things in place.

Elyssa Smith
Such a good one to start with, by the way.

Ina Coveney
I already shared one—Dilbert’s father’s book. Okay.

Elyssa Smith
Perfect. So let’s get into it. What’s your first book?

Ina Coveney
The first book is Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Elyssa Smith
Oh my gosh. Okay. I know everyone loves that book, but it’s not my favorite.

Ina Coveney
Let me tell you why I love it. It’s not just because everyone talks about it. I love it because of how he wrote it. James Clear breaks down the science of small, incremental changes that are actually manageable and effective.

Elyssa Smith
That’s true. It’s very common sense, though. Maybe that’s why it didn’t blow me away.

Ina Coveney
Exactly, but that’s the brilliance. It’s logical, gradual, and doesn’t overwhelm you.

Elyssa Smith
I probably got something out of it without realizing it!

Ina Coveney
The next book I want to mention is Profit First by Mike Michalowicz.

Elyssa Smith
Ooh, that’s such a good one.

Ina Coveney
This book changed my life in 2021. It’s about flipping the way we calculate profits. Instead of revenue minus expenses equals profit, it’s revenue minus profit equals expenses.

Elyssa Smith
Yes! It forces you to manage your expenses better and actually take a profit from your business.

Ina Coveney
Exactly. I became 30% profitable after applying his methods, and I recommend it to everyone.

Elyssa Smith
That’s amazing.

Ina Coveney
What’s your next book?

Elyssa Smith
10x is Easier Than 2x by Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan.

Ina Coveney
I love that book. It pushes you to think beyond linear growth and focus on quantum leaps.

Elyssa Smith
Yes, and it’s all about focusing on your unique ability and letting go of the rest.

Ina Coveney
Totally agree. What’s another one for you?

Elyssa Smith
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. It talks about overcoming your upper limit problem and stepping into your zone of genius.

Ina Coveney
Such a classic. I also love Get Rich, Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield Thomas.

Elyssa Smith
Yes! That book helped me shift my money mindset and track my income with gratitude.

Ina Coveney
It’s amazing. I also recommend Unleash Your Inner Money Babe by Kathrin Zenkina. It’s a 21-day challenge to manifest money and align with abundance.

Elyssa Smith
I’ve done that workbook, and it’s so powerful.

Ina Coveney
It’s perfect for the New Year.

Elyssa Smith
Agreed.

Ina Coveney
Well, thank you, Elyssa, for doing this episode with me.

Elyssa Smith
Thank you for having me.

Ina Coveney
Happy New Year, everyone!

Elyssa Smith
Happy New Year!