Amberly Lago [00:00:00]: Hey, thank you for being here. I’ve got some good news for you. I’ve been excited to share with you. The Unstoppable Success Summit is happening in Irving, Texas, April 30, 2026. And I want to see you in the room because I know one room can change everything. I just feel like you’re one room, one conversation, one connection, one collaboration away from everything shifting in your business. You’re your mindset in your future, and so get in the right room. Join us in Irving and learn insider knowledge from top business owners. Amberly Lago [00:00:36]: We got 12amazing speakers. You’ll network with people who will elevate you and learn proven strategies to eliminate guesswork. You don’t have to do it alone. So join us in Irving. And you know what? It’s for a good cause because proceeds are going to be donated to Call to Freedom. So this won’t just be impacting your lives. It will be helping so many women who have been survivors of. Of human trafficking. Amberly Lago [00:01:01]: So let’s be unstoppable together. This isn’t just another event. It’s an opportunity to change everything and really have unstoppable success. So go to go.amberly lago.com USS2026 and I will see you in the room. You can also find that link @amberly lagomotivation on Instagram and in the show notes. Okay, I will see you in Irving. Welcome to the Amberly Lago show, where grit, grace, and joy connect you to unstoppable success. Amberly Lago [00:01:39]: Thank you for tuning into the Amberly Lago Show. As we are wrapping up this year and preparing for the new year, I wanted to share some of the biggest lessons that I have learned throughout this year. And so we could really reflect together on this year and prepare for an amazing year next year. I can’t believe it’s going to be 2026. And nothing fancy, nothing perfect or polished. Just me speaking from my heart to yours and sharing some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned. Because let me tell you, life most certainly did not go as planned this last year. I mean, yes, I had some amazing moments, but I had. Amberly Lago [00:02:20]: And I had some of the highest highs and I had some of the lowest lows. And, you know, I am so fortunate that I got to speak on 58 stages across the country, which is the most. That’s as many stages of it. I broke a record. I’ve never spoken on that many stages in one year. I spoke on all these stages, but I also had nine trips to the ER. I did 98 podcast interviews and 52 interviews for this show. Thank you you for tuning in. Amberly Lago [00:02:52]: But I also had a spinal cord stimulator that was a medical procedure for CRPs that went radically wrong and had to have it removed. And so I’ve had a lot of setbacks, but the one thing for sure is I can always know that I have the ability to spark joy and you can too, and that we are resilient, that we can get up. And being unstoppable is not about falling or failing or messing up or being flat on your back. It’s about choosing to move forward with courage and get up again and again and again. You know, I did 27 virtual events, 25 webinars, and I can’t even remember how many times I’ve gone live and all the content that I’ve created. And I also would sit on the sofa and have an IV in my arm. Thank you, Tierra. If you’re listening to this, she’s my IV nurse. Amberly Lago [00:03:46]: And so I did everything I could to stay as healthy as possible, mentally, spiritually, physically. And sometimes, I don’t know about you, but I feel like, wow, I’m doing all the things and is still getting these setbacks. And so I think sometimes when you’re doing something that’s really important, you will come up against resistance. This year. Talk about resistance. I had a lot of resistance. Right before Joy through the Journey, my newest book was released. But you know what? I kept pressing forward. Amberly Lago [00:04:16]: And thanks to you and your support because I couldn’t do this without you, the book became a USA Today best selling book. And yes, I cried when I found that out. I recorded the audiobook and that took a couple of months because I was sick. In between recording, I even lost my voice. In between recording, I did retreats and I did one big old, magical, amazing, unstoppable success summit. And I had people that told me that I’d never be able to pull it off. You’re always going to have the naysayers. You’re always going to have people that doubt you. Amberly Lago [00:04:55]: It’s important to get around the people and surround yourself with people who are going to be your biggest cheerleaders, who are going to have your back. And with that being said, I will say, you know, one of my favorite things that I get to do every single year is I host a retreat at my home for all my Mastermind members. And the first day of the retreat, I actually ended up being in the hospital again. You know what? Everything happens for a reason. God doesn’t waste pain. It was a beautiful opportunity for me to see these amazing women step up and shine and keep moving forward and show their. And share their resilience and spark joy together. Couldn’t have done it without Cole, who is my videographer, who brings joy everywhere he goes, and my good friend Arjun, who stepped up, and he’s like, I got it. Amberly Lago [00:05:50]: Amberly and Kendra. I don’t know if you’re listening, Kendra, but I hope you are. Who is. She’s a friend, but a client of mine I’ve been working with for over a year. And she came to the retreat, and she’s like, what do you need? Can I pray for you? I’m like, yes, please pray for me. And then she stepped up and did a whole presentation on finances. And so there is no. I don’t believe there’s any such thing as an overnight success. Amberly Lago [00:06:17]: We are stronger together. I couldn’t do what I do without you, without an amazing team, without my mastermind ladies, without Malik, without Aroea and Preetha and Jessica, my amazing executive assistant. And so don’t do it alone. Ask for help. That’s one thing I’ve really, really learned. I’ve always tried to do. I got it. I got to do it on my own. Amberly Lago [00:06:44]: Well, one of the most powerful things I think that I’ve ever said is, I am not okay. I need help. You don’t have to keep sucking it up. If you need help, reach out for help. That can be somebody. That can be a DM on Instagram. It can be somebody at your church. It can be a family member. Amberly Lago [00:07:08]: It can be a friend. But just don’t do it alone. I appreciate all of the ups and the downs. And the thing I think I appreciate the most is that I stayed sober throughout all these challenges, through the ups and the downs. And so when things are great, man, I stay humble and hungry. And when things are hard, I stay hopeful and faithful. And what I’ve learned, first of all, about joy is it’s not circumstantial. Joy doesn’t just happen when you achieve that certain thing, because that. Amberly Lago [00:07:46]: That. That feeling that joy can be fleeting. It’s not loud or flashy or even constant. I mean, it’s up and down. It’s not linear. And those hard times that you experience, I’m telling you, they make you appreciate the good times. They make you appreciate your health. And there’s that saying, when you have your health, you have a million wishes. Amberly Lago [00:08:11]: You want to do all these things, but when you don’t have Your health. You only want one wish. You only want one thing. And so I really appreciate it. I mean, I was just in the hospital. Gosh, I guess it’s been a few weeks, a couple of weeks ago now. And I just appreciated so much being able to go to the gym yesterday and get on the step mill and move my body. I think joy is sometimes a practice, it’s a choice. Amberly Lago [00:08:43]: Sometimes it’s just that little whisper that it’s possible. And I think that what you do to find joy matters every single day. Just like we have to work on our resilience before we need it. Joy is something that lives within us, but it’s up to us to just light it up. And so I’ve gotten down to, gotten right back down to basics and what brings joy to me. And so I start by shifting my mindset before I do anything. I get on my knees and pray. And it’s, you know, my prayers aren’t fancy, they’re just me talking to God. Amberly Lago [00:09:23]: And so sometimes when people ask me to pray for them, like in person, I get nervous, my palms get sweaty because I feel like I don’t do fancy prayers. Like my friend Tamara, who does these prayers that are just beautiful. I just talk to God so you don’t have to do anything fancy. Whether it’s God, your higher power, I have to believe there’s something bigger than me and I have to fully rely on God. In fact, it’s so interesting that now people are starting to give me frogs because I always say frogs. So if you’re on YouTube and you can see this, if you’re listening, you can’t see. But Kai gave me this cute little frog sitting in a chair reading a book and I wanted to tell you a quick story. So I was not feeling great. Amberly Lago [00:10:10]: I was in Philadelphia and I was about to go down to do a keynote and I had, man, before I do any keynote, yes, I still get nervous and I just shift that until it’s not about me, it’s about the people I serve. But I always want to do a good job. So I didn’t feel like I was 100% health wise. I got on my knees and I prayed. I had practiced, I had prepared, I had my little note cards and I was just like, okay, I have practiced. All I can practice now. It’s go time, it’s showtime. And on my way I went, I get to the elevator and I’m standing at the elevator, waiting for the elevator, and I happen to look up and on this ledge, this little ledge I look up, I’m like, what is that? It was this little frog. Amberly Lago [00:11:01]: It was a tiny frog. And I kind of laughed, and I thought, God, you’ve got a funny sense of humor. That was my sign. Fully rely on God. So I took the frog, and I really wasn’t sure, but I knew that it wasn’t for me to keep. I don’t know why I wanted to keep this cute little frog, but I thought, no, I need to give this to someone in the audience. This has to go to someone in the audience. So I get down, I’m up to speak, I get off the stage, and I walk out. Amberly Lago [00:11:34]: I tell this story about the frog and fully rely on God. I changed up my whole opening of my talk because I was so blown away that I actually found a frog before I went to go give my talk. And I walk out into the audience, and there was a young lady, and I said, you know what? This frog is for you. And I handed it to her. Didn’t know why, just did. After I talked, we had a lunch break, and this mother and the young girl walk over, and she was in tears. And she said, amberly, thank you so much. This is her very first conference she’s ever been to. Amberly Lago [00:12:08]: And you really made this memorable and made her feel apart. And it was just the message that she needed. And it just was like, oh, out of all the people, I’m so glad I gave her that frog, even though I wanted to keep it. So I’m running out a little later to go catch my flight, and I’ve got my suitcase, and I’m about to run out, and this lady comes running out of the conference room, and she goes, hey, I know you’re in a hurry, and. But I just wanted to tell you something really quick. And I said, yeah, yeah, yeah. And she goes, you know, I have something for you. And she held out her hand, and she had, like, a handful of tiny green little frogs. Amberly Lago [00:12:51]: She said, I don’t know why I grabbed these when I ran out the door. She said, but I had ordered them on Etsy a long time ago, and I was organizing some things before I left this morning, and I just was like, oh, I’m going to grab these frogs. And she grabbed a handful of frogs, and. And she goes, these are for you. And I thought, wow, here. You know, I just was wanting to give and when you give, and I didn’t have any expectations to receive, but you always get back so much more when you give. So how can you serve? How can you be of service? And ask what you can give, not what you can get. And you will always get great gifts in return. Amberly Lago [00:13:34]: So I ended up leaving some frogs in my Uber one in the airport and now I try to leave frogs everywhere I go, but I’ve noticed people are sending me frogs in the mail. So thank you very much for the frogs. And this is a reminder for you to fully rely on God. And also a few things that I’ve learned about joy is that it’s possible to find joy sometimes in those quiet winds. Those quiet winds that people may not see on social media. Like for me, the quiet win of just being able to go to the gym yesterday. Like, I don’t, I didn’t share a lot about how I was in the hospital. I’m like over it. Amberly Lago [00:14:18]: Okay? I don’t want to talk about being in the hospital. Like, I just want to go and be joyous and free and thrive. And so I appreciate that so much. So there’s joy in the healing days, not just in the strong days. And laughter is medicine. And I will tell you a guilty pleasure of mine, when I was just too sick to even look at my phone or anything, when I did feel good enough to watch a little tv, I watched ridiculousness. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen this, but it is ridiculously funny. And so just being able to laugh, Ruby, my daughter, makes me laugh. Amberly Lago [00:15:01]: Oh my God. Goodness, the things that she says just make me laugh. And then joy is also in connection. It’s in my gratitude walks. It’s in walks with nugget. I tell you what, that little nugget is my bundle of joy. Although I think I need to call her Big Mac because she is not a nugget. She was supposed to be £20 and she is like over £50. Amberly Lago [00:15:26]: But just being able to get outside, get in nature, be with family, even if that’s chosen family, my mastermind members are my chosen family. Community and connection and slowing down. Instead of trying to prove yourself like I used to try to prove that I was fast enough, that I was worthy enough, that I was hard working enough, that I was smart enough. Oh, it’s exhausting. If you can just be present in the moment and truly be your authentic self, you’re going to spark more joy. You’re going to have ease, you’re going to have serenity. And so this year reminded me that joy doesn’t always come from what you achieve, it often comes from what you appreciate. And so I want you to reflect. Amberly Lago [00:16:19]: Where did joy come unexpectedly for you? This year I would write down where what brings you joy? Where did you find the most joy? And what small moments kept you going. And one thing I do every year is I kind of do an. I do an inventory. So I not only looked at how many, you know, interviews I did magazine articles, I was featured in TV shows, podcast stages, virtual events, coaching, all of that. I look at what brings you joy, what brings you joy, what moves the needle on your life and your business. And then what is not in alignment, what is no longer serving you. Because that’s what I want to talk about next is the power of saying no and knowing what no longer serves you. Because there is power in letting, in letting go. Amberly Lago [00:17:27]: And so I think, you know, so often I felt like I had to say yes to everything. Yes, yes, yes. And that can lead to burnout. It can lead to health challenges, resentment, unhappiness, unfulfillment. And so I really want you to pay attention to what brings you joy, what moves the needle and what is not in alignment. Like, honestly, what was kind of a waste of time? Like, you didn’t learn anything from it other than it was a waste of time or energy? I think energy is everything, and everything is energy. And I’ve learned to let go of unrealistic expectations, and that is as far as family concerns, opportunities, health stuff. So what is unrealistic? Like, what do you not have control over? I focus on what I can control and let go of the rest. Amberly Lago [00:18:30]: I’m letting go of guilt for not doing enough. I always say, well, ask yourself, did you do your best? And if you did your best, then that is enough. I am letting go of relationships that don’t fuel me. And, you know, I talk about this in Joy through the Journey. In my book, I talk about energy vampires. Who are those people that drink? They suck the life out of you. And you know who they are. They. Amberly Lago [00:19:02]: You don’t even see them in person. They can call you on the phone and you can see their name pop up on your phone and you’re like, what do they want now? It’s the people that always want something. They always need a favor. And I love helping people and I love doing favors for people. I’m talking about people that really like, energetically, they just suck the life out of you. And so time to stick with the puppy uppers and get rid of the doggy downers. Really take inventory and take a look at your life. And you know what? You might upset some people by putting some boundaries and not, you know, spending a lot of time with them. Amberly Lago [00:19:39]: But you have to, as trent shelton says, protect your peace. I measure everything on energy. I don’t even measure things on money. I measure things on how much energy is it gonna take it to do that event, to pull off the annual event, to go speak, fly across the country and speak at that event, to write another book, all the things. And yes, I’ve had to, you know, rethink my ways about money because I started doing what I’m doing not for the money, but because I love it and it brings me joy. I reframed that, and I want you to reframe this, too. The more money that you make, the more people that you can help. So the more money I make, the more joy I have because it brings me joy being able to help people. Amberly Lago [00:20:28]: So when I shifted it into the more money I make, the more people I can help, I swear that abundant mindset, I started making more money. So I want you to try it, and I want you to message me and let me know how it’s working for you. I’m letting go of the old version of myself where I would beat up myself. Now, I’m not going to get this perfect, but I’m going to work on it, and the minute it comes up, I’m going to flip the switch on it or flip the script, and I am going to believe that it’s possible. People ask me all the time, well, how did you just, you know. Well, my husband even said yesterday, he said, oh, my gosh, you nearly died on me just a couple of weeks ago. Honestly, you nearly died on me, and you’re already back running at it full force. Well, I believe that healing is possible. Amberly Lago [00:21:21]: I believe that I can get through challenges. I know that that was just a setback, and it humbles me even more. I’m a humble person, but it keeps me humble. It keeps me grateful. And like I said, God does not waste pain. So I learn everything, so many things from everything that I go through. So if you’re going through a hard time right now, I want you to remember that this too shall pass. You are resilient, and I want you to think about the hardest thing that you have ever, ever overcome, and remember that, because if you got through that, you’re going to get it through this next. Amberly Lago [00:21:59]: You’re going to get through this next challeng. And so that often gives me courage when I’m very discouraged is to know that man. I was just talking to a friend of mine who just had surgery, and she’s like, amberly, I just don’t know how you got through 34 surgeries. And I said, well, you know what? I think it’s important to start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. And I focused on one day at a time. What was my very next action step? When you’ve got big goals for 20, 26, I know January, a lot of people set these big goals. I want you to focus on breaking those goals down into something that is actually achievable, attainable, that you can do. If I was got out of the hospital and focused on running a marathon, when I was bedbound and couldn’t even lift my leg off the bed, I’d probably be stuck in hospital bed still. Amberly Lago [00:23:02]: I focused on being able to lift my leg up off the bed. Then I focused on being able to stand up with my crutches for literally seconds at a time. And my first big goal was to be able to use the bathroom on my own instead of a bedpan. Not to run a marathon, but to be able to stand upright long enough to just walk on my crutches around the corner and. And use the bathroom on my own. And I know that maybe sound a little bit too personal, but I gotta keep it real with you. So set these attainable goals, and if you can just improve 1% every day, imagine the improvement you’re gonna see in a year from now. So 1% every day is basically 15 minutes a day. Amberly Lago [00:23:50]: What can you do? 15 minutes, just 15 minutes a day to improve yourself physically, mentally, spiritually. Whether that’s prayer, whether that’s moving your body, because moving your body moves your mood, whether that’s your mindset. But do something every single day to improve yourself and break those goals down into small, attainable goals. Another thing I’m letting go of is man. I’m just focusing on progress, not perfection. Just like this episode, you know, if you’re watching on YouTube, yeah, my makeup’s not perfect, my hair’s dirty, like all the things. But I’m here and I’m grateful to be upright and be able to talk to you. Do the darn thing. Amberly Lago [00:24:38]: Post the post. We need your voice out there. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I think we’re all just craving authenticity and to keep it real, Especially with so much. I love AI, but especially with so much AI and so much fake stuff out there. I want real, I want relatable. I want to see you and be on the ride along for your journey and be able to cheer you on. And I’m really focusing on joy as a daily decision and faith over fear. Amberly Lago [00:25:14]: And so I really want you to think about you don’t need a full plan right now. Like you don’t have to have the full plan. Just start, just do it. You just need honesty. You just need intention. You need courage. And you courage doesn’t mean you know that you’re fearless. It just means that you’re going to do it anyway. Amberly Lago [00:25:34]: And then finally I said I was going to keep this short finally. And I took some notes because I don’t want to forget anything. I want to share with you because I feel like I’m constantly learning about resilience. And I’ve said this before about how I don’t think resilience is bouncing back at all. I don’t think it is trying to rebuild what’s broken. I think it’s moving forward with courage and choosing a life of joy and happiness and love and bliss and excitement and fulfillment even when things don’t go as planned. And so it’s not about grinding through the pain. That is the lesson that I think probably one of my biggest lessons this year. Amberly Lago [00:26:21]: I think that’s why I ended up in the hospital this last time because I was trying to grind through the pain and it led to one thing, to another. And you know, you’re. Your body will whisper at first and it will tell you, you will hear. But you can, if you’re like me, be stubborn. I’m very stubborn and I know that. I’m working on it. I’m trying to get better. I’m getting better about that. Amberly Lago [00:26:49]: And then it will scream at you and then it will shut down. And mine was like shutting down. And so don’t get to that point. I want you to learn this lesson from me. Please listen to your body. Resilience isn’t about sucking it up. It’s about listening to your body. It’s learning to rest. Amberly Lago [00:27:10]: Not quit, but learning to rest. And it’s asking for help. I am so grateful for you. I am so grateful. Makes me emotional thinking about these women in my mastermind here I am coaching them, giving them. But what I get in return is so powerful. It gives me so much fulfillment. I love these ladies, man. Amberly Lago [00:27:45]: They’ve got my back. And you know what? Being unstoppable is not doing it on your own. It’s having somebody that has your back and we all have each other’s back in this group. And so find those people that have your back and have their back, find your tribe and love them hard. You can be strong and still need support. You can be vulnerable and still be fierce. And so in order to work on your resilience, you have to really figure out what brings you energy, what brings you life, what brings you joy. How do you really practice soul care? Not just self care, but soul care? I just got back from California. Amberly Lago [00:28:38]: I got out of the hospital and well enough. And my husband was like, you’re crazy. You can’t go there. You can’t go to California. You’re gonna crash, you’re not gonna be good. I don’t think you’re healthy enough. And I’m like, I’m gonna be good. I am good. Amberly Lago [00:28:51]: I am already good. I am already healthy. And you know what? I made it. I made it to California because I had promised I was going to help one of my really good friends who just came out of. Came out of surgery. And we were talking about how we are resilient. And sometimes when you’re going through a hard time, like a surgery or something, it’s kind of hard when you’re in it, when you’re in the thick of it. But just know you have overcome hard things and you will get through this next hard things. Amberly Lago [00:29:25]: And I want 2026 to be your most resilient, thriving, up leveling year yet, where you’re going to uplevel your life, your business, your relationships and everything that you do. And so if you want, you can grab my PACER methodology. It’s actually in my book, Joy through the Journey and it’s in my profile. You can find it under the links under Amberly Lago Motivation. There’s a link to get a downloadable playbook on goals, grit and Grace for 2026. I will actually put that link in the show notes as well. And so I really just want to thank you for tuning in. I want to thank you for being here and making this year incredible. Amberly Lago [00:30:21]: I am really practicing what I preach. And as you know, this year when I say practicing what I preached, I did something very hard, which was I took the first pause that I had ever taken with the show. It had been six years. I think I’d taken two weeks off of the podcast in six years, I’d released an episode every single week. And thankfully my team was like, amberly, like, you need to take a break. And I canceled, rescheduled, for the most part, 30 interviews. That was so hard. But I was just raw and real and told, you know, these amazing people how grateful I was that I was gonna be interviewed either on their show or they were gonna be on mine. Amberly Lago [00:31:11]: But I really needed to focus on getting healthy again. Cause I was struggling after my spinal cord stimulator. And do you know every single person wrote back and said thank you. And that’s the most important thing, is to take care of your health. So you don’t have to prove it, you don’t have to push through it. You just have to keep going and take care of your health. Because health is wealth. And so if you feel like you had some failures this year, I want to remind you that you didn’t fail because things didn’t go as planned. Amberly Lago [00:31:51]: You didn’t fall behind because you had to slow down. And you’re not weaker because you needed rest. If this year taught you anything, let it be this. That you are still here. And that is what matters. So my prayer for you as we step into the new year is that you don’t rush what’s still healing. That you don’t compare what’s still becoming. Just keep doing your thing and you don’t carry what was never meant to come with you. Amberly Lago [00:32:21]: Let it go. Let go. Let God actually remember the frog. Fully rely on frog. I’m so grateful for you. And wherever this next year takes you, I hope you choose joy. Not because life’s easy, but because you’re strong, resilient, and you’re becoming more unstoppable every single day. So I will see you in the new year. Amberly Lago [00:32:46]: I hope I’ll see you in April in person in Irving for the Unstoppable Success Summit, where proceeds I’m going to be donating to call to freedom so we can help survivors of human trafficking really get their life back. So anyway, thank you for tuning in and happy New Year. Sending you so much love and I appreciate you tuning in. Okay, see you in the new year.