If you've been listening in over the past couple of weeks, or you get CREATED my free weekly VIP email, you'll know that last week I traveled to Thailand for a two-month slow travel experiment to see how adventure, leisure, and work might go hand in hand.

Now, as an Australian traveling from my home country in Europe, the span of vastly different environments between these three countries and cultures has not missed me. Which got me thinking how being exposed to different environments over the years through travel alone has been such an important source of personal growth and expansion.

Travel has a way of challenging you and making you step up quickly as you learn how to navigate new territory, new languages, new ways of doing life, all in a very short span of time. And sometimes, like for me this past week, all in a blur of jet lag and a head cold I seem to have picked up along the way.

Travel demands the best of you. The best patience, resilience, problem solving, decision-making, agility, wonder, boldness, acceptance, and so much more. It opens your eyes to there being more than just one way to do life, more than one way to exist. And it often displays quite starkly how this way of life is working or not working for society. There is certainly much to learn from immersing yourself in new places about life, about how you do life, and about how you embrace change, possibility, and ultimately, yourself.

But it's not just travel that can grow who you be. Every environment you place yourself in has a powerful influence in shaping who you be, whether it's the people you spend time with, the spaces you live in, or the ideas you expose yourself to. The environments you spend time in have a way of shaping your thinking, expanding your perspective, and ultimately helping you grow. Or not, by the way, because they can also shrink who you be, limit your potential, and keep you very firmly stuck in your current reality.

Your environment is always either positively or negatively influencing who you be and more importantly who you are becoming. It's either expanding or shrinking you. And this is why I wanted to have this conversation about your environments because what I know is this. If you want to expand your life experience, you need to expand and grow who you be. Intentionally stepping into environments that push you beyond your comfort zone, that stretch you, challenge you, and make you think bigger, will help you do exactly that.

So today, as I feel the stretch of combining work and play in my new environment, I want to talk about the power of environments that help you step outside your comfort zone and expand your view of what's possible. I'm also sharing some practical tips to help you start up-leveling your environments to help you up-level who you be and in turn your life.

Join me and let's talk about expansive environments.

Welcome to The Self-Creation School podcast, for women who are ready to ditch mediocrity, step up and get more of what they want, and finally say YES! to a life that sets their soul on fire. I'm your host Leanne Letica, Self-Creation Coach, founder of The Self-Creation School AND Queen of YES!. If you're ready to play life by your own personal rule book, and give yourself permission to say YES! to yourself and your wildest dreams, this podcast is the place for you.

A warm welcome to this week's episode of The Self-Creation School podcast, and hello from Chiang Mai in Thailand, where I have been spending the last few days. Despite feeling the change of time zone and feeling pretty ordinary with this head cold, I have to say, we have been making the best of it, and I am very happy to be here enjoying all of the delicious Thai food on offer once again.

If you are joining me again, thanks so much. I do appreciate your company. And if you are listening in for the very first time, this podcast is the place where I share my in-depth tips and strategies for becoming a woman who says YES! to a life you love.

Speaking of saying YES! to a life you love, I am on a mission to not just live a life I love, but to have a love affair with life itself. My hope through this podcast and the work I do as a coach at The Self-Creation School is that I can inspire you and help you to do the same.

So, let's see how my throat holds out for this conversation, and let's talk about expansive environments.

As I said a moment ago, if you want to expand your life experience, you've got to expand who you be. And expanding your environments is a really powerful way to fast-track that growth. But the environments that shape you the most aren't always far off places. You certainly don't need a plane ticket to change your life. In fact, the environments that influence you the most are often the ones you're in every single day.

And the problem with these environments is twofold. One, we tend to let them run on autopilot, and our life blurs from one day to the next as we exist in them. And two, we often think we can't change them. For example, the city we live in, our home, and our place of work. On the surface, it's easy to adopt the mindset that these things are what they are, and you must exist within them as they are.

I'm going to suggest yes and no. You can always do what you can with what you have right where you are to up-level your everyday environments to support your growth. You can bloom where you are planted, as well as plant yourself in new richer environments of your choosing, as you can.

As I also mentioned, your environment is more than just the physical space you spend time in. And there are some environments, other than the physical ones, that carry a whole lot of weight when it comes to personal growth. Environments like your social environment, mental environment, and your emotional environment.

And it's important to realize that all of these types of environments, your physical, social, mental, and emotional, can either support your growth or hold you back. So, if you are serious about up leveling your life, it's going to be important to pay attention to all of the environments you exist in and up-level the negative environments that constrict you to positive environments that expand you.

On that note, let me give you my take on what an expansive environment is versus what a constrictive environment is.

An expansive environment is any space, physical, social, mental or emotional, that actively supports your growth. That aligns with the person you are becoming and helps you feel inspired, uplifted, and empowered. These kind of environments encourage you to push past your comfort zone, envision more for yourself, and experience a sense of possibility and motivation.

On the flip side, a constrictive environment is any space, physical, social, mental, or emotional, that limits your growth, that drains your energy, and keeps you tied to outdated beliefs or behaviors. These kind of environments can hold you back from your potential. They create stagnation and they reinforce past limitations instead of supporting your future vision.

Let me give you some examples.

An expansive physical environment could be a clean, organized workspace that promotes focus and creativity. Or it could be a cozy reading corner that feels like a sanctuary and encourages you to spend time reading and journaling. A constrictive physical environment might be a cluttered, chaotic room that drains your energy and creates a sense of overwhelm, making it hard to relax or be productive.

An expansive social environment would be an environment that includes friends who uplift you and mentors who inspire growth, who celebrate your progress and push you towards your goals. A constrictive social environment might be one that includes relationships with people who discourage your aspirations, who create unnecessary drama, or keep you anchored to outdated versions of yourself.

An expansive mental environment is a mindset filled with encouraging growth-oriented thoughts where you see challenges as learning opportunities and believe in your potential. A constrictive mental environment is one that is characterized by self-doubt, negative self-talk, or fear-based thinking, which limit your belief in what's possible for you.

An expansive emotional environment prioritizes positive emotions like joy, gratitude, and calm, and is often supported by practices like journaling or meditation to process feelings effectively. A constrictive emotional environment is one where emotions like stress, resentment, or anxiety dominate, with a few healthy outlets to release or transform these feelings.

And as I said, all of these environments, whether physical, social, mental, or emotional, and whether expansive or constrictive, they all play an important role in shaping who you be and who you are becoming. The key to expanding who you be is to be intentional about creating environments that expand your potential and limiting the time you spend in those that constrict it.

With that said, let's get into some practical ways you can do exactly that and let me share how to identify the negative constrictive environments in your life and how to start shifting them to positive, expansive ones that support your growth.

And what I like to do is something I call the Environment Edit. This is a simple but powerful way to take stock of the environments you're currently in across the four areas we've been discussing and identify whether they are expanding you or holding you back. From there, you can start thinking about how to edit these environments to make intentional changes that help you grow.

So grab a notebook or journal and let's walk through how to do an Environment Edit. There are three steps, starting with looking at each environment one at a time to identify the positive and the negatives.

So let's start with your physical environment. These are the places and spaces you spend the most time in. Places like your home, your place of work, your car. And any other physical places you frequent, such as the supermarket, maybe your gym, your local cafes, the restaurants you eat at, the places you shop at, and so on.

And what I want you to do is think about your week and where you spend each moment of each day. I find it helpful here to write this out day by day, Monday through to Sunday, so you can capture all of your usual environments.

Then once you have your week written out, review all of the places you spend time in and categorize them. Some environments may need to be broken down a little further, for example, your home may include spaces like your office, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and so on. For other environments, like your gym or place of work, it might be a little more straight forward. Remember here too, we are talking about the physical space, not the people in the space. We'll get to that part in a moment.

Now, once you have categorized these spaces, I want you to ask yourself these questions for each and every space you identified.

Question number one. Do these spaces make you feel inspired and energized, or do they leave you feeling stuck and overwhelmed? Question number two. Are they organized and clear, or are they cluttered and chaotic? Question number three. Do they reflect the person you're becoming, or are they tied to the version of yourself you are outgrowing? Question number four. What specifically about these spaces feels positive and expansive or negative and constrictive?

Take a moment to note which physical environments are working for you and which ones aren’t.

Then move on to your social environments and the people you interact with regularly. Again, I like to categorize these into different types of relationships, such as your close and extended family members, your friends or regular social circle, including those you spend the most time with or confide in. The people you work with, whether in person or remotely. The online communities you partake in, whether it's groups you're a part of, or simply accounts that you follow and engage with on social media or in forums, for instance, and so on. You may find it helpful to look back at all the physical spaces you spend time in to help you here.

Then once you've listed out the key people or groups of people you regularly interact with, take some time to reflect on your social interactions and ask yourself these questions for each category or person.

Question number one. Are these relationships supportive of my growth, or are they reinforcing old patterns? Question number two. Do these people inspire me, challenge me, and help me grow, or do they drain my energy? And question number three. What specific social interactions feel expansive, and which ones feel constrictive?

Write down your reflections for each group or individual, noting which relationships are uplifting and which ones may be limiting your growth.

Then the next environment to look at is your mental environment. This is a space where your inner dialogue lives and it has a huge influence on how you see yourself and the world around you.

So start by reflecting on the thoughts and beliefs that come up for you the most often, especially around having the life you want. Once again, your physical environment will help you here, but also your social environment. I recommend that you review what you discovered in these areas and notice what comes up.

Then ask yourself, are your thoughts and beliefs focused on possibility, or are they full of fear and doubt? For example, when you face a challenge, do you think, I can find a way to handle this? Or do you default to, I'm not good enough to handle this? And are your thoughts and beliefs aligned with your growth and goals, or are they stuck in old limiting patterns?

Then think about what triggers these thoughts and beliefs. Is there something specific that leads to negative or positive thinking? It could be people, situations, or even things like deadlines, conversations, or events. This is where going back over what you wrote down for your physical and social environments will prove very insightful.

Make a note of what situations tend to bring up positive expansive thoughts, and what situations trigger things like self-doubt, anxiety, or negative thinking.

Finally, I want you to consider the media and content you engage with throughout your week. Does the content you consume, whether it's books, podcasts, social media or TV, does this content support your positive thinking or does it reinforce negative beliefs? Do you regularly expose yourself to content that uplifts and expands your mindset, or do you find yourself getting stuck in comparison, fear, or negativity through what you watch or listen to?

Then what I want you to do is spend some time to reflect on all of the information you've gathered about your mental environment and take stock of what's working and what's holding you back, noting down any specific triggers or influences that feel constrictive.

Lastly, let's look at your emotional environment. The feelings you experience regularly, the emotional energy you hold, and how you process your emotions. The key here is to recognize that your emotional environment is shaped by everything we've already discussed. Your physical spaces, the people you interact with, and the thoughts and beliefs that dominate your mindset.

So, take a look back over your notes for your physical, social, and mental environments. And as you review each one, notice how these environments make you feel. Are there certain physical spaces or people that consistently leave you feeling anxious, stressed, or frustrated? On the other hand, do certain environments or interactions make you feel calm, joyful, or energized? How do your thoughts and beliefs make you feel?

And as you review your environments, ask yourself these questions.

How do my surroundings, my home, my workspace, the other places I spend time in, make me feel on a regular basis? How do I feel after spending time with the people I interact with regularly? Energized and uplifted or drained and tense? When my mind is focused on positive thoughts and growths, how do I feel? And what emotions come up when I'm caught up in self-doubt, fear, or limiting beliefs?

Once you've identified all of the emotions that you feel in each environment, write down your predominant emotions for each environment. So whether they are positive emotions like peace, joy, or gratitude, or negative emotions like stress, frustration, or resentment.

Next, I want you to think about the life you want to create. If you were living that life now, how would you want to feel on a regular basis? What emotions would be dominant for you? Would they be emotions of joy, freedom, excitement, love? And compare that vision with your current emotional environment. Are your emotions today in alignment with the feelings you want to experience in the future? Or are there emotional patterns that are holding you back from living the life you truly desire?

And that completes step one of your Environment Edit.

You should now have a clear overview of your physical, social, mental and emotional environments and with that clarity, it's time to get specific about what needs to change and brainstorm creative ways to transform these environments into more expansive supportive spaces. You've done the stock take, now it's time to edit.

So let's break this down to one area at a time, starting again with your physical environment.

Look back at the notes you made about your physical spaces, your home, your workspace, the gym, your car, any other places you frequent. Pull out all the things that are constrictive. For example, the spaces that feel chaotic, cluttered, or uninspiring. The rooms or areas that make you feel stuck, stressed, or overwhelmed.

Then take some time to think about how these areas would look and feel for the future you, and brainstorm how you could up-level them to reflect that look and feel. If this space were an environment that reflected the future version of you, what would it look like? What changes would make it feel more expansive, even if they're just small changes?

Think about colors, organization, layout, or even the items you surround yourself with. Can you declutter, organize, or rearrange these areas? Consider how you could add elements that inspire you, whether it's more natural light, artwork, or reorganizing to improve the flow and energy.

Now, if you can't make big changes to the whole space, like at work for instance, think about the smaller adjustments you could make. Maybe you could add something that sparks joy, like a framed quote, a picture of your loved ones in a beautiful frame that speaks of the future you, or a decorative item that reflects who you are becoming.

Think about how the future you would design this space and what you can do today to start aligning your environment with that vision. Write down as many ideas as possible and don't limit yourself to what seems practical just yet. This is about brainstorming possibilities, even if you don't yet know how those possibilities will be a reality.

And one tip on this before I continue. Changing your physical environment is not always about throwing everything out and starting anew. Sometimes that is needed, but it may or may not be possible, so you may need to work with what you have. So be sure to brainstorm ways you can up-level your environments with what you have, where you're at right now, as well as thinking beyond to that complete overhaul. Remember, this is called blooming where you are planted first, and then moving towards planting yourself where you choose.

Next, let's take a look at your social environment.

Revisit your notes about the people in your life, your family, friends, colleagues, and online communities, and so forth, and pull out who it is that limits you. Which relationships feel constrictive or draining? Are there any social interactions that leave you feeling stuck in old patterns?

Then once again, brainstorm how you can up-level your social environments to expansive environments that are in alignment with the future you. Here are some things you can think about here.

If your social circle was fully aligned with your growth, who would be in it? How would they support and challenge you? Think of ways you could either deepen relationships with people who uplift you or begin to create boundaries with those who drain you. Consider joining new communities or groups that reflect the version of yourself you want to become. What kinds of people do you want to connect with? Where could you find them?

Again, allow yourself to write down all of the possibilities, whether it's setting boundaries, connecting with new mentors, or joining communities that align with your goals, even if you don't yet know how they will be possible.

Now take a look at your mental environment, your thoughts and beliefs, and pull out all of the thoughts and beliefs that are negative. Which thoughts are keeping you stuck in fear, self-doubt, or limitation? What mental patterns hold you back from taking action or believing in your potential?

And you know the deal, now it's time to brainstorm how to up-level your mental environment. This is the environment you have the most control over, by the way, this and your emotional environment. And your mental environment feeds your emotional environment, so it is really important to spend some time here brainstorming how you can up-level it.

If your thoughts were fully aligned with your goals, what would you be telling yourself daily? What beliefs would you hold? Think about how you could rewrite your limiting beliefs or negative self-talk into empowering affirmations. Could you start consuming more positive growth-oriented content? Brainstorm ways to shift the mental content you consume, like switching from fear-based news or comparison-driven social media to more inspiring books, podcasts, or courses.

This is a space to really brainstorm big. Think about how to turn your mind into an expansive place that constantly supports your growth.

Lastly, consider your emotional environment, the feelings you experience most regularly, and pull out what's heavy. What emotions are weighing you down? Is it stress, worry, resentment, or fear? Are there specific environments, physical or social, that tend to trigger these negative emotions?

 Then brainstorm how you could up-level your emotional environment. If your emotional environment reflected the life you're creating, what would that feel like? Would it be peace, joy, excitement, love? What actions or practices will invite more of those emotions into your life?

Consider how you can process and release difficult emotions through things like journaling, meditation, or perhaps talking to a trusted friend or therapist who can help clear your emotional clutter. Think about the emotional support you will need moving forward. What relationships or practices can help you feel more emotionally safe and positive? How could you seek out conversations where you can be vulnerable without judgment?

And I'll say this again because it is really important. Let your ideas flow, even if they seem aspirational right now and not at all realistic. This is about brainstorming what emotional expansion looks like for you and the how will fall into place exactly as it is meant to.

So, that is step two of the Environment Edit, which brings us to the final step, which is to implement the changes. Now that you've identified what needs to change, and you've brainstormed your ideas for how you can do that, it's time to bring those ideas to life.

But first things first, I want to be clear that implementing your Environment Edit doesn't have to be overwhelming. This is not meant to be a change everything overnight process. It's about taking it slow and making intentional, manageable shifts that align with the person you're becoming just one thing at a time, one day at a time.

I know I say this a lot because I know there's a good chance you're like me and you want it all to happen overnight. But this just isn't realistic, it isn't sustainable, and you will make it so much harder for yourself than you need to if you try to change everything at once. Slowly, but surely, will win the game every single time.

So, let's bring this home and look at how to start creating the expansive environments you've envisioned, beginning with a single change in each area.

Pick just one space in your physical environment you'd like to up-level. Maybe it's your workspace, your kitchen, or even your car. And pick one way you can do that from the ideas you brainstormed in Step 2. Then implement it.

Now, a quick tip. I like to start with the easy ones first because this will help you get quick wins and that will build your confidence for the bigger changes to come. And remember, as I said earlier, this is not always about throwing everything out and starting anew. Sometimes, that is needed, but it may or may not be possible, so you do have to work with what you have. Be creative. Simple changes can improve the feeling of a space in very big ways.

And if you really can't find any way at all to transform your physical space in a way that would align with the future you, think about how you could spend time in a location that inspires the future you. For example, you could consider working in the lobby or cafe of a local five-star hotel for a few hours. You could perhaps change the supermarket you shop at, and so on. It's about finding spaces that feel aligned with the lifestyle you want to create.

Moving on, and I want you to repeat this process for each area, one small change at a time.

In your social environment, choose one relationship or connection that you want to enhance, or one boundary to implement, for example. In your mental environment, focus on one thought pattern you want to change. In your emotional environment, you might introduce one habit like journaling or meditation that nurtures positive emotion, or a practice that supports the emotional state you want to embody.

Then keep rinsing and repeating this process until you work your way through all of the edits you want to make in each environmental area of your life.

And as you make these shifts, remember that small consistent changes add up to create powerful transformations over time. Every small step you take brings your environment into greater alignment with your growth, expanding who you are and the life you're creating. Also remember, your Environment Edit will be ongoing. So revisit this process regularly, add new changes, and continue shaping environments that help you say YES! to your future self.

Now, let's take a quick recap before we close this episode out because we have covered quite a lot of ground here today.

Your environments are helping to shape who you be, in every moment. Use the Environment Edit to help you identify the constricting environments that are holding you back, and then brainstorm ways to up-level these environments into positive, expansive environments that support you saying YES! to being the future you. Implement your changes slowly and surely every single day and watch as a more expansive version of you and your life unfolds.

Remember the power of expansive environments is that they help you step outside your comfort zone and expand your view of what's possible. And when it comes to living out your most fully expressed life imaginable, filling your life with expansive environments is going to be key.

That brings today's conversation to a close. It has been a big one today, but I hope you found it to be very helpful. Take some time to do your Environment Edit and let me know what's one small environment shift you're making this week? I'd love to hear, so connect with me on my socials or drop me a line by email and tell me all the things. And I do reply personally to every single email and message I receive.

I'll be back next Wednesday from a new place in Thailand as I continue my expansive slow travel experiment.

Until then, be the woman who says YES!

Hey, want to know what's stopping you from saying YES! to you and a life you love?

Head over to https://selfcreationschool.com/yesblock and take my FREE 60 second quiz to find out what's standing in your way today and I'll send you my Self-Creation Shift process for shifting it.

That's https://selfcreationschool.com/yesblock. I’ll see you there.

If you've been listening in over the past couple of weeks, or you get CREATED my free weekly VIP email, you'll know that last week I traveled to Thailand for a two-month slow travel experiment to see how adventure, leisure, and work might go hand in hand.

Now, as an Australian traveling from my home country in Europe, the span of vastly different environments between these three countries and cultures has not missed me. Which got me thinking how being exposed to different environments over the years through travel alone has been such an important source of personal growth and expansion.

Travel has a way of challenging you and making you step up quickly as you learn how to navigate new territory, new languages, new ways of doing life, all in a very short span of time. And sometimes, like for me this past week, all in a blur of jet lag and a head cold I seem to have picked up along the way.

Travel demands the best of you. The best patience, resilience, problem solving, decision-making, agility, wonder, boldness, acceptance, and so much more. It opens your eyes to there being more than just one way to do life, more than one way to exist. And it often displays quite starkly how this way of life is working or not working for society. There is certainly much to learn from immersing yourself in new places about life, about how you do life, and about how you embrace change, possibility, and ultimately, yourself.

But it's not just travel that can grow who you be. Every environment you place yourself in has a powerful influence in shaping who you be, whether it's the people you spend time with, the spaces you live in, or the ideas you expose yourself to. The environments you spend time in have a way of shaping your thinking, expanding your perspective, and ultimately helping you grow. Or not, by the way, because they can also shrink who you be, limit your potential, and keep you very firmly stuck in your current reality.

Your environment is always either positively or negatively influencing who you be and more importantly who you are becoming. It's either expanding or shrinking you. And this is why I wanted to have this conversation about your environments because what I know is this. If you want to expand your life experience, you need to expand and grow who you be. Intentionally stepping into environments that push you beyond your comfort zone, that stretch you, challenge you, and make you think bigger, will help you do exactly that.

So today, as I feel the stretch of combining work and play in my new environment, I want to talk about the power of environments that help you step outside your comfort zone and expand your view of what's possible. I'm also sharing some practical tips to help you start up-leveling your environments to help you up-level who you be and in turn your life.

Join me and let's talk about expansive environments.

Welcome to The Self-Creation School podcast, for women who are ready to ditch mediocrity, step up and get more of what they want, and finally say YES! to a life that sets their soul on fire. I'm your host Leanne Letica, Self-Creation Coach, founder of The Self-Creation School AND Queen of YES!. If you're ready to play life by your own personal rule book, and give yourself permission to say YES! to yourself and your wildest dreams, this podcast is the place for you.

A warm welcome to this week's episode of The Self-Creation School podcast, and hello from Chiang Mai in Thailand, where I have been spending the last few days. Despite feeling the change of time zone and feeling pretty ordinary with this head cold, I have to say, we have been making the best of it, and I am very happy to be here enjoying all of the delicious Thai food on offer once again.

If you are joining me again, thanks so much. I do appreciate your company. And if you are listening in for the very first time, this podcast is the place where I share my in-depth tips and strategies for becoming a woman who says YES! to a life you love.

Speaking of saying YES! to a life you love, I am on a mission to not just live a life I love, but to have a love affair with life itself. My hope through this podcast and the work I do as a coach at The Self-Creation School is that I can inspire you and help you to do the same.

So, let's see how my throat holds out for this conversation, and let's talk about expansive environments.

As I said a moment ago, if you want to expand your life experience, you've got to expand who you be. And expanding your environments is a really powerful way to fast-track that growth. But the environments that shape you the most aren't always far off places. You certainly don't need a plane ticket to change your life. In fact, the environments that influence you the most are often the ones you're in every single day.

And the problem with these environments is twofold. One, we tend to let them run on autopilot, and our life blurs from one day to the next as we exist in them. And two, we often think we can't change them. For example, the city we live in, our home, and our place of work. On the surface, it's easy to adopt the mindset that these things are what they are, and you must exist within them as they are.

I'm going to suggest yes and no. You can always do what you can with what you have right where you are to up-level your everyday environments to support your growth. You can bloom where you are planted, as well as plant yourself in new richer environments of your choosing, as you can.

As I also mentioned, your environment is more than just the physical space you spend time in. And there are some environments, other than the physical ones, that carry a whole lot of weight when it comes to personal growth. Environments like your social environment, mental environment, and your emotional environment.

And it's important to realize that all of these types of environments, your physical, social, mental, and emotional, can either support your growth or hold you back. So, if you are serious about up leveling your life, it's going to be important to pay attention to all of the environments you exist in and up-level the negative environments that constrict you to positive environments that expand you.

On that note, let me give you my take on what an expansive environment is versus what a constrictive environment is.

An expansive environment is any space, physical, social, mental or emotional, that actively supports your growth. That aligns with the person you are becoming and helps you feel inspired, uplifted, and empowered. These kind of environments encourage you to push past your comfort zone, envision more for yourself, and experience a sense of possibility and motivation.

On the flip side, a constrictive environment is any space, physical, social, mental, or emotional, that limits your growth, that drains your energy, and keeps you tied to outdated beliefs or behaviors. These kind of environments can hold you back from your potential. They create stagnation and they reinforce past limitations instead of supporting your future vision.

Let me give you some examples.

An expansive physical environment could be a clean, organized workspace that promotes focus and creativity. Or it could be a cozy reading corner that feels like a sanctuary and encourages you to spend time reading and journaling. A constrictive physical environment might be a cluttered, chaotic room that drains your energy and creates a sense of overwhelm, making it hard to relax or be productive.

An expansive social environment would be an environment that includes friends who uplift you and mentors who inspire growth, who celebrate your progress and push you towards your goals. A constrictive social environment might be one that includes relationships with people who discourage your aspirations, who create unnecessary drama, or keep you anchored to outdated versions of yourself.

An expansive mental environment is a mindset filled with encouraging growth-oriented thoughts where you see challenges as learning opportunities and believe in your potential. A constrictive mental environment is one that is characterized by self-doubt, negative self-talk, or fear-based thinking, which limit your belief in what's possible for you.

An expansive emotional environment prioritizes positive emotions like joy, gratitude, and calm, and is often supported by practices like journaling or meditation to process feelings effectively. A constrictive emotional environment is one where emotions like stress, resentment, or anxiety dominate, with a few healthy outlets to release or transform these feelings.

And as I said, all of these environments, whether physical, social, mental, or emotional, and whether expansive or constrictive, they all play an important role in shaping who you be and who you are becoming. The key to expanding who you be is to be intentional about creating environments that expand your potential and limiting the time you spend in those that constrict it.

With that said, let's get into some practical ways you can do exactly that and let me share how to identify the negative constrictive environments in your life and how to start shifting them to positive, expansive ones that support your growth.

And what I like to do is something I call the Environment Edit. This is a simple but powerful way to take stock of the environments you're currently in across the four areas we've been discussing and identify whether they are expanding you or holding you back. From there, you can start thinking about how to edit these environments to make intentional changes that help you grow.

So grab a notebook or journal and let's walk through how to do an Environment Edit. There are three steps, starting with looking at each environment one at a time to identify the positive and the negatives.

So let's start with your physical environment. These are the places and spaces you spend the most time in. Places like your home, your place of work, your car. And any other physical places you frequent, such as the supermarket, maybe your gym, your local cafes, the restaurants you eat at, the places you shop at, and so on.

And what I want you to do is think about your week and where you spend each moment of each day. I find it helpful here to write this out day by day, Monday through to Sunday, so you can capture all of your usual environments.

Then once you have your week written out, review all of the places you spend time in and categorize them. Some environments may need to be broken down a little further, for example, your home may include spaces like your office, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and so on. For other environments, like your gym or place of work, it might be a little more straight forward. Remember here too, we are talking about the physical space, not the people in the space. We'll get to that part in a moment.

Now, once you have categorized these spaces, I want you to ask yourself these questions for each and every space you identified.

Question number one. Do these spaces make you feel inspired and energized, or do they leave you feeling stuck and overwhelmed? Question number two. Are they organized and clear, or are they cluttered and chaotic? Question number three. Do they reflect the person you're becoming, or are they tied to the version of yourself you are outgrowing? Question number four. What specifically about these spaces feels positive and expansive or negative and constrictive?

Take a moment to note which physical environments are working for you and which ones aren’t.

Then move on to your social environments and the people you interact with regularly. Again, I like to categorize these into different types of relationships, such as your close and extended family members, your friends or regular social circle, including those you spend the most time with or confide in. The people you work with, whether in person or remotely. The online communities you partake in, whether it's groups you're a part of, or simply accounts that you follow and engage with on social media or in forums, for instance, and so on. You may find it helpful to look back at all the physical spaces you spend time in to help you here.

Then once you've listed out the key people or groups of people you regularly interact with, take some time to reflect on your social interactions and ask yourself these questions for each category or person.

Question number one. Are these relationships supportive of my growth, or are they reinforcing old patterns? Question number two. Do these people inspire me, challenge me, and help me grow, or do they drain my energy? And question number three. What specific social interactions feel expansive, and which ones feel constrictive?

Write down your reflections for each group or individual, noting which relationships are uplifting and which ones may be limiting your growth.

Then the next environment to look at is your mental environment. This is a space where your inner dialogue lives and it has a huge influence on how you see yourself and the world around you.

So start by reflecting on the thoughts and beliefs that come up for you the most often, especially around having the life you want. Once again, your physical environment will help you here, but also your social environment. I recommend that you review what you discovered in these areas and notice what comes up.

Then ask yourself, are your thoughts and beliefs focused on possibility, or are they full of fear and doubt? For example, when you face a challenge, do you think, I can find a way to handle this? Or do you default to, I'm not good enough to handle this? And are your thoughts and beliefs aligned with your growth and goals, or are they stuck in old limiting patterns?

Then think about what triggers these thoughts and beliefs. Is there something specific that leads to negative or positive thinking? It could be people, situations, or even things like deadlines, conversations, or events. This is where going back over what you wrote down for your physical and social environments will prove very insightful.

Make a note of what situations tend to bring up positive expansive thoughts, and what situations trigger things like self-doubt, anxiety, or negative thinking.

Finally, I want you to consider the media and content you engage with throughout your week. Does the content you consume, whether it's books, podcasts, social media or TV, does this content support your positive thinking or does it reinforce negative beliefs? Do you regularly expose yourself to content that uplifts and expands your mindset, or do you find yourself getting stuck in comparison, fear, or negativity through what you watch or listen to?

Then what I want you to do is spend some time to reflect on all of the information you've gathered about your mental environment and take stock of what's working and what's holding you back, noting down any specific triggers or influences that feel constrictive.

Lastly, let's look at your emotional environment. The feelings you experience regularly, the emotional energy you hold, and how you process your emotions. The key here is to recognize that your emotional environment is shaped by everything we've already discussed. Your physical spaces, the people you interact with, and the thoughts and beliefs that dominate your mindset.

So, take a look back over your notes for your physical, social, and mental environments. And as you review each one, notice how these environments make you feel. Are there certain physical spaces or people that consistently leave you feeling anxious, stressed, or frustrated? On the other hand, do certain environments or interactions make you feel calm, joyful, or energized? How do your thoughts and beliefs make you feel?

And as you review your environments, ask yourself these questions.

How do my surroundings, my home, my workspace, the other places I spend time in, make me feel on a regular basis? How do I feel after spending time with the people I interact with regularly? Energized and uplifted or drained and tense? When my mind is focused on positive thoughts and growths, how do I feel? And what emotions come up when I'm caught up in self-doubt, fear, or limiting beliefs?

Once you've identified all of the emotions that you feel in each environment, write down your predominant emotions for each environment. So whether they are positive emotions like peace, joy, or gratitude, or negative emotions like stress, frustration, or resentment.

Next, I want you to think about the life you want to create. If you were living that life now, how would you want to feel on a regular basis? What emotions would be dominant for you? Would they be emotions of joy, freedom, excitement, love? And compare that vision with your current emotional environment. Are your emotions today in alignment with the feelings you want to experience in the future? Or are there emotional patterns that are holding you back from living the life you truly desire?

And that completes step one of your Environment Edit.

You should now have a clear overview of your physical, social, mental and emotional environments and with that clarity, it's time to get specific about what needs to change and brainstorm creative ways to transform these environments into more expansive supportive spaces. You've done the stock take, now it's time to edit.

So let's break this down to one area at a time, starting again with your physical environment.

Look back at the notes you made about your physical spaces, your home, your workspace, the gym, your car, any other places you frequent. Pull out all the things that are constrictive. For example, the spaces that feel chaotic, cluttered, or uninspiring. The rooms or areas that make you feel stuck, stressed, or overwhelmed.

Then take some time to think about how these areas would look and feel for the future you, and brainstorm how you could up-level them to reflect that look and feel. If this space were an environment that reflected the future version of you, what would it look like? What changes would make it feel more expansive, even if they're just small changes?

Think about colors, organization, layout, or even the items you surround yourself with. Can you declutter, organize, or rearrange these areas? Consider how you could add elements that inspire you, whether it's more natural light, artwork, or reorganizing to improve the flow and energy.

Now, if you can't make big changes to the whole space, like at work for instance, think about the smaller adjustments you could make. Maybe you could add something that sparks joy, like a framed quote, a picture of your loved ones in a beautiful frame that speaks of the future you, or a decorative item that reflects who you are becoming.

Think about how the future you would design this space and what you can do today to start aligning your environment with that vision. Write down as many ideas as possible and don't limit yourself to what seems practical just yet. This is about brainstorming possibilities, even if you don't yet know how those possibilities will be a reality.

And one tip on this before I continue. Changing your physical environment is not always about throwing everything out and starting anew. Sometimes that is needed, but it may or may not be possible, so you may need to work with what you have. So be sure to brainstorm ways you can up-level your environments with what you have, where you're at right now, as well as thinking beyond to that complete overhaul. Remember, this is called blooming where you are planted first, and then moving towards planting yourself where you choose.

Next, let's take a look at your social environment.

Revisit your notes about the people in your life, your family, friends, colleagues, and online communities, and so forth, and pull out who it is that limits you. Which relationships feel constrictive or draining? Are there any social interactions that leave you feeling stuck in old patterns?

Then once again, brainstorm how you can up-level your social environments to expansive environments that are in alignment with the future you. Here are some things you can think about here.

If your social circle was fully aligned with your growth, who would be in it? How would they support and challenge you? Think of ways you could either deepen relationships with people who uplift you or begin to create boundaries with those who drain you. Consider joining new communities or groups that reflect the version of yourself you want to become. What kinds of people do you want to connect with? Where could you find them?

Again, allow yourself to write down all of the possibilities, whether it's setting boundaries, connecting with new mentors, or joining communities that align with your goals, even if you don't yet know how they will be possible.

Now take a look at your mental environment, your thoughts and beliefs, and pull out all of the thoughts and beliefs that are negative. Which thoughts are keeping you stuck in fear, self-doubt, or limitation? What mental patterns hold you back from taking action or believing in your potential?

And you know the deal, now it's time to brainstorm how to up-level your mental environment. This is the environment you have the most control over, by the way, this and your emotional environment. And your mental environment feeds your emotional environment, so it is really important to spend some time here brainstorming how you can up-level it.

If your thoughts were fully aligned with your goals, what would you be telling yourself daily? What beliefs would you hold? Think about how you could rewrite your limiting beliefs or negative self-talk into empowering affirmations. Could you start consuming more positive growth-oriented content? Brainstorm ways to shift the mental content you consume, like switching from fear-based news or comparison-driven social media to more inspiring books, podcasts, or courses.

This is a space to really brainstorm big. Think about how to turn your mind into an expansive place that constantly supports your growth.

Lastly, consider your emotional environment, the feelings you experience most regularly, and pull out what's heavy. What emotions are weighing you down? Is it stress, worry, resentment, or fear? Are there specific environments, physical or social, that tend to trigger these negative emotions?

 Then brainstorm how you could up-level your emotional environment. If your emotional environment reflected the life you're creating, what would that feel like? Would it be peace, joy, excitement, love? What actions or practices will invite more of those emotions into your life?

Consider how you can process and release difficult emotions through things like journaling, meditation, or perhaps talking to a trusted friend or therapist who can help clear your emotional clutter. Think about the emotional support you will need moving forward. What relationships or practices can help you feel more emotionally safe and positive? How could you seek out conversations where you can be vulnerable without judgment?

And I'll say this again because it is really important. Let your ideas flow, even if they seem aspirational right now and not at all realistic. This is about brainstorming what emotional expansion looks like for you and the how will fall into place exactly as it is meant to.

So, that is step two of the Environment Edit, which brings us to the final step, which is to implement the changes. Now that you've identified what needs to change, and you've brainstormed your ideas for how you can do that, it's time to bring those ideas to life.

But first things first, I want to be clear that implementing your Environment Edit doesn't have to be overwhelming. This is not meant to be a change everything overnight process. It's about taking it slow and making intentional, manageable shifts that align with the person you're becoming just one thing at a time, one day at a time.

I know I say this a lot because I know there's a good chance you're like me and you want it all to happen overnight. But this just isn't realistic, it isn't sustainable, and you will make it so much harder for yourself than you need to if you try to change everything at once. Slowly, but surely, will win the game every single time.

So, let's bring this home and look at how to start creating the expansive environments you've envisioned, beginning with a single change in each area.

Pick just one space in your physical environment you'd like to up-level. Maybe it's your workspace, your kitchen, or even your car. And pick one way you can do that from the ideas you brainstormed in Step 2. Then implement it.

Now, a quick tip. I like to start with the easy ones first because this will help you get quick wins and that will build your confidence for the bigger changes to come. And remember, as I said earlier, this is not always about throwing everything out and starting anew. Sometimes, that is needed, but it may or may not be possible, so you do have to work with what you have. Be creative. Simple changes can improve the feeling of a space in very big ways.

And if you really can't find any way at all to transform your physical space in a way that would align with the future you, think about how you could spend time in a location that inspires the future you. For example, you could consider working in the lobby or cafe of a local five-star hotel for a few hours. You could perhaps change the supermarket you shop at, and so on. It's about finding spaces that feel aligned with the lifestyle you want to create.

Moving on, and I want you to repeat this process for each area, one small change at a time.

In your social environment, choose one relationship or connection that you want to enhance, or one boundary to implement, for example. In your mental environment, focus on one thought pattern you want to change. In your emotional environment, you might introduce one habit like journaling or meditation that nurtures positive emotion, or a practice that supports the emotional state you want to embody.

Then keep rinsing and repeating this process until you work your way through all of the edits you want to make in each environmental area of your life.

And as you make these shifts, remember that small consistent changes add up to create powerful transformations over time. Every small step you take brings your environment into greater alignment with your growth, expanding who you are and the life you're creating. Also remember, your Environment Edit will be ongoing. So revisit this process regularly, add new changes, and continue shaping environments that help you say YES! to your future self.

Now, let's take a quick recap before we close this episode out because we have covered quite a lot of ground here today.

Your environments are helping to shape who you be, in every moment. Use the Environment Edit to help you identify the constricting environments that are holding you back, and then brainstorm ways to up-level these environments into positive, expansive environments that support you saying YES! to being the future you. Implement your changes slowly and surely every single day and watch as a more expansive version of you and your life unfolds.

Remember the power of expansive environments is that they help you step outside your comfort zone and expand your view of what's possible. And when it comes to living out your most fully expressed life imaginable, filling your life with expansive environments is going to be key.

That brings today's conversation to a close. It has been a big one today, but I hope you found it to be very helpful. Take some time to do your Environment Edit and let me know what's one small environment shift you're making this week? I'd love to hear, so connect with me on my socials or drop me a line by email and tell me all the things. And I do reply personally to every single email and message I receive.

I'll be back next Wednesday from a new place in Thailand as I continue my expansive slow travel experiment.

Until then, be the woman who says YES!

Hey, want to know what's stopping you from saying YES! to you and a life you love?

Head over to https://selfcreationschool.com/yesblock and take my FREE 60 second quiz to find out what's standing in your way today and I'll send you my Self-Creation Shift process for shifting it.

That's https://selfcreationschool.com/yesblock. I’ll see you there.