A Lucky Life: A Self Discovery & Improvement Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Lauren DeCicco to talk about her journey into nervous system healing after hitting the lowest point in her life, navigating major life changes, and facing burnout and an autoimmune diagnosis. What she once thought was “just life” turned out to be years of living in fight-or-flight survival mode. We explore sitting with discomfort, taking accountability, showing ourselves compassion, asking for help, and learning how boundaries, co-regulation, and doing less can help us do more of what we want to do and feel safer and more connected in our bodies. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, "lazy" or stuck in survival mode, this episode is for you!Find Lauren at https://www.optimize-movement.com and on Instagram @dr.laurendeciccopt

In this episode, I’m sharing my intentions and goals for this new year. We discuss the physical, mental, social, and spiritual goals for the year and the why behind them. I also share how I create my goals so that they don't just stay on a list that I'll never look at again, but actually become reality with breakdowns and actionable steps. I walk you through the mindset shifts, rituals, and strategies I use to help me stick to them.

In this episode, Spiritual Coach Jamie Aron and I dive into the messy, beautiful intersection of spirituality and being human. We talk about her book I Chose Not To and the awakening that shaped who she is today. Together, we explore the paradoxes between growth, purpose, and authenticity, learning how to stay grounded while reaching for something higher, and what it truly means to break from the norm and walk your own path.

After a nice long break, I am ready to dive back in and tell you everything that's been going on for me, including why I took a break in the first place, what I learned during the break, what major life changes have happened, and what you can expect for the future. I talk about the shame I felt having "fallen off the horse" with the podcast, and how I've been working on replacing the old narrative that says I always do this and I'll never succeed because I "can't stick to anything." I also get into a major path change and new journey that I'm about to begin that I can't wait to bring you guys along for.

We all want to be confident but rarely do we want to pay the price for the real version... spoiler alert: Self Love. Instead of prioritizing true love and acceptance of ourselves, we fixate on external validation and outcomes, causing our self-belief to waver. That's where self-love steps in. We talk about the distinction between self love and confidence and how we can create more of both in all areas of life like decision making, love and dating, public speaking, at your job, in sports and more.

We all go through hard things, and we all feel stuck or trapped sometimes... this episode is for those times. I walk you through my steps of how to reframe your mindset from "Why is this happening to me" to "Why is this happening for me" so that we can feel more empowered in our challenging circumstances. We don't have to go from zero to a hundred in order to change our lives. It's more about believing better is possible than it is actually making all the changes to have better in the moment. We can't control the future but we can control our reactions and beliefs. Don't let your negative thought loops drag you around and control you, learn how to control it by being aware of its patterns and learning of to shift them for the better.

Meet Rachel, my work bestie and a woman who does it all. I absolutely love her and am so glad to get to share some of her and her amazing wisdom with you guys this week. We talk about how to navigate change and being open to different outcomes that we once had in mind. We also talk conflict in friendships and how to deal with them, as well as advice for long term relationships and being a creative in a corporate world.

This week I have a conversation with Ammar Assad Head Coach and Mentor for Rob Dial. We discuss some pertinent topics like common relationship blocks, self sabotage, leaning into authenticity and discomfort, and how to know when something isn't working and how to change it. Powerful tips and perspective from a mentor who has personally helped so many (myself included) grow into themselves and out of their shells.

This week we get into the topic of core values, and we go deep. We define what values actually are, discuss why it's important to identify, reevaluate and check in with them every so often, then tell you how to do just that. If you aren't satisfied with how you're living your life or where its going, tend to get easily distracted, or have trouble making decisions, then this podcast episode is for you!

Sometimes life sucks and we don't talk about it enough. This week my planned episode got foiled by an audio failure so I pivoted and decided to talk about the real hard stuff I'm feeling instead in my pajamas on my bed after a hard day/week/month. There are no how-to's, nuggets of positivity and motivation, or life hacks in this episode. Just pure raw real life on how sometimes it's really hard to get back on the horse when you've fallen off, and how no one talks about these parts of the journey as much as they should because it is a normal part of life that many of us go through alone.

What is better than one Lucky girl? Two Lucky girls! Lol sorry I couldn't help myself. This week my sister Shannon joins us to talk about starting her new business and all the blessings and challenges that come with taking on something new that scares and excites you. Shannon just started her very own vintage shop and we always vent to each other about the struggle of putting yourself out there and having to build confidence from scratch in a new area. We give you the tools we use to overcome some of the most common fears that arise in starting a new venture, and share some other bits of wisdom and encouragement to help push you to start that thing you've been thinking about doing for years.

Have you ever heard of Lucky Girl Syndrome, A.K.A the craze that took the internet by storm last year and everyone was giving their opinion about it? Well if you haven't, it's basically a manifestation technique where you affirm to yourself (and the universe) how lucky you are and how everything always goes your way, and in turn you will become lucky, even if you weren't before. As my name is literally Megan LUCKY, and this podcast is called A Lucky Life, I think I'm qualified to give my take on the matter. We get into the whole concept, talk about what the naysayers have to say about it, and why and how you should use it to change your own negative labels and mindsets to create a lucky life for yourself ;)

This week is all about love... well ... *self* love that is. From buying yourself flowers as the wise Miley Cyrus once said, to writing yourself a thoughtful love letter to just relaxing with wine and a chick flick, we talk 10 ways to love yourself better this valentines season. Learning how to properly love ourselves is not taught in schools but is essential to learn in order to have a happy life with healthy relationships. When you love yourself and treat yourself the way you want to be treated by someone else, you attract the very love you want to bring in and don't risk settling for less because you already make yourself so happy that there is no room to let in someone who doesn't add to your life.

I always thought my twenties would be the best years of my life, and in a lot of ways they are, but in a lot of ways they're also incredibly hard and confusing. This week, my friend Margot joins us to talk about her journey to find herself in her 20's. Margot brings so much value to us as she talks about all the ways she's been pushed to find herself and rediscover who she is and what she's passionate about. We touch on having corporate jobs that look good on paper and bring structure and stability to our lives, but leave us feeling like there's something more out there. We hit on how to find that missing puzzle piece while still keeping our girl boss vibes strong. She shares how she's had to challenge her past ways of finding validation from boys, social media, and other fleeting external sources. Now, she's confronting her fears and dealing with the emotional pain that made her try to fill the void in the first place. While this episode is a little longer than usual, every insight shared feels too valuable to cut, so I hope you can resonate with a thing or two as well.

Every New Years we make resolutions that are supposed to make us feel better, but sometimes they end up doing the opposite. In this episode, I unpack some of the common pitfalls and share some helpful tips to ensure your goals leave you feeling empowered, not defeated. Explore the power of choosing one word to set the tone for 2024, find the sweet spot between too many and too few goals, and make sure your list isn't all about only the new stuff. It's never too late to make new goals or revise the ones you already have to better set yourself up for success this year.

In this final episode of 2023, I go over my top 10 life lessons I learned this year that are great reminders no matter who you are or what you're going through. I think there's a lot to take away from those lessons and because of that I think this is one of my favorite episodes to date. I share a special moment I had with an instagram follower, pull a year ending tarot card and talk about my plan for the podcast moving forward,

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing plastic surgeon, Dr. Ryan Neinstein. Dr. Neinstein tells us about himself, his practice and how he got where he is now. He gives us valuable tips and insights on purpose, grit, mastery, and the joys of family. We discuss (and dispel) some of my limiting beliefs around plastic surgery, the types of patients he sees, the most common procedure he does, along with the best and worst parts of his job. We may not all be stellar plastic surgeons, but we can all take a page or two out of Dr. Ryan's book.

This week I tell you about three recent times/stories where I felt like a failure, and even still feel like a failure over some of them. Failure can be such a scary word, and in this episode, we get into all the reasons why it shouldn't be. Trying new things and putting yourself out there can be especially scary because of that pesky fear of failure, but with some of these tricks anyd insights on how to reframe your mindset around failure, it doesn't have to be!

For this week's episode, I let you guys hear what a sleepover and hang out sesh looks like with my beautiful soul of a friend Karly. It sure is a miracle that Karly (and you guys) can tolerate my ADHD in trying to finish a thought (lol). Since there was a big full moon this week, we took the opportunity to do a little reflecting on what we want to leave behind and what we want to bring into the new lunar cycle/phase of life. From releasing control, the false narratives we tell ourselves, the fear of failure and caring too much about what other people think, to bringing in patience, confidence, trust and new narratives that do serve us, we take you through our respective lists while sharing our thoughts and best advice.

In this Thanksgiving themed episode I introduce you to my 30-day gratitude challenge jar where we go over 30 prompts of things in your life to be grateful for. This challenge will empower and encourage you to spend a few moments everyday for a month to focus on the positive aspects of your life and express gratitude for them. A challenge like this is an easy but fun way to make gratitude a habit, bringing a plethora of mental, emotional and even physical perks to your daily life and helping you to become a more positive and appreciative person. After all, no one wants to be around Negative Nancy, not even you! So make your mind a better place to be in for yourself and those around you by starting with this simple challenge.

The question of the week is: When you see a vision of your authentic self, who will you need to be right now to embrace that future reality? Does that feel real or fake and why? Using the steps of manifestation we learned about last week, I read to you what I wrote about how I see my fully realized authentic self from my meditation session, and walk back through who I need to be now/ what I would need to do in order to bring that higher version of myself into my current reality. I share my vision board and tips on how you can manifest your authentic best self as well.

This week I use what I learned from Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte to distill and discuss my favorite takeaways from one of my favorite books, Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynne Jackson. This book changed the way I saw the the connection between our physical world and the spiritual world forever. I give you the best tips and tricks I learned from the book to create your own language to communicate with the universe, aka your crossed over loved ones, spirit team, god, your inner self (whatever you believe in). I also share some of her useful tips on manifestation and more.

Welcome new (and old) listeners, this episode is for you. This week we refresh what the pod is all about and I show you my top "5" tips on how to begin your journey to find yourself and why you should do it at all. I also point each tip back to a particular episode so you can dive deeper on that subject if you want.

This week I have a fascinating talk with ADHD Coach Ron. Ron sheds some light on ADHD, the misconceptions about it, and how it affects us on so many levels. This is something I have struggled with for most of my life and even I learned so much from this conversation. Ron shares some great advice for those who can identify with having the disorder and talks about how we can break the stigma and treat ourselves with more grace as we learn how to be our best selves.

Continuing spooky season with another equally scary topic: my deeply rooted fears (of failure, rejection and abandonment.. oh and elevators)! I get personal about these fears and go through the 5 steps Dr. Gervais once gave Fearless Felix before his free fall from space to help him overcome his fears. If Felix can overcome his death defying fears through CBT, surely we can overcome our everyday ones with it too. Fearless Megan didn't have quite the same ring to it.. so I googled some synonyms and voila, we've got a title.

Friday the 13th feels like the perfect day to talk about the scariest things.... like my biggest weaknesses! lol, super spooky stuff. I tell you what I think my 5 biggest weaknesses are, why it's important to address them, and how I'm planning on tackling them head on. All inspired by the book The The Monk who Sold his Ferrari.

Starting off late and low energy, I show you my favorite affirmations that help me to regulate my nervous system and get me back to myself when I'm having a down day. We go through a list of twenty of my favorite affirmations and I say why I think each is useful and important. I also plug the Golden Bachelor which I've been loving to watch with my mom the past couple weeks. And of course, not episode is complete without me filling you guys in on my life and the latest updates of where my head is at as I figure everything out.

Santa Claus, Monday Night Football, and a Dream Book take center stage this week for the podcast. Starting out by answering last week's fan question of "What is something you used to believe as a kid that you now know is not true?" I offer up some silly, some serious and some answers I'm still unlearning to this day. I talk about the MNF chug off, how it went down and how I felt about it all. And I finish the episode talking about the latest book of the week and how it has inspired my 'Dream book' aka vision board project that I share with you and tell you all about this powerful manifestation tool.

This week I'm back solo with you guys for the first time in a few weeks. I've missed you! This week I answer some fan questions, update you on my life, and as always, share some insights and lessons that I've learned along the way. I share some nuggets of wisdom on how to stay positive as well as tell you about one of my favorite new self help book I'm reading.

This season is about to get so real, starting with my first guest, my bestie and former colleague Debbie Trieu. Listen as Debbie and I each pull a tarot card, discuss returning to the US Open, reminisce on our days in high school and college, and give our thoughts, advice and opinions on editing instagram photos. Join us for this new season of the podcast and of life as we support and encourage each other in being the best versions of ourselves.

Season finale! This is the first episode that I don't edit a single thing in an effort to be as authentic as possible and work on embracing myself, flaws and all. I talk about the NY Post article that came out and why I did it, how it really went down, and how I'm taking it. I talk about how it has opened my eyes and has made me rethink going to the US Open this year at all. Listen in to get a sense of where my head is at with all things beer girl and get my updates and plans for season 2.

This week I give my hot tips and takes on what I think it means to be a good friend, and how that has evolved over the years. I also talk about the new self help book I'm reading and upcoming plans as well as tell you about how teaching my first yoga class at a new studio went and what I'm learning from showing up despite the nerves and imposter syndrome.

Sometimes the best option for someone else is the worst option for you. That's why it's important to listen to your instincts and pursue your own path and view of success as opposed to someone else's. This week I touch on last episode and more of my feelings on being the beer girl ahead of this year's US Open and not putting myself in a box. I update you on my progress toward my goals and how I've overcome some recent obstacles and incorporated feedback in order to improve. I also talk about the balance of being practical and optimistic, and not letting your desire to control turn into a negativity addiction that actually hinders you from your highest intention and goal.

Hi Barbie! It's about time this movie came out. This episode I get real about how the movie spoke to me and talk about my own struggle with feeling like enough, striking the right balances, and always trying to be liked while trying not to care at the same time. Being a girl (or person in general) in this world can be exhausting, but in recognizing this we find our power to overcome and live authentically. I may not be president Barbie, physicist Barbie, pilot Barbie, or supreme Court Barbie but that's ok, I'm just me, and that is enough.

Inspired by the books I'm reading this week, Your Erroneous Zones, and The Book of Boundaries, we cover different perspectives and ways to focus on growing your hypothetical garden with self love and boundaries and how to stop comparing your garden to other's and let them be.

All things new that we don't already know how to do or how we will do at it, are scary and intimidating. The future and the unknown comes with a lot of potential of both good and bad... but if we shy away from it, and the things that we may want to do but sometimes are too scared of failing to try, then we will end up living a life full of regret. It's important to lean into the unknown sometimes, and be willing to put yourself out there to find out what you're willing to be risky and struggle for. It's also important to remember we've all been there and anyone who has accomplished anything has most likely had those same feelings at some point. This week I talk about my experiences with putting myself out there scared and nervous as hell, but showing up anyway and being honest about where I'm at.

From checking in on yourself and choices, to saying no to some things to say yes to the possibility of other, better things, to full moon rituals, to connecting with your subconscious through breath work and the body, and finally to how love and acceptance is always the most powerful tool we have... we cover a lot this episode. I also tell some stories from the weekend, give you some updates on my life, and try to keep up with the new trends of the times.

Serving you the reminders you need to make this summer (and life) the best one yet. You can be anything and anyone you want. Don't let your stale limiting beliefs that no longer serve you stop you from living your sexiest, smartest and most authentic life. I read some quotes from Pamela Anderson's new book and talk about how I feel I can relate to her, and why you may judge me for saying that. We can all take a page or two from Pam's book and incorporate it into our own lives. Sending you into this July 4th weekend with confidence and a great mindset.

After kicking off the episode talking about what is one everyones minds this week *cough cough the titanic sub cough cough* we dive into the topic of being alone (like truly alone with yourself and your own thoughts) vs just being by yourself, and why those things are very different and why you need to learn how to be alone before you can be by yourself, confusing I know, guess you'll just have to listen to find out! I give tips on how to get started as it can be awkward and uncomfortable at first but as you'll come to understand, there are countless benefits to learning this skill.

Have your cake and eat it too... just maybe meal prep your cake and spread it out over a few days. In this episode, I talk about how to we can balance having and doing the things we want, while still making responsible decisions for our current and future selves. I talk about coping mechanisms and what they're there for and how to replace them with better habits without feeling like shit for ever having them in the first place. I also talk about my struggle with Trichotillomania, a compulsive disorder my subconscious put in place to cope with my anxieties, and how it has improved it over the years. I talk about the difference between guilt and shame and how no matter what your coping mechanisms and bad habits are, a little self love and acceptance can go a long way.

This week I talk about setting goals, envisioning your target, the power of coincidences, and how to better set ourselves up for success, We go through 7 different rules and tips to run your goals through to increase the likelihood of following through on them. I break out a new- old deck of tarot cards and pull a powerful card that matches the energy I'm trying to channel. If you need a sign to work on your goals and dreams this is it! What will you accomplish when you give yourself the tools?

The neurotransmitters in your body are listening to your inner thoughts, so if you give your body good intentional thoughts (aka instructions), you may just find your body has a brand new way of bringing you to the places you've always dreamed of. Through focusing on the good you already have in your life, building happy healthy habits while simultaneously cutting down on your numbing habits as an act of self love, and accepting multiple things to be true at once, you can retrain your mind to give you a better life, which you are ALLOWED to want. Listen along as I explain how I am learning how to do these things as I continue to adjust to life back home that is filled with uncertainty.

Do you ever go to others to help you find the answers to the questions you feel the most lost and uncertain about? If you're anything like me, the answer is probably yes... and that's great, as long as you are able to filter the advice you get. I talk about how that filtering process has changed for me since I've taken the time to get to know myself and my wants and dreams better. I also talk about the pressures of being unemployed, living with my parents, finding a new routine and figuring out what my next chapter is going to look like.

What annoys you the most right now? Maybe a nagging boss, barking dogs, tedious tasks, aching joints, paying the never ending bills, reckless roommates... whatever it may be how do you recenter yourself and quiet the noise? Are you easily able to shift your focus to solutions and the positive parts of life or do you find it hard to divert your attention away from these things? It can be really hard to break our thought patterns, but with little tricks we implement and check ins with ourselves, we can change these patterns and ultimately our lives. This week I tell some stories that have shifted my perspective and how I continue to learn the power and importance of gratitude and presence.

This is the last episode from my trip (for now) so I do another journaling exercise to reflect by using angel number 777 as my inspiration. I touch on the 7 things I want to take with me and continue to cultivate, the 7 things I want to release, and the 7 new things I want to manifest in this next phase of life. I talk about how I'm both scared and excited to come home, and share some stories and quotes that relate to the messages I choose to focus on.

It's my birthday bitches!!! This week, since I turn 27, I go through 27 things that I am grateful for and tell you why practicing gratitude can help current you and future you to live a better life. Of course, along the way I tell some stories and let you know where I'm at on my journey in Europe (and on my journey internally) and where I'm headed next!

What is your perception of yourself? And how do you maintain it? Are there some parts of yourself that you choose to ignore? In this episode I talk about why that might be holding you back from being your most authentic free self, and how to redefine your self perception, as I am trying to do myself. I talk about my first experience with Reiki healing and meeting different people from different backgrounds on a yoga retreat I attended over the weekend. I also read some funny mean comments from my last instagram post. All in a rush before catching my ferry to head off to Greece for the next adventure.

This episode I talk about where I'm at on my journey... both physically, and mentally. I get more in depth on my trip to Europe, how I made it happen, where I've been, and where I'm going. This leads me to talk about the differences I've noticed in myself since the journey began, like how I feel more present and able to notice and appreciate the little things. I also reflect on how to build the life I've always wanted through discipline and self compassion. As always, I start with a tarot card (and a powerful one at that this time) and I also read an entry from my journal that captures a reflective moment.

This week I open up about my mistakes with the podcast and how it reveals a pattern and deeper truth. I talk about these patterns and experiences and what they are teaching me about life. I share how I'm learning just how important it is to allow for change in pursuing my goals. After all, we can't control what life will throw at us, and we are all just doing our best and trying to move in the direction we feel is right in the moment. Give yourself and others love, especially when you feel it the least.

It's week two and I'm still getting used to the sound of my own voice, and trying to form cohesive thoughts within a reasonable time window... so thanks for bearing with me as I find my rhythm. This episode, I finish answering some of the get to know me questions that go deeper into my views on things like being the beer girl and how the whole experience has affected me, being vulnerable on the internet, how the wrong decisions can turn out to be the right decisions, starting out with yoga and what success looks like to me. I even answer a few funny would you rather questions from instagram as well.