How to Stay Strong When Holiday Pressure Hits

00:00A weekend isn't going to erase your goals. Let me just say that loud and clear, but you better get back to it on Monday because that in between from Thanksgiving to Christmas, this is where people start negotiating their goals. No, you get right back to it. You're not here to like survive the holidays. You're here to take ownership and lead yourself through them. You're allowed to enjoy the food. You're allowed to enjoy family. You're allowed to enjoy the tradition without banding yourself. What's going on, everyone? Hey, you guys. Welcome back to another episode of The WarriorBabe Show with your host, Nikkie Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe.

00:40And on these episodes, my friends, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. Today is episode number 313. And today, guys, I just want to kind of like cut straight to it because I got a full-blown packed episode for you guys. This time of year is the time of year when most people start negotiating their goals. They start saying things like,

01:14I'll just start fresh in January. Or it's way too hard for me to stick and stay on track to my plan and to eating right during the holidays. So I'll just get back to it in the new year. Or it's too chaotic. There's way too much busyness happening, family time, travels, whatever. I'll worry about me and my goals later. Does that sound familiar? And we all know how that goes, right? Like a few skipped workouts, that turns into skipping weeks on end.

01:50One day off from the gym or from nutrition turns into, okay, I'll just start over next Monday or two weeks. And then that turns into weeks. And then it turns into I'll start in January. And before you know it, like all of this progress that you've built up this year, even in the last couple of months starts to just slip away. And not because you didn't care, but because you stopped showing up for yourself. You stopped taking ownership for yourself. And that's what I want to talk about in this episode today is really the ownership that you have as you go about these next few weeks during the holidays and even, you know, leading into January.

02:27Ownership is like it's, it shows up when it's the most inconvenient, which is what we're walking into with the holidays. Like it's chaotic. There's a lot of stuff going on. It's, it's, it's not easy to, to, to lead yourself through it because you're worried about everything else and all of the other events going on. But this is the thing, the standards that you guys have for yourself, they aren't something that you flip, you know, you flip on when life feels easy. They're who you are when it's not easy and how you show up when it's not easy. And it's not about

02:59being perfect. You guys know, it's not about that. It's about the power that you have, the ownership that you have, the ability to be, you know, responsible for yourself and the way that you're showing up every single day. So that's what I want to walk through in this episode. I just want to help you guys feel grounded with your family and your friends. I want to help you guys stay consistent during the chaos of the holidays. I want you guys to know how to handle setbacks because they're going to come and it's okay. And just to, to give yourself grace in those moments. And then also just to continue to build that identity of you playing like the long game on

03:34a fitness journey, instead of it being like, Oh, six weeks or three months or whatever. If there's anything to say guys to you, you didn't come this far in 2025, or even in the last couple of months, if you've been showing up for yourself only to just coast through the next, however many weeks to get us through to the new year. Okay. So what I first and foremost want to say is I just want to be honest. I want to be real and I want to call it out. Holidays can be brutal, right? Like, can we just be honest about that? They can be brutal, brutal in the sense of one scenario of where you

04:04walk into a room full of people that you love. And then suddenly all of that confidence that you've built into your daily routine built into how you, you know, wake up and you eat the healthy breakfast or, you know, you have this set agenda that you follow for yourself. It all starts to feel a little bit shaky. You know, the smells of from the kitchen and the turkey or they hit you or, you know, the desserts that come with Christmas, the music's playing, the memories that you're making.

04:35You can almost feel like the weight of other people's expectations in the air, right? Like you look around, like everyone's eating, everyone's drinking, everyone's talking about food. And before you even take your next bite, your mind starts to race. Like the food, the drinks, everything feels like it's tempting. It's tempting for you to navigate into wanting to eat all of the things and just fit in with the mixes in the crowd. And like you're pulled between like two worlds here. It's like there's one side of you that's saying, oh, just enjoy it. Like stop overthinking. And the other one

05:09part of you is whispering like, oh, well, you better not mess this up. Right. And living in that in between. Right. I know you guys have been there maybe in the past. And we're going to talk about that at the end of this too, as well, because the past you isn't going to ride through this holiday season. I just want to say that first and foremost, and we're going to unpack that in a little bit, but you're in the between this. I just want to, I just don't stop. Just enjoy yourself. Stop overthinking, whatever. And then, and then on the other side, it's like, don't mess this up. And like, it's exhausting being in the middle of that because it's like this back and forth pull

05:44constantly in your mind. And deep down, like the reason why that's happening is because you care, like you work so hard to build these habits, you know, you know what you want. You want to feel proud. You want to feel strong. You want to feel in control. But in these moments, it feels like a tug of war between you being disciplined and then you also belonging and being a part of the family and making and being a part of these memories. So you end up stuck in the middle. You end up either anxious or guilty or you're overthinking every single bite and you either eat nothing if you're miserable or you eat everything and you feel some type of shame, right? It's like this all or nothing

06:17mentality. A lot of you guys know what I'm talking about. Some of you guys have maybe have taken on the balance of like, okay, it's just a day, right? And you're seasoned at that point. If that's, that's you, you, it's just a day. I'm going to get back. I'm going to eat whatever I want. Cause you can do that, but you got to be able to get back to it the next day. You got to give yourself grace in that day. I'm saying that to the people are like, yeah, that's me. You are more seasoned. There are way more individuals listening to this episode right now that may be in that in between. I'm speaking to you guys. Cause I want, cause that for so long, dude, that was me. Like I used to have

06:50to be perfect. And I used to have this mentality of like, okay, in order for me to be perfect, I have to deserve this, that type of mentality. Like it was this all or nothing. And it wasn't, and looking back at it, it's like, I, it wasn't that I needed to be more restrictive with myself. Right. Cause like one little thing would flip off a switch where I'd go haywire and I would eat till I'm like super uncomfortable. Like, first of all, let me be your coach here in the moment and say, enjoy yourself, but don't be an a-hole. Don't eat until you're uncomfortably stuffed.

07:24Cause that's no bueno, especially in the moment too. Like taste things, try things, enjoy things. And then, you know, let it be and move on to maybe taking a break from eating before you go in and take some, some more stuff. Okay. Anyway, I digress. I don't choose to be perfect anymore. I focus on building this like relationship with food that feels peaceful, right? For me, it's like, okay, it's a day I'm going to prioritize, which I'm going to get into a second. I'm going to prioritize my protein or prioritize my vegetables and everything else is just like,

07:54it is what it is. I'm going to get back to it the next day. Cause I know I can. Some of you guys have to develop that type of belief in yourself that, you know, tomorrow's not going to turn into all of the leftovers and all of X, Y, and Z. And then on top of that, you're not going to work out anyway. So here's something because this is like, it's more about what's real and sustainable and what that looks like for you in terms of your health, right? The emotional, the mental, the physical, like everything being in harmony. So that's what I focus on is building that type of relationship with food. And there's a simple but powerful truth

08:30that I want you guys to hold on to. And that is, is that food isn't the enemy. Fear is. It's not about the calories. It's about the control that you fear you'll lose if you stop micromanaging yourself. And here's the thing. You've already proven you can take ownership. You can lead yourself. You've shown up to the gym. You've shown up with eating healthy. You've shown up by doing X, Y, and Z over the course of this year or over the last couple of months. You spent months, maybe even years, like you're learning how to do better. That is you, right? If you are somebody

09:03that has not stuck to anything in this 2025, I got an episode coming up for you guys soon. But to you guys, I've been putting in the work and you've been listening to these episodes and you've been diving in and you've been trying to do better. You've already proven to yourself, okay, I can do these things. But, and I want you to know, like one plate isn't going to undo that. Even so much to say, like a weekend isn't going to erase that. What does start to unravel it is a story that you tell yourself afterwards. Like I blew it. Like the narrative in your mind, I messed up.

09:38I ruined everything. I'm just going to start again on Monday. And the Monday turns into a week. And then a week turns into January 1st. And then January 1st turns into March. Or it turns into this, this boat right now in November, where you didn't do anything in 2025. Right? So it's a narrative where it starts is here. It all starts right here. And the thing is, is that the more you are guilty with yourself, or the more that you create these anxious thoughts, and the more you have these narratives, no growth is going to happen. It's just going to keep you stuck in this, in this shame game here. So moving into 2026, I want you to walk into it with like a

10:14different playbook. Like I want you to feel grounded. I want you to feel like you can, you know, you can actually live and enjoy and be, you know, not on the spiral of on again, off again, hamster wheel, holidays control me busyness is everything gets left to the sidelines, you know. So one thing that a few things I want you guys to do is, when you walk into a room, I don't want you to be skipping meals. I don't want you to try and save calories for later. That is rookie energy. And at the same time,

10:46on top of the rookie energy, you think that you're being smart with that. But what you're really doing, and setting yourself up for is you are going to lose control. So eat your normal breakfast, hit your protein, drink, drink your water. And then when you walk into a family event, walk in feeling fed, not I'm frantic, and I saved all these calories. Now I need to eat myself to feel full. Okay, you already know how to plan and execute. Okay, if you've been tracking your macros or eating better or working out, you know how to execute and plan you've been doing that the

11:20holidays don't change that. Another thing is build your plate with intention, not with guilt. So when you do sit down, right, slow down, look your plate as a reflection of your goals, not as a punishment, have that protein, add that color, and then add things that you truly do enjoy, not what you're pressured into eating, just because someone's telling you to eat it and someone to make somebody else feel comfortable, right? If you don't want to eat something, say you don't want to eat something. All right. And if you already feel like you've ate too much, just continue to ask yourself, okay,

11:52if I choose to eat this, am I going to feel more uncomfortable? I'm going to feel bloated, you know, and that the answer is yes, and then don't eat it. The answer is no, then enjoy it and continue on, right? Another thing is when you are in this room with your family and your friends, you're going to get people that say, oh, come on, it's just the holidays, or you don't need to eat that way today. Like you look fine. Or like, are you seriously taking this like 100% on Thanksgiving, which none of you guys should. None of you guys should take it 100%. But some people if you're

12:23choosing x over something that you would have chosen before, for example, like, if you walk into a room and you're like, oh, this is enough of a portion size from me, don't let anybody sway your mind on that. You don't owe anyone a type of debate here. You don't owe anybody an explanation. Just smile, take a breath and respond to them be like, you know what, I feel really good eating this way. Or I worked really hard to feel this way and to feel strong. And I'm just honoring that like, I don't want to go overboard. I don't want to push it too far. Like I'm here to enjoy these things. But

12:55like a few of them, instead of a ton of them is better for me right now. And that's it. Your confidence in the situation doesn't need to be loud. It can be quiet, it can be grounded, it can be, you know, very flow and soft, like it doesn't it can it doesn't need to be loud. And know this is sometimes that type of commitment that you're making to yourself by responding that way is going to trigger some people because watching someone do what they know they should be doing is uncomfortable. And that's their work. That's not your work. Okay. So just remember that. And then very often,

13:30in the flip side, that same person that's saying something who made those comments, later becomes the one who's going to be asking you, so what are you doing? And how do you do this? Just keep that in mind. Just let that be there. That little nugget. All right. And then another thing is if you overdo it, own it, own it. And this is what I mean. And what I said earlier, if you are seasoned, own it, let it go, because there's nothing that you can do about changing the past. You're human. There are going to be days and moments in this season where you overdo it. You have an

14:07extra dessert. You wake up feeling so bloated or off. You ate a little bit too much and it's a little bit uncomfortable. Like I said, I'm warning you don't do that. But it may happen even though I'm saying don't do that. You maybe feel more full than you planned, right? That doesn't mean that you failed. It means that you are human. And the win here is that you weren't isn't that you're perfect. It's how quickly you can come back from that. So you wake up the next day, you hydrate, you move your body, you eat your next solid balanced meal, and you get back to your normal. That's what I mean

14:39by Thanksgiving. And maybe that day after, that's it. That's all the holiday is. Then you are back to reality. And I know Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday. And then we got Black Friday, and then we got the weekend. Let me just remind you, if you do go those four days, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, a weekend isn't going to erase your goals. Let me just say that loud and clear. But you better get back to it on Monday. Because in between from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and all this, like I said at the beginning, this is where people start negotiating their goals. No, you get right back

15:11to it. Okay. And you get back to it. No guilt. You get back to it. No punishment. Don't don't go into the gym on Monday and punish yourself in your workouts. There's no I've ruined everything. Just respect yourself. You're, you're human. Because you're not here to like survive the holidays. You're here to take ownership and lead yourself through them. You're allowed to enjoy the food. You're allowed to enjoy family. You're allowed to enjoy it in tradition without abandoning yourself. That's your check. And you're allowed to experience this, even if you do mess up, or you

15:43overdo it. I should overdo it is a better term. You overdo it. It's okay. Because again, this is all going to tie in when we talk to it about at the end. But you will learn every single holiday how to show up better if you give yourself grace through every holiday. If you keep beating yourself up and creating punishment and all this guilt, it's just going to be the same thing over and over and over again. Okay. So allow yourself to have grace, allow yourself to own it. And then to return back to how you show up after the holiday is done. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body

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16:52don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. The next thing that I want to talk about is the busyness aspect that people, the, the, like the, the version of there's, there's a version of you, it feels like she's drowning in responsibilities right now.

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17:57to see real results and results that last. Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. And I, I've empathized with that because girls same. Okay. Um, but you're in a season of busy.

18:28Yes. You're doing everything for everyone. You're doing things for your partner, for your kids, for your family, for your work. You're doing travel, you're doing errands, you have holiday plans. And then somewhere in the chaos, you end up disappearing. Your needs slide to the bottom of the list. You keep telling yourself, I'll get back on track when things calm down, but things don't calm down. Things don't calm down in the season. There's always another thing that happens. And every time you say, oh, after the holidays, you're reinforcing a pattern. My goals are optional. My health can wait.

19:00And my, my wellbeing is, is negotiable. And over time, that inner voice that once said, oh my, I'm so proud of myself starts whispering. Oh, maybe I'll never get there. It changes. If you started a program and all of a sudden you allow a busy season to get in the way of it. Well, once was like, I'm really proud. And I feel really confident going into doing this is going to, and if you don't follow through with yourself in a busy season, which is my point, my perspective and my point of view, in my opinion is a busy season is the best time to try and get down a routine for yourself when

19:30you're eating with eating better and working out. Okay. Here's what I want you to hear. If that narrative is changing, you have more control than you think you have more control around something as simple as how you handle holidays and traditions. And that is, is that you can be disciplined and you don't have to live in being all in or all nothing. And in that perfect type of condition, real discipline that can live in chaotic days where you still show up anyway, even if, you know, even if no one

20:02sees it, if you're still choosing, Hey, I'm going to eat protein every meal, or Hey, I'm going to have a hundred ounces of water daily. Like that is your, that is your, your baseline, right? And if you can at least show up with your baseline, that's okay. That's your floor, but don't fall beneath it. Have your protein every meal, drink your water, move your body, have your sleep boundaries. And if you're working with a coach, say a warrior babe, right now I'm calling you out. Don't go quiet on your coach. Don't ghost them. Don't, we can't coach silence. Don't pretend everything is fine while you're

20:36spiraling. If you are stay honest with them. Okay. Those are your floor. That's your non-negotiables. Those are your standards for yourself because the women that wait for perfect conditions, because if, if, if you hit those minimums, you're winning, but the ones who don't win, wait for perfect conditions. And they learn that they have to show up or they, they, they put too much stress on themselves during this time. And that's where they allow the busyness to override just simply showing up for themselves in some way or another on a daily basis. Okay. Cause life's going to throw you off. Your brain is wired

21:09for safety, not growth here. So when you're stressed out, your brain will drag you into the most comfortable, familiar pattern, skipping workouts, grabbing whatever food is easiest, numbing out there. But when you push through that resistance and you do your minimums anyway, you drink your water, you move your body, you get a hundred, you get 10K, a hundred K steps in a, you get 10K steps in or eight K steps in a day. You're, you're rewiring an identity. If you just show up as your minimums. Okay. You're, you're teaching your brain. Like this is who I, who I am now. These are my habits.

21:42This is just what we have to do. And that's how you're a fit life stops being a phase and becomes your more new normal. Okay. So all of this to say, like, this is like you having a different mindset, which will lead me into what I want to talk about, about like everything kind of hit here, encompassing and putting all together food, family, showing up consistency setbacks, which is going to happen. The thing is, is that the way to really, really, really follow through on this 110% or even

22:16at least 90%. Let me just say that none of it will stick unless your identity doesn't change. So meaning by that is you can have the plan, you can have the workout routine, you can have the most dialed in aspect of this, but deep down, you still see yourself as a woman who quits when she's stressed out or the woman who hides when she's disappointed in herself or the woman who's always starting over on Monday or starting over when the holidays are done. You're just going to end up in the same, what I said earlier, like if you are showing up in that same type of mental pattern as you did last

22:50year, or the previous holidays throughout this year, like maybe the 4th of July tripped you up and you haven't been back into routine since. Because there's some of you guys are experiencing that there's because the old you showed up in that holiday. And you had to let go of that old new. You're trying to create new results with the same old identity. That old identity is built in that survival mode. She did what she needed to do. She focused on other people. She

23:21cared about what other people thought. She chased perfection because she thought that perfection equaled being successful and worthy. But the person that you are working to become, this new fit lifestyle that is like a long-term game, it's a part of just the healthy choices that you make for the longevity of your life. Dude, that person's done performing. She's done negotiating with herself. She's done being half in, half out. She's done being on this hamster wheel of the next fad diet. She is not the woman who quote unquote, like tries. She's a woman who shows up even when,

23:53especially when it is inconvenient, especially when she's busy, especially when it's easy just to reconform back into comfortable habits. Because this is the thing like goals, motivation, you guys all know that that wavers. They fade, they ebb in and they flow in and ebb out. Ebb and flow. That's what I'm trying to get at. Well, dyslexic moment. But the thing is, is your identity sticks. Like if you have a goal that says, oh, I just want to lose weight.

24:23Your identity is saying, I think the kind of woman, I'm the kind of woman who takes care of her body. If you have a goal that says, I'll try to stay consistent during this holiday season. That's like a motivation mentality. I'm going to try my best. I'm going to try my best. Your identity though, is saying that I'm the kind of person who takes care. I'm the kind of person who gets back on track fast. Or I need motivation. You have a goal that says, I need motivation during this holiday season. No, no, no, no. Your identity is saying, I'm going to do it anyway, because that's who I am. I'm going to keep the promises I made to myself. This isn't just about

24:59chasing like, you know, this, this, the results, the number on the scale. It's about becoming the person who keeps her word to herself, no matter what's on the calendar, no matter what chaotic, busy season she's in. And here's the hard part. That's the most hard part. That's hard about this. But I'm going to be honest, is becoming that type of person is going to cost you this old version of

25:29you. It's going to cost you the version that ghosts her coach or ghosts herself when she is too ashamed or too embarrassed. Or the version that hides, you know, after hides emotionally, like, or hides, like from, from not going and doing what she knows she needs to do after having a bad weekend, or the version that blames everything except her own choices and actions, or blames the holiday season. You are in control of that. You have the ability to be in control of that. Or the version that that's

26:02still waiting for this like perfect time, January one perfect time. Okay, it's going to cost you that she doesn't get to come with you into this next 2026 version of you of your life next year. Do she had her role, she served her purpose. You know, she was there for you in the moments that she needed to be that type of person, right? But that chapter is over, girl, that chapter is over. The woman that you're stepping into is building this like real freedom, this real strength, this peace, this, you know, she's ready to take

26:33ownership, she takes ownership, she takes control of, of her, her health and her fitness. And she may take the actions that align with her word, she shows up. And this is the thing, like, these next few weeks, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year's, they're not a test, it's gonna feel like a test, but it's gonna it's not a test of either whether you pass or you fail. Look at it like this instead, look at it as a mirror. They're going to reflect back who you are when life gets loud, chaotic,

27:05uncomfortable, when comfort wants to call and keep you in the same patterns of what got you through previous holiday seasons or busy seasons. And when people are around you are like, Oh, whatever, relax, like start later January one, whatever, you're going to see whether your commitment is built on convenience or conviction. And again, let me just say this is not about being perfect. It's about being proud of yourself. It's about being confident about learning discipline.

27:35Like the kind of proud where like after the holidays, you can look in the mirror, you can look, you know, yourself on January 2, and the first week of January, and be like, yo, I kept my word. I didn't disappear myself. I didn't let the holidays erase all of my progress. Like, I may have enjoyed some things or maybe gone off a little bit here and there, but I got back on track. I use them to prove my growth. And you know what, guys, I also want to say this too. And this may ruffle a little bit of feathers, but like the people around you and I say this because I love you guys so much. And I see women. I feel like women need to hear this. And the people around you, your kids,

28:11your co workers, your family, your friends, they don't need another woman who folds when it's hard. They don't need a mom that folds when it's hard. They need to see what leadership looks like in real life. They need to see what's possible to celebrate and still stay committed. Like you being disciplined isn't rigid. It doesn't make you this rigid human. It makes you reliable. And you being consistent doesn't make you selfish. It makes you steady. You being proud of your effort doesn't make you

28:42cocky or arrogant. It makes you credible. You are leading people by example, whether you mean to or not. You are you already some of you guys already see it by your husband taking on action, eating better and working out your kids doing the same thing. I want to work out with mom and be like, mom, I'm going to go, you know, they're all around you like you are live. Your actions are leading these people. So by you taking ownership during this season, and by you creating this new identity, and allow yourself, girl, you're going to have some setbacks and it is okay. Again, this isn't

29:15perfect. But how are you going to respond to that? And then know by the way that you stay committed, the way you stay disciplined, the way you stay consistent is going to those actions are going to make a huge difference to the people around you rather than what you say you do, or you'll do. You following through is going to be so much louder than your words. So I hope this landed for you guys. I hope this resonated with you guys. I know like Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

29:47And I want you guys to feel confident going into this season. And I hope that this episode helps to make you feel more confident. If you need to listen to it on repeat as you get closer to Thanksgiving, then do it. But I want you to ask yourself right now, who am I choosing to be this holiday season? Who am I choosing to be this holiday season? Not when my planning, what plan am I following? Or what program am I on? Or, you know, it's more so you,

30:17the identity that you're, you're creating for yourself, who am I choosing to be? And that's the woman that, you know, doesn't abandon herself when life gets busy, or it's a woman who keeps her power, no matter what the calendar looks like, no matter how busy or chaotic or how much travel or how much cooking or how much other things you need to do for other people. You also while doing that, you can do this for yourself too. Okay. I love you guys so much. Keep this, keep this strong through the holidays. Keep showing up for yourself. All right. I love y'all. And I'll see you in the next

30:49episode. Hey, really quick before you go, I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button, your rating and review make all of the difference, helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much. Thank you.

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