Episode 2. Run the Plan, Not the Fantasy: Making Ambitious Goals Stick

What happens when that "new year, new me" energy fades and your big goals quietly fizzle out?. For high-achieving women in tech, execution isn't usually the problem, but setting sustainable goals often is. We tend to either set vague, ill-formed goals like "I want to network more," or we push ourselves with so much intensity that we end up burning out. When we inevitably fall short, it doesn't just stall our progress; it damages our self-trust.

In Episode 2 of Women Who Ship, host Sarah Williams uses her own derailed running goal as a case study to explore how we can actually follow through on our ambitions without breaking ourselves in the process. The big takeaway: clarity, tiny boring steps, and flexibility will beat intensity every time.

Three Ways to Make Your Goals Stick:

• Run It Through the SMART Filter: Transform vague ambitions into goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant (this is your "WHY"), and Time-based.

• Commit to Small, Sustainable Changes: Focus on tiny actions that are doable today but transformational over a year. As Jeff Olson outlines in The Slight Edge, small changes compound into big results over time.

• Stay Flexible and Adjust: Don't get tunnel vision that ignores reality. If you hit a roadblock, give yourself permission to adjust your plan, or even the goal itself, so that it continues to align with your core "WHY".

Your Next Steps:

• Take Action: Take one goal you already have and run it through the SMART filter; you can even use an AI tool to help you structure it. Next, identify the smallest, repeatable action you can take this week, and decide what signals will tell you it is time to adjust your plan.

• Share: Write your answers down, and if you are feeling brave, share them with a mentor, manager, or trusted peer to help you stay honest and flexible.

• Subscribe: Hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode.

Let's go ship some good stuff together.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Theme Music: The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/