Welcome back to Unmasking the Heart for Change, the podcast where we uncover the real stories behind transformation, one heart to heart at a time. I'm your host, Tammy Winstead, and I'm so thankful that you're here with me today. Today we want to unmask a simple practice that changed everything for me. What if just one word could change the way you show up every day? What if it could reframe the way you see challenges, opportunities, and even yourself? Today I want to share one small practice
that has completely transformed my life. It may sound simple, but it carries incredible weight. The power of one word. Yes, just one single word. A word that can shape the way we think, shift how we see the world, and influence how we show up every single day. What if the key to unlocking your next season wasn't a five step plan or a long list of goals, but just one word? One single word that could shift your mindset.
anchor you in storms and remind you of who you're becoming. That's what I discovered over the last eight or nine years since I began choosing one word to focus on each year. Around this time before the new year begins, I set aside time to reflect and ask myself, what word will guide me into this next season? And friends, this practice has changed everything for me. What I've come to realize is this, words matter.
They direct our thoughts, they influence our emotions, and they shape our decisions. And when we choose one word to anchor us for the year, that word has the power to steady us when everything else feels scattered. I've always believed words carry weight. Think about it. How many times have you said something to yourself that either built you up or completely tore you down? Words aren't neutral. They push us in one direction or another. When we start to speak,
words of encouragement, hope or possibility, our minds begin to shift. It's like giving your brain a compass and letting it know this is where we're headed. And it's not just true for people. It shows up in nature too. Imagine two identical plants, same soil, same water, same sunlight, but one hears kind words. You're beautiful, you're thriving, keep growing.
The others told harsh negative words like you're ugly, you're useless. Within weeks, when blooms, you have the shrivels. Same care, same environment, the only difference was words. Words can do that to a plant, imagine what they can do to us. There have been multiple studies where researchers have spoke positivity encouragement to one plant and negatively to another.
The plant that received kind, uplifting words grew healthier, fuller, and stronger. The one that received negative words, it wilted, struggled. Some experiments even had a control plant that was ignored completely, and the results showed that silence, just like negativity, caused damage. If words have the power to impact something as simple as a plant, how much more do they shape us?
That's why every year, instead of setting a long list of resolutions I'm going to forget by February, I choose just one word, a word that sets the tone, a word that becomes a reminder of what I want to lean into no matter what life throws my way. I want to share a couple of examples with you about some words I've chosen over the years and how they shaped my life. Back in 2020, my word for that year was change.
And we all know that year completely changed everything for a lot of us. In December of 2019, I graduated from college with two business degrees. I really began to think about how I wanted to use the knowledge I'd learned. I've always dreamed of owning my own business. I love gift giving and I've always been crafty. So I decided to combine all three. And in January of 2020, I launched True Love Designs, a custom business branding and personal designs print shops.
that's committed to helping our customers take their gift giving to the next level. As we all know, in March, the entire world shut down. I remember sitting in my kitchen table thinking, well, that was short-lived. I could feel the fear creeping in. This moment became a pivotal moment in my story because you see, at this point, I had two choices I could make. One, I could say, well, I always wanted to own a business. I officially did that. So at least I tried.
or two, I could choose to zoom out and look for the opportunity in the moment. I chose option two. I started to think about the word I had chosen for that year, change, and how I could lean into that word to guide and direct me in this new phase of life. I began to look for ways I could change the business I had started to serve the new world that was changing around me. Instead of giving up that word, change,
helped me zoom out and ask, okay, what's possible right now? But it didn't stop there. Leaning into change eventually gave me the courage to do something I'd never done before. I quit my corporate job and went all in on myself. And let me tell you, that was scary. I spent years going all in on everyone else. My job, my kids, my family, my husband, my community.
but never fully on me. Choosing change gave me the push I needed to take that leap. That single word reminded me that change doesn't have to be something to fear. It could be something to step into, something to create from, and something to grow through. And honestly, I wouldn't be sitting here recording this podcast today if I hadn't embraced that word in that moment.
Let's fast forward to this year. My word for 2025 is suddenly. I'll be real honest with you here. I didn't love that word at first. I kept feeling drawn to it, but resistance was very real for me. You see, I'm a planner and I like to know what's coming next. I actually tried to push that word away. I fought it, but the more I resisted, the more it kept showing up. It kept
hugging at me, so I decided to trust what the previous years had already taught me and I leaned into the word. And here's what happened. Suddenly, I saw a post about a women's leadership program that was being offered at the Arkansas State University Delta Center. I applied and received an invitation to participate in the program. The results? Suddenly, I was in the room with a lot of powerful and inspiring women and it has been an
absolute wonderful experience. During the program, we were instructed that we would each be developing a service project in our communities to work on that year. I took this assignment on immediately and began to look at different service projects that I could do. I serve as a volunteer to a lot of nonprofits in my community, but nothing was really standing out to me of one specific project that I could do for my service project. Then, suddenly the light bulb moment happened.
Every single one of the nonprofits I'm connected to each have a story about what they do and the community that they serve. They're all born out of someone seeing a need for change and deciding to rally people together to do something about it. That is where my podcast, Unmasking the Heart for Change came to life. I made it my mission to sit down with as many change makers in as many communities as possible to help them tell their stories of how their organization came to be.
It was a great idea, but all I knew about podcasting was that I loved to listen to them. So I began to listen to all the podcasts about how to launch a podcast, how to market your podcast, how to grow an audience for your podcast. In June of this year, I recorded and launched my first episode. Suddenly I now have 15 episodes released and a stack of stories on my desk waiting to be told. And just a few short months, the podcast has received
every badge awarded by our host site and we've officially been downloaded in 10 countries worldwide. That one word shifted how I approached opportunities this year. Instead of trying to control everything, it reminded me to stay open, to be ready for the things that can happen suddenly. So let me ask you, what would happen if you chose one word to guide you this year?
What if that word was the reminder you needed when things felt heavy? What if it became the anchor that helped you stay focused when distractions tried to pull you off course? Maybe your word is courage. Maybe it's rest. Maybe your word is trust. Or maybe, like me, you'll be surprised by the word that chooses you. If you're not driving right now, I'd like for you to grab a pen and jot down the first word that comes to your mind.
Don't filter it. Don't judge it. Just write it down. That might be the word that's choosing you.
Here's something you can do this week. Take 10 minutes with a journal. Write down the first few words that rise up in your heart for this next season. Don't overthink it or make it too complex. Circle the one that feels the most challenging or the one that's most life-giving. Put that word where you'll see it daily, your mirror, your phone background, or your planner. Let that word become your compass
for the year ahead. I'll leave you with this reflection question. What word do you want to guide your year and how might your life shift if you allowed it to shape your thoughts and your decisions? Think about it. Sit with it and let that word resonate and open you up to what is possible in the year ahead. Don't worry friend, if you're feeling stuck, that's completely okay.
I have a list of words I've used over the years and I plan to share them with you this week and the thoughts that I allowed the word to provoke in me for each one of them. Friends, don't complicate this process. While it needs to be intentional, it doesn't have to be completely thought out. Be open to what life has in store for you this coming year and let the words you choose center you and keep you connected to your plan for the year ahead. Remember those plants I mentioned earlier?
one thrived on encouragement, one wilted under negativity. You friend get to choose what word you plant in your own heart this year. What word will you speak over yourself again and again until it shapes the way you bloom? Friends, thank you so much for being with me today as I am asked the one simple change that I made that has brought about a continual impact year after year.
As I begin to think on my word for the year ahead, I hope you too begin to think on the word that you feel speaking to you. And if you or someone you know have a powerful story of change to share, I'd love to hear from you. You can apply to be a guest by visiting our Facebook page or clicking the link in our show notes. Your journey might be exactly what someone else needs to hear right now. Finally, don't forget to subscribe, share the episode and leave us a review so more hearts can find us.
And as always remember change begins within and it starts one heart to heart at a time. Thank you so much for joining me today. See you all next time. Thanks so much. Bye.