Seven Gateways To Growth

What if the most powerful growth starts with being fully, quietly yourself?  Honor who you are, evolve when love calls you higher, and keep moving one degree at a time.

We break down seven gateways that turn intention into action: see with intention, listen for truth, speak life, move with purpose, walk in wisdom, think with clarity, and live from love. Each gateway is practical and soulful, woven with examples you can apply daily—filtering what you hear, choosing words that heal, aligning actions with values, and releasing patterns that keep you small. Along the way, we talk about balancing independence with softness, how to pursue big dreams without losing your core, and why purpose grows stronger when you stop chasing validation.

Growth doesn’t happen in isolation, so we invite you to build it in community. Find an accountability partner, share the gateway you’re practicing, and reflect together on the shifts you notice in mindset, choices, and relationships. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s progression—purposeful steps that compound into a life that fits your season and serves the people you love. If this conversation sparks something in you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs the reminder, and leave a review to help more listeners find One Degree to Victory.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Core Message
• 0:31 A Father’s Model Of Self-Security
• 2:00 Independence, Softness, And Being Unapologetic
• 3:20 Growth Without Abandoning Yourself
• 4:13 Me First As Self-Security
• 4:48 The Seven Gateways To Grow
• 6:14 Growth Through Connection And Accountability
• 7:17 Legacy, Faith, And Becoming
• 8:13 One Degree Forward And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Listening to One Degree to Victory, the space where stories, strategies, and soul connect. Together we take one small step each week toward the life you know you're called to live. I'm your hostess, Nelita Hollis, and today's story and conversation just might change your life. My dad was actually a family man, steady and sure of who he was. He was a big man, and although he didn't have big dreams for himself, he did teach his daughters to dream very big. His life was rooted in purpose, in provision, in presence. He worked hard, he bought trucks, semi-trucks, and he made sure there was food on the table. He built a foundation so that we could dream freely, explore who we were, and grow into the very independent women we were meant to be. I can tell you this. When I learned how to drive, my dad taught me how to check the fluids under the hood and how to change a tire on the side of the road. He said it's so we wouldn't have to depend on a man. And now listen, at each point in our lives, all of us girls have lamented or reflected that maybe we're just a little too independent. I know my oldest daughter has certainly called me out on that, and that's not a bad thing, independence. We just have to be aware and call forth our softer selves a little more. Looking back now, I realize that my father modeled something that few talk about, but everyone needs self-security. He was grounded in who he was, not because the world told him who to be, but because he was at peace with himself. He didn't chase validation, listen, he could care less if you liked him or not. And he stood his ground. He didn't perform. And I don't know that I've ever seen my father apologize. He never apologized for who he was. He was so unapologetically himself that it gave the rest of us permission to feel safe being ourselves too. Listen, you should never apologize for being who you are with all your beautiful imperfections, your quirks, and yes, even your idiosyncrasies. Now, being unapologetically yourself doesn't mean operating from a place of arrogance or self-centeredness. So it's not about refusing to grow or dismissing the need for change, but it means knowing who you are at your core, being secure in that identity, and recognizing when it's time to evolve. Not because someone else demands it, but because love calls you higher. Constant listener, my father did not shy away from change. There were plenty of times I heard him conversing with my mom about spiritual things that he didn't understand or questions he may have had about something that he read he was not afraid to explore. So being self-secure means understanding that growth doesn't require you to abandon yourself. It invites you to become a fuller, more refined version of who you've always been. And so when you're rooted in this self-security, you can hold space for both your humanity and your potential. You can honor where you are while reaching for where you're going. That's the freedom my father modeled, and that's the freedom I want for you. My dad's legacy taught me that I could only pour into others from a very full cup. That's why I've been able to pursue my own dreams, my bachelor's degree, my master's degree, and now, woo-hoo, my PhD, y'all, six months from graduation, just a little, a little less than. But because I learned early on to operate from a place of me first, not arrogance or alignment, not self-centeredness, but self-security. I also know that not everyone grew up with that kind of grounding. And so I want to share with you really, really quickly today, something I've been actively working on, which I call seven gateways to grow. So the first gateway invites us to see with intention, to direct our vision toward possibility, clarity, and the life we're consciously creating. The second gateway teaches us to listen for truth, to attune our ears to what uplifts, aligns, and affirms who we are becoming. At the third gateway, we learn to speak life. Oh, this is so important. To use our words as instruments of healing, creation, and courage. We come now to the fourth gateway, which reminds us to move with purpose, to let our actions reflect the values and visions rooted within us. At the fifth gateway, we are invited to walk in wisdom. I love this one too, to choose our paths with discernment, direction, and divine trust in every step. Gateway six challenges us to think with clarity, to reject the patterns that no longer serve us and make room for the thoughts that lift us higher. And the final gateway, gateway seven, calls us to live from love, to anchor our being in peace, grace, and wholehearted authenticity. Constant listener growth doesn't happen in isolation, it happens in connection. And so we need people who remind us of our strength when we forget, those who reflect the truth of who we are becoming when our own mirrors become too foggy to see. So here's what I want you to do, sister girl. Find an accountability partner, a sister, a friend, a mentor, and walk through those seven gateways together. Talk about what it means to see with intention, to think with clarity, or to live from love in your own lives. And I'd love to hear from you. Visit our One Degree to Victory Facebook page, drop a comment about which gateway you're walking through this week. Maybe it's seeing with intention, maybe it's speaking life, or maybe you're learning to live from love again. Whatever it is, share it because your reflection just might be the reminder someone else needs. My dad's confidence, his steady presence, and his unwavering sense of self wasn't just his way of living. It was his way of teaching. And after having gone through hellfire of my own and much reflection, I've realized that being grounded isn't about having everything figured out. It's about having faith in who you are while you figure it out. So wherever you are today, constant listener, I want you to know you are already equipped, already enough, and already becoming. The work now is to stay connected as you shape your vision, define your values, and build a community that helps keep you growing. This is your journey, sister girl. Keep on walking. I love y'all. One degree to victory is about progression, not perfection. And that involves choosing a life that works for you now in this season and building from there. And Sister Girl, it's going to take more than loving yourself. It's going to take vision for where you're going, hope to believe it's possible, action to make it real, and love for your family to fuel every step. Take one degree forward this week. And I'll see you in the next episode.