Petties Launches Two-Day Workshop on Consistent Habits

Michelle Petties will host a two-day online workshop titled Diets Don’t Work on November 17 and 18. The sessions are scheduled from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Petties, a TEDx speaker and author of the memoir Leaving Large: The Stories of a Food Addict, aims to help participants develop lasting behavioral changes.

Petties argues that most people abandon their health or financial goals during a period of invisible progress. She describes this phase as a stretch where effort does not immediately produce visible results. In her experience, this gap between action and outcome is where motivation typically fails. She states that she lived with obesity for 42 years and restarted her journey multiple times before seeing change.

The workshop focuses on a concept Petties calls the Bride Story. This is a written description of the person a participant intends to become. The goal is to use this clear vision to guide daily decisions. Petties suggests that when individuals know their destination, consistency relies on direction rather than willpower. This approach is designed to help people return to their habits after life interruptions occur.

Petties defines consistency as the act of returning rather than maintaining perfection. She notes that plans often fail when a sick child, a double shift, or a holiday disrupts a routine. She proposes a method where individuals pick up where they left off instead of restarting from zero. This perspective aims to reduce the shame associated with missed days or imperfect efforts.

Participants in the workshop will write their own Bride Stories and build simple rituals for difficult moments. The event also introduces The Consistency Companion, a new workbook. The workbook includes guided writing prompts and a 30-second recommit ritual. It features a page called This Counts, which is intended for recording quiet wins that others may not see.

The Consistency Companion also includes a pocket card with a specific reminder. The text on the card reads: I don't have to be perfect to stay aligned. I just have to return. Petties uses this phrase to reinforce the idea that patience is an active decision to trust the process. The workbook is available for those attending the virtual sessions.

Registration for the event is available at go.michellepetties.com/2dayworkshop. Petties is also promoting the Wellness to Wholeness app. The application allows users to take an assessment of their emotional, mental, spiritual, and intellectual weight. She previously gained and lost more than 700 pounds over four decades.

Petties cites the example of Lucille Clifton, who wrote poetry at her dining room table while raising six children. Clifton’s first book was published in 1969. She won the National Book Award thirty-one years later. Petties uses this example to illustrate how small, consistent actions accumulate over time to produce major results.