What a Sugar-Free Challenge Taught My 10 Year-Old (And Me)

This week on Brave Little Things, I have a very special guest joining me… my 10-year-old son, Adiv.

Our house has been full of challenges lately, and Adiv had just completed a week-long no-sugar challenge, so I invited him onto the podcast to talk about what it was like to do something hard on purpose. We chat about cravings, motivation, what surprised him, what helped him keep going, and what he learned about himself along the way.

I also share some reflections from my own recently completed 30-day visibility challenge—a month of showing up online every day, making videos, using my voice, and learning how to keep going regardless of the results.

Together, we explore what challenges can teach us, why temporary commitments can be so powerful, and how doing hard things often changes us in ways we don’t expect.

At the end of the episode, I also share details about a new challenge I’m leading in July:

The 28-Day Free Your Voice Visibility Challenge

We’ll spend the month practicing showing up, using our voices, taking imperfect action, and building trust with ourselves one small step at a time.

If you’d like to learn more, send me a DM on Instagram with the number 28 and I’ll send you all the information.

Thanks for listening, and as always, here’s to doing brave little things.

Transcript

0:12

Hey, hey, hey, welcome back to Brave Little Things. We're so happy to have you here, guys, because very fun things are happening. We've got our very, very first guest in the house, and he is a special one. I have invited my 10-year-old son, Adiv, to come join us today because Adiv just completed a sugar-free challenge for the past week. And I wanted to bring him on because I wanted to talk about his experience on taking himself off sugar for a week and then taking through a challenge and ask him questions. And, you know, because we talk about doing things here, changing things up, being brave, doing challenges, and I thought it would be really fun to hear from him, which it will be. So yeah, listen, I I we love challenges in this family. We are a big, you know, my living room is like a gymnasium, our outdoor space is a ice bath, and I like to push my kids in all the different kinds of ways. And I myself just came off a 30-day visibility challenge online, which was crazy and insane. And it kind of spurred a lot of mini challenges happening in my family, including a D's sugar-free one. My older son took himself off sugar and dairy for the past two weeks. Just dairy. Oh, just dairy for the week. And my husband and I are doing a little challenge. Lots of challenges happening. So I thought, oh, let's talk about this because I'm happen to be falling in love with challenges. I think they are genius and brilliant. So, first of all, welcome on, Adiv. Hello, everybody. Yay! We're so happy you're here. We've got questions for you, Adiv. Are you ready for questions? Yes. Okay. So let's talk challenges. I want to first ask you, starting off kicking it off, let me ask you, Adiv, why and how, or rather, wh why did you decide to go on a sugar-free diet for the past week? Well, once Shabbat well, you you my email was talking about him about to challenge and then my brother decided that he's not gonna have n dairy for two weeks. I said to him, you know what? Uh like he asked who can do it with me, so I said, you know what I'll do with you? And then one of my sisters says, you know what, you you barely have dairy anyways, but you have tenth of sugar. You should go off for sugar for one week. You probably can't even uh not eat sugar for an hour. And I said to you, you know what? I I could and I will show you. Oh, you took on the challenge. I love that. Yeah. That is very you. That I love that. Amazing. Okay, well tell us, Adiv, what was the hardest thing, maybe even a hardest moment you want to share about the challenge? Well, for sure, the hardest day was Shabbat because usually I have temp of sugar that day. For those who don't know what Shabbat is, that's the Sabbath, that is on Saturday, where we tend to have the most sugar, right? Where we've got different treats happening. Sorry, continue on. Yeah. Explain that. Wait, what did you say again? I was explaining Shabbat, and you're saying Shabbat was one is one of the hardest times. No, what what did you say? Like, what did you ask? Oh, the question was, what was one of the hardest what was the hardest for you during this challenge? What was like maybe even a hardest moment? Well, probably at school, like I see tons of kids like having treated acting, who wants this for free and I couldn't say I because I couldn't eat sugar. So yeah, that's good. Yeah, you guys have to remember, like, one week taking yourself off sugar might not be such a huge deal for adults, but for kids, they're like left and right. You churn here, there's sugar. You turn there, there's sugar. Birthday party, school, everything, especially here in where we live in Israel, there's just sugar everywhere. So this is like it's like cat lives, right? It's like for a child with taking yourself sugar for a week is like adult version for like two years or something. That's amazing. Okay, and was there was there a moment, like a specific moment that where you like really felt challenged, where you felt like you mentioned Shabbat was there and you and you did you mention school? Did you just say there's a school moment there that you I mean no every time there's some kid that's having sugar and access the to exist this but there was a point when me and you went to the store like that little place? So usually have their like free samples and like praying that they wouldn't have any free sample buttons and then when we went out I saw this amazing cake and I was like I really wanted to take a bite but I couldn't. You're praying. Alright, well was there a moment that you just wanted to quit? You're like, I'm done, forget it, it's not worth it. Well, yeah, before Shabbat, I was like I I I don't think I'll be able to survive. I don't I don't think I I think I'll just finish it in Shabbat, but at the end I I did it for the whole Shabbat. That is awesome. Well what helped keep you going? Was there something that helped keep you going the whole time that kept on pushing you through? Yeah, my brother. What tell us what that means? He said, like, I knew you wouldn't be able to do it, and I wanted to show to him that I will be able to, so I finished it. Oh it happens to be that his big brother uses reverse psychology on him all the time. And it works, people, it works. I love it. Well, Adeev, would you do this again? Would you do a sugar-free challenge again or any challenge for that matter? If I see I'm eating too much z like something that tells you I might I might stop like eating that for a week, maybe. Maybe. Not for sure. I might do it again. He's not committing, guys. He's not committing here. What about not just a food challenge, but any other kind of challenge? What if it was a no tablet challenge? A no listening to music challenge? Hell no. Okay. Well tell me, Aziv, what or tell all of us, what did you learn while doing this challenge? Did you learn anything special about yourself or anything else? Well, I realize how much I don't really need it and how much I grab for it in my free time without realizing I pe I don't have like a candy in my hand and I don't even realize it. I eat and the candy not even realizing. Oh wow, that's right. So you're like re you it's like brings awareness, right? Challenges bring awareness to how you usually do things that oftentimes we don't even think of. Is that what you're trying to say? That's what you're saying there? Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. I love that. That's a r that is really the most important thing, I think, a hundred percent. And what advice would you give another kid or adult, any person who would want to try it out, whether this kind of challenge or a different kind of challenge? What would be one piece of advice you'd give? In the start, it might be hard and you want to give up. Also in the end, in the last day or two, you'll want to give up, but don't. It's for it in the end. Oh, that's good, right? It's usually the hardest at the end, and that's the time. Also in the start, yeah. Also in the start. What about the middle? No rally. Not really. Okay, so the start to get yourself going is hard, and the end is hard. Yes. And that's good. That's really good also if they're in to know that in advance. When you know those things, it doesn't become so hard. I l anything else that you want to add and share with us about this challenge, Adiv? Before we head say goodbye. No rally. Not really. Adiv, that was amazing. Thank you so much. I'm sure everybody enjoyed that. I hope that you guys can like use the tips that Adiv gave today. If you want to jump into your own challenge, if one of your kids wants to jump in challenge. And speaking of challenges, I actually want to invite you guys into. The moment I finished my challenge, I was like, guys, I need to do this for my people. I am now running a 28-day free your voice visibility challenge online. Starting on July 5th, we jump into our orientation, beginning on July 6th for 28 days in the summer, in my birthday month, when it is the most creative. People are online the most. We're going to jump in and just be, you know, share our voices, share our thoughts, be visible. If this is something you want to take part in, you can go ahead. I will actually share the link in the show notes, or you can DM me 28 and I can give you all the details, but I will be providing prompts daily, mindset tools. We will be part of a community, encouraging each other. It's going to be so freaking fun. And guys, challenges are the best. It is like the most beautiful little space you can create for yourself to really grow. So thank you again for being here. Do you have any more questions for me? I think that's a wrap. I think we're I think we got them all. You're amazing. We're definitely gonna have you back with us. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. We'll see you next time.