Reader I was struggling as 2025 came to a close.

It was hard to find energy and focus. My battery was running low. 🪫

It was such a vicious cycle of guilt, as my inner critic judged me lacking for being unproductive.

As I looked at my sales and revenue for the first quarter of 2026, I knew I had work to do, but I felt defeated before I even started.

Then I made three vital shifts that changed everything for the better.

ONE. I started working on Season 2 of The Story I'm Telling Myself Podcast. This is my creative battery, and it proved to once again power up my purpose and joy.

TWO. I stopped giving attention to the news. I was allowing the feckless and self-serving antics of the people we've elected to defend our constitution and democracy steal my hope. (My husband gave me this counsel many weeks before I finally put it into practice.)

THREE. I started challenging the story I was telling myself about client outreach.

Reader I don't know about you, but my inbox has received a lot of unsolicited, cold sales action.

Most of the time, I delete emails from people I don't know without even opening them.

I get that for many businesses, mine included, you have a service that is commonly needed and only know if someone is in the market if you ask.

I don't want to penalize these businesses by reporting them as spam. It's a reasonable ask.

But when you hit my inbox multiple times in the same week, you definitely fit my definition of spam.

I never want to be that annoying, tone deaf person who seems desperate to make a sale.

So I've ignored the advice to "email" people daily and chosen to limit my contact to something more reasonable.

Up to this point, the story I told myself is that if I emailed more than once a month, I was overstepping my welcome.

Why??? Good question, and I think it's one of those weird midwestern "nice" things I learned growing up.

Here's where I decided I was wrong:

1. My lists are people who've given me permission to email them, not random cold calls.
2. Why wasn't I pushing myself to find ways to give them more value while asking for their business more than once a month?

Reader I had to face the truth that I was accepting a story that made me passive.

So my word for 2026 is INITIATE.

I am listening for those internal narratives that pull me back, waiting to be anointed, and I'm replacing them with figuring out how to initiate without compromising my values.

So far, it is working! 🙌

I'm exploring some phenomenal collaborations and have signed deals to be the fractional training & development provider for two companies.

Of course, the biggest trick is to keep growing my warm leads through connections like you.

Reader I would greatly appreciate it if you could think of one person to introduce me to with any of these responsibilities:

• plans meetings or conferences
• hires speakers
• plans team offsites
• need team or leadership training or development
• is hiring or promoting new supervisors or managers

I cannot tell you how good it feels to be back in my zone of genius.

My mission to improve lives by improving the places where they spend the majority of their waking hours—work—is straightforward, yet requires partnership with leaders and organizations.

Thank you in advance for the introductions that help make that happen.

Cheers to you,

Catch Up on 'the story i'm telling myself' podcast

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