How To Update LinkedIn From "Corporate You" to "Your Personal Brand"

LinkedIn used to be a space where you copy/pasted your resume.

It is now a space to be more than your job…if you give yourself the permission to do so.

—

This past week, I had a long conversation about LinkedIn with a woman. We’ll call her Anna.

Anna works a corporate job, but is trying to grow her health coaching business on the side. She showed me all these amazing resources she created, and said she wanted to get them in front of more people on LinkedIn. Not in a salesy way, but to act on her mission of helping people take control of their health.

I pulled up her profile and while she had made a few posts about health coaching, her profile didn’t really tell me that she wanted to connect with people on health coaching.

Like a lot of us, Anna’s LinkedIn reflected her “corporate self.”

But what happens when we decide to be more than our corporate job?

What happens when we want to connect with people on other topics?

When we want to be the corporate employee AND the person outside of work with deep passions and interests?

It can be scary to have non-work conversations on LinkedIn though, right?!

If you’re only connected with people you’ve met in the corporate world and therefore your feed is filled with only new job announcements and promotions, it can be hard to give ourselves the permission to start conversations about other topics.

But when we start conversations about what we are interested in, it gives us the opportunity to connect and find “our people.”

Anna and I talked about 3 small tweaks she could make to LinkedIn to embrace being a corporate employee AND connecting with people on her passion of health coaching.

1) Change your bio to include your hobby, side business, interest, or another hat you wear

Changing your bio (below your name) communicates to people who you’re and what you’re up to.

A coach, writer, volunteer, boy mom, dog mom, business owner. You can include your corporate job and these other hats.

This doesn’t have to be a grand declaration.

Think of it as a conversation starter and connection point.

Pro tip: if your goal right now is to grow in your corporate job, list that 1st in the bio. If your goal right now is to connect with people on other topics, list those 1st.

Reason being - when you comment on someone’s post, you can only see the 1st part of your bio, so be intentional about what is shown.

2) Use Canva to make a banner photo that reflects you

Have fun with this one!

The LinkedIn banner is the 1st impression on your profile and fun way to communicate who you’re and what you’re up to!

Bright colors? Moody colors? Include your corporate title? Or maybe the other hats you wear?

Canva has so many LinkedIn banner templates for you to play with, and gives you the opportunity to communicate what types of things you want to connect on.

Pro tip: allow this to evolve as you evolve! This is your space to show your personality and not take LinkedIn too seriously :)

3) Start posting 1x per week

This gets you talking about your interests and helps you figure out what topics drive the most conversation.

Posting 1x per week eases people into your posts without worrying about “being annoying” with posting a lot.

Also, LinkedIn doesn’t show every post to every person so not everyone will see it.

Pro tip: post a picture with it! LinkedIn is 40% more likely to show it if you have a picture, meaning you’re 40% more likely to connect with “your people.” Posting different types of pictures in each post helps keep things fresh.

—

If you’re nervous about putting yourself out there on LinkedIn, ask:

“what do I want to have more conversations about?”

Because the online conversations turn into in-real-life conversations, which turns into you finding your people :)

A Different Way to Make Your To-Do List

I recently changed how I use to-do lists (because the list got a little too long)

Instead of having 1 list, I have:

• 1 list of activities that require mental energy (anything detailed)

• 1 list of activities that don’t require mental energy (anything I can do on autopilot)

Then I think about:

• When I have my most mental or creative energy

• When I have my least mental or creative energy

Then I align the two.

For example:

• In the morning - I have my most mental energy. Therefore, I reserve that time to do the activities on my “high mental energy to-do list.”

  • Ex: writing, practicing speaking, doing anything detailed

• In the evening after work - I have my least amount of mental energy. Therefore I reserve that time to do the activities on my “low mental energy to-do list.”

  • Ex: dishes, laundry, emails, anything on autopilot, etc.

As someone who has big goals and is balancing a lot of things, this has been a way to prioritize my goals, without leaving them the energy scraps.

On the days where the to-do list gets so long it stresses me out - I can:

• Take a step back

• Recognize if my energy is high or low right now

• Start with just 1 thing that matches my energy in that moment

• Recognize that I don’t have to do everything right now

Time management is just scheduling - energy management is scheduling smarter not harder.

I hope you don't leave yourself or your big goals the energy scraps of the day.

How to Bring Your Partner Along In Your Goals

Have you ever wanted to talk about your goals or Yellows with your partner, but never felt like it was the right time?

I remember being in past relationships and wanting to ask the other person about how their goals were going, or wanted to update them on mine.

But when was the right time?

• After a really long, tiring workday?

• When we had 15 minutes on the way to dinner with my family?

• Was the other person in a headspace to have that conversation?

So when 1 year ago my boyfriend asked me if we could have a weekly, Sunday morning breakfast to talk about our goals - I was totally on board!

Especially since we didn’t live together, Sunday morning breakfast created a clear time for us to connect.

yes this is us in our matching Maisy sweatshirts :)

As two very busy people going after big goals — me writing a book and him building a rocket (yes we are going big here) — our Sunday morning breakfast has been key to balancing our personal goals with the relationship.

Our relationship is not perfect, but here are 4 questions we ask over Sunday morning breakfast that have opened the lines of communication on our goals:

1. How did your goals go last week?

   This is great accountability to whatever you said you were going to do the week before.

   I’ve also found this to be a great designated time to check in, instead of every day asking “hey did you do that thing yet?”

2. What are your goals this week?

   Makes you get clear on the priorities for the week, and helps you communicate to the other person what you have going on and where you’re putting your energy.

3. How can I make this week easier on you?

   Does dropping off dinner make your day easier? Does letting the dog out Thursday make your day easier?

   I also think about it as enabling the other person to meet their goals - such as being on board with shutting off the Netflix and going to bed because you know the person needs to sleep before a big day tomorrow.

4. What is something the other person did to make you feel loved this last week?

   I saw someone on LinkedIn post this and wish I remember who, but this is how we close our Sunday morning.

   It has helped us acknowledge the little things each other does amongst the busyness.

   And you might think you know the other person’s answer to this question, but almost every week I am surprised what stood out to him ;)

The best part about these questions? Meeting your goals becomes a lot more fun because someone has taken the ride with you ;)

What is Growing vs. What is Coasting This Week?

“How can I do it all?” might be the wrong question.

Instead, let’s start asking -

What is growing this week and what is coasting this week?

I’m in a season where I’m trying to balance writing a book, speaking business, work travel, friends’ bachelorette parties, a relationship, and a very demanding puppy.

There is pressure to perfectly give 100% to everything all the time.

But trying to make everything perfectly equal can lead to a perfect disaster of burnout.

—

When we look at our Life Pie - family, friends, work, Yellow, health, etc. - the pieces don’t have to be equal every week.

They can shift and change.

Maybe this week -

• The focus needs to be on growing work because there is an important presentation that requires some extra hours

• While maybe health coasts with 2 workouts instead 4

Maybe next week -

• The focus is your Yellow because you’re hosting a community event

• While work coasts and still solid, but you aren’t doing the extra things you usually do to go above and beyond

Coasting doesn’t mean you’re failing or you’re saying something is no longer on your Life Pie priorities.

Coasting is making 1 piece smaller temporarily so you can grow another.

Because growing one thing well beats burning out trying to grow it all.

As you go into this week:

• What is growing?

• What is coasting?

And own the answer.

When is it Time to Stop Being Consistent (and Evolve Instead)

At the end of 2025, two top podcasters, Jenna Kutcher and Katie Gatti Taussin, ended their shows after publishing consistently for years.

Their reasons were similar —

Both mentioning something along the lines of making space for other things…although they both didn’t have plans for what the “other things” were.

This made me think about the relationship between consistency and evolution.

In our culture, we are rewarded for consistency:

• We get better at what we do

• Likely becomes easier the more we do it

• People around us know what to expect (whether that’s our family, co-workers, or an audience)

But these two women reminded us to not forget about evolving too.

When something is no longer serving us or we need to let it go to make space for other things, that is ok.

When we are deeply ingrained in the consistency of something, it’s ok to listen to that little voice in our head that says:

“I think there is more than this” — even if we don’t know what the next thing is.

By removing something, we could be making room for something even better than we could imagine.

So thank you Jenna and Katie for reminding us that even after a long run of consistency, it’s ok to evolve too. I can’t wait to see what you do next!

How To Answer "So What Are You Up To?"

It’s a holiday week and you KNOW you’re going to get THE question:

“So what are you up to?”

(which is honestly progress to “how’s work?” or “how’s the weather?” so let’s be thankful)

You know you haven’t been up to “nothing” and you’re up to something.

Maybe you’ve been working on a special project and it’s scary to share because you don’t have all the pieces figured out yet.

But you know you’re more than just the person that eat, sleep, works…

—

Earlier this week, I was at a networking event for creatives, and a girl mentioned she was scared to start writing about her special project online.

Someone else chimed in with an interesting suggestion:

What if you wrote a post that said,

“Right now, I’m working on this.” Then the next post is “Right now, I’m working on this.”

I liked the suggestion because it doesn’t require you to have it all figured out before talking about it.

As we go into the holiday - I’m going to practice this “right now” response (because even after 6 years of writing online, I still get scared)!

Allows me to:

• Tell people what I’m working on (without it being a grand declaration)

• Practice saying it out loud

• I may just find some of my biggest cheerleaders, supporters, collaborators and connectors to other people

But I never will if I don’t share it.

This holiday - instead of the “so what are you up to?” question being scary, it’s the perfect opportunity to share the special projects that that make it easier to get out of bed in the morning.

How To Find Your Hobby For 2026

If you want 2026 to be the year of growth, start thinking bigger than just your health or career goals.

I hope you set a goal for your Yellow.

Yellow: a project, idea, hobby, or experience that brings you joy outside of work.

And it’s ok to not know what your Yellow is!

Here are 3 questions to help:

1) What is something you did as a kid that you could do the adult version of now?

For me - doing gymnastics turned into doing yoga as an adult, and making magazines turned into writing blogs as an adult.

Your Yellows have always been inside of you, maybe they just got quiet amongst the other responsibilities you had.

If you have trouble coming up with something, what you’re consuming could give you some signs to what you’re interested in.

2) What is something that intrigues you on social media, tv, etc.?

This is where the scrolling or tv binging can become productive. What is something you thought was interesting or cool that you could maybe try?

Dancing, coding, podcasting, etc.

The reason why you’re consuming the content is probably because you like it, so don’t just watch it, start doing a version of it!

But what if it doesn’t feel like the right time in your life?

3) What is something that would be fitting to do in this stage of life?

Maybe you’re in a stage where you don’t have a lot of responsibility yet. Consider doing the Yellow that takes more time or energy (and do it now while you can)!

Traveling, taking a course, etc.

Maybe you’re in a stage where you have small kids. Consider the hobbies or experiences that could be fitting for this stage of life.

Taking photographs of them, designing their bedroom, etc.

—

I hope 2026 is the year you don’t just DREAM about your Yellow, you DO something about it.

Time Management is Out, Energy Management is In

I’m convinced we don’t need better time management, we need better energy management.

Tuesday night 7pm -

I had some extra time so I thought I would sit down and write my newsletter for next week.

I found myself struggling to pick a topic and didn’t write more than 3 sentences in a hour.

I was frustrated that I wasn’t putting out great work in this hour I had.

But I knew better.

Over the past 6 years - I’ve learned how my body and mind operates:

• I am the most creative in the morning when I have my freshest energy

• I don’t usually have a lot of creative energy after I’ve worked my 9-5 job all day

Doesn’t mean I can’t write at night. I just probably shouldn’t expect to get the same result as when I do it in the morning.

This is where energy management comes in:

Aligning your schedule with how you operate in order to get the most out of your time.

• I do creative work as part of my morning routine so I can use my freshest energy

• I workout after my 9-5 because my brain is usually tired and I’ve been sitting all day, so it’s a good time to move my body

• I do any writing before I jump into emails or social media because I know the writing won’t happen after

Energy management

But yes it’s not always possible based on responsibilities we have.

• Maybe we need to be at work early so it’s hard to make anything happen in the morning

• Maybe your dog or kids need attention at certain times

What are the small things we can do to even slightly align our schedule with our energy?

• Taking 5 minutes in the morning to jot down ideas for your side project

• Not using social media until after your morning routine is make space for that creative thoughts

• Doing Youtube video workout at home instead of going to the gym

So I sit here writing this to you on a Sunday morning at 8am. I’m not only getting it done, but it feels good too.

Time management is just scheduling.

Energy management is scheduling smarter, not harder.

How To Not Let Your Ideas Get Stuck In Your Notes App

It always starts the same way — a steering wheel, a podcast, and a spark that feels too possible to ignore.

• You’re driving into work.

• You’re listening to a really empowering podcast.

• You’re now inspired to start a side project.

• You’re brainstorming all the ways you can make it happen.

• You arrive at work, park your car, and take down a few notes in your phone so you don’t forget the ideas.

• You walk into work, sit down at your desk, and let out a big exhale as you switch your brain over to work mode (when all you want to do is take action on these ideas).

You work your 9–5 because that’s what you’ve got to do — but what happens to those notes in your phone?

Most of the time, they get stuck there.

They just stay as ideas.

And more get added to the list during the next morning commute…

—

But what if those ideas got prioritized?

What if those IDEAS became ACTION?

—

ACTION happens 1 morning at a time.

• Get up.

• Take action on your idea.

• Get the early win.

• Continue with your morning commute.

Then 1 morning becomes a week, a week becomes a month, and months become years.

Those mornings strung together become your life.

A life where your ideas become reality, instead of just living in the notes section of your phone.

A life where you aren’t just showing up to your desk as a 9-5er anymore — but as someone actively building something bigger.

Why It Takes So Long To Find Your People

For 6 years - I thought if I just…

• Read more

• Write more

• DO more

…I’ll be successful in my hobbies, business, and whatever projects I want to pursue.

But I was missing a piece I’m almost embarrassed to admit now…

People. Being around the right people.

—

This year, I’ve leaned into finding “my people”

• Speaking community

• Writing community

• Parter/family/friends/co-workers who are working on their own projects

And wow my business, purpose, happiness, and excitement for my projects has accelerated like crazy!

For the 1st time - I feel like I have really strong supporters, collaborators, and people who get it!

For the 1st time - I feel like I’m not going at it alone.

—

But why did this take so long to find?

For me - it’s been 3 things:

1. Didn’t always have clarity on what I wanted to do - so I didn’t know who to look for

2. I was sometimes scared to bring up my idea - so I didn’t always give people the opportunity to connect or support me

3. I didn’t always identify as an entrepreneur, speaker, writer - so I felt like an imposter showing up in those spaces.

—

But maybe we don’t have to know what we want to do. We just have an itch or a half baked idea.

Maybe it’s ok to be scared.

Maybe we don’t have to BE anything.

Because we’re all just trying to figure it out, right?!

You're Planting Seeds For Future You Right Now

I just finished 30 days of eating no gluten, dairy, or peanuts to help with some health issues I was having.

I thought this would be incredibly difficult.

But there is 1 reason why it wasn’t.

Back in 2022 - I decided I was going to cut back on alcohol.

I did this by:

• Replacing alcohol with mocktails

• Getting comfortable not drinking what everyone else was drinking around me

• In moments of temptation, reminding myself that what I was doing was getting me closer to my goals

I flexed these muscles and did these reps over and over and over again.

Because I had flexed these muscles with alcohol over the past 3 years, I felt confident that I had the tools to take on this diet now.

—

A similar story happened with waking up early for my morning routine.

I woke up at 6:30am for a while, then I tried 6:15am, and then 6am.

Once I proved to myself that I could wake up 15 minutes earlier, adding another 15 minutes every 6 months or so didn’t seem as daunting.

—

This story also happens:

• When running 1 mile a day becomes running 10 miles 6 months later

• When attending a networking event becomes someone you met offering you a job 2 years later

• When writing a blog post once a week becomes you having a column in a publication 10 years later

The seeds you planted a long time ago are blooming now (so give yourself credit for that).

The seeds you plant today will bloom later (even if it’s not in at the speed or in the way you wanted them to).

You’re planting seeds for future you right now.

The little things, the little reps you’re putting in right now are going to pay off.

So keep going!

I remind myself this as I sit here eating my gluten-free, dairy-free pizza that is (hopefully) getting me closer to my happiest, healthy self :)

How To Build Your Personal Brand In The Morning Before Your 9-5

The early days (mornings) of building my brand in 2020

In 2019 - I was posting a weekly podcast about wellness and was too embarrassed to tell people at my 9-5 job I was doing so.

Now in 2025 -

• I post 2x a week on LinkedIn

• Write 1 newsletter a week on Substack

• Host multiple Morning Routine Workshops a year at my 9-5 corporate job

• Am often greeted with “hey you’re the morning routine girl” when I meet someone new at work or at a conference

In 6 years - I’ve made so many…

• Scary

• Wandering

• Cringy

• Exciting

• Throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall

• So-worth-it…

…mistakes while building my personal brand.

But I got up early (most) mornings with the belief that there is so much more to me than my 9-5 job title — and building a personal brand that includes my interests/passions/quirks would be a testament to that.

—

If you want to be known for something and start building your personal brand online in the morning before your 9-5, here are 3 things I would do (and not do).

1) Ask — What do I want to have more conversations about?

This question helps you:

• Experiment with topics

• Gather data on what you enjoy talking about and what others enjoy hearing from you

• Move past the fear of what people might think

It’s normal for thoughts like “What will my coworkers or friends think?” and “I don’t exactly know where I’m going with this” —to creep in.

Asking a low-pressure question like “What do I want to have more conversations about?” helps you:

• Find your people who will like, comment, and engage with your content

• Realize everyone else will scroll by and not think twice!

Ask yourself this question and see where it takes you.

2) Pick a Format & Platform You (and Your People) Like

It’s easy to feel like you need to post everywhere — but you don’t.

Pick one format and platform you enjoy and where your ideal audience spends time.

Then, get really good at it!

Examples:

• Podcasting — perfect if you want to reach busy moms who listen in the car.

• Instagram — great if you love visual creativity, like interior design

• LinkedIn — ideal if you like to write and start conversations about topics like millennials in leadership.

If you like the format and platform, you’ll naturally:

• Put more energy into it

• Get better over time

• Connect with people who enjoy your content too

3) Start Posting 1 Morning per Week

Creating before work ensures your personal brand stays a priority — and doesn’t get put on the back burner (again).

A weekly routine example:

• Monday: Create your post

• Tuesday: Edit and post

  (this gives you time to edit without overthinking)

Habit stack it:

• Do it right after brushing your teeth or pouring your coffee.

• Linking it to an existing habit increases consistency.

Create before you consume:

• Write your post with a fresh mind before scrolling to avoid comparison trap or going down the rabbit hole.

Start small:

• Begin with just one post a week.

• You’ll be surprised how far 1 post a week pushes your brand (and your confidence)!

Career Planning is Out, Life Planning is In

I think we may be asking GenZ the wrong questions.

I was talking with an intern this week about career planning.

She has 2 years left of school — and is trying to figure out the 1st job she wants, let alone what she wants her career to look like.

You could tell she had been asked a million times what she wants to do and there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm to have the conversation again.

So I said, “let’s put this topic to the side and talk life planning.”

That’s when we started getting somewhere.

Her face lit up as we talked about:

• Where she wanted to live

• What she wanted to be able to do outside of work

• How her relationship may impact her decisions for post-grad

• What she thought the traditional career path was vs. what she actually wants to do

As we started putting her life pieces together, you could tell it brought her ease, excitement, and clarity as to what what her career options could be.

So instead of asking “what job do you want?”

Maybe we start asking “what do you want your life to look like?”

Doesn’t mean we forget about career planning.

We are just figuring out how our career fits into our life, and not how our life fits into our career.

If we want the next generation of leaders to be happy, healthy, and fulfilled, we need to start asking better questions.

(and maybe ask ourselves this question if we haven’t already)

How I Broke The Eat/Sleep/Work Cycle

Maybe the path we're taught to take isn't the one we're supposed to follow.

The first time I thought about this I was 22, fresh out of college, and about 3 months into my first corporate job.

My mornings looked like setting my alarm for 6:00 a.m. for work, hitting snooze exactly 9 times, and rolling over to scroll social media until the very last minute that I needed to get up.

I would then proceed to rush around to get ready, grab my coffee, and hop in the car to start my dark 30 minute commute to work.

30 minutes was usually enough time for the caffeine to kick in, get to my desk, and let out that deep exhale of relief after the last hour and a half of rushing I just did.

I would then work my 9 hours, drive home, eat, sleep, and do it all over again the next day.

And the next day and the next day and the next day.

I don't know about you, but —

In college I was taught “get the job, get the job, get the job” and not much else was the focus. I don’t blame them as the goal IS to get a job when you graduate.

Not to mention, older generations had passed down the idea that work was everything.

Well mama I made it! Work was everything and only thing I was doing.

I couldn't help but think,

“I think there is more than this.”

I think there is more than this eat/sleep/work cycle.

It wasn't in an “is the grass greener somewhere else” type of way or not being thankful for the job I had. I loved my job and was so thankful for it!

But I wondered IF I could break the eat/sleep/work cycle.

IF I could do something outside of work.

IF my happiness, my identity, my purpose could come from something else.

So from then on, my dark 30 minute commutes to work became the time to think about what this something else could be.

I wanted to be an interesting, healthy, well-rounded person with good habits and cool hobbies.

I had so many ideas that when I was getting to my desk, I started writing all of these sticky notes of things I wanted to do and things I wanted to become. Stacks upon stacks of sticky notes everywhere because of course, I was a perfectionist and goody 2 shoes who couldn't be seen on my phone during work, no way!

Even though I had all of these ideas and sticky notes, I thought

“how the heck am I going to have time for this?!”

I was always so tired at the end of the work day. How am I going to have time for this?!

I wondered if I could wake up just a little bit earlier to do these things as part of my morning routine before going to work.

Over the next 6 years, those sticky notes and early mornings became:

• Starting new habits like daily journaling and daily walks

• Pursuing my interests like getting my yoga teacher certification and becoming an entrepreneur and writer

• A space to make intentional decisions for my life like reevaluating my relationship with alcohol and prioritizing monthly dinner with my 84 year old Grammy

Mornings became a space to build the life I wanted.

But I wasn't the only one.

I know:

• Financial analysts who have become bloggers as part of their morning routine

• IT professionals who have become morning meal preppers to stay healthy

• HR managers who became morning workout people when they never thought they'd become morning workout people

All because of making space in the morning. Breaking the eat/sleep/work cycle and finding their version of work life balance.

I know you can find that for yourself too!

I know the morning isn't for everyone.

As you explore the many resources for morning routines, I want you to take what you need and leave the rest for someone else.

Maybe you're in a spot where evenings are a better time to make time for yourself.

Maybe you're in a spot where work needs to be 110% the focus right now. Maybe you can consider how a 2 minute morning routine could make it work better because ultimately morning routines do make our work better…

Morning routines help us develop

• Creativity and curiosity

• Self-awareness

• Time management

• Focus

• Mental clarity

• Adaptability

• Confidence

• Consistency

• Become a more thoughtful, trusted leader in the workplace

If you’re trying to break the eat/sleep/work cycle, consider:

1. Who do I want to become? What does that person do?

2. How can I make time to make it happen?

Because you’re more than your work; you just have to believe it.

If breaking the eat/sleep/work cycle is something you’ve been thinking about, direct message me so I can cheer you on because you don’t have to do this alone :)

The Person To Have In Your Corner In The Early Stages of An Idea

If you have an idea, there are 4 people who determine if your idea is turned into action.

Whether it’s:

• Starting a blog

• Running a marathon

• Opening an Etsy shop

Although I would tell you it’s up to YOU if that idea comes into fruition, no matter how much discipline you have, there are people that will influence you.

1 of the 4 people who will influence you is someone during the early stages of your idea…

—

2018 --

I had just graduated college and moved in with my roommate Emily as we started our 1st corporate jobs.

About 3 months in, I decided I NEEDED something other than work.

I had started listening to podcasts on my 1 hour round trip commute to work, and I wanted to start one!

I don’t remember telling Emily straight up that I was going start a podcast, just that I was thinking about it.

Since I had no idea what I was doing --

I took a course from my favorite podcaster and started putting the pieces in place.

I learned in the course how important audio quality was, so I started recording in my little apartment closet.

Even in the closet, our heat and A/C could be picked up in the audio, and I was a budget-conscious, post-grad kid not looking to insulate my apartment closet.

I asked Emily if I could turn off the heat or A/C for the 30 (sometimes 60) mins while I recorded.

In the thick of the hot summer or depths of cold winter, she graciously said yes.

Even if I inconvenienced her, I'm not sure if she knew how much that small act meant to me.

It's like she saw my goal and made it a little easier for me to reach.

She even went as far to get me a cute door hanger that said "recording in progress" like I was legit or something.

She connected me with her graphic designer friend to do my podcast cover art and ran around Cleveland with me to take my first brand pictures for my website.

In those early days, the voice in my head said --

• "I don't want to bother my roommate!"

• "Who am I to do this podcast?"

• "What are people going to think of me?!"

Emily helped make the voices in my head a little quieter, and not hold me back from moving forward.

It didn’t just help me start a podcast; it was a catalyst for all the other projects I would go on to do (like Substack).

If you have an idea --

Tell a friend, even in the early stages, even if it's scary.

You don’t need to tell everyone or post it on social media at the beginning.

Just 1 person.

You never know who is going to support you and how much confidence it's going to give you to move forward.

We all need an "Early-Stage Emily" in our life.

And if you can’t think of anyone you would trust — find a group or community in your city, a podcast, or Youtube channel talking about your specific idea.

Because even if you’re doing this idea alone, you shouldn’t have to feel alone.

—

P.S. I’m lucky Emily is still 1 of my biggest hype girls today! :)

Stay tuned for the other 3 people who determine if your idea is turned into action over the next few weeks :)

You Aren't Lazy - You Might Just Need A System

You’re probably not falling short on your goals because you're lazy.

You just need a SYSTEM to make your goals happen.

Here are 3 systems to help you follow through on your goals —without relying on willpower.

1) You want to spend more time with someone or do an activity more regularly.

Set a monthly calendar invite.

It reminds you that you've declared it a priority and to not forget about it.

Dinner with your grandma, calling a long distance friend, taking a day to do something fun.

Monthly (rather than daily, weekly, or quarterly) feels regular enough while also feeling attainable.

Be intentional about what it is to avoid everything becoming a priority (meaning nothing is a priority).

And hopefully it's something you can look forward to too.

2) You want to get up early and have a morning routine.

Set your alarm across the room

We can't always rely on motivation, especially when we are in our cozy bed on a crisp morning. 

Setting your alarm across the room eliminates the hardest decision of the day of whether you're going to get out of bed right now

(unless of course you and the people you share space or walls with are ok with the alarm continually going off).

Getting up to turn off the alarm puts you into motion and builds momentum for all other things you want to do in the day.

Makes exercising, writing the book, starting the business a little easier.

You haven't done these things because you're lazy; you may just not have set up your environment for success yet.

3) You have a long list of books you want to read.

Schedule time daily to read.

10 pages or 1 chapter. 

Habit stack or place it after something you already do to make the new habit seem less hard.

Even if you don't have a lot of time, this is a little thing you can do to level up and/or actually read & follow-up on a book someone has recommended to you.

Audiobooks in the car or while walking counts too.

You would be surprised how a few pages consistently can make a big impact on your growth.

You haven't done these things because you're lazy - you may just not have a system.

Humanizing the Hustle - Behind the Scenes of Being A Speaker

People talk about hustle and grind of reaching your goals, but they don't always talk about the emotions.

To humanize the process of reaching your goals, here is a behind the scenes look of booking a dream speaking gig…

People (hopefully) see a confident, polished 45 min workshop

But what you don't see…

1 week before a workshop, I put in about 10 hours of practice -- questioning how much preparation is enough 

That's after the hours of:

1. Creating the thoughtful, final version -- while fighting my perfectionism

2. Creating the horrible first draft -- and coming to terms with your ego that your first idea stunk

3. Morning journaling -- to assure myself that I'm not an imposter and I can do this

4. Time in the car, shower, and dog walks -- when I'm trying to relax, but my best ideas are hitting

5. Emails & calls to create a low-stress situation for the event organizers -- because their emotions matter too

6. Following up and following up again to pitch event organizers to book me -- while contemplating if a no or a ghost is worse

7. Designing my website, brand, and speaker outfit -- and wondering how the world will perceive me

And that's after years of pivoting and evolving -- and giving myself the permission to do so.

This isn't to tell you how much work I put in, but to remind you (and me!) that:

• Good things take time

• It’s going to be freakin scary sometimes

• People may seem confident, but they're figuring it out too

• If you keep showing up, big things can happen

I conquer most of these tasks & emotional hurdles in the morning.

Some mornings are a confident, productive 10 minutes, while others are a messy, scary 2 hours.

Just showing up is 1 step closer to your goal.

Let’s show up this week!

The 4 A’s of Consistency

The key to consistency isn’t perfection—it’s about what you’re doing the majority of the time.

Because what you do majority of the time is who you become.

Take working out.

Maybe you’ve hit the gym 6 mornings this week, but you’re frustrated you didn’t make it on the 7th. Safe to say you’re becoming a morning workout person.

Or maybe it's the opposite and you say you’re a morning workout person, but if we’re being real, you’ve gone once in the past month.

What you do most often is who you're becoming.

So, do you need to give yourself grace because you're putting in the work? Or do you need a little push to get your habits to match the person you want to become?

Either way, if you want to feel proud of the morning routine you're building, consider the 4 A’s of Consistency:

Applicability – Why are you getting up to do these things in the morning? Does it contribute to the person YOU want to be? A strong why will keep you getting out of bed.

Adaptability – Not all 7 days of the week are the same. Create 2 versions of your routine (ex: office vs. WFH) that allow you to adjust based on your schedule. Giving yourself flexibility and not living in the "all or nothing" will help you be consistent.

Accountability – Write it down, track it, or tell someone who’ll check in on you. Committing to yourself, seeing your progress, and a little external push can help you be consistent.

Attainability – Don't go all beast mode right away. Start where you are and use the +1 Strategy: take one small step, prove to yourself you can do it, and build from there. That's how you build a consistent routine in a sustainable way.

When all us fails - have an Anchor Activity

An Anchor Activity is something that you do anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 mins.

Journaling, stretching, taking a shower, deep breaths

Something you can do quickly and take anywhere (even on vacation).

An anchor represents steadiness and commitment.

The steady commitment you make to yourself every day to show up.

When Does Reflection Become Rumination?

I used to see reflection - in work and life - as good as it helps us learn from our experiences. 

But is there such thing as too much reflection?

Can reflection become rumination?

I asked myself this question when I listened to Chris Williamson's Modern Wisdom podcast with his guest Freya India.

She discussed therapy culture and how specifically girls are ruminating on thoughts that often lead to anxiety or depression. I recommend giving it a listen even for the 1st 30 minutes.

By definition, rumination is:

A repetitive and passive thought pattern, involves dwelling on negative experiences or situations, often focusing on the causes and effects of distress without actively seeking solutions or moving forward. 

I see rumination show up:

At work - when multiple co-workers come together to complain about a problem, raising each others emotions more and more as it's shared collectively, and a lot of times no action is taken.

In life - when you're journaling about the same thing over and over again and no action is taken to change that.

We see this too in a culture where we are encouraged to reflect on everything, set goals, meditate, journal, go to therapy, etc.

Yes connection to others and ourselves are good parts of reflection, but when does it become excessive?

When does reflection become rumination?

How do we know we've gotten to that point?

The easy answer: at the point where no action is taken 

The hard answer: when we no longer trust ourselves to take the next step forward

—

I'll give you an example of when reflection became rumination for me (and maybe they will help you discover them in yourself)

A relationship I needed to get out of -

I thought having a daily journal practice was helpful in working through problems I was having in a relationship.

Until every journal entry day after day became about the same relationship problems with little to no action taken after.

Not to mention it came up in every therapy session and conversation with a friend.

Reflection quickly became rumination 

It took until the rumination showed up in my body physically as heart pounding, headaches, and a constant pit in my stomach.  Looking back, my intuition and body were telling me something needed to change.

What I learned from that experience is to not let to rumination get to that point. Take action.

When I eventually addressed the problems, they couldn't be resolved, and I decided to leave the relationship, the physical symptoms went away almost like a 500lb rock had been lifted off my chest. 

I wish I hadn't ignored my feelings and reflections, and trusted myself more.

There are many other stories I could tell you about reflection becoming rumination.

Maybe you can relate to:

• Creative projects not making it past the pages of my journal because of imposter syndrome

• Over perfecting my business website, but not taking action to get actual sales

• Not communicating with a co-worker about on-going problems to the point it built resentment

Hopefully 1 of these stories helps you reflect on your reflections (but not ruminate too much of course!).

Makes me believe that reflection becomes rumination when you no longer trust your thoughts and abilities.

Trust is built with ourselves when we write down what we want to do and then we do it. Again and again and again.

Your morning is a perfect time to build this muscle.

You can use what I call the NOW Model to not get stuck at N and O and take action NOW!

It may take many mornings and reps, but it's how we prove to ourselves that we can go from reflection to action.

Because everyone deserves to wake up feeling proud and trusting that there is a path forward.

How to Find (Good) Ideas For Your Morning Routine

The secret to a great morning routine isn’t copying someone else’s—it’s knowing which parts to ignore.

Say you want to do something other than work, be interesting, well-rounded, but you just don't know what that is.

And maybe you've tried the healthy or woo woo things people say to do in the morning and you're just straight up not interested in them.

We can gain inspiration from other people's paths, but following someone else's routine copy/paste isn't what is going to get YOU out of bed.

So how do you find something that's going to get YOU out of bed?

Step 1: Draw Your Life Pie

Identify the 3-6 sections of your life. Think about…

• Who do you want to be? What does that person do?

• What do you want to make time for?

• What are your priorities?

Examples of pieces: Family, friends, work, health, hobbies, home, etc.

Consider what activities could be in each of these pieces.

(health could include sleep, journaling, working out, therapy)

I recommend having…

• Minimum of 3: to diversify your identity & happiness

• Maximum of 6: to get really clear on who you want to be

Focus on drawing your ideal Life Pie, recognizing what you’re doing right now is maybe not where you want to be. Hopefully this exercise gets you closer to the life you want to be living.

Step 2: Decide what pie piece & activity you want to use your morning for.

Use these questions to help select the RIGHT activity for your morning:

• What do you crave in the morning?

• What frequently gets lost in your day that you could put first?

• What requires focus?

• What requires no socialization?

• What do you like your morning to look like on vacation?

• What would you be bummed you didn't do this time next year?

• What did you like to do as a kid that you could do the adult version now?

Examples:

You could go on a walk because that is what your ideal morning looks like on vacation and contributes to your health pie piece.

You could choose to write a book because that’s what you keep saying you’re going to do every year and contributes to your interests pie piece.

You could do yoga because this is the adult version of doing gymnastics as a kid and contributes to your health pie piece.

—

Your morning routine plan being derived from your Life Pie reinforces what you’re doing is important and is worth getting out of bed for.

But that COULD mean tuning out what everyone is doing and finding what works for you.

But that’s when you start living YOUR life instead of someone else’s.