Get. It. Done. That’s what you do.
If you’re like most of my clients, you’re a high-achieving, find-a-way, make-a-way kinda woman. These qualities have served you well as you’ve built your business but if you're being honest, they’ve also been disruptive to the rest of your life.
What started out as a short-term sacrifice for long-term gain has turned into your new normal.
Getting up early and staying up late.
Shuffling passion projects to the (far) back burner.
Showing up late and distracted to your kid’s activities.
Passing up date nights and time out with your friends.
Always being ‘on’… tied to your phone with your mind on business no matter where you are or what you’re doing.
What felt exciting and necessary in the beginning feels increasingly like a noose tightening around your neck. It’s sucking the life … and joy… out of you. Your business is doing okay, but the rest of your life? Not so much. You're exhausted, overwhelmed, and you can’t help but wonder how in the world you can keep going at this pace. It feels like a house of cards that’s on the verge of collapse.
Hey, I get it. I’ve been there, too.
That’s why I have so much passion for my work.
I’m a Life & Business Strategist who supports women who want to grow their businesses and careers without burning out.
I help clients learn to focus on the right things at the right time so they can make more money and still have plenty of guilt-free breathing room to enjoy life.
The path here was not a straight line.
I was no stranger to the juggling act. Being a working mom of five kids kept me very busy, and prior to 2007, I never even had an inkling or a desire to start a business. I was fulfilled by my work as a human resources manager.
When my overachieving nature eventually started creeping in and my regular work wasn't feeling like enough, I started volunteering for special projects and got involved with outside organizations and committees. It felt really rewarding because it allowed me to use skills & talents that energized me.
It was all good… until it wasn’t.
Without warning, everything took a sharp left and I found myself being sucked down into a negative spiral.
Significant company and management changes at my job shook me. All the things that lit me up were stripped away. I went from loving my work to dreading it.
Simultaneously, I was blindsided by some very unsettling practices inside of an organization where I had been elected to serve in a leadership capacity.
Everything in my professional life was suddenly out of alignment with my values.
It felt like the bottom fell out.
One day I found myself in the employee bathroom hoping that the noise of the hand dryer would drown out the sound of my sobs.
My normally optimistic outlook turned dark and it felt like I was drowning.
Something had to give.
Enter the side hustle years.
With my situation in the corporate world deteriorating, I knew I needed to come up with a plan B. There was no way I could live out the rest of my working years in that kind of environment.
I knew there had to be other people, like me, who needed to find hope and encouragement to lift themselves out of a dark place. Armed with nothing more than that belief, I started building an online community (long before groups were a thing) which morphed into a global movement and a charitable organization - Positivity Nation. I began giving talks and hosting personal development events centered around positivity, hope, and kindness.
I was learning on the fly. It was totally overwhelming.
I came into this whole thing blind and in the process of discovery, I was bombarded with endless amounts of messaging that left me feeling like I was always behind. Every ad that showed up in my Facebook newsfeed was telling me why I needed to know something about growing my business that I didn’t. The constant message I received was “if you don’t do this, you’ll never make it.”
From building a mailing list to running a webinar
From writing a book to offering online courses
From acing Facebook ads to Google analytics
From creating sales pages to designing funnels
From growing a social media following (on an ever-growing list of platforms) to building a strong web presence
And on and on and on
Seriously? I was supposed to do all that?
I didn’t know what I didn’t know so I leaned into my learning junkie tendencies and dove head first into anything and everything that the ‘gurus’ told me I needed to do.
I slipped into a learning coma.
My brain was on overload; I was simply consuming too much.
I started comparing myself to every other online entrepreneur and I never measured up. Even when I made the leap from charitable organization to business and started generating revenue, it felt like I was waaaaay at the back of the pack.
It all became too much. I had to step away. It had turned into one of those situations where the cure was worse than the ailment.
The only way forward was to draw a line in the sand.
I couldn’t keep going at this rate. It was all catching up with me.
My alarm being set 2 hours early so I could do my own work before going to work.
My lunches spent responding to emails and messages and making yet another tweak to my website, or blog post, or opt-in.
Every night after dinner hitting the couch with my laptop to work on the next new thing.
Staying up until the wee hours of the morning then doing it all over again. I was operating on four hours (or less) sleep a night… every night. Exhaustion left me with zero patience for myself, let alone anyone else.
It was time to either make a change or suffer a full-fledged burn-out and I wasn’t willing to let that happen.
My resolve was strong.
I unsubscribed from a zillion email lists.
I stopped clicking on all the ads & videos that showed up in my newsfeed.
I got clear not only on my big vision but what my short term goals were as well. And maybe even more importantly, I got crystal clear about the quality of life I wanted to live – with or without a business.
The boundaries I set with myself were at least as important as the boundaries I began to set with others.
Deciding to protect my energy, trust my gut, and sift through what the next best step was … instead of constantly living from a place of FOMO (fear of missing out) thinking five steps ahead and feeling ten steps behind… was like oxygen to my soul.
It was time to take my side-hustle to the next level.
In 2016, I left my nearly 20 year career in HR in order to dedicate my time to training, coaching, and mentoring on a full-time basis.
The more women I worked with, the more I became aware that the things I learned while navigating my own life and business up to this point were just as valuable to my clients as any formal training and certifications I’d completed. I was being asked more questions about how I’d created my business and why I’d made the choices I had far more frequently than I was about my original topics and offerings.
It was in all of this that I uncovered my true passion and purpose. I found my groove.
I escaped the hustle and grind.
Decision by decision and with laser focus, I got clear on what mattered. I strengthened my business and the quality of my life and relationships,too.
I let go of the things that weren’t serving me and doubled down on the things that were.
My confidence grew to a point where not only could I call total B.S. on the myth that you have to hustle and grind to have business success, I proved it.
Now I have a business and life I love.
I no longer compare my business to others ; I do what works for me.
I use my training -- and lessons from my personal journey - to help women thrive in their business while living a fulfilling life. And it genuinely lights me up!
I set the hours I want to work and choose the people I want to work with.
I have the freedom to decide which projects I want to give my time, focus, and energy to and make a hard pass to those I don’t… without guilt.
At the same time I get to…
Choose if I want to stay up late or get up early… and nothing in my business is going to fall apart based on those choices.
Take off on spontaneous motorcycle rides with my husband and truly be in the moment.
Spend time with my girlfriends, let my hair down, and laugh so hard my belly hurts.
Enjoy whimsical playdates with my grandkids without always checking in on my phone.
Engage in impromptu game nights with my (now adult) kids.
Go for walks on the beach, read books (for pure pleasure), or just ‘be’ without any agenda or pressure.
The icing on the cake? My business still continues to grow.
I want this for you, too.
I’m on a mission to help you take your business to the next level without sacrificing your sanity, sleep or fun.
