Hey Leader,
At CultureCon a couple of weeks ago, my friend Kashonda and I made a simple pact before we even got to Vegas.
We’ve both been to conferences where you stick with the same two people the entire time, and they’re your safety blanket (#introvert).
This time, we wanted more from ourselves. So we made a pact.
No hiding in familiar corners.
No coasting through the easy conversations.
No letting comfort run the agenda.
So each day we did a quick check-in, nothing formal.
Just a “How’s it going today?”, and “Did you talk to someone new?”,
The morning after the conference, we bumped into each other at the gym, exhausted, sweaty, and proud. And it hit me: we’d done it. Instead of only meeting my two-person safety blanket, I met 25+ people and interviewed 9 women in leadership.
What started as “let’s meet people” became this quiet container for growth, the kind that doesn’t need a big moment to be real.
Leadership isn’t always loud.
Most days, it’s a small choice to stretch instead of shrink, a shared goal, a bit of accountability baked in, and someone who holds you to the version of yourself you’re trying to grow into.
You can’t outsource your growth.
But having someone who refuses to let you play small goes a long way.
Lead boldly, live fully, & don’t forget to breathe.
In your corner,
PS: This is exactly why The Elevate Lab includes a community of women who get it, along with the kind of built-in accountability that helps you step outside your comfort zone and make real, lasting change.
Scroll-Stoppers
This week’s most valuable scroll-worthy stuff, from tools to truth bombs!
I shared the CultureCon pact this week, a quick reminder of what happens when you stop doing the comfortable thing.
Brené Brown’s “marble jar” story is a simple way to see how trust is actually built, one tiny moment at a time.
How great leaders manage the tension between what’s urgent and what actually matters. A spot-on mirror for how we get stretched thin.
Try This Today
What’s your next stretch, and who’s your Kashonda?
Pick one stretch that would actually change something for you.
Last week, I caught myself reaching for what felt easy. We all do it, but I didn’t let myself stay in fear. I felt the fear and did it anyway. Choose the one stretch that would genuinely move the needle, not the one that looks good on paper.
Bring in the person who won’t let you play small.
Having someone in my orbit who checked in with a simple “Did you stretch today?” made a huge difference. Loop in the person who tells you the truth, not the person who tells you you’re fine.
Name one place you’re defaulting to comfort and swap the move.
I noticed my own comfort reflex more than once. You have yours too, a meeting you coast through, a decision you delay, a conversation you avoid. Work on catching it earlier and choose the next step future you would take.
The Reset Lab
If you’ve been feeling stretched thin or stuck in “always on” mode, this is your reminder that you don’t have to wait for the New Year to make change.
Lately, so many women leaders have told me they feel like they’re just trying to survive Q4. So I created something that meets you exactly where you are, even when your plate is full and your energy is low.
The Reset Lab is designed to help you get out of reactive mode and back into leading on your own terms. We start just before Thanksgiving and wrap before the holidays, so you go into 2026 already feeling ahead.
Inside The Reset Lab, you’ll get the tools to:
Quiet the noise
Stop carrying work home in your head
Reset the habits that keep you in the weeds
Make space for the kind of leadership you actually want to practice
Four weeks. Five spots left. A group of women who get it.
Book a call here if you want in, or reply with any questions.
Your Power Reframe
Because what you believe shapes how you live & lead.
For years, I worked in places where loud leadership was the norm.
3 a.m. emails, constant pings, and this unspoken pressure to respond immediately.
I picked up the habit without even noticing 🙃
But here’s what I know now: leadership isn’t about being the fastest to reply or jumping in before your team can.
It’s about responding only to what truly requires you and letting everything else sit long enough for your team to step in.
If something is truly urgent, someone will find you.
This Sparked Something
Little joys, leadership sparks, & random things we’re loving this week!
Joy move of the week: I’ve been taking a “nervous system recess”, one minute in the middle of the day to literally do nothing. It’s playful, quick, and surprisingly grounding 😀 ~Alli
Unexpected joy: My cat, Darky, had three kittens this week, which officially makes me a grandma, lol 😂 ~Pau
Mini permission slip: I declared an “Operation Off Duty” day where I had zero responsibilities and made zero decisions. It was honestly the reset I needed. ~Alli