Hey Leader,
When my CEO asked me to moderate a panel with Chobani’s Chief Impact Officer and Kellanova’s Chief Philanthropy Officer with two weeks’ notice, my first thought was:
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Not because I didn’t want to do it, but because I was already giving:
2 keynotes
Moderating another panel with a C-suite leader from Accenture
And I was ultimately responsible for the success of the entire 700-person conference 😬
Two years earlier, I would’ve said no. I would’ve told myself I wasn’t ready.
But this time, I said yes.
Not because the timing was great or because the fear was gone.
But because I trusted that I could handle it, and that mattered more than perfect prep.
Confidence doesn’t come first.
Courage does.
I showed up nervous, led the panel, and ended up loving every second of it.
You have to say yes before you’re ready. It’s the only way real growth happens.
Lead boldly, live fully, & don’t forget to breathe.
In your corner,
Scroll-Stoppers
This week’s most valuable scroll-worthy stuff, from tools to truth bombs!
Taylor Swift’s “3 Pens” trick = surprisingly effective. This dorky (but genius) method boosts focus by helping you tackle one task at a time.
Stability isn’t about staying still; it’s about standing strong. Brené Brown’s Strong Ground unpacks what it really takes to lead through instability.
Layoffs don’t pause the work. Leaders still have to perform. What Starbucks’ $1B restructuring reminds us about leading through chaos.
The Thrive Feature
Something big we’re building behind the scenes.
Register for the Masterclass on 10/28!
If your schedule feels like a game of Tetris and you’re always leading through the chaos, this one’s for you.
We all know the advice set better boundaries, time-block, prioritize.
But if you’ve tried all that and it still doesn’t stick, there’s a reason.
In this free masterclass, I’ll show you why those “expert” fixes don’t work, and what actually does.
Join me live on October 28 at 12 PM PT to learn how to:
Reclaim 10+ hours a week
Get your team to take real ownership (without doing their work for them)
Create the space and structure to actually breathe again
Try This Today
Quick experiments for calmer inboxes, lighter loads, and more human leadership.
Step back before you spiral.
When tasked with something new, get quiet for five minutes and ask: “Does this opportunity move me closer to who I want to be?” If the answer’s yes, do it scared.Negotiate what you need.
Saying yes doesn’t mean saying yes to everything. When I agreed to moderate the panel with Chobani and Kellanova, I also told my CEO I’d need help prepping part of the session so I could show up ready, given the timeline.Borrow confidence from your past wins.
You’ve figured out hard things before; you can figure this one out, too, because you can do the damn thing.
Your Power Reframe
You don’t build confidence by waiting until you’re ready.
You build it by showing up before you’re ready, learning, adjusting, and proving to yourself (again) that you can.
This Sparked Something
Little joys, leadership sparks, & random things we’re loving this week!
Joy move of the week: I’m all for eating clean, but sometimes the win is a chocolate croissant on a Monday. 10/10 would recommend. 😂 ~Alli
Best thing we read this week: Taylor Swift’s 3-Pen Strategy, which involves using different pens for different kinds of songs, and what that teaches us about creativity and focus. ~Alli
Anticipatory joy moment: Traveling to another island next week with my fam (no set itinerary, just letting the week and birthday weekend unfold). ~Pau