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If you're building a business, I have a very special Christmas gift for you. The gift arrives in 2026, and I'll reveal it shortly, but first, I want to share something.  December is a natural pause point for women in business and in high-level roles. It's a natural pause for our businesses: our clients may not need us, we may be looking to wrap up the year, reflect on the past year, and prepare for the next. We're thinking: What have we built? What have we learned? What have we navigated this year? At this point, you're probably closing loops, celebrating wins, and starting to imagine what's coming next. Even when things are going well, December invites these bigger questions: What do I want more of next year? How do I want success to feel? This is an intentional moment, a zoom out so we can look ahead with optimism. You Deserve Strong Support Women are often the planners, the connectors, the vision holders. We're the ones who make things happen and keep everything moving. In business, that means we have the leadership, the resilience, the adaptability. But it isn't about depletion. We shouldn't just be waiting for the holiday time to recoup and re-energize. It's really about recognizing how much capacity we have, how much capacity exists in us, and how much capacity we want moving forward. Strong women also deserve strong support, strong motivation, and strong inspiration. Giving to yourself is powerful. Christmas is about generosity and care. Sometimes the most meaningful generosity is directed inwards. We are leading, building, and creating, and we are in need of support as well. Where Have You Been Generous? Think about where you've been generous with your time, your energy, your leadership this year. Where might you choose to invest back into yourself? Maybe that's the gift you really need. We don't need another physical gift, another purse, another mug, another planner, another productivity tool. What really creates momentum? Three things:
Right now, clarity, confidence, and community, which of the three is the most exciting to you? Take a moment. What's your gut decision? The honest truth is you can be successful and still crave connection. You can be confident and still want a stronger circle of support. When you take ambition, your strength, skills, talents and gifts, and connect that with support, it's such a winning combination. The Power of Being in the Right Room For me, I just came back from the CAPS convention (the Canadian Association of Professional speakers) in Halifax. When I am in the right room, it expands my thinking, especially being in the high-income earners group. Those are my people, the people who understand the challenges I go through. You know that feeling when the right event, convention, or room sparks new confidence in you and creates new possibilities, and from that, energy and perspective. There's so much power in being surrounded by your people, especially with other women who are growing too and wanting more for themselves, wanting more success for the business, but also wanting more in life. There's a difference between consuming information (that we're all being bombarded with it) and actually being invested in an experience. Being in person matters for momentum, belief, energy, and resonance. My Gift to You That's why I want to go back to my roots. When I first started running my business, especially after my daughter was born. I was sick of surface-level networking and started the Dynamic Women community. I started with one location and grew to eight, running live events and in-person training. Then I moved online with COVID, and I'm ready to bring it back. I'm ready to recreate these special containers, special spaces that have intention, that have heart, and that are kick-butt in the information and the experience we have. The Women's Business Success Seminar Returns The very first one I ran was in Vancouver at Hycroft Manor, an Edwardian mansion. We were in the big ballroom with 70 women for a three-hour event. It was amazing. I kept running these events in North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, and Ontario. They are designed specifically for women building businesses who want to grow with clarity, confidence, and connection.  I brought it online and it was still magical. But recently I've been thinking: I want to get back to being in person and I don't want to do the big ones right now. What I want to do is small, intimate ones where we all sit around a table, and we get to share learn, engage and have an experience. It's designed to help you step into the next year (and the next quarter, the next month, the next day) with clear direction and stronger confidence in how you show up, where you have real connections with real, like-minded women, and the momentum from that event will carry you forward immediately. What Makes This Different This is an event where you're not just listening (speaker after speaker where you just take notes). You're engaged. With my background in teaching and curriculum development, I always make it where you're engaged with the material and the group. You're being reflective, you're sharing, you're connecting, so you'll leave with fresh perspective and new ideas, but renewed energy from being able to verbalize, to implement, to connect with others on what matters most to you. It's not hype, it's not hustle, it's not pressure. It's focused, grounded, and genuinely energizing. I invite you to attend as my guest. Here are the Event Details: When: January 8 (Thursday), two sessions on the same day Where: North Vancouver, near my home Capacity: Only 10 spots per session Investment: Normally $197, but use the special link to sign up here and your ticket is Diane's gift to you. Just cover the $25 Seat Deposit, and when you attend, you'll receive a book from the Dynamic Women® Secrets Series as your gift. There will be an online version later for those who aren't local. Make sure you sign up for the waitlist. Who Is This For?
You don't need to be ready. You don't need to have all your ducks in a row. You don't need a perfect plan. Just have some curiosity and optimism that you’re going to have a great time and get a lot out of it. Why Is This My Gift? Normally to attend these sessions costs $197 because it's three hours of my time and content. It's like group coaching, strategy and connection together in a beautiful boardroom. But I invite you to pick this up as your gift from me with the special discount code because you read my blogs. Can you bring a friend? If you think they are a good fit (if they have some of these things I've just listed), then share this with them and invite them to come. If you're not sure, reach out to me. Imagine these few intentional hours focused on growth, focused on clarity, focused on connection. It's going to be huge for you. A Powerful Leadership Move Choosing support is a powerful leadership move. Choosing connection is a catalyst for growth. That's how I've been able to move my business forward, by using connection with others, whether it be a coach, a business advisor, other women I collab with, or my clients.  What I want for you is to start the next chapter energized, confident, and supported. Thank you for being part of my world. I invite you to carry forward what resonated from last year and to step into what's next, because it's going to be so exciting. Get Your Ticket Now. The special discount has already been applied. Can't Make It In Person? Join the Waitlist for the online version. I hope you take me up on my invitation to come and hang out with me. Until next time, stay dynamic!
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We are a couple of weeks into December, still a ways away from Christmas, but are you already starting to feel overwhelmed? I understand because we, as women, carry the majority of the holiday load. Frankly, we carry the majority of the mental load all year, and it's not because we want to. It's because it's expected, assumed, often invisible, and the only other people who get it are other women carrying this holiday load.  This is not about managing your calendar or finding more time in your day. It's your December Survival Guide, and I am your little elf here to support you so that you can actually feel good this season instead of overwhelmed. You deserve to feel good in December and at Christmas time, not just get through it or survive it. The Reality of December Most women move through December thinking, "I have to get it all done. Where's my list of things to do, my list of things that make magic for my kids, the list of places to go, the list of presents to buy?” There are so many things, and meanwhile, your inner world gets pushed aside, gets forgotten. There's no space for you. This is about reclaiming your calm, your joy, your sanity in a month that easily takes more than it gives. It's not about doing more. I'm not going to tell you any hacks about fitting more in. It's more about choosing differently. The Real Holiday Labor Load The real holiday labour load falls on women. Women take on so much of the emotional labour of the season: managing family dynamics, remembering traditions, making new traditions, maintaining harmony, managing everyone's mood. Women are three times more likely to report feeling overwhelmed by holiday responsibilities. This is why on Mother's Day, women just want to be left alone. We just want no one to need us. It'd be nice if people waited on us hand and foot, if we could just sip a cup of hot coffee or tea, read a book, do what we want to do. All of these facts reinforce something: your exhaustion. It's not personal, it's structural. It's based on how society has been and the expectations that fall on us. What Actually Causes December Overwhelm It's not the decorations (though we're the ones that put them up) or the dinners (though we're often the ones that make it). It's the invisible expectations:
This is where women lose themselves. The December Survival Framework Here's the strategy to help you navigate this month feeling grounded, not drained. 1. Choose the Experience You Want Most people ask, "What do I need to get done this month?" Instead, ask: What do I want December to feel like? Mine was magical and cozy (and with cozy goes calm). Here are some other answers: peaceful, simple, joyful, connected, warm, slow, playful. Let these feelings guide your choices, guide your yeses, and guide what you put in your calendars. 2. Do Less on Purpose Feeling good requires intentional subtraction. In order to feel good, we must intentionally subtract things from our list. I'm intentionally subtracting already in December. Last night, I chose to skip a holiday party and do dinner with my family. Today, I chose to not go to a networking event, but to write this. This intentional subtraction doesn't make you lazy, it makes you wise. Examples of Intentional Subtraction:
You can choose simplicity without choosing guilt. 3. Create a Grounding Ritual Do some sort of grounding ritual every single day at the start of the day to stabilize your entire month:
These small rituals help you regulate your nervous system and maintain peace and calm, so you can stay steady throughout the month. Why Women Struggle to Feel Good There are emotional roots: guilt, obligation, pressure to be the glue in the family, fear of disappointing others, avoiding conflict, and internalized responsibility. I can remember one Christmas, all this pressure for everything. People were complaining about going to church on Christmas Eve, complaining about what we were having to eat. The next morning, I was doing all this dinner prep by myself. I asked for help and no one jumped into action. I started to cry. I turned the stove off and went to my room. I needed a break, a moment where I released all the stress and pressure to make it wonderful. I decided, "Christmas will be what it is."  I came back out, had a real heart-to-heart with my family, and they stepped up. We made it a good day. We can break old family patterns. We maybe want to be that reliable one, that thoughtful one, that one that has everything together, but we don't have to be. Not only that, but we don't have to believe that rest or simplicity makes us selfish or that we don't have time for it, because we do, and we have to prioritize it. What Happens If You Don't If you continue to let the pressure build, let December overwhelm you:
The holidays don't need to feel like a performance. They should be about enjoying the moment and making a memory. You deserve a December that nourishes you, not empties you. Your Feel Good December Plan  Here are three simple, doable, powerful questions: 1. What's the feeling you want to lead with this month? Then make decisions based on that feeling. If it was magic, joy, peace, or calm, ask yourself: Is this thing going to help me get that? 2. What is one thing you're going to do less of? Where can you use strategic elimination or intentional subtraction? What can you take off your plate? 3. What is one ritual you're going to keep daily and weekly? What will help you stay grounded and nourished? These three things are your personal December Survival Guide and really your survival guide anytime you're entering a stressful time. Remember You don't have to earn your rest. You don't have to carry all the responsibility or the mental load. And you don't need a perfect holiday to have a meaningful one. You deserve a December that feels good, not overwhelming. Share this with a friend who needs to hear this message, so they can chill out a little bit and have a great December as well. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Today, I want to talk about how awesome it is to be afraid. Being fearful actually is awesome. Why?  Well, so many people focus on not wanting to be afraid or on how fear is holding them back. But what if fear was telling you that on the other side, there's going to be a great success? Would that make it more enjoyable? Would that give you something to look forward to? Now I'm not talking about the fear of a lion in front of us or the fear of going into a burning building. I'm not talking about danger fear. I'm talking about that fear we have where we're like, "Oh my gosh, I could never email that person and ask them for a coffee date. I could never cold call that customer I really want. I would never want to speak in front of people because I'm scared." Fear Allows Better Celebration Being afraid helps us celebrate better. I was at a workshop about ten years ago, and we were doing the arrow-breaking activity where you put the pointy end on your throat and the feather end on the wall and walk forward. It was quite fearful. A lot of people were even brought to tears in the amount of fear. They were shaking. They really didn't want to do it. Maybe that's how you feel when you do public speaking, too. I had set myself up to control my emotions. I was able to really get into my head and get through the breaking of the arrow, but i was also not very present in my body or in the moment. So what happened when I got to the other side of breaking my arrow? It was pretty anticlimactic. Other people were cheering when they did it. Other people were high-fiving. I almost had to fake that enthusiasm. I feel like I missed out because I didn't allow myself to feel the fear.  In public speaking, I get nervous before I talk. I get nervous before I lead a group of dynamic women. I get nervous and feel fearful and afraid sometimes when I make that big call, when I ask for that client. What I do is I feel the fear and do it anyway. You've probably heard that expression before. What Fear Tells Us What that does for me is it keeps me on my game. It tells me that what I'm doing is so important. It helps me to be prepared rather than be apathetic and not really care about the outcome. Every time I go and present, I think, "Oh, what's this fear telling me?" It's telling me…
The Fear-Celebration Ratio Here's the thing: If your fear is at a higher level, the celebration is going to be at that level. If your fear is at a lower level, the celebration feels at the same lower level. I'm not saying you need to increase your fear. What I'm saying is don't freak out, have the fear, and then do it. Feel the fear, do it anyway, and you'll get a bigger reward. I see this in my clients all the time. When something's easy, we're like, "Oh, whatever, no big deal." But if somebody else were in your shoes, they'd say, "Wow, if I did that, I'd be so scared." That reward you're going to get, that celebration you get, is going to be equal or even more as a reward to facing that fear. What You Need to Do  Get in action. Make it happen. But listen to what the fear is telling you first. Then when you get to the other side, and you've done whatever it is that you were fearful of, celebrate it. Reward yourself. That'll be the motivation for when you face another fear, because your inner self will reassure you saying, "You know what? There's going to be goodness on the other side." Plan Your Celebration Ahead of Time You also get to plan your celebration. For example, "When I give that big presentation, that night I'm going to plan to go out with my girlfriends and share a great meal." Or, "When I do the thing I’m afraid of, then I'm going to the spa." Have something there to pull you through that fear, to motivate you to continue. I hope you'll face it so that reward on the other side is just as juicy as the amount of fear that you had. If you do something and get over your fear and reward yourself, let me know. I'd love to hear about it at [email protected]. Until next time, stay dynamic!
We budget our money with spreadsheets, apps, categories, and more. But time? We spend it like it's completely unlimited. But what if we treated time like our most valuable currency?  I wanted to use the word "invest," instead of "spend" in the title because when we invest money, there's an expected return. Spending feels like squandering. There's no ROI. But I couldn’t use "invest" in the title because I didn't want you to think about investing money in stocks, bonds, and GICs. Time as Investment It’d be great if we stopped spending our time and instead invested it. We do that by allocating it, just like we might allocate our money in a budget. When we put our money into something, we're looking for:
Every hour of our day has a strong ROI if we use it wisely. If we invest our time, we can use it to make money, boost our energy, and build stronger relationships; but when we spend time, it will drain us. Asking if the way we use our time boosts or drains us:
You could stop reading right now and just take that as the point, because it's a different way of thinking. We shouldn't give our money to software we're not using or subscriptions we're not using. A lot of times we unconsciously allocate our time to things that really aren't beneficial. The Cost of Reactivity Entrepreneurs spend a lot of their time being reactive to situations, and context switching. Even right before I recorded this, I was jumping between tasks and was like, "Stop it. Stop waiting for the person to reply. Set up a time to actually talk to them." That reactivity and context switching are actually causing entrepreneurs to lose 32% of their week. That's like a third of your time wasted that could be used more efficiently. It often hurts for us to waste our money, but it doesn't always hurt for us to waste our time. We don't see it in the same way. We're not just going to throw our money away, but we throw away our time on things like doom-scrolling or procrastination. Time budgeting, just like financial budgeting, helps you to have these five benefits:
Why Aren't People Doing This? 1. Guilt of Saying No: We'll say no to something financial because we know we maybe can't afford it or don't want to put our money towards something, and most of the time we're not embarrassed by that. We get to choose a luxury vehicle or something reliable and price conscious. We're not going to apologize to people buying one over the other. But we have a lot of guilt in saying no to something when it involves our time. If we have time, we feel like we should give it freely. People don't necessarily know how much money we have, so they're not always asking us to give that freely, but sometimes they make their own judgment on how much time we have and how much time we can give. 2. Thinking that Being Busy Equals Being Valuable: If we're thinking about being busy, we give away our time. Instead, we can think about our time being valuable, then we will invest our time on what matters to reach our goals and build relationships. 3. Reactivity Disguised as Responsibility: "I gotta deal with this. I gotta deal with this," rather than checking in and being like, "Is this a priority for me? Is this important for me?" I heard a funny expression on a show: "Not my sink, not my dishes." You don't have to wash someone else's dishes if it's not your sink. We're often put into situations where we give so much of our time to help others without actually seeing the value. The Problems When Time Is Ignored 
What Can You Do?  If you know that time is a resource, just like money is a resource, figure out how much time you have. 1. Assess Your Time: How much of my time is flexible that I can decide what happens with it? How much of my time is constricted? Like if I'm at a nine-to-five, from nine to five I only have the hour in the middle of the day that's mine, or I have the start of the day that's mine, but then I have kids at this hour. Figure out how much you have. That's usually what a financial advisor does, right? They figure out how much money you have, then you can invest it wisely. 2. Do an Audit: Look at last week and ask yourself: Where did I spend my time, and where did I invest my time, and where did I waste my time? Invest, spend, and waste. Categorize each activity towards things that are leaking your energy, draining your energy, or giving you a really high ROI. 3. Optimize High ROI Activities: Maybe an area is good, but could it be better? Could it be better if you give more time or even less time? Is there a difference between a three-hour hangout with a friend and a one-hour hangout? Could you do the one-hour hangout more often? Is three hours too much? Could you meet in the middle rather than driving the full distance? Would that be supportive of your time? 4. Reallocate Saved Time: Find one spot where you can save some time, then make sure you're allocating it to something that's a value to you. Don't find an hour and then allocate it to doom-scrolling, Netflix, or procrastinating. Actually do something that moves your needle forward and helps you achieve your goals and be happier. Invest your hours like they matter, because they do. The moment you start treating your time as currency, everything from your confidence to your results begins to shift. When you choose where your time goes, you take ownership of the life you’re creating. Until next time, stay dynamic!
(Sidenote: This blog is based on a video I recorded 11 years ago when my business was really young and I had two kids under three. Life was a very different kind of busy.)  I have felt jealousy and envy. Many times. How about you? Have you ever looked at a competitor, a colleague, a stranger online, or even someone close to you and felt that tight little pull in your chest? Think of a person right now you’ve felt a little envious of. What triggered it? Maybe it was… • Something they achieved • Something they bought • An opportunity they landed • A relationship • Their energy • Their looks • A part of their personality • Their lifestyle • Their job For me, it has been all kinds of things at different points. Years ago, I remember noticing someone on social media doing work similar to mine - coaching. And it hit me hard. I loved how she was running her business. I loved her confidence, her consistency, her presence. Then came the drop. “Why can’t I do that? Why isn’t it happening for me? That’s how I want things to look.” Have you felt that? The mix of admiration, frustration, and self-judgment. It is not fun to admit. But it is human. And social media makes it even harder. We’re no longer comparing ourselves to people in our real lives. We’re comparing ourselves to thousands of highlight reels. Perfect lighting. Perfect captions. Perfect timing. One scroll, and suddenly you’re doubting your progress, your pace, your decisions, even your identity. Even when we know it’s curated, our brains still treat it like the full picture.  During all this, my business advisor said something that snapped me back to reality. She reminded me that the woman I was comparing myself to was further along in her business, wasn’t married, had no kids, and had endless hours to pour into her brand. Meanwhile, I had two kids under three, a growing business, and a few precious part-time hours to build an empire. No wonder it didn’t look the same. No wonder the timelines were different. That perspective grounded me. It reminded me that context matters. Life stage matters. The weight you’re carrying matters. You cannot compare your full, busy, beautiful real life to someone else’s single-focus schedule or their polished online presence. Two Ways to Respond Some people shut down when jealousy hits. They think, “Well, someone already did it. Too late for me.” Or even, “They took my idea.” The other option is to use it. - To let it spark something. - To think, “Thank you for showing me what I want.” Back then, I didn’t choose the spark right away. I got annoyed. I fell into comparison. My saboteur sharpened its claws. It slowed me down. But looking back, most of the people I envied had more years in the game, more support, or just a clearer runway. And I, meanwhile, was doing my best in a season that required gentleness, not power drive. I just couldn’t see it at the time. The Mirror Lesson At one point, I opened up to someone about how embarrassed I felt about my jealousy. The advice was simple, and it stuck with me. People show up in your life for two reasons. They either hold up a mirror and show you something you need to see, or they’re someone you’re meant to help. This person was definitely holding up a mirror. And once I saw that, the whole thing shifted.  She wasn’t ahead of me. She wasn’t better than me. She was simply reflecting a version of me I hadn’t stepped into yet. And if I were telling this story today, I’d add one more thing. Sometimes people appear in your life to wake you up. To shake you out of autopilot. To make you look straight at the dream you’ve been tiptoeing around. Your Turn The next time jealousy hits, don’t judge yourself. It’s normal. Just don’t let it drag you down. Don’t let your inner saboteurs claw at your confidence. Let the feeling fuel you instead. Thank the person silently for the clarity. You don’t have to call them and say, “Thanks for sharing the photo of your new car” or “Thanks for sharing your flashy new website.” Just acknowledge the lesson and return to yourself. Then ask, “Now what am I going to do with this information?” Envy and jealousy like other emotions are just information. Let it raise your game. And let it point you toward what you truly want. Because envy usually shows up when you’re ready for your next level.
I know there are people right now who feel drained, tired, flat, and experience friction in life. So I'm pulling back the curtain on my one-woman show. I want to share my journey with you and how it's unexpectedly giving me more energy and happiness. Even though it's a bit of a stretch and honestly a little scary, it's recharging me in a way that no business strategy ever could. This blog isn't about time management or self-care because what I've discovered is that true energy doesn't just come from rest. It comes from deep alignment, expression, and this coaching term: “resonance”. Meaning to be in energy. Side Note: Join Behind the Curtain I started a Facebook group called Behind the Curtain with Diane Rolston. It's free. Jump in, and I'm going to share more tidbits, the actual nuts and bolts of me doing the new woman show. I might even come to you like a board of directors and ask questions I'm not sure about. You'll get other secrets and tips and be the first to know when the preview of the one-woman show is going to happen.  Resonance as Real Fuel There are tasks I have to do in business and life that I don't want to do that I can't even delegate to my virtual assistants. They can rob my energy. In comparison, when I do things that are more aligned to what I'm currently needing, or more aligned to my values, it gives me energy. It's this lightness, this bouncy feeling, and it helps me stay true to who I am, or at this moment, who I feel called to be, and what I feel called to say. When you do what resonates with you, something in alignment that honours your values, you're going to feel energy, ease, and flow. It's about choosing to do these things, not just what impresses people, not just what you should do, not just what pleases others, and definitely not things that dishonor your values. When you actually do things in alignment for you, your energy doesn't just grow or show up, it multiplies. My Counseling Session Revelation I was in the middle of a counseling session (I'm doing some counseling to clear out and process old emotions around my dad's death, trauma over the years, just things you keep pushing down). I'd been feeling down about some health stuff, and then I started talking about this one-woman show, and I got animated. These are ways you show you’re in resonance and feeling that alignment:
That's when I realized, "Wow, I'm in resonance right now." My counsellor said, "Whoa. That was a shift." This was the realization: I need to be more in this. I'm in the right place, and it's good for me. True energy doesn't come from just doing more (we can always do more, we can always add to our schedules, please don't). It comes from doing what aligns with your values, your purpose, and your joy. If you don't know your values, send me an email: [email protected]. I can do a values session where you find your values, see if you're honouring or dishonouring them, and put a plan in place so you can feel this energy all the time. Resonance is that feeling of "this fits, this is me, this is where I'm supposed to be." When your actions match your values, you create energy —like throwing kerosene on a fire —rather than pouring water on it, taking away its power and energy. Dissonance: The Opposite Dissonance is the opposite. It's hard, like pushing a rock up a hill. There's friction; it's draining, and you dread it —maybe even avoid it.  When you're doing something that deeply matters to you, like my creative work on this one-woman show, I can work for hours and still feel alive. Maybe you've felt that way:
When you're out of alignment, even the smallest task feels heavy. The worst part is you start trying to get yourself to do more, do it better, thinking something's wrong with you, but really you're just out of alignment and out of resonance. The Science Behind It Studies show that when you live in alignment with your core values, you experience higher motivation, stronger emotional resilience, and 20% more daily energy. When I talk about this and people ask, "What's new?" and I say, "I'm writing a one-woman show," I get giddy and excited. It's like, I'm sharing that I'm going on vacation." Alignment isn't a mindset trick like saying 10 affirmations. It's actually biological. When your actions match your purpose, your nervous system relaxes, your creativity increases, and you restore energy while doing the work. If you're in dissonance and energy is being drained, it's hard, negative, you dread it, and your nervous system gets tense like waiting in a really long lineup to pay a bill, or doing taxes or another task you hate. The Benefits of Resonance
 This is what I've been experiencing as I write my show. Yes, there are hard times. I'm not inherently a writer. I don't know how to write scripts. I'm learning dialog. My writing coach keeps saying, "Diane, you just wrote a great speech. Now we have to bring it to the stage." I'm having to learn and rewire my brain, but this fulfillment creates energy. Rather than feeling like I have a learning gap, I'm like a sponge. Why Alignment Feels Hard It's not always easy to say yes to things. In your business or life, there are things that create resonance and things that create dissonance. 1. Society's Expectations: Maybe you have a nine-to-five or a business different from your hobbies or passions. It goes against what society thinks we should be spending our time and money on. I've had clients say, "Diane, I don't want a promotion. I don't want to build my business. Is it wrong that I just want to be at home and make crafts with my kids and feed them grilled cheese sandwiches?" I reassure them, "No, not if that’s your dream and ideal life." All the tasks we do, all the ways we choose to spend our time, and the goals we have don't need to be what society deems as success. We shouldn’t say yes to things that don't match our values, but we do it to keep the peace, keep up with the Joneses, because we feel we should, or because others around us are doing it. 2. Staying in Obligations That Don't Fit: I remember being part of a networking group with amazing people, but 60-70% served the senior market. My business advisor asked, "Is this serving your business?" I said, "Well, no, but they're good people." He said, "How often are you seeing your friends?" and "You don't need to stay in a group that no longer serves you." 3. Confusing Productivity with Purpose: We're doing more, but feeling less. We're in less resonance, less energy, and have less motivation. As overachieving women, we override our inner signals saying "Don't do this." We say yes to things that don't serve us and push through even when something feels off. Your body and your energy always tell the truth when you're out of alignment. Have you been invited somewhere and hesitated to say yes? That's you saying you don't want to go. If you wanted to go, your energy would be like "Yes, yes." I was speaking to a theater about their artists’ hub program. At first, I thought, "Is it too much work? Too much commitment? Am I already so far in my business that I'd be around younger or newer people?" But when I got off that call, I was so excited. I was like, "Who can I tell?" So I knew that was a yes. If you hesitate or start to feel exhausted, irritated, or lack motivation, it's not in alignment. The Cost of Misalignment When you're in misalignment, in dissonance, it doesn't just drain energy, it dulls your joy. I've seen clients come to me living in black and white, but when you live in alignment, in resonance, your color comes back. Like the start of The Wizard of Oz when everything's in black and white, then all of a sudden comes to colour. High-achieving women, successful women, will work harder when they feel unhappy or that something's missing, but it doesn’t help they just feel emptier and more tired. You get to a point where you don't even know why you started. You don't have clarity. You slowly start living a version of success that only looks good on paper but doesn't feel good inside. That's why I had to leave corporate. My life looked so good on paper, and that's why I held on for so long. I was measuring life according to success - and it looked good. I wasn't measuring my life according to satisfaction, or even giving satisfaction, resonance, or alignment any space because I didn't know about them. Your Alignment Check
That little voice, your alignment, the resonance, the energy, that's a compass for where you should go. You don't have to have it all figured out. Just take the next step. The more you listen to it, the more natural energy and joy you're going to create, even if it's just "I'd like to paint a picture" or "I want to organize my closets." If those things bring you joy, happiness, resonance… amazing. Go do them. When you honour what resonates in your life and work, things feel easy, not a grind. There's that flow. Join Me One more invite to join me in the Behind the Curtain Facebook group. If you want to explore this topic more, email me: [email protected]. Let's talk about getting you into more resonance. If you have a few questions you want to run by me, I'm doing a Mastermind Q&A session on November 14, from 9 to 11 AM PST. It's a mastermind where you ask and I answer, or you can bring your goals, and we can strategize and map out the next steps. Final Thoughts I've learned that energy isn't something you chase or schedule. It's cultivated, it's birthed, and it grows through alignment and being in resonance. The more you live, work, and create in resonance with your truth, the more energy and fulfillment you'll have, not only in your own life but to lead others. That's how I'm gaining energy right now, writing my one-woman show. I just got accepted to the artists’ program at a local theatre, and I'm so pumped. I'm doing something in resonance and giving me energy, but also something that scares me a little, stretches me a little, but at the end of the day feels so deeply aligned. I want the same for you. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Every successful woman eventually faces fear, but not the kind that stops you. The kind that signals growth. A lot of times, we think of it as a negative thing, but it's actually saying you are expanding. Right now, I'm doing something completely new: writing and performing a one-woman show. Honestly, it's equal parts terrifying and thrilling. As I got off a recent Zoom meeting with my one-woman-show coach, it made me think. Whether you're scaling your business, stepping out on stage as a speaker, or finally launching that next big idea, product, or book, growth always comes with a little fear.  In this blog, I'm sharing how high-achieving women like us can use fear as fuel, not a stop sign. We're going to use it as a way to step into bigger confidence, bigger creativity, and more impact in the world. The Comfort Crossroad Even though I've spoken on hundreds of stages to massive audiences and published podcasts, books and blogs, writing this one-woman show then performing it as an actor putting feels raw, personal, and it's stretching me. Every successful woman hits this crossroad where comfort feels safe and nice, but it also feels small, and you're craving something more. That was the spark I needed for writing my own one-woman show. I needed that expansiveness. For women entrepreneurs and leaders, growth doesn't just come from more strategy, more work, more hours. It comes from courage, and it's going to give you some really great stories. If you've been playing it safe recently, this is your reminder. Your next level is waiting on the other side of what scares you. Fear Is a Sign of Expansion Fear means you're in new territory. As you start to leave your bubble of comfort into something new, your inner self says, "Danger. Fear means stop. Fear means we're in trouble." But actually, you can't grow and expand without fear. Fear is telling us we're going out of that zone, but you're safe, you're okay. Just because it can feel scary doing the show, and it's an industry I don't know, it doesn't mean I'm failing. It means I'm expanding. When you're growing your muscles and there's a little pain, it doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It means there's been growth and progress. The show terrifies me in the best way.
But that's how I know this is the right next thing: I care, and it's helping me feel alive rather than apathetic or complacent, which happens when high achievers reach that peak of success. Fear is proof you're stepping into unfamiliar territory, and it’s good because that's where the next level lies. The Science Behind Fear Did you know that moderate fear actually increases your focus, creativity, and motivation? When you're in that heightened state, it pushes you into higher performance. You know that feeling right before you have to be “on”, or right before an interview?  Being scared is just the next step. Rather than being a red flag, it's actually a green light saying, "Go, move forward. This is good for you" because it's building your confidence mindset and it's leadership development. You're learning to regulate that fear, building emotional mastery and resilience. I'm not saying that tomorrow I'm going to fill a 700-person theater and pitch to Netflix. I'm doing the steps that make sense for where I'm at. Meeting Your Inner Critic When I first sat down to start writing part of my show, my inner critic was super loud. "Who are you to do this? What if it's not good? How are you going to fill a theater?" Then I realized this voice shows up when I'm doing something new, something that matters, something that stretches me. Those saboteurs start barking and saying stupid things that aren't true, but we can pull some truth nuggets from them.
Every time I get on stage, I still feel a bit of that fear. A speaking colleague told me yesterday, "Before I get on stage, every time I feel a little bit nervous." Feel the fear and do it anyway. Fear isn’t a stop sign. It's just a signal that you're standing on the edge of your next breakthrough. The Benefits of Facing Fear
My One-Woman Show Journey I had this spark after seeing a fellow Canadian Association of Professional Speakers member do her keynote in a theater. It seemed more as a show than a talk. Another member went on tour and built cool promo assets. At the Global Speakers Summit in Bali, one speaker wore costumes and developed this world. I thought, "This is exactly what I want to do." Since then, I've taken a one-person show class, and two writing courses. This week I spoke to a local theater and will probably join their artists' community for a year. Hopefully late January, early February, I'll do my first Show Preview. If you want more updates about my one-woman show journey, join my Facebook group. I’d very much appreciate your support.  Why We Avoid Fear
Many high-achieving women unconsciously trade expansion for comfort, especially with kids, aging parents, and everything else. But safety and stagnation can feel almost identical. The Problems If We Stay Comfortable
Permission to Pursue What Scares You I got to the point where I was talking with my business coaches about the next offering, what I'm marketing, what I'm selling. I said, "I don't know. What I want to do is just write my show. I don't want to do all those other things right now." Permission granted for me to write my show and perform it, and for you to do the same. Your Challenge Don't wait. Do the thing that scares you. Send the pitch, raise your rates, share the post, make the video. Say yes to an opportunity that makes your stomach flip. Invite a new friend out. Go on a date. Take your spouse on a date. Take a class you've been wanting to take: painting, music, dance, whatever it may be. Fear isn't failure. It's feedback that you're evolving, and we want to evolve to be satisfied in life. For every entrepreneur, high achiever, and leader reading this blog, your next level of confidence and creativity is waiting on the other side of discomfort. Final Thoughts Remember, fear isn't failure. It's feedback that you're expanding because you can't evolve and stay comfortable at the same time. That's where the magic happens. Fear doesn't mean you're off track. It means you're alive, awake, and in motion. Do that thing that scares you, not because you're fearless, but because you're ready for what's next, and you want that growth. Growth will always ask for just a little bit of fear, and that's how you know it's worth it. If this message spoke to you, let me know. Send me a message: [email protected] or on your favorite social platform. Share this with another powerful woman who's ready to grow, or who wants more courage. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Have you ever looked back on something you did in the past and thought, “Who was I then? How was I so confident, yet so naive—or so new and fresh at what I was doing?” The truth is, you achieved it because you decided to be confident—or whatever quality you needed at that moment. Your identity drives your success, habits, energy, visibility, and results.  Because you don’t get what you want. You get what you believe you are. And that’s what we’re diving into today: confidence and identity shifts for female entrepreneurs. The Chicken and the Egg Do you become confident because you’ve done the things, or do you first decide to be confident and then achieve? In high school, I decided I’d be the graduation MC. My mom said, “I don’t understand how you could ever do that.” But I thought, I’ve never done it… I’ll just step into the role. Being naive meant I had fewer expectations. I didn’t need to know how to do it or even expect a great result. I just gave it a try and loved it. Same thing with rugby. As a rookie varsity kicker with everyone watching, I had to walk up like I was confident. At that level, every kick could win or lose the game. So I became the person who would do well and thankfully, I kicked 7 for 7 in that first university game. Your Reflection Point As you read this, ask yourself - Where can you choose to be more confident? - Where can you be more of who you want to be (the person who wins)? I’m going to share the benefits, obstacles, and problems if ignored and a call to action you can implement in your life, business, or career. From Faking It to Owning It This idea that you can actually be the person who does something, who wins, who's confident before you achieve it. That's the whole idea of faking it till you make it. But instead of faking it, you're going to actually own that quality. Whatever you need to do to be able to own that quality, it's actually going to help you more so than actually doing the task, because it's going to help you to get into a place of ‘being’ when you go to do the ‘doing’. The Benefits
A Quick Fact: Identity-based habits (who you see yourself as) are three times more likely to stick than outcome-based goals. Believing "I am a healthy person" works better than "I will do healthy habits." Believing in who you are matters way more than the plan of what to do. Many clients say, "I just don't know why I'm not motivated to do these things," or "I feel like an imposter." These feelings happen even as we reach new levels of success. But if you anchor into who you believe you are—and act from that identity—you’ll see greater results. The Obstacles 1. Waiting to Feel Ready: A client once told me, “I don’t feel like an author.” The funny part? She’d already published a book. Another said, “I’ll launch my program after a few more courses.” I reminded her, “If I booked you for a talk tomorrow, you could deliver eight workshops right now.” She laughed and said, “You’re right. 2. Letting Old Stories Define New Opportunities: We focus on actions and outcomes instead of who we are being.
If you’ve never done something before, look at other times you faced fear and succeeded. Transfer that strength forward. 3. Playing Small to Seem Relatable or Likable: High-achieving women… this one’s for you. We often play small to avoid making others feel insecure or jealous. We downplay compliments: “Oh, this old thing?” But doing that hides your brilliance. You don’t need to dim your light to make others comfortable. The Problems If Ignored 
 One Last Story I have been very grateful that I have been given some naive confidence at some parts in my life. I've also been very blessed to have a mother and a father, who believed in me so much. My Mom would say, "You can do it." I would be in times in my life where I'd lack confidence, saying, "I can't do this." And then I'd change my thoughts, "No, but mom says I can. I don't know how, but mom believes I can, therefore I can." I've just stepped into that false confidence, almost that inflated-by-somebody-else confidence, and I've stepped up. Still, I’ve had moments where I downplayed my expertise, stayed quiet, or acted like a student instead of a leader. Even though other times, I stepped up and showed who I truly am. It's not always easy. I get it. It's not always easy to be confident. But could you pick that you are going to be the woman who wins? Can you? Someone's got to win. So could it be you? It totally could be. Your Call to Action I want you to finish this line. Maybe "win" or "confident" aren't words for you. But if you were to finish the statement, "I am the woman who..." and you add in an adjective. Is it…
"I am the woman who..." How would you fill that in? I'm really curious. Let me know. Email me: [email protected], or comment below. What would it be like if, after you made that statement, "I am the woman who...," you started acting like her today? Not once it's proven, not once you say, "Oh, okay, I am a woman who's confident because I did X, Y, Z," but just decide that you're going to be it. I promise you that if we spent a little time together, I could probably find many instances where you have been these things, and we could easily transfer them over, because honestly, waiting for the actions to happen is going to be much harder than just deciding today to be that woman. Identity precedes action. You got this! If you haven't yet, share this with a friend. The next bunch of blogs that I have coming up are bolder. They're more powerful. I was in this energy for a while of really wanting to speak to you in those moments of obstacle and hardship and overwhelm and not feeling like yourself and things not going your way. Now we're on the up. Now we're in this area of more boldness, more power, more being unapologetic, stepping into that motivation, that inspiration to get you moving towards your goals. I just brought on a few new clients, though I do have two more spots for one-on-one coaching clients. If this is something that you have been pondering, or you're curious about, email me: [email protected] and let's have a chat. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Did you know that in business and life, not every season is meant to be a sprint? Sometimes, maintaining is the smartest move you can make. But so many of us high achievers equate slowing down with falling behind. So ask yourself: What if holding steady was actually part of your growth strategy?  In this blog, I’m discussing a topic that every business owner and professional woman faces, but we don't plan for: determining whether you're in momentum season or maintenance season. My Personal Wake-Up Call I remember after my dad passed, I really should have been in full-blown maintenance season. Maintenance season is the time when you hold back, maybe put stuff in place behind the scenes, and you're juggling fewer balls or maybe less in the public eye. Momentum season is when you're moving forward, pushing, doing a lot, putting out more energy, and maybe you're in the public eye more. I really should have been behind the scenes. We were putting together the Confidence Secrets book, the second in the Dynamic Women book series. I had so many authors in it and wanted to get more authors. I can remember not having the energy or desire or excitement anymore to fill the last spots. I said to one of my business coaches, "But I'm only at 34 authors and I need to get 52." He was like, "Who said you need to get 52?" I replied, "Well, that's what we did in the first book, Success Secrets, and I wanted to do the same." "Well, do you have to do that? Can you still create a really good book with 34 people?" "Yeah, I could. I guess to make it bigger, I could add in more of my own stuff." He asked, "Yeah, why don't you do that? What would it take for you to muster the energy to be able to fill the rest of the book?" "I just don't have it in me." He said, "That's totally fine. Just put it out the way it is. You didn't promise your authors to have 52 people. Who made that rule? You did. So you can change it." I was so appreciative of that moment because I felt pressure in a maintenance season to do more and to push and to kind of have momentum. But I realized my energy and my ability to perform at that time. I couldn't do it. This wasn't failure, it was wisdom, thanks to my coach, I needed to really honor that maintenance season. Understanding the Two Seasons Momentum seasons and maintenance seasons are both essential for long-term success in business and life. The problem is, society glorifies momentum, and we shame maintenance. We shame people when they're not doing crazy things. Even, "What's new?" That's a momentum question, along with when people ask you that, "What's new and exciting?" I've been guilty of asking that of people. The idea of honouring maintenance, of being in that place of "I just need to keep it together" or "I just need to do some stuff behind the scenes", it's not necessarily growth, but it's keeping things as they are, or maybe even improving things behind the scenes. Maintenance is where systems are strengthened, creativity recharges, and your success becomes more sustainable because you have things in place that are going to help you get further. Knowing what season you're in is crucial, not only so that you can make decisions, but so that you can own it and give yourself permission to either go for it or take a break. And that's going to prevent burnout. It's also going to prevent guilt. The Marathon Runner Example One of my soccer teammates runs marathons, and after she did the actual race where she had a personal best, she said to us, "Hey, I can't make practice because I just did a marathon." When I asked a member of my Kenya Mission Team who's a marathon runner how many races she does a year, she said, "Two to four, maybe." I was like, "Oh, because they're expensive to go to?" She said, "No, no. The sweet spot is typically two to four marathons per year that allows enough time for recovery or maintenance and then proper training between the races, the momentum stage."  Even just doing two a year, spaced out six months apart, is a really common and manageable goal for runners. She had a personal best because she was honoring recovery days, the maintenance mode, so that her muscles could rebuild. Business and life are so much the same. Two to four major goals or projects per year, personally or in business, is the momentum stage. Depending on if there's one massive thing, then maybe it's just one big thing. The cool fact is that companies that actually strategically pause, just like the runners, who decide they’re only going to do two to four major launches, product drops, summits, book launches, whatever it may be. Those who strategically pause to consolidate, to build those systems, they actually outperform those companies who consistently chase that growth, who are in momentum all the time, by 30% over five years. It's proof that the stillness needs to happen. The strategy is best to be able to have that constant burst and pause, rather than constant acceleration. The Benefits of Embracing Your Season What are the benefits of embracing the season that you're in? Whether it's maintenance or momentum, it doesn't matter. The most important thing is you want to align your effort with your reality, because when you do, you're going to gain so many things.
My Business Example In one maintenance season for me, the business Virtual Assistant Made Easy had massive growth. We were at 50 clients, 16 VAs, and I hadn't done much coaching, workshops or speaking engagements for a while because I was so focused on building that business. Then I was like, "Okay, no, no more. We have to stop this momentum. It's too crazy. I'm always trying to catch up and trying to put the systems in place." I just said, "I have to get out of momentum, and go into maintenance." So I did a hiring freeze. I didn't hire any VAs for probably a year because when I have a VA, I am responsible for filling their client list. So I thought, "No, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to focus on refining our systems: hiring systems, training systems, client systems, onboarding systems etc., instead of adding more clients." It was great, and it was good for my team too, just to give them some time to catch up. That season, I didn't grow my revenue beyond where it was, but I doubled my capacity later because we were able to automate more things. I was able to teach or train and pass off more things. Maintenance, in this case, created the structure for the momentum, for that next wave of momentum when it came. Why We Resist Maintenance There are obstacles and reasons why we resist it:
What Happens If You Ignore Your Season If you don't understand your maintenance, if you don't recognize the true season that you're in, and you stay in momentum for too long: 
Once, I had back-to-back launches that looked successful from the outside, but internally, it was chaos. I wasn't in maintenance mode long enough to get my systems fully ready. The next time I paused, fixed the processes, trained the team, and the next launch ran like clockwork. That's the power of maintenance. Your Action Step Ask yourself right now: Are you in maintenance season, or are you in momentum season? Be honest. Don't be idealistic. If you're in momentum, go all in. Do it, but protect your energy so you don't burn out. That'd be like that marathon runner trying to sprint the whole race. If you're in maintenance mode, honour it. Use the time to rebuild, to recharge, and to strengthen your foundation, not only in your business, but in your life. Either way, there's no shame. They’re both strategic. Both seasons matter, just like the seasons in nature. We don't get mad in Autumn because the trees aren’t growing fruit and the leaves are falling. Remember, growth isn't just about acceleration. It's also about knowing when to slow down so that you can rise stronger later. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Do you believe that even the strongest women need support? I'm guessing you do because you're probably a strong, high-achieving woman yourself. October 10th was World Mental Health Day, and I want to talk about a group of women who are often overlooked: the mental health of high-achieving women who seem to have it all together.  The Invisible Load High-achieving women are the ones everyone relies on: the leaders, the fixers, the steady ones, the smart ones, the successful ones, the caring ones. But sometimes those same women are quietly carrying the heaviest load. That's because people come to us as the fixers and problem solvers. As the leaders, our followers come to us. As the steady ones, people know they can rely on us. There's that saying: "If you want something done, give it to a busy person." Oftentimes, the high achiever is the one getting everything done, but suffering silently. When was the last time you were asked how you're really doing, and the person was ready for the real answer? Not "How is your business doing?" or "How is your family doing?" but "How are YOU doing?" I know what it's like to look like you have it all together, so people don't bother asking you how you're doing, while still feeling so overwhelmed behind the scenes. Sometimes when I visit my naturopath, and she asks, "How are you doing?" in that caring way, it brings tears to my eyes. Just that feeling of someone creating time and space who actually cares about the answer. Don't get me wrong, I have great friends. But people think that because we have things put together, and we're strong, confident, and outgoing, that we're fine. We've seen it in the public eye: those who seem most gregarious, strong, successful, and funny are often struggling the most. Mental health struggles don't skip the strong. Often the most capable women are carrying the most pressure and feel the least permission to ask for help. Even when we’re sick, we still have to do a ton of stuff to do because of how others view us. "Mom can work through it", “the boss can still get it done” or "my wife can work through it," while others get to be out sick. We don't have as much permission to ask for help because, being the high achiever at the top, there's not enough room for it. Strength and Struggle Can Coexist Strength and struggle can absolutely coexist. We can look like we have it all together and be completely falling apart behind the scenes. It's not that it's a mask, it's survival: doing the things that need to be done while potentially pushing down emotions when there's no time, space, or people to talk to. If this is you, make sure you have a great coach, counselor, or support system so you do have time, space, and someone supportive to help you. Asking for help doesn't make you weak. It makes you wise. It helps you move forward, get over the things that are happening, and feel witnessed, seen, and supported, which is crucial to continuing to do what you do. My Personal Struggles I remember lying in bed nursing my first baby when the cat came up and rubbed on me, and I started to cry. My husband ran in: "Are you okay?" I said, "Yes, it's just that the cat wants me to pet her, and baby wants me to nurse her, and you want to hang out with me, and my clients are messaging me." I was an absolute mess. Until then, he thought everything was fine. I realized later I was sleep-deprived and had postpartum depression, though I didn't think I did because the typical questions they ask didn't apply to me. But there have been other times when I've juggled everything: my coaching business, VA Made Easy business, a book launch, coaching clients, parenting, playing soccer, being a wife, my house. I kept telling myself, "I'll just push through until things slow down." When people asked me to do more, I'd say I was busy, and they wouldn't believe me saying, "Well everyone's busy." I thought things would just slow down, but they never did. I've had times when I've struggled mentally, not just postpartum depression or situational grief after my father's passing, but genuine mental health struggles in my adulthood. Finally, what helped was admitting how tired I was, admitting I couldn't do it all, and that I needed my team and family to take on more. The moment I did, I felt relief and hope, and my stress dropped. The business didn't crumble when I slowed down. My family didn't struggle when I did less around the house. Things actually got stronger because I was stronger. The Research Research shows that higher-performing women report higher rates of anxiety and burnout than men in similar roles. We're very emotionally intelligent, but we carry both the visible work and the invisible workload: emotional labor, family logistics, planning.  How many tabs do you have open right now? Not just on your computer, but in your head. Where are the kids? What's for dinner? Do I need to flip that laundry, I need to call my friend, order that birthday present, make those plans. That's just life, not even business. Beyond Basic Self-Care For years, I thought self-care was grabbing a five-minute shower between calls, treating myself to coffee on the run, or going for a walk before my day starts. But really, mental health isn't just about physical rest. It's about giving yourself permission to stop pretending you're fine when you're not. The problem with society is we don't pause long enough after asking, "How are you doing?" We're looking for that automatic, quick answer so we can get on with the conversation. But when someone sits there and says, "How are you doing? How are things going?" and maybe speaks truth into it ("Your life seems really busy right now"), that creates space to open up. The Benefits of Opening Up 1. We Normalize That It's Okay Not Be Okay You don't have to pretend. With high achievers, there's often no time to not be okay, and we just move on to the next thing. People expect us to put on our big girl panties, pull up our bootstraps, and keep going. 2. We Create Connection You won't feel alone in your struggle. When someone tells you about their struggle, don't try to one-up them. Listen. You can relate, but be supportive: "That's hard, but I'm here for you." 3. We Catch Burnout Early I've had clients come to me after burnout or on the verge of burnout. We want to catch it before. Talking about it helps you release stress and create solutions: time, boundaries, priority setting. 4. We Strengthen Relationships Through Honesty Some of my best relationships formed in the hardest times. Sharing what I'm going through has helped people hear my vulnerability, know me as me, and see the real version, not the polished one. A Lesson from Kenya Earlier this year in Kenya, I was surrounded by incredible women and men doing powerful work. Even in service of others, they prioritized connection, rest, and faith. Every day around 10:30 or 11 am, we'd pause for tea and sweet bread or samosas. It wasn't a quick 15 minutes. It was time to enjoy and have camaraderie. Community supports mental health. While we may be leaders and solo sprinters, we're not meant to do life, business, family, or parenting alone. Why High Achievers Don't Speak Up - Four inner voices that stop us… 1. Fear of Judgment "What if they think I can't handle my job, my leadership position, my board post, and they take it away?"  2. Perfectionism "Strong women don't struggle. High achievers are succeeding. We don't have problems. Just figure it out." 3. Responsibility Overload "Everyone's counting on me. There's no way I can take a break, say no, or miss the deadline." 4. Conditioning "Keep going no matter what." I've played sports with broken fingers, broken toes, and sprained ankles. We tape it up and truck on. It's the same with mental health: we slap an invisible band-aid on and keep going. The trouble is, it's like a geyser. We push it down and down until it blows at an unexpected time. The Soccer Story I'm known as the encourager on my soccer team: "Good job! Good pass! Awesome!" I'm cheering everyone on, positive and optimistic. But one night after practice, my face went neutral, and someone asked, "Are you okay?" I almost cried. No one had really asked me for weeks. I could hear in her voice, her tone, her facial expressions that she was concerned. How often are strong women asked if they're okay? People assume we're fine because we make it look easy. What Happens When We Ignore It 1. Burnout - You run out of emotional fuel. 2. Isolation - You feel disconnected, even in a crowd, with your team, or with friends. 3. Decreased Performance - Your creativity and focus fade. High achievers should care about this one. 4. Resentment - Everything feels like "I have to do this" instead of "I want to do this." Do you lie awake at night with your brain replaying things you have to do or things that happened? I've had times in bed when I couldn't rest because there was so much going on, like old cinema reels flipping images through my mind. Your Call to Action This week has a double focus: 1. Check in on the strongest women (and men) you know. Ask them how they're really doing. You'll know if they give you a polished answer or the real one. If they say "Oh you know busy" or "I'm okay," say, "No, how are you really doing?" 2. If you are the strong one, the go-to, the reliable one, it's your turn to reach out. Tell someone you're struggling if you are. Say, "I just want to talk about how hard life is right now" or "Can I share something that's on my mind?" Talk to a friend, coach, or counselor. Book a session. Pray. Journal. Whatever helps you release the mental load. The Bottom Line Mental health isn't just about one day on October 10th. Mental health isn't a luxury; it's a foundation for everything else we need. It should be a human right to be mentally healthy. It builds into everything: how you lead, the things you build, the things you love, the things you do. Care for yourself and care for those around you. You won't even fully understand the impact you make when you ask someone and really check in on how they're doing. If this blog spoke to you, share it with another strong woman who might need this reminder. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Are you the person who gives endlessly to clients, teams, families, friends, loved ones, and neighbours? The list goes on and on, but in the process, you forget the most essential person: yourself. While I know you understand that prioritizing yourself is important, I'm going to give you permission to actually do it.  In the process of managing all those tasks, situations and people, plus making sure everyone's good, you disappear. It's truly sad, but it's a fact. When I ask people to write down their priorities, the one thing they often don't write down is their own name. I'd like to ask you: When was the last time you put yourself on your own priority list? Beyond Basic Self-Care Maybe you're thinking, "I get my nails done, I get my hair done, I read a book the other day." That's fine. Or maybe you have a business, and you put all your goals on your priority list. That's great too. But is everything you need and want to not only survive but thrive happening in your current schedule? Do you prioritize yourself in your decision-making? The Big Ideas Here are the key concepts I want you to understand to share with you: Prioritizing yourself isn't selfish, it's smart. It helps you be not selfish but self-full. Not full of yourself in an egotistical way, but full of self so you are feeling fulfilled, and energetic because you're honouring yourself. You know the saying about putting your own oxygen mask on first on an airplane? Well, prioritizing yourself is the foundation of sustainable success. You can't lead powerfully, create boldly, or serve effectively if you're exhausted, resentful, and have no time for yourself. The women who rise aren't doing more. They're protecting their energy better. Let me say that again: The women who rise aren't doing more, they're protecting their energy better. My Wake-Up Call People often say, "Diane, you do so much and achieve so much." But the reality is, I've been figuring out how to be more places and do more things without it taking more of my time and energy. There have been times when I put everyone else first. About 10 years ago, I had a client who was hosting an event. I was going to support her and to speak on stage, but I was throwing up all night long. You know those nights when you're hugging the toilet bowl and don't care that you're lying on the bathroom floor? That's when you know you’re really sick. All night, I was thinking about my client and the need to be there, not about my need to rest and get better. In the morning, after throwing up all night (probably food poisoning), I had a few soda crackers, showered, and was one of the first people there and one of the last to leave. I was dead for days afterward. Why did I do it? I have a strong value of commitment, and I'm not a flake. But did I have to be first there, and the last out? Could I have just shown up, done my talk, and left? For sure. That would have prioritized myself. That was a time in my life when I said yes to everything else: new clients, speaking gigs, collaborations, other people's needs and demands. If there was an opportunity, I would do it. But the problem is, it was depletion in disguise. The Turning Point I had to start blocking time for me to think, rest, breathe, go for walks, do counselling, see a doctor, whatever was needed. The truth is, my business didn't die. My life didn't fall apart. I didn't lose friends or relationships. Everything grew because I showed up with more energy, focus, and creativity. A Sobering Stat Women who don't prioritize rest and self-care are 60% more likely to burn out than men in similar roles. Why? It's called mental load or the invisible load: emotional management, household coordination, team harmony. We have to be on top of every little piece. I bet if I asked you right now how many eggs you have, when you need to do laundry next, how much hand soap you have, your kids' best friends' names, you'd know all of these things because this is part of the mental load we carry. We're not only prioritizing activities and people in our lives, we're keeping a running inventory of everything as well. Three Benefits Here are the benefits of prioritizing yourself. Which do you want the most? 1. More Energy Who doesn't want more energy? You get to give more because you replenish yourself and have more to give.  2. Better Decisions Your brain's rested, so you can be clear, focused, and make confident choices when you have space to think. 3. Resilience You bounce back faster when you have stress or setbacks. It doesn't take you down, just slows you down for a moment until you figure out the pivot or next approach. My Sleep Revelation - How I realized I wasn’t prioritizing myself I realized I was feeling more emotional, had less ability to think clearly, couldn't make good decisions, and didn't have much resilience. I thought, "It must be menopause." It wasn't until I looked at my Fitbit reports that I realized I hadn't had consistently more than six and a half hours of sleep (and most weeks averaged five and a half hours). When stats say women need eight to ten hours of sleep, I was basically sabotaging myself. What were my priorities instead? Cleaning up, getting other work done, other people's agendas. It was not pretty, and it was not good for me. Why Do We Struggle to Prioritize Ourselves? 1. Guilt "How can I rest when there's so much to do?" We feel guilty that things aren't getting done or that we're not living up to roles and responsibilities, so we continue to push ourselves.  2. Fear The worry that if you slow down, it looks like you're slacking off, lazy, or your commitment is lacking. We fear looking bad or falling behind if we say no or don't do things to crazy high standards at our own self-sacrifice. 3. Conditioning We've been trained to put everyone else first. Here's a story of how a shower made me mad and taught me permission to care for myself. When my kids were young (a three-year-old and a baby), I was also building my business. My husband came home from work and disappeared upstairs. I heard the shower go on and was so mad. "I wanted to take a shower! Why did he get to go take a shower?" When he came down, I said, "Must be nice. You get to go take a shower." He said, "You want to have a shower? Go take a shower." I replied, "Yes, but the baby needs to be changed, our daughter wants a book read, dinner has to be made, laundry has to be folded..." He said, "No, you don't. Just go shower." It's funny how I always checked in with everyone around me to make sure everyone was okay before I would do something for myself. Have you ever done that? Has a client or team member ever told you, "You're always available"? Was that really a compliment? Are you always available because you're afraid of not serving a client or not living up to some standard? What Happens When You Don't Prioritize Yourself (Score yourself on a scale of 1-10 on these three consequences. 10 being "Yes, this is happening to me" and 1 is “Not at all”.) 1. Chronic Stress That feeling of "I'm always on." You can't turn your brain off at night before bed, or if you awaken, it's hard to get back to sleep. You never really pause or chill. Even on vacation or doing something you like, you're still thinking of your to-do list instead of being present. 2. Resentment Resentment builds. Look at the resentment I had for my husband just taking a shower! What you once loved can feel heavy and hard to do. You might have loved to cook before, and now you don't even want to do that. 3. Creativity Fades You can't be innovative, creative, and passionate when you're exhausted. You can't pour from an empty cup. It's not just about filling your own cup first… fill it so much that it overflows into the saucer, then give from the saucer, not from the cup. If you're a CEO, you need creativity to move your business forward, to be innovative, agile, and able to pivot. If you're in a career, you need creativity to problem-solve and support different situations. Where are you on each of these, and where do you want to be? For example, if chronic stress is at a 6 out of 10, you probably want to be down at a 2 or 3. What would need to happen to get you there? The Real Problem I constantly see brilliant women who are burnt out, not from lack of ability, intelligence, desire, or success, but from a lack of prioritizing themselves and setting boundaries. Then they can't move forward because they're the bottleneck holding themselves back. Your Action Step This coming week, set one non-negotiable hour for yourself. Protect it like your most important meeting or client. You can either set it up in advance (a walk, a nap, coffee at your favorite shop, time to think, create, draw, play, read, cook) or start that time and ask yourself, "What do I really want to do right now?" Doing the dishes, laundry, or finishing a business project are not the answers. What would actually prioritize you? When guilt creeps in, and you think "I could do more, be more, have more, serve more people," remind yourself: My worth isn't in how much I give. It's in how intentionally I live. The Number One Limiting Belief From my program called The Breakthrough (previously called Dynamic Year), where we discuss limiting beliefs, the number one I've found is: "I am not enough." When "I am not enough" is active, we push and do more, and that's when we don't prioritize ourselves. The women who thrive aren't the ones running the hardest. We need to move away from hustle culture. They're the ones who’ve stopped apologizing for taking care of themselves for not attending certain events, not helping people move, saying no to certain clients or projects, setting boundaries. When you love yourself and prioritize yourself, you shouldn't have to apologize. You can be apologetic that you missed something because you wanted to be there, but not for saying yes to yourself. My Own Journey I've had so many opportunities to be on boards, co-chair conferences, attend conventions, and speak at different places. When I look at my life right now and how my kids need me, I've had to say “no” to honor them, but more importantly, to leave space for me. That's been hard, but I don't apologize. I often say, "I really wish I could. That sounds like a great opportunity, but the timing is not right." Your Turn What was your biggest takeaway from this? If it resonated with you, reach out to me at [email protected] and let me know what spoke to you and where I can support you. Share this with another woman who gives her all to life or her business and needs a reminder to prioritize herself. I create these weekly blogs because I want you to have both success and satisfaction on your own terms. I take a stand for the "and", so you have Success AND satisfaction. Until next time, stay dynamic!
This week is extra special because I just celebrated my birthday, and while birthdays are usually about receiving, I want to focus on giving. What matters most to me is that you, my listeners, are supported and encouraged. So listen up as I share my birthday wish for you.  Recently, I turned 46. Instead of receiving birthday wishes, I'd like to flip the table a little bit. I'd like to share a few wishes with you. Think of this episode as my gift to you… words to carry into this season that I hope will give you an amazing year. Here are my five wishes for you. They come from me reflecting on the past year, and each comes from lessons I've learned the hard way: moments when I've had to choose boldness, when I desperately needed rest, when joy reminded me why I do what I do, when freedom became the real marker of success for me, and when faith carried me through uncertainty. (If you prefer to listen to my podcast episode, listen here. If you prefer to watch me on YouTube, go here. Both platforms share the same topic.) 1. Boldness My first wish for you is boldness. My theme this year was to be bold, and I was feeling like I haven't been my full self for probably the first time since before COVID. After my Dad’s passing, losing my FB account, changing how I run my business and all the layers of stress that came with it, I realized I wasn’t showing up as my full, bold self. I felt like I didn't have the emotional capacity or stamina to be bold, and that's really hard for me because one of my values is challenging myself. My wish for you is boldness… to ask for what you want, to take up space, to step into opportunities without hesitation (as long as they align with your big vision). Playing small keeps you safe, but boldness opens doors for growth, visibility, impact, and reaching that big vision and mission in life. Without boldness, you risk staying hidden in places you've outgrown. 2. Rest I wish you the kind of rest that truly restores you, deeply, emotionally, physically. As high-achieving women, we carry everyone's needs: our clients' needs, our team's needs, our family's needs, our friends' needs, our neighbors' needs, the world's needs. We often put ourselves last.  But rest is a strategy, not a weakness. Without rest, burnout is inevitable. I realized by tracking my sleep with my Fitbit that I was only getting an average of five to six hours of sleep, which is not good enough. Women typically need eight to nine hours of sleep (men need less, according to research). When I was able to stay at my childhood home with my mom, I started getting seven and a half to eight and a half hours of sleep, and I started feeling so much better. My wish for you is that you get rest at a deep level, not just with sleep, but in all capacities. 3. Joy I wish you joy that bubbles up in your daily life, not just in the milestones. Not just in those big successful moments when you've published the book, gotten the promotion, or bought the house, but in every single small moment in life. Too often, we reserve our celebrations for big wins, overlooking small achievements that we dismiss as insignificant. But joy along the way fuels resilience and helps you keep going. Without joy, business starts to feel like a grind, your career starts to feel like a grind, and your vision starts to feel like a grind. We're starved for acknowledgment and recognition, so I hope you can recognize your daily life joys, plus the joys in who you are, who you're being, and what you're doing in the world. 4. Freedom I wish you freedom…
 I've recently realized that I have a high-achieving, follow-the-rules, get-things-done, responsible side that's quite different from the fun, quirky, playful, cracking-jokes, slightly edgy side. I want her to be able to show up more, just like I want you to have the freedom to be who you are in all aspects. We can become entangled in our obligations and forget that freedom is why many of us started our businesses in the first place, or why we dreamed of having the career we have. I want freedom for you… freedom of time, choice, and to be who you are. 5. Faith Whatever faith means to you, I wish you faith.
Life will always bring uncertainty and struggle, but faith is what steadies you. When logic says “stop” and fear whispers “you can’t,” faith gives you the strength to keep moving. My wish for you is an extra dose of faith, because without it, fear and doubt take over, but with it, you’ll always find the courage to move forward. My Personal Examples These wishes come from real moments in my past year: Boldness: Like going Zorbing in New Zealand (getting inside big rubber balls with water and being pushed down a hill). I didn't want to do it, but I chose to be bold. Rest: Saying no to things, staying home when I had commitments (and I am a commitment keeper), but really honouring myself and rest. Joy: Hearing successes from clients. I just had a client message me saying she'd only sent half her emails and already had three people interested in her offer. I take joy in that, and I enjoy simple things like sitting on my patio and watching the leaves blow in the wind. Freedom: The ability to spend three weeks at my mom's, house the freedom to pull weeds from her patio to help her out. That's the real marker of success: choosing who to be with, who to spend time with, who you’re going to be, and what you’re going to do. Faith: Saying yes to a mission trip in Kenya despite uncertainty. There were protests, and some people were killed before we went. It was scary and uncertain. But faith carried me through that and so many other things in my life. Your Turn As I blow out my candles this year, these wishes are not just for me. They're for you. I hope you have the boldness, joy, freedom, rest, and faith to not only make your business stronger, but also to make your life feel fuller and more fulfilling. If any of these resonate with you, I'd love to hear about it. Email me at [email protected] or DM on your favourite social platform. Tell me which of these five wishes you needed to receive most right now. If you'd like to give me a gift, the greatest gift would be to share this blog with another amazing woman who deserves these birthday wishes as well. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Can you relate to feeling like your days are just a blur of tasks? Maybe you're chasing deadlines instead of your dreams, and your calendar is a reflection of everyone else's priorities instead of your own. In this blog, I'm sharing how we can stop reacting and reconnect to what we truly want by reclaiming your big vision. September is reset time. As I wrote in a previous blog, we can capitalize on our motivation and decide what we're going to keep, cut, and create in our lives. However, if we don't have a clear vision, or at least some idea of what our future vision could be, it will keep us small and drain our energy. My Wake-Up Call That's where I was. I realized there were just a lot of tasks on my calendar that had moved me away from the one-woman show I was writing. When we're in our big vision, it helps us stay inspired, intentional, and aligned. I felt like I was going in another direction, and it was an energy sucker.  The moment someone asked me how the show was going, I said to myself, "I'm just going to do it," and I put it back in my calendar. Ever since then, I've been re-inspired and motivated and feeling so much better. When you hold that big vision front and center, you stop reacting to what's in your calendar and the things life is throwing at you, and you start creating. Why Big Vision Matters For women entrepreneurs and professionals, vision isn’t just about inspiration—it’s survival. In a world constantly pulling you in a thousand directions, filled with negativity, misplaced values, and relentless marketing telling you to buy more and do more, your vision becomes your anchor. Without it, it’s easy to get swept up in noise, comparison, and distraction. When you lead from a clear vision, you create inspiration, intentionality, alignment, and resonance, the energizing sense of doing what’s truly right for you. The alternative is dissonance: that draining pull, the friction, the loss of energy and spark that comes when you’re off-course. Here’s the truth: 92% of people never reach their goals because they don’t keep their vision visible and active. Only 8% do. The difference? They keep their vision front and center, something they can see, remember, and live by every day. My Deeper Why I had to step back and reconnect, not just with the fact that I’m writing a one-woman show, but with the deeper why behind it. My mission is simple: I want women to stop chasing “enough.” We live in a culture that tells us we always need more: do more, be more, have more, achieve more. But it never ends. Instead of breakthroughs, we end up with breakdowns. We get overwhelmed, burn out, get sick, abandon the things we love, and drown in schedules that never let up. We keep chasing, but satisfaction never arrives. It’s like an itch you can never quite scratch. Through this show, I want to gather women together and talk about this openly. To say out loud that it’s okay to stop. To let go of the expectations we’ve piled on ourselves. Because every time we raise the bar higher and higher, we only move further from the peace and fulfillment we crave. Four Key Benefits of Having Your Big Vision Clear 1. Inspiration When the Work Feels Heavy As part of going through this process. Sometimes the work is heavy and hard. It's not always easy to come up with the script, have difficult conversations, or write hard contracts.  Your vision reminds you it's all worth pushing through. My vision isn't just having the script written, but seeing myself on stage, talking to women afterward, and hearing about the impact months down the road. That vision helps me push through when I don't feel like writing or attending my writing class. 2. Decision Filtering When you have a clear, big vision, it helps you filter decisions. It's so much easier to say “yes” or “no” to things when you're measuring them against your bigger goal. I had to make tough decisions this past year. I was invited to co-chair a conference and be on multiple boards. For me, if I'm going to have time, space, and energy for this big vision, the timing of those amazing opportunities just isn't right now. It helped me know that those things weren't moving me in the right direction. 3. Alignment Your business goals and life goals begin to reflect your personal values as they relate to your big vision. Your success will actually feel fulfilling because it's in alignment. When you do things out of alignment with your personal values, that's where dissonance comes in. Even scrolling social media, while fun at the moment, isn't in alignment with moving toward your big vision (unless there's some strategy involved). 4. Sustainability Every time I have a new idea, I get excited, but once I get into the actual work, attending classes, reading, coming up with ideas, reworking, and editing, it can feel hard. You need your big vision to be so clear that it prevents burnout by focusing your energy on what really matters. I see so many people working toward big goals who lose momentum and energy because they're not living in that big vision. We want to be fueled by the clarity of that big vision, making it sustainable. Why We Get Stuck 1. Constant Demands We have clients, kids, and teams that are often louder than our inner voice, plus things happening in the world and with us personally. So many demands pull us away from the big vision. 2. Busyness Doesn't Equal Your Mission Don't confuse being productive with being purposeful. I was busy and productive, getting things done, but they weren't purposeful toward my big vision. 3. Fear of Failure If dreaming big feels risky, you'll feel safe just doing busy work. Dreams take risk, courage, and bold action. For me, it's not necessarily fear of full failure, but "If I book a theater, will people come?" That feels risky. 4. Loss of Visibility Maybe you didn't write your vision down, so it faded into the background of your to-do list. That's what happened to me. Write it down and tell someone so it doesn't disappear. What Happens When You Ignore Your Big Vision 1. You Lose Sight of Why You Started There was probably a spark when you launched your business or started that new career. That spark gets dimmed under tasks and obligations. 2. Hamster Wheel Living There's motion and busyness, but it doesn't have meaning. You're always busy but not fulfilled, productive but not purposeful. 3. Resentfulness When your days don't reflect your dreams, you begin resenting your own work. I started resenting things not because they were bad, but because I wasn't stepping up to do what I was supposed to be doing.  4. Missed Opportunities Without knowing your big vision, you'll say “yes” to things that pull you off track and won't even see the things that would move you forward. When you're in alignment with your big vision, you start seeing opportunities and new doors open. 5. That Little Voice Won't Shut Up When you're not going toward your big vision, that little voice keeps talking. You'll feel emptiness and chase everything else to fill it. You'll have success and ask, "Is this it?" because the meaning isn't there. I believe we've all been put on earth for a specific reason. When we don't move forward with our big vision, there's a little voice that continues, and there'll be emptiness. What to Do Now
Don't Have a Big Vision Yet? If you're thinking, "Diane, I don't have a big vision," or if you feel off track and aren’t in alignment with your big vision, that’s ok, let's have a conversation. This is one of my specialties: unlocking your greatness, the purpose you're here for, and your next big vision. Reach out to me at [email protected] and let me know you'd like to gain clarity on your vision and ignite that spark. Until next time, stay dynamic!
I know September can feel like a fresh start, but that’s until your calendar gets jammed, and your energy is drained. In this blog, I'll discuss the dangers of sliding into busyness and help you avoid this common trap. The key thing to know: Having a busy calendar does not equal your worth. The Busyness Badge of Honour This can be a big problem for high-achieving women. How many times have you asked someone, "How's it going?" and they respond, "Good, but busy"?  I used to feel proud when people said, "Oh, you're so busy," because it was like a badge of honour. But I realized it doesn't serve me. Being busy doesn't equal being productive, and for women entrepreneurs and female professionals, being busy can be a disguise that disconnects you from true success. Nowadays, I hate when people say to me, "Oh, you're so busy." I don't want to come across as busy. I do have a lot going on, but I've worked really hard to not be so busy, reducing stress and enjoying a better quality of life and relationships. Even though September looks shiny and new, it can often turn into a trap of overloading our calendars and saying yes to everything. Now is when things restart after summer: networking groups, sports, volunteering commitments, all the responsibilities that took a break. Busyness vs. True Success Think about what a successful life means to you. How would you paint your ideal life? What would be your ideal schedule? Where would your relationships be ideally? Look at every area of life. You might feel that having a lot going on makes you important, a mover and shaker in high demand. But is that true success for you? Is being busy with no time for yourself or meaningful relationships really what you want? Is that true satisfaction? Probably not. Research led by Columbia marketing professor Silvia Bellezza shows that people perceive others who are busy as important and impressive. Busyness has literally become a status symbol. I want to shift this for society, maybe for you, maybe for people around you. What I find more impressive is someone who can have a slow start in the morning, take Friday afternoon off, have more vacation time, and still feel successful in their career. That's the goal, isn't it? Are we working to live or living to work? Which is it for you? The Productivity Trap Busyness can be a distraction. Being busy doesn't mean you're productive, and productivity doesn't always equal progress if you're not being productive in the right way. Your worth is not measured by your output. Your worth is measured by your feeling of satisfaction in life. Ask yourself: Am I chasing productivity for validation from others to prove my worth, or am I pursuing progress on things that matter to me? A Wake-Up Call I was recently at a mastermind in Vegas where I meet with other business owners three times a year. I shared how I wanted to commit to doing something specific every single month for the entire year, not just a single event. One person there, who's also a client of mine, said, "Diane, it sounds like you're filling your calendar and making yourself really busy. We have to be very careful with what we put in our calendar." That reminded me: Do I have all the other things I want in my calendar first? Am I committing to something for the whole year that will exhaust me and take time, energy, and resources away from my true goals? Why We Over-Commit 1. Fear of Disappointing Others Someone asks you to be on a board, volunteer, help an organization, join a book club, and you have a fear of disappointing them. You say yes out of obligation, not alignment. 2. Equating Self-Worth with Being in Demand I had a client who was running an event at her daughter's school. She said she didn't have time for business activities, so her business and friendships were suffering. When I asked how long she'd been doing it, I discovered she'd continued running it even after her daughter graduated from the school. She felt good about being in demand and being the one putting on this event, but the self-worth from that didn't pay her bills, move her business forward or strengthen her relationships. She needed to redirect that energy toward her actual goals. 3. Society Glorifies the Hustle We live in a world that praises constant hustle. You tick off task after task, proudly saying, “Look at everything I’m doing!” But pause for a moment, who are you actually becoming in the process? And what in your life makes you say, “Yes, this feels exactly the way I want to live”? Benefits of Slowing Down 1. Clear Priorities and Direction When you slow down, you're not pulled in different directions. You take time to decide what actually deserves to be in your calendar and where you want to put your time, energy, and resources. You get to honour your priorities and be present in the moment. 2. More Meaningful Progress Toward Long-Term Goals Because you’ll have time and space for things that matter most you’ll make great progress. I recently had to reset my calendar because I got off track. I've been talking about writing a one-woman show, but it took a back seat to other things. When someone asked, "How's the show going?" I realized I was losing out on meaningful, aligned goals. Just days ago, I blocked out two hours every weekday on my calendar to focus on my play.  3. Better Emotional Regulation and Stress Levels You'll be stressed when you have too many things, when you're flying from one thing to another with no downtime. When you can regulate emotions and stress levels, you become more productive, healthier, and have better relationships. For us middle-aged women (I'm turning 46 this month), perimenopause and menopause are real. My ability to handle stress has diminished, and my cortisol levels are higher. The more we can slow down, the better for our health, mental and physical. The Three Main Consequences of Not Dealing With This: 1. Burnout - Are you going to be the fourth person who avoids it? If we continue falling into the busyness trap, we'll probably be burnt out by mid-October, definitely before year-end. Christmas will be hard. A Deloitte study shows that 77% of employees have experienced burnout at some point in their careers, with many citing poor work-life balance as the primary cause. That's three out of four people experiencing burnout, not just stress, but actual burnout. 2. Disconnection from your true goals - Just like my health goals, one-woman show, and home renovation goals took a back seat. You will get further away from your goals and maybe even lose touch with the vision or spark that created it all in the first place. Maybe like me it’s time to reconnect with your real goals this month. 3. Strained relationships - You keep telling yourself you’ll slow down, but the demands never end. Dinner plans get skipped, calls go unanswered, and before you know it, you’re always “too busy” for the people who matter most. And it’s not just you: 76% of workers say that stress from work negatively impacts their personal relationships. When you show up stressed from work and react negatively in relationships, you have to spend time and energy repairing them. Being busy stops you from being a nice person, taking care of yourself, growing in other areas, and investing in your marriage or important relationships. The Truth About Growth and Happiness True growth & true happiness do not come from having a packed schedule. It comes from:
Your Action Step Right now, write down three things that are either on your to-do list or in your calendar that don't directly serve your goals. Are you part of a board, networking group, book club, or class that's not serving your goals anymore? Maybe it's not at your level, or maybe it's just not aligned.  (I'm not saying don't volunteer. Volunteering can help you achieve your goal of giving back. I'm helping with my son's school hot lunch program, which doesn't build my business but serves my goal of giving back and building my relationship with my son.) Can you release one of the three you wrote down? I believe you can. When you do it, let me know what it is. Protect Your Calendar Really value your calendar. I've blocked in things that matter: gym/walk/run time, lunchtime, CEO time, massages, and other healthcare providers, so I can work on my business (not just in it), and now my one-woman show time. It's much easier to say no to something when you have strong yeses in your calendar. Then you're actually saying, "If I say yes to this, I have to move or get rid of this from my calendar." Let me know how this has impacted you, and remember, avoid the dangers of sliding into busyness. Your future self will thank you. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Have you ever been part of a group and thought, "Oh, where are my people? This isn't the right fit"? Or maybe you've had a glimpse into what it's like to be around your ideal people. If so, you'll want to read this blog, as I'll discuss how your success depends on the company you keep.  What Sparked This Topic This topic came up because I had three separate conversations this week with three different women who talked about a desire for the right group of women to hang out with and a mismatch of values with the people currently around them. It's especially important at this time of year as we're resetting in the fall, though this is crucial any time of year. As I shared in the previous blog, we're keeping what matters, creating more good things, and cutting what isn't serving us. The next layer of that reset is your environment and the people around you. No reset or plan will have a lasting impact if the people around you aren’t supportive or helping you grow. The right environment is essential for sustainable change. (And I'm not saying your family members need to be business-minded. My husband works a 9-to-5 and has a very different mindset. He's supportive but doesn't brainstorm marketing strategies with me, and that's perfectly fine!) Three Eye-Opening Conversations Let me share three conversations that led to this topic: First: A successful member of my local community said, "Diane, where are the other multiple six-figure business owners? The $500K+ and million+ business owners? I want to hang out with more of them because the conversations are different." Very true. Second: Another mastermind member told me how grateful she is to mastermind with me and others because we "get her." We're not putting her down for her success, and we understand the conversations that need to happen when you're a business owner or high-achieving corporate woman. Many of her friends talk about potty training and meal planning, while she's discussing programs, offerings, and traveling for work. They just don't get it. Third: During lunch with someone, I mentioned my mastermind, and she said she doesn't have one right now because she hasn't found people at her level. Otherwise, she ends up being like the second coach in the group. Everyone's paying the facilitator. She's paying too, but she seems to be running the show because people come to her with questions. All four of us in these conversations are passionate about giving back and teaching others, but we also want to be inspired, led, and challenged by those around us. That's crucial for success. The Truth About High Achievers Here's the truth about high achievers: As a high achiever, you’ll get it. Many women pride themselves on their independence, but success doesn't happen in isolation. We can't be silos or do it all ourselves. That's why I have two VAs on my team, multiple masterminds I attend, coaches I work with, and business advisors. Take a moment for reflection with this tough question: Who's speaking into your life? Are they fueling you or draining you? Moving you up or down? Contributing to your success or instrumental in any failures? The Energy of Like-Minded People When you're around like-minded people, there's energy that forms because there's resonance in conversations. When you're around other ambitious, value-aligned women who normalize big goals, that's powerful. I remember talking about goals and hearing responses like, "Oh, don't work too hard," or "That sounds crazy. How are you going to do that?" Their insecurities came forward with questions about time, money, and feasibility. We don't want other people's insecurities stepping into what we're doing.  When you start having success like winning awards, closing clients, launching programs, writing books, others can think you're "too much." But here's the thing: In the wrong room, you're too much. In the right room, you're actually on track. Like-Minded Doesn't Mean Identical When I say "like-minded," I don't mean identical. It's not a room full of the same kind of person like all coaches or real estate agents. It means you're like-minded in your:
The Wrong Crowd vs. The Right Crowd In the wrong crowd, you can feel misunderstood or diminished. Let me share some examples: Business Example I was at a mastermind I thought was high-level. Someone was asking for suggestions, and when another person suggested a "lead magnet," they asked, "What's a lead magnet?" I hadn't even suggested that because I assumed someone in business for 20-30 years would have multiple lead magnets already. Contrast that with being in a room where people are making multiple seven figures. I needed to hear that. Their sharing stretched, inspired, and challenged me. I felt like a small fish in a big pond. They were doing incredible things, which inspired me to do great things too. When you're in a room where conversations are years behind where you are, it can give you a big ego and make you feel like you don't need to challenge yourself anymore. You become the big fish in a small pond, which can make you apathetic and lazy. Soccer Example I joined an over-30s soccer league after moving provinces and got placed on a team that wasn't very skilled. Though I'd played competitive soccer my whole life, I was adapting my style to fit their limitations. A player coach from another team approached me and said, "Don't be offended, but I think you're becoming a worse player." She explained that instead of playing proper midfield and carrying the ball like a good player, I was just "hoofing it", doing long kicks to get rid of the ball because I couldn't execute proper plays with my teammates. She was right. I wasn't surrounded by the right players to play good soccer. When I moved to the better team, I could actually play well again, but I had to unlearn the bad habits I'd developed. The key insight: I was still a good player on the weaker team, but I wasn't playing good soccer. The Power of the Right Environment When you're in the right mastermind, retreat, event, or circle of peers, whether in soccer, music, church, arts, or anything else, you feel expanded and inspired. The cool thing is, when you see others doing amazing things, you think, "I'm going to do that too," and you become braver.  I just heard about someone who went from creating a $100,000 coaching program to a $250,000 one. Even if that just pushes me to create a $50K program, it makes me braver, inspires me, and expands what I think is possible. Shrinking vs. Rising This emotional difference of shrinking vs. rising matters so much, especially in September when you're deciding what to keep, cut, and create in your schedule. Shrinking Without like-minded women around you, you can shrink back into old patterns. If you join a group that makes it okay to not go for the sale or not work out (or whatever your goals are), you won't achieve them. You might also shrink yourself by thinking, "I can't tell them I got another award or published another book because they'll feel bad about themselves or make nasty comments." This is the tall poppy syndrome, when you start poking your head up, people cut you down. Also, like crabs in a bucket pulling each other back. If you're in dissonance with people trying to shrink you, you'll have a lack of energy that leads directly to burnout. You need to share and celebrate your accomplishments to grab motivation and use it as momentum moving forward. Rising With the right people around you, they'll:
If you're in resonance with people helping you rise, you'll have more energy that leads directly to reaching your goals. You Don't Need a Massive Network You don't need tons of people. How about five? Five aligned voices, five aligned people in a mastermind or five in a group can shift everything for you. Jim Rohn's quote hit me like a slap in the face: "You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with." I discuss this in my book and program Dynamic You™, I talk about creating your board in the Connection Pillar (Chapter 4, page 46). Your Action Steps Here's what to do now:
Here's the tough love: That's the mirror of your future. Those five are who you're going to become. Do you want to become those people? Are you inspired and motivated by them? Your People = Your Success or Downfall Based on these three conversations and what I've covered today, your people will be your success or your downfall. That's why I'm developing a high-level, like-minded group of women who will inspire and help you be bolder, better, and reach your goals easier. If you're interested in being part of that, please email me at [email protected]. I'm putting together a waitlist, so stay tuned for some exciting developments. Remember, this is a great conversation starter with someone you'd like to be part of your five. You could share this blog as a way to invite them into your five, and maybe you can be part of theirs too. Until next time, stay dynamic!
(Take the Quiz and See where you stand!)
Are You Wearing All the Hats in Your Business?
CEO. Admin. Tech support. Social media manager. Content creator. Scheduler.
As a business owner, it’s easy to slip into the mindset of “I’ll just do it myself.” Maybe that worked in the early days when your business was smaller. But now, your to-do list has multiplied, the stakes are higher, and your time has never been more valuable.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, constantly busy, and pulled in too many directions, it might be time to get help. But how do you know if you’re truly ready to hire a Virtual Assistant?
That’s exactly what this quiz is designed to help you figure out.
Why You’re Hesitating
I get it. Hiring someone can feel like a big leap.
You may have thought things like:
These thoughts are common, and they can hold you back from the growth and freedom you’re craving. But here’s the truth: a VA isn’t an expense, it’s an investment. The right VA doesn’t just take tasks off your plate. They give you back the time and energy to focus on the work that actually moves your business forward.
And what if you’re closer to being ready than you think?
Why the Quiz Matters
There are clear signs that show when it’s time to stop doing it all yourself. Some are obvious, while others might surprise you. This quiz reveals all 10 and shows exactly where you stand today.
Imagine what it would feel like to finally get your evenings back, take a real vacation, or work only on the parts of your business that energize you. The truth is, there are specific indicators that show when you’re ready to make that shift. This quiz walks you through each one and helps you see if now is your moment.
If you’re feeling stretched thin, working late, and constantly playing catch-up, you’re not alone. The good news is that there are proven signs that let you know when it’s time to bring in help. Take the quiz to discover all 10 and see if you’re ready to lighten the load.
Each one of these is a signal that you’re running up against the limits of what you can achieve solo. Delegation isn’t about weakness or lack of ability. It’s about stepping into your role as a leader and focusing on the things that only you can do... the vision, the strategy, the relationships, the creativity.
Sound familiar?
Take the Quiz and Find Out
The “10 Signs You’re Ready for a VA” Quiz is a quick and powerful tool to help you get clarity.
And the best part? No matter where you land, you’ll know exactly what your next step is.
Ready to Find Out Where You Stand?
You don’t have to keep spinning your wheels, missing opportunities, or drowning in busywork.
Take the quiz now and see if it’s finally time to get the support you deserve.
Final Thought
Hiring a VA isn’t just about saving time. It’s about reclaiming your freedom and stepping into your highest potential as a business owner. When you let go of the tasks that drain you and focus on the ones that light you up, you’ll not only grow your business, you’ll enjoy it again.
If you’re serious about scaling, reducing stress, and creating space for what matters most, support is not a luxury. It’s a strategy. Start with the quiz. You might be more ready than you think. Today, we're talking about your fall freedom plan. You may have thought you just had freedom in the summer, wanting to stay in July and August forever. But we're coming into fall, September, a fresh start. It's time to reclaim that leader within you.  If you’re lucky you got to be a bit of a follower over the summer with others making the plans. I'm hoping you were able to balance both productivity and fun. (If you grabbed the Summer Productivity Playbook, it would have helped you to be balanced, and it’s good for any time of year. If you haven’t yet, grab your access to the mini course here.) Summer Shows Us Where We've Been Surviving Summer often shows us where we've been surviving. We finally get a break. A lot of things finish up. Maybe sports are slowing down or finishing, volunteering commitments wind down, networking groups take a hiatus. There's often a lot more breathing room when you don't have everything happening at once. First, celebrate that you made it through summer! Whether it was hard with kids at home, bouncing from place to place, or maybe you didn't really get a summer break and worked through the whole thing. Now you get a chance to lead on purpose. The Back-to-School Energy Yes, we have the back-to-school chaos that happens. Even if you're not part of it because you're not going back to school or don't have kids, there's still that energy in the air. All the back-to-school sales, the streets getting busier when school starts. It's a time when everybody talks about fresh starts and renewed ambition. I want you to tap into that energy, but pay attention to any lingering burnout. If you didn't get a chance to have a proper summer break, you might still have some burnout lingering, or maybe you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation. That's totally possible, too. The Fresh Start Myth September can feel like a fresh start or give you pressure of a fresh start, but there's a myth here. Just because it's a new season doesn't mean you have to start fresh, unless you want that and you're going to make space for it to happen. Too many leaders just jump into fall saying, "Let's go! Let's go!" without resetting. I did another blog about having a look at what you're keeping, what you're cutting, and what you're creating, I encourage you to check that out. But as a leader, you need to jump into fall only after resetting. Are you planning from the intention of "This is actually what I want to happen in the fall" or are you planning from burnout? Where are you right now? Are you really ready to plan with intention, or do you not have the bandwidth to make that happen? It's okay to wait to fully jump in and make sure you get the rest you need so you can have that fresh start and tap into the excitement of the new season. Your Three-Area Fall Freedom Plan  There's inner work that can happen as part of your fall freedom plan. Let's look at three key areas: 1. Time What does freedom look like in your calendar? For me, I don't like to book meetings, coaching clients, or sessions until 10 AM. That's because the chaos of my kids going to school ends just before nine, and that gives me time to ease into my day, do my devotion, have a walk in the forest, or go to Pilates twice a week in the morning. What would ideal freedom look like for you? Not just "maybe I could do this" realistic thinking, but really, what's the ideal? Then work backwards from there. Ask yourself: Is your schedule serving you, or are you serving it? Do you feel like you're running from one thing to another or flipping from meeting to meeting without any space for yourself? 2. Team Are you supported in a way that actually lifts you up? Does your support help you reach your goals and move the needle toward time freedom, work freedom, and financial freedom? Or is it just keeping your head above water, just enough support, but not getting the results you need? (If that’s the case, reach out to me and let’s talk about how my program Virtual Assistant Made Easy can help you.) If you have better people on your team, it's going to give you freedom to work on high-impact, high-quality, high-income-producing tasks. That's what I want for you in Q4. 3. Energy Where do you leak energy? Look at your upcoming calendar or think back to April and May (since June might have slowed down). Are you leaking energy with a person you don't want to work with, a client, a project, volunteering commitment? It might even be scrolling social media. On the flip side, what's trying to come back in? Remember, a lot of things take a break for summer, like networking groups, volunteering commitments, and sports. What's trying to come back in that you need to create space for, and which things do you just need to let go of? Focus on Being, Not Just Doing By examining your time, team, and energy, you'll have a better idea of how to create more freedom. This is a time for personal reflection, not just diving into list-checking mode. It's about tuning into your own alignment this fall with where your resonance is, rather than dissonance. It's less about the logistics of what you're doing and more about who you're being and how it feels. I want you to always feel like you can just breathe, that there's space for you. There's a difference between filling your calendar with busy work and fueling your mission. You have a mission. You have an impact you want to make in the world. Avoid the Burnout Warning Light We don't want the burnout warning light coming on before you've even really started. You want to be able to end the year strong. If you're already burnt out before fall begins, your system isn't broken. It's just begging for a rest. Have a rest before you say yes to bringing everything back in. You're also out of practice. Over the summer, you've had a slower pace, and now you can't just go from zero to 60. You don't want to white-knuckle your way through, thinking "I'll just get through this until Thanksgiving," and then white-knuckle it again until Christmas. That's not how we want to finish the year. Create Something Sustainable and Soul-Led Instead, let's make something that feels stronger, more sustainable, and more soul-led. When you're in resonance and alignment with your soul, you're going to have more energy. That's a given. It might mean passing things off so you can stay in that great place and have more time freedom, work freedom, and financial freedom.  What Resonates with You? What from today's message most resonates with you? Is it looking at your time, team, and energy to figure out where your fall freedom plan will come from? Is it focusing on being rather than just doing? Maybe you are realizing you actually need a rest before starting fall. Just because society is pushing that September means "hit the ground running" it doesn't mean you have to follow that timeline. You get to lead your own life. You get to decide and then lead as that confident, rested, soul-led leader come fall. I'm curious what has resonated with you. Feel free to email me at [email protected] or send me a message on your favorite social platform. Remember, we have Virtual Assistant Made Easy where we can match you with one of our vetted, experienced VAs so they can take a load off and give you the freedom you deserve. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Do you know that there's a moment every August where you either reclaim your role as a leader or get swallowed by your own to-do list? I've been seeing women straddling these two energies: control and capacity. Which are you going to choose?  Two Competing Energies: Control vs. Capacity Control means doing everything, covering everything, and being on top of everything, but it eventually gets overwhelming because there's just too much. In control, you still try to do it all. You're still on that treadmill, and you're still going, and you want to make everything happen. Capacity is where you know, "I've done everything I can, and I just don't have enough hours or energy in the day." With capacity, you're starting to set some boundaries and see what you can achieve within your time frame. In both, there's the invitation. Release control over things so you gain capacity. I hear a lot of people say, "I just don't have the time for that. I don't have the energy for that. There aren’t enough hours in the day." September is for Leading, Not Cleaning Up As we enter September, it's not the time to be cleaning up. August is. September is the time to lead boldly. Think of it like Olympic track athletes getting ready for the 100-meter race. You want to be in the blocks, ready to go as soon as September hits (or at least after you've had your final long weekend in Canada). The Real Problem with Waiting There's a real problem with waiting to outsource or pass tasks off. Most people don't realize the weight they carry until it breaks something or someone. When you are overwhelmed with all the different tasks, it can break your focus, creativity, and joy. It can break your spirit for what you're doing. Sadly, sometimes we reach a point where we can no longer work. I've seen this happen to several people close to me who've developed physical ailments due to overworking. That pressure of "I'll just do it myself, it's just easier" leads to:
These can also lead to breaking you financially. The Emotional Load of Undelegated Tasks It’s a good time to reflect on how this mindset is creeping into your life, even when you know better. I've been working with two Virtual Assistants for over four years, I have to check myself constantly and ask: "Why am I doing this? Why am I not passing this off?" There's an emotional load that comes with undelegated tasks. When you have a list of unfinished tasks, it's like they're telling you, "Hey, you're behind. You're not good enough. Can you really do this?" You can feel guilt for not keeping up, thinking "I didn't get this thing done on time," or the guilt of "I know that's still sitting there unfinished." It might not be just stuff in your business; it might be things in your personal life because professionally, you're eating into your personal time. If you feel that guilt and then hear the whispering of "you're behind, you'll never catch up," paired with the shame of not asking for help, this is a leadership drain of your ability to move your business forward. It's not just time-consuming, but it's identity-eroding. It's eroding your confidence and your leadership ability, and once gone we can't always get them back in the same way, or the same strength they were before. A Real Example: Freedom by the Pool There was a client of mine working with one of my VAs from Virtual Assistant Made Easy, and we were actually on a trip together, and she decided that she would just sit by the pool and not bring her computer or do any work. This was the first time that she had done this because her virtual assistant was able to take things on. She chose to delegate because there was a lot of stuff going on, and she didn't want that chaos to hit when she was trying to have a vacation, which she wasn’t able to take very often until she had this virtual assistant. Since I’ve had support for a while, I've been so far removed from the feeling like you can't get away. It was really good for me to see that emotional relief that she had, that renewed sense of clarity on things, the confidence to unplug. It makes a big difference when you can say, "Yeah, I'm not weighed down by my business. I can actually step away and have some time freedom." Yes, there have been a lot of tactical gains, a lot of business results, from increasing her income to the highest she's ever had, bringing on more clients than before, and many awards she's gained. But the key thing here was just the pride that she had of being like, "Wow, this is possible. I can actually take time for myself." Can You Take Time Off? Are you able to feel that peace that comes with knowing that you don't have to do it all yourself? I want to reframe something for you: Delegation isn't just a trust exercise of "Can I hand this off, or not?" Delegation isn't just a to-do list. It's not necessarily about the action of handing off tasks. It's about what you get to do when your hands and mind are free.  I often joke with my new clients in Virtual Assistant Made Easy: "You're going to get these hours back, but that doesn't mean you now go and scroll Facebook." Actually use these hours in a way that's going to move you towards your goals, both personally and professionally, because what you get to do when your hands and mind are free is going to create that time freedom, work freedom, and financial freedom for you, for your business, for your loved ones, for your life. Your Choice Point You can ask yourself: What's it costing me holding on to things that don't need to be mine anymore? Am I reaching a point of overwhelm, or am I choosing to outsource? If you're interested in the outsourcing route, please reach out to me. I have a team of vetted virtual assistants, all from the Philippines, with great English, lots of experience, and they can do everything from social media, content creation, video/audio editing, tech support, graphic design, content repurposing, research, inbox and calendar management, and the list goes on and on. As a coach, trainer, speaker, podcaster, and author, my VAs handle all the behind-the-scenes work, including creating and distributing the content I'm producing like this blog. You're probably a great leader. And I know that with a few more free hours and a little more peace, you’ll be at the right capacity, which will help you lead even better. Your Action Item Here's my invitation to you:
This is your chance to choose to lead your life and your business how you wish, not just tick off the boxes on your to-do list. Reach out to me and get a VA through Virtual Assistant Made Easy, and we'll make it easy for you to gain your time freedom, work freedom, and financial freedom. If you haven't yet, share with a friend and check out all the other summer blogs I'm doing which are short, to the point, one action item, and continue on this journey with me as we go into the fall, where I'm going to be talking more about how to have a strong Q4, how to be confident, and a ton of other topics. If there's something that you'd like to specifically hear about or have me cover, or you want to reach out to me about having your own VA, you can reach out to me: [email protected]. Until next time, stay dynamic!
If you're looking for fall to just hit the ground running, and for the last quarter of the year to be really successful so that you can end the year strong, then you're going to want to read this blog where I talk about how your fall breakthrough starts now.  I know we're still in summer, the nicest time of the year for me. I live in North Vancouver, BC Canada, but I'm hanging out in Ontario right now. I'm going to go over how your fall breakthrough starts now, and what I'm keeping, what I'm cutting, and what I am creating. Use Summer as Strategic Space Often, people think summer is a pause because it's beautiful outside and you want to take a vacation, which is great. But it also creates space for you to pause differently, as a prep ground for your Q4 success. It’s the last opportunity before the end of the year to reach your goals, to be able to have the wins you're wanting, and that financial success. The Hard Truth: Most People Wait Too Long Here's the hard truth: most people wait too long. They wait until September comes. But then in September (in Canada, anyway), we have a long weekend that starts the whole month, and then school starts. Usually, you don't feel like you're actually in September until the second week, or maybe midway through the second week of September. Well, waiting till then is going to kill your momentum. High-level leaders are taking action now to get ahead, rather than waiting. By doing it now, you probably have more brain space because you're not rushing here and there, you're not doing a ton of projects. You have more brain space right now to be able to focus on it, to think clearly, to have more capacity and bandwidth to really make some good decisions about your final quarter. My Three-Part Fall Audit Here's my three-part audit, my fall audit. It's really simple: what you’re keeping, what you’re cutting, what you’re creating. When you go through that, even just to take two minutes on each part, you'll be amazed at the clarity you get.  What You’re Keeping You look at your calendar, you look at your business, you look at what you have going on professionally, but you also look personally at what you have going on in your life. In your business, you might look at your offers, the different systems you have, your team members, clients, and so on. On the personal side, you might look at habits, rituals, behaviors, how you spend your day, how you spend your time, and where you invest your focus. You’re going to look at all of that and ask yourself, “What am I keeping out of all these things? What still gets the check mark from me?” If it doesn’t get the check mark, then maybe it moves into another category—cutting—or maybe even just weaning off of it. What You’re Cutting Are you cutting certain tasks? Is it time to delegate things? Are there mindsets you need to cut? Any negative programming that says, “I can’t do that,” or “I can’t charge that amount,” or “I’m not good enough to do that”? Or maybe it’s the mindset of, “I’m so amazing I don’t need to do anything.” That’s another one you probably want to get rid of. Are there any commitments that are draining you? Look ahead—maybe you’ve taken a break from some of your commitments. Your board meetings might end, your exercise class might wrap up, your book club might pause, or networking groups you’re part of might take a break. Many activities slow down over the summer, even volunteering. Ask yourself, “Which of these commitments will come back and which drain my energy or are no longer aligned?” Maybe they’re no longer aligned with you, your business, or your personal life. It might be time to cut them. What You’re Creating Finally, what are you creating? Based on your goals, what do you need to create to get there? You may need to create new offers to meet your financial targets. Maybe you need to come up with more content to bring in leads. How about creating more systems to help your business run smoother? Or building more partnerships to grow financially, expand your content’s reach, or help you create the systems you need. So, what are you keeping? What are you cutting? What are you creating? If you spend just a few minutes on each one, you’ll complete your fall audit and get yourself into a really great place. If you don’t have a business, do this for your life. If you have a career, do it for your career. Do it for your whole life because as a professional coach, I can tell you that looking at all 10 areas of life is the way to truly be balanced. How My VA Helps with This Process Once I have my keeping, cutting, and creating, then I'm going to look to my Virtual Assistants. I have two main VAs I've been working with for over four years, and on my team, I have more VAs who can help you as well. Let me share what I'm doing. Before the summer, we did a lot of behind-the-scenes content batching. The reason is I was going to spend 10 days in Kenya, a couple of days travelling there, and then three weeks in Ontario. I pre-recorded seven videos, enabling my team to create my YouTube videos with a consistent background. They could also then publish my podcasts and create these blogs. This gave me the space to enjoy the summer and also complete tasks like my fall audit. Content batching is a great idea. You can even do it now to give you more freedom this summer or get ahead for the fall. We're not too far along. There's still time and space to do it.  Another thing that I have asked my team to do is to go into our systems and clean them up. First into our project management tool, our boards there, clean that up, archive anything that's done, bring back to the top anything that still needs to be finished off. Looking at our systems that we have, like how we do things, can we do it more efficiently, faster? Can we maximize our time in other ways, so that as we go into Q4 we can gain back some of that time? Also doing things like launch prepping and website updates. Having these sorts of tasks done now is really helpful for Q4. Then when I look at my keeping, cutting, creating, a lot of the cutting is either me delegating it off to them, or cutting because I'm not going to do it anymore. Also, a lot of my creating is I come up with the idea, but then they implement it. They make it happen. That's how my VAs are helping me to not only prepare in the summer for Q4 but to make Q4 amazing, because a reminder that success is not solo. It's not just you. It doesn't have to be you. Big companies have so many employees because you need all the little pieces to keep the machine running, and that helps you to stay in your zone of genius, in your core competencies and on high impact, high income-producing tasks, which is where you need to be. Your Action Step Spend that time, ten minutes on each area or at least a minimum of one minute on each area: keeping, cutting, creating. Just do it as long as you need to and maybe come back to it a few times. You can get deeper answers. Once you have that, if you're like, "Oh, I have so many things I want to delegate," or "there are mindsets I don't know how to shift," or "goals and systems I don't know how to create," reach out to me. So twofold: you get my coaching on one side, enabling you to have the business success you want, but then the life satisfaction you crave. Then, on the flip side, you get a virtual assistant. A vetted virtual assistant from my team who is already trained on so many of the different things. If not, there's a lot of my IP, my intellectual property, my training videos, my systems, my checklists that I give to you, and you work with one of my VAs, so you can just copy-paste and have them do similar to what my VAs do for me. Set an intention, do this action, and reach out to me, [email protected] or on your favourite social platform, and let's have a chat about how we can help you make Q4 give you the time freedom, the work freedom, and the financial freedom that you've been craving. Until next time, stay dynamic!
The most common thing busy people tell me when I meet them is "there's just so much to do." I say, "Get someone else to do it or pass it off." They're like, "Ah, it's just faster to do it myself." Have you been guilty of saying that? Probably. Or maybe you think delegation takes more time than doing it yourself? Maybe you're thinking of the corporate way where to pass things off, you had to develop full trainings, teach people, and test them. Or maybe you've had bad experiences trying to pass things off to people who weren't the right fit, or maybe your instructions kind of sucked.  So, how do you delegate in 10 minutes or less? I'm going to give you a more fail-proof way that I've found working with my two main Virtual Assistants (VA) for over four years (before that, I had Canadian assistants and contractors for six and a half years), and what my clients do with their VAs every single day, every week of the year. Tens of thousands of hours of delegating for these entrepreneurs can't be wrong. There is an easier way. You don't have to sit there and train all day. The Mindset Shift This really comes down to a mindset shift. If you're thinking, “I don’t even know what to delegate,” don’t worry — I’ve got you. I have other blogs and podcasts episodes that walk through that. But if you don’t want to figure it out alone, that’s exactly what we do inside Virtual Assistant Made Easy. We’ll work through it together. I won’t just hand you a big list of possible tasks — instead, we’ll start with your goals. What do you want to achieve in the next quarter? This year? From there, I’ll help you identify exactly how a VA can support you so you reach those goals faster and with less strain. If you're hoping for 10 clients, can we get you 20 clients? If you're hoping to launch the new course three months from now, can we do it in one month? Who knows? But that's the possibility when you have support. The Simple 3-Step Process Let's look at it. You've got something you want to delegate. Maybe you went to an event and have all these business cards or connections, and now you want to add them to your database, message them, add them on LinkedIn, whatever it may be.  Step 1: What's the Task? First thing, what is the task? What is the thing you do that you want to pass off? As you're going through your day, just write down the things you want to pass off. Step 2: What's the Outcome? Figure out what's the outcome you want. There are many different ways to do something to get to that final result. For example, "I want to add people" or "I want to document the information from these leads." The outcome is that they're in one of your databases, or you're connected on social media, whatever it may be. Step 3: What's the Format? Then it's the bit in between, what you're going to tell them. How are you going to tell them this information? Are you going to write them a checklist? Make them a voice note? Make them an email? Or record your screen and show them? Screen Recording One of the easiest ways to train your VA is with a simple screen recording. They can watch exactly what you're doing. No need to be on camera or worry about your hair or makeup. Just talk through the steps as you go, like: “I’m logging into my CRM, going to Contacts, clicking this button…” and so on. Your VA sees your screen and follows your mouse. That’s it. You don’t need to create a formal SOP or write out instructions. If your VA is trained properly (like ours are), they can turn that screen recording into a documented process. No need to practice, re-record, or make it fancy. Just hit record, walk through the task, explain what you're doing and why. Then send it off with any files they need (like images of business cards) and say, “Go for it.” It really can be that easy. The Multiplier Effect If you think, "Well, it's just faster for me to enter these 10 cards than it is to make that recording," think about this: What if the recording was you adding the first one in, and then you passed off the other nine cards to be done? And then every other time you have other contacts, you can do the exact same thing?  What if it wasn't business cards? What if now you go to an online event and you've got the Zoom participant list, or you have a directory of people you're supposed to reach out to, or you have an email with people's email addresses you're supposed to be putting in, or you have a signup somewhere that didn't quite get into your CRM? Do you see where I'm going with this? You recording that one video is showing them the process of how to do something in a very simple way… not polished, nothing fancy. They're going to be able to do it for you. Your Action Step What do you think? Does that sound doable? Does that sound easy? What if, for the next week, every time you come across a task you want to delegate, you just hit record and capture yourself doing it? You’ll start building a library of videos you can pass off. These recordings will cover those recurring tasks you no longer have to do yourself. I’ve already shared two other blogs on delegation. One was called “What Would You Do with an Extra Five Hours a Week?” Another was “The One Thing That You're Still Doing That Your VA Should Do.” And now this one shows you how to delegate in ten minutes or less. Like I said at the start, this really comes down to mindset. Thinking delegation takes more time than just doing it yourself is a myth. That belief will keep you stuck in the wrong tasks. The truth is, you started your business for more than just work. You wanted time freedom, money freedom, and the ability to choose how you spend your days. Let’s make sure your actions match that vision. Your Next Step If you loved this tip, and you’re wondering, “What else can I delegate? How can I have my VA create my SOPs, systems, and processes for me?” or even thinking, “Can I just copy what Diane uses?” Yes, you can! SOPs for speaking, training, coaching, course creation, book publishing, podcasting, YouTube, social media, content, editing, presentations, and events. The answer is yes. If you'd like access to my full library of videos, training materials, SOPs, checklists, and more, please don't hesitate to reach out. I’ve built all of this over the past 15 years in business, and it’s ready to go. Currently, we have four open client spots available. If you're ready, connect with us. I have a team of skilled, vetted virtual assistants from the Philippines, ready to support you. They’ll take the busy work off your plate so you can finally move faster, get ahead, and enjoy your life more. Instead of feeling like there are never enough hours in the day, you’ll be saying, “Wow, we are moving at full speed, and I’m so glad I didn’t have to do all of this myself.” Let’s give you the time, work, and financial freedom you started your business for. Reach out to me, [email protected] or check our website for Virtual Assistant Made Easy so that you can jump on board and have me just do it all for you. Okay, enjoy everyone. Until next time, stay dynamic!
There's probably at least one thing or maybe 100 things that you're still doing that your Virtual Assistant should handle, and it's costing you time, work, and financial freedom.  This is about delegation awareness. Let's dive into the one thing you're still doing that your virtual assistant or someone you delegate to should handle. Delegation Awareness Even with my Virtual Assistant Made Easy clients and coaching clients, I constantly hear them mention tasks they're still doing that they could delegate. Here are two stories: Story #1: The Blog Upload One client was still uploading her own blog every week. When I asked why, she said, "Oh, it's just easy. I just go in and put the things in, and then get the pictures and everything." She had the VA do all the other pieces but was still uploading it herself. All she needed to do was show the VA how and give access. Once she passed it off, it freed up three hours per week. She'd wondered why she was always behind. It was these small things adding up. If you're doing blog or website updates multiple times a week, it takes time away from your core competencies and probably burns your energy doing tasks you didn't get into business to do. Story #2: Social Media Content Another client was still making his own social media posts. When I asked why he was still doing it himself, it boiled down to not being sure she could let it go or how to pass it off. One of my main virtual assistants does all my stories, reels, and captions based on my anchor videos. She pulls quotes, chooses them, adds calls-to-action, and picks images. So I shared my trainings, videos, checklists, templates… everything he needed to pass it off. He regained his time and sanity (because there simply aren’t enough hours in the day), allowing him to focus more on bringing on new clients. I love finding that one thing someone's still doing that they should pass off. It All Comes Down to Delegation Awareness Ask yourself: What have you been doing the past six months that you still want to do versus what you want to pass off going into the next six months?  If you don't have a VA, we've opened eight spots for clients to work with our virtual assistants. They're vetted, experienced, with great English (spoken and written), and have worked with speakers, coaches, trainers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners like you. If you already have one, it's time to look at what else you can pass off. Common Delegation Opportunities Here are some common delegation opportunities that may be ones you could pass off: Inbox Filtering: Maybe you're not ready to pass off your email yet, but could they filter things? Could they put things into folders like “subscriptions”, and “To Reply to”? Delete the spam? Could they even check your junk and spam, make sure nothing fell into there? Reply to FAQs? Could they categorize urgent, to-do, and project-based emails in the right place for you? Calendar Management: Often, I receive emails that include the dates for a program or speaking engagement. I just forward them to Kristine, and ask, "Hey, can you please add this to my calendar?" Very simple. Even things like adding client meetings in there… This is a task you can pass off. If you're like, "Oh, it just takes me a few minutes." Yes, but let's add up again those three minutes, five minutes, one minute, two minutes, ten minutes, over the course of the day, the week, the month, the year. It's hours upon hours, and it's costing you time, work, and financial freedom. Presentations: Have you ever realized how long it takes to make a presentation? Forever, right? If you simply give a virtual assistant your Word document, which consists of just black words on a white page, they can create a whole presentation for you in PowerPoint, Canva, or anywhere else you want them to make it. Even if you think about just putting the text in, formatting the boxes, choosing the images, each of these can take 15 minutes, 20 minutes, or even longer, when you think of all of the slides. That's something that they can do. Other Tasks: How about updating your website, creating a landing page? How about your CRM emails, audio and video editing, newsletters? There are so many things that can be done. The Real Issue A lot of times people think, "Well, I just do this one little thing that I should delegate." But it's actually probably dozens of things that you're doing. A lot of times people say to me, "I don't know what to delegate." Trust me, there's lots to delegate.  But the thing is, when you cling to these tasks, it's a form of control that limits the growth… the growth of you, the growth of your business because when you're focusing on low impact, low quality, low income-producing tasks, you're not going to have enough time for high impact, high quality, high income-producing tasks. It also limits your time, work, and financial freedom. What To Do Well, your task is to identify these one-off tasks, these daily tasks, these weekly tasks that you need to delegate, that you want to delegate. If you're like, "But I don't know how to delegate. I don't know who to give it to. I don't have a Virtual Assistant" all that, just reach out to me, email me [email protected] or DM me on your favorite social platform, and let's have a conversation. Currently, I have three highly skilled vetted Virtual Assistants ready to support business owners, and I’ve opened just eight client spots in my Virtual Assistant Made Easy for you to work one-on-one with one of my vetted virtual assistants. When you join and start with your VA before Aug 15th, you’ll get ✔ A VA personally matched to your needs ✔ My support to get you delegating fast and effectively ✔ 20 bonus VA hours ✔ A powerful bonus suite worth over $25,000 — including content systems, plug-and-play delegation templates, and CEO strategy support If you’ve been thinking, “I need help but I don’t know where to start,” this is your sign — and your solution. Remember This The things that drain your energy do not deserve your expertise. I'm going to say that again: the tasks that drain your energy don't deserve your expertise. If you find it draining to invoice people or to input your expenses into your Google Sheet or financial software, pass it off. If you find it hard to figure out tech, such as creating a landing page or updating things on the back end of your website, pass it off. If it drains your energy, you're in dissonance. You got into business so that you could do the things you love, your core competencies, the things that are your zone of genius. All of these so that you didn't have to do the crappy tasks, the dissonant tasks that you maybe would have to do at a company. Your Challenge If you want time freedom, work freedom, financial freedom, I'm going to challenge you. Think of one task. You've probably already thought of 10 by now. I'm going to challenge you to come up with the biggest list you could possibly do of all the tasks that you could delegate. I'm going to make this fun here. Email me the list. The person with the biggest list by Aug 15th, 2025, I'm going to send them one of my books: Confidence Secrets, Leadership Secrets, maybe Trailblazer Secrets, or Success Secrets. Email me your list. I know I said one task, that's the minimum, but show me how big of a list. I bet someone could get to 100. Is there anything specific that you would like me to cover as we're coming into the fall? If there are any blog topics or challenges that you have, email me [email protected]. If you are looking for a VA (virtual assistant), then let me and my team connect you with one. The cool thing is, I share a lot of my intellectual property with my clients, so my training videos, my checklists, systems, and exactly how I do things in my business as a speaker, coach, trainer, as well as someone who has a podcast, YouTube, newsletter, books, and online courses and so on and so forth. If you want that sort of done-for-you ability to bring on a VA, then reach out to me, [email protected] or visit our website because that's going to explain more about Virtual Assistant Made Easy, and I'm happy to have a chat with you. Until next time, stay dynamic!
What would you do with an extra five hours a week? I ask this because most entrepreneurs work 60+ hours every single week, even though we're doing this for the freedom. (Sidenote: If you want to have tons of fun this summer but get lots of stuff done so that come fall, you can look back and say, "Wow, that was an amazing summer," and "I got a lot done" then you probably want the Summer Productivity Playbook. It's a mini course with all the things I've been doing in my own business and life to enjoy summer without falling behind and chasing my tail come fall.)  The Reality for Most Entrepreneurs Most entrepreneurs work 60+ hours a week. I see this in people who come to me before they hire one of my VAs or start working with me as their business coach. The shocking stat is… of those 60 hours, only 20% are high-impact, high-quality, and high-income-producing activities. This is why they are working really hard, but not making the money they want. What do I mean by these kinds of tasks? Things like managing the business, CEO visioning, cash flow activities, building relationships, following up with leads, creating new products or services, and completing any tasks that prevent you from generating your desired revenue. The Main Questions What would you do with those extra five hours? What would change in your life with five more hours of freedom per week? It's not just five extra hours to work more. It's five more hours of freedom that could be used for business or life.
 We got into business because we're passionate about what we do and want to make an impact, but also because we want time freedom, work freedom and financial freedom. At a job, we're often capped. We can't make more without promotions or bonuses, but we can build that into our own business. Real Success Stories I have a client who works with one of my virtual assistants. In one of our monthly CEO meetings where we share wins and brainstorm, she said, "I got three new clients last week." I was surprised. Three in a short period was surprising. She explained she had an idea for a funnel, but hadn't properly finished it. Her virtual assistant freed her up to develop the idea, then the VA made the whole funnel happen. They simply turned it on… email campaigns, sequences that brought leads, and she closed them. Amazing! She gained hours by having the VA do other time-consuming tasks, gained more hours because she wasn't doing the work herself, gained three clients and more financial freedom because the funnel worked for her. It has continued to work since then, generating new leads that turn into clients and ongoing revenue. Life's Unexpected Moments God forbid something bad happens in your life, but I have seen five extra hours a week help other clients…
One of my clients has been able to take Fridays off. Another client starts her day an hour later to focus on her own activities. That's what I often do, so I can go for a walk to get some self-care in. What's Wasting Your Time Let's start by identifying what things are probably wasting your time in your business. Remember, I mentioned high-impact, high-quality, and high-income-producing activities. On the other hand, we have low-impact, low-quality, and low-income-producing activities, or no income-producing activities. These are the things that you should delegate to someone else. Someone on your team or delegated to a virtual assistant.  (Side note: we do have some openings right now for four business owners to come into Virtual Assistant Made Easy, and work directly with one of our virtual assistants that are from the Philippines, vetted, hired for you by me, already experienced and know how to do everything from your social media content creation, video/audio editing, research, tech, email and calendar management, and the list goes on and on to email campaigns and YouTube and podcasting and book publishing and course creation and PowerPoint presentations.) Hard Truth: There are many time wasters you’re still doing yourself. It could be as simple as putting in information or adding in data. It could be that email and calendar management. Even though you're like, "Oh yeah, but it's just quick," you add up these little quick things over the course of your day, over the course of your week, over the course of your month and year, and it ends up being a ton of time. Have a Content Creation System to Save Time Looking at how I repurpose my content using my whole Content Multiplication Magic machine (this is something my VA Made Easy clients have access to) I record a video every week that goes on my YouTube. My VA is the ones who edit it, makes the thumbnail, puts it up on YouTube with a description, and then shares it on my social media. The same thing goes for my podcast. My VA is the one who does all the steps. They transcribe it, put it on my blog, pull pieces of it and create social posts, then make other posts that are promoting those different things and write my newsletter. The other BONUS is that all of these assets are my words. Now it doesn't mean that I'm fully hands-off; I do approve them, but it is so fast compared to all the work I could be doing. Can you imagine how long this would take you? It used to be half my week. Now, my VAs do it all for me, and they do it much faster than I could ever do because they're gifted at these tasks, and they're things that they enjoy doing and have become really good at, having done them week after week. But imagine you're still managing your email and calendar, still creating social media posts, and still scheduling them. You're still figuring out your tech. You're still doing every piece yourself. You won't get those five extra hours a week if you don’t look at what you’ll pass off. Your Call to Action As I mentioned, if you want those five hours back, you can join us at Virtual Assistant Made Easy to get one of our VAs, and you’ll get more time back guaranteed. Not sure what to offload or what you can gain with five hours? Do this… Take a pen, take your favourite journal, and you're just going to write:
Then let me know how you plan to use those five extra hours this summer and hopefully beyond, because I'm sure when other people read about them, they will say, "Ah, that's such a great idea, and I want to be able to do that too." Comment below or email them to me [email protected]. You don’t have to be one of the entrepreneurs working 60+ hours a week; you can have more time freedom, more work freedom, and more financial freedom. Until next time, stay dynamic!
Picture this: You're standing in a massive convention center, surrounded by thousands of attendees, your feet are killing you, your brain is on information overload, and you're wondering if you've actually accomplished anything meaningful. Sound familiar?  If you've ever felt completely drained at a large-scale event like Web Summit or any major conference, you're not alone. The excitement of learning from industry leaders and networking with like-minded professionals can quickly turn into overwhelm when you're not prepared for the marathon that these events truly are. But here's the thing: mega events don't have to leave you burnt out and questioning whether the investment was worth it. With the right strategies, you can not only survive but thrive, making meaningful connections and gaining valuable insights while maintaining your energy and sanity. Here are my five tips to get the most out of it and keep your energy. Strategy 1: Prep to Win Before You Go The first strategy is all about preparation. This means getting really clear about what your intentions are. Why are you going? What are your goals? Maybe you have two, maybe you have three—no more than that.
 Strategy 2: Energy Management Is Everything Think about your morning rituals — are you setting yourself up for success, or already rushing out the door stressed? Start with something that grounds you. Maybe it’s quiet time, movement, or just drinking your coffee without multitasking. Fuel your body with real food, not just a granola bar grabbed on the way out. And hydration? Drink water all day long, even adding electrolytes.Most people don’t do it, and then wonder why they crash halfway through the day. It sounds basic, but it can be tempting to grab another coffee, especially if they have a coffee/tea station or a Starbucks on every floor. When evening rolls around, yes! ~ go to the events, the dinners, the socials. Connect, have fun. But don’t feel like you have to stay out until 1 or 2 AM to make it “worth it.” You’re not missing out if you choose rest. You’re investing in tomorrow. Then have some kind of wind-down routine. Something that signals to your body and brain that it’s time to slow down. Maybe it’s calming music on your drive or when you get home. Then get yourself into bed. Not scroll-your-phone-in-bed… actually sleep. You want to show up sharp the next day? It starts the night before. Strategy 3: Network Without the Awkwardness How do you do that? Well, be intentional. Go up to someone and have some quality statements to say, rather than blabbering on for a while.  Think of some conversational starters—not just, "What do you do?" but:
Change up the questions so they're better conversations, and make sure you've got your phone out so you can connect on the event app along with LinkedIn so you can keep that connection going afterward. Having anchor people helps. It could be a friend or someone that you know—if you've had too much stimulation or you feel like you've been "on," then you go over to them so that you can completely chill out. Strategy 4: Don't Get Lost in the Crowd You need to be seen, be heard, and be present — especially at big events where it’s easy to blend into the background. Be Seen: Wear something that pops — a bold colour, a fun accessory, something that shows off you. Not over-the-top or distracting, but enough to help people remember you. Think of it as your walking business card. You want to be approachable, not invisible. Be Heard: If there’s a chance to ask a question during a talk or panel, take it. Come prepared with a few thoughtful questions that show you’re engaged and paying attention. It’s not just about getting an answer, it’s a chance to get noticed and make a connection. Be Present: Don’t just float from person-to-person, half-listening. Stay in the moment. Take notes (when it makes sense), make eye contact, actually listen. This is where the magic happens in connections and building relationships. You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room. But you do need to show up with intention, so people know you’re there, and remember you after. Strategy 5: Know the Tools The app for this event at Web Summit was phenomenal. Not only is the whole event schedule on there, but you can create your own schedule so, in advance, you know where you're going to be at the last minute.
Your Turn: What Are Your Tips? What are your tips for lasting at a major event? What are the things that you do to maintain your energy and not get overwhelmed and get the most out of it? Let me know. Email me at [email protected], or put a comment below. Until next time, stay dynamic! This blog post is adapted from the Dynamic Women podcast. To hear the full episode and more tips for dynamic living, subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to your favourite shows.
In my previous blog, I shared the first part of the Dynamic Women® Leadership Secrets book launch party where we had Panel 1. Now, let me share with you Panel 2 where the panelists discuss how to lead though challenge and create change. We have our panel moderator Candy Motzek and then three panelists: Jacquie Rougeau, Katherine Johnson, and Laura Richards. These four women are authors and part of the 36 authors that came together to create Leadership Secrets.  Meet the Panelists Candy Motzek (Moderator): Thank you so much for being here. My name is Candy Motzek, and I am so pleased to be moderating this panel. A huge thank you to Diane for hosting this launch party and to all the amazing authors. I’m so pleased to learn from all of you. I'm going to ask you, ladies, to start with your introductions. Laura, can you tell us a little bit about you and your piece in the book? Laura Richards: I'm Laura Richards. I'm a narcissistic abuse recovery expert, and I'm the host of the 'That's Where I'm At' podcast. I wanted to be part of this book because narcissists are everywhere, and I wanted to help leaders learn how to deal with them. My piece gives you three steps for dealing with narcissistic people when you're a leader and how to keep your integrity as you deal with them. Candy: That’s great. Jacquie, I have seen you. You clap for everybody. You are the cheerleader, and I love it. Could you introduce yourself as well? Jacquie Rougeau: I'm Jacquie Rougeau. I'm at my lakefront property here in Lac LaHatch, BC, Canada. I'm a nomad, an adventurer, traveler. I'm also a coach, speaker, and cheerleader for women ready to lead boldly in their second chapter of life. I jumped into the book because I know the power of rising strong and wanting other women to know that they can do the same. My piece is real. It's a raw look at bouncing back after loss, leading with love and always some sass, and finding your fire again, no matter what age. Katherine Johnston: Hello everyone, and thank you for joining us today. Thank you, Diane, for bringing us all together. I'm really grateful for these new connections. I'm Katherine Johnston. I'm the founder and executive director of Global Mindz, and I provide leadership development and coaching worldwide. I must admit, I became a part of this book mostly out of curiosity, wanting to get back into writing. As I enter the last decade of my career, I want to give back, so I love supporting leaders and entrepreneurs to be their best. I hate seeing them struggle and looking for direction and finding a path because there's no recipe. I created this 'Boss and Buddy' concept as a framework to balance between the two roles. It's a playbook, in a sense, based on a leadership book I wrote some years ago with Lisa. Candy: That’s so great. I love this, entering the last decade of your career and wanting to really give back and support people who are coming forward. That’s wonderful. Let me introduce myself. My name is Candy Motzek, and I am a leadership coach as well as a business coach for high achievers. I'm also the host of the top podcast called 'She Coaches Coaches.' I'm excited to be part of this book because that word 'secrets'—it's really easy for people in leadership to pretend like they have it all together, but I really like that idea of sharing the behind-the-scenes. We all have self-doubt. We all experience imposter syndrome. We all have good days and bad days. The piece that I wrote is about the wake-up call. It is so important for us to have collaboration and engagement and support of mentors and leaders who bring us forward, but I wanted to remind us to lead from within as well—to look inside at what's going on with me and making sure that my leadership was aligned with who I am. Leading Through Challenge: What Did It Teach You? Candy: I'd love to hear about a moment when you'd to lead through a challenge, and what did that teach you about yourself and your leadership capacity? Katherine, can we go to you first?  Katherine: Anytime I get this question, it gives me a sense of déjà vu of one of the toughest, personally and professionally difficult moments in my life. What they say—what doesn't kill you makes you stronger—it was life-changing for me. I was a business change leader for the Coca-Cola company, leading a year-long SAP implementation project of 23 team members in eight Nordic and Baltic countries with the same go-live date. No one would ever do that today, but they did. I realized the critical importance of communicating never enough hours in the day, but I did it, and how important it is to motivate others because I could not possibly do the work myself. As a leader, you have to let go. You have to trust your team, enable them, motivate them, and communicate with them because you cannot possibly do it yourself. This was before my two sons were born because I couldn't have managed it otherwise. That understanding of communication and motivation was life-changing for me. I realized I was more interested in people development rather than working with spreadsheets, which was finance and IT, which is my previous background. I switched to consulting and leadership, and here I am, 20 years later, doing what I love. But that was a breaking point. It could have gone either way. I became more people-oriented than task-oriented. Candy: I love that leaning into the thing that draws you the most, and that's probably your strength as well. That's great. Jacquie, what about you? Jacquie: When the company I had poured 17 years of my life into suddenly closed, it honestly felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. I could still feel the emotions of it right now. I was grieving, disappointed, and heartbroken, but I still had people looking up to me for guidance. I wanted to honestly just crawl away and stay with my grief, but I knew I couldn't. That moment taught me that leadership isn't always about having all the answers. It's about showing up anyway with honesty, grace, and grit. I realized I was stronger than I thought I was, and leading through a storm doesn't require a cape, just courage and heart. Laura: I'm thinking back to a community group that I used to lead, and how it really goes along with what I talk about now with narcissists and toxic people in general. I would have people who really looked up to me and I was able to lead, and then I had someone who, as soon as everybody left the room, would come and fight with me in certain ways where it wouldn't even seem believable when I would tell other people. Looking back, what it taught me was I did not have the skills that I needed for such a person. I was very meek. Even though I was having to lead, I thought it was my fault that they were treating me that way. That's why I talk about this now—the way you can keep your integrity as you're dealing with difficult people because it isn't usually about you. It's usually about their toxicity. Candy: Let's go on to the next question. What one change would you like to see made to help more women be leaders? Who wants to go first? Jacquie, I can see your smile. One Change to Help More Women Be Leaders Jacquie: I'd love to see aging women celebrated, not sidelined. There's a belief out there that leadership and women as a whole have an expiry date, and no. Women who are 40, 50, 60+ are packed with wisdom, creativity and fire, but they're often overlooked. Let's start shifting to spotlight them. You're not too late. In fact, you're right on time. We need to focus on reinvention, not retirement. Your life is not over. I'm really here to lift people up and remind them of who they are.  Laura: I second that motion. I'm 58, started this new career at 56. I would love to see women in leadership be just commonplace. When older women are celebrated and it's more commonplace that women are in leadership, I think it sends that message to young girls and teens who are looking and going, 'Oh, I can do that too,' because women hold that place in leadership. I just would love to see it be more commonplace and not something that's unusual. Katherine: This is fascinating because when I initially had the question, “I don't have a lot to say about this”, and now I do. I have three comments. I think it's a tough question. One of the things I've learned recently, I think it requires seeing more women be leaders. I'm thinking from a young like 25 to 45, I think we need systemic changes. There are structural problems when it comes to allowing women to be at their best and be visible and be promoted. When do you have your meetings? Well, after drop-off at school and before pick-up at school. Are you flexible? Can you do your two hours of work at eight in the evening or five in the morning? I think there are some systemic changes especially in certain industries like tech, finance, like a startup. I think there’s some work to be done there. I love that there's a Pay Transparency Act now in BC. There are intersectionality implications, a Caucasian female versus a Black female or a female with disabilities, the pay disparity or promotion disparity increases exponentially. That is a systemic problem, and it's also access to opportunity. I’m very passionate about that. Based on what Jacquie and Laura said, I’m all in on that. One of the things now when I mentor or coach younger women is to say what is most important for you now in the phase of life you are and using myself as example, I had children very late in life. That crazy project I did for Coke with the countries was before kids. Then I had children. I was so grateful. I really focused on them. My son just got his driver's license. He's going to university. My other son is at university in the US. My five years of caring for my aging mother, which took 20 hours a week, are over. I feel like I am in the brilliance of my third career. I don't know if you Jacquie and Laura feel the same. I'm like, “Oh, I have so many hours I can build my business now.” So that's where I would say the risk of a company overlooking people, and whether they're like, they had kids young or they had kids older, but the risk of overlooking people between 45 and 65 that's a bad move because we have the capacity to really put it all in if we want. Candy: Katherine, I loved how you summed that up, too. I won't even say my opinion. It's all of the above and a little bit more. Rapid Fire: Secret Weapon for Staying Calm Under Pressure We're going to wrap it up with this rapid-fire question, and it's going to be like a bottom line, one quick sentence. What is your secret weapon for staying calm under pressure? Katherine, do you want to go first? Katherine: Deep breathing, exhale out two counts longer than inhale. Five years ago, I would have said look calm even when you don't feel it inside because everyone's looking to you, but that creates internal stress. Jacquie: It's always Mel Robbins' five-second rule for me, hands down. It's like 5-4-3-2-1, I take action before that fear takes over. It's my brain's cue to stop spiraling, stop thinking, and start leading, even when I'm sweating through it. Laura: Just do it afraid. I think there are times in that 5-4-3-2-1—just do it afraid. Because there's never a time when none of us are doing it, like we're perfectly fine all the time. Just do it afraid. It's okay. That doesn't mean it was the wrong choice. Just do it. Candy: I do this kind of lean back and take a breath and try to keep perspective. Most of those pressure situations are not that big of a deal in the real world. Conclusion I encourage you to make sure you've a few notes that you can apply to your life, and also pick up a copy of Dynamic Women Leadership Secrets. You can learn a great deal from this diverse group of women from various countries. We have Canada, the United States, Netherlands, UK, Australia, South Africa, the Philippines, and many more. I encourage you to grab the book, buy it for a friend, or do it with your book club. Let us know what you think of it. This blog post is adapted from the Dynamic Women podcast episode featuring the Dynamic Women® Leadership Secrets book launch party. To hear the full conversation and panel discussion, listen to the original podcast episode.
5 Key Takeaways from Web Summit Vancouver: Navigating AI, Authenticity, and the Future of Business7/2/2025 Didn’t make it to Web Summit in Vancouver? I've got you covered with the five biggest insights that will transform how you think about AI, creativity, and building a meaningful business in 2025. I say the five biggest, but this is without going through all my notes and replays yet. This is what I'm pulling together on Friday morning, the last day of our event.  Takeaway #1: AI Is Not Your Replacement. It's Your Tool There has been a lot of talk about AI over the week, and the key thing to remember is that AI is not a replacement for us. Whether we're solopreneurs trying to use AI to automate all our tasks, or are concerned about our jobs as creative designers, AI is meant to be a tool. I heard from Irina Novoselsky, the CEO of Hootsuite, who discussed how AI is particularly effective for ideation and initial drafts. We know that. They're going to give us some interesting output. But the key thing is human creativity and human authenticity, which has to lead. This is the key piece. If we can bring in human emotion, authenticity, and the skills we have, AI will not be a problem at all. Takeaway #2: Redesign Human Roles in Your Business We need to think about redesigning the human roles in our businesses. This applies to corporate and solopreneurs alike. Everything is automated now. In the age of automation, we have to think:
A lot of times, clients who work with my Virtual Assistants think, "Well, can I just have AI do all of these things?" It helps with coming up with ideas for content posts and drafts for emails. But at the end of the day, you as the business owner, you as the person in that human role, need to approve it, read it over, and put your own spice on things. When we think about human roles, we need to look at what are the breaks in the automation. If we're automating things in our business, where is there a subtle break or big break where we're thinking, "This doesn't work properly"? We need humans to step in and keep that flowing. For example, if we're looking at cutting up video for reels, we can use AI and different software to take different pieces and make choices. But what I've consistently heard is they don't make the best choices. Maybe they're taking half of a quote, or they're not taking the full piece, or they're not taking the best stuff. At the end of the day, you need to make sure that you are the one looking things over and deciding what requirements and guidelines are necessary for this AI to work properly. Also, ask yourself: What gets missed with full automation? Are there pieces around customer service that get missed? Creativity? Maybe opportunities are missed. What are you truly hiring humans to do? Let's create the human role and see how AI can assist them. A key thing mentioned repeatedly is that AI is dumb. AI can't reason. AI can't manage conflict. AI can't lead with empathy. AI can't decide which creative direction feels right. Maybe it can tell you it's in alignment with your values or business objectives, but at the end of the day, your humans—the people in your business—are going to give you that gut decision. This also came up in the interview I did with Cat How, talking about how she looks to her employees for "Are we going to take on this client or not? Are we going to do this project or not?" It comes down to that gut decision. AI isn't really smart in doing that yet. Takeaway #3: Redefine Success Beyond Profitability There are so many hungry tech students here, so many founders, investors, and people looking to build the next unicorn business. However, I've seen so many of these businesses created to solve problems for human good—cameras that can look underwater to find people who have drowned, housing solutions, and others helping with climate issues. Another pitch I saw involved removing chemicals from dyes and developing more natural approaches.  That's one way we can really use our businesses to go beyond profitability. But it's not just about the success of the business—it's about what success looks like for the people around you because of the jobs you're creating. Jillian Harris said, "There's no point in driving a fancy car down the street if everyone else is struggling." It was really nice to see that, while there are some cash-hungry individuals here, there are many people with the intention of building a legacy and making the world better through their business. Profit shouldn't just be a metric. It should be more about the purpose of what we're doing and what impact we want to have. Equity matters too. Consider the following: If I'm working with a global company or developing online software, how can I invest in my employees? How can I work with local vendors? How can I select collaborations that align with our core values? These are the things you want to be thinking about because at the end of the day, when your head hits that pillow, you want to make sure you're feeling good about yourself. You want your business to be solid so that you can leave this world knowing, "I did good, and I put some good businesses out there." Takeaway #4: Creators Don't Need to Build a Platform. They Just Need to Show Up Authentically This one really blew my mind. The point is, creators don't need to build a platform—they just need to show up authentically. I'm speaking about cartoon creators, graphic designers, these types of creators. Take Ingrid, a Mexican writer, illustrator, and full-time webtoon creator. She was on a panel with Webtoon and has created a cartoon inspired by Japanese anime called "The Kiss Bet." It's now become a beloved romance series with over 176 million views and 1.7 million subscribers. She was able to leave her day job to do this. A lot of times people think, "Oh, I need to create an app. I need to create the software myself." You don't. The key thing is looking at the different platforms you can be on. I didn't know about Webtoon. I'm sure people who love cartoons and comics know this has been around for a long time, and there are many others as well. The power is in what you create, not necessarily owning the platform it's on. But there are some big key tips you have to think about here:
 One key thing Ingrid has been doing is using other platforms to help build and promote what she's doing on Webtoon. We think about that as business owners, “Where else can I be to move people to where I want them to purchase from me or be a follower?” But what she's doing is building loyalty. When she decides to create a different cartoon or comic, she has the opportunity to pull her fan base with her. Think about how else you can monetize it. What they've been doing with another company, Skybound Entertainment, is asking, "How can we merchandise this? How can we create other pieces?" It's not just "here's the cartoon," but "Here are T-shirts, here's the actual comic, and here are all the other products," so fans can gobble it all up. You've got sponsorship opportunities, membership opportunities, licensing, live events—so many other things you can do than just the one piece you're creating. Takeaway #5: Storytelling Is Still the Superpower Randy Kumar, CEO of Team Pumpkin, says storytelling matters more than technology in advertising, and that's where we are unique. A lot of people are complaining that they can tell when ChatGPT or Claude or other AI has created the output people are reading. In advertising, people don't want to be sold to—we know that's not new. But the key thing is they want to get to know us, and they get to know us through story. Maybe it's time for us to reconnect with our story. Maybe we think we are connected to our story, but do our people know that? Many of the AI software and speakers on various panels discussed how to amplify your story and share it, then utilize AI tools to enhance its reach even further. If you're thinking about expanding into a new space with a new language, you could use AI to take your original video and put another language in your mouth. I've seen this happen in training videos with my fellow CAPS members (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers). They're providing training videos now in all the different languages their clients' employees speak. This is where we can utilize AI to effectively convey our message to various communities. That's also connected to point four—that's what Ingrid and other creatives on that platform are able to do: put content into other languages and hit other markets in other countries. Think about what you want people to feel. A lot of times, when AI gets involved, we lose the emotion and feeling. Think about how you can infuse your storytelling with values and humanity, then add that into your funnel, sales posts, and landing pages—not just when you show up on camera. Wrapping Up It was a fantastic three and a half days at Web Summit, panel after panel. I encourage you to listen to the interviews I've conducted with some of the women pitching their business ideas and startups, as well as with individuals doing innovative work in branding within this industry. In my next blog, I will share five ways to survive being at a major event, so you don't get overloaded, overwhelmed, and completely burnt out, and you can capture every single piece you need to take away from the time you're there.
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