Hello Reader, ✨Happy International Women's Month! (Yep. Month.)✨

First this:

1. Oooh My. Ok. This newsletter has a prerequisite. You are required to take 4min and 12 seconds to watch this RIGHT NOW! I mean it. Goosebumps. It's also been added to the Things Done Well playlist if you can only listen. Trust me though... it's so good.
2. Please consider Donating to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre in honour of IWD. Or if you are not in the lower mainland of Vancouver I encourage you to find a local agency providing direct services to women in need near you and become a monthly donor! BUT be mindful you don't inadvertently support the TERFs!
3. ​Don't stop calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. What is happening to the Palestinians civilians is appalling. If you also want to put your money where your mouth is follow and support the BDS Movement. It is by far the most effective way to support Palestinian Resistance.

Now, on to the Big Girl Pants.

There is a moment that happens in every implementation project that I call the Dark Night of the Soul.

The Dark Night of the Soul is when you get deeeep in the weeds and everything feels impossible. Either you keep running into road blocks and nothing is working how you thought it would, or it feels like there is just too much to tackle.

Whenever this happens in an implementation (and it happens every single time!) I lean into to my Stop Using Spreadsheets method, and go back to the boundaries I set for the project. I make sure the weeds I am in are actually IN the scope I am focused on and I determine if I am trying to solve for more than we need right now.

And this practice of getting back to what matters right now is what has gotten me through nearly 10 years of implementation projects!

The thing is, the Dark Night of the Soul happens for me as I navigate being a business owner as well and, until recently, I didn't have a practice I could fall back on to get unstuck... at least one that didn't involve a (un)healthy dose of panic and imposter syndrome!

This was not for a lack of trying on my part! I just didn't resonate with the vast majority of the business coaches I came across and found their advice unrealistic and disingenuous.

I am not about that hustle and grind life. I am not a build-scale-sell kind of entrepreneur. I am a lifestyle entrepreneur. I am doing this to have something different in my life, so why would I take advice from someone who lives a life I DO NOT WANT?!

Until I found... Wandering Aimfully! Or more truthfully Jason and Caroline Zook.

My first introduction to The Zooks took me to their podcast, which is where I learned that they are not only the real deal (both having successful non-coaching businesses before moving into business coaching!) they are also funny, kind, respectful, and wicked smart.

And most importantly, they believe you can be successful by do business differently AND can have fun doing it. Here's what I love about their approach:

They create FREE tools like the Calm Business Encyclopedia - An A to Z guide on running a business that’s predictable, profitable, and peaceful.

They can recognize their privilege and proudly and loudly stand for social justice.

They create clear and helpful resources like the Un-Boring Business Roadmap! Which is included WAIM Unlimited - Their Un-Boring Coaching Program! ​

The roadmap is my Big Girl Pants!!!

It shows me how to do all the things I know I need to do in a way that is accessible, practical, and entertaining! It's exactly the framework I need whenever I get stuck. It's what I keep coming back to when I don't know what to do next... or when the panic and imposter syndrome kick-in!

Important Note: Are all of these links are affiliate links! But am I telling you about WAIM because of the commission? NO!

IN FACT, I believe in the program so much that I will give anyone who signs up to WAIM using my affiliate link FREE ENROLLMENT into the Stop Using Spreadsheets program PLUS 5 Weeks of Group Coaching!

The Zooks primarily use affiliate marketing for WAIM instead of paid ads stating that they would much rather pay real people to spread the word than the likes of Google or Facebook. And I am happy to oblige!

Truthfully though, WAIM has been a game changer for me. From 2021 when I joined to now, not a single month has gone by that I have not been active in WAIM.

From the weekly accountability games, to the monthly coaching and ROBUST library. It has become a cornerstone of my routines, and has pulled me out of more than one quagmire over the years.

Not to mention WAIM is a lifetime membership (pay once and never again) that gives you access all of the resources they both have made to date (which is A LOT including everything from an excellent branding course and a hand lettering tutorial from Caroline, to courses on how to create and manage a podcast and get sponsorships for anything from Jason!) It also includes access to EVERYTHING THEY MAKE IN THE FURTURE!

Not to mention a WAIM membership includes a LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION TO TEACHERY FOR MY ONLINE COURSES!

The list goes on and on!

If you are a small business owner who wants to grow but struggles with where to place your foot next, OR if you are looking to pivot your business and are feeling deep in the overwhelm I STRONGLY recommend checking out all that Caroline and Jason have to offer.

AND when you add in the bonus of enrollment into my Stop Using Spreadsheets program you will come out VERY well protected from any future Dark Nights of the Soul in your business or in any future implementation projects you or your team encounter!

​Come get your new Big Kid Pants and join me in the weekly WAIM of Stones accountability game in the WAIM Slack community (that over 100 people every month played for all of 2023!) Don't delay, enrollment closes Monday! You won't regret it.

Until next time, keep keeping on!

R*