Ever been blindsided by one tiny comment that sends your brain into a full meltdown? That was me over Thanksgiving weekend.
I was chatting with Cade's girlfriend about travel plans for 2026. Light, fun, nothing serious.
Then she said, almost offhand, that Hobie and I never really come to California, and she wishes we would visit more.
She meant it sweetly. I heard it as a personal attack. 🚨
Within minutes, my brain staged a full Broadway production of Worst Case Scenarios.
We were neglecting Cade. He felt unsupported. One day he'd be in therapy talking about how his parents never visited him. (OK, I'm joking… kinda. 😝)
I knew logically that we see Cade often, but logic didn't matter. 🙅🏻♀️
I'd already launched myself into negative town at record speed.
48 hours later, I finally caught myself.
I took a breath. I grounded. And I reminded myself of what was actually true.
Hobie and I have a great relationship with Cade. We talk every week. He'd tell us if something felt off. I trust him. I trust us.
Here's what I'm learning: a 48 hour spiral doesn’t have to be 48 hours. Not if I practice thinking like my future self now.
Lately, I've been getting very clear about who I'm becoming.
Not some unrecognizable guru version of myself, but me with better tools.
The woman who catches the spiral at minute 3 instead of hour 48. Who remembers what's actually true before the panic fully sets in. 🙋🏻♀️
When I picture her, I can borrow her thinking in real time.
She doesn't avoid hard moments, she just moves through them faster because she's practiced the bounce-back.
I want the same for you as we head into a new year. So I created a powerful AI prompt to help you build a one-page vision of your future self.
Not someone else. You, with the tools you need to make decisions like the person you're becoming.
Try it out. You'll be surprised how quickly things shift.
In Case You Missed It 🤓
Here’s what’s worth your brain space this week.
#1: Where Your Buyers Are Actually Making Decisions Now
Your audience still scrolls Instagram and YouTube, but their purchases? Those are happening in quick-hit influencer moments and in-feed recommendations you're probably ignoring. If you want to stay relevant in how buyers discover and trust brands, this report breaks down the shift. Click for a quick read.
#2: The Tax Structure That Could Put More Money Back in Your Pocket
I just dropped a new episode that makes the LLC vs S-Corp decision actually make sense. No jargon, no confusion, just clarity that could save you real money. 🎧 Listen here.
Sell the What, Not the How
Last week in Charleston, I spent a few days with some of my favorite people at a charity mastermind. Here's a little photo dump from the weekend. See if you recognize anyone!
While there, my friend Bari Baumgardner reminded me of something we all forget when we're deep in our own brilliance…
Your audience isn't buying your method. They're buying the outcome.
Nobody wakes up thinking, “I really need to learn needlepoint technique today.”
They wake up thinking, “I need 30 minutes where my brain isn't screaming at me.”
The stitches are just the vehicle. Peace is what they're actually buying.
Stay with me here, because this is where most of us screw it up.
We lead with features because we're proud of what we built.
“Module 3 covers advanced techniques!” Cool. Nobody cares.
♦️ What they care about is the 30 minutes of peace.
♦️ The 10 hours back in their week.
♦️ The version of themselves that doesn't spiral for 48 hours over one comment.
Here's how to find your what:
Ask yourself, “What does my audience want so badly they'd pay for a shortcut to get it?”
Not what they should want. What they actually lie awake wanting.
Then dig one layer deeper.
📍 If you teach marketing to founders, they don't just want better tactics. They want sustainable revenue without burning out.
📍 If you teach needlepoint, they don't want perfect stitches. They want calm in a chaotic world.
📍 If you teach real estate investing, they don't want cap rate formulas. They want wealth that works while they sleep.
Choose one clear outcome and make it your throughline.
Not ten different promises. One transformation, talked about ten different ways across every piece of marketing you create.
Test it: Read your sales page out loud. If you're explaining how you teach before you've sold them on what they'll get, you've already lost them.
Lead with the outcome. Always.
The how only matters once they're convinced the what is exactly what they want. 🏆
What's your what?
My Birthday Tradition (and a Very Important Question) 🥳
My birthday is this week, and because it always falls dangerously close to Christmas, I've built a tradition around two movies I watch every single year without fail: The Holiday and Love Actually.
🎄 The Holiday makes me want to pack a bag and move to the Cotswolds tomorrow. Kate Winslet's cottage? The rolling hills? The silly romantic guy who writes film scores? Sign me up. I'm one viewing away from googling “stone cottages for sale in England” and making terrible financial decisions.
🎄 Love Actually gives me the scene where Hugh Grant dances it out to The Pointer Sisters, which is objectively the greatest 90 seconds of cinema ever created. If you disagree, we can't be friends.
This year I'm considering adding a third movie to the lineup: My Secret Santa, the absurdly cheesy Netflix movie that's trending right now.
It stars the actress from Virgin River (which is hands down the best worst show on Netflix), and the premise looks gloriously ridiculous. I haven't committed yet.
So here's my ask: Save me from the cheesy Netflix holiday ridiculousness and share your favorite holiday movie. I need one more to make my birthday weekend perfect.
Nice chat! Let’s do it again next week.
Until then, grab this prompt and build your future self vision, figure out your what (not your how), and for the love of all things cozy, send me your holiday movie recommendations. My birthday depends on it.
Amy
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