After my last few posts, you might think Amazon is where my entrepreneurial journey began. It wasn't. It started right here. This photo was taken in our backyard around 2008. My daughter was two. My son was just a baby. At the time, my husband and I were both teachers. I had recently gone part-time because I wanted more time at home with my kids. We didn't have a lot of extra money. We lived in a little starter home. But we believed that having more time together was worth it. That decision led me to start asking a different question. How can we earn a little extra income without giving up the life we're trying to create? I've always loved technology and saving money, so I started a couponing blog. I taught graduate classes at the University of Phoenix one evening a week while my own kids were asleep. I loved helping other teachers, and it fit our family's schedule. And then there were garage sales. See the swing set in this picture? It wasn't just where my kids played. It was one of the playground sets we'd learned to buy, clean up, let our kids enjoy, and then resell. Before long, we knew exactly which brands held their value and which ones didn't. Looking back, I realize we weren't just earning a little extra money. We were learning how to recognize opportunities. We were learning that one small income stream could lead to another. Years later, that mindset led us to invest in so many ways. Buying our mountain condo while we lived in Shanghai. Then, turning it into a vacation rental. Then writing my first book in Belgium. Then journals. Then consulting. Then speaking. Then Skool. And now AI. None of those opportunities appeared overnight. They grew one decision at a time. One season at a time. One small experiment at a time. When people ask me why I believe in building multiple income streams, this is why. Not because I wanted more stuff. Because I wanted more choices. Looking at this picture today, I don't just see my kids playing in the backyard.

This evening I was free writing in my journal when I noticed something. I had reached for a turquoise felt tip marker instead of my usual black pen. As I kept writing, I realized how much I was enjoying the experience. The smooth ink, the movement of my hand across the page, watching my thoughts appear one word at a time. It helped me slow down and feel more connected to what I was thinking instead of rushing to get the words out. I wasn’t trying to write anything profound. I was simply paying attention. This is what living intentionally looks like for me. Not because it’s productive. Not because it checks another box. Because building a life I don’t need a break from is found in these ordinary moments, too. I’d love to know, what’s one small thing you’ve been intentionally enjoying lately?

Today I'm feeling grateful. This morning we kicked off another Focused 12 together, and it hit me that some of us have been showing up, setting goals, and cheering each other on for over a year now. This is our fifth Focused 12 together. That might not sound like much, but when you think about it, that's a year of taking action, learning, adjusting, growing, and not giving up. I'm grateful for every person who has shown up, whether you've been here since the beginning or just joined us. Today I'd love to spread a little gratitude around the community. I'm grateful for @Megan Holley , @Lise Lively, @Yvonne Ankarberg, @Meeta Bhatt, @Misty Rehl for being in that initial group holding each other accountabilty and making it fun! Thank you to, @Jennifer Kennedy, @Taiyaba Saleem, @Niki Duffy, @Kathy Hyland for showing up live today and getting started together. And last but not least thank you @Jewels Sherriff @Lynsey Wall for committing to these next twelve weeks too! See all 7 of our commitments here! It's not too late to commit (I will add you to our board seen below!) Who in this community are you grateful for today? Tag them below and let them know. 💛

Today, I invested another $1,354 back into the business because I believe deeply in what I am building for the long term. ☀️ This payment is 50% down on manufacturing 1,000 copies of my Illuminate Mental Health Journal. Spending money like this still makes me nervous sometimes, even now. But I’m learning that growing a business often requires intentionally reinvesting in the vision. Not random spending. Not panic spending. Intentional reinvesting. That can look like: ☀️ paying for inventory before you know exactly how it will sell ☀️ hiring coaches to help you stop guessing and improve faster ☀️ investing in ads so more people discover your work ☀️ purchasing software and tools that save time and mental energy ☀️ building better systems instead of constantly operating in chaos ☀️ creating stronger experiences and support for your community members ☀️ taking risks on products you believe can genuinely help people I’m also really grateful today because I crossed $5,000 in lifetime Skool affiliate income. That happened slowly over time through conversations, sharing resources I genuinely use, collaborations, and recommending communities I believe in. Thank you to every single person who has ever used one of my links, joined a community, supported my work, purchased a journal, or simply encouraged me along the way. Truly. This means more to me than you probably realize. And next up? A 0% interest Kiva loan to continue building strategically instead of from panic. Slow and steady. Intentional. One layer at a time. That’s the kind of business I am building. What about you? It’s a good day to have a good day.

The next 12 Week Year inside the community is becoming: Focused 12. A simpler system designed to help you make meaningful progress in 12 focused weeks without burning yourself out trying to do everything at once. Last cycle, my communities and affiliate income generated nearly $6,000 during the 12 week cycle because I stopped constantly changing direction and focused on consistent execution instead. Not perfect execution. Consistent execution. Inside Focused 12 Premium, you’ll get: ☀️ Your 12 Week Roadmap A live setup video walking you through the entire system before week one begins so you know exactly what to do and why it works. ☀️ The Focused 12 Spreadsheet The complete 12 week planner with vision, goals, tactics, weekly execution, mid cycle reflection, and dashboard all in one beautifully simple system. ☀️ PDF Guide A companion guide to help you come back to center whenever you need it. ☀️ Step by Step Video Walkthroughs Short, calm walkthrough videos built for how entrepreneurs actually learn. ☀️ Claude Skill Prompts AI prompts for each step of the system so Claude becomes a thinking partner throughout your build. ☀️ AI Goal Finder Tool A built in tool that helps you generate SMART 12 week goal ideas in minutes. One of my favorite parts is the Goal Finder because so many people are ambitious but unclear. Too many goals. Too many ideas. Too much restarting. Focused 12 is about simplifying enough to finally build momentum. We officially begin Monday. 👀 And honestly… I’m really proud of this. I built my first fully interactive website experience with Claude alongside me and would genuinely love feedback. Try the AI Goal Finder and explore the system here: Focused 12 Interactive Experience Tell me what you think of the tool and webpage below. Plus let us know if you are in by raising your hand! 👋 P.S. This is a webpage I needed to get live quickly so it's published with Claude. It will move to my WordPress site soon.