In my last reintroduction post, I shared how my bestselling book led me to creating guided journals. But here's something else most people don't know. I didn't use a bank to grow that business. I used Kiva. When my journals started selling, I had a problem every product business dreams of having. I needed inventory. The journals were selling, but manufacturing physical products takes cash before you ever make a sale. I didn't want to use a credit card. I didn't want to take out a traditional business loan. Then I realized Kiva gave crowdfunding loans to US entrepreneurs, too. Kiva offers 0% interest loans funded by people all over the world. It felt like such a good fit for me. People who believe in your business lend to you. You grow. You repay the loan. Then those same dollars get recycled to help another entrepreneur. My first Kiva loan was for $4,000. It helped me manufacture my first set of journals. I repaid it about eight months early. Then, after a successful payoff, Kiva pre-approved me for a second loan. This time it's $10,000. I'm actually in the middle of raising funds for it right now. (You're literally watching this chapter happen in real time.) The funding will help me manufacture more journals, planners, and other products that support people's well-being. One of my favorite things about building multiple income streams is realizing there is almost always another way. You don't always need more money. Sometimes you need a different strategy. Sometimes you need to ask for help. Sometimes you simply need to learn that another option exists. That's what entrepreneurship has taught me over and over again. There is almost always another path. 📚 This post is part of my Reintroducing Myself series. You'll find the growing collection in the Burn Bright, Not Out Classroom

In my last post, I shared how my first book became a #1 bestseller in the Happiness category. But here's what most people don't know. The book wasn't the biggest opportunity. The journal that came after it was. After publishing my book, I started paying closer attention to opportunities on Amazon. I was learning. Experimenting. Watching what people were buying. And I started noticing something interesting. People weren't just buying books. They were buying journals. Lots of journals. As a teacher and coach, that immediately caught my attention because journaling had been part of my own life for years. I had journals. I used journals. I believed in journaling. So I started asking questions. Could I create one? Would anyone buy it? Could I learn how to make it and sell it? There was just one problem. I had no idea what I was doing. Again. 😄 But by now, becoming a beginner was starting to feel familiar. So I researched. I learned. I tested. I made mistakes. Eventually, I created my first guided journal. Then something happened that surprised me. People started buying it. Not friends. Not family. Actual strangers. People I had never met. That's a pretty amazing feeling. The journal grew. Then I created another for the same market. Over time, these journals have become the majority of my Amazon sales. The best-selling book may have opened the door, but the journals helped me build the next phase of a real business. Looking back, this has become a pattern in my life. One small project leads to another. One experiment creates a new opportunity. One skill opens the door to the next skill. You rarely know which project will change everything. That's why I try not to dismiss small beginnings. Sometimes they become much bigger than you ever imagined. 📚 This post is part of my Reintroducing Myself series. You'll find the growing collection in the Burn Bright, Not Out Classroom. P.S. I'd love to hear from you. What's a small project you've started that turned into something much bigger than you expected?

There are always new members joining Income Without Burnout, so I thought I'd reintroduce myself one story at a time. Welcome, everyone! The experiments, mistakes, lucky breaks, and lessons that helped me build multiple income streams over the years. So let's start with a story that still feels a little surreal. I wasn't trying to become a bestselling author. In fact, when I published my first book on September 23, 2023, I had never published a book before. At the time, we were living in Belgium. I knew a lot about teaching. I knew a lot about coaching. I knew a lot about investing. I knew absolutely nothing about Amazon publishing. I hired a book coach. I hired help with formatting, the book cover, and more. I hired help with my audiobook. I was learning everything from scratch. About a year later, I was running a Kindle promotion for the book's first birthday. One of those promotions where readers can download your ebook for free. At the same time, I had been reading The Happier Hour and sharing ideas from it on social media because I genuinely loved the book. Then one day, I checked Amazon. And there it was. My book was sitting at #3 in the Happiness category. I remember staring at the screen, wondering if I was reading it correctly. Amazon doesn't send you an email. They don't call you. They don't tell you what's happening. So I started taking screenshots as fast as I could. Good thing I did. Not long after that, my book became a #1 bestseller in the Happiness category. I still have trouble believing that sentence sometimes. What I didn't realize then was that becoming a bestselling author wasn't the biggest gift. The biggest gift was what it did to my belief. It gave me evidence. Evidence that I could learn something completely new. Evidence that I could create something people wanted. Evidence that one small project could become something much bigger. That single book eventually led to journals, Amazon ads, consulting opportunities, VIP clients, speaking opportunities, new skills, new friendships, and more than $30,000 in Amazon sales.

If you want to build income without sacrificing your peace, your health, or your life…you are in the right place. If you have started things before and burned out halfway through…you are in the right place. If you want more money, but not more chaos…you are in the right place. This is a build-with-me community. We are all building income streams…but we are doing it in different ways. Many of us use the 12 Week Year as our engine. It's a simple system to help you focus, follow through, and adjust without burning out. ✨ How it works: Inside each 12-week cycle: • choose 1 to 3 clear goals • break them into weekly repeatable actions • track what actually gets done • adjust and keep going 👉 Jump into your 12 Week Year and begin here ✨ What we’re building inside this Skool: You’ll see people working on: • Amazon KDP and FBA • Skool communities • Coaching and mentoring • Digital products • Speaking and content The goal is simple: income that supports your life… not consumes it ✨ Weekly rhythm (Fridays) This is where we actually move: Week 1: Financial Review Week 2: Skool Q & A Week 3: Amazon Q & A Week 4: Claude Coworker Q & A Week 5: Open Lab 👉 Details HERE If you show up here consistently, things will start to shift. You'll feel.. More clarity More confidence More momentum Without burnout. We’re really glad you’re here. Tell us: • what you’re building • one challenge you want support with • your favorite ice cream flavor 🍦 If you want more structure, accountability, or closer access to me, you can explore support options here. ✨ A quick note: This group is public. Share what feels right for you. PS- I highly recommend that you adjust your email settings. Settings>Notifications>Turn the first two to never

I want this to become an ongoing thread inside Income Without Burnout. Post here anytime you are intentionally stepping back from business to prioritize your real life, health, family, rest, hobbies, travel, fun, or simply slowing down for a bit. Tell us: ☀️ What you’re doing ☀️ How long you’re slowing down for ☀️ What’s bringing you joy lately ☀️ What you’re learning about balance, rest, or life outside of work I think we need to normalize this more publicly as entrepreneurs. Not every successful person is working nonstop. Not every productive season looks intense. And honestly, many of us built our businesses because we wanted more life… not less. This community is about building income without burnout. That means making space for: ☀️ vacations ☀️ lazy weekends ☀️ walks ☀️ hobbies ☀️ family dinners ☀️ mental health days ☀️ time in nature ☀️ naps ☀️ celebrations ☀️ doing absolutely nothing sometimes So whenever you take a break, come post here and let us celebrate that with you too. ❤️