Moonshot Mentor with Laverne McKinnon

I asked a room full of smart, ambitious professionals to rate how important relationship building is to their careers right now. On a scale of one to ten, the answers came back: Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.Then I asked a follow-up question: how does that actually show up in your day-to-day? My favorite response: “Actual importance: ten. How I’m treating it: three.” We all laughed. Because we recognized ourselves.It may seem like that gap between knowing relationships matter and actually building them is an issue of will-power, discipline, or follow-through, but it’s actually more interesting than that.Close the Relationship Gap with TimingHere’s what’s really going on. We build relationships reactively. We reach out when we need something like a referral, an introduction, a favor, a job, an investment, or an opportunity to pitch. We fumble the ask, not knowing how assertive to be, or we over-index on small talk. We feel like impostors despite our knowledge, training, and experience.The problem isn’t the ask. The problem is your timing.When you reach out before you have an ask, the whole dynamic changes. You’re not a transaction. You’re a person.Ditch Networking. Build the Relationship.Relationship building isn’t networking. Networking implies a transaction with better branding. Relationship building is different. It’s deciding, in advance, who matters to your work and your life, and getting on their radar.That shift in framing makes the energy of the outreach about building rapport. You’re not trying to extract something. You’re trying to meet someone and build a mutually beneficial relationship that doesn’t have an immediate timeline.It’s so simple, right? But why don’t we do it?The Five Things That Actually Stop YouI’ve had versions of this conversation with a lot of clients. And the reasons people stall on relationship building tend to cluster around the same five things. You may recognize a few as your own.1. The fear of doing it wrong. When the fear of a bad outcome feels bigger than the cost of no outcome, doing nothing feels like the safer choice. But silence doesn’t advance your career.One client said, “If I do it the wrong way, I’m going to sabotage a potential relationship before I even have a chance to have one.”It’s paralysis masquerading as caution.You know this: there’s no perfectly worded email that guarantees a response. There’s no flawless DM that removes all risk. There’s no single phone call that converts a stranger into your bestie.Practice courage over perfection.2. Waiting for the right moment. Another person described her pattern as this: “I love sending emails when I feel like I’ve just had a win and I’m like, yeah, let’s go. But on days when I’ve had a setback, I put that off and wait for the magical day to arrive when the sun is shining on me and no one can say no.”If you’re only reaching out from a place of momentum and confidence, you’re leaving most of your calendar year on the table. Relationships get built in the ordinary weeks, the in-between moments, the days when you reach out anyway.3. Never having your ducks in a row. This one is sneaky because it sounds responsible. “I’m just being thorough. I want to have something to offer. I want to be ready.”But ready for what, exactly? A first email isn’t a pitch. It’s an introduction. You don’t need a portfolio, a deck, or a fully formed ask. You need a sentence or two and a genuine reason you thought of this person.Real life example: I got a cold outreach from someone over LinkedIn who wanted to zoom for 15 minutes to swap stories from the front line as grief workers. There was no ask, but we shared enough information that we’ve agreed to chat again down the road.You’re reaching out “early” as part of getting your ducks in a row.4. Believing every reach is secretly transactional. This one hit me hard in a recent conversation. Someone said: “I feel like there’s always an ask, Laverne. I don’t know. It’s eventually… there’s always something.”And they’re not wrong. Eventually, most professional relationships do involve an ask of some kind. That’s how collaboration works. But “eventually” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.The goal of early relationship building isn’t to pretend you’ll never need anything from anyone. It’s to build enough of a real connection that when the ask comes, on either side, it lands in a context of mutual trust. That context takes time. Which is exactly why you start before you need it.5. Needing a reason to reach out. You don’t need an excuse. You need a sentence. And that sentence can be easy in the form of a low hanging fruit request.Something like: “We haven’t met, but [mutual connection] speaks so highly of you. I’d love to grab five minutes to learn more about what you’re working on.”Or, if you have no mutual connection at all, you can take a humorous approach by making the problem the solution: “We don’t know each other and I have absolutely no one in common with you, but … “ It’s amazing how owning the elephant in the room can create rapport.Try It. One Move. This Week.The practical version of this: keep a short list of people you want to build relationships with. People whose work you respect, whose path intersects with yours, who you’d genuinely enjoy knowing. Reach out to one of them this week.Phone calls, by the way, are making a comeback. People are less inundated with them than they were six years ago. A short call can do more relationship work in fifteen minutes than months of email threads.DMs are working too. More than you might think.So pick one person from your list, or make the list right now if you don’t have one. Write them a three-sentence note. The first sentence introduces you or reminds them who you are. The second says something specific and genuine about why you thought of them. The third could be an ask so small it barely counts, like five minutes, a quick question, a resource swap. Or it’s simply a note of respect or appreciation.Bottom LineIf relationship building is a seven, eight, nine or ten on your scale of importance, take one teeny-tiny step. Make the list. Even one name.If it’s not a priority, then give yourself permission to stop thinking about it. Put a note in your calendar for three months down the road to revisit whether it’s the right time for you to invest in relationship building.You’re not a transaction, you’re a person. Relationship building allows you to be that person.Journal Prompts (for paid subscribers)Here are 4 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. Use these to get clear about your relationship-building patterns and take one step forward.* Who is one person you’ve been meaning to reach out to for months? Sit with that for a second. What’s the real reason you haven’t?* Look at the five blockers. Which one feels most familiar? What story have you been telling yourself to make the stall feel reasonable?* Think about a relationship in your life that started with no agenda, no ask, just genuine curiosity. What made it feel easy? What would it look like to bring that same energy to someone new?* Write down three people you want a real relationship with in the next year. Now pick one and write the first sentence of the note you’d send them. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com/subscribe

If you want to know where you stand with someone, don’t listen to what they say. Watch what they do.It’s taking me years to learn this. And I got a great reminder of it a few weeks ago. It was late afternoon in Mammoth Lakes, California, fifty degrees with a little cloud cover, and the trails near our favorite place to stay, Tamarack Lodge, were enticing. I mean, the mountain looked absolutely pristine, birds were chirping like they were auditioning for Pitch Perfect, and there was hardly anyone around. Ideal conditions.So I’m about a quarter of the way up the mountain, and I notice where the snow has melted there’s a line where reality begins. One side looks composed in gorgeous white. The other side is real life.Broken branches. Dry brown scrubs. Rocks. Dirt. Dead trees.It was the perfect metaphor for the disconnect between what someone says they’ll do and what they actually do.And then I thought about all the people I know who are job hunting.The follow-up that never comesHow many times have you refreshed your inbox over and over after a submission or an interview?They said I’ll be in touch by Friday. Or the colleague who said I’d love to read it, send it over. Or the boss who keeps promising you’ll have that conversation next week. And then, crickets.When the follow-up doesn’t come, most of us wonder what we did wrong. We debate whether to send a nudge. We tell ourselves the silence might just mean they’re busy, swamped, or traveling.Hard truth: the silence does mean something. You just haven’t been trained to hear it.The problem with wordsIf I could turn back the clock on my career, one of the things I’d do differently is stop listening so hard to what people say, and start paying attention to what they do.We’re wired to take people at their word. It feels respectful. Optimistic. Generous. And words are data. Just the least reliable kind.Here’s what I’ve come to believe: most people aren’t lying. They’re doing their best, and they’ll often tell us what we want to hear to reduce tension in the moment. Aren’t we all a little bit people-pleasers on some level? Words are easy to give. They cost nothing.Actions, on the other hand, take effort and investment. They reveal someone’s true priorities, capacity, and intentions.Words are the snow on top of the mountain. They look perfect.When the words melt away, you’re left with what’s really there.Part of why we over-index on words is that we don’t want to seem cynical. In professional settings, especially, it’s not cool to challenge someone’s promises. We prize harmony over honesty. We’ve been taught to respect hierarchy and not to question it. So if you’re job hunting, hoping for a promotion, or trying to get funding, the last thing you want to do is treat someone’s words with skepticism.And so we wait. And refresh. And wait some more.What it looks like when you ignore the actionsMy client “Mary” spent 18 months putting a deal together. It had nearly fallen apart half a dozen times, but she always managed to pull it back. Until she was one deal point away, and the investor walked.She was stunned. Then outraged. And when we finally unpacked what had happened, the signs had been there for a long time. The weeks it took him to respond to a single negotiating point. The pouting and obsessing over minor issues. The questions he’d ask during their calls revealed a naivete about how their industry worked.Mary had heard his words — I’m committed to this, let’s make it happen — and held onto them. She’d overridden what the actions were consistently telling her.She missed the signals because she wanted to believe what he said.Four ways to start listening to actions insteadI’ve been there countless times. It even happens to me at home when my teenager says, “Yeah, sure,” when I ask her to pick up her dishes. Every time I choose to listen to the words, and then I’m shocked the next morning when I find a dry, crusted bowl of pasta lying on the living room floor.Inspired by mothering two teenage daughters and a few decades in the entertainment industry, here are four ways to better listen to the actions, not someone’s words. They’ve helped me figure out who my people are and, most importantly, protect my self-esteem.Look for the pattern, not the single miss. One unanswered email? Things happen. A consistent pattern of not following through? That’s your track record. That’s your data. Once you see the pattern, you’re no longer Charlie Brown waiting for Lucy to hold the football. You know how this story ends.Take your emotions out of the analysis. This is hard, but important. Strip the words away entirely and ask: what did this person actually do? What specific actions have they taken? What have they made time for? Be fair, sometimes there are steps that need to happen before a promise can be fully delivered on.Grant grace, and keep your side of the street clean. I’ll be honest: I have historically pushed aggressive, arbitrary follow-up timelines, and it has not served me well. A polite question about timing is always appropriate. Granting people grace when they miss a target date is a relationship-building move. Ask when you should circle back and then do exactly that. What you’re looking for isn’t just a response. It’s information about how this person operates.Use follow-up as data collection. One client of mine will follow up nine times if someone told her they’d get back to her. Another follows up exactly once. My rule of thumb is twice after the initial conversation or submission. Choose your own adventure and stick with it so you are in integrity. Their response, or non-response, is now your clearest data point. Act accordingly.Bottom LineWe’ve all been there in some form. Someone tells us what we want to hear, we believe it, then we’re gutted when the snow melts, and we discover there’s a different reality.I don’t want to encourage you to write people off. I want to help you protect your energy and base your next move on actuality. Not on what someone said to you on a Tuesday.If someone came to mind while you were reading this, please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Journal PromptsHere are 4 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. These questions will help you get honest about where you’ve been listening to words over actions and what it’s been costing you.* Think of a situation where someone’s words and actions didn’t match. What did you choose to believe, and why? What were the actions actually telling you?* Where are you currently waiting on a follow-up, a promise, or a commitment? When you strip the words away entirely and look only at the actions, what do you see?* What makes it hard for you to trust what actions are telling you? Is it hope? Not wanting to seem cynical? Hierarchy? Something else?* Think about your own words and actions. Is there a place where they aren’t matching up? What is that costing the people around you? And you? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com/subscribe

Rebecca, a senior executive at Warner Bros., just wants to know the truth of what’s going on with the Paramount merger and when she’s going to be axed. The uncertainty is “killing her.”She’s not alone. Not even close. 2026 is packed with mergers and consolidations across industries: Devon Energy and Coterra. SpaceX and xAI. Engie and UK Power Networks. Tens of thousands of people going to work every day inside organizations mid-transformation, wondering the same thing Rebecca is wondering.Am I going to be okay?And here’s the thing: she’s not being dramatic. The waiting — that particular brand of not-knowing — is one of the most exhausting places a career can put you.What Rebecca is experiencing has a name: anticipatory grief. It’s the grief we feel before a loss that hasn’t fully landed yet — when the change is coming but hasn’t arrived, when the future feels like it’s being written without you chiming in.And the reason it matters — the reason I’m writing about it — is because of what happens when it goes unrecognized.The Thing That Will Trip You Up If You Let ItMost conversations about job uncertainty focus on the practical stuff. Update your resume. Build your network. Stay visible.All good. All useful. But they skip the thing that’s going to trip you up unless you recognize and take care of it now.When anticipatory grief goes unnamed, it tends to seed apathy. A low-grade helplessness. A “why bother” feeling that creeps into the edges of your days and makes it hard to invest in anything — your work, your relationships, your future — because some part of you has already checked out.This is you protecting yourself from a disappointment that hasn’t happened yet.I see this in high performers especially. They keep showing up. But their spark has gotten a little dim. Their tolerance for staff meetings is zero. The projects they nurtured now feel abandoned.Here’s why: they haven’t named what they’re actually afraid of losing.The Scariest of All Roller Coasters that No One Warned You AboutAnticipatory grief is like riding the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey (RIP) — supposedly the scariest roller coaster in the world. You wait for the big drop and it turns out to be a gentle twist. You think you’re entering a flat run and suddenly you’re weightless and upside down. The not-knowing when and how is its own particular torture.And then hope climbs into the car beside you. Maybe you’ll dodge the restructure. Maybe your team won’t be gutted. Maybe it won’t be as bad as you fear.That hope is real. And it makes the lurches harder, not easier — because every time you exhale, the next one catches you off guard again. The stomach drop. The pounding head. The heart beating like a hummingbird.With “typical” grief, we’re reacting to what happened. With anticipatory grief, we’re responding to something that hasn’t happened yet. And might not.Which makes it especially hard to sit with.The question worth asking — gently, with real compassion for yourself — is this:What are you actually afraid of losing?CASE STUDY: WHAT REBECCA WAS REALLY AFRAID OFWhen I finally sat with Rebecca and asked her that question, here’s what came up, which surprised her because it wasn’t really about anticipating the loss of income or title.What Rebecca was actually afraid of losing was the dream of retiring by 60 and sending her two kids to the colleges of their choice.Her job was the how to a future she’d been building for years.Here’s what happened when she named it out loud.She felt relief.The merger news didn’t change. Her job was still uncertain. But dissecting the fear allowed her to question it: is this truly something I need to be worried about right now? And if it is, what can I do now?Once Rebecca saw that she was truly trying to protect a dream, she got clear. She and her husband made an aggressive savings plan that would account for a greatly reduced salary and still keep them on early retirement track. She also had a conversation with her kids to find out if they were aligned on the college dream. Turns out they didn’t want Ivy League, nor did they have the grades.She couldn’t control the merger. But she could tend to the dream.Here’s what I know to be true: naming your fear doesn’t make it worse. It makes it workable. A spiraling thought that lives in your body at 3 am is a lot harder to respond to than something you’ve put words to on a page.The path to getting more comfortable with uncertainty — and there is a path — starts here. With being willing to sit with and dig around for what’s driving the anticipatory grief. What are you afraid of? What are you trying to protect?That part takes time. It takes more than a blog post. It takes space, language, and usually other people who understand what this particular kind of loss actually feels like.Which is exactly why I built what I built.If someone came to mind while you were reading this, please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real-time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are 5 journal prompts for paid Solid Ground members. Use these to begin naming what’s underneath the uncertainty. There’s no right answer — just ones that help you learn something new about yourself.* When you look at your current work situation, what are the visible losses you haven’t fully let yourself name yet?* Now look underneath the headline. What is the dream, story, or future that actually feels threatened right now?* Where has the “why bother” feeling shown up lately? What might it be protecting you from?* If you named your real fear out loud — like Rebecca did — what do you think you might feel? What might become possible?* What is one thing you could do this week to tend to what you’re trying to protect, regardless of how the uncertainty resolves? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comI was having lunch on the patio at Kiwami with a long-time colleague — we'd served together on the board of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment — and we were debating whether to order the Kiwami tray or go à la carte. And then, I felt the energy around me shift. I didn’t turn my head, but I could see her outline in my peripheral vision. The boss who fired me. OMG, she was seated close enough to hear us order, and I was close enough I could smell her perfume. My first instinct: pretend she doesn't exist. Keep smiling. Keep chatting. Keep still. But the light-hearted parley about omakase was now nausea inducing and there was a buzzing in my ears.My boss, no, my ex-boss flagged a waiter and asked to move inside. I can't remember anything that happened after that. Here's what I know now that I didn't know then: what happened in my body had a name. My nervous system registered a perceived threat and responded accordingly — heart rate, shallow breath, the works. I was in a fight / flight / freeze / fawn moment — and caught between freezing and fawning. Why not do both when I’m under threat? What's interesting is that the threat wasn't real. I wasn't in danger. But my nervous system treated my ex-boss’ arrival as if something horrible was about to happen and I would be blind-sided all over again. Reader Question: Should I Reach Out to a Former (Not Awesome) Boss for a Job?I was reminded of this Kiwami experience recently when a reader sent me a question I suspect a lot of other people have too. He'd just learned that a former boss had landed a senior role at a new company. This was someone who had been skilled at managing up and promoting himself, but less focused on developing and advocating for his team. Now that this person was back in a leadership position, my reader found himself wondering: does it make sense to reach out? And if they ran into each other at some random place, what exactly should he do?We all know how important it is to maintain business relationships, but what do you do with the professional relationships that were genuinely complicated and triggered you into fight / flight / freeze / fawn mode? Thank you reader for such a powerful, timely question. The Tool: Friendly, Not FriendsEarlier in my career, when I was a “baby” network executive, some of the senior executives I worked with were … well, I just have to say it. They were mean girls. When I would walk on set, they literally turned their backs and formed a circle. It was the kind of thing that makes you feel like you're back in junior high.My first response was to shrink, you know a kind of freezing. I started showing up at the last minute so I wouldn't have to stand on the periphery. I avoided the spaces where they gathered. I got smaller and smaller until one day I realized: their behavior was changing mine. And I hated it.I love having authentic conversations with people. I love collaborating and solving problems together. I love being nice because I know you never know what’s going on behind the scenes with someone. So I made a different choice: treat the mean girls the way I'd treat any stranger.Friendly, but not friends. A few months later, the ringleader pulled me aside and said: I don't know how you did it, but you did it. Everyone likes you now.It was a little crazy to hear that because my goal wasn't to make everyone like me. I just didn't want other people changing my behavior or my values. I didn't like who I was becoming.. Should You Reach Out? My Honest Answer So back to my reader's question: should you reach out to the former boss who wasn't great to you, now that they've landed somewhere new?My honest answer: only you know. What I'd encourage you to do is get clear on which value you're honoring with your choice — whichever way you go. I'll be transparent though: if it were me today, I would not reach out because I now prioritize a flat hierarchy and working with people who are willing to have hard conversations in a grounded manner. But I also don't know what's happening behind the scenes in the reader’s life. Financial pressure, health insurance, a shrinking market — these are real considerations that can make pursuing every opportunity not just reasonable but necessary. There's no shame in that math.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comYou know what you’ve lost. But can you name your wins?Most people in a career transition can recite their losses on demand. The VP title. The 401K contribution. The Friday happy hours with the work family. The satisfaction of knowing what the job is and how to do it.Ask them to name their wins? Awkward silence then a short, apologetic list they immediately start walking back. “I mean, it wasn’t that big a deal.” “Anyone could have done that.”This isn’t humility. It’s your brain doing exactly what it was designed to do.Your Brain Thinks It’s Helping - It’s NotYour brain tracks threats and losses with far more energy than it tracks wins. It’s called negativity bias and a lot has been written about it. Essentially, as humans we’re wired to look for what’s not working as a way to protect ourselves.During a career transition, exactly when you need a clear and accurate picture of your professional story, your brain is actively over-indexing on the negative. The losses stay top of mind while the wins get tucked into a bankers box and put into the back of a storage container.Over time, negative bias feels like the truth. And once it does, it starts calling the shots on every decision you make — what you apply for, how you talk about yourself, what you believe you’re capable of next.I learned this the hard way. And what made it worse is that my brain wasn’t the only thing working against me. I was also using the wrong measuring stick.Another Reason Your Wins Go MissingSeveral years ago, when I was pivoting out of independent film and TV producing, I went after three corporate opportunities, hard. Made it to the final round for all three. Got none of them.When I dug into why, the feedback was consistent: the candidates who were hired had more recent, measurable wins. Box office numbers. Emmy nominations. Projects that crossed the finish line in ways the industry recognized.Ouch. I knew how hard I’d been working. And I knew that a lot of the gap wasn’t about effort — it was about circumstance. COVID. The lockdowns. The writers’ and actors’ strikes. An industry that had slowed down so much, we could count the number of greenlit productions on one hand.Turns out my wins weren’t missing. They just didn’t fit the industry’s scoreboard.I’d spent years making sure the people on my projects felt respected. I knew this because they kept wanting to work together on new projects. I took great pride in responding to submissions when most people didn’t bother. Timely passes built relationships with agents, managers and other producers who understood that most of the time, the answer is no. Nobody was measuring those things that fell under the emotional intelligence category. They weren’t measurable in the same way the industry looks at ROI or KPIs. They were about humanity.I wasn’t winless. In fact, I was quite victorious. But me and the industry were using different measuring sticks so I felt less than.Finding The Wins Hiding In Your StoryIf your career story feels heavier on losses right now, here’s an exercise worth sitting with that includes the parts that haven’t made it onto your résumé yet.Start with the most obvious place: external recognition. Awards, nominations, acknowledgments — any moment where someone outside your own head said yes, this. Write them down without editing or qualifying.Then go a little deeper. What do people thank you for, come to you for, refer others to you for? This one matters more than it might seem. When something comes naturally to you, it stops feeling like a win — it just feels like any other day. But the fact that people consistently seek you out for it says a lot about you.Then ask yourself about the goals you hit without fireworks going off. The ones you set, achieved, and moved on from without a big victory dance. Those count too.Now here’s where it gets more interesting. We tend to define victory as coming in first, getting the public recognition, beating the competition. But that’s only one definition — and for many people, it’s not even the one that matters most.Think about a time you made a decision that honored your values, even when it went against what others expected. Or a time you went so far outside your comfort zone to make something happen that it surprised even you — even if the outcome wasn’t perfect, even if it wasn’t work-related at all. The stretch itself is a win. The integrity itself is a win. These moments are the most accurate picture of who you actually are.And then the really big question: what measuring stick have you been using? Did you choose it? Or did someone hand it to you a long time ago and you just never put it down?When you sit with that question — really sit with it — does your current definition of a win feel energizing? Or does it feel like a bar you can never quite clear? Where did it come from? A parent, an industry, a company culture, a moment early in your career when you decided what success had to look like?You get to choose whether to keep it.Mine shifted when I stopped measuring my career solely against greenlights and started asking: did the people around me feel respected? Did I show up with integrity? Did I make something better because I was there? Those wins were real because process matters to me.Why This Matters Right NowIf you’re in a hard career moment, your brain is going to keep handing you the losses. That’s what it does. You have to actively go looking for the other side of the story — not to paper over what’s hard, but because your professional story is the foundation you build from. And if it’s missing its best chapters, you’re building on incomplete ground.This is the work we do inside Solid Ground, my paid membership community. During the month of April we’re mapping the highs and lows of your career to see the full picture, not just the parts your brain defaulted to. Every month I send a short lesson and worksheet to work through before we get on a live coaching call together. It’s one of my favorite things I do. If that sounds like what you need right now, becoming a paid subscriber gets you in.Bottom LineYour brain was built to remember the losses. It’s doing its job. But that means your career story has probably been edited — wins minimized, qualified, or left out entirely.Start with what people thank you for. Move toward the decisions you’re proud of, the stretches that surprised you, the moments you showed up with integrity even when no one was watching. Then ask the harder question: whose measuring stick have you been using, and is it actually yours?The answers might change what you think is true about yourself.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Is There Something Wrong With Me?* How Perfectionism Leads To Imposter Syndrome* Is Expertise Really All It’s Cracked Up To Be?Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are 5 journal prompts for paid Solid Ground members. Studies have shown how spending time with your thoughts and feelings through journaling increases your ability to problem solve and calms your nervous system. These prompts will help you identify your wins.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comRemember when lockdown happened and there were all those stories about people showing up to Zoom meetings looking perfectly presentable from the waist up — and if you got a peek below the camera line, you’d find them in their underwear and socks?I loved that. It was so human. So real.It was a great contrast to the pressure to get my wardrobe choices right. All those spoken and unspoken rules: Women wear heels, men keep shirts tucked. Dress for the role you want, not the one you have. First impressions happen instantaneously and last a lifetime — so be careful of what your sweater says about you.When we all worked remotely in 2020, those rules — and a gazillion others — started feeling more like suggestions.But here’s the thing about rules going soft, whether by a global pandemic or a career transition, chosen or not: it’s disorienting. When the pre-approved look comes off, a lot of people don’t know what to put on instead. Because for years, the job dressed them, in every sense of the word. And when the job changes, so does the style guide.When I made the transition out of corporate and into indie filmmaking, my Manolos and Pradas were not only inconvenient on set — they genuinely felt like a costume I’d been wearing for decades.If you’re in the middle of a career change, contemplating one, moving up, or been pushed into one, you may no longer feel confident about what to wear — or even who you’re dressing for anymore. When you open your closet, do you stand there longer than you used to?What Your Wardrobe Is Actually Asking YouHere’s what I’ve come to believe: getting dressed during a career transition isn’t really a fashion problem. It’s a values question.Let me explain what I mean.When I was in an executive gig, I genuinely valued the stability of that world — the sense that I could build something there over decades. Wearing those Manolos was part of that deal. I knew the rules, I understood the culture, and I made a conscious choice to dress for it. It wasn’t always comfortable, but it was mine to choose.My brother Jim is a great counterexample. Jim would sooner show up to a board meeting in a tuxedo than wear a suit to work — and he never has, except on his wedding day. He works in construction because he loves the outdoors, loves working with his hands, and is completely at ease getting grubby. His wardrobe is a direct expression of what he values. He just never had to think about it because his work and his values were two peas in a pod.When you’re in a career transition, you get a chance to ask a question most people never pause long enough to consider: Does what I’m wearing actually reflect what I value? Or have I just been dressing for someone else’s idea of who I should be?.The Difference Between Choosing and DisappearingWhen I dress in a way that feels true to me, I can regulate my nervous system. I stay grounded. I stay clear. In high stakes situations — interviews, pitches, hard conversations — that is an incredible advantage.At the same time, I’m not going to pretend the external piece doesn’t matter. It does. Every industry has a visual language. Every culture has unspoken dress codes. The goal isn’t to ignore that. The goal is to look at it clearly and decide — consciously, on your own terms — how much of it works for you and how much of it doesn’t.That’s the distinction I want you to hold onto: there’s a difference between choosing to dress for a culture and being swallowed by it. One is a decision. The other is erasure.Which brings me to someone I want you to meet.And Then There’s DacyDacy Gillespie is an anti-diet, weight-inclusive personal stylist whose Substack is about letting go of what you’ve been told to wear so you can find what’s actually yours. She also made a significant career pivot herself — from musician to stylist — so she knows firsthand what it feels like to rebuild your identity from the inside out.Where my work lives in the values and identity side of this conversation, Dacy lives in the practical, embodied, what-do-I-actually-put-on-my-body side. Together we cover a lot of ground.I’ve invited her to join me for a live conversation on Wednesday, April 9th at 12pm PST right here on Substack. We’re going to talk about her pivot, what it taught her, and what to wear when you’re job searching, interviewing, or just trying to figure out who you are now.No registration needed. Just show up. And if you have questions you want us to tackle, drop them in the comments below — or bring them live on the 9th.👉 Follow Dacy on Substack here.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Is There Something Wrong With Me?* How Perfectionism Leads To Imposter Syndrome* Is Expertise Really All It’s Cracked Up To Be?Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are three journal prompts for Solid Ground members. These are here to help you explore the connection between what you wear, what you value, and who you're becoming in this next chapter of your career.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comMost of us are gonna hit turbulence at one point or another in our careers. A faceplant. A missed opportunity. A project that goes sideways. A job that ends in a way that feels unfair or messy.The painful part is not just what happened. It’s what happens inside of you afterward.When a professional failure goes unprocessed, it turns inward. It shows up as imposter thoughts, burnout, low confidence, and that weird dread that kicks up when it’s time to take the next risk.Sometimes it even pushes people to abandon dreams they still care about, not because the dream stopped mattering, but because their internal capacity got depleted.That internal capacity to weather tough times is resilience. And when resilience is low, you don’t have the energy to keep going.What resilience means, for realResilience is your capacity to recover after something knocks you off course.I think of it like the elasticity in a pair of Spanx – they bounce back to their natural shape after having been stretched to their full capacity. I’m wearing Spanx under this dress and it’s like a modern day miracle how it bounces back!When our resilience runs low, rigidity kicks in because we have no energy to be supple and nimble. It’s like the shoes I wore with the dress. They had no give what-so-ever. They looked lovely and solid, but fell apart that night. They broke under pressure.In your work, rigidity might sound like I’m going to keep doing things the same way despite market contractions or expansions, new responsibilities, or that the tools of the trade have changed.Elasticity sounds like: I’m adjusting my approach because the market has altered, I have new challenges or I need to close a skills gap.One more thing that matters here.Resilience is not an endless spring of water. It’s a well. It gets drained by stress, disappointment, and unprocessed emotion. It gets refilled by rest, pleasure, community, and by taking the time to metabolize the turbulence that knocked you off your path.So yes, self-care helps.But processing is how you stop the leak.Seven steps to refill your resilience after a failureBefore you start re-filling with these steps, regulate your nervous system. If you try to do this work while you’re activated, your brain will turn it into a courtroom.Take a walk. Breathe slowly. Put on a favorite song and move your body. Do something that helps you feel grounded enough to think.Then walk through these steps.1. Name what happened: What failed. What went off track. What didn’t get done. Say it plainly, with as few adjectives as possible. Think: incident report, not inner monologue.2. Separate facts from story: Write down what you know is true, and what data supports it. Facts do not start with “I think” or “I feel.” Facts are observable. Then write down the story your brain added and notice how you are describing yourself and your part in what happened.3. Name the impact: What did this cost you. Time. money. reputation. confidence. belonging. a sense of safety. Motivation. This matters because resilience gets drained when the impact is real and unnamed.4. Own your part without blame: What was within your control that you would do differently next time. This is not the same as fault. It’s agency. Blame collapses. Agency mobilizes.5. Identify what changed: This is where elasticity comes in. What shifted that made your old approach less effective. Market conditions. leadership. resources. technology. expectations. Timing. If you skip this step, you’ll default to pushing harder at a strategy that no longer fits reality.6. Choose one course correction that matches your values: One small step. Not a life overhaul. Something you can do this week that aligns with who you want to be, even under pressure. A conversation you need to have. A boundary you need to set. A skill to update. A decision to stop discounting yourself. A new way of measuring progress.7. Close the loop with a refill: This is the part most people skip. You faced something tender. You told the truth. You chose agency. Now refill the well on purpose. Do something that signals to your system: the danger has passed. Rest. laughter. prayer. art. a meal. a long shower. calling a friend. sitting in the sun.Processing builds resilience because it reduces emotional drag. Refilling builds resilience because it restores capacity.Both matter.Case Study: HeatherHeather built a solid business as a copywriter. Then the last few years of AI advancement hit, and the work started drying up. Fewer gigs. Smaller budgets. Clients asking for “a quick rewrite” when what they really wanted was an entire campaign.It was devastating. Not just financially, but emotionally. She had built something she was proud of, and it felt like it was slipping out of her hands for reasons she couldn’t control.It also brought up shame.Her self-talk sounded like: I’m stupid. I should have seen this coming. I waited too long. I don’t know what I’m doing.When Heather and I started working together, we did not start with a pivot. We started with resilience.First, we named the facts. The marketplace had changed. Her clients were using AI tools to generate first drafts and they were hiring humans differently. They still needed thinking, positioning, voice, and editorial judgment, but they were no longer paying the same way for pure execution.Then we named the story. Heather had turned a market shift into an identity verdict that she should have seen this coming. So she was “naive” and “not cut out for this.”Next, we owned her part without shame. She had been trying to solve the problem by hustling harder, discounting her work, and saying yes to low value assignments because she was scared. That was the leak.Once she could see that clearly, she could see a course correction that matched her values: stop racing to the bottom, and start moving toward roles where her real advantage was still language, but at a higher altitude.Heather did a deep dive into how AI actually works in content workflows. The thing that felt like the enemy became a tool she could direct.She pivoted into content strategy and operations, helping a small team build an AI assisted content system that turns one strong idea into a smart set of assets across channels, without losing voice, clarity, or credibility.And here’s the quiet truth of that pivot.Heather did not abandon who she was. She carried her strengths forward and put them in a role that needed them.That’s elasticity.Bottom LineResilience is not about pretending something didn’t hurt.It’s the ability to recover your capacity after it did.When you process what happened with honesty and without turning it into a verdict about you, you stop bleeding energy. When you add intentional refilling, you restore enough internal room to make your next decision from clarity instead of fear.That’s how you get your resilience back.If you’re reading this and thinking, “Okay, but I still feel wrung out,” Solid Ground is for that. It’s my paid membership space for rebuilding capacity after career heartbreak so you can feel more like yourself again and get unstuck without white knuckling it. Monthly lessons and worksheets, live coaching, journal prompts, and guided meditations.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Is There Something Wrong With Me?* How Perfectionism Leads To Imposter Syndrome* Is Expertise Really All It’s Cracked Up To Be?Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are 5 journal prompts for Solid Ground members. Use these to rebuild resilience after a recent professional hit, without turning it into a story about who you are.

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comOkay confession time. When I was getting my MBA, I had to take my statistics course twice.The problem wasn’t my capacity or that I was “bad at math.” I’m actually quite good at it. The issue was the teaching method. It was lecture heavy, and that’s not how I learn. It didn’t matter how hard I worked or how tenacious I was. Nothing stuck.And I really wanted my MBA because I believed it mattered for being considered for leadership roles in corporate environments. So I withdrew from my statistics class the first time because I couldn’t keep up. The second time, I hired a tutor to get me through it.What I realized with my tutor’s help is that I don’t learn well when I’m being lectured at. I need to read, write things down, and work through examples to make sense of them.So if you’re struggling to close a skills gap that affects your next career step, figure out what kind of learner you are so you can learn in a way that actually sticks.Why This Matters More Than It SoundsA skills gap is not just logistical. It can get emotional fast. I know C suite leaders whose confidence has taken a hit because they couldn’t learn quickly enough. It can show up as second guessing, slowed decision making, and playing smaller than they normally do.When the learning method fails, it can feel like proof that you’re behind, about to be found out, or not cut out for the next level.That proof is flimsy without a lot of evidence. A better explanation is often true. You’re using the wrong training format for your brain.The Four Learner TypesThink of the four learner types as a shortcut for choosing the right training. They describe how you take in information, how you make sense of it, and how you’re most likely to turn it into real skill on the job. Most people are a blend, but one or two types usually lead.Quick note: these categories are a tool, not a box. Use them to choose smarter methods, not to decide what you “can’t” do.* Visual learners: You learn best when you can see it. Diagrams, examples, demonstrations, a whiteboard moment where it finally clicks.* Auditory learners: You learn best by hearing and talking. Conversations, hearing it out loud, talking it out loud, listening, asking questions in real time.* Kinesthetic learners: You learn best by doing. Reps, role play, trial and error, building a tiny version, practicing in the real environment.* Reading and writing learners: You learn best through text. Clear steps, notes, frameworks, outlines, and writing your way into understanding.If you’ve been following me, you can probably see how I’m a reading and writing learner. I’m always providing frameworks and asking questions.Quick Self CheckHere’s a simple way to figure out how you learn.Start with a time you struggled to learn and it just wouldn’t stick. What format was being used: reading, watching, listening, or jumping in and doing it?Now think of something you learned more easily. How did you learn that one?You’re not hunting for a perfect label here. You’re noticing what makes learning click for you so you can choose training that matches your brain instead of forcing yourself through a method that keeps you stuck.Match The Training To The LearnerIf you’re a visual learner, stop forcing yourself to “just read the manual.” Find a short demo, a template, or a marked up example.If you’re an auditory learner, do not learn alone in silence. Find a live session, a study buddy, or record yourself explaining it and listen back.If you’re a kinesthetic learner, stop collecting information and start collecting reps. Practice first, study second. Use simulations, mock runs, and real world tasks.If you’re a reading and writing learner, give yourself clean instructions and time to synthesize. Take notes, create a checklist, and write a one page summary in your own words.When my youngest daughter was learning her times tables, we would drill them in the car. She hated it and never got them right. Then I realized she’s a kinesthetic learner. So we tossed a tennis ball back and forth as she ran the tables and everything clicked.Bottom LineIf you’ve identified a skills gap and you’re struggling to close it, don’t jump straight to “I should be able to pick this up faster.” Start by checking the training method. When you learn in a way that matches how you learn best, effort turns into skill, and skill turns into momentum. Sometimes the breakthrough isn’t more effort. It’s a different approach.Before You Go! A Special Invitation!If you’re longing to hear more personal stories and insights about how other folks are navigating career grief, join me this Thursday, March 26 at 9 am PST for a Substack live. My guest is global entrepreneur Amanda O who was a successful barbershop owner and YouTuber and is now an investor and coach. She has had some significant pivots in her career and we’ll be chatting about why it’s important to recognize not just the visible losses of career grief, but also the hidden ones. Come join us!If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Is There Something Wrong With Me?* How Perfectionism Leads To Imposter Syndrome* Is Expertise Really All It’s Cracked Up To Be?Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are 3 journal prompts for Solid Ground members. Use these to spot the learning methods that actually work for you so you can close a skills gap without burning extra energy.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comYou got the interview. Yay.You prepared. Well done.You had great rapport with the hiring manager. Love that.You left thinking, “That went really well.”You send your thank you email. You tell them you felt energized by the conversation, you’re excited about the opportunity, and you’d love to be considered. You add the classic closer: let me know if you need anything else.Then crickets. What the heck happened?We don’t have a crystal ball, but a common place things go sideways is the thank you note.The Thank You Note Is Your Second InterviewThe hiring process is not a dinner party. Managers are trying to make a call with imperfect information. They’re trying to reduce risk and picture who will actually deliver once the role is real.A generic thank you won’t hurt you. It just won’t help you.So here’s what you gotta do. Put as much energy into your thank you email as you did to prep for the interview. The best follow up isn’t the one that repeats your enthusiasm. It’s the one that adds clarity.Reference a specific question that came up in the interview. Offer additional thoughts on how you’d approach it. Keep it short, keep it practical.You’re no longer asking to be chosen. You’re showing what it would feel like to work with you.How to Write the Follow Up That Helps Them DecideLet’s name what we’re doing here. A high signal thank you email is a short follow up that does two things at once: it shows appreciation, and it adds useful information.Pick up one thread from the interview and pull it a little further. One specific question. One challenge they mentioned. One priority they hinted at. You’re basically saying, I’ve been thinking about what you shared, and here’s how I’d start.Let’s unpack the thank you note without overthinking it.Right after the interview, open a notes app or grab a piece of paper and do a quick download. What did the two of you actually talk about? Most interviews have a few repeating themes:* A problem they need solved* A process that’s not working* A goal they’re trying to hit* A handoff that keeps breaking* A relationship they need managed betterYour job is to pick one. Then write your thank you email around that thread:* One line of appreciation that feels specific* One line naming what you heard as the challenge* Two or three lines with practical thoughts on how you’d approach itThat’s it.If you want to go one step further, you can add a simple attachment. A one page outline. A short list. A rough sequence of steps. Something skimmable that shows your thinking without trying to do free labor.Because the point is not to prove you can do everything. It’s to make it easier for them to picture you doing the job.That Time I Blew the Thank You NoteLet me tell you what I mean with a real example.Several years ago, before I fully pivoted into coaching and speaking, I interviewed for a deep-pocketed entertainment start up. I was a few interviews in when I finally met with the head honcho. During our meeting, she asked me what I would do in the first ninety days in the role?Well, I hadn’t prepared for that question. Most of the time, I interviewed with people who understood what the role required. But she was new to the industry so it was a legit question. But I bumbled it.And here’s where I wish I could time travel. I sent a thank you email that did what most thank you emails do. It expressed appreciation. It said I was excited. It closed with: let me know if you need any references.🤦🏽‍♀️What it didn’t do was pick up the thread she handed me. That ninety day question was the thread. The follow up was my chance to course correct: to be clear, succinct and specific about how I would approach the work.That would have done two things. It would have answered the question I fumbled. And it would have made it easier for her to picture me doing the job.I’ve since heard versions of this from HR leaders too. The follow up that moves the needle is rarely the warmest one. It’s the clearest one.Bottom LineIf you want your thank you email to matter, it has to do more than be polite. It has to be useful. Reference something real from the conversation and add a small piece of clarity. You are not trying to prove you are perfect. You are helping them feel more confident about choosing you.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Five Reasons You May Be Stuck* Are Smart Career Moves Hiding In Plain Sight?* How Can You Stay Calm Under Stress?Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are 5 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. Use these to upgrade your post interview follow up so your thank you note adds clarity and makes it easier for them to picture you doing the job.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comWhat if the reason you’re not getting what you want at work has nothing to do with your talent and effort? What if it has everything to do with where and how your actual workspace is set up?Maybe you want more money. More growth. More work-life balance. More freedom. More stability. More belonging. More meaning.Most people try to close that gap by doing more. More special projects to prove your worth. More networking to meet the “right” people. More closing of the skill gaps to remain relevant. More soul searching to figure out “what the heck am I doing?”Well, what if the issue is that your literal environment is stagnant and needs an upgrade? Welcome to the ancient Chinese wisdom and practice of feng shui: arranging space to direct energy toward specific outcomes.What Is Feng Shui, Really?Feng shui means “wind” and “water.” Movement and flow.At the center of feng shui is the concept of chi.Chi is life force energy. Think of it as the vibe moving through you and everything around you.In feng shui, chi either flows or it stagnates. When chi flows, opportunities circulate. When chi stagnates, things stall.This isn’t just mystical language. This practice has been around for thousands of years and is widely used today by everyone from interior designers to architects to entrepreneurs.How I Used Feng ShuiAfter it became clear in 2020 that working from home was not going to be a two week thing, I applied simple feng shui principles to my home office since it was no longer temporary. I saw my space declutter and my mind had a kind of spring-cleaning. From there, I made a decision to pivot out of my long career in the entertainment industry into being a full time career strategist and grief coach.Here’s the thing: Your environment shapes your nervous system. Your nervous system shapes your decisions. Your decisions shape your career.From an energetic lens, chi attracts what you circulate.If your space feels heavy, cramped, chaotic, or stale, that is the frequency you’re reinforcing every day.What Stagnation Looks LikePeople talk about how their careers have “stalled out” or “plateaued,” which is another way to say stagnant. Or there’s a general sense of malaise, it’s all fine, I don’t want to rock the boat, I’m lucky to have a job in this economy. Or there’s a real sense of fear and anxiety, what if this is it?Before you go deeper into that rabbit hole, consider that your environment may be under-supporting you.Here’s the part most people miss. Stagnation is not just a feeling. It has a physical footprint. It shows up in what’s around you, what you keep postponing, and what your eyes have gotten used to skipping over.Stagnation shows up as: • Piles you keep meaning to sort • Objects tied to roles you’ve outgrown • Broken items you’ve “learned to live with” • A workspace that feels dim, cramped, or forgottenIf you want to attract more money, more visibility, more recognition, more stability, clear what isn’t moving.Energy needs circulation before it can compound.Three Feng Shui Shifts to Move Career EnergyWhile I’m not a feng shui expert, I’ve tried these three feng shui shifts when I was pivoting and leveling up and they worked really well for me.1. Remove One Stagnant Object: Choose one item in your workspace that represents:• A job you resent• A rejection you’re holding• An identity you’ve outgrown• Something broken you’ve ignoredGet rid of it. Stagnant objects hold stagnant chi.One of the objects I removed was a lame ring light I bought for the endless zoom meetings I’ve been on since 2020. I wanted to keep up appearances while I watched the entertainment industry stall out, in an attempt to look like I was weathering it fine. Once I removed it, I felt more like me and that gave me confidence to make some hard decisions.Psychologically, stagnant objects create identity friction. Energetically, they trap movement.Clearing stagnant objects creates space for fresh circulation. And honestly, sometimes the “stagnant object” isn’t a thing. It’s a professional relationship that’s run its course. Not in a vicious, mean way. More like an honest assessment that you may have outgrown each other.I had an actor client who parted ways with their agent and booked more jobs after that, without a new agent. They felt freer to pursue opportunities the former agent never went after on their behalf.2. Activate Your Money FlowIf you’re trying to attract more money but your environment signals neglect, there’s a mismatch. Take a look at the space where you spend most of your time working. Let’s say it’s a desk.When you’re seated, the far-left corner represents wealth and self-worth. Place something living there. A small plant is ideal. Living things grow slowly and steadily. They require attention. They reflect investment.In feng shui terms, you’re signaling that money is welcome to grow here, and that you have the capacity to tend what you earn.In addition to a lot of fancy MBA techniques I use to figure out how to earn more money like tracking ROI and KPIs, SEO optimization, and paying attention to funnel metrics, I do have a small plant on my desk.While I can’t say for certain that the financial success of my coaching business is correlated to the Cyclamen plant, I feel happy when the flowers are blooming. When I’m happy, I have the energy to do the sales things I need to do to feed my company.3. Use a Mirror to Expand Stuck EnergyIn feng shui, mirrors are used to redirect and expand chi. They bounce light. They create the illusion of space. They shift the flow without requiring structural change.My client Jess was in the same role for five years and literally felt boxed in by cubicles and a lack of opportunity for advancement. So using feng shui, she placed an art deco mirror that belonged to her grandmother on her desk to gather good energy. The mirror was from the 1930s and it reminded Jess of just how strong and brave her grandma was, and it gave her a little more courage. She placed the mirror where it could capture light from a window and send it back into her workspace.In what some might call a fluke, her boss’ boss noticed it, asked about it, and they ended up talking about feng shui. Turns out he dabbled in it too. He was intrigued not just by the mirror, but by why Jess brought it in.While no magic promotion came about to alleviate her being in the same role for years, he did assign her a handful of special projects over the next six months that gave her two significant wins and more visibility. She was able to use that to revamp her resume and found a great job outside the company and left with his blessing and endorsement.That mirror was not for decoration. It was an energetic amplifier.When chi hits a wall, it stops. When chi hits a mirror, it moves.One rule. Don’t aim it at clutter. Mirrors expand what they reflect. Reflect light, order, and something that feels like the version of you you’re becoming.What to NoticeFeng shui is a rich opportunity to look at your environment and how it affects your state of mind and your well-being. Remember, your environment shapes your nervous system. Your nervous system shapes your decisions. Your decisions shape your career.So after you make one shift, observe. Do you feel clearer? Less irritated? More decisive?Energy shifts are subtle before they’re obvious.What we’re doing here is not passive, waiting for feng shui “magic” to get you more money, growth, balance, freedom, stability, belonging and meaning.It’s about developing a practice to be more aligned so that energy flows freely.Want To Go Deeper?If you’re as excited and intrigued as I am about feng shui and have questions and comments, I got you. On Thursday, March 12 at 12pm PST, I’m hosting a live conversation with feng shui expert Dorena Kohrs about how to apply these principles intentionally to your work life.We’ll talk about what “chi attracts” actually means in real life, and how to get things moving again. We’ll cover what to tweak when your career feels stalled, even if you’re doing everything “right.” And we’ll share practical shifts you can make without a perfect office or a big budget.If you’ve done the mindset work and the strategy work and something still feels blocked, this conversation is for you. Mark your calendars and bring your questions or submit them here!If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Five Reasons You May Be Stuck* Are Smart Career Moves Hiding In Plain Sight?* How Can You Stay Calm Under Stress?Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are 6 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. These will help you get clear on what you want at work and what kind of environment would actually support it.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comThere’s a moment that hits a lot of people right after a promotion or a new role.You have the new title. The bigger scope. The visibility.And then your brain goes: who do you think you are?If that’s happening to you, I want to offer one reframe that changes the whole experience.Imposter syndrome is not proof you’re unqualified. It’s what doubt sounds like when your courage puts you in a bigger room.Why This Shows Up Right When Things Are Going WellMost people think the goal is to eliminate doubt.But doubt is a normal response to new conditions. New team dynamics. New expectations. New exposure. New stakes.Your nervous system is doing its job. It’s scanning for risk. It’s trying to protect you from being judged, getting it wrong, or being seen as inexperienced.The problem is the interpretation.When doubt shows up, we often treat it like a capability report card. Instead of what it actually is: you adjusting to new conditions.The Five Common Flavors Of Imposter SyndromeImposter syndrome shows up in different ways, and sometimes we rotate through a few depending on the season. You might recognize yourself in one of these:* The Perfectionist: If it is not flawless, it does not count.* The Soloist: If I need help, I do not belong here.* The Superhuman: If I’m not excelling in every lane, I’m failing.* The Expert: If I don’t know everything, I shouldn’t be here.* The Natural Genius: If it’s not easy, maybe I’m not built for this.Notice what these have in common. They all turn growth into danger.Two Tools That Help, FastHere are two approaches I use with clients because they work without requiring you to become a different person.Tool 1: Hold two conflicting feelings at the same time. You can feel nervous and ready enough. You can feel exposed and still be the right person for the job. The goal isn’t to erase the doubt. It’s to make enough space to act with courage.Try this sentence: I can feel unsure and still lead well. That’s not a mantra. It’s a leadership skill. Senior roles involve incomplete information, messy tradeoffs, and decisions that can’t be validated in advance.Tool 2: Change the thought, change the feeling. Imposter syndrome thrives on vague thoughts that sound true because they feel intense. The antidote is precision. Here’s an example. You get the promotion and you think: “I’m not ready.” Now ask yourself: Ready for what, exactly? What’s the actual requirement in this moment? Most likely it’s something you know how to do or is in your grasp. And if it’s not, you wouldn’t have gotten promoted if you didn’t know how to solve a problem. Then rewrite the thought into something that’s truthful that you can act from.Try one of these:* I’m in the learning curve phase of this role.* I don’t need to know everything to be effective. I need to know what matters most.* I can figure this out as I go.* Accuracy calms the system. Vague drama ramps it up. And when you’re calmer, you make better decisions.A Quick Case StudyLinda had just landed her first C suite role as Chief Creative Officer. Big moment. Big visibility.And then week one happened.Seventeen people wanted her feedback. Seventeen. Meanwhile, she hadn’t even had time to read all the briefs, let alone form thoughtful opinions. Her brain did what brains do in new conditions. It turned a workload that would overwhelm anyone into proof she was an imposter.I’m behind. Maybe I don’t have what it takes.Linda’s imposter flavor was the Soloist. The voice that says, “If I need help, I shouldn’t be here.”So we used Tool 1. We practiced holding two truths at the same time: I’m leading this and I can ask for help. Then we added one simple thought that brought her back to earth: I’m not the first Chief Creative Officer in the history of media.Her next move was small, but it was a turning point. She reached out to a former boss and asked, “How did you handle the workload in your first month?”The workload didn’t disappear. But the spiral did. She stopped treating uncertainty like a red flag and started treating it like part of the job.Bottom LineConfidence is not the price of entry for leadership. Courage is.Doubt is not a verdict. It’s information about the moment you are in.Let evidence steer your decision, not the story in your head.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* How To Turn Powerful Failures Into Powerful Breakthroughs* The 3 Things To Do After You Lose Your Job* Why Does My Career Setback Still Bother Me?Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are 3 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. Use these to separate what you’re feeling from what is actually true, so you can lead from clarity instead of self interrogation.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comMental health is a hot topic these days - as it should be! According to the World Health Organization anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorder with approximately 4% of the world’s population affected. And stress is right there on its heels. According to the American Institute of Stress, around 35% of the U.S. population is feeling stressed. I get it! But what many people don’t get is that stress and anxiety are not the same thing. They are frequently lumped together which impacts your ability to deal with them. It’s like applying a band-aid to every ouch - except some ouches are a skinned knee and some are a broken heart. Instead, they need very different approaches. In this week’s blog, I take a deep dive into the distinctions between stress and anxiety and share coping mechanisms that have helped me. 

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comCareer grief is not just an emotional experience. It’s a physiological one.Most of us expect grief to look like tears, sadness, maybe anger. But a lot of the time, grief shows up as: “What is wrong with me lately?”For me, it’s looked like this.I wore my pants inside out and didn’t realize until I was already out in the world.I left the faucet on.I ate an entire pizza by myself, and not because I was celebrating. Because I was trying to feel something other than what I was feeling.In those moments, I wasn’t thinking: “I’m grieving.” I was thinking: “I’m losing it.”What was really happening:. I was experiencing a normal brain and body response to loss.How Grief Shows UpGrief is the natural response to any kind of loss. Not just death. Any loss. A job. A role. A team. A dream. A sense of status. A version of your future you were counting on.When grief goes unnamed and unmourned, your brain often can’t organize the experience. It can’t file it neatly because it keeps trying to treat the loss like a problem you should solve, not something you need to metabolize.So your body starts speaking up.That can look like exhaustion. Headaches. Insomnia. Appetite swings. Stomach issues. Muscles that feel tight, wired, and braced.If the physical stuff is not loud enough, grief can also show up cognitively. Trouble concentrating. Forgetfulness. Confusion. Rumination. Intrusive thoughts. That looping reel you can’t shut off.And then it shows up in behavior. Withdrawing from others, losing interest in things that once brought joy, avoiding certain places or people, or self-medicating just to get through the day.None of this means you’re broken. It means something inside you is trying to adapt to what has changed.The Real Problem Is Not The “Stupid” MomentsThe problem is that you’re doing “stupid” things and you’re making them mean something about your character.You start narrating it like this. I’m off my game. I’m losing my edge. I’m incapable.And that story adds a second layer of pain. Shame.That’s the part I want to interrupt.Because when you look at those symptoms at face value, they can seem random. But they’re not random. They’re signals. They point to something deeper. Unrecognized grief.Why Career Grief Can Feel Like an Existential CrisisCareer grief rocks more than your schedule and bank account. It rattles your psyche.Because work is rarely just work in our culture. It’s identity. It’s belonging. It’s validation. It’s structure. It’s the place we get reflected back to ourselves.So when work breaks, it can feel like you break.That’s why career grief can border on an existential crisis. It disrupts your sense of purpose, belonging, and identity.And when grief goes unacknowledged, the price is steep. You lose resilience. Not because you’re weak, but because your system is carrying a load it was never meant to carry alone.The Solution Is Compassion For The Non Emotional Parts Of GriefHere’s what I’m asking of you. Instead of treating your symptoms like personal failures, treat them like information.Compassion is not letting yourself off the hook. It’s seeing clearly what’s happening so you can respond with wisdom instead of self attack.Here are a few ways to practice that, especially if you’re in a season where you can’t stop everything and “process your feelings”.1. Name the loss, even if it feels small. Try a simple sentence. Something changed. Something ended. Something didn’t happen. You’re not trying to make it bigger than it is. You’re trying to make it real.2. Replace the character story with a body story. Instead of “I’m being an idiot,” try: My brain is overloaded. My nervous system is on alert. My body is asking for recovery. That one change can lower shame fast.3. Build a tiny relief ritual. Not a life overhaul. A small, repeatable cue that tells your system: I’m paying attention. A short walk without your phone. A hot shower with the lights low. Ten minutes lying on the floor with one hand on your chest. A meal that is not eaten standing up. It’s not glamorous. It’s effective.4. Reduce decisions for a week. Grief burns energy. Decision making burns energy. Stack them together and you start leaving faucets on. Choose two or three defaults for the week. Default breakfast. Default outfit. Default work start and stop time. You’re not becoming predictable. You’re becoming resourced.5. Tell one safe person the truth. Not the whole story. Just a true sentence. I’ve been more affected than I expected. My focus has been off. I’m dealing with more loss than I’ve named. Grief becomes more workable when it has language and witness.If you lead a team, this matters too. When a team goes through layoffs, reorganizations, leadership changes, or public setbacks, unprocessed loss doesn’t vanish. It goes underground.And underground grief tends to reappear as: More conflict over small things. More risk aversion. More second guessing. Lower trust. Lower energy.Leaders don’t have to turn the workplace into group therapy to address this. But they do need to name what changed and what it cost, at least in human terms.If you’re noticing strange mistakes, low morale, or unusually thin patience on your team, consider this question: What loss are we acting out that we have not acknowledged?Bottom LineIf you’ve been making “weird” mistakes, craving comfort food, forgetting simple things, or feeling uncharacteristically foggy, don’t rush to self judgment.Consider the more accurate explanation. Your body might be grieving.Career grief is not only emotional. It’s physiological. It shows up in your focus, your appetite, your sleep, your memory, and your ability to self regulate.The move is not to shame yourself into functioning. The move is to meet the symptoms with compassion, name what’s been lost, and give your system a little more care than you think it deserves.If you want support applying this to your own situation, I have three 1:1 coaching packages available right now. Book a consult to see if we’re a match.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* How To Turn Powerful Failures Into Powerful Breakthroughs* The 3 Things To Do After You Lose Your Job* Why Does My Career Setback Still Bother Me?Longing To Feel Lighter?Professional heartbreak can leave you spinning. You replay what happened, question your judgment, get stuck in indecision, and worry you’ll never get your mojo back.Solid Ground is the paid member program inside the Moonshot Mentor Substack community that helps you move from spinning to forward motion.Paid members tell me they feel less weighed down. Empowered. Relaxed for the first time in a long time. Here’s the thing. It’s not because they got a pep talk. It’s because they finally got an accurate explanation for what’s happening and a way through it.You’ll get monthly video lessons with a guided companion to help you apply the work, live coaching for real time support, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to rebuild confidence and make decisions without panic.Become a paid member to access Solid Ground, stop misdiagnosing yourself as broken, and start moving again.Journal PromptsHere are 5 journal prompts for Solid Ground members. Use these to connect the dots between what your body is doing and what your life has been carrying.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comIf your career is shifting, your money story gets a vote in every decision you make. And it’s not because you’re bad at math or you “should have planned better.”It gets a vote because money is not just money. Money touches safety. Options. Identity. What you can say yes to. What you have to say no to. And when work gets uncertain, money stops being background noise. It walks right up to the microphone and says, “Hello, hello? Is this thing on?”I learned this the hard way.The first time my unspoken money story showed up was in my early twenties, when I was transitioning jobs and going through a divorce. At the time, I was (barely) earning more than my husband who was a middle school teacher. When we separated, he asked for financial support.I felt guilty about the state of our marriage, so I agreed. And then guilt met fear, and I made a decision I could not sustain. I racked up a lot of credit card debt trying to keep everything looking fine.It got so bad I had to cut myself off from my credit cards and use the envelope system. Actual cash in actual envelopes. Gas. Food. Utilities. Car repair. There were no envelopes for going out, clothing, or self care.All I could hear in my head was: “There isn’t enough. There will never be enough.”That sentence didn’t come out of nowhere. It was inherited.My dad grew up during the Great Depression. My mom lived in poverty in Japan during World War II. Not having enough was a true, lived experience for them. I’ve been fortunate to have enough, but that generational trauma is in me.This is why I’m writing about money in a post about career strategy.Because during a setback, a pivot, or a dry spell between gigs, your money story is going to cast a vote. It will influence what work you take. How quickly you panic. Whether you avoid looking at your accounts. Whether you undercharge. Whether you overgive. Whether you freeze.You do not have to shame yourself for that. You do have to notice it.Your Money StoryYour money story is the relationship you have with money. It’s what money represents to you. What it proves. What it threatens. What it feels like.For some people, money equals safety. For others, it equals freedom. For others, it equals worth.And for a lot of high achieving people, especially in unpredictable industries, money becomes evidence. Evidence that you’re doing it right. Evidence that you’re still viable. Evidence that you can relax.That is a lot to ask of money.When work gets shaky, money anxiety gets loud. And money anxiety tends to do two things at once.First, it triggers your nervous system into threat mode.Second, it distorts perception, so those panicked thoughts start masquerading as reality.So before we “do the numbers,” I want to offer something that sounds simple, but changes everything.Regulate your nervous system first, then look at the truth.Regulate First, Before All ElseMy client “April” came to see me in full blown panic. It was early 2024. As an actress and writer, she had already been hit hard by the COVID years, then the 2023 strikes happened. Her nervous system was a wreck and she was in constant panic and she couldn’t “see clearly.”Before we opened a spreadsheet, we worked with her body. Not because breathwork pays rent. But because you cannot make a clean career decision when your system is convinced you’re in danger.Here are a few regulation tools we used. They’re practical. You can do them in your car. You can do them before you open your banking app. You can do them when you feel that familiar drop in your stomach.Nervous System Regulation Tools* Extended exhale breathing. How to do it: Inhale for 4. Exhale for 6 or 8. Do 6 to 10 rounds.* Why it works: Longer exhales tend to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps your body settle so your mind can think.* EFT Tapping. How to do it: Tap gently on points like the side of the hand, eyebrow, side of the eye, and collarbone while you say a simple two part sentence. The first part names what you’re feeling or noticing. The second part adds a cue of safety, choice, or self support. You’re not trying to talk yourself out of the feeling. You’re reminding your body you can stay here with it. Example: “Even though my money story is loud right now, I’m the one who gets to choose.”* Why it works: Pairing steady tapping with naming what’s true can lower intensity and help your nervous system shift out of alarm, so you can access clarity and make decisions without rushing.* Deep pressure touch. How to do it: Use a weighted blanket, drape something heavy over your shoulders, or press a firm pillow to your chest for 2 to 5 minutes.* Why it works: Deep pressure can be calming because it gives your body a clear sense of containment.* Wall support. How to do it: Stand with your back against a wall. Feet grounded. One hand on your chest, one on your belly. Stay for 60 to 90 seconds.* Why it works: Your body gets a felt sense of support. That matters when everything feels uncertain.These are not magic tricks. They are proven techniques. A way of telling your body, we are safe enough to look.Because that is the real goal. Safe enough to look. Safe enough to get honest. Safe enough to make a decision that’s not driven by panic.And once you can do that, you can meet your money story directly.How To Find Your Money StoryWhen money feels tense, a lot of people do one of two things. They obsess, spiraling into worst case scenarios. Or they avoid, hoping the problem will magically get quieter.This exercise is a third option.It slows everything down. It gives you distance from the fear. It turns the swirl into language. And when something becomes language, you can work with it. I learned this tool from my first coach, Mona Miller (RIP), and I still use it today because it is highly effective at getting underneath the noise quickly.Here’s the writing prompt with the goal to not edit. Just write what comes up and don’t judge it.Dear Money,When I look at you, I see…When I look at you, I feel…When I look at you, I think…When I look at you, I believe…When I look at you, I act like…Signed, [Your Name]Then reverse it and make the letter from Money to you.Dear [Your Name],When I look at you, I see…When I look at you, I feel…When I look at you, I think…When I look at you, I believe…When I look at you, I act like…Signed, MoneyWhat we’re looking for are themes or patterns.For April, money was proof. Proof she was successful. Proof she was making the right choices. Proof she was still allowed to belong. So every dip in income felt like a personal failure.Once she saw that, she had leverage. Because now her money story was not running the meeting in secret.Career Strategy Comes Back When You Name What You Are ProtectingThis is the part that pulls everything together.When your money story gets loud, it starts pushing you toward choices that can step on your values. So we named April’s values, not as inspiration, but as a decision filter.April told me her values included achievement, freedom, love, and travel.Here’s what we noticed.Achievement turned into a scoreboard. Money became the proof she was doing it right, so she felt pressure to take anything immediately, even if it pulled her away from her dreams.Freedom got replaced with avoidance. She stopped looking at her numbers because she assumed they would trap her, which kept her trapped.Love turned into overgiving. She said yes to commitments she could not afford because disappointing people felt more dangerous than debt.Travel became a symbol of “I’m still okay.” If she couldn’t afford it, she felt like she was failing, so she swung between denial and deprivation.When she could see that pattern, she could interrupt it.First she regulated.Then she returned to her values.Then she looked at the numbers without spiraling.And when she did, she discovered she had more runway than she thought. Not infinite runway. But enough runway to choose with intention so she chose to hold off on travel so she could have more time to find a job that was a match for her.This is what I mean when I say your money story gets a vote. It will show up in the room. But it doesn’t have to run the meeting.Where We Go From HereAt this point, if you’re thinking, okay, but I still have a hundred questions, that makes sense. Some of them might be emotional. Some of them might be very practical. What do I cut? How do I plan when income is inconsistent? What do I do first after a layoff?So I invited my friend and money mentor, Katy Chen Mazzara, to join me for a Substack Live conversation. Katy is a certified trauma-informed financial wellness coach who pivoted out of entertainment pre pandemic. She helps creative entrepreneurs and freelancers break free from scarcity, release traumas and fears, and build lasting financial freedom. With deep compassion and bold clarity, Katy empowers clients to align their finances with their truth, purpose, and power. She’s willing to share what helped her make that pivot, and she’ll answer your money questions.Quick note: This conversation is educational and not financial advice. For guidance specific to your situation, talk with a qualified financial professional.Join us Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 1:00 pm PST.Bottom lineIf your career is shifting, your money story gets a vote in every decision you make.Regulate first, so you can see clearly. Name the story that’s hogging the spotlight. Reconnect to what you’re trying to protect.Because career strategy is not just planning. It’s choosing well, even when your system wants to panic.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* How Do You Rewrite Your Career Story?* How To Tame Your Inner Critic* Embracing Hard Truths By Hugging The BearPerks for Paid MembersMoonshot Mentor is for people and teams moving through professional change that hits harder than expected. Get short monthly video lessons on career grief, plus a simple guide that helps you turn insight into your next right step, live monthly coaching to work through what’s happening in real time, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to steady yourself and move forward with clarity.Journal PromptsHere are 4 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. These are here to help you name your money story, calm the noise, and make your next career move from truth instead of threat.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comMy birthday is this Wednesday.I usually like to fly under the radar but this year I’m trying something new. Instead of hiding out feeling self-conscious about my warped relationship with age and time, I’m choosing to go on a mission to spread joy along with cool things I’ve been learning.Take a full watch of this YouTube video that made me laugh so hard I cried. And then I watched it a second time and laughed so hard I cried. Then I shared it with my youngest daughter and we laughed and (happy) cried together. Consider it a gift from me to you!It’s a cover of the Bee Gees’ song “How Deep Is Your Love” by a South African musical sibling trio called Biko’s Manna: Biko is the eldest sister and lead singer, Manna is the guitar playing brother, and Mfundo is the youngest brother who at the time the video was made was still figuring out his musical north star.Their musicianship is locked in. Biko’s voice is unreal, Manna’s finger work is magic, and their harmonies are gorgeous. They started out as street performers in Johannesburg and have performed on shows like America’s Got Talent.As you’re watching, I imagine you being swept away with the joy of Biko and Manna’s interpretation of the song, just like me. And then, in the background, Mfundo glides into frame.I won’t spoil it. Just watch. But I will tell you that there are flippers, a helmet, backbends and more.What got me was the contrast. Biko and Manna are fully in the song. And then this tiny chaos comet is doing his own one man show behind them.And this is where the joy turns into a fabulous lesson about strategy.It’s great to be in flow, but not at the expense of completely ignoring your surroundings.For years, I was so uber focused on supporting clients one to one, and doing it well, that I didn’t fully clock what was happening in my background. Messages asking if I had any in person retreats coming up. Whether there was a group where people could take the lessons of the blog into real life. Whether there was a monthly call where we could workshop what folx were navigating in real time. Whether there was a place that made the lessons feel less theoretical.People were asking me for more community.Ask Me Anything (AMA) Live🗓️ Thursday, Feb 12 at 1:00pm PST here on Substack.Bring questions from this week’s post, your current career strategy puzzle, or whatever you’re navigating right now. I’ll help you sort signal from noise and find your next right step.How I Course CorrectedLast year, when I finally noticed what was happening in the background, I piloted a career grief group. It was terrific, but what I wasn’t prepared for was the request to keep going. People wanted to stay connected and not just let it be a one and done experience.That’s what inspired me to create an ongoing group I’m calling Solid Ground.Think of it like your favorite farmers market. Come as you are. Drop in when you need, run into familiar faces, pick up something useful, and leave feeling lighter and clearer.Solid Ground is a monthly space for anyone navigating career change that hits harder than expected.The heart of the group is simple. When work changes, you need more than a plan. You need support that’s emotional and practical, because real change asks for both.Each month, I send a short video lesson on career grief and a worksheet on the third Wednesday. Then we come together for live coaching, typically on the fourth Thursday, so you can bring what’s coming up for you and get traction in real time. (You don’t have to remember all these deets - I send reminders!)Solid Ground is included with your paid Moonshot Mentor membership. You can show up live to the coaching calls, catch the replay, or use the lesson and the worksheet whenever you need them.How To Look Up Without Losing Your FlowWhether you join Solid Ground or not, the point here is that when you’re laser focused, you miss cues that could change what you’re doing in the moment.The trick is not to stop focusing. Focus is a superpower.The trick is to add a wide angle check in that’s brief, scheduled, and non dramatic. It gives you a moment to look up, notice what’s happening in the background, and make small course corrections that align with your greater goals.Once every three months, set a 30 minute appointment with yourself and answer these questions.* What is my current “song”? Name the thing you are most focused on right now. A role. A project. A revenue goal. A skill you’re building. A version of your life you’re trying to create.* What’s happening in the background? List the signals you’ve been glanced at, but haven’t paid close attention to. Invitations. Patterns in your energy. A recurring idea. Feedback that keeps popping up.* Where has my focus tipped into rigidity? This is often where we keep pushing even though the data is changing.If you lead a team, add one more question. What are people not saying out loud, but acting out in the background? Think less initiative, more caution, quieter meetings, slower decisions. That’s usually where culture is speaking.This is the part I missed in my own work for a long time. I was heads down in one to one client success and not noticing that the wider signal was pointing toward greater community along with all the great practical wisdom. People want a place to stay connected through change, not just power through it alone.Bottom LineThat Biko’s Manna video delights me because it is so human. Two people are fully in the song and life is still happening behind them.That’s career strategy too. You need the ability to lock in. You also need the ability to look around you. Because sometimes the thing that changes your strategy is not another idea. It’s what’s been trying to get your attention.If you’re in a season where work has changed and you can feel yourself getting tunnel vision, Solid Ground is a place to process what’s real and figure out what’s next with support that’s both emotional and practical. You can find the details here. Birthday request. Watch the video. Have the laugh. Then take ten minutes to look up and see what you’ve been missing.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* How Do You Rewrite Your Career Story? ✍️* Is Your Career Where You Want It? 🚀* How to use Deadlines to Get to Excellence 🌟Perks for Paid MembersMoonshot Mentor is for people and teams moving through professional change that hits harder than expected. Get short monthly video lessons on career grief, plus a simple guide that helps you turn insight into your next right step, live monthly coaching to work through what’s happening in real time, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to steady yourself and move forward with clarity.Journal PromptsHere are 3 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. Use them to spot what you’re missing in the background.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comMost of us think the problem is energy.If we could just get a little more, we’d update the résumé, write the cover letter, follow up with a former colleague, get the certification.But when you keep making promises you don’t keep, the real cost isn’t momentum. It’s self trust.And once self trust takes a hit, your brain and body get conservative with energy. Not to punish you. To protect you.The problem is, that protection can keep you stuck.Here’s what I mean.If you’ve made a lot of plans and you didn’t follow through on them, your brain starts to treat these plans as make-believe. They aren’t real so you don’t have to pay attention to them. It’s your brain trying to stop you from not feeling bad about breaking a promise to yourself.You may not realize this, but disappointment takes energy. Shame takes energy. That internal argument you have with yourself after you don’t do the thing takes energy.Your system tries a different strategy. It reduces the fuel you need to do the thing you know you need to do. So you literally don’t have the energy to fulfill the promise (or the plan) that you made. The reduction of fuel makes starting feel like mud. It’s a way for your system to say: let’s not risk another broken promise and the shame spiral that follows.So here’s how to get your energy back. Stop trying to force motivation. Start rebuilding self trust.The 80 Percent Promise MethodOnly make a promise to yourself that you’re 80 percent confident you can keep. Not 90 percent. Certainly not 100 percent. 80 percent is the sweet spot because it’s doable. And it creates evidence that you can keep a promise which helps your brain realize those promises are real.Here’s how it works.* Make the promise small enough to finish in under ten minutes.Make it a single step. Not a project. Example: “Find the most recent version of my resume in my files.” Not: “Update my resume.”* Identify what might stop you from keeping the promise. Don’t judge. Just be honest. Maybe it’s technology issues. Maybe your kid gets a cold. Maybe you run out of time. Maybe you hit an emotional wall. The point isn’t to fix your personality. The point is to name the friction that might pop up.* Choose an antidote for that obstacle. If the obstacle is time, the antidote might be reprioritizing with the help of an objective friend. If the obstacle is tech, the antidote might be to know exactly who you can call whether it’s a hired hand or your teenager. If the obstacle is interruptions, the antidote might be setting a ten minute boundary and locking the door to your room.* Take the antidote! Then write a permission slip to readjust because life happens. This matters more than it sounds. You’re not failing. You’re adapting to real time issues. Your permission slip can be one sentence: “If my kid gets the flu, I will reset without shaming myself.”* Hard stop after you deliver on your promise. This is where self trust gets rebuilt. You said one thing. You did one thing. Then you stop. You’re proving reliability, not trying to squeeze out productivity.* Reward yourself. Make it simple and real. Give yourself a sticker. Share the win with someone you love. Take a moment to look in the mirror and say thank you. You’re teaching your brain and body that keeping promises to yourself counts.Over time, this does something sneaky and powerful. You start believing in yourself again. And when you believe in yourself, energy shows up. It’s amazing. Paid Member Live Coaching Reminder 😃🗓️ Thursday, Jan 29 at 11:30am PST here on Substack. Bring questions from the January career grief video lesson and worksheet, or show up with whatever you’re navigating right now. Come get unstuck.A quick case study: Richie and the ten minute promiseWhen I met Richie, he kept telling me the same thing: “I know I need to update my resume. I just can’t seem to get myself to do it.”He wasn’t confused about the steps. He was stuck in the loop.The old approach sounded like this: “Tonight I’m going to update my resume.”And then life would happen. The dishwasher imploded, his kid got detention and needed extra attention, his laptop battery died. When these things happened, the next morning, he didn’t just feel behind. He felt angry with himself. Which made updating his resume feel like more proof that he was “lazy.” So he avoided it. And the self trust took another hit.So we tried something different. Not bigger effort. Smaller promises.Here was Richie’s 80 percent promise: “Tomorrow at 10:00 am, I will find the most recent version of my resume in my files.”That’s it. Not update it. Not rewrite it. Just locate it.Then we did the honesty step. What might stop him?For Richie, it was three things. He’d open his laptop and immediately get hijacked by email. He’d start searching for the file, get irritated that he couldn’t find it, and then bail. Or he’d get interrupted and tell himself he’d come back later.So we chose antidotes that matched the real obstacles.Notifications off for ten minutes. A simple search plan: search his email for “resume,” then check downloads, then search his files. And a quick boundary: a ten minute timer, plus a heads up to the people around him that he was unavailable until it went off.Then the permission slip: “If something derails this, I will reset later today without making it mean something bad about me.”When 10:00 am came, he did the one thing. He searched with clarity on what success meant. If he found the resume within ten minutes, great. Hard stop. Reward.If he didn’t find it within ten minutes, he still got to count the win. Because the promise wasn’t “find the resume.” The promise was “search for ten minutes.”At minute ten, he stopped, took a breath, and faced a hard truth: The resume wasn’t findable. Richie needed to start from scratch.That moment could have turned into shame. Instead, we treated it as clarity and made the next 80 percent promise: “Tomorrow at 10:00 am, I will open a blank document and write my last two job titles.”Not build the whole thing. Not format it. Just lay the first brick.Small? Yes.But that’s the point. Richie wasn’t building a resume in one sitting. He was rebuilding trust.And once he started collecting proof that he could keep promises to himself, his energy shifted. Not because his life got easier overnight. Because he stopped treating his own commitments like optional suggestions.That’s what restores momentum. Energy isn’t just physical. It’s trust in motion.Bottom LineIf you’re waiting for energy to show up before you take action, you may be waiting a while. In career transitions, energy comes second. Self trust comes first.When you make big promises and break them, your brain starts treating your plans like make believe. It’s trying to protect you from the emotional cost of another letdown. The problem is that protection shows up as low energy.So don’t push harder. Become believable to yourself again.Try this once in the next 24 hours: make one 80% promise that takes ten minutes, do it, stop, reward the win. That’s the practice.And if you lead a team, zoom out for a second. The same dynamic shows up at work. When commitments keep getting made and broken, trust erodes. Energy drops. Pressure makes it worse.If you’re a senior leader and this feels familiar, I’d love to hear what you’re seeing. I have a few 1:1 coaching spots open right now, and I also work with leaders and teams who want to rebuild trust and follow through after disruption without turning the workplace into a therapy session. If you want to explore what this could look like in your organization, DM me and we’ll set up a time to talk.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Is Uncertainty Blocking Your Career Growth?* How To Bounce Back From Blunders* What’s Really Driving You?Perks for Paid MembersMoonshot Mentor is for people and teams moving through professional change that hits harder than expected. Get short monthly video lessons on career grief, plus a simple guide that helps you turn insight into your next right step, live monthly coaching to work through what’s happening in real time, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to steady yourself and move forward with clarity.Journal PromptsHere are 3 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. You can use these to start to rebuild self trust. Remember, we start with small micro steps.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comYour career isn’t broken. Your heart is.And if you’ve been feeling this heartbreak for a while, you may also be feeling stuck and not sure what to do to get your mojo back. I’ve been there. And I want to talk about the kind of stuckness that doesn’t respond to a new resume, a new routine, or a new burst of motivation.It’s the kind of stuckness where you’re doing your best, but something in you feels like the weight of the world is burrowed in the pit of your stomach. Here’s what it might look like:* You can get things done, but you cannot get traction.* You keep circling the same decision.* You second guess yourself more than you used to.* The idea of making a move feels exhausting, even when it is a good move.* You are functioning, but something feels flat.When people describe this, they usually assume it means one of two things. They’re a failure. Or they’re lazy.I don’t think either of those is the most useful explanation. And honestly, it’s often not accurate. I think a lot of ongoing career stuckness is unresolved career grief.How do I know this? Because I know career grief personally. Like the time I was fired from a company I worked at for ten years. Or the conscious uncoupling of my company a few years ago. Or the movie I was producing that lost its financing after the actor and writer strikes of 2023.Career grief is what shows up when something you were attached to in your work life ends, changes, or never becomes what you hoped it would be. A role. A team. A leader. A project. A promotion. A future you were counting on.Career grief is real, and it can break your heart. In the way that makes you more cautious than you want to be. In the way that makes you feel guarded in rooms where you used to feel confident. In the way that makes you wonder if you even have it in you anymore.Hard truth about the entertainment industry:Talent is not the bottleneck. Access is. If you want the strategy and best practices to get your movie across the finish line, join the Moonshot Lab. Learn more here. Here’s the part most of us miss. Naming the heartbreak helps, but naming it is not the actual work of getting back your mojo.Because when grief doesn’t get space, it hardens into self protection. It shows up as cynicism, silence, risk aversion, burnout, disengagement. It shows up as stuck.This is why I keep returning to one idea.If your career broke your heart, you do not just need a strategy.You need a way to mourn what happened, so you can move again.That’s what I’m building inside Moonshot Mentor for paid subscribers.Solid Ground: An ongoing community for navigating career grief with clarity and courage.It’s a monthly practice for people who are tired of white knuckling their way through change and ready to make space for what was lost, without getting swallowed by it.RISE is the structure I use to help you name what was lost, make sense of what happened, create compassionate closure, and take a real next step.Here’s what happens each month.* First, you get a short video from me, under five minutes, with one insight from the RISE framework.* Next, you get a worksheet that helps you reflect and take one practical step forward.* Then, on the fourth Thursday of every month at 12 pm PST, we meet live for coaching. Bring your questions. Bring the situation you cannot stop replaying. Bring the decision you keep postponing. I will coach you in real time.The coaching sessions will be recorded and available on replay for paid members only. Throughout the year, I’ll also bring in guest speakers to help us go deeper on grief, change, identity, and rebuilding after a setback.A few brass tacks, because I believe in transparency.* Paid membership is $5 per month or $50 for the year.* Paid members also receive weekly Moonshot Meditation drops on Sunday mornings, plus exclusive journal prompts that accompany my weekly career strategy blogs.If you’re not a paid member yet, you still get the weekly blogs and a monthly live Ask Me Anything. This month’s AMA theme is Re Entry.If you’ve been feeling stuck, I want to leave you with this. Stuckness is not a character flaw. It’s information. And it may be telling you that you have unresolved grief from a professional setback or loss.If your career broke your heart, and you’re ready for a monthly structure to mourn and move forward, I would love to have you as a paid member.Come join us in Solid Ground: An ongoing community for navigating career grief with clarity and courage.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* A Touch Of Grief With Your Moonshot* Is Grief Holding Me Back?* Got The Rug Pulled Out From Underneath You?Perks for Paid MembersMoonshot Mentor is for people and teams moving through professional change that hits harder than expected. Get short monthly video lessons on career grief, plus a simple guide that helps you turn insight into your next right step, live monthly coaching to work through what’s happening in real time, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to steady yourself and move forward with clarity.Journal PromptsHere are 3 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members. Use these to name what’s been sitting heavy, make sense of what it’s been costing you, and take one small step toward movement again.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comBefore you decide what to do next in your career, it helps to understand why you’re doing it at all.Career strategy gets a lot of attention. Especially from me. I love vision boards. Five year plans. Action steps. And all of that has its place. But strategy on its own is not going to hold up for the long run. When things get hard, fuzzy, or take longer than you expected, your strategic plan is not going to hold you up unless you have clarity on the meaning underneath it.The way I think about career momentum is pretty simple. There are three layers that need to work together: a spiritual foundation, a strategic plan, and clear tactics. When the foundation is missing, even the most thorough approach can start to crumble.It reminds me of the time I said yes to going to Disneyland. I’d never been. I was mildly curious, but I hadn’t really thought about what I wanted from the experience. Once we got there, the parking was wildly expensive, the lines were endless, and none of the food appealed to me. I wanted to bolt. Not because Disneyland was bad, but because I hadn’t chosen it for myself. I’d said yes out of people pleasing, not purpose.Careers work the same way.In your career, the foundation comes first. That’s where your values and purpose live. Strategy comes next. It’s the roadmap. And tactics come last. The small, concrete steps that move you forward once the direction is clear.Let’s break it down.Your Spiritual FoundationYou can have a clear vision for your career and still feel wobbly if that vision isn’t rooted in your own values and purpose. When the foundation is borrowed or assumed rather than examined, it’s hard to stay committed once the path gets complicated. Which it always does.That’s what happened with Molly.Molly grew up in a family of journalists. Her parents and grandparents worked in newsrooms, and family dinners often revolved around media, politics, and what was happening in the world. Continuing the legacy felt natural … and expected.So she built a strategic plan: earn a journalism degree from a prestigious university. Land a regional reporting job with the intention of working her way up. Take the best promotion regardless of where it was geographically. On paper, everything made sense.But after graduation, she struggled to find her footing. Not because she wasn’t talented, but because her career direction was built on parents’ values, not her own. She had never really paused to ask what mattered to her or what kind of work gave her energy. When she hit the inevitable bumps along the way, she had nothing to anchor her.Without a spiritual foundation, there was no reason to push through discomfort. No internal compass. Just the pressure to meet family expectations.This is why the spiritual foundation matters. It gives you a why that belongs to you. Not one you inherited.When you understand your values and purpose, you’re better equipped to weather uncertainty, make cleaner decisions, and course correct without spiraling. Your spiritual foundation won’t prevent setbacks, but it will help you stay rooted in what’s most important to you when they show up.Once Molly slowed down enough to look honestly at her values, something became clear. She didn’t dislike writing. She disliked the version of writing she had inherited. What actually lit her up was storytelling. Imagination. Building worlds. Working independently and on her own terms.Her purpose wasn’t about preserving a family legacy. It was about creating a body of work that created a community of like minded people who loved fantasy storytelling.That clarity changed everything. Not overnight, but pretty quickly. Instead of forcing herself to fit into a career that looked good on paper, she began shaping one that aligned with how she wanted to live and work.That’s when it became time to re-conceive her strategy plan.Your Strategic PlanStrategy is what you build once your foundation is clear. It’s the bridge between what matters to you and how you move forward in the real world. Without the foundation, strategy feels rigid or depleting. With it, strategy becomes supportive and energizing.For Molly, that meant designing a plan around writing fiction. Not someday. Now. So her strategy focused on finding steady work that paid the bills without draining her creative energy. She didn’t need her day job to be the dream. She needed it to support the dream.But the plan didn’t stop there.Strategically, Molly decided that her primary job outside of paid work was to write. Consistently. She set out to finish a full draft and once she had something complete, she would share it with a small, trusted group of readers and revise based on their feedback.From there, the strategy expanded. If the manuscript felt strong, she would begin researching publishing agents. If that route didn’t open up, she would explore self publishing as a viable next step. The point wasn’t to force one outcome. It was to keep moving forward in a way that aligned with her values and long term vision.This is what strategy does at its best. It helps you use your resources wisely. Your time. Your energy. Your money. Your relationships. It clarifies what deserves your focus and what doesn’t. It also gives you permission to make choices that might not impress anyone else, but make sense for you.Once Molly had that roadmap, the next step was obvious.Tactics.Tactical StepsTactics are where things get concrete. This is where you break the bigger plan into small, manageable actions.One of the most common mistakes I see is people jumping straight into tactics without understanding the bigger picture. When there’s no foundation, tactics turn into busywork. You move, but you don’t feel grounded. It’s why so many people bounce from role to role without ever feeling settled. There’s no anchor.Once Molly course corrected, she could finally get specific. She knew her best writing time was in the morning, after a good night’s sleep. So she looked for jobs close to home to avoid long commutes. She wanted work that started in the early to mid afternoon and wrapped by early evening so she could protect her creative time.She also got clear on the numbers. She figured out what she needed to earn each month and set a minimum hourly rate for a manageable work week. That clarity shaped every decision she made.Her next steps were simple and focused. She reached out to people she knew. She set up alerts on job boards. She asked around locally. Within a few weeks, she found a job that met her criteria.Not because she hustled harder, but because her choices were aligned.Bottom LineThe question isn’t what your next move should be. It’s why that move matters to you. When you start there, strategy stops feeling like pressure and tactics stop feeling like busywork. You’re no longer saying yes out of habit or people pleasing. You’re choosing a direction you can actually stay with, even when the path gets hard or unclear.That’s what gives a career plan staying power.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Is It Time For A New Career?* How To Move Ahead In Your Career* Got Career Progress?Perks for Paid MembersMoonshot Mentor is for people and teams moving through professional change that hits harder than expected. Get short monthly video lessons on career grief, plus a simple guide that helps you turn insight into your next right step, live monthly coaching to work through what’s happening in real time, and weekly meditations and journal prompts to steady yourself and move forward with clarity.Journal PromptsHere are 5 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor members to help you reflect on how meaning, strategy, and action are showing up in your own career right now.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comIf you’re anything like me, downtime doesn’t come naturally. I get the value of stepping away from work and yet I still find myself filling open space with something productive. Over the weekend I found myself filling downtime with re-organizing the pantry. And when I say downtime, I mean the kind of pause that has nothing to do with goals, perfectionism or making things better.Years ago, after I’d started a new gig, I headed into winter break with a plan to “catch up.” My big idea was to read and evaluate more than twenty books to decide whether any might make good film or television projects. That meant more than a book a day. I convinced myself it was reasonable. Predictably, it wasn’t. I didn’t hit the goal, and the pressure I put on myself wiped out any chance at rest. I came back to work depleted and annoyed with myself for what I called “wasted time.”Over the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with real breaks. A winter break. A summer break. A solid two to four weeks of nothing to do with work. Some days I get bored. Some days I get ideas I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t slowed down. It’s truly a practice, not something I’ve mastered. In fact I would say I’m a lowly apprentice.The reminder to keep practicing landed again recently. Our youngest daughter was diagnosed with a chronic medical condition, and my husband and I met with her care team. Two things came up that stopped me in my tracks.One: stress and anxiety make her symptoms worse. There’s nothing surprising about that on the surface, but the next part mattered. To release the stress and anxiety, she needs fun. She needs play. It works better than pain meds for her.And two: my stress and anxiety affect her too. That one hit harder. I’ve always known kids absorb what’s in the air, but hearing it framed as part of her treatment plan made me rethink how I’m living. If rest and play help her body stay steadier and reduce the pain, then rest and play can’t be optional for me either.So here’s where I am as we close out the year. I’m stepping into my winter break and will be back January 12. There won’t be a post on January 5, and that’s intentional. I’m giving myself room to breathe, to reset, and to model the things I want for my daughter and for myself.If this topic speaks to you and you’d like to sit with it a bit more, I’m sharing a great article from @Alli Kushner about Why Doing Nothing Is A Hidden Driver of Career Growth. It’s a smart, thoughtful look at how stepping back can move your work forward in ways constant effort never does.So here’s to closing out the year with a little less hustle and a little more breathing room. I’m calling it progress if I don’t re-organize another drawer or closet … until January 12.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Rest Is Not A To-Do Item* Why Is Rest An Ethical Responsibility?* Are You A Workaholic?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are three journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. These questions invite you to look at your relationship with rest, play, and the pressure to stay productive, especially as the year winds down.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comWhat It Really Takes to Pursue a MoonshotLet’s be honest. Ambition is exciting until you’re staring down the possibility that you might fall flat on your face. Moonshots bring that tension out of hiding. They ask more of us. They stretch us. They expose the gap between who we are now and who we’d need to become.Earlier this month, I stood on a TEDx stage in the Philippines and delivered a talk on career grief. That talk was a moonshot in the making for years and years. Not because of the stage or the lights, but because of what it represented: the courage to give language to something people feel but rarely name.A moonshot asks you to put truth above comfort. And that takes real effort.Here’s what I’ve learned: the bigger the moonshot, the more important it becomes to anchor yourself in your values and purpose. Otherwise you won’t have the clarity or stamina to go the distance.This blog is about how to find your version of a moonshot—one that isn’t based on external validation or cultural scripts, but on a deeper, spiritual part of you.Why Moonshots Matter (And Why They’re Hard)People often imagine a moonshot as some splashy public achievement. But moonshots don’t have to look grand to be meaningful. What matters is the stretch and taking you to the crusty edge of discomfort.The hard truth is, moonshots carry a high likelihood of failure. That’s what makes them moonshots. Effort increases. Uncertainty increases. The gremlins get louder.This is why values and purpose matter so much. They create the emotional spine you’ll lean on when things get wobbly (and I promise you, they will.) Without that spine, it’s easy to slip into playing small, pleasing others, or chasing outcomes you don’t even want.My Moonshot with a capital “M” is to expand access to possibility. That means no one navigating a career setback feels shut out of their future, and anyone who wants to pursue a moonshot has a real chance to try.Both demand that I stay grounded in purpose so the focus stays on possibility, not performance.How to Identify Your MoonshotHere’s a streamlined version of the process I use with clients—and the one I come back to myself.Step One: Pay attention to what breaks your heartThe spark of a moonshot often comes from what feels intolerable. When something in your world hits a nerve, keeps you awake, or leaves you thinking “this can’t be it,” that’s usually where purpose starts to flicker.Give yourself space to notice it. Walk. Journal. Sit quietly.A moonshot is often born from the moment you realize, “I can’t watch this keep happening.”Step Two: Answer the call and imagine how you’d meet itWhen something breaks your heart, it’s not random. It’s a call. Step Two is about picking up the phone. Ask yourself: If I had the freedom, the courage, and the support to address this, what would I actually do? How would I help solve it?If your answer feels scary or unreasonable, stay with it. That’s the fingerprint of a moonshot. Goals keep you comfortable. Moonshots pull you toward the edge of what you believe is possible.Don’t rush to make any of it real yet. This is the dreamer phase. Let the vision stretch. Let it be bigger than your current capacity. Imagine the version of you who would do something about this—before you worry about how to make it happen.Step Three: Identify the next first stepOnce you’ve answered the call and let yourself imagine what’s possible, bring it back to earth in the simplest way: What’s the next first step? Not the whole plan. Not the five-year strategy. Just the one move that starts the momentum.For some people, it’s sketching a loose business plan. For others, it’s gathering an informal advisory board, talking to someone who’s walked this road, or hiring a coach for structure and accountability.The point isn’t to map everything out. It’s to create enough direction that your idea stops hovering in the abstract and starts taking shape in the real world. A moonshot becomes more real the moment you choose a step you can actually take.Step Four: Check your motivation before you go any furtherAfter you take that first step, pause. Sometimes an idea looks inspiring at the start, but when you look closely, it’s being fueled by someone else’s expectations. Before you get too far down the road, ask yourself: Does this honor my values and purpose, or am I chasing something that doesn’t belong to me?Moonshots only work when they’re rooted in what matters most to you. This is the moment to be clear about why you’re doing it and who you’re doing it for. If the motivation feels solid, keep going. If it feels borrowed, forced, or performative, this is your chance to recalibrate before the stakes get higher.Step Five: Decide when you’ll walk awayNow that you’ve checked your motivation and you’re still committed, take a moment to define the boundaries of that commitment. Before you get too far in, get clear about the circumstances that would tell you it’s time to step back.This isn’t about quitting. It’s about honoring your wellbeing and your values. Ask yourself: What would make this no longer right for me?It might be an impact on your health, a shift in your family, a financial line you won’t cross, or new information that changes the landscape.Naming these conditions early protects you from making tough decisions in a moment of panic or pressure. It gives you a steady place to stand when things get complicated.If it helps, write a short note to your future self about why you said yes to this moonshot and what you want to remember if you eventually choose to walk away.Step Six: Expect setbacks and build a system for when things get roughMoonshots are, by definition, unlikely to succeed. That isn’t pessimism — it’s the nature of aiming for something that stretches you. Which means things will get rough at some point. Not “might.” Will.This is why Step Five mattered so much. When you know your quitting conditions, you won’t confuse a hard moment with a signal to stop.Now your job is to build a system that helps you move through the inevitable bumps instead of falling apart during them. Think of it as your emergency protocol.Ask yourself: When I hit the wall — emotionally, strategically, or practically — what supports me best? Some people book a therapy appointment, call a truth-telling friend, or check in with a coach before their thoughts spiral. Others move their bodies, walk off the adrenaline, or give themselves 24 hours before making any decisions.The details don’t matter as much as the clarity. Create your version of an oxygen mask, a clear route back to center, a steadying handrail. Something you can turn to when everything in you wants to collapse or run.Your system doesn’t prevent the setback — it protects your capacity to respond to it.Step Seven: Become the person this moonshot will ask you to beEvery moonshot comes with an identity shift. You can’t stay exactly who you are and expect to reach something that stretches you. Your identity will most likely change and expand as you move forward.This isn’t about reinventing yourself overnight. It’s about building the qualities, skills, and support you’ll need to sustain the effort. Think about athletes: they train, they surround themselves with people who hold them accountable, and they review what’s working so they can adjust.Ask yourself: Who is the version of me that can carry this moonshot? What qualities does she lean on? What habits support her? Who’s on her team?Then practice small versions of those qualities now. Join communities that keep you honest. Seek mentors who tell the truth. Review your progress with real data, not gremlin commentary.A moonshot isn’t just about the outcome. It’s about who you become on the way there.Bottom LineAt its core, a moonshot isn’t about chasing something impressive. It’s about responding to what breaks your heart and choosing to do something about it. When you root that choice in your values and purpose, you give yourself the clarity and stamina to keep going even when the road gets uneven.Moonshots take real effort. They’re uncertain. They stretch your identity and test your resilience. That’s why the early steps matter so much — listening for the spark, imagining how you’d meet it, taking the next first step, checking your motivation, defining your boundaries, and building a system for when things get rough.The question isn’t whether you’ll face setbacks. You will. The question is whether you’re willing to follow the part of you that’s asking for something bigger, something truer, something that aligns with who you’re becoming.Consider this:* What becomes possible when you trust the pull toward what matters most?* What shifts when you let purpose guide your reach instead of perfection?* What might open up if you allowed yourself to try, knowing the effort itself will change you?A moonshot isn’t a guarantee. It’s an invitation. And sometimes that’s enough to reshape what you believe is possible for your life.Before You Go: For Producers and Filmmakers - The Moonshot CollectiveA new 2026 cohort is forming.If you’ve ever wondered what might become possible with steady support around your creative ambitions, that’s the heart of The Moonshot Collective. It’s a yearlong community for filmmakers and producers who want guidance that isn’t about script notes, but about the spiritual, strategic, and tactical parts of getting work made.We focus on clarity, confidence, and forward movement in an industry that can feel isolating without the right people in your corner.A new cohort begins in January 2026. More info here.If you know a producer or filmmaker who might benefit, please pass this along.CHAPTERS:00:00:00 Intro00:01:33 About Me00:02:14 Why Moonshots Matter (And Why They’re Hard)00:03:36 How To Identify Your Moonshot00:03:46 Step 1: Pay Attention To What Breaks Your Heart00:04:20 Step 2: Answer The Call And Imagine How You’d Meet It00:05:40 Step 3: Identify The Next First Step00:06:49 Step 4: Check Your Motivation Before You Go Any Further00:07:52 Step 5: Decide When You’ll Walk Away00:09:34 Step 6: Expect Setbacks And Build A System 00:11:00 Step 7: Become The Person This Moonshot Will Ask You To Be00:12:02 Bottom Line00:13:25 2026 Cohort For Filmmakers And Producers 00:14:21 Join the Moonshot Mentor Community00:14:34 OutroIf someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Why Can’t I Just Start Today?* How Perfectionism Leads to Imposter Syndrome* What You’ve Got Wrong About ProcrastinationPerks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are five journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. These questions will help you explore the values, purpose, and identity shifts connected to your own moonshot.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comYou know that moment when you say yes to something, you mean it, you see the upside… and then you can’t get yourself to actually do it?Procrastination is unbelievably frustrating. And demoralizing. And confusing. Because you care. You’re committed. So why does the follow-through stall?Most of us don’t even pause long enough to ask that question. We go straight to self-judgment. We beat ourselves up, try to muster more willpower, and promise that tomorrow will be different. Then tomorrow rolls in looking a whole lot like today.Here’s the truth: procrastination doesn’t show up because you’re lazy or unreliable. It shows up because something inside you needs attention.There are at least ten reasons you might be putting things off that have nothing to do with your drive. Once you understand which one is at play, things start to pick back up again. The task stops feeling like a crushing boulder and starts feeling workable again.Let’s dig in.1. You’re not avoiding the task, you’re avoiding the feeling the task represents. When I was a kid, I hated practicing baton (yes, I was a baton twirler.) Why? Because I wasn’t any good at it. So practicing made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. When a task brings up shame, fear, grief, or uncertainty, we avoid it so we don’t have to feel the “bad” feelings. Here’s a great piece from Adam Grant that delves more deeply into this concept.If this one rings true for you, be gentle with yourself. You’re not dodging responsibility. You’re trying not to touch something tender, and that’s human.2. You just don’t know where to start because the task is actually an unclear goal or moonshot.Sometimes procrastination isn’t about resistance. It’s about ambiguity.My client David wanted to make a career pivot into the mental wellness space. He cared about the idea, had the drive, and still found himself scrolling TikTok for hours. Not because he didn’t want the change — but because “pivot into a new field” isn’t a task. It’s a whole universe.Once we broke it into something bite-sized, things shifted. His first step was simply to brainstorm possible roles with AI. One tiny action gave him momentum.When a task is too big, too fuzzy, or missing a clear finish line, your brain doesn’t know where to land. And when it can’t find a starting point, it defaults to delay.If this feels familiar, break the task down until it fits into ten minutes. And if you get stuck, ask someone to help you chunk it down. We’re often too close to see the obvious first move.3. You don’t have structure or scaffolding.A lot of people think procrastination is a motivation issue. More often, it’s a structure issue.Most of my clients need some kind of container to hold their progress — a place, a routine, or a system that keeps things from floating away. For some, that’s accountability. For others, it’s an Excel spreadsheet that tracks next steps. And for some, it’s something as simple as a recurring calendar block or a weekly coworking session.Without scaffolding, even small tasks feel unwieldy. You don’t know where the work begins or ends, and your brain interprets that lack of boundaries as danger and runs for the hills.Structure isn’t rigid. It’s supportive. It creates the conditions where your energy can actually move.4. You’re a perfectionist, just like me!Perfectionism doesn’t always look like color-coded calendars or flawless work. Sometimes it looks like… not starting at all.We avoid the task because we know the beginning will be messy. First drafts, early attempts, rough versions — they bring up the discomfort of not being great right away. When the internal bar feels sky-high, delaying becomes a way to sidestep the risk of falling short.I felt this deeply while working on my book proposal. I can talk about the ideas for days, but sitting down to write that first, imperfect version? So brutal. My procrastination wasn’t laziness. It was fear of being disappointing..What helps now is that I challenge myself to write the most perfect messy draft possible. It’s my way of choosing progress over performance.5. Your brain simply has too much going on.Cognitive overload often looks invisible from the outside, and the impact shows up in your capacity, not your calendar. This is backed by research that shows cognitive overload can reduce our working memory by nearly 30 percent.And I have felt this first hand. This year asked a lot of me — family medical challenges, losing both of our dogs, and the fast growth of my business. With so much happening at once, my bandwidth was already stretched, and my capacity got really narrow.When your internal resources are tapped, even routine tasks can feel challenging because you’re operating with limited mental bandwidth.If this resonates, give yourself credit: you’re not procrastinating. You’re managing a load your brain hasn’t had room to process.6. You said yes, but it doesn’t really align with your values. Sometimes procrastination shows up because part of you already knows the truth: you agreed to something that doesn’t match what matters to you.I see this a lot. In the moment, saying yes can feel easier — it keeps the peace, meets expectations, or avoids an uncomfortable conversation. But later, when it’s time to follow through, your motivation drops because the task isn’t connected to your actual priorities.One of my clients agreed to host Thanksgiving. She wanted to be gracious, didn’t want to disappoint anyone, and thought it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. But her real value is quality time, not hours in the kitchen. So there she was at Ralphs on Thanksgiving morning, stressed and grumpy, wishing she’d suggested going out to a restaurant instead.When your actions bump up against your values, procrastination is often the first signal. It’s your system saying, “This isn’t it.”If this resonates, it might be time to check in with what you value most and whether the yes to the task reflects it.7. You just don’t have the emotional energy. Western culture loves the idea of powering through. We celebrate grit, push ourselves past our limits, and treat resilience like a renewable resource. But emotional energy doesn’t work that way.If you’re carrying grief, burnout, chronic stress, or emotional fatigue, your system is already working overtime. Your body and mind are using energy to simply stay upright. In that state, even small tasks can feel like they require more than you have to give.This isn’t about willpower. It’s about capacity.Some seasons take more out of us than others. And when your internal reserves are low, procrastination is often a sign that your system is asking for restoration, not more effort.Recognizing that you have an energy issue instead of a character flaw is often the first shift. It creates space for compassion instead of criticism — and that alone can ease the pressure.8. You don’t have the skills necessary to complete the task. Sometimes procrastination is a signal that you’re missing a skill, a tool, or a bit of knowledge you need to get started.A few years ago, I knew my website needed a complete overhaul. I didn’t have the budget to hire help, which meant I had to learn Squarespace myself. And every time I thought about it, I froze. Not because I didn’t care — but because I didn’t know how long it would take, what I’d have to figure out, or how many times I’d get stuck along the way.That uncertainty felt overwhelming. Not knowing how to do something can feel just as daunting as not wanting to do it.When you’re not confident you have the right skills (or the time to learn them), avoidance becomes the path of least resistance. It’s not resistance to the task. It’s resistance to the discomfort of being a beginner again.If this resonates, the next step might not be “do the task.” It might be “learn the first thing you need in order to do the task.” Make the learning its own task. And break that down into small, doable pieces — like finding a single YouTube tutorial or setting aside a short block of time to understand one feature. Sometimes momentum starts with learning, not doing.9. You’re scared of what might happen. Sometimes procrastination isn’t about the task itself. It’s about what completing the task might set in motion.Change, even the kind you’re excited about, can stir up fear. A new direction might mean new responsibilities, new expectations, or stepping into something unfamiliar. The brain interprets all of that as risk, so it taps the brakes.My client David — the same one exploring a career pivot — felt this deeply. Part of his procrastination came from the fear that change might require more schooling, a move, a financial reset, or disappointing people he cared about. The unknown felt big, so avoidance felt safer.We all do this. We pause not because we don’t want the future, but because we don’t know what it might ask of us.If this feels familiar, remember: fear doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path. It often means you’re standing at the edge of something meaningful.10. You don’t see yourself as the person who does that thing. Procrastination sometimes shows up when a task bumps against your sense of who you are. When the action requires a version of you that feels unfamiliar, your system can freeze.David felt this, too. He’d been successful for years in his industry. He saw himself as accomplished, experienced, someone who knew his lane and excelled in it. Pivoting into something new meant seeing himself differently — as a “rookie” again. That identity shift felt jarring, and the tasks connected to the pivot suddenly felt impossible to start.We all have moments like this. The task isn’t hard. The identity transition is.If you catch yourself avoiding something you know will move you forward, consider whether the real friction is between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming. Naming that can bring a surprising amount of ease.Bottom LineProcrastination isn’t a verdict on your character. It’s a clue. If you’ve been circling a task you care about, it doesn’t mean you’re lazy or unreliable. It usually means something inside you needs attention — a feeling, a value, a fear, a skill, an identity shift. When you get curious about what’s really going on, the pressure eases and the path forward gets clearer. Not because you tried harder, but because you finally understood what the delay was trying to tell you.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Why Can’t I Just Start Today?* How Perfectionism Leads to Imposter Syndrome* What You’ve Got Wrong About ProcrastinationPerks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are 4 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. These questions will help you explore what your procrastination might be trying to show you.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comLet’s be honest—most of us don’t plan our careers. We react to opportunities, chase what looks good on paper, and hope it all somehow adds up.But if you want to stop winging it and start steering it, you need a strategic career plan—think of it as your personal GPS—connecting where you are today to where you want to go, so every step actually moves you closer to your goals.Take my client Jerry. He wanted a seat in the C-suite and his mentor told him an MBA was key. So, Jerry applied to several Ivy League programs—his heart set on Stanford. When he got the rejection email (ouch), his mentor called in a favor to get feedback. Turns out, Jerry’s résumé lacked a “big win.” He needed something to help him stand out from the crowd.So, they got to work. Over the next year, Jerry led a project that showed real leadership and delivered major results. He reapplied—and this time, he got in.That’s the power of a strategic plan. It keeps you focused on the long game, helps you adapt when things go sideways, and reminds you that progress isn’t about overnight wins. It’s about intentional, sustained effort that pays off over time.So stick with me — we’re going to unpack what made Jerry’s plan work—and how you can use the same approach to shape your next chapter. I’ll walk you through what to include, what to avoid, and how to shift from letting your career happen to actually running the show.Key Elements of a Career Strategic PlanThere are four key elements to building a strategic career plan:* Clarify Your Vision and Purpose: What does success actually look like for you? Think of vision as your destination and purpose as the engine that drives you there. Are you motivated by creativity, leadership, or making an impact? Getting clear on this gives your decisions direction and keeps your goals aligned with your values.* Create Goals and Objectives: Big dreams need small, specific steps. Goals are the big-picture outcomes (like “Become a VP within five years”), while objectives are the measurable action steps that get you get there (“Lead three cross-departmental projects in the next 18 months”). Think of goals as the headline, and objectives as the fine print that makes it real.* Conduct a SWOT Analysis: Before you map any move, know your landscape. What are your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). This snapshot gives you the lay of the land – where you shine, where you can grow, and what’s happening around you that might help or hinder your progress. This step grounds your plan in reality.* Identify Milestones and Metrics Milestones mark your key moments like completing a certification, landing a leadership role, publishing an article. Metrics measure your impact like boosting team performance by 20% or expanding your network by 50 new contacts. Tracking both keeps you honest, motivated and clear on your wins.What’s important to remember is that a strategic plan isn’t chiseled in stone. It’s meant to evolve as you do. New data, experiences, and insights will keep shaping it—and that’s a good thing. I like to revisit these headline elements at least once a year to see what needs a tweak or a course correction.Case Study: Jerry’s Strategic Plan in ActionLet’s revisit Jerry—the C-suite hopeful we met earlier. When we last left him, he’d just turned a Stanford rejection into a powerful lesson about clarity and perseverance. Now let’s look at how he built his strategic career plan step by step, using the same four elements we just covered.Jerry wasn’t chasing a title for ego’s sake. He wanted to lead in FinTech because he cared deeply about access. His moonshot was to make wealth-building tools available to everyday people—even those who could only invest fifty dollars at a time. That was his vision and purpose: to use leadership as a way to open financial doors that had long been closed.To move that vision into motion, he needed clear goals and objectives. The first was straightforward—earn an MBA from a top-tier program. But the how mattered just as much as the what. With his mentor, Jerry broke the big goal into smaller, actionable steps: identify a visible project that could showcase leadership, deliver measurable results, and strengthen his MBA application.Next came his SWOT analysis. Jerry’s strengths included sharp analytical thinking and the ability to navigate complex systems. His weaknesses? He hadn’t yet proven his leadership impact on a major stage. Opportunities included his mentor’s network and a company ready for fresh ideas. The threats were real too—fierce competition for top MBA programs and limited recognition at work. Seeing it all laid out helped him target where to take bold, meaningful action.Jerry launched a cross-departmental initiative to improve client onboarding—a persistent problem in his organization. It wasn’t easy. He had to rally skeptical teammates, make tough calls, and stay centered when the project hit turbulence. But he tracked milestones and metrics religiously: monthly progress reviews, measurable efficiency gains, and client retention rates. By year’s end, his team improved onboarding efficiency by 30% and cut costs across departments.When Jerry reapplied to Stanford, he had a story worth telling—one that blended purpose, proof, and progress. His essays weren’t about ambition; they reflected alignment. He didn’t just get in. He stepped into his next chapter with a renewed sense of confidence and a clear direction for the impact he wanted to make.Jerry’s plan wasn’t perfect—it evolved as he did. But that’s the beauty of having a strategy rooted in purpose. It gives you something solid to lean on when things change, and a clear way to measure progress when doubt creeps in. His story is proof that when you approach your career with curiosity and intention, even a setback can become a step forward.Bottom LineA strategic career plan isn’t about predicting every turn—it’s about creating a framework that keeps you aligned with your purpose while staying open to change. When you take time to clarify what matters most, set meaningful goals, and check in with yourself regularly, you stop drifting and start leading. Progress may not always be linear, but with intention behind it, it’s always forward.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* What’s a Moonshot and How Do I Find One?* How to Move Ahead in Your Career* What are the Seven Big Mistakes of Goal Setting?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are 4 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. These questions will help you clarify your career vision, strengthen your strategy, and stay connected to what truly matters as you move forward.

Today is a departure from the usual career strategy talk, but still applicable to anyone who’s going after a moonshot and is in need of inspiration. I’m joining a community experiment launched by producer Ted Hope to bring together NonDē filmmakers on Substack. You’ve heard of independent filmmaking? This is non-dependent filmmaking and honestly I find that inspiring in itself – to boldly state we are no longer depending on the systems that have kept people on the outside, repressed, and denied.The idea behind the experiment is simple: each day, a member of the non-de filmmaking community or an ally or advocate shares the works, artists, or moments that are currently inspiring them. I’ve loved reading the previous posts and many of them have inspired me to action - cuz that’s what inspiration is: getting out of our spiraling monkey minds and going after our moonshots.Before I share my three inspirations as part of part of the #FilmStack Inspiration Challenge, a quick acknowledgement because these kinds of experiments don’t happen without a lot of volunteer work behind the scenes.Huge thanks to Donny Broussard, Film Le Fou, and Avi Setton for keeping the chain alive and beautifully eclectic.INSPIRATION #1: Anyone Who Spits in the Face of UncertaintyThere’s a particular kind of biting on tin-foil vibe in filmmaking — that grit and stoicism to make something with no promise it’ll ever see the light of day. You don’t know if your film will get financed, find an audience, or even make it out of post. And yet, you keep going. That’s what I love most: the folks who have the audacity to create with no guarantees.My friend and client, Utttera Singh, embodies this better than anyone I know. Her feature debut Pinch premiered in narrative competition at Tribeca this year — a dark comedy about sexual assault, shot and set in India, in Hindi with English subtitles. That alone would make most filmmakers flinch. But Utts leaned straight into it. She nails the very tricky tone with ease and full command. Please see this movie when it comes out.But you don’t have to only work in film to know that feeling. Anyone who’s ever started something from scratch — a business, a book, a new chapter — has faced that same blank space. Where courage gets tested and creativity is born. So yeah, I’m inspired to leap into the unknown by anyone who spits in the face of uncertainty.INSPIRATION #2: The Mensches Who Share the Damn PlaybookNow, we all know the hard truth that talent, grit, and stoicism alone don’t get a film made. You also need a few good humans who share their playbook instead of guarding it.Ted Hope is one of those people. I’m not saying that to blow smoke up his ass — I’m saying it because he said yes to a cold email from someone he didn’t know: me. (If you don’t know Ted, he’s a prolific film producer, former head of Amazon movies, and has produced Academy award winning and nominated films like Manchester by the Sea. In other words, he’s fancy pants.)I’d reached out to see if he’d speak to a group of filmmakers and producers I lead through The Moonshot Collective. He didn’t ask who was attending, what their credits were, or if there was a check attached (there wasn’t — though I made a donation to a charity in his name). He just showed up. Told stories. Made us laugh. Ignited new ideas.In The Moonshot Collective we’ve had a lot of folks willing to share their playbook which honestly restores my faith in humanity. Everyone from studio folx like Charlotte Koh / Lionsgate, Sarah Shepard / Disney, Elizabeth Grave / Sony and legends like attorney Peter Dekom. Their generosity to the Moonshot Collective is powerful role modeling: access isn’t something you guard, it’s something you extend.One quick piece of advice to anyone whether you’re in the film industry or not, always always always ask. People do say “yes.”So yeah, I’m inspired by the best practices, knowledge and experience these mensches are openly and generously sharing.INSPIRATION #3: Hugging the BearThis is me as a baby producer. Our lead actor decided to play basketball during lunch and came back completely unfazed that his sweaty, beet-red face would put us behind schedule.I was livid and wanted everyone to be as mad at the actor as I was. My mentor took one look at me and said, “What’s done is done. You can’t go back. How do you want to solve it?” It was a bitter pill to swallow because I really wanted to let everyone know that the actor was wrong and I was “right”, but I had to make peace with the chaos and keep us moving forward.Over time, I actually learned to love the hard truths and I’ve even adopted a phrase for it: hugging the bear. It’s the act of wrapping your arms around what scares the hell out of you so it stops running the show. The bear might be a blown deadline, a deal falling apart, a hard conversation, or the reality that the plan’s gone off the rails. Hugging the bear means you stop pretending you’re in control and start adapting in real time.Every industry has its own version of the bear. The boss who changes direction midstream. The client who ghosts. The project that’s tanking despite your best effort. We all meet that moment when the story we wanted to tell collides with the one we’re actually living.Hugging the bear inspires me to seek out the truth. And when I know the truth, I can get super creative in solving any problems that the truth reveals .Bottom LineInspiration is a way to refill your resiliency and will-power cup. Inspiration gives you a fresh perspective. Inspiration can be anything that moves you. My wish for you is that you continue to find inspiration in your work, in your life. And please share it - let us know what’s inspiring you in the comments. It could make a real difference to someone who’s feeling stuck.P.S. For bonus inspiration, be sure to check out FilmStack Daily Digest. If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Are You Missing The Magic In Your Career?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are three prompts to help you uncover what’s inspiring you right now and where courage might be calling you next.* When was the last time you spit in the face of uncertainty? Think about a moment when you acted before you had all the answers. What made you move anyway, and what did that risk reveal about your courage?* Who’s shared their playbook with you—and who might need a peek at yours? Reflect on the people who’ve offered you wisdom, mentorship, or access. How did their generosity change things for you, and how can you pass it on?* What’s your version of the bear right now? Name one hard truth you’ve been avoiding. What might open up if, instead of resisting it, you decided to face it and get creative about what comes next? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com“I can’t find a job.”If that’s what you’ve been saying to yourself, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common things I hear from people in transition. What’s really underneath is that mix of dread and “oh no, what if I’ve peaked?”Here’s the truth: often, the problem is that we’re looking for opportunities too narrowly — using what’s called foveal vision.What Foveal Vision Gets WrongFoveal vision is the kind of eyesight you’re using right now to read these words. It’s sharp, detailed, and essential when you need precision. But it’s also extremely limited. The fovea covers just a tiny fraction of your visual field.That’s exactly how many people approach a job search. They lock onto one title, one industry, one single path they believe is the “right” use of their skills. When that role isn’t available, their vision narrows even more. The harder they strain, the less they see.The Wider Lens of Peripheral VisionPeripheral vision is everything that sits just outside the little bullseye your eyes usually lock onto. It’s what lets you sense someone walk into the room without turning your head. It’s softer, more spacious, and it connects you to a bigger kind of awareness.In your career, peripheral vision is what helps you soften your gaze and notice possibilities in the margins. It’s how you see your skills in new contexts. Think of it like flour. If you believe flour is only for bread, you’ll miss that it also makes cakes, sauces, playdough, glue, even shampoo. The same ingredient, countless applications.Try This Quick ExercisePick one object in your space right now — maybe that plant you’re pretty sure is faking being alive.Focus on it. Notice its color, shape, and the way the light hits it.Now, without moving your eyes, soften your gaze. Notice what’s just outside of that object. Expand your awareness. Let yourself sense what’s above, to the side, maybe even slightly behind you.That’s the difference between foveal and peripheral vision. It’s not about losing detail. It’s about widening the field so more possibilities can come into view.How Job Seekers Get StuckMost job seekers default to foveal vision. They build their search around a single job title. They plug that title into LinkedIn or Indeed and hope something perfect appears.If the market for that role is shrinking, panic sets in. They start telling themselves: I’ll never work again. I’m obsolete. But the truth is simpler — they’re staring too hard at the wrong thing.Chris’s StoryTake Chris. He was a creative executive with some impressive wins under his belt. Then he got laid off. For eighteen months, he scoured job boards and reached out to contacts — but only for creative executive roles. The industry was quiet. With each silence or “no,” his confidence took another hit.That’s the trap of foveal vision. Chris was staring so tightly at a single job title that he couldn’t see how versatile his skills really were.Together, we broke his skills down: project management from idea to delivery, sales acumen in pitching properties, creative analysis of what works in a market, talent management and development, deep research abilities, and translating business objectives into creative outcomes.When I asked what energized him most, Chris lit up at the mention of business development. He loved finding new buyers, building relationships, and positioning ideas for success. It wasn’t the “creative executive” title he craved — it was opening doors and making deals.That realization changed everything. Chris shifted from foveal to peripheral vision. Instead of hunting only for creative executive jobs, he started looking at business development roles in other sectors. Once he softened his gaze, opportunities began to appear.The Bottom LineThis is the power of peripheral vision. It doesn’t erase your expertise — it expands how and where it can be used.Your talents are like flour. If you only see one recipe for them, you’ll stay stuck. But if you widen your gaze, you’ll realize you have far more options than you thought.Sometimes your next chapter isn’t sitting in the center of your vision. It’s waiting at the edges — ready to be noticed the moment you soften your focus.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.P.S. As the holidays come speeding toward us, many people are feeling grief sneak in, energy dipping, and nerves starting to fray.Join me Thursday, November 20 at 12:30 PM PST live on Substack for an “Ask Me Anything” on career grief and the holidays.You can submit your questions ahead of time or come live and bring what’s on your mind. I’m here for you.Related Content* Is It Time For A New Career?* Why Does My Resume Get Ignored?* What Really Happens After You Apply?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are three prompts for Moonshot Mentor paid subscribers to help you practice widening your own career lens. Think of them as a way to stop focusing on “one right answer” and start noticing what’s sitting at the edges of your vision.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comHave you ever hit a big milestone—one you thought would feel amazing—and instead, you’re like, “Wait, that’s it?”You got the job. You crossed the finish line. You checked the box. And five minutes later, you’re already on to the next thing. Or worse—you feel a little empty, maybe even disappointed.I don’t think that’s because you’re ungrateful. I think it’s because you’ve been living by someone else’s definition of success. And if you’re wondering where those definitions come from, look no further than the culture we’re raised in. It feeds us a script about what “making it” should look like.The Success Playbook We Rarely QuestionIn the U.S., we live in a capitalist-first culture. And whether we realize it or not, we’re spoon-fed a script about what “success” should look like. It usually sounds like this:* Make a lot of money.* Get the big job title.* Work long hours—because hustle equals ambition.* Collect degrees and credentials.* Show it all off with travel, brands, and lifestyle.Now, none of this is bad. Honestly, some of it can be great. But here’s the catch: if you’re chasing these things because you think you should—or because that’s what everyone around you is doing—you’re going to feel sorta hollow and empty when you get there.The Comparison GameAnd then there’s comparison. We look around and think, “Well, they did it, so maybe I should too.”That’s exactly what happened when I went for my MBA. Most of the business leaders I admired had one. So I thought, okay, I need that too. And while that degree never once got me hired, I’ll admit it gave me confidence in a boardroom.But let’s be real—that’s not the degree speaking. That’s me outsourcing my self-worth to a piece of paper. What I really wanted was authority and belonging.That’s what comparison does: it makes you believe if you just had the thing—the degree, the Fendi handbag, the fancy beach or ski vacation—you’d finally feel successful. Spoiler: you will, but only if that’s how you define success.Redefining SuccessHere’s the shift: success isn’t a moving target. It’s a way of life. And the only way to feel it—really feel it—is to define it for yourself.Here’s a little exercise I use with my clients (and myself):* Write down your definition of success. Don’t overthink it—just get it on paper.* Ask yourself: Why is this my definition? Write down the answer.* Ask again: Why is that the answer?* And one more time: Why is this the answer?Each “why” pulls you deeper—past surface-level goals into the values and purpose underneath.Let me show you how this played out for me.Back in 2017, here was my definition of success:* Land a fabulous, high-profile job.* Finish a vomit draft of my book by the end of the year.* Lose 10 pounds.Here’s what happened when I put that list through the “why” filter:High-profile job* Why? Because I wanted to feel important and respected.* Why? Because I thought if people admired me, I’d finally feel secure.* Why? Because underneath all the ambition was a fear that without status, I wasn’t enough.Finish a book draft* Why? Because I wanted to be able to say I was an author.* Why? Because I thought having “author” next to my MBA would make me more legitimate.* Why? Because I believed credibility came from labels, not from having something meaningful to say.Lose 10 pounds* Why? Because I wanted to look like I belonged in Los Angeles.* Why? Because the beauty standards here are unforgiving.* Why? Because I thought if I fit the mold, I’d be more lovable.Unpacking each of these so called definitions of success showed me that none of them connected to my actual values. They were all seeking external validation - and they were goals, not ways of being. No wonder I felt an odd sense of emptiness and like “what, that’s it?”Here’s how I define success today: Listen with curiosity, courage, and compassion while creating content and experiences that help people love, learn, and laugh.See the difference? Instead of goals shaped by comparison and culture, this definition is rooted in what matters to me. It’s not something I can check off a list. It’s something I can live into every single day.The Bottom LineCulture and comparison will always offer you a version of success. But if you don’t stop and ask whether it’s really yours, you’re going to keep hitting milestones that don’t mean anything to you.So grab a pen. Write your definition. Ask why, and then ask why again. And don’t stop until you land on something that feels like you or gives you clarity on what needs to be course corrected. Because success isn’t out there waiting for you at the next finish line. It’s in how you’re living your life today.If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Why Can’t I Stick With It? 🔄* Is Uncertainty Blocking Your Career Growth?* Unlocking Your Life PurposePerks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Career Strategy with Laverne McKinnon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Journal PromptsHere are 4 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. These will help you dig deeper into your own definition of success and notice where culture and comparison may have shaped it.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comHere’s the thing about growth: quick wins will get you moving, but mastery? Mastery changes you.Don’t get me wrong. Quick wins are great. They give you that hit of momentum, a shot of confidence, the little push that says, “Hey, I can do this.” But they only take you so far.Mastery though is a game changer. It’s when a skill or a practice stops being something you check off a list and becomes part of who you are. It’s what fuels your career for the long haul — the kind of thing that opens doors, keeps you relevant, and makes the work feel meaningful.Quick wins are sparks. Mastery is the bonfire.So here’s the real question: are you building sparks…or are you building a fire that’s going to keep you lit for years to come? Both are important, but at some point if you want longevity, develop your mastery.What’s the Value of Mastery?So what makes mastery worth chasing? Because it’s not just about getting better at a skill. Mastery expands who you are. It deepens your presence, strengthens your sense of purpose, and transforms the way you move through the world. Here are a few of the gifts mastery brings:Depth of skill: Mastery takes you beyond competence into artistry. It’s the difference between playing the notes and making music.Identity and confidence: Over time, your practice stops being something you do and becomes part of who you are. Confidence flows not from performance, but from presence.Strategic advantage: In a crowded, competitive world, mastery gives you vision. It sets you apart because you can see patterns, anticipate challenges, and deliver results with precision and reliability.Resilience: The long arc of mastery builds patience and persistence. You don’t crumble when you hit setbacks — you’ve trained yourself to see them as part of the process, not the end of the story.Fulfillment: At its heart, mastery is about joy. The joy of immersion, of purpose, of knowing your work holds meaning beyond the moment.My StoryFor me, the pursuit of mastery has been a long road. Back in 2015, when I earned my very first coaching certification, I set my sights on the highest credential offered by the International Coaching Federation: Master Certified Coach (MCC). Think of it like a doctor finishing residency and passing their boards — it signals the highest level of trust and expertise in the field.I knew from the start this wasn’t going to be a quick win. Here’s what the MCC requires:* 2,500 hours of coaching experience* 200 hours of coach-specific education* 10 hours of mentored coaching* A three-hour written exam* Demonstrated mastery of ICF Core Competencies* Demonstrated mastery of the ICF Code of Ethics* A performance evaluation* And yes, a significant financial investmentIt took me almost a decade to check all those boxes. And along the way, I learned what mastery actually demands.Depth of skill: I had to stop hiding behind my intellect — the planning, the strategizing, the note-taking. Mastery required me to be fully present. To listen not just with my ears, but with my gut and my heart. The day I stopped taking notes and just trusted myself, was a huge a breakthrough. And I thought: This is what depth feels like.Identity and confidence: I’ve always been that straight-A student who wanted to nail it the first time. But with getting my MCC, I spent eight months under supervision with a mentor coach who told me, over and over, “Not yet.” I wasn’t hitting the competencies. It was so frustrating. It was really difficult to let go of the gold-star mentality and learn to trust the process instead of proving myself through timelines or perfect scores. It was humbling to keep failing — and freeing.Strategic advantage: Yes, MCC gives me credibility on paper — more opportunities in corporate training and executive coaching. But the real advantage is what’s been happening inside. I feel more grounded, proud, and certain. That confidence fuels my vision and gives me the guts to make bigger moves.Resilience: The final stretch just about knocked me down. Months of supervision, performance reviews, and the exam were harder than getting my MBA. I burned out more than once. But it was never about the coaching — that part has always been clear to me. What got foggy was why I wanted the MCC. With the support of my mentor, I realized it was bigger than me just wanting the validation of excellence. It was about impact. About showing up in the deepest way possible for my clients. To keep going, I had to reconnect with my purpose — helping people cross their own finish lines — and anchor myself in three of my values: love, laughter, and learning. That’s what pulled me through.Fulfillment: At the end of the day, it’s sorta weird to recognize the real fulfillment isn’t the credential itself. It’s the proof (as Glennon Doyle says) that I can do hard things. Knowing that changes everything. It gives me courage to dream bigger, to be less afraid of not being perfect, and to learn faster when I stumble. And honestly? It just brings me joy. A lightness. The wisdom that as long as I stay connected to my values and purpose, I can take on hard things and succeed.Bottom LineHere’s the truth: quick wins will always have their place. But if you want longevity, advancement, and real fulfillment, you’ve got to invest in mastery. And the good news? You don’t need a decade-long certification to start.Here are three simple ways to begin building your own bonfire:* Pick one skill and go deeper. Instead of spreading yourself thin, choose a skill that matters in your career and commit to developing it over the long term. Depth creates distinction.* Reconnect with your values. Mastery isn’t just about hours logged — it’s fueled by purpose. Ask yourself: Why does this matter to me? That answer will keep you going when the road gets tough.* Model growth for others. Whether you’re a senior leader or mid-career professional, show your team, peers, or even your family what it looks like to keep learning. Growth inspires growth.Quick wins light the spark. Mastery keeps the fire burning. The question is: what fire do you want to tend?If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.Related Content* Is It Time For A New Career?* Let Go Of Career Missteps* Are You Missing The Magic In Your Career?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are three prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. They’re designed to help you explore where quick wins have served you well, and where mastery might bring deeper fulfillment.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comA portion of this blog originally appeared as a guest feature on Career Pivot. Join me for a special AMA with Career Pivot on Friday, October 31st at 9:00 a.m. PT on the Substack App.The call came on a Monday morning. I was still in bed, but when I saw that it was my boss, I jumped up, cleared my throat a few times and did my best to sound normal while saying “hello.”It came out froggy and weak-sauce. I knew why she was calling. I’d been waiting for months to get the official notice of my firing. She sounded like she was reading from a script.Later that week, boxes arrived from the office—my daughter’s photo in a freshly chipped frame, a half-full bottle of McCallans, a mug with lettering: Everybody’s Watching! It was both anti-climatic and gut-wrenching.I spent the next several months in my bedroom cave, alternating between shame, humiliation, panic, depression and intense self-loathing. For the first time in ten years — really since I’d been with that company —there were no meetings to prep for, emails to craft with precision and diplomacy, or crises to be solved in a blink of an eye. So strange to have been stressed out and resentful of all that activity, and then to wish with every fiber of being I could have it back.At the time, I didn’t know what to call what I was feeling. I was pretty sure I was broken because everything I did to feel better was a big fat turd ball. I took antidepressants, went to therapy, and worked with a life coach. I read books about igniting my passion, the art of letting go, and practicing gratitude. I went to Esalen (a holistic education center), worked with psychics and intuitives, and got a certification in Excel. Nothing worked no matter how great of a student I was because the books, workshops, readings, classes and teachings were missing a key element of my experience.What I didn’t know then that I know now is that I was grieving.The Grief No One NamesTurns out grief isn’t just for funerals. It shows up any time something meaningful ends—when a relationship fractures, when a home is lost, when a dream slips out of reach.But the kind of grief that comes from losing your place in the working world? Most people don’t get it.That’s because career grief is what bereavement experts call disenfranchised grief—a form of loss that society doesn’t officially acknowledge or validate. Instead, you get advice disguised as comfort: “You’ll land on your feet.” “It’s probably for the best.” “Everything happens for a reason.”And at the same time, if you’re anything like me, you start to question yourself. Why can’t I just move on? Why does it still hurt? Why does everything, even sending a text, feel harder than it used to?You may wonder if you’re overreacting. Well, you’re not.What you’re feeling is a completely human response to loss.Grief doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means something you were deeply attached to is gone.You have permission to grieve your career losses.The Myths That Keep Us StuckOnce I tell people that, the next question usually comes fast: So how do I get over it? Getting over grief is one of several myths that cause harm. The world teaches us to treat grief like a bad cold. Take a few days off, drink lots of water, and pop a few aspirin if your head hurts.Grief is not an experience you get over. Grief is an experience that gets integrated into your life. At the same time, that gaping hole in your torso cannot simply be filled with an alternate job.Consider what happens when a tornado hits a town. Buildings collapse, trees uproot, familiar streets vanish. The landscape of the community is forever changed. Even when the debris is cleared and new structures are constructed, it’s not the same town—it’s a rebuilt one. Grief works the same way. When something you were deeply attached to is gone, it alters your internal landscape. You may rebuild, even thrive again, but you’ll always remember what once stood there—the job, the dream, the sense of belonging.Then there’s the “five stages of grief” myth. You might’ve heard of them: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. They’ve been printed on posters, used in workshops, and turned into a cultural script for how we should grieve. But those stages weren’t meant to be linear—or even universal. Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross designed them to describe how terminally ill patients process their own mortality, not how the rest of us should manage loss. Somehow we turned that amazing research into a rulebook—and in doing so, we gave ourselves a new way to fail. If you have emotions outside of the five stages framework, you’re not doing grief wrong. Your range of emotions is completely normal.Another myth? “If I stay busy, I won’t have to feel this.” That one’s especially common in ambitious people. Productivity can numb pain for a while—it gives the illusion of control. But grief has a way of leaking through the cracks and can show up as distraction, burnout, cynicism, the loss of motivation, and overall grumpiness.One of the most common myths is a close cousin to getting over grief: the belief that time heals all. Let’s debunk that from two perspectives. First, the word “heals” implies that grief is an illness to recover from, something that can be cured. It’s not. Grief is a transformative experience that changes how you see yourself and the world around you.Time, by itself, doesn’t heal—but it does create space. Over time, your relationship to what was lost shifts and the pain may soften with distance.I really do wish grief came with a timeline, but it doesn’t. What time can offer is room to integrate the loss—to make it part of your story rather than the whole story.What I’ve learned, both personally and through years of coaching, is that grief doesn’t obey rules—but it does respond to tasks. Tasks are not formulas or stages. They’re simple, human actions that help you acknowledge what’s changed and make sense of it.The framework I use to describe those tasks is called RISE—because that’s what we’re learning to do after loss. Rise through understanding. Rise through intention. Rise through agency.The RISE Framework: A Roadmap Through Career GriefThe framework offers a different way forward—each task builds on the one before it, but you don’t have to move in order. Think of RISE as a loop, not a ladder. You can circle back as often as you need to.R – Recognize the LossThe first task of grief is recognition—acknowledging what’s actually gone. It sounds simple, but most people skip it entirely. They rush to update their résumés, reach out to contacts, or start applying for jobs, believing momentum will ease the pain. But you can’t rebuild on ground you haven’t cleared.Recognition starts by naming the visible and hidden losses. The visible losses are easier to point to: the title, the office, the daily structure. These are the losses that are more readily replaced, but don’t reflect the entire picture.Beneath the visible losses are the hidden losses. These are the ones that may take time to name, but you feel them intensely. The loss of belonging. The loss of confidence. The loss of purpose. The loss of belief.When I was fired, it wasn’t just the loss of my title that gutted me—it was the loss of identity. For years, I saw myself as smart, strategic, and capable. When the parting of the ways call came, all of that vanished in an instant. My identity shifted from someone accomplished to being a loser and an idiot.That became my secret and my shame. I didn’t tell anyone how small I felt, or how humiliated. I poured all that emotion into self-criticism instead. It wasn’t until I learned to name the losses, especially the hidden ones, that I could start to get a clearer view of how to rebuild.I – Investigate the MeaningHere’s the thing: When I told myself I was a loser and an idiot, that was me creating meaning about something that happened that didn’t make sense. Why do we do that ourselves?It’s because the brain can’t tolerate not knowing, so it rushes to fill in the blanks. Each time it lands on an explanation—accurate or not—it releases a small hit of dopamine, the brain’s reward for “solving” a problem. It feels good for a moment, but the comfort doesn’t mean the meaning is true.That’s why the “I” in RISE invites you to investigate the meaning you’ve created from your loss because that meaning will shape what comes next.I avoided opportunities that scared me. I downplayed my experience. I stayed small because I worried that I’d get my head chopped off again. After all, I was a loser.Investigating the meaning you’ve created doesn’t mean forcing positivity or rewriting history. It means pausing long enough to get curious about what you’ve been telling yourself about the loss—asking whether it’s true, or whether it’s just the brain hard-wired to come up with answers. That’s why this step matters: it helps you question the meaning before it hardens into identity.Here’s a hard truth: grief isn’t only about what happened; it’s about what you believe it means. When a career disruption occurs, we’re often left in uncertainty and no answers. So our brain jumps in and creates any ol’ meaning regardless of whether it’s hurtful or helpful. Hurtful meaning sounds like: I suck. I’m not good enough. I’ll never recover from this. Helpful meanings sound like: My work mattered, even if the position ended. I served with integrity and skill, and those strengths don’t disappear. This change says more about the system than about my value.For me, I realized that calling myself a loser and an idiot was not only harmful, it was inaccurate. In looking at the facts, it was tough to ignore that I went on to several high profile gigs post losing that one job. They weren’t hiring me because I was a loser and an idiot. They were hiring me because of my talent, experience and being a good cultural fit.To complete this task, you create a new meaning based on the truth. My truth and new meaning: I was no longer a fit for that job and the universe tough-loved me so I could re-align and honor my values and purpose.S – Signal the ShiftOnce you have a helpful meaning in place, even if it feels tender, it’s time to signal the shift from what was to what’s next.Neuroscientist and grief researcher Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Brain, writes that our brains form “attachment maps” to the people, places, and roles that make us feel safe. These maps help us navigate our world. When something we’re attached to disappears—a job, a community, a dream—our brain doesn’t immediately understand that it’s gone. It keeps looking for it, trying to reconcile a world that no longer fits the old map.That’s why ritual is so powerful. Rituals teach the brain that something has ended. They signal, both physically and emotionally, that it’s time to redraw the map.In Western culture, we’re familiar with rituals for death—funerals, memorials, anniversaries—but we rarely create them for professional endings. When a job ends, a dream collapses, or a role is taken away, there’s rarely a ceremony or even a chance to have a good good-bye. Career grief rituals help retrain the brain and calm the heart—they confirm, at every level, that what’s ended is real and that you’re ready to begin again.Rituals give shape to what otherwise feels shapeless. Whether it’s writing a letter to the job you’ve lost, lighting a candle, burying a symbol of what’s ending, or taking a long, mindful walk to reflect—rituals externalize what’s been internal. They tell the brain: this chapter has closed. And once the brain understands that, the heart can begin to follow.I encourage you to create a bespoke ritual like my client Rebecca did. She took the paystubs she’d kept from thirteen years at the same job and origami’d them into a bird. The process was methodical and deliberate. It was also meditative and allowed her to intentionally say good-bye to the job she’d once seen as safe and secure. The repurposed check stubs became an invitation for her to take flight.Your ritual doesn’t need to be public or elaborate. It just needs to mean something to you. The goal isn’t to erase what happened—it’s to honor it, mark it, and make space for whatever comes next.When you consciously signal the shift, you begin to reclaim your agency. You stop being the person something happened to and start being the person choosing how to carry it forward.E – Embark on What’s NextOnce your brain understands what’s ended, space opens for something new to rise. You might feel a little more spring in your step, a hint of excitement to reach out to an acquaintance or readiness to take a class you’ve been intrigued by. That’s you like the little green plant sprouting out of a cement wall. Unstoppable.The final task in the RISE framework is embark on what’s next. To take one small step toward agency — which is all about choice. Your choice. Agency doesn’t mean having control over the outcome. It means remembering you have say in what comes next.Maybe that looks like getting a haircut, reaching out to an old colleague, or starting a new morning routine. Maybe it’s giving yourself permission to rest.As you begin to act, your brain starts mapping new attachments—new routines, new communities, new ways of being. That’s how integration happens: the brain learns safety again through experience.When I began coaching, it wasn’t part of a grand plan. It was a way to use what I’d learned from my own heartbreak to help others. I didn’t know it then, but that was my version of embarking.In moving through the RISE framework, you integrate your loss into your life. The grief becomes part of your landscape, but it no longer defines you. You carry it differently. And in that carrying, you rise.Rise, Don’t RushNineteen years after that Monday morning phone call, I can still feel how scared I was to hear the words that my job was over — and at the same time, relief that what I knew was coming, had finally arrived.It took me a decade to recognize my loss as legitimate. Which is what drives me to share my story with you today: I don’t want anyone else to ever believe that they are less than due to a career loss.There’s no expeditious way through this. No timeline, no formula, no five stages to check off. But there is the RISE framework. Tasks, not rules. And with every act of recognition, every honest reflection, every small ritual, and every brave step forward, you move closer to a version of yourself that carries both loss and possibility.Questions or comments? Come join me on Friday, October 31st at 9:00 a.m. PT for an Ask Me Anything with Career Pivot.Related Content* A Touch Of Grief With Your Moonshot* Breaking The Silence: Autoimmune Diseases And Disenfranchised Grief* Some Things You May Not Know About Grief 🤔Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsIf you’ve experienced a professional loss or major change, take a few moments to reflect with these questions. There are no right answers — only honest ones.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comIt’s been two months since my little dog Roo died. Not exactly a strong hook for a post about career strategy. But I feel compelled to share this personal information because life keeps on life-ing despite the plans we make for our professional lives. And I think it’s important to make that okay and carve out space.I think most of us are pretty good at holding boundaries when a personal commitment pops up — a friend comes into town, your kids soccer game, a graduation ceremony. We step away, take a day or two, and then we return.But what happens when it’s not a “one and done” thing? What happens in the weeks and months that follow, when you’re still grieving, but the world assumes you’re back to normal?In our society, you’re often given a weekend, maybe a few days, to attend a memorial service or sit shiva. Then there’s an unspoken expectation that the mourning period is over and you can get back to work.Well, grief doesn’t work on a capitalist timetable. It works uniquely on yours. And in those early days and weeks — sometimes the first year — you may look fine on the outside but feel completely dismantled on the inside.Roo’s StoryIt was a Tuesday when Roo started to cough-hack every few hours. I thought it was allergies, or maybe he wasn’t drinking enough water. By Friday, he was only eating once per day, lethargic, and his breathing had become “panty.” I googled his symptoms and got the range of a respiratory infection all the way to cancer. But I held out hope that he would get better with my TLC.On Sunday morning, I called the emergency hospital and asked if his symptoms warranted going in. They said to bring him in immediately. When we arrived, a crew of three technicians ran out the back and took him from my arms. A half hour later the vet told us it was congestive heart failure and all we could do was make him comfortable. They gave him diuretics and oxygen and we brought him home.He rebounded for about a day, but his breath rate started to climb and I knew it was time. I can’t say the words let alone write them. Maybe enough time hasn’t gone by.Roo died on Wednesday, August 20 at 3:15 pm PST. He was surrounded by his family, wrapped in his favorite blanket.Grief and WorkIt’s been surreal mourning while being a grief coach. I know so much, and it changes nothing. Maybe it changes the naming — I can watch myself from a distance and say, “Oh, I’m in the raw and tender stage.” The stage where everything is a first: the first dinner without him, the first night without him, the first morning, the first time watching TV. He really loved our couch time. I would say, “Roo it’s time!” He would run across the foyer, leap into our sunken living room, and hop on the coach. His little head poking over the pillows watching me make my way.There is no “hardest.” It’s all hard.And then work comes knocking at the door. What to do?I gave myself some space. The day after he died, I didn’t — I worked, because I needed a break from my crying so hard my entire face was swollen. Then I took a few days off. Then eased back in. Ten days later, I was fully back in my desk chair. My head and heart were not.Did I make the wrong decision? I don’t know. I do know that staying connected to something I love — client work — has been very helpful. The giant hole in my soul is soothed by helping others. But not all the time. I cancelled three times on one client because I couldn’t be present. She’s also an animal lover who has lost many pets so I knew she would truly understand, and she did.This is the reality of grief at work. It doesn’t disappear after a weekend. And while jobs and bills demand that we show up, we also have to be vigilant and compassionate with ourselves. If we don’t find ways to care for ourselves, burnout will bite us. Hard.Practical Guidance: How to Work While GrievingIn the early days after Roo died, I found myself swinging between extremes. One day I would bury myself in work because I needed relief from my sadness. The next, I couldn’t face my laptop at all. Both choices were valid. Grief isn’t linear — and neither is our ability to work through it.If you’re facing a similar season, here are a few ways to navigate work in those first weeks and months:* Adjust your expectations. Productivity won’t look the same. Instead of aiming for your usual capacity, ask: What’s essential today? What can wait? Shrinking the list gives you a greater chance of following through without burning out.* Communicate with care. Whether it’s your boss, your team, or a client, a simple message like, “I may need extra flexibility this week,” can make all the difference. But also remember: colleagues and clients are not your therapist or coach. Expecting them to fully understand your experience after a few weeks may set you both up for disappointment. Find support outside of work — friends, family, a counselor, or a support group — where your grief can be fully witnessed.* Build in recovery time. Grief is exhausting. Even short breaks to step outside, stretch, or sit in silence can help your nervous system reset. Think of it as scheduling grief alongside your meetings.* Anchor in what feels nourishing. Whether it’s a hot cup of cocoa, getting your nails done, treating yourself to lunch out, or listening to music on your commute — give yourself extra time and care for those small pleasures. They’re not frivolous. They’re ways of replenishing yourself when so much feels depleted.* Carry a keepsake. Sometimes pretending you’re not grieving while you’re on the job is more dysregulating than quietly acknowledging it. Having a small memento — a piece of jewelry, a photo, a favorite pen, or any object tied to your loved one — can provide comfort. Holding onto something tangible is a healthy way to feel a continued bond, a reminder you’re not carrying your loss alone.The truth is, there’s no single formula. Working while grieving is about tending to both sides of the equation: the professional obligations you must meet and the human need for gentleness. Hold them together with vigilance and compassion, and you’ll find your way through.Related Content* Is Grief Holding Me Back?* How Can Grief Boulders Turn To Butterflies?* Are There Grief Rules?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Here are three journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. These are designed to help you reflect on how to navigate the tension between grief and productivity in your own life.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comGoals and outcomes go together like peanut butter and jelly. Popcorn and butter. Mustard and mayonnaise.One without the other just doesn’t quite work. And might leave you feeling out of sorts like you’re spinning your wheels—not clear if you’re making any actual progress in your career.A goal on its own is isolated and can lose direction easily. But pair it with an outcome, and suddenly you have motivation, inspiration, and drive.An outcome on its own putters along, every once in awhile sputtering along in fits and starts. But give it a goal, and now it has gas in the tank.Understanding the difference between the two—and learning how to link them—is the key to building a career that has momentum and resonance.The Key DistinctionA goal is concrete and measurable. It’s the equivalent of plugging an address into Google Maps—step by step, turn by turn, until you arrive.An outcome in the Moonshot universe, on the other hand, is about how you want to feel once you arrive. It’s not the GPS directions to Venice Beach—it’s the desire to spend the day in the sun, relaxed and carefree.Here’s the difference in practice:* Goal = get promoted → Outcome = feel valued.* Goal = find a new job → Outcome = feel financially secure.* Goal = pivot careers → Outcome = feel happy.* Goal = expand your network → Outcome = feel connected and supported.* Goal = complete a certification → Outcome = feel capable and prepared for a career pivot or advancement.Now here’s a rub: You can get promoted and never feel valued. You can land the job and still feel insecure. You can pivot careers and be unhappy.That’s why it’s important to make sure your outcome and your goals are aligned with each other. After all, when peanut butter gets with jelly, it’s not just lunch—it’s a love story.Goals and Outcomes That Work Together, Stay TogetherI once spent invested a lot of money on a shaman when I was at a crossroads. After waiting patiently in line at a Viceroy Hotel conference room in Santa Monica, I had my chance for wisdom. The shaman told me, “Don’t go to New York expecting it to be San Francisco.”At the time, I was outraged by what I considered his flippant advice. And that it cost me a few thousand dollars. But eventually I got what he meant, and it’s helped me find peace and harmony in so many aspects of my life.If you seek a promotion to feel valued, you’re in the wrong city. A promotion can earn you more money, gain you more visibility, increase your responsibilities. But your value cannot be outsourced. It has to come from within.If you’re looking to pivot careers to feel happy, you’re in the wrong city. Pivoting careers can bring you fulfillment as an expression of your life purpose, but outsourcing your happiness is a recipe for disappointment.On the other hand, if you’re completing a certification to feel capable and prepared, you’re in the right city. Yay! Finally! Why? Because you’re not asking the certification to do something it can’t. Certifications are designed to teach and then show you that you do have the knowledge. That knowledge is what gives you confidence.The key here is to craft outcomes that are within your control. Any outcome that relies on other people will eventually frustrate you. You can’t make your boss respect you. You can’t make your company promote you. But you can set an outcome like: “I want to stay calm and assertive in difficult conversations.” That’s yours to own.Crafting Outcomes That Actually WorkHere are a few more tips to help you craft outcomes that will set you up for success.Positive framing. Focus on what you do want, not what you don’t. Saying “I don’t want to feel invisible at work” keeps you stuck in invisibility. Reframe it: “I want to feel recognized for my contributions.” That small shift gives you a direction to move toward.Specific and sensory. How will you know when you’ve arrived at your outcome? Anchor it in what you’ll see, hear, and feel. For example, if your outcome is “I want to feel confident in my role,” the markers might be making eye contact in meetings, speaking clearly without rushing, and feeling grounded instead of anxious.Values-driven. The best outcomes are rooted in what truly matters to you. If connection is a core value, then “expanding your network” isn’t just about LinkedIn requests—it’s about feeling supported and part of a community. When outcomes are tied to values, they carry staying power even when goals take longer than expected.When outcomes are positive, values-driven, and specific, they stop being lofty wishes and start becoming motivating guides.Giving Your Outcomes Gas in the TankOnce your outcome is well-formed, it’s time to put it into motion by turning it into goals—the step-by-step actions that bring it to life.Take this example: Outcome = “I want to feel confident at work.”* Goal 1: Speak up once in every meeting.* Goal 2: Take a presentation skills workshop.* Goal 3: Track weekly wins to build momentum.Here’s another example: Outcome = “I want to feel financially secure.”* Goal 1: Build a six-month emergency savings fund.* Goal 2: Track monthly income and expenses.* Goal 3: Apply for three higher-paying roles by year’s end.The outcome is the flavor. The goals are the bread that holds it together. On their own, they don’t satisfy. But when you stack them together, you don’t just get progress—you get a career that actually tastes like fulfillment.Bottom LineGoals without outcomes can feel empty. Outcomes without goals remain wishes.When you align the two, you don’t just achieve milestones—you create a career that feels purposeful, secure, connected, and satisfying.Related Content* Why Do We Make Desperate Choices? * How People Pleasing Screws Up Achieving Your Goals* What Are The Seven Big Mistakes Of Goal Setting?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are 4 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. Use these to clarify the outcomes that matter most to you and ensure your goals actually align.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comMany of us hold beliefs like: education opens doors, avoiding conflict keeps the peace, or opportunity is everywhere if we just look hard enough. These sound noble, but they can be more mistaken than true.In challenging times, we lean on our beliefs to carry us through. But some of them hurt us more than they help.This week, I’m reposting one of my most popular blogs for anyone feeling frustrated, stuck, or angry. One reason you may feel this way is that your belief system doesn’t match reality—and that realization can be painful.The way forward? Test your beliefs against the evidence. Ask: is this belief helping me, or is it holding me back?Mistaken beliefs and super glue are like two peas in a pod: fast, versatile, strong, easy to use, and inexpensive. They also work pretty well until you get some stuck on your fingers and lose the ability to use your phalanges.Take this mistaken belief: If I work hard, I will be successful.This belief developed as a result of comparing myself to others. I frequently came up short because of doubts about my talent, the depth of my experience, and whether I knew the right people. So, to counter these uncomfortable thoughts, I chose to take one thing I do—work hard—and make that into a way of being and a belief.This leads to another mistaken belief. If I’m successful, then I’m worthy of promotion, financial validation, and respect.Which then leads to: If I’m worthy of promotion, financial validation, and respect then I am lovable.Now I know the truth: everyone, including myself, is worthy of love without having to jump through hoops. However, belief frequently outweighs the truth.What Is A Mistaken Belief?A mistaken belief, according to Psychology Today, is “when someone has objective evidence that doesn’t support their belief, but these beliefs still govern their lives and motivate their actions.”It’s a concept that has been studied numerous times without clear results of why we believe what we believe – even when there is counterfactual evidence.For those who are looking to move ahead in their career, a close examination of whether your beliefs are helpful, hurtful, or mistaken can help clear the path to achieving your goals.The Purpose Of A Mistaken BeliefWhat I’ve come to realize is that the purpose of a mistaken belief is to be the super glue that holds our dreams and our actions together. If I dream X, then it will happen if I do Y. Let me give you a few examples to bring this alive.Let’s go back to: If I work hard enough, I will be successful. One of my dreams was to work in prime-time drama development at a network. This dream evolved when I was working in prime-time current, which is the role at a network or studio that creatively supervises TV series that are currently on the air.My challenge was that I was new to working in prime-time, having come out of children’s programming and animation for almost six years. I doubted my credibility, was concerned that I didn’t know who the players were, and didn’t know the “rules of engagement.” The underlying belief with these doubts is that “I need to know and not have a learning curve.”So I chose to work harder to try to hide my shortcomings: I was the first to read scripts, the first to have my thoughts organized, the first in the office (and the last to leave), and said yes to meeting with any writer or director who was interested.While there was evidence that people were getting promoted who didn’t do what I did, I refused to look at what made them successful. I was convinced I wasn’t as talented as them, so I needed to focus on what was within my grasp: working harder.So, this dream of being successful (getting promoted) was glued to the mistaken belief that it would happen if I worked harder.A few more mistaken beliefs related to being successful from my time clawing my way up the corporate ladder:* Morning people are successful: if I wake up early enough then I will be more prepared and energized, and yet there were dozens of executives higher up the ladder who didn’t get into the office until 10:00 am.* I need years of experience to be successful: if I can just stay in the “game” long enough, success will come my way, and yet there were a few executives who held more senior positions and were much younger.* Knowing the right people will help me be successful: if I can just network more and better, then I will have the necessary advocates (and maybe a mentor!) to be successful, and yet I had a good friend who didn’t come from an agency background and had no high-visibility friends and was still named head of a department at a major studio.Mistaken Beliefs Have ConsequencesUnfortunately, we can’t escape the downside of holding mistaken beliefs. Here’s the thing about them: mistaken beliefs like super glue rapidly bond to skin, can burn the eyes, repeated inhalation can cause dizziness, and when they set, they’re brittle. Let’s break the metaphor down:* Mistaken beliefs will stick to you like super glue. Once they touch the vulnerable parts of your heart or intellect, they will not let go, and they will feel like the truth, which makes them difficult to unstick.* Mistaken beliefs cloud your vision and stop you from seeing all the data. They burn the part of you that is the truth seeker and keep you small. Only the truth can move you forward.* Repeated use of mistaken beliefs will cause dizziness and drowsiness because they suck the oxygen out of your ability to thoroughly analyze a situation and choose the best option to move forward. So, you are not operating at full capacity.* Mistaken beliefs are brittle. They hold on and hold on until you have to break it off in order to be set free.More Examples Of Mistaken BeliefsIt can be challenging to identify your mistaken beliefs because (as I said) they can feel like the truth.One of the best ways to learn and see your mistaken beliefs is through hearing other people’s mistaken beliefs. Sometimes, we don’t even know that we have mistaken beliefs until we see how they operate in other people. I saw this phenomenon when leading a discussion about mistaken beliefs with a group of indie producers I led through my coaching practice.Here’s a smattering of some of those beliefs (I have permission to share them publicly). You may recognize some or all!* Everyone has to be happy* I must be fast to go far* It’s a young person’s game* Other people’s opinions hold more value* Work has to come first* You have to be in LA to be successful* Have to choose a lane* The younger you are, the more opportunities* I don’t have the right face shape to be successful* I need to have all the skills* If I say no, I won’t be asked again* I have to put myself out there more* I got in too late* Money sources are only good for money and should be kept at a distance* You are retired when you have kids* Projects need to be packaged in order to sell* It’s important to time the marketplace* Need to have a big budget to have production value* Latino film has to have a certain look / feel / aestheticThese beliefs hurt my heart — I can think of at least one instance in which each one of these statements is factually inaccurate. And yet, they are treated as universal truths and become the guardrails in which we conduct ourselves professionally.Do you see how limiting these beliefs are? The consequences of living these beliefs include:* Not meeting one’s potential* Living other people’s values* Missing opportunities* Not meeting your definition of successIf you’re wondering why you are stuck, there’s a chance you are operating under mistaken beliefs.Now What?Identifying and unpacking mistaken beliefs requires great, great, great courage. It also involves self-compassion, empathy, and grace. It demands curiosity, patience and a microscope.Course correcting from mistaken beliefs is not a light switch that you can easily switch on or off. The beliefs become ingrained in our thinking and way of being. Vigilance and tenacity are the handrails as you cross the bridge from mistaken belief to truth.So, how to go about confronting mistaken beliefs, if you’re so inclined:* Examine your beliefs by writing them down. Consider the beliefs that were taught to you by your primary caregivers. Talk to a trusted friend about what they see. Work with a therapist or coach.* Look for the evidence, facts, and the truth to support your belief. If there is none, look for a value to honor instead of the mistaken belief. For example, when I have the compulsion to work harder to get ahead, I choose to value compassion. The compassion allows me to check in with myself about arbitrary deadlines I may have set in order to feel successful.* If there’s data to support your belief, then assess whether the belief you hold is helpful or hurtful. This is a tricky step because you may think a belief is helpful when the data shows you that it’s not. With the work harder belief, I had excellent results for years until I reached a point of diminishing returns. I was exhausted by developing multiple projects as a producer but not selling at the same rate as in previous years.* If you determine that a belief is hurtful, then choose a value to honor instead. With the realization that my sales quota had fallen, I course corrected to value curation over volume.For many of my clients, their mistaken beliefs take a tremendous toll on their relationships, family, and overall well-being. I had one client whose belief that he needed to write every single day in order to launch his career in the entertainment industry caused him so much stress that he withdrew from his wife and kids. They were contemplating separation when we started to work together. After several sessions, we discovered that my client works best when writing in sprints. He thought he was doing writing wrong because he struggled with a daily writing schedule. When he learned that successful writers have a wide variety of processes, he recognized that he was holding a mistaken belief. My client was able to negotiate time to write in 2-3 day clusters, and it relieved his stress and addressed his family’s need for his presence.Bottom LineIn the end, mistaken beliefs seem useful and reliable until you realize they don’t actually serve you. They might feel like the truth, but they cloud your vision, sap your energy, and hold you back. The key is recognizing them and gently peeling them away.Examining our beliefs, especially the mistaken ones, takes courage and self-compassion. It’s about being curious and patient with ourselves. Write down your beliefs, discuss them with trusted friends or professionals, and look for evidence that supports or refutes them. Replace hurtful beliefs with values that truly serve you.When we let go of mistaken beliefs, we create space for healthier, more empowering truths. This shift isn’t instantaneous—it’s a journey of continuous learning and self-awareness. But in doing so, we open ourselves to more authentic success and fulfillment, both personally and professionally. So, take a deep breath, grab your metaphorical acetone, and start ungluing those mistaken beliefs. Your future self will thank you.Related Content* How Your Identity Is Stopping You From Achieving Your Goals* How To Tame Your Inner Critic* My Kid Isn’t Going To College …Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Journal PromptsHere are five journal prompts to help you explore and understand the themes of mistaken beliefs and their impact on your life:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comOn paper, Deborah has it all. She’s the CFO of a well-known accounting firm in Boston. Married for 23 years, three healthy kids, a vacation home on the Cape. Her LinkedIn profile is stacked with awards and promotions. If you asked anyone around her, they’d tell you she’s “made it.”So why, in her own words, is she “not doing well.”It’s because Deborah’s been chasing achievements instead of building accomplishments.Achievements vs. AccomplishmentsHere’s how I think about it.Achievements are the things that get noticed. A new title, a big award, a parking space with your name on it. A lot of times they translate into bullet points on your resume.Accomplishments feel different. They don’t always show up on LinkedIn, but you know when you’ve had one. It’s the pride you feel after mentoring a colleague and seeing them get that promotion. Or the satisfaction of preparing hard for a meeting and knocking it out of the ball park. Or the moment at the coffee pot when you slow down long enough to lend a compassionate ear to a work buddy.Achievement is about recognition. Accomplishment is about fulfillment.Both matter. But when achievements become the sole measure of success, they start to feel like cotton candy. Delicious going down, but not enough sustenance to get you through the day. That’s where Deborah finds herself.Why Achievements Hook UsThere’s a reason it’s so easy to get caught up in the achievement chase. Each time someone applauds us—or clicks “like” on something we post—our brain gives us a little chemical pat on the back. A dopamine hit. It feels good, but it doesn’t last. So we keep chasing after the next one.Add in the cultural stories we’ve all been told—success equals climbing ladders, stacking trophies, hitting milestones—and it’s no wonder most of us go after achievements like they’re a Chestnut Cocoa Labubu.And when we don’t get it? Anxiety spikes. Stress hormones like cortisol rise. We find ourselves working harder, cancelling social get-togethers, and pushing through exhaustion—all in pursuit of validation that evaporates as soon as it arrives.This is what I call “success fatigue.” It’s not that Deborah hasn’t achieved incredible things. It’s that those achievements no longer sustain her. Without that deeper anchor of living her values, the ladder she’s been climbing feels like it’s leaning against the wrong wall.The Cost of Chasing Achievements AloneWhen we measure our worth solely through achievements, three things happen:* We burn out. The constant striving for external validation keeps our nervous systems on high alert. We push past our limits, telling ourselves we can rest after the next big milestone.* Our self-esteem gets fragile. If our value depends on others’ approval, it only takes one missed promotion or disappointing performance review to send us spiraling.* We feel empty. Even after the big wins, there’s still that voice asking, Is this it? Is there more?That’s what keeps Deborah up at 3 a.m.The Case for AccomplishmentAccomplishments tell a different story. They’re not about recognition. They’re about resonance.When we do work that aligns with our values, it builds confidence that doesn’t crumble when someone else gets promoted. Think about the difference between receiving an industry award (an achievement) and creating a system that makes your team’s work easier for years to come (an accomplishment). One gets you applause. The other leaves a ripple of impact long after you’ve moved on.Accomplishments are sustainable fuel. They don’t depend on whether your boss notices or your industry hands you a plaque. They depend on whether your work connects to your values.How to ShiftIf you’re reading this and thinking, Yep, that’s me. I’ve been chasing achievements, you’re not alone.Here are a few small places to start:* Ask “why” before saying yes. Is the thing you’re looking to achieve tied to your values, or is it just about keeping up?* Notice the wins no one else sees. Keep a journal of the things that made you proud, even if nobody clapped.* Celebrate the process. Your growth counts, even if the outcome isn’t flashy.* Write your own definition of success. Not your boss’s version. Not your industry’s. Yours.These practices don’t mean abandoning achievements altogether. They mean putting them in their place—they’re external proof, not the whole story.Coming Back to DeborahDeborah’s starting to realize her accomplishments have been there all along. They just weren’t the ones she was measuring.The pro bono work she championed that helped a nonprofit keep its doors open. The financial lessons she taught her teenage son. The colleague she coached through her first big role.Those are the things that light her up.Achievements decorate a resume. Accomplishments nourish a life.And when we start measuring success from the inside out, fulfillment stops feeling like something just out of reach—and starts feeling like something we can actually touch.Bottom LineOn paper, Deborah has it all—title, family, recognition, even the Cape house. But in her own words, she’s “not doing well.”That’s the trap of chasing achievements. They look impressive, but they don’t always bring fulfillment.Accomplishments, on the other hand, connect us back to our core values. They don’t just show what we’ve done—they remind us who we are.If your list of achievements hasn’t left you feeling satisfied, maybe it’s time to measure success differently.Related Content* Are You A Workaholic?* Feeling Taken Advantage Of At Work?* Is Your Career Missing Purpose?Moonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Perks for Paid SubscribersHere are three journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. They’ll help you explore how to shift from achievement to accomplishment.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com“My industry wants a divorce, but I don’t.” - AnonymousFirst off, I’m so sorry you’re being dumped. That really really sucks, no two ways about it. If we were best friends, I would rally to your side with a couple of pints of Talenti dark chocolate gelato, a cashmere throw, a bottle of your favorite wine, these very cute slippers from Nordic Peace and a list of fabulous tv series to binge and escape from the brutality of what you’re experiencing.It truly feels like the break-up bug is everywhere. Hollywood might be the dramatic spouse in this story—Los Angeles unemployment is sitting closer to 6.5% while the national rate is just over 4%—but it’s hardly alone. Hotels and restaurants are ghosting their workers, with jobless rates around 6.4%. Gaming had a full-on messy split last year when one in ten developers got cut. And manufacturing and construction? They’ve been quietly packing their bags for months. Wherever you look, industries are walking out the door and leaving their people to pick up the pieces.So how do you mourn the loss of your career when you don’t want to stop working but the work is no longer available to you?Step One: Say OuchThe first step after any break-up—personal or professional—is to admit it hurts. Say “ouch.” Literally. There’s science behind it: in one study , people who dunked their hands in icy water lasted longer if they said “ow” out loud, and researchers found pain tolerance jumped about 20% just by vocalizing. Turns out giving your pain a voice creates enough distraction that your body can cope.But in Hollywood culture, and really, in a lot of industries, we don’t say “ouch.” We’re taught to keep it moving, to jump straight to “What’s next?” The trouble is, if you skip over the pain, it lingers. It’s like pretending you’re fine after the divorce papers land on your doorstep, when what you really need to do first is cry, scream, or curl up with that pint of gelato.Saying “ouch” is your way of signaling to the universe: this hurts, something is wrong here. Only once you’ve acknowledged that can you figure out what comes next.Step Two: Sadness or Grief?After you’ve said “ouch,” the next step is to figure out what you’re actually dealing with … because sadness and grief aren’t the same thing.Sadness is a temporary emotion. It’s the slump you feel when you get a pass on a pitch, miss out on a client, or get sidelined on a project. You bounce back.Grief runs deeper and is complex. It includes sadness, but you may also feel shock, anger, distress, confusion, or numbness. Grief is the natural response to a severed attachment—the same way heartbreak lingers long after divorce papers are delivered.Career grief is especially heavy because it doesn’t just touch your job—it impacts how you see yourself, where you belong, and what purpose you serve. It’s not “just” about the paycheck or the title. It’s about the story you told yourself about who you were and where you were headed. That’s why grief feels harder to shake.And here’s where it connects back to the central question: How do you mourn the loss of a career you didn’t want to end? Distinguish whether you’re sad or grieving. If it’s sadness, immerse in self-care until the ouch passes. If it’s grief, give yourself permission to mourn. Acknowledge the shock and distress of divorce papers being served, regardless of whether the divorce actually goes through.Step Three: Do You Wait or Do You Leave?Once you’ve said “ouch”, clarified whether you’re sitting with sadness or grief (and given yourself permission to mourn), it’s time to ask: Do I wait for “reconciliation”, or do I pivot my career?This is the limbo of career grief. You don’t want the split. You’d happily keep working if the work was there. But what happens when the other party—the industry, the company, the field—steps away? Do you hold out hope, or do you begin to imagine what comes after?There’s no universal answer. Without a crystal ball, you’re left to lean on what matters most: your values.What value am I honoring if I stay and wait?What value am I honoring if I decide to leave?Psychotherapist Esther Perel reminds us that separation isn’t always failure. Sometimes it’s a reorganization into something different, healthier, or more honest. That wisdom applies here too. Even if you didn’t want this “divorce,” it may be asking you to look at deeper truths: What needs weren’t being met? How has your identity shifted? What kind of relationship with work do you want going forward?And here’s where the mourning deepens. It’s not just about grieving what’s ended, but also the imagined future that may never come. That’s why the question of moving on versus moving forward matters so much.Step Four: Moving Forward, Not Moving On“Moving on” feels like: get over it, forget about it, it never really mattered. For those who don’t want to move on, of course that feels unbearable.In grief, we don’t move on. We move forward. The love you had for your role or your industry remains, but it transforms. Moving forward means the history, talent, and experiences you built are not erased—they come with you as you begin to shape what’s next.So, how do you mourn the loss of a career you didn’t want to end? You give yourself permission to move forward—honoring what was, carrying its meaning with you, and allowing space for something new to take shape.Bottom LineAt the beginning, I said if we were best friends, I’d show up with gelato, a cashmere throw, wine, and cozy slippers. And while I can’t actually deliver those, I can remind you of this: mourning a career loss is messy, tender, and deeply human.Sometimes the industry files for divorce and you’re left holding the papers. You may not have wanted it, but here you are. Saying ouch, distinguishing sadness from grief, sitting in the uncertainty, and choosing to move forward — these are the ways you honor the loss and yourself.Gelato melts, jobs come and go, industries reorganize. But your values, your self-respect, and your capacity to reimagine? Those stay with you. That’s how you begin to move forward — even when the ending wasn’t yours to choose.Related Content* The 3 Things to Do After You Lose Your Job* Why Does My Career Setback Still Bother Me?* How Do You Rewrite Your Career Story?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Here are four journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. These questions are designed to help you reflect on the “divorce papers” your career may have handed you — and what mourning and moving forward might look like.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comThe Value of a Summary on Your ResumeI’ll admit it—I’m a self-professed control freak. Which is exactly why I love a summary at the top of a resume.Think about the power of first impressions. Whether you’re meeting someone for the first time or skimming a document, those opening lines set the tone for everything that follows. Psychologists call this the primacy effect—we tend to remember what comes first more than what comes later. A summary works the same way on a resume: it primes the reader’s brain, frames your story, and helps recruiters know what to pay attention to.Here’s an example. If someone introduces me to their friend Jack, I’m inclined to see him as trustworthy because of the connection. If they introduce him as their plumber, I immediately assess him in a professional context—can he solve my problem? If they introduce him as a Harvard graduate, it’s just information—I don’t yet know what to make of it.Your resume summary functions the same way. It provides the lens through which the rest of your experience is read. Without it, recruiters are left to make their own assumptions.We used to be able to use functional resumes, which group skills into themes rather than timelines to control the narrative, but those rarely make it past the robots these days. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) struggle with non-linear structures and can’t always connect the dots. Since most companies still rely on chronological resumes, a summary at the top becomes your best chance to control how your story gets read.What Is a Resume Summary (and Why It Replaced the Objective)?For decades, resumes typically began with an objective—a short statement about what the job seeker wanted. Something like, “Seeking a challenging marketing position where I can grow my skills and advance my career.”The problem? Objectives were entirely self-focused. They told the employer what you wanted, not what you could offer.Then the 2000s changed everything. Online job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder meant employers were flooded with resumes. Recruiters didn’t have time to read carefully—they skimmed. Meanwhile, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) became standard, filtering applications by scanning for keywords from job postings. The result: hiring became faster, higher volume, and much more competitive.Enter the modern resume summary. Instead of focusing on the job seeker’s goals, the summary shifted the spotlight to the employer’s needs. It’s a short professional pitch—2 to 5 sentences—that:* Puts the employer first by highlighting your most relevant skills and achievements.* Uses keywords strategically to get noticed by both ATS and human readers.* Acts as a highlight reel, drawing the recruiter in and showing them at a glance how you can solve their problem.But the summary isn’t just a convenience. It’s also a framing device rooted in how our brains actually work:* Schema theory: By providing a frame—say, “Creative Executive transitioning into Project Management”—you prime the recruiter to look for the evidence that supports it.* Framing effect: The angle you choose shapes the interpretation. Call yourself a “strategic communicator,” and your experience reads differently than if you call yourself a “public relations specialist.”* Predictive coding: Our brains make predictions as we read. A summary primes those predictions so the recruiter naturally interprets your bullet points as proof of the story you’ve already set up.That’s why a resume summary has become so valuable. It’s not just a nice-to-have—it’s a tool to control the narrative. Instead of leaving a recruiter to draw their own conclusions, you hand them the lens through which to see your career.How to Write a Strong SummaryThe biggest mistake I see with summaries is that people treat them like packing for a family vacation—seven bathing suits, rash guards in every size, a pile of goggles, flip flops, sneakers, workout clothes, a sun hat, baseball cap, bucket hat, floppy hat, wide-brim beach hat… and that’s before the fancy dinner outfits, bags, and jackets. All crammed into one suitcase.Your summary is not a luggage cart of your entire career. It’s a go-bag: just the essentials that make you nimble, primed, and ready.So how do you actually write a summary that captures attention, frames your story, and signals to both humans and machines that you’re the right fit? A strong summary follows a few key principles:* Keep it short: 2–5 sentences.* Use keywords: Borrow directly from the job description to show alignment.* Tailor it for each role: Write your resume first, then craft your summary for that specific opening.* Include one concrete accomplishment: Numbers or outcomes make it real.* Skip personal pronouns: Keep the focus professional.If you need a place to start, here’s a simple formula (from Jobscan). Use it as a guide, then make it your own:[Job Title] with experience in [Skill 1], [Skill 2], and [Skill 3]. Proven ability to [Accomplishment 1] and [Accomplishment 2]. Known for [Work style, strength, or value you bring to the role].Examples of Weak vs. Strong SummariesI always find it helpful to see examples, but before we dive into those let’s be clear on what makes a summary weak versus what makes it strong.A weak summary is vague, generic, and self-focused. It tells the employer what you want but doesn’t show them what you can deliver. It lacks specifics, keywords, and measurable impact.A strong summary, on the other hand, is precise, employer-focused, and backed by proof. It highlights the value you bring, uses language from the job description, and gives the recruiter a reason to keep reading. It frames your story and makes it easy to connect the dots.Below are three examples of how that difference plays out in practice. Let’s start with a weak executive-level example that doesn’t do much heavy lifting:Weak:“Experienced communications professional with a background in media and leadership. Looking for a senior role where I can use my skills and help a company succeed.”Why it’s weak: It’s vague, self-focused, and filled with clichés. The phrases “experienced” and “looking for a senior role” could apply to thousands of candidates. There’s no evidence, no accomplishments, and no sense of what makes this person stand out.Here’s a stronger version of that same summary:Strong:“EVP of Communications with expertise in corporate strategy, media relations, and executive messaging. Proven ability to lead global teams and manage multi-million-dollar campaigns that elevate brand reputation and drive stakeholder engagement. Known for combining strategic vision with hands-on execution to deliver clear, compelling communications in high-stakes environments.”Why it’s strong: It leads with the title, signals seniority, and immediately names core strengths. Notice the use of action-driven phrases like “proven ability” and “known for.” It quantifies scope (global teams, multi-million-dollar campaigns) and shows impact (elevating brand reputation, driving engagement). This frames the candidate as a strategic leader who delivers results.Now let’s look at a career pivot.Weak:“Creative professional with experience in entertainment and production. Looking for a role that leverages my skills in management and strategy.”Why it’s weak: Again, it’s generic and self-focused. “Creative professional” could mean anything. “Looking for a role” tells us nothing about what the applicant can contribute. There’s no connection between past experience and the role they’re targeting.Strong (career pivot):“Creative Executive transitioning to Project Manager. Bringing 10 years of experience leading cross-functional teams with transferable strengths in strategic planning, budget management, and deadline execution. Known for delivering complex projects 15% under budget and improving team efficiency by 20%. Ready to apply proven leadership skills to fast-paced project environments.”Why it’s strong: It names the pivot directly—“transitioning to Project Manager”—and guides the recruiter’s lens. Transferable skills are spelled out, accomplishments are quantified, and the tone is confident. Instead of asking the recruiter to connect the dots, it does the work for them.And here’s how it works for someone just starting out.Weak:“Recent graduate seeking an entry-level position to learn new skills and gain experience.”Why it’s weak: This is purely self-oriented—it tells us what the candidate wants rather than what they offer. There are no specifics, no evidence, and nothing memorable.Strong (objective statement for a recent graduate):“Recent graduate with a B.A. in Communications and hands-on experience in digital media. Completed an internship managing content calendars and boosting engagement by 15%. Eager to bring strong writing skills, fresh ideas, and digital fluency to a growing marketing team.”Why it’s strong: It’s specific (degree + field), offers proof of experience (internship + 15% boost in engagement), and shifts the focus to what the graduate can contribute (skills, ideas, energy). It positions them as ready to add value, not just hoping to gain it.In a job market where recruiters spend seconds scanning resumes, your summary isn’t just an intro—it’s your headline, your hook, and your chance to control the story.Bottom LineA summary is your chance to control the narrative. Just like the way you’re introduced to “Jack” changes how you see him—friend, plumber, or Harvard grad—your summary sets the lens through which recruiters read your entire resume. Without it, they’re left to make snap judgments based on scattered details.Psychology tells us this matters: framing shapes interpretation, schemas guide what people notice, and the brain looks for patterns to confirm its first impression. By writing a focused, employer-centered summary, you’re not just listing skills—you’re directing how your career story gets processed, remembered, and valued.That’s why the summary isn’t filler. It’s strategy.Related Content* Why Am I Not Getting Interviews?* Do Bats Have A Smarter Career Strategy Than You?Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Here are four questions to help you reflect on the value of framing your career story through a resume summary:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comIf you’ve ever dreamed of getting your book published by a traditional publisher, you’ve probably heard the same advice I did: “You need an agent.”Today I’m sharing exactly how I landed mine. The steps I took, what I’d do differently, and the three things I wish I’d known before I started.And if you’re not a writer? Think of this as a playbook for pitching yourself into any big opportunity — a job, a speaking engagement, a creative collaboration — where the answer is almost always “no” unless you make a compelling, strategic case.Step 1: Decide on Your Path — Traditional, Self, or Hybrid PublishingBefore you get too far down the road with writing your book, take a moment to think about which route you want to take to get your work into the hands of your ideal reader. Why does it matter? Because the path shapes every decision that follows — how you write, who you partner with, and how you plan to market. Clarity upfront helps you set realistic expectations and avoid burnout midstream. Here are your three routes:* Traditional Publishing – You sign with a publisher who covers editing, design, distribution, and some marketing. You get credibility and an advance, but the process takes longer and you’ll still carry much of the promotional work.* Self-Publishing – You control the whole process, from editing to cover design to marketing. It’s faster and royalties are higher, but all costs and logistics are on you.* Hybrid Publishing – You pay upfront for professional editing, design, and distribution services while keeping creative control. It blends traditional polish with self-publishing autonomy.I knew I wanted to first go for traditional publishing for two reasons:* Editorial partnership – I wanted to work with a seasoned editor who could help me reach the full potential of this book.* Infrastructure and distribution – While publishers no longer invest heavily in marketing, they do have systems in place that I couldn’t (and didn’t want to) build myself.If I don’t secure a traditional publisher, then I’ll most likely self-publish.Step 2: Prepare Your Proposal (Nonfiction) or Manuscript (Fiction)Nonfiction = proposal. Fiction = full manuscript. That was my first big lesson.Since I’m writing a non-fiction book, I needed a book proposal to send to publishing agents. A book proposal is basically a sales pitch for your book: part summary, part marketing plan, part writing sample. It convinces an agent or publisher to say yes.A publishing agent then submits to publishing houses on my behalf after I’ve done a rewrite of the proposal based on the feedback from the agent.I found free proposal templates online, asked my network for examples, and quickly realized I needed more than a template. I needed accountability, guidance and mentorship. I was in over my head, but had confidence I could swim with some help.I found my book proposal coach through a recommendation and knew after meeting her that she was the right fit. Her name is Patti Hall and I loved her energy, her immediate understanding of my vision and that she had worked with other first-time authors in my genre. We worked together for about nine months both 1:1 and in a group setting.To be transparent: I missed every deadline I set for myself. Writing the proposal was harder than I expected. Without Patti and the group support, I would have quit.Whether you’re writing a proposal or a manuscript, get super honest and clear about what will set you up for success in completing your work and go after it. (I found James Clear’s book Atomic Habits helpful in finding what motivates me: structure and the desire to be an A+ student.)Step 3: Research and Target the Right AgentsOnce I had my book proposal polished, I was ready to find a publishing agent. The two most helpful tools in figuring out which agents to submit to were QueryTracker (it’s free!) and my network. (Check out this blog about the value of “loose” connections in your network — a vast majority of people find help not from their closest connections.)QueryTracker is a subscription app that allows you to search for publishing agents by genre, see who’s open to queries, submit a query based on the agent’s preferences, and track submissions.Every agent has a different process. Some want an email submission with the proposal pasted into the body of the email. Others want it as a Word attachment (not a PDF which I found surprising). Some have a submission form that asks about the subject matter of your book, your social media profile, and your bio. From there, if they’re interested, they’ll request the full proposal.When I researched agents on QueryTracker, I asked myself:* Do they represent books like mine?* Do I connect with their sensibility?Have they recently sold projects in my category?When reaching out to my network, I didn’t discriminate because I had no idea who knew who. I said something like: “I’m looking for a nonfiction publishing agent, open to new authors, who works in the self-help space and might have an affinity for topics that are familiar but with a twist, like career grief.” About a dozen friends, or friends-of-friends, came back with recommendations and generously referred me so I had a soft landing as opposed to a cold email submission.A third tool I used was a bit more pie-in-the-sky, but still valuable. I curated a list of about 20 books that were similar to mine in category, topic, and style, then researched who the publishing agent was for each one. (I both googled for the answer and checked the acknowledgements in the book.) Most of those agents weren’t accepting query letters at the time, but I don’t regret the exercise.Step 4: Personalize Your Query LettersDon’t spray and pray. Personalization matters.I spent 20–30 minutes on each letter, even with a template that I created. I researched every agent and customized my pitch to reflect their recent deals or stated interests.Yes, I made mistakes. I once sent an agent I’ll call Taylor Casey a query that began, “Dear Casey” instead of “Dear Taylor.” 🤦🏽‍♀️ In fairness, she does have two first names. I caught it the second I hit send, freaked out, and tried to unsend, but the window closed before I could. I immediately followed up with an apology. To her credit, she wrote back a few days later, very kind, and said it definitely wasn’t the first time someone had called her Casey.I also used LinkedIn to see if I had direct or indirect connections to agents on my list, asking for introductions when I could.A quick run-down of my stats:* 137 total agents identified, but about ⅔ were not accepting submissions* 48 submitted queries over a three week period of time (it took that long to do my homework and personalize all the letters)* 29 non-responses* 15 rejections (14 cited low social media presence, 1 cited the writing)* 4 expressed interestThe non-responses didn’t bother me. Publishing etiquette is refreshingly clear compared to Hollywood: if you don’t hear within their stated window, it’s a pass. Simple. I was also delighted that some agents said that if I received interest to ping them, they would move my submission to the top of the pile.Step 5: Choose Your MatchI know that I was incredibly lucky to have interest from four agents. I met with them and asked:* What is your process? I was looking for someone who would do developmental work with me because I knew I still had so much to learn.* What would be your submission strategy? I was ready to trust them completely — I’ve never taken a book proposal out and had no interest in second-guessing an expert. That said, I love to learn, and strategy is my jam.* What creative notes do you have? This was the most important question. I wanted to be aligned on the direction of the book so we’d be working in tandem. Their feedback would also influence which editors and houses they targeted.It was a hard choice, but I signed with Jude Marwa at Peters Fraser + Dunlop (PFD) because:* Her creative feedback was sharp and specific* She partnered with a more seasoned agent at PFD in my category for when it came time to build strategy and make submissions* I could see her passion for the project and we have a mutual friend who trusts her implicitly.The truth? All four were amazing and I could not have made a bad decision. Sometimes there’s more than one “right” answer.Three Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started* Logline and bio: Before you dive into the process — whether it’s writing, working with a coach, sending queries, or meeting with agents — take the time to write three versions of your book description: one page, one paragraph, and one sentence. You’ll need this information handy when asking your network for support, submitting to potential agents and as you begin your own promotion.Your bio is just as critical. It’s what your network (and agent) will use when introducing you, what goes into your query, and honestly, what you’ll lean on so you don’t ramble when an agent (or editor) says, “Tell me about yourself.” Like the logline, have long, medium, and short versions ready.* Comparable titles are critical: Agents and publishers want to know where your book fits on the shelf. This means recent comps (within five years) that show market demand and leave space for your unique angle.* Expect the weather to change: Some days you’ll be stuck, blocked, or ready to quit. The clouds pass. The sun comes out. Clouds come back. The sun comes back.The Career Strategy Trojan HorseOn the surface, today’s post is about getting a literary agent. But the same principles apply to any ambitious career move:* Clarify your goal and path before you start pitching* Do the research so you’re aiming at the right opportunities* Get expert support to accelerate your learning curve* Personalize your pitch to the decision-maker* Accept rejection as data, not a verdict* Choose partners for fit, not flashBuilding my career as an author isn’t separate from my work as a coach, speaker, or workshop facilitator — it’s part of the same arc. I’m still growing, still pitching, still weathering the “no’s” and following the “yeses.”I’ll keep sharing the behind-the-scenes because I know so many of you are on your own long, winding road toward a big goal. We can be in it together!Bottom LineGetting a literary agent is a mix of persistence, strategy, and luck — but it’s also a mirror for any big career leap. Decide on your path, do the homework, keep pitching through the weather, and trust that the right partner will show up when preparation and opportunity intersect.This space isn’t just about reading—it’s about growing. Join the Moonshot Mentor community of paid subscribers and receive journal prompts that help you reflect, process, and move forward with clarity.Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Here are four questions to help you reflect on your own “publishing path” — whether that’s a book, a career move, or another big opportunity:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com“How do I get my resume past the robots and into the hands of an actual human?”This is one of the most common questions I hear. It’s a little ironic considering how people are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help write their resumes and cover letters, only to have them screened by another form of AI: the Applicant Tracking System (ATS).If you’ve ever hit “submit” and wondered if your application disappeared into a black hole, you’re not imagining things. ATS software is now standard at almost every company, from startups to the Fortune 500.But First, What Is ATS?ATS stands for applicant tracking system. Simply put, it’s software that stores, organizes, and sorts resumes. Instead of reading every application by hand, recruiters search the ATS database for top candidates using keywords from the job description.As soon as you apply, your resume lands in a database that the ATS screens for search terms recruiters type in. That’s where those annoying keywords come in—they’re actually very, very important. Think of them as the ATS equivalent of a secret handshake. Without them, your resume may never even surface from the black hole of the database.According to Jobscan’s State of the Job Search 2025 report, 99.7% of recruiters use keyword filters in their ATS to narrow the applicant pool.But Whyyyyy Do Companies Use ATS?Of course, it’s about speed and efficiency. Most ATS platforms are AI-powered, and if they’re not yet, they will be soon. The volume of job applications alone makes these platforms essential—according to Glassdoor, an average corporate job posting attracts about 250 applications, yet only 4–6 people get called for an interview.Companies use ATS because it can:* Screen resumes automatically for keywords and qualifications, so recruiters don’t have to read every single one.* Schedule interviews or send updates to candidates—like that dreaded “thanks but no thanks” email that somehow lands in your inbox minutes after you hit submit.* Rank candidates based on a match score—basically, a percentage rating of how closely your resume matches the job description based on keywords, skills, and qualifications. The higher your match score, the more likely you are to be seen.* Provide hiring data that helps companies make faster decisions and track the progress of their recruiting.This can be great for efficiency, but it also means strong candidates can get overlooked simply because their resume wasn’t formatted or worded in a way the system recognized.Think of it like grocery shopping: you might have the best cereal in the store, but no one will find it if it’s sitting in the beverage aisle.Hard truth: As a job seeker, you need to use the language of the screeners so you can get to the hiring manager. Taking five minutes to learn the quirks of ATS will reap big rewards.Eight Keys to Beat the Bots1. Apply only if you’re truly qualified: ATS filters are ruthless. If you don’t meet most of the core requirements, your resume may be down-ranked before a recruiter ever sees it. Focus on roles that align closely with your skills and experience so you don’t use up your valuable energy customizing your resume for a role that’s not really a match.2. Mirror the job title exactly: Jobscan analyzed 2.5 million resumes and found that those with the exact job title from the posting were 10.6x more likely to get an interview. Place the title in your resume headline. If you’re pivoting, try: Transitioning to [Job Title] to show alignment without overpromising.3. Use keywords strategically: This is a balancing act—you don’t want it to look like you grabbed the top skills and qualifications from the job description and crammed them into your resume. If it feels forced, recruiters will pass over you. Instead, weave them in naturally where they actually fit your experience.4. Spell it out—and abbreviate: This is super simple compared to keywords. Include both the full term and the acronym so you’re covered. For example: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This way you’re insured that the ATS filters can see both.5. Add a skills section: This will go right underneath your summary and will make it easy for both AI and a human to see what you’re skilled at rather than parsing through every bullet point of your work experience.6. Choose an ATS-friendly format: Stick with chronological (most recent role first) or hybrid (skills section on top, work history below). Avoid functional resumes. Unfortunately, ATS systems often misread them because they skip dates and detailed job history.7. Keep the formatting clean: Think “classic black dress,” not “sequined jumpsuit.” Your goal is to make it easy for both the ATS and a human to read. That means:* No headers or footers for important details* No columns, tables, graphics, images, or symbols* Stick to standard headings: Summary, Skills, Work Experience, Education, Certifications* Use fonts like Calibri, Garamond, Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia* Keep your dates consistent (Dec 2024 or December 2024—pick one and stick with it)* Don’t cheat your margins — you’re not sneaking extra words past anyone8. Use the right file type: When in doubt, submit a Word document (.docx) unless the posting explicitly says PDF. Some ATS platforms read PDFs perfectly; others strip out text or formatting.The Bottom LineThink of an ATS-friendly resume as dressing for the occasion: the core “you” stays the same, but the outfit changes depending on the role.When I recently hired someone, I saw firsthand how quickly strong candidates can be filtered out if they didn’t follow these basics and I didn’t even use ATS. Once you make it past the system, your magic will shine through in the conversation with a human.Our goal is to get you there by using the simple Eight Key to Beat the Bots.Paid Moonshot Mentor PerksMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.Bonus for Paid Subscribers: The first three people to DM me their resume will receive personalized feedback on how to ATS-customize it for a real job posting. I’ll share the original and my feedback on Substack and LinkedIn (anonymized, if you prefer), and I’ll also send the feedback directly to you.And here are 4 journal prompts to help you think more deeply about how you present yourself on paper—and how to make sure both humans and ATS systems see your strengths.This space isn’t just about reading—it’s about growing. Join the Moonshot Mentor community of paid subscribers and receive journal prompts that help you reflect, process, and move forward with clarity.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comDon’t waste a good failure. It can become the blueprint for your best practices.If you’re anything like me, you’ve beaten yourself up when something didn’t go the way you had hoped, planned, or dreamed. But self-blame isn’t a strategy. It’s a trap.A real strategy is learning how to assess what went wrong and why. From there, you can build new practices to reduce the risk of failing for the same reason.Case StudyWhen I met with an A-list actor, let’s call him Ricardo, I was smitten. He was charming, charismatic, and had a compelling vision for the project that brought us together. And to be transparent, I was also longing to produce a film with a little high-profile pizzazz.This was during the height of my career as an independent producer, pre-Covid, pre-lock-down. And frankly, I was wowed and intimidated by the Bel Air Hotel where we met for coffee — he was staying there while promoting his latest film.Eight months later, I counted up all the hours of sweat equity: reading and meeting with writers, negotiating rights deals and partnership agreements, creative work sessions, a ton of research, and endless hand-holding since Ricardo was new to the world of producing. Aaannnd I realized we were spinning our wheels. The partnership on this project was failing to produce real results.Failure, Loss, Mistake—Oh My.So it’s not like this was the first time something like that has happened to me or anybody else. Projects fall apart all the time. Historically, though, I would internalize the feeling of being a failure and then try to outrun it by working harder.What needed to happen was redefining my relationship with failure so that it didn’t own me. So I didn’t keep avoiding risks, resisting change or playing small.How did I do this? Well, the first step I took was to understand the differences between failures, mistakes, and losses because they are not the same or interchangeable.Failure is about outcomes. You aimed for something and didn’t reach it. It might involve missteps, but it can also involve forces outside your control like systems, timing, bias, budget cuts, industry shifts. Life.Mistakes are about action. A decision didn’t pan out. A miscalculation. A wrong turn. Mistakes are usually unintentional and often repairable. They're part of learning, not a verdict on your worth.Loss is about absence. Something ended, changed, disappeared, or was taken away. You might feel sadness or grief because something meaningful is now gone.We mix these up all the time.You get laid off (loss) and tell yourself it’s because you weren’t good enough (failure).You make a decision that doesn’t work out (mistake) and convince yourself you’ll never succeed (failure).You aim for something and miss the mark (failure) and then feel like something important has been taken from you (loss).Turning Failures Into Best PracticesWhen a clear outcome doesn’t happen—when a project falls apart, a deal doesn’t close, or a plan doesn’t work—do a post-mortem. That just means taking time to reflect and gain deeper insight into what happened. In practice, you might ask yourself:* What went well, and why?* What didn’t, and why?* What beliefs or assumptions led me (or us) here?* What would I do the same?* What would I do differently next time?Focusing on data over feelings is how failure becomes useful. The feelings fuel our curiosity and drive us to dig for facts.The key to reducing future risk is identifying what you’ve learned and turning it into a best practice.Post Ricardo: What I LearnedWhen I did a proper post mortem post Ricardo, here’s what I took away:* What went well: The process of reading and meeting with writers. It was comprehensive, thoughtful, and played to both our strengths—Ricardo and I both enjoy reading and having creative conversations. We reviewed over 50 writers and met with 5, which gave us a wide range of perspectives and ideas.* What didn’t go well: Choosing a writer. We weren’t aligned on how much experience the writer needed to develop, sell, write, and produce the project. We had different expectations.* What assumptions got in the way: I assumed Ricardo was more knowledgeable about the development process and that it can take time to find the right creative match. Ricardo, on the other hand, had a tight timeline to lock in a writer before starting production on a big action film that would take him out for several months. He also misunderstood the role of the writer, expecting them to simply execute his vision. At one point, he even asked, “Why do they all have different ideas?”* What I’d do the same: I’d keep the process of researching, reading, and meeting with writers. It was efficient, comprehensive, and well-received—agents and managers told us they appreciated the quick turnarounds and clear communication.What I’d do differently boils down to two lessons—each now a best practice.First, I’d establish what’s known in coaching as a designed alliance: taking unspoken expectations and making them explicit from the start. (Here’s a blog on how to design an alliance). This helps set the partnership up for success. For example: let’s use email rather than text for communication, no interrupting during creative meetings, and let’s agree on a clear, written vision for the project before meeting with writers. New best practice: create a designed alliance from the start.Second, I realized I got excited about the opportunity to work with a high-profile actor and ignored the part of me that wasn’t truly excited about the creative concept itself. New best practice: I have to feel at least 80% passionate about the project, not just the person attached to it.How to Frame Best PracticesWhen you create best practices, framing matters. Language rooted in positive intent is easier to remember, act on and has the most impact.For example: Instead of saying, “Don’t forget to pick up ice,” say, “Remember to pick up ice.”Studies show our brains process affirmative direction more easily. The same applies to our work.A best practice like “Don’t work with project managers who are difficult” is vague and fear-based. But “Partner with collaborators who respect boundaries and timelines” is clear, empowering, and actionable.Bottom LineRemember where we started: Don’t waste a good failure.It’s easy to slip into self-blame (or blame others) when things don’t go the way we hoped, planned, or dreamed. But when we take time to reflect, examine what happened, and name what we’ve learned, failure becomes a powerful tool. Not a verdict about your talent, idea, competency or capability.Building a set of best practices that reflect your values, your wisdom, and your growth doesn’t just protect you from future failures, it creates more room for creativity, better decisions, and long-term resilience.This space isn’t just about reading—it’s about growing. Join the Moonshot Mentor community of paid subscribers and receive journal prompts that help you reflect, process, and move forward with clarity.Perks for Paid SubscribersMoonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comWondering why you're not landing job interviews?I recently hired a social media manager and digital strategist as an independent contractor. I reviewed more than 80 applications, interviewed 8 candidates, and ultimately selected someone who was a strong values and skills match for my business.Along the way, I saw patterns: small but avoidable mistakes that knocked people out of the running, and thoughtful choices that made others stand out.Whether you’re job-hunting, freelancing, or just curious about what really happens behind the scenes, here’s what I learned from the other side of the table.The SetupI originally posted the job on LinkedIn with a link to a Google form and a full job description. I kept it up for about a week. I chose not to use other job sites because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of learning the back end of a different platform. I was also hoping people in my LinkedIn network would share the post and that I’d get a few solid referrals.Within 48 hours of the initial post, I got one direct email from someone who knew me, one referral from a colleague, and one blind application. A good start, but I wanted to be more thorough.So I widened the search by creating a “real” job post on LinkedIn. What I didn’t realize is that LinkedIn charges ninety dollars per day to post. They gave me three days free, but as a small business owner, I wasn’t going to spend ninety dollars a day just to keep the listing active.Luckily, within two days of the “real” job posting, I had eighty applications. That felt like plenty.What I Found From Reviewing 80 ApplicationsHonestly, I was super excited to dive into the applications. I was especially thrilled to see submissions from all over the world—Bangladesh, France, India, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, and the United States.Most of the applications came in during the first 24 hours. After 72 hours, a few stragglers trickled in and while I did skim the late ones, I’ll admit I had already mentally moved forward. Timing matters.Out of the eighty applicants, I narrowed the list by half and shared those files with my brand manager. She helped me get even more honest about what I actually needed and held me accountable to the criteria we set at the start.We eventually set up eight interviews. It felt like a lot, but I wanted to give anyone who seemed like a genuine match a real chance.Here’s what helped applicants stand out during the review process:🟢 Clear portfolios that included a case study: The strongest candidates didn’t just drop links. They walked me through the work. A few shared mini case studies that showed how they helped a client overcome a challenge, what they contributed, and what the outcome was. That level of detail made it easier for me to picture what they’d be like as a collaborator.🟢 Design sensibility: Because this was a social media and digital strategy role, I was paying close attention to layout, visuals, tone, and clarity. While I recognize people can adapt their style to the client, I wanted to make sure their inherent sensibility aligned for me.🟢 Answering the questions in the application: It was evident which people took the time to answer thoughtfully while a handful gave responses that felt rushed or vague.And here’s what raised flags:🔴 Links to portfolios that didn’t work: About a quarter of applicants had portfolio links that didn’t work, or applicants asked me to email them for access to their portfolios. I did take the extra step for the few people whose resumes intrigued me, but ultimately I felt like they should have the ability to provide a link without me taking an extra step.🔴 25 percent weren’t actually qualified: There are some companies that say in their job posting: “Apply even if you’re not a perfect fit.” I get that they want to help people move beyond imposter syndrome so they can find the best candidates. But when someone’s experience was too far off from what I needed, it just created noise.🔴 AI-generated portfolios that missed the mark: I use AI myself, so I both appreciate the efficiency it creates and I recognize the telltale signs. Four of the applicants appeared to have quickly assembled portfolios using AI tools without any real direction or originality. The result? Work that didn’t make sense, had factual mistakes, or just didn’t align with the role.🔴 Hourly rates far outside my posted range: I included an hourly rate range in the job description and asked candidates to share their typical rate to make sure we were on the same page. About ten applicants listed rates way outside my budget. I didn’t move forward with them or review their materials in depth.From there, it was time to meet the people behind the resumes and portfolios to see how they showed up in real-time.What I Learned From the InterviewsWe scheduled thirty-minute Zoom interviews with the eight candidates. The structure was simple: about twenty minutes of questions from me and my colleague, followed by ten minutes for them to ask us anything.Here’s what I noticed that made a difference:🟢 Rapport matters: This is a remote role, and we’ll be spending time together on Zoom. If someone had warm, open energy or at least felt grounded and present it helped us connect quickly. When someone came on screen with a sour expression or low energy, it took more effort to build trust.🟢 Preparation is a form of respect: One candidate showed up with a short slide deck. She walked us through her process, how she collaborates with clients, and even pitched a few quick ideas based on our job description. It was simple, but it showed initiative and made it easier to imagine working together.🟢 Use your questions to showcase your skills and preferences: One candidate asked about our best practices for communications. They shared that they like to use slack rather than email to check in on project status and priorities. That kind of question not only showed she was thinking ahead, it gave us a preview of what collaboration would feel like.And here’s what raised flags:🔴 Interviewing from public places: One person Zoomed in from a loud café. It made it hard to hear, and it signaled a lack of care. For a remote role, you’ve got to treat the interview space as part of your professional presence.🔴 Generic or scripted questions: We always left time for the candidates to ask us questions, and it was easy to tell who was genuinely curious versus who had Googled “top 10 questions to ask in an interview.” One person asked about professional development opportunities which is fine, but it felt disconnected from a part-time, remote independent contractor role.🔴 Time zone confusion: One person didn’t realize we were in different time zones and we had to reschedule late into the process. It wasn’t the end of the world, but for a remote-first role, that kind of detail matters.Choosing just one person wasn’t easy. Most of the candidates we interviewed were thoughtful, prepared, and brought a wide range of strengths.Why We Hired the Person We HiredThe person we eventually hired didn’t check every single box on the job description. In fact, she was missing one key piece of experience. But the rest of her application, and the fact that she came in as a referral, made us curious to meet her. And when we did, she knocked it out of the ballpark.We had immediate rapport. She was specifically excited about the role because of the nature of my work and where I am in my social media journey. She saw an opportunity to grow with me and to shine. We talked openly about the experience gap, and she shared an example of how she had taught herself something similar in the past. She also spoke clearly about what sets her up for success and what makes her grumpy. That kind of insight is gold.In the end, the deciding factor was the learning curve. The other finalists were missing skills that would take more time to develop, and for this particular role, I needed someone who could hit the ground running.Final ThoughtsSo if you have ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes, now you know. It’s such thoughtful, messy, human work on both sides. Here’s how I was diligent on my side:* Be kind and responsive. It was important to keep the process human and treat people like people and not robots.* Be clear about what I needed before the interviews began. I get that it takes a lot of time and energy to apply so my clarity was important for all of us involved to find the right match.* Follow-up. Everyone I interacted with was professional and simply wanted to know the outcome. I responded to each person individually via email.Things to know when you’re applying:* If you have at least eighty percent of the skills, apply. Be honest about your gaps and be specific about how you would approach them.* On the flip side, don’t apply just for the heck of it or because “you never know.” Be intentional so you don’t burn out.* Bring your unique energy and presence. It truly matters.* Take the time to prepare thoughtful questions. Your curiosity is part of your pitch.* Apply even if you don’t have a referral. Most of the candidates we interviewed were not referrals and they came really close.Behind every job post is a real person trying to solve a real problem. Behind every application is someone raising their hand. Knowing what happens behind the scenes doesn’t fix a stressful process, but it can make it feel a little less personal and a little more navigate-able.This space isn’t just about reading—it’s about growing. Join the Moonshot Mentor community of paid subscribers and receive journal prompts that help you reflect, process, and move forward with clarity.Journal PromptsHere are three journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. If you are job-seeking or thinking about your next move, these questions can help you get clear about what you want and how you want to show up in the process.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comThere comes a point when waiting for the “right time” turns into never.Maybe you’ve been meaning to pivot to a more meaningful career path, but every time you try to shift gears, golden handcuffs or self-doubt pull you back. Maybe you’ve been longing to go after a leadership role, but imposter syndrome has held you back. Maybe you’ve always wanted to start your own business, but the steady paycheck or fear of instability kept you from taking the leap.Pursuing long-held dreams is rarely convenient, but reclaiming them can be an act of courage, alignment, and self-expression.I’ve been putting off my dream of writing a book for decades. First, I got derailed by my Hollywood career, then I wanted to wait for my kids to get older, then I needed to feel financially stable and then I needed to re-organize my book shelf.The truth is that underneath all the legitimate reasons and ridiculous excuses, I kept waiting to be more qualified. Until the hard truth hit me: conditions will never be perfect (and the stove will always need another cleaning) … and my dream will keep knocking until I either go for it or put it to rest forever.What Gets in the WayI know I’m not alone in this. A recent survey found that only 7% of U.S. workers say they’re in their “dream career.” That means 93% of us are not doing what we really want to be doing.So if you’re feeling stuck or like you’ve been sitting on a moonshot idea that hasn’t left the launch pad, you have a lot of company. Here’s why it’s hard:* The inner critic is having a field day and has invited all its friends to stop you in your tracks.* The process of going after your dream feels as opaque and confusing as getting out of one of those escape rooms everyone’s been trying.* You’re used to being the expert and becoming a beginner again makes your stomach and ego churn.* Your time is packed and your energy is stretched.* The fear of failure or “mucking up your life” makes your palms and pits sweat.These emotional and logistical hurdles are real and they’re surmountable.How To Get StartedIn physics, there’s a principle called wave-particle duality. In the simplest terms, it states that light behaves as both a particle and a wave. What that means for us is that two totally opposite states can and do coexist.On one hand we are filled with doubt, confusion, fear, stress, and uncertainty. On the other hand we are confident, clear, brave, resilient, and trusting. Through the power of the word “and” we connect these seemingly disparate experiences in order to take a first step.* The inner critic can be screaming in your face and you send an email.* The process feels opaque and confusing and you can ask someone for guidance.* You’re an expert who relies on the depth of your experience and you’re a beginner who asks smart questions.* Your time and energy are stretched and you reprioritize based on your values.* You fear mucking up your life and you trust that you can navigate challenges and course correct as needed.This is how going after your dream begins: in the tension between fear and courage, doubt and desire, hesitation and hope.My MoonshotSo with the power of “and”, I’m finally writing my book starting with a real book proposal (with sample chapters and all!) represented by the fabulous, smart publishing agent Jude Marwa at the very fancy Peters Fraser + Dunlop agency in London.This is what happened:* My inner gremlins told me I missed my window to learn how to write and I took writing classes.* The process of writing a proposal was absolutely overwhelming and I hired a book coach who gave me samples, read my early drafts and cheered me on.* I’m a former Executive Vice-President who has some very big wins under my belt and I asked a lot of “101” questions of my coach like what’s the difference between an overview and a summary?* My bandwidth was completely tapped and I rejiggered my workout schedule so I exercised at home instead of going to the gym. (Saved me about 4 hours per week!)* I was afraid I’d quit which I did at one point for about six weeks and I trusted that this was a natural part of the process. Also pretty much every writer I know has hit multiple blocks in their careers.Now I can tell the girl who I was at ten, who won an essay contest and who got her picture taken with the mayor of Darien, Illinois, that her dream of writing a book is coming true. One baby step at a time. Bird by bird. (If you haven’t read the Bird by Bird book by Anne LaMott, stop everything and get to your library. Big game changer.)What I’ve Learned So FarA few things I’ve learned as a bonus to the power of “and”:* Never wait until you’re ready. Know that taking that first step will feel like a belly flop, but you got in the pool! * Community matters more than willpower. Get support.* The fear doesn’t really go away, but our relationship with it can change. It’s like when I see a spider. When I was a kid, I would scream. Now I still get the heeby-jeebies, but I can walk on by.The Bottom LinePursuing a dream isn’t about having perfect timing, unshakable confidence, or unlimited bandwidth. It’s about making space for possibility in the midst of real life. The doubts won’t vanish. The dishes will still be in the sink. But if the dream keeps tugging at you, that means it still matters. And you get to begin. Not because you're finally “ready,” but because you're willing to hold the fear and the desire, the resistance and the hope… and take one step anyway.This space isn’t just about reading—it’s about growing. Join the Moonshot Mentor community of paid subscribers and receive journal prompts that help you reflect, process, and move forward with clarity.Journal PromptsHere are journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. Whether your dream is bold and public or quiet and personal, these prompts can you begin.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comEveryone gets triggered.  It’s normal to have a strong emotional response to a situation that violates your values or reminds you of an upsetting time in your life. One of the best ways to manage them is to know your triggers so you trigger less frequently and process quicker.  That being said, you’ll never not be triggered. I know. It sucks. To give you a handle on tackling situations where you're triggered, let's dive into a recent run-in I had with my own perfectionism. This might shed some light on handling the "getting through it" part of managing triggers, especially since mine stretched out over a few days. And it involved a trip to CostCo that got me back on track again. Check out this week’s blog and podcast for more. 

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comIf you’re resonating with what you’re hearing, please consider subscribing. What’s that mean?🙌🏾  You’ll receive regular emails (with lots of heart and a bit of humor) that share a tool or insight from my coaching practice.🙌🏾  Typically the blog and podcast will have a question at the end to provoke thought that supports you in your growth.🙌🏾  Updates on offerings, free stuff, recommendations, referrals.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comDo you know someone who’s lost their groove and needs a little push to get it back? I would greatly appreciate it if you could kindly share this episode with them. 🙏If you’re resonating with what you’re hearing, please consider subscribing. What’s that mean?🙌🏾  Updates on offerings, free stuff, recommendations, referrals.🙌🏾  You’ll receive regular emails (with lots of heart and a bit of humor) that share a tool or insight from my coaching practice.🙌🏾  Typically the email will have a question at the end to provoke thought that supports you in your growth.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comI’ve been facing a hard truth recently that situations are rarely 100% awesome. In fact most of the time the good and the not-so-good coexist … and seem quite content to be that way.  I, of course, am constantly striving to make everything awesome and perfect … and that creates not just tension, but emotional pain.  In this week’s blog and podcast, I share a concept, “hugging the bear,” that has helped me embrace this discomfort and find a path forward.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comFeeling stuck on a passion project? Learn why momentum stalls and how to regain clarity, confidence, and direction.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comLost your job? Don’t rush into updating your resume or applying for anything and everything. In this post, I share a grounded three-step approach to recovering from career setbacks: spirit, strategy, and then tactics. Learn how to process the emotional impact, realign with your values, and take meaningful action. Includes a real-life story of a career pivot done right. If you’re navigating job loss, this is a clear and compassionate place to start.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comStruggling to stay motivated mid-year? This podcast breaks down the difference between motivation and willpower, helping you reset your goals and regain momentum during the June slump.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com“I chose to leave. So why do I feel so sad?”It’s something I hear often from clients—people who walked away on their own terms. Retirement. A buyout. A planned exit.And yet… something feels off.  There’s a heaviness they didn’t expect. A version of themselves they miss.When a decision is logical, even strategic, it’s hard to make space for the grief that can still follow.  But that doesn’t mean the grief isn’t real.  And it doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice.This carousel explores why we can feel so much after leaving a role—even when it was our decision. If this speaks to you, I hope it helps you name what’s been quietly waiting to be acknowledged.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comStruggling with a stalled dream or delayed career goal? This post explores the emotional toll of unmet timelines, why grief can show up even when your dream is still alive, and how to process frustration, sadness, and stuckness with clarity and intention. Learn how to mourn outdated beliefs, reconnect with your purpose, and take meaningful steps forward—even when the path feels uncertain.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comAt some point, most of us hit a stretch in our career where grit and solo problem-solving just aren’t enough.If you’re anything like me, you’ve read the books. Listened to the podcasts. Whiteboarded the options. But the clarity, direction, or momentum still feels out of reach.That’s when support—the right kind of support—can change everything.But not all help is created equal.Sometimes you need a coach to help you hear your own voice again.Sometimes you need a mentor who’s walked the path and can point out the pitfalls.Sometimes you need a consultant who can cut through complexity and offer a plan.👉 In this week’s blog podcast, I break down the difference between each—and how to know what you actually need.You’ll also find the exact questions I recommend asking before hiring someone, and how I wear all three hats as a career strategist (depending on what the moment calls for).If you’re navigating a turning point—career grief, a leap into leadership, or a shift in what success means to you—this might help you figure out what kind of support will truly move the needle.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.comI’ve always loved working hard. But lately, I’ve started questioning whether the way I work is actually working for me. I explore the difference between ambition and workaholism and three strategies I’m testing to shift my relationship with productivity, purpose, and rest.