Have you ever met up with someone you knew a long time ago and realized that even though things have changed so much for you, very little has changed at all?

I had this exact feeling this week when I connected with a client I worked with over a decade ago. I noticed that even though our businesses (and personal lives) have changed and iterated over time, the work we were doing was more focused and distilled. Not different. Honed.

Because you have always been you. I have always been me. Through the challenges and privileges, through the pivots and growth, there is a throughline — an essence — that never changes.

I recently taught a Brand Statement workshop for a community of business owners and the exercises I gave them weren’t always business-specific. As the CEO and driving force behind your business, your job is to hone your vision — and friend, that is really introspective work. It’s an actionable combination of your values, services, and perspective.

And once you have it — whew! — you can use that Brand Statement (or Manifesto) to guide your content strategy, services, launch style, client containers, hiring practices, and so much more. It becomes a talisman you can pass on to your team, a guiding light on the dark days, a direction that navigates beyond the day-to-day.

So in the spirit of transparency, this time instead of sharing a list of To Dos…I’ll share mine.

My Brand Statement / Manifesto
I believe in the power of you.

You were born into this world to effect positive change. Simply by breathing, by showing up, by trying your best — you are valued and valuable.

Best is not static.
Life is not static.
Business is not static.
Everything is iterative.

Your work in this world — your magic — is unique. No one can do what you do, the way that you do it.

I believe in eagle/mouse vision, a long-term compass that directs short-term action.

Slow intentionality is beautiful. Do not let the racing heartbeat of capitalism insist that your pace is not fast enough, not successful enough, not enough. You are enough.

Your actions count. And if the next action is too big, too overwhelming, make it smaller. Smaller again. Try that.

Create ripples of change inside your strategy.

Choose real self-care — look at your numbers, have the hard conversation, take care of Future You — even when you don’t want to.

Rest with your whole self. And when you’re done, get up and try again.

Ask for help. Find support that believes in your capabilities and will hold you to realistic standards when you don’t.

Do not lose yourself to your business nor cut yourself off from it. This is Love & Badassery. All your care, all your quirks. All your compassion, all your boundaries.

I believe in the power of you. Everything else is design.