Is Fear Your Real Boss? 😱

I used to think something was wrong with me.

That I just hadn’t figured it out...that magical formula for getting ahead, staying ahead, and building a life where unexpected bills didn’t feel like a personal crisis.

It wasn’t just me either. My parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, we all lived in survival mode. Never quite drowning, never quite safe. Always hoping this time would be different. That this time, it wouldn’t all fall apart.

And when it did fall apart again? I blamed myself. We all did.

Because that’s what the system taught us to do.

It took me a long time to realize the problem wasn’t me.

It wasn’t my work ethic or some missing money lesson.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying hard enough.

Turns out, the system actually depends on people like us being stuck in survival mode.

Afraid to make a change.

Afraid to slow down.

Afraid to ask for something better, because what if that somehow made it worse?

And it doesn’t matter if you work for someone else or run your own business.

Fear still finds a way to run the show.

What would work feel like if fear wasn’t calling the shots?

What if keeping a roof over your head didn’t mean settling for work that slowly drains the life out of you?

What if paying for health insurance, or just being able to afford a trip to the doctor, didn’t require you to stay in a job that leaves you sick in other ways?

What if you didn’t have to skip the dentist or ration your prescriptions just to keep the lights on?

What if enjoying your life—your actual life—didn’t have to come with guilt?

What if spending time with your family wasn’t something you had to “earn” by pulling extra hours or saying yes to one more soul-sucking project?

What if rest wasn’t reserved for people with trust funds or employer-sponsored benefits?

What would it look like to make decisions from a place of clarity instead of panic?

What if “making it” didn’t mean sacrificing everything that makes you feel human?

This isn’t about being dramatic.

This is the quiet, daily negotiation so many of us are stuck in.

And it’s costing us more than money.

I don’t have a perfect answer.

But I know this question matters.

Not as a cute mindset shift.

Not as a motivational poster.

As a reminder that you’re allowed to want more than survival.

And you’re not wrong for being tired of pretending you’re fine.

So yeah. Let’s ask it one more time.

What would work feel like if fear wasn’t your boss?

You might not have the full answer yet.

But even asking the question means something’s waking up in you.

Something that refuses to settle.

Something that knows you were never meant to live your whole life in survival mode.

You don’t have to burn it all down tomorrow.

You just have to stop pretending this is good enough.

Small shifts count.

Quiet revolutions start this way.

Holding space for your quiet rebellion,

📎 PS

If you're sitting with all this and wondering what to do next, I made something that might help.

It’s called Work That Loves You Back.

It’s for the version of you that’s been quietly wondering if there’s another way to work—one that doesn’t come at the cost of your health, your peace, or your sanity.

🖤 Check it out here if you’re curious

No pressure. Just when you're ready.

📎 PPS

If this hit a little deeper than usual, you’re not imagining it.

There’s something new taking shape behind the scenes... it's the Ink & Ether Society.

It’s a slower, more intentional space for women who are done measuring their worth by how much they can push through. Real talk. Useful tools. Conversations that don’t look away from the hard stuff.

More soon. Just know, if this email stirred something in you, you’re exactly who the Ink & Ether Society is being created for.

Feeling the Burn(out)? Start Here!

If you’ve been feeling like work is draining more than it’s giving—this page is your reset button.

It’s a quiet rebellion against hustle culture, burnout, and success that costs too much.

👉 Success Without Burnout

Pass it on!

If this hit home, don’t keep it to yourself.

Forward it to a friend, a colleague, or that one person you always have the real conversations with—the ones about burnout, survival mode, and wondering if this is all there is.

The more of us asking better questions, the harder it gets for the system to keep pretending everything’s fine.

Why You're Getting This

At some point, you signed up to hear from me—maybe for business insights, maybe through a workshop or digital product. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

These emails are where I share the stuff that doesn’t always make it into a blog or course...the truth beneath the surface, and the shifts that make things more human, not just more productive.

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But if it is your thing? Stick around. The more the merrier.