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Hey Bootstrapper,

Tired of business advice that doesn't feel like...YOU? This newsletter is your permission slip to build your business on your own terms...let's dive in!

It feels like it's been a minute, hasn't it?! But like seriously...going back to monthly emails was a great decision for me and my ebb and flowing energy levels.

Speaking of ebb and flow, can we talk about something I've been experimenting with lately? Unlearning urgency.

You know that immediate panic you feel when someone emails you and you haven't responded within 2.5 seconds? Yeah, that one. I've been actively challenging myself NOT to email people back right away, and honestly? It's been revolutionary (and also, very freaking hard!!).

But here's what I've discovered: The world doesn't actually end when I don't respond to emails immediately. Wild, right?

This whole "instant response" culture is just another example of all the hustle culture BS that we've been force-fed.

We've learned that being available 24/7 makes us more professional, more dedicated, more worthy of success.

Plot twist: It doesn't. It just makes us more exhausted.

So here's my challenge to you (and myself): Let's give ourselves permission to respond when we have the mental space, not when our phone buzzes.

What if we normalized business hours that actually work for our lives?

I've also spent the past month tuning out the voices of others – you know, the ones telling me I should do X, Y, and Z to get "the results." Even the ones I like! Want to know why I stopped listening? Because only YOU know what actually works for you.

Sure, others can help you uncover things about yourself and help you learn to use your own intuition (shoutout to my latest discovery: using AI to talk through ideas – game changer!). But at the end of the day, your business needs to work for YOUR life. Using someone else's blueprint isn't always the answer!

Speaking of things that finally make sense, I got some pretty life-changing validating news recently. I'm officially an AuDHDer. I've suspected I was neurospicy for a while now, but getting the actual diagnosis feels incredible. I'm a Level 1 Autistic and I have Moderate ADHD (more inattentive than hyperactive, according to my assessment doctor).
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And you know what? It explains SO MUCH about why traditional business advice has never quite worked for me. Why the "just wake up at 5 AM and hustle" mentality made me want to throw up.

Maybe you've felt this, too?! Like all the business advice out there was written for someone else...

Maybe someone who doesn't have kids, who doesn't have a brain that works differently, or someone who doesn't value rest and boundaries.

Here's what I know for sure: Doing things differently isn't just okay – it's the ONLY way we're going to create the change we need as women business owners.

We can't keep following the same playbook that was written by and for people who don't share our values, our challenges, or our goals. We need to write our own damn rules.

And sometimes that means taking time off for a mostly DIY home renovation that's currently consuming my life (hello, living in construction chaos while trying to run a business – anyone else been there?).

Sometimes it means preparing for summer with kids home and planning that dream trip to Scotland because life is meant to be LIVED, not just trying to survive between networking calls.

Sometimes it means transitioning your business model because you've outgrown what you used to offer, and that's not failure – that's evolution.

The boss babe, bro marketers who love hustle culture might tell you this is "unprofessional" or "unfocused." I'm here to tell you it's called being human.

And humans? We don't operate at peak performance 24/7. We have seasons. We have life happening around our businesses. We have brains that work differently and energy that ebbs and flows.

So, in case you needed it, I'm giving you permission to:

• Take longer to respond to emails
• Say no to opportunities that don't excite you anymore
• Pivot your business when it stops serving you
• Take breaks without guilt
• Do business in a way that actually works for YOUR life

Because here's the secret ingredient they don't want you to know: When you stop trying to fit into someone else's business model and start building one that actually works for you, that's when you become UNIGNORABLE.

Not because you're hustling harder, but because you're showing up as authentically, unapologetically YOU.

And trust me, there's nothing more powerful than a woman who knows exactly who she is and isn't afraid to show it.

Now, excuse me while I go figure out which room gets the next colour transformation (because beige is banned in this house).