Where your energy goes shapes everything
There’s a pattern I keep noticing in my work with leaders.
Not just at the beginning of a new year – but especially when someone is standing at the edge of something new.
A new role.
A new venture.
A difficult process.
An uncertain next chapter.
What I don’t see is a lack of intelligence, strategy, or preparation.
What I do see is how quickly energy gets pulled into rehearsing what could go wrong.
The mind starts running scenarios:
What if this doesn’t work?
What if I’m not taken seriously?
What if I’ve lost my edge?
What if this goes sideways?
On the surface, this can feel responsible – even wise.
Like we’re preparing. Covering our bases.
But over time, something subtle happens.
So much energy gets spent protecting against what might go wrong that there’s very little left for what wants to emerge.
Because that answer shapes far more than the moment itself.
It informs how we respond when things get complex.
And how we carry ourselves afterward.
I was reminded of this recently in a very human conversation.
Someone I was speaking with was furious about her current circumstances.
She had every reason to be upset – and she was spending enormous energy reinforcing why she was right.
At one point, I asked gently:
Do you want to keep using your energy to prove you’re right – or do you want to move forward?
Because here’s what we often forget: We only have so much energy.
And when it’s spent in fear, anger, justification, or defensiveness, it’s no longer available for where we’re going.
Less fuel in the tank doesn’t stop the journey – it just makes it longer and more exhausting than it needs to be.
That’s why I’m far less interested in what might hold us back and far more interested in what wants to pull us forward.
For me, this year is about amplification – on every level.
Amplifying my work.
Amplifying my reach.
Amplifying what I offer.
And just as importantly:
who I am in the process.
As you read this, I’m in the middle of a training designed to stretch me – three months in a row, traveling, refining, sharpening what I bring into the world.
I know it will amplify my work.
But what matters just as much is how I grow as a human through it.
Because no matter the outcome, who we become stays with us.
And so as we step into a new year, I keep returning to a pivotal question:
Who do I want to be on the other side of this year?
Not just in terms of results – but in terms of capacity.
More grounded.
More discerning about where my energy goes.
More able to meet challenge without abandoning myself.
And then – the question widens:
Who do you want to be while you’re moving toward what you want?
Because when we orient toward that,
energy stops leaking into fear and “what ifs” – and becomes available for clarity, creativity, and forward movement.
That shift changes everything.
To an incredible year ahead.
P.S. If this reflection resonates – if you feel yourself standing at the edge of something new – I want to share something close to my heart.
This April (April 24–26), I’m hosting our Spring Women’s Executive Retreat, and we have just a few spots remaining. (We’ll also be gathering again in September which is currently full!)
It’s a small, intentional space for extraordinary women – leaders, founders, executives – who carry a lot, and are ready for more spaciousness, clarity, and alignment in how they live and lead.
Not a retreat to fix yourself.
Not a retreat to hustle harder.
But a place to step out of the noise, recalibrate your energy, and reconnect with who you’re becoming – alongside women who get it.
If you feel called, I’d love to have you.
And if someone comes to mind as you read this – someone who would truly thrive in this kind of space – please feel free to pass it along.
👉 Learn more here: April 24–26 Women’s Executive Retreat
