Ever had someone close to you ask for a "friends & family discount" on something you worked hard to build?

That small ask hits a lot harder than any cold rejection ever could.

This is part 2 of the advanced copy EG got of Jay Schwedelson's book, "Stupider People Have Done It" ... while reading it she kept finding herself in the pages in a "well, that explains a lot" kind of way.

There's 3 more reasons the voice stopping you was never yours to begin with.

Inside this episode:

→ EG shares how she did so well it got her fired & what that actually proves about smart vs. consistent

→ Why 20 years of industry experience is more qualified than an "expert" marketer without it

→ The milestone EG hit that should have felt like winning & why it felt like absolutely nothing

→ What all 6 of these reasons have in common & where they actually came from

After this one you'll recognize the nagging voice in your head & realize it was never yours to begin with.

You can follow along by reading this newsletter

Links & Resources

→ Stupider People Have Done It by Jay Schwedelson — pre-order now (drops June 9th — all proceeds go to kick cancer's @$$)

→ Read part 1 — the first 3 reasons why "Stupider People Have Done It" & YOU haven't.

Other newsletter issues referenced ...

→ Why learning more doesn't create the confidence you're looking for

→ On building it your way — even when someone else seems better positioned

→ On getting scammed — & what it taught me about value

→ Connect with EG on LinkedIn

Ever started a project & realized somewhere in the middle that you've been working on the wrong thing entirely?

Not wrong as in bad.

Wrong as in … out of order.

& now you're the one holding the bag.

Let's look at:

→ What a window of dry weather & a pile of razor-sharp metal sheeting has to do with how you sequence your client work

→ The email engagement that's 3 weeks in … with no emails written yet & whyit's the right call

→ Where "AI slop" actually comes from (hint: it's not really about AI)

→ The list of things that look like Step 1 but aren't even close

→ The question that immediately changes the quality of your work

You'll look at every deliverable on your plate a little differently.

In a good way.

Read along with the newsletter.

Let's connect on LinkedIn.

Email me about topics & guests you'd like to hear ... [email protected]

Ever feel like you've been staring at the same mess so long you've forgotten there's another direction to face?

Still there. Still loud. Still on the list.

But not in the kitchen window anymore.

Inside this episode:

→ What 45 feet revealed about why repositioning beats fixing almost every time

→ The specific moments in your week where chaos gets more attention than it deserves

→ A deadline that wasn't on anyone's calendar... & what it feels like when the fallback disappears for good

→ The thing we call "being responsible" that's sometimes just fear with better branding

→ Why the better view was a surprise & what that means for the move you keep not making

You'll finish this one feeling something shift a little.

Not fixed. Not solved. Just... aimed somewhere different.

In a good way.

Read along with the newsletter.

Let's connect on LinkedIn.

Email me about topics & guests you'd like to hear ... [email protected]

Have you ever realized the thing you've been waiting on was never actually going to show up?

While the problem kept getting worse.

Let's look at:

→ The realization that finally breaks the waiting

→ A framework from 5 years of research & the uncomfortable thing it revealed about the last few months

→ Why the most dangerous beliefs are the ones that sound the most responsible

→ The 1 belief that kills more quietly than any other on the list

You'll finish this feeling less like someone who's been stuck...

& more like someone who's been ready longer than they knew.

In a good way.

Links & Resources

Read along with the newsletter

Nir Eyal's 12 Belief Patterns post

Back issues mentioned:

It's our Blessing & Curse

Are you The Weakest Link in your business?

Your "Yeah But" is costing you

You're building Roads That Lead Nowhere

Exciting morning ... Ugly-Crying Lunch

Your "Ready" Roadblock

The More Money Myth

Connect with EG on LinkedIn

Have you ever watched someone less qualified than you pull off the exact thing you've been convincing yourself you can't?

Doesn't feel great, does it?

That gap between them & you isn't talent or timing.

Let's look at:

→ The contractor situation that finally pushed me to ask "why am I waiting for permission from people who clearly have no idea what they're doing"

→ Why the voice telling you that you're not ready, not qualified, & not the kind of person this works out for... didn't actually start with you

→ 1 question cuts through the noise faster than any mindset exercise you've been sold

→ Why "I need more experience first" is the most accepted lie in business-building & what you'd never accept at any job you've ever started

→ 3 reasons "Stupider People" are succeeding while smarter people are still researching

After listening, you may feel called out.

But then you'll feel something shift.

In a good way.

Links & Resources

→ Stupider People Have Done It by Jay Schwedelson (all proceeds go to kick cancer's butt!)

→ Why "ready" keeps moving on you

→ The mental game nobody warns you about when you're building something real

→ Read along with this newsletter

→ Connect with me (EG) & Jay on LinkedIn

Ever share everything that's on your plate...

& have someone zero in on exactly the wrong thing to fix?

They are't trying to get it wrong. They just didn't know enough.

We'll look at:

→ The week that tried to fit a month of chaos into a few days... & what that revealed about the advice we give ... & get

→ A 6-word story & why the same instinct that makes it brilliant quietly costs you clients

→ Why the blanks you leave don't stay empty... & what your reader fills them with instead

→ The Newspaper Test... & what it has to do with subject lines, first lines, & everything above the scroll

→ A simple exercise to catch what you're assuming is obvious... before a stranger proves you wrong

You'll finish this one looking at your own first impressions differently.

Most of what feels like chaos... is just missing context.

In a good way.

Read along with the newsletter.

Let's connect on LinkedIn.

Email me about topics & guests you'd like to hear ... [email protected]

What does 1 year of showing up as yourself actually look like?

Not the highlight reel.

The real numbers, the real stumbles,

& the 2 things that actually made the difference.

Inside this special anniversary episode:

→ Why the most-opened issue this year wasn't the most polished or what I expected

→ What $0 in ad spend says about how this can actually still work

→ The month with the most unsubscribes... & what came after

→ What 1 year of my proof means for whatever you're sitting on right now

You'll finish this 1 feeling like you've got the permission you didn't know you were waiting for.

Past issues referenced:

-> My uncle died ...

-> I got scammed ...

-> the email that made people leave

Links & resources mentioned

-> Ilise Benun

-> Lisa Christoffel | LinkedIn

-> They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan

Read along with the newsletter.

Let's connect on LinkedIn.

Email me about topics & guests you'd like to hear ... [email protected]

Ever have 1 of those mornings where everything hurts, nothing makes sense

& the last thing you want to do is show up?

But you do anyway.

Because some things don't care how you feel.

Inside this episode:

→ The sciatica, the ice & the 80-pound dog who'd already made some decisions

→ Why "I'm my own boss" is both the best & worst excuse at the same time

→ What showing up actually looks like... warts & all ... for your business to survive

You'll finish this 1 knowing exactly which role you've been skipping in your business & what to do about it.

Read along with the newsletter.

Let's connect on LinkedIn.

Email me about topics & guests you'd like to hear ... [email protected]

The storm showed up right on schedule.

So did the excuses.

Neither one was the real problem.

Inside this episode:

-> Why a foot of snow, a buried solar panel & cats with a power cord fetish aren't actually why my taxes aren't done

-> What a LinkedIn banner, a free sponsorship & a gym with 140 sign-ups & 12 show-ups all have in common

-> The difference between a reason & an excuse ... & why 1 of them you're doing to yourself

-> What real accountability looks like... & why we're surrounding ourselves with the opposite

You'll finish this one knowing exactly what your yeah-but is.

The one dressed up as a reason.

links & resources mentioned

• Alberta snowstorm article in the New York Times

Be sure to read the newsletter & check the extra resources linked in it.

Connect on LinkedIn

Email me about topics (& guests) you'd like to hear ... [email protected]

Months of snow dumps & frigid temperatures.

Then the heat hits.

All at once.

No slow thaw.

Just... too much, too fast.

& suddenly there's water where water isn't supposed to be.

When everything comes at you faster than expected... the question isn't how to stop it.

It's how to control the flow.

Inside this episode:

-> The aiming problem most freelancers mistake for a positioning problem

-> The gut check that matters more than any checklist before you say yes to a project

-> How to sort the full-stop red flags from the yellows

-> The 3-part look back that tells you exactly why a past project went sideways & what to do differently next time

You'll finish this episode knowing which boxes need to be checked vs the nice-to-haves

links to previous issues found in the newsletter

• So, what do you do?
• biz lessons learned from a Meatloaf playlist

Be sure to read the newsletter & check the extra resources linked in it.

Connect on LinkedIn

Email me about topics (& guests) you'd like to hear ... [email protected]