Welcome back to The Don't Cut Your Own Bangs Countdown: Best Lessons of the Year — your cozy December rewind of the conversations that cracked me open, cracked me up, or came back to whisper, "Hey… you needed to hear that again."

This week we're celebrating two big themes we ALL lived through this year: 1. Learning in real time (aka: The Messy Middle) 2. The courage to say a brave, wholehearted "No"

You'll hear moments from my solo cast on "Tech Sweats" (yes, the kind where you curse at software and question your entire identity), plus one of my favorite conversations of the year with CityMom founder Janine Bobmeyer. Her story of burnout, truth-telling, and redefining success is one of those episodes you feel in your chest.

A few moments you'll hear: • "Learning is rarely graceful. It's… sweaty." • "A 'no' spoken from truth is always a 'yes' to something better." • "Being in the middle of a mess doesn't mean you're doing it wrong — it just means you're in the middle."

If you want the full episodes these clips came from, you can watch them here: • Full Jeanine Interview • Full Solo Cast: What It Feels Like to Learn in Real Time

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