Lately, I’ve been thinking about what I want 2026 to look like.
In a conversation with my husband, he said, “We should all be like Teddy Roosevelt—speak softly, but carry a big stick.” And honestly… yes. That’s the vibe.
Last year, I spent a lot of time being intentional about who sits at our table (thank you, Brené Brown). Who you open up to. Who you trust. Who actually earns access to your story.
What I learned is that vulnerability is great… until it isn’t.
Sometimes when you share openly, people get uncomfortable. Things get weird. Distance shows up. And you’re left wondering if you overshared or just revealed something they weren’t ready to hold.
So this year, we’re trying something new: not everything needs to be shared.
We have big plans—personally and professionally—and some things are better kept close while they’re still forming.
Which brings me to my main focus for 2026: time.
We all get the same number of hours. The difference is how willing you are to protect them.
I get a hard time for not liking meetings, but it’s not the meeting. It’s:
meetings that start late
meetings that go long “just because”
meetings that exist because someone felt awkward not booking one
And the chatting. Oh, the chatting. If the meeting could’ve ended early but didn’t, that time didn’t disappear—it came out of someone’s evening, weekend, or family dinner.
I’ve always believed if you book 30 minutes, you should aim to finish in 15. People do better work when they’re not trapped in calendars all day and then expected to “catch up” after hours.
I’ve also been thinking more about how I want to use my time creatively.
I love podcasts—especially the ones where CEOs are honest about the messy parts. The layoffs. The failures. The moments when things didn’t go their way. The Starbucks and Kendra Scott stories stick with me because they’re real, not polished.
More and more, people come to me for advice—about work, leadership, tricky dynamics, or how to navigate situations that don’t come with a handbook. My daughters do too, which might be the clearest signal of all.
So for 2026, I’m choosing to:
speak softly
protect my time like it’s currency
be more selective about what I share and with whom
build an audience that values honesty over performative storytelling
And yes—if you want to know how to prep nine school lunches for three days in under an hour for about $15, I can absolutely teach that too.
Turns out strategy applies just as much in the kitchen as it does in the boardroom.
