Whenever my business is not growing, I do 2 things:

1. Exercise

2. Collaborate

Whenever my business is growing, I do 2 things.

1. Exercise

2. Collaborate

If you want to work on number one and build good, healthy habits, check out my book The Anti-Procrastinator.

If you want to work on number two and collaborate like a maniac (even if you have a small audience), keep reading.

Coming from a person who decided to become a solopreneur and is a triathlete, the irony here is not lost on me. But the truth is, you will always be more successful at anything when you find a support system and people to train with, work with and brainstorm with. According to science, you are also likely to live longer.

Sometime in 2024, my business went through a growth spurt: more subscribers, more speaking gigs, more opportunities…I can’t tell you it was because of one thing, because honestly, it’s never one thing, but an accumulation of factors plus the compound effect.

But if I had to boil it down to 2 drivers, collaboration would be one of them. That year I officially became a collaboraholic. From my first Guest Post for another publication (thank you, !) to podcasts, live sessions and co-authored articles and webinars, I wrapped up the year with over 50 partnerships. The result was a bigger pie for all.

My strategy hasn’t changed and today collaboration continues being a pillar of everything I do as a writer, content creator and speaker.

Interestingly, every time I partner with someone, I’m more successful than if I go solo. Fact. I’m not sure if I should be concerned or excited. Probably both.

Today, we are going to talk about the mindset and the psychology to create win-win collaborations that will help you grow your business the right way.

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Givers, Taker and Matchers

Every year, I create new keynotes and masterclasses for my corporate clients.

The latest one is called “The Power of Giving”, inspired by Adam Grant’s book Giving and Taking and I just delivered it to several global organizations. You can see them on my website.

After interviewing 30,000 people across different industries, he categorized individuals into 3 types:

• Givers: Give openly without an agenda.

• Takers: Put their own interests first.

• Matchers: Give and take following a principle of reciprocity

Now let’s do a little self-assessment…

It turns out 56% of people are matchers (or so they say): they give but they also take. They are happy to help, but they have a reciprocity mindset, an eye-for-an-eye type of thing. (19% are givers and 16 % matchers).

Surprisingly, both the most successful and the least successful people are givers. And it makes sense: if you always give give give without boundaries, you end up being taken advantage of or drained. The candle burns from both ends.

However, if you give from a place of abundance (not keeping a score of who owes you what) and are able to keep a balance between your well-being and needs (self-care) and other people’s needs, you create a mindset, a culture, and a way of living that benefits you and those around you. You become the person others happily try to support because they know you always give without T&C.

And you also become a collaboraholic.

PS: That’s not Adam Grant’s work. That’s my lemonade.

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Become a (real) giver

No one likes to think of themselves as takers but the reality is, so many people ask first, focusing on their own agenda. This is not a generalizationL it’s my experience, especially as my business started to grow. Every week, I receive random requests via DM on Substack and LinkedIn from people I don’t know:

This is literally what strangers ask me:

- Can you promote my (fill the gap)?

- Can I pick your brains for 30 minutes for my new book?

- Can you recommend my publication?

- Let’s follow each other!

- Can you feature this tool in your newsletter?

My favorite phrase at the moment is Make it make sense.

If you want to fuel your business with collaboration, give first.

It’s that freaking simple.

Be the creator who shares for free.

Be the host who invites others first.

Be the friend who makes the introduction.

Check out on someone without asking for anything in exchange.

Let your favorite writer know you’ve recommended them. Not a petty “I will recommend you if you recommend me.”

Think of how you can make a bigger impact and help at scale.

Personally, I’m making a conscious effort to be more of a giver and move away from the concept of reciprocity.

Give subscriptions to members who support me but can’t afford it right now because they are students or unemployed.

Launch a free group chat every week where I genuinely try to help people grow and find solutions.

Donate my time to non-profits that align with my vision and causes I care about like this one.

And the truth is, I should do a lot more but this is where I am today. Becoming. Always a work-in-progress because we can always be better.

This phrase says it all:

We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give - Winston Churchill

Meet the collaboraholics

Collaboration might take longer and you might not see the results straight away. At times, it might feel like you are “losing” because you are giving without always getting something in return.

But it always comes back like a boomerang of good karma.

Here is my chat sheet:

Recommend people first (without asking or expecting anything in return).

Be a host before you ask to be invited as a guest - just like in real life.

Be proactive and embed collaboration into your business and your life. Make it a habit.

Partner with people because you like them and their work, not because of how big their following is.

Create forums and opportunities where you add value to others (like a group chat).

Speak highly of your collaborators: make them shine without deeming your own light.

Ditch the scorecard and don’t expect people to “owe you one.”

Being a collaboraholic is hard work but it pays back big time. And it pays forward too.

A lot of my recent public speaking has actually been done in collaboration with my partner-in-crime, Melanie Staunton, Founder of COMMUNICATE, and not only has it been rewarding and fun (at times stressful too with some tech disaster!) but it has pushed me to step up my game, and become a better speaker - and hopefully collaborator.

Today’s Post is dedicated to the power of human connection and how amazing it is when your competitors become collaborators. Share this with someone you appreciate or let us know about your favorite collaborations 💜

Lemons & Lemonade 🍋

If you are ready to become a collaboraholic and create partnerships in a more strategic way, here are some resources:

🎬 My strategy to get 75% of my subscribers from Recommendations (Live)

🎬 Grow on Substack With The Power Of Collaboration (Live)

💡 6 Collaborations to Fire Up Your Creative Business (Post)

🎓 Mastermind: The Best Collaborations for Writers & Creators in 2026 (Recording)

To unlock full access, upgrade today to Paid Subscriber or become a Founding Member and book a 1:1 strategy session with me.

All the gurus swore by it and sold courses and cohorts about finding your niche. Not having a niche is a sin in the world of content creation. You are clueless, confusing, and amateur.

‘You don’t have a niche?! How dare you?’

I like to play by the rules, and after 480 articles (mostly on Medium at the time), a lot of soul-digging, and flirting with different niches, I found my divine answer:

You don’t need a niche. What you need is a vision.

Let me explain.

A niche is, by definition, targeted, contained, and narrow. As a linguage-lover, I translate that as limiting and suffocating. A box.

Isn’t a niche the opposite of human nature?

Humans are multidimensional beings, constantly evolving and expanding.Our creativity is not to be confined in boxes called niches but to be given free rein. That’s how the best ideas and products are created.

Christopher Columbus didn’t have a niche. He had a vision to explore the world (well, maybe he wanted some gold, too); that’s how he ‘discovered’ the New World in 1492.

Steve Jobs didn’t have a niche. He had a vision to create incredible products that could transform people’s lives.

When you have a clear vision of what you stand for and what impact you want, everything else makes sense and flows: your actions, your products, your steps.

While a niche is static and focused on the present, a vision is dynamic and forward-looking. It projects a reality that is yet to be created. It’s about potential and possibilities.

A niche is fitness and wellness. A vision is helping people be, look, and feel their best.

A niche is coaching writers. A vision is to empower writers to become best-selling authors.

A niche is cultural agility. A vision is turning cultures into human bridges.

Although they sound superficially similar, they are quite different in their essence. A vision is not a thing; it’s a motion, an aspiration, a proposition for a what-if that is better than the status quo.

You know what’s better than a niche?

Outgrowing your niche and expanding your thinking:

What is your purpose?

How do you help people?

What impact do you want to make?

What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

Once you find the answer to these questions, you have something much bigger than a niche…

A niche wins clients; a vision wins hearts.

Your pick.

View subscription options 🌟

This happened only one year after I published my first book and it was both a huge pinch-me moment and a massive imposter moment.

The irony is that I started procrastinating on my book about procrastination!

Although it was something I really wanted and the book had the potential to change my career, every morning I would find something else to do: a new task, kids’ admin, clean the closet, start a new project, anything to keep me busy and not do the thing…it’s what we call “active procrastination,” creating “busyness” to avoid the task.

I didn’t know it back then but I was procrastinating for many reasons:

I was afraid my book wouldn’t be good enough.

There. I said it.

The pressure of having a big publisher under my name was paralyzing at times.

I somehow felt “lucky,” a bit like winning the lotto by being at the right place at the right time.

That period was intense and full of conflicting feelings, and I had to rewire my mindset because I only had 90 days to submit the manuscript (I suspect it was a test).

After the initial resistance, I evicted all the imaginary characters who no longer served me: the imposter, the worrier, the perfectionist, the dreamer… and in that painful but necessary process, I learned a lot about the human essence of procrastination.

The science

In this 24-minute video, I talk briefly about the science behind procrastination and why humans procrastinate.

And here’s the fascinating fact: Procrastination isn’t just laziness or poor willpower – it’s wired into our brains. Neurologically, it’s often a war between the limbic system (our ancient emotional center that craves instant relief, pleasure, and avoidance of anything uncomfortable) and the prefrontal cortex (the more modern “planner” part responsible for self-control, long-term thinking, and overriding impulses).

When a task feels aversive (boring, scary, or too hard), the limbic system often wins the battle, pushing us toward instant gratification (scrolling, snacks, Netflix…) instead of putting in the effort now for a delayed reward.

This evolutionary wiring helped our ancestors survive immediate threats, but in modern life, it can leave us postponing what truly matters.

The interesting part is understanding why we procrastinate and where resistance comes from, so we can stop swimming against the current and lift the anchors to take action and get things done.

6 types of procrastinators

Here are the 6 types of procrastinators I identified while writing and researching for my book and in the video I share more about each type and tips to help you:

1. The Perfectionist: You set the bar too high so nothing ever feels “good enough” to start or finish and therefore you keep postponing the first step.

2. The Dreamer: You have a dozen projects and a big vision but struggle to operationalize them and prefer to stay in the abstract, planning and dreaming rather than taking action to make it happen.

3. The Worrier: Overthinking, fear of failure or judgment, or even success keeps you in perpetual analysis paralysis. You live in a worst-case scenario mode.

4. The Crisis-Maker: You thrive on last-minute adrenaline and only move when the pressure’s on but it creates stress and anxiety and is not a sustainable way to grow a business or live life.

5. The Over-Committer: You say yes to everything (typically givers who struggle to set boundaries and say no), overload your plate, and then nothing gets the focus it deserves and you end up disappointed and burned out.

6. The Rebel: You spend more time complaining about the task because you find it silly, redundant or both (think endless forms, visa applications, CVs repeating the same thing) and end up wasting energy on venting instead of doing.

And yes, some of us are a mix – I definitely wear a few of these hats myself!

Which one are you?

I would love to hear it in comments!

Leave a comment

The verdict

Procrastination isn’t laziness – it’s often fear, habits, or mismatched strategies in disguise. The antidote is understanding the science, knowing your type (without guilt or shame) and building your own anti-procrastination formula.

If this resonates, watch the full live replay: I share personal stories, give you strategies that work, and we laugh about how human this all is. You’ll walk away with tools to make time feel expansive again so that you are in control.

And remember:

Humans are procrastinators by nature and anti-procrastinators by choice.

You can also watch it on my new YouTube channel where I have other videos on mindset and strategies to grow your creative business:

Check out my book, The Anti-Procrastinator on Amazon:

Subscribe now

As a mompreneur with two young daughters, it’s hard to find time to grow my business, exercise, learn and spend quality time with my family.

I share 3 key principles that help me be more productive:

• Quality sleep: Creating a healthy routine to wake up early and refreshed.

• Planning ahead: Bing proactive about your day, your week and your life to feel empowered and in control.

• Exercise: the importance of incorporating physical activity into your routine to increase motivation, focus and wellbeing.

Thank you , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video!

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If you are interested in mindset, motivation and healthy habits, here are some resources:

🎯 The Anti-Procrastinator: My book with Penguin to help you identify your procrastination profile and

🧡 Mindset: Dedicated Substack section with FREE Post to help you take action.

🎬 My YouTube Channel for all my lives and videos:

What’s one habit that has changed your life?

I would love to hear it in the comments ↓

Leave a comment

Meet my premium member

The first time I saw “The Old Black Lady” on my Substack feed, I had to stop scrolling. There was something magnetic about this woman squatting her way into her 70s that was uplifting. And I was not the only one…

Gail has the power to make people stop and smile. If you don’t believe me, I actually have proof. I have tracked how many times this woman has gone viral and then I lost count because it got boring!

Whether you are feeling a bit down about ageing and the second act or you are a Gen Z that needs some motivation, The Old Black Lady’s got you.

Her story of reinvention at 65 is exactly what we need in this world: a bit of hope, a bit of badass attitude and more squats, please!

So let’s celebrate International Women’s Day together and channel the Gail in us.

“You’re highly compensated enough. We’re not willing to pay you any more money.”

Those words still ring in my ears.

After 16 years at a prestigious K Street law firm in Washington, DC, I suddenly found myself at a crossroads I hadn’t planned for. I had just returned from a four‑month medical leave after losing the hearing in one ear. I was 63, exhausted, and sitting across from the managing partner when he said the quiet part out loud.

What I heard in my mind was “You’re done. This is as good as it gets.”

In that moment, it felt like an ending. Looking back, it was the beginning of something extraordinary.

In fact what I heard when I returned to my office and sat down was “They don’t get to decide how much money I make.” It felt like a spiritual download from a higher power because that was not a normal thought for the woman I was at that time.

What if the things you believe are “impossible” only feel that way because someone else told you they were? What if you’ve quietly absorbed other people’s limits about age, ambition, beauty, and desire and made them your own?

That’s exactly what I had done.

I worried no one would hire a woman my age. I worried I was too young for Social Security and too old to start over. I worried I didn’t have enough savings, that I might end up broke, or even homeless.

But beneath all that fear was an even scarier question:

What if my best years were already behind me?

A few days later, sitting in my car, the place where most of my real prayers happen, I finally said out loud:

“Dear God, how do I un‑brainwash myself?”

That question launched a 17‑month season of preparation and self‑discovery. I devoured podcasts and books about life coaching, reinvention, and purpose. I enrolled in a three‑month program to figure out what I was truly here to do.

That course changed everything.

I realized I didn’t want another job. I wanted a life. I wanted freedom. I wanted to help other women rewrite their own stories, starting with the one about being “too old.”

I became a Life Coach.

At 65, I officially walked away from my $105,000 accounting salary at the law firm and bet on myself. The very next year, I tripled that salary and brought in $300,000.

Everyone wants the strategy behind that sentence, but the truth is this: the strategy only worked because I stopped letting other people decide what was possible for a 60‑something Black woman who refused to fade into the background.

I got spicy.

Spicy, Seasoned, and Just Getting Started

So what does it really mean to be “Spicy, Seasoned, and Just Getting Started” in your late 60s?

Spicy is the part of you that refuses to dim your light to make other people comfortable. It’s the spark you felt at 17, when life still felt wide open. It’s saying yes to visibility, yes to money, yes to being fully seen—wrinkles, stretch marks, reading glasses and all.

For me, getting spicy meant starting a coaching business when most people my age were talking about retirement. It meant raising my prices, getting on camera, and letting myself be bold, opinionated, and fully expressed instead of “nice” and quiet.

Seasoned is the wisdom you’ve earned the hard way.

Those 16 years at the law firm? They weren’t wasted. They taught me how to navigate demanding environments, handle money, manage pressure, and show up for clients no matter what. Every layoff, every health scare, every “you’re too much” or “you’re asking for too much” became seasoning.

When women work with me now, they’re not just getting a coach. They’re getting decades of lived experience: fitness, wellness, corporate, entrepreneurship, and reinvention, over and over again.

Just Getting Started is the most radical part.

It’s the decision to treat 65, 68, 69, even 70 as a starting line, not a finish line. It’s allowing yourself to become a beginner again; to learn new platforms, new technologies, new ways of doing business, without making it mean you’re “behind.”

At 65, I didn’t end my career. I began my next one.

And then came the plot twist I never saw coming.

Moving to Substack at 68

After the big income year, I hit a wall. I burned out. My body and nervous system needed a different pace, a different way of doing business.

I went on a healing journey. I slowed down. I got honest about what I actually wanted my life to feel like, not just what I wanted my income to be.

In 2025, at 68 years young, I did something that would’ve sounded ridiculous to my 63‑year‑old self:

I moved my writing and a big part of my business to Substack.

Instead of trying to keep up with algorithm‑driven social media, I chose a platform built for depth, relationships and long‑form storytelling. I started sharing the truth about weight, identity, money, aging, and impossible goals for women over 50.

And the wildest thing happened.

People showed up. They subscribed. They shared. They wrote back.

Today, one year later, I’m approaching 5,000 subscribers and building what many people my age quietly believe is impossible: a writing‑based, community‑driven business in my late 60s and soon, my 70s.

I’ve been invited to teach about Substack inside other coaches’ programs. I’ve spoken on panels. I’m designing new offers that treat Substack as a “business‑in‑a‑box” for women who want to turn their hard‑won experience into income, impact, and freedom.

All because I refused to believe that a managing partner’s sentence was the final word on my value.

This Isn’t Just About Me

I’m sharing this with you because I know I’m not the only one who has absorbed someone else’s story about what life is “supposed” to look like after 50, 60, or 70.

Maybe you’ve convinced yourself:

• “It’s too late to start a business.”

• “No one wants to hear from someone my age.”

• “I missed my window.”

I want you to consider a different possibility:

What if your age is your greatest asset?

What if the stories you’ve lived, the careers you’ve had, the family you’ve raised, the identities you’ve worn and shed—what if all of that is exactly what makes you the most qualified person in the room?

Not in spite of your age.

Because of it.

A Question For Your Next Act

You don’t have to quit your job tomorrow or launch a six‑figure offer next week.

But you can take one spicy, seasoned step toward the life you actually want.

Maybe that looks like:

• Starting the newsletter you’ve been talking about for a year.

• Raising your hand for a creative project instead of waiting to be picked.

• Hiring support instead of telling yourself you should “figure it out alone”.

At 69, I’m not winding down. I’m gearing up for the next phase of my reinvention journey—with a growing audience, a clear voice, and a vision that stretches far beyond 70.

The question I’ll leave you with is the same one I now ask my clients:

If you’re not done yet, and you’re not, what would it look like to be spicy, seasoned, and just getting started… right now?

XOXO,

Gail K.

The Old Black Lady Chronicles

Lemons & Lemonade 🍋

Ready to build your thing?

I sure am and I’m not flying solo!

250+ premium members have upgraded at The Lemon Tree Mindset/El Limonero (Spanish version) to get fresh strategies for solopreneurs, access to the VIP chat for debates and trends, personalized Q&A feedback, and exclusive behind-the-scenes video like this one:

🎬 A Clear Roadmap To Gain Paid Subscribers

Why join? This is what they say.

Upgrade for only 99US$ a year 🌟

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That’s why I reached out to Substack Bestseller and invited her to join me live to talk about growing a creative business on your terms.

Claire is the Founder of Sparkle on Substack and 2 other publications! Together they reach 18,000 readers. She has built a beautiful, creative community, and in this session, we talk about creativity, values, the unglamorous side of growing (and stalling), and the reality of building a lifestyle business.

We also had multiple car alarms to keep it interesting. Never a dull moment when you go live!

This is what happens when lemons meet sparkle…🍋✨

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To niche or not niche?

It’s possible to grow a business without sticking to a niche. Both Claire and I have multidimensional businesses that reflect our interests and passions and we talked about the beauty of exploring and evolving without having to suffocate inside a box or a tag.

💡Tip: Cater to your different audiences. Claire targets 3 different groups and offers personalized services to each.

In my case, I focus on 3 key groups and have dedicated products and services to serve them better:

• Authors & Writers

• Public Speakers

• Digital entrepreneurs

Community isn’t a buzzword

A community is not about volume and numbers: it’s about depth and connection.

We talked about how to evolve from the transactional one-way newsletter and build something that is more human and meaningful, where people can participate, have a voice and belong.

Claire segmented her audience (beginners, pure expressionists, creative entrepreneurs) and designed different access points: chat for building connections, hot-seat mentoring for business owners, monthly gatherings for Diamond Members…

In my case, I use the Group Chat for large community engagement and the Mastermind as a high-touch sounding board for my Founding Members.

Different people need different depths.

💡 Tip: Explore ways to give your readers a voice (Group Chat, Mastermind, etc).

The (unsexy) reality of growth

Growth isn’t linear, and reaching big milestones doesn’t give you immunity from plateaus and bumps.

We normalized stalls as signals: time to pivot, experiment, reassess or simply rest.

Claire shared analyzing 500+ unsubscribe notes in a spreadsheet to understand why people leave. The subscription model means people come and go. That’s not failure; it’s their journey and we have to normalize that communities are dynamic (as so are people!).

You can’t expect what you don’t inspect.

💡Tip: Take those bumps as opportunities to analyze, identify trends and patterns and try something new.

Building an ecosystem

The keyword to build a sustainable digital ecosystem is intention.

It’s not about spreading thin across too many platforms but knowing where it makes sense for you to be.

In my case, LinkedIn is the perfect hub to grow my public speaking business (keynotes, workshops…) because my decision-makers are there.

I also use a LinkedIn- Substack flywheel to convert followers into subscribers. I’ll share more soon.

Claire uses YouTube as a search engine shop window to bring new people into her ecosystem, very often repurposing content she already has to give it longevity. She has also started to monetize her channel and is exploring its potential as an additional income stream.

💡Tip: Identify the purpose each platform plays in your business.

Motivation when it dips

Staying motivated is not easy and we talked about how to keep going when things get tough.

Claire talks about the power of purpose and realigning with your values and what matters to you. A lack of motivation can signal a disconnection or misalignment. Dig deeper to understand what it is.

We also talked about staying on your lane and not letting comparison steal your joy by over-absorbing others’ energy.

For me, as a triathlete, I try to link motivation to the process and the journey, not the outcome. A bad race doesn’t erase the act of showing up and giving everything. Celebrate the daily consistency and use the little wins to fire the engine.

If any of this resonated: the honest parts about plateaus, community mechanics, multi-platform strategy, or keeping your voice intact, watch the full recording. It’s raw, with alarms, laughs, and what it really means to grow a business on your terms.

P.S. Drop a comment if something here sparked an idea for your own sparkling lemonade✨🍋

Thank you , , , , and many others for joining!

The session is FREE and we hope to reach as many creative souls as possible. If you enjoy it, please comment, share, subscribe to Claire and keep the energy going.

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Lemons and Lemonade 🍋

If you would like to grow your creative business, here are some resources you will love:

📝 Post: How My Founding Member Charlie Garcia Became a Substack Bestseller in 5 Months

📝 Post: My 7 Steps To Becoming a Paid Speaker

📝 Post: Creating your Youtube-Substack Ecosystem

And if there’s any topic you would like me to go deeper into in next editions, please add in the chat 👇🏽

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Except that I didn’t, and it was one humbling that no one prepares you for.

I did not amass a big following overnight.

I did not land a publisher deal after a couple of trials.

I did not grow a 6-figure business in 90 days.

Now, I did achieve all of these things eventually (after a lot of hard work and a gruesome reality check), just not in those timeframes, because they are not realistic.

People overestimate what they can achieve in one month and underestimate what they can achieve in one year.

That’s the essence of the compound effect in one sentence: you have to let strategy turn into action and marinate in time.

Compound effect = Strategy + Action + Time

In the past 18 months, I’ve coached 100+ clients (Founding Members) and I never promise results or sell frameworks that give you “results in x time” because I can’t guarantee the future. No one can. All I can share is what I’ve done and how I’ve done it. And if it has worked for me, I have evidence and business proof that it can work for you, and bring similar results.

The problem is that many people want to find shortcuts in the equation:

Strategy + Action + Time = Junk miles (tons of work but no results)

Strategy + Action + Time = Sophisticated procrastination (grant plans on paper but nothing happens)

Strategy + Action + Time = No results - just yet (you are building the muscle)

When you see outliers there, I encourage you to scratch the surface and understand the full picture because no one becomes a Substack Bestseller in 3 months without a legacy.

No one grows a 6-figure business overnight because they applied a “5-step solopreneur template” regurgitated by Claude’s cousin.

If you are feeling frustrated because you are not seeing traction after publishing content for two weeks, it’s time to do a mindset calibration.

This is how the compound effect actually works.

(Spoiler alert: it’s not sexy).

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Year 1: Nothing happens

You’re learning a new skill and have no clue. Most people quit here. Don’t: This is the foundation for what’s next.

Year 2: Something happens

You start to see some pockets of success from what you did in year 1.

Keep going - you are on the right track. This is the land of momentum if you play your cards well.

Year 3: Everything happens

Now people pay you for what you learned (and did) in year 1 and year 2.

Experience becomes leverage.

Those boring days that led to (seemingly) nothing start to yield dividends.

The hard work you did three years ago when no one was watching starts to pay off.

This applies to most things: your business, writing books, mastering a new skill...

See, no shortcuts here. Just compound effect.

Let your tree do its thing underneath. It’s not because you can’t see it that it’s not happening 🌳🍋

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Lemons & Lemonade 🍋

I’m growing a sustainable writing-speaking business and I want to bring you along (FREE Goodie below 🎁)

This month’s webinar for paid subscribers is about Becoming a Paid Speaker.

I’ll share the mindset, strategy and a clear roadmap to help you:

✔️ Build your speaker brand (infrastructure)

✔️ Create a strong offer (speaker portfolio)

✔️ Find clients and get paid (monetization formula)

🗓️ Thursday 25 Feb 8pm EST || Friday 26 Feb 9am HK || 12pm Sydney

🎬 Recording available for paid subscribers

Become a paid subscriber 🌟

The first step is to revamp your LinkedIn Profile (that’s where I get most of my clients). And to get ahead, you can get my framework for FREE (14.99 US$) - this month only.

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Let's connect on Linkedin!

When I heard those words, my heart broke a little but I knew I had to prove her wrong. I care.

One of the most wonderful things of having a grown my own community of writers and creators in that past three years is that I’ve had the opportunity to meet incredible people from all walks of life: writers with a disability, a student in Iran who wants to advocate for women’s education, an 82-year old who is writing his book as tribute to his late wife who is buried in his backyard... All of them are building something special with their creativity in spite of the challenges.

I know that age is often a barrier. I only started writing at 41 and I felt it was too late, but it turns out it wasn’t, and many of the obstacles and gatekeepers are the ones in our mind.

That’s why today, I have invited fellow writer and premium member, Founder of Knowing Yourself Through Fiction to tell us her story, as a woman who started her fiction writing journey at 72 years young.

Today we are celebrating new beginnings at any stage of life.

Because we care ❤️

I didn’t start writing fiction to build a platform.

I started writing because the story wouldn’t leave me alone.

At 72, when the cultural narrative says you should be slowing down, downsizing, or disappearing quietly into “hobbies,” I did the opposite. I started a five-book fiction series. Not a memoir. Not inspirational essays. Not a watered-down “finally telling my story” project.

A real novel. With characters. Conflict. Stakes. And a long arc.

That decision shapes everything that comes after, including how I’m building my business on Substack, how I reject most conventional growth advice, and why I now work with one voice across two tracks.

This isn’t a story about bravery or reinvention.

It’s about strategy, energy, and choosing to work in a way that actually fits the life you’re living now.

Why Fiction Came First

I came to Substack for one reason, to share my first novel as it unfolded.

Not to test headlines or build a marketing funnel.

I wanted a place where I could write fiction in public, with room to think, revise, and listen to my own voice. I didn’t expect that voice to deepen.

That mattered more to me than reach.

But I also understood something quickly. Fiction alone is not a strong growth driver on Substack. It doesn’t trigger algorithms. It doesn’t lend itself to virality. And it doesn’t convert casually.

So I had a choice.

Either I could move slowly with my first novel, hoping I’d gain an audience who might buy my book, or I could build an ecosystem around it that supports my writing without diluting it.

That’s where the strategy began.

One Voice, Two Tracks

I don’t separate my creative voice from my business voice.

I refuse to.

Instead, I run one voice across two tracks.

Track One: Fiction.

My Women of the Canyon series follows five women in their sixties and seventies standing at life crossroads. These are not nostalgic stories. These women are navigating risk, loss, power shifts, identity threats, financial and business decisions, and moral choices. Calm lives become complicated ones. The stakes are real.

Track Two: Knowing Yourself Through Fiction

Alongside the fiction, I write Life’s Threads. These aren’t “lessons.” They are not motivational essays. They are reflections from inside the stories on what it means to create, decide, and stop performing, to build something sustainable at this stage of life.

Same voice. Same values. Different entry points.

This matters because most creators are told to fragment themselves. One tone for art. Another for marketing. Another for teaching.

That fragmentation is exhausting. I’ve tried keeping things separate, but finally I stayed with one voice and built from there.

Why I Rejected Aggressive Growth Tactics

I have no interest in building my work the way a 30-year-old creator is told to.

I’m not building a six-figure business.

I don’t want manufactured urgency.

I don’t want to serialize everything just because someone says it converts better.

At this stage of life, energy is my most precious resource. So I ask different questions than most business advice encourages.

• Will this increase my stress or test my stamina?

• Does this require me to feign enthusiasm I don’t feel?

• Will this still work when I’m tired, distracted, or deep in a book draft?

If the answer is no, I don’t do it.

That’s not resistance to growth. That’s an intelligent constraint. Sustainable success now looks like work I can keep showing up for without resenting it.

I’ve never had a single straight-line career. I’ve always moved when the work had run its course. Not impulsively or dramatically. Just when it was time.

If there’s a message underneath everything I’ve built, it’s this: don’t be afraid to pivot when the work you’re doing no longer fits who you are now.

Life’s Threads: Why Reflection Matters

Life’s Threads exists because fiction alone wasn’t enough to carry the full weight of what I was exploring.

The stories open a door beyond entertainment.

The reflections let readers sit down and stay awhile.

Life’s Threads is where I name what’s happening beneath the surface. Not as advice, but as recognition.

The women reading are not beginners. They are not looking for permission slips. They are negotiating identity, relevance, desire, and time.

What I want them to own is this:

“I’m not behind. I’m not broken. And I’m not done.”

That feeling doesn’t come from tips. It comes from being seen and grabbing a chair at the table.

Instead of more advice, programs, or courses, I share stories from the Women of the Canyon, women navigating our same stage of life and work. They’re making creative, financial, and business decisions under real constraints, time, energy, and responsibility.

The stories don’t tell you what to do.

They help you recognize what you already know.

With your own experience as context, the next step becomes clear, and you move forward without second-guessing.

For me, this approach supports my fiction rather than competes with it. I’m not trying to dominate a niche. I’m trying to finish meaningful work, work that matters to readers, largely women over 55, even though age isn’t the point.

Starting at 72 Changes Everything

Starting at 72 is not the same as starting at 32.

The stakes are different and the urgency is sharper.

The tolerance for nonsense is much lower.

I’m not building a legacy brand. I’m building a body of work.

That distinction matters.

A body of work asks for patience, awareness, and completion. A brand asks for visibility, growth, and optimization.

I chose the former.

What I Want Readers to Feel

When readers meet the women in Women of the Canyon, I don’t just want them to feel inspired. I want them to feel seen and recognized. I want them to say,

• “I’ve felt exactly like that.”

• “I know that hesitation.”

• “I’ve asked that question and never said it out loud.”

These stories aren’t about fixing your life. They’re about acknowledging where you are and what still matters.

That’s why the characters are older. Not because age is the theme, but because age sharpens the truth.

The women I write for are done shrinking. They’re not disappearing.

To the Woman Who Thinks She’s Too Late

If you’re reading this and there’s something you want to create, a book, a business, a body of work, and you keep telling yourself you’re too late or not qualified, here’s what I want you to hear.

You don’t need more credentials.

You don’t need more preparation or to reinvent yourself.

You need to decide what you’re willing to carry forward.

Late is not the problem.

Fragmentation is.

When you stop trying to be everything and choose one clear direction, momentum follows.

Not fast momentum. Steady momentum.

That’s the kind that lasts.

And that’s the work I’m here to finish.

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What character are you playing today?

For me, my 20s were all about excitement and adventure: moving to Asia, backpacking, collecting stamps on my passport, partying till sunrise and discovering the world carefree.

My 30s were about finding my life compass: stability. I had a solid career in the corporate world, gained confidence in myself thanks to sports (triathlon) and built a wonderful little family in Hong Kong with my partner in crime, Dave.

My 40s are now and in many ways, it’s about freedom and purpose from within. You start thinking about legacy over titles and about impact over money in your bank account.

Part of this new phase has been becoming a mompreneur, and as my oldest is turning 9 this week (where did the time go?!), lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means (and takes) to grow a business while you grow a family and how to juggle both.

The unsexy answer is I’m still figuring it out.

The sexy answer is that I’m doing it my way.

And the irony is, so many women, particularly working moms, ask me how I’m able to “do it all.” It’s funny because social media and the digital world portray an illusion, a distorted version of reality. I don’t do it all, I can’t do it all, and I’m learning to be okay with it. It’s a work in progress…

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My mompreneur blueprint

My reality as a mompreneur is this:

I don’t have 40 hours a week to dedicate to my business and yet I make a living out of my creativity. A lot of it happens during stolen moments throughout the day: at 5 am before the kids wake up (like now), during the 5 minutes before school pick up…my most creative time of the day is often the “in-between moments” you could find in the lost and found department of life.

I don’t have a strict content calendar because I have enough schedules in my life as it is. I stopped putting deadlines that no one is asking for and adding unnecessary pressure to my work. This is all excess luggage from the corporate world; a world that runs in fiscal weeks and quarterly investor calls. Always against the clock.

No, thanks.

I didn’t leave one hamster wheel to get a VIP entry ticket in yet one more rat race.

Multitasking and flexibility are what make this possible. But also a bit of self-compassion.

When one of my daughters is sick at home, I’m not a “mompreneur,” just a mom looking after her little one. The rest can wait.

Sometimes I feel I’m behind and I could do more, make more, be more.

And in fairness, I could. But I don’t want to. And that’s the beauty of choice.

That’s why I chose to leave the corporate world with all its policies, quarterly reviews, color-coded calendars and rigid structures.

When I started this newsletter, almost three years ago, I used to think it was really important to publish on Saturdays at 9 am and I would religiously publish it on the dot. But I realized that my readers don’t care (or notice) when they get it. In fact, they probably prefer to get something semi-decent on Sunday than a half-baked potato on Saturday. Besides, some potatoes take longer to bake.

See, when you come from the corporate world, you have to unlearn many things to create space for new thinking and ways of reimagining work and productivity.

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Reimagining work

This is how I’m reimagining and redefining what quality, sustainable work means as a solopreneur:

You don’t need to work 8 hours a day to be “productive.” Sometimes, 2 hours of focused work go a long way.

There is no good output without good input: good sleep, daily exercise, breaks and even power naps (the Spaniard in me loves a siesta), these have all become part of my “productivity routine.”

You don’t need to be in front of a computer to call it “work.” My best ideas often pop up when I’m running outside, untangling my own thoughts. A lot of my work happens in my head and my head can be anywhere, not necessarily staring at a screen.

Success is not about how much you do but the impact you make. Yes, it’s possible to do less by being laser-focused on the things that move the needle (and matter): how you truly engage, how you build a small but connected community, how you touch one person’s life in a meaningful way. One at a time.

Quality work can also come in small packages. When I launched my first book, The Lemon Tree Mindset, I was a bit embarrassed when I saw how thin the book was! The HR employee handbook of my previous employer was longer (true story). But surprisingly, what readers love most about it it’s how concise and to the point it is.

Coming from a corporate life where everything had to be long: the meetings, the reports, the reviews, the days, this felt like a breeze of fresh air. I could reinvent my own style without a playbook to follow.

Since then, I’ve unapologetically embraced minimalism in my work and focused on micro products and services that can help people save time or money, ideally both:

• Mini-courses: I launched 4 on Gumroad last year

• 10-minute how-to tutorials

• 30-minute live sessions

• Concise Posts

• Short practical books

My book The Anti-Procrastinator has less than 200 pages because you don’t need a bible to stop procrastinating. The biggest publisher in the world didn’t care, so why should I?

The beauty of growing your solopreneur business is that you can set your own rules and reimagine what success looks like to you, leaving behind what no longer serves you and creating a formula that works for you.

I’ve come to terms that I can’t do it all but I can do it my way and that’s liberating and empowering. A good combo for freedom.

So, what character are you playing today?

I’d love to read your reply in the comments!

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Your SEO Keyword for 2025

The idea is very simple: reflect on the word that best reflects your year and give your creativity wings by turning it into a Post, Note, poem or even a podcast!

The responses in the group chat were fantastic and one of the participants, had his most successful poem ever as a result, with 100+ comments:

What I Kept, An Ode to Empathy

You still have a few days to participate!

Today I’m honored to share with you the Post from my Founding Member and friend , founder of Think Better Feel Better, a community that enables you to master your thoughts gently and calmly. Her keyword is support and that’s what her work is all about. It’s been wonderful seeing Shelly grow here and today she introduces a very special launch: a book club launch!

Welcome Shelly!

As 2025 comes to a close, Veronica asked us to reflect on what word we would choose to summarise this past year… It took me a while, but I finally landed on the word Support.

Being part of this community, and Substack as a whole, has been one big support network - especially here in the Lemon Tree Mindset community 🌳🍋

As some of you will already know, when I first joined Substack, Veronica was one of the first people I came across, in particular the 2024 Interview with Kristina God - I knew instantly that I wanted to be part of The Lemon Tree Mindset and I signed up there and then. There was something about Veronica’s voice that felt grounding and genuine, the kind that doesn’t shout, but stays with you.

Almost two years on, I’ve read her books, shared her posts, liked more Notes than I can count, and chosen to continue being a premium member for a second year, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. Supporting work that feels meaningful, thoughtful, and human matters to me.

And being here has reminded me of something important:

🌿We don’t just come to spaces like this for content.
🌿We come for connection.
🌿For belonging.

For the feeling of being part of something a little bigger than ourselves.

Support goes both ways

For a long time, I was very good at being supportive - encouraging others, cheering people on, showing up quietly in the background.

What I’m learning now is how to be supported too.

That means:

🌿 Letting myself build things slowly

🌿Creating spaces that feel calm, not performative

🌿Inviting people in without pressure or expectation

It also means trusting that the right people find their way to the right places.

Why I’m sharing this here

As someone who already feels at home in this community, it felt right to share something I’ve been quietly building alongside my Substack here first 🌳🍋

In January 2026, I’m launching a book club in the form of a Podcast 📚 a gentle, reflective book club for people who want to think better, feel steadier, and grow their self-belief in everyday life.

I’m sharing it here first, because if you haven’t already had a chance to read Veronica’s latest book The Anti Procrastinator - then you’ll get a chance to at least hear the highlights of her work by tuning into the Podcast in January, as this will be the first book we read - just hit subscribe and each episode will come straight to your inbox.

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The book club isn’t about rushing through books or having the “right” insights.
It’s about pausing, reflecting, and letting ideas land in a way that feels kind and doable.

And if you’re someone who values:

🌿 Thoughtful conversation

🌿Emotional honesty

🌿Belonging to a supportive community

…then it might feel like a natural fit.

Your invitation

The Book Club is free to listen to and join - and you’re warmly welcome to explore at your own pace.

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For those who’d like to join in on live chats about the current book we’re reading, find out a bit more about me as a person and support the podcast, there’s also an optional paid membership:

🌿 US$ 5 per month, or

🌿 US$ 35 per year

What it includes:

🌿 As above + ongoing community support

🌿 Group chat for Book Club Q&A

🌿 Access to Free Pintables (coming in 2026)

🌿 Exclusive Substack Live Sessions

It’s simply a small way of supporting the work and helping the Book Club continue - no pressure, no obligation.

If it resonates, I’d love to welcome you in.

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And if not, I’m still very glad to be sharing space with you here.

Thank you, Veronica, for creating and holding a space where support feels natural rather than transactional, and to everyone here for being part of a community that genuinely shows up for one another.

Support really does grow best in places like this - let’s make 2026 a year of growing together! 🌳🍋

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I’m over the moon to see Shelly’s new project take off and I’d love to support you too!

If you want to grow a writing-speaking business and turn your creativity into your lifestyle, check out my lemonade: mindset, strategies and frameworks to help you get started, get traction and get paid.

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I openly share how I’m growing my own sustainable digital business and would love to help you with yours.

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If you are feeling behind, you are not alone.

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with my friend Mel, who is also a public speaker and has her own business in Hong Kong.

Although we are technically competitors, we love collaborating and have hosted joint webinars for major clients on topics related to leadership and communication. She’s become someone I look up to and proudly call my friend.

Today, she runs a business as a corporate trainer and facilitator, with an impressive portfolio. And she’s killing it: she now makes more in one month than she used to in an entire year in her previous job. She’s what I consider a success story in the solopreneur space because she also has time to travel with her husband, play golf and live life. A well-rounded business.

Yet when we were talking, she confessed that, throughout her adult life, she always felt she was behind. Too late, too old, playing catch-up while everybody else had already figured things out.

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From one stage to another

She had always loved acting, and after uni, she embarked on a career as an actress in New York, spending a few years on Broadway. She had a blast and landed some great gigs, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to guarantee stability, so she went back to Hong Kong in her late 20s without a job or a “5-year career plan.” Meanwhile, her friends were all climbing the corporate ladder, landing juicy packages with a Big Four or earning scandalous bonuses in some fancy hedge fund.

Once again, she felt she was behind everybody else.

After a chat with a career advisor, she had one of those epiphany moments and realized her acting experience could be a bridge into corporate training. Different name and vibe than a stage on Broadway, but similar skills and essence: you communicate and perform in front of people to make an impact.

She applied for a job as a corporate facilitator and took a low salary and package to get started. Once again, she found herself at the back of the pack. But all she wanted was an opportunity and a chance to prove herself.

It turns out the company was a pretty toxic place, with big egos and little empathy. A bad combination. She was given a lot of responsibility with very little credit. Another bad combo. Her boss was one of those corporate wizards who magically appeared for the glory and disappeared when things got tough.

She was bullied and ended up resigning but she didn’t leave empty-handed. She left with experience, skills, understanding of the corporate world and a portfolio of customers who trusted her.

She was already in her late 30s, and since she had nothing to lose, she decided to launch her own venture and create a business focused on corporate training.

Once again, she felt she was behind when she should be at the pinnacle of her career.

While her friends and acquaintances were getting promoted to partner and C-level roles, she was starting from scratch. But this time, it was different.

Once her business went live, she started getting booked from day one. She invited her former clients for coffee and candidly told them that she was starting her own business and that any help would be extremely valuable. Many supported her because people are loyal to people.

She started posting on social media and although she didn’t grow a massive following, she had a clear message and was talking to the right people. She put herself out there, reached out to connections and friends and the bookings kept coming.

6 months later, she was earning the same as she used to in her former role.

18 months later, she was making in one month what she used to earn in one year.

Fast forward 3 years, and some months she makes over 60K US$ — 99% net as the only operational costs are marginal. Wicked. I’m really happy for her.

She’s not behind anymore but here is the catch: she was never behind.

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Connecting the dots

The funny thing is that now that she’s “successful”, many friends and connections reach out to her for advice and to pick her brain because they want to do what she’s doing: running a business that gives you money and freedom. Turns out the partner title and the C-suite are not that appealing when they take over your life and your identity…

I often refer to Steve Jobs’ quote about connecting the dots because I see it again and again.

Like Mel, I’ve often felt behind in life, but when you fast-forward, you realize that everything happens for a reason and is a learning experience (good or bad) that teaches you something and pushes you forward. You are not behind: you are figuring things out.

Mel’s “failed” acting career gave her incredible skills as a communicator and presenter and a huge advantage in the corporate world, where most people have stage fright.

Her “failed” experience in the corporate world made her resilient and taught her the importance of good work ethics and building relationships with clients.

The thing is, she was never behind, but she felt that way because she was measuring against a standard and a benchmark that had nothing to do with her. It wasn’t her journey, her ambition or her dream. It was a one-size-fits-all prescription by society. By definition, you can’t be behind when you are in your own lane, quietly building your thing.

Everything she experienced was adding to her story in different ways. She went from one stage to a different stage and the show went on. They were all pieces of the puzzle, building blocks of her story. And eventually they all fit.

So next time you think you are behind, think about your own puzzle and how each piece, however small, is playing a role in your own stage and your own story.

Lemons & Lemonade 🍋

December’s topic is inspiration and my goal this month is to share stories, strategies and personal experiences that can help you move forward, try new things and get unstuck as we welcome the new year.

If you are enjoying The Lemon Tree Mindset and would like to support my work as an independent writer and get access to all my Posts, live sessions and VIP chat to grow a sustainable digital business, you can upgrade to Paid Subscriber/ Founding Member.

Only 3% actually do.

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4 years ago, I hit the wall. I was working for what was supposed to be the company, the one that champions women, supports new moms, and leads work-life balance from the forefront. I had the dream job too: a multi-6-figure package, fancy leadership offsites in Bali, business-class trips, and even a $500 US monthly allowance for skincare (later, I explain why).

But when something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

The reality was the exact opposite of what they were preaching.

It was a freaking joke.

New moms were welcome as long as their baby never got sick or needed a vaccination appointment. “Your nanny can do that.”

Work-life balance meant a posh gym membership so that they could justify Zoom calls around the clock - literally.

Mental health was covered by an e-learning module on burnout prevention and some nonsense corporate parade on Mental Health Day.

The offsites were a PR stunt to earn some corporate awards - another PR stunt.

International Women's Day became the epicenter of toxicity: a display of exceptional women who “had it all,” except that many barely saw their families and made up for the gap with eccentric holidays posted all over Facebook to show the world they had it all. And you didn’t.

The boss was a nice person but a workaholic by the book, and was totally oblivious and disconnected from the reality of her team. She pushed everyone to the limit, and when she asked for honest feedback and people built up the courage to open up, she translated any sign of vulnerability as a weakness. Next thing you knew, you were labeled as “under-performer” because you didn’t cope well with the responsibility and the pressure.

I stayed there 2 years to earn the 2-year nonsense stability badge on my CV, and it was 2 years too long. I figured the skincare allowance was a compensation for the accelerated ageing process (think time machine) and the eye bags. But deep down, we all carried a much heavier bag.

I burned out in a fashion I never thought I would. One night, I started sobbing openly at a restaurant after a call from my boss. It was my husband’s birthday, what was supposed to be a nice romantic date just the two of us, and I couldn’t touch the food. A 38-year-old woman crying over a whole lot of nothing. That’s what a burnout does to you.

It’s been 4 years since I left that world, though it took me a full year to really leave that world, if you know what I mean. Burnout is not something you leave behind. It follows you until you conquer it. Once I did, I published my second book, Conquering Your Burnout, and closed that loop once and for all. Or so I thought…

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A new boss

Becoming a solopreneur 3 years ago meant I was now my own boss and gave me a level of freedom and lifestyle I never knew existed. Going for a run at 10 am, taking Fridays off, eating whenever you want, booking calls and holidays at your convenience…

But it also came with a level of pressure and responsibility I had never experienced before and no one warned me about it.

When I started my own business, I discovered a new type of pressure and it was brutal: my own. Coming from the stability of the corporate world, the lack of predictability and earnings was a mental burden. I felt I always had to go the extra mile and then some to deliver and perform because the numbers were not there, and in my previous life, success was always defined by metrics and P&L statements. Not performing equaled failure. So I kept the foot on the accelerator till I hit the numbers. And I did.

Then came phase 2: keeping the momentum. Once your business starts growing and gets traction, you face a new challenge: keeping up with your own growth. And that means taking that extra project, the sneaky call at night, saying yes to every opportunity, filling your color-coded calendar like a rainbow, and before you realize it, you are back to the same old toxic patterns, except this time, you look in the mirror and you realize you are your own boss. Ouch.

A new phase

2025 was year 3 of my business and things took off thanks to the boom of public speaking and my coaching business. And with the growth spurt came extra pressure but this time around, I’m trying to be a more gracious boss and setting the boundaries I didn’t have before.

The harsh truth is that being a solopreneur can easily lead to burnout because being your own boss is bloody hard. We are often tougher on ourselves than we are on others and operate in ways we couldn’t ask of our team.

Was I just as bad as my old boss?

I was shocked by how many people in my network told me this year that they hit a wall, needed to reset, or were having anxiety. This came from successful creators, Substack Bestsellers and people who seemed to have it all. On paper.

Maybe the answer is that we don’t need to have it all, but we need to learn to appreciate enough. Not in a complacent way but in a compassionate way. Compassionate to ourselves.

I’m still trying to figure out what work-life balance means for me and how to juggle being a mom and a wife, training every day, and growing a business that blends creativity and monetization, all while taking time off to rest, have fun and enjoy a TV show or a slow morning without feeling guilty or having to check my phone just in case.

As I’m taking some time off with my family in New Zealand and watching the lovely sunrise in a small town called Kōukari while my girls sleep, I wanted to write this to remind myself, and others, that we are not machines with an operational system we just reset anytime, like the Mac I’m writing from.

Some days we are running on an empty tank, others we have a sick kid at home, a personal emergency or just a bad day. And if when those days happen, I want to be a good boss for myself. The one that listens and understands without judgement, the one that gives you a tap on the shoulder, and the one that reminds you that when you only have 60% and you give 60%, you are actually giving 100% and says thank you.

One question for you today: Are you being a good boss to yourself?

Lemons & Lemonade 🍋

My goal for 2026 is to help creators and solopreneurs grow a sustainable business that combines performance, creativity and wellbeing while delivering results.

I’ll share proven business strategies and mental frameworks based on my experience as an Ironman triathlete and mompreneur, and mindset will be a big part of my work.

If this sounds like you, check out my premium community of 200+ members for live coaching sessions, VIP group chat and exclusive Posts to help you grow a business you love - or two!

🌟 Upgrade now before prices go up on January 1st.

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My favorite part about growing my own community is precisely that: having my own little tribe around the world that bonds through a shared passion for creativity and storytelling.

And I’m not talking about numbers; I’m talking about personal stories and true connections because at the end of the day, we are in the people business.

Looking back at 2025, it was a year that inspired me to try new things and embrace change, and I have to thank you, my readers and my community, for it.

There are so many unsung heroes here doing extraordinary things with their digital ink, one page at a time.

Through collaborations, Guest Posts and chats, I have come to know my members better and the only word I have to describe how I feel is inspired.

Gail is squatting her way into her 70s, showing other women that age is just a number.

Urmila is challenging the status quo and advocating for a world where everyone belongs, regardless of skin color.

Magdalena and Neera are empowering people to step into the driver’s seat to write their best life script.

Kisane shows up every day to fill any room with joy in spite of having lost her daughter tragically, reminding us that life is a gift.

Margaret gives others a voice and a stage to share their story and their struggles.

Zsolt is turning his grief for his late wife into a legacy of memories for his family and beyond.

Gunnar has helped his mom publish not one but two books.

Katja is empowering women to be financially independent, so they don’t have to rely on anyone to live their lives with full agency.

Philip is growing a community to support carers who feel lonely and isolated while looking after his elderly mother.

Haniyeh is a medicine student from Iran who writes in her free time to advocate for women in countries where our voices are often silenced.

Cathy is growing a community to support women battling cancer, as her own daughter is going through that journey with courage and resilience.

So yes, when people ask me why I do what I do, it’s because of stories like this.

It’s because I feel inspired by the amazing legacy people are building through the power of writing and connecting.

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The writing prompt: Your SEO Keyword for 2025

For me, 2025 was all about inspiration and I’d love to invite you to reflect on your year and come up with your own word.

Here are some guiding questions to help you:

What would be the keyword to define your 2025?

What is a feeling or value that most resonated with you?

What are you proud of and would like to celebrate?

This week I asked my members in the group chat and the responses were lovely:

Whether you want to publish a Note or a Post, I’d love to read you and discover your SEO Keyword.

📍Please tag me so that I can comment and help you restack your Post to promote it.

✨ If you are a premium member, I’ll consolidate all the stories into one Post and share it with over 10,000 readers at The Lemon Tree Mindset!

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*** Prices go up on January 1st ***

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You might not remember when it was, but you surely will remember how you felt, how your body reacted and your heart. You will remember your heart. It probably feels very real right now just thinking about it.

A few months ago, I was in a park in downtown Madrid with my daughters. It was April and the air was still crisp. They were playing on the slides and I received an email notification on my phone. From the title, it was a response to my newsletter, which is always exciting, or so I thought…

I opened it and I froze.

“STOP SENDING ME YOUR JUNK. Remove me NOW!!”

The phone was YELLING at me.

I felt my cheeks burn inside and I remember a sense of utter embarrassment taking over my body.

I looked around, scanning the park, with this irrational belief that everyone there had received the same email and was thinking the exact same thing. Then the voice in my head woke up:

Your work is junk.

Your work is junk.

My first instinct was, of course, to fire back because that’s what humans do. We react in the moment. It’s our animal instinct: protect, react, defend. I wanted to prove myself.

Name the feeling

Instead, I put the phone back, took a deep breath, then again, and took a moment to “name the feeling.” It’s a strategy that allows you to step back from the situation and become an observer, a judge of your own triggers and emotions.

I realized that that line from a stranger had unleashed something: the insecurities and self-doubts I had worked so hard to eliminate for three years, when I started writing in public. The imposter in me quickly grabbed a brush and painted a scenario in which my work was reduced to junk, something people don’t want. Not even for free.

I had taken that one line and turned it into my story.

I thought about all the hard work it had taken me to get to that exact point: over 100 newsletters, thousands of engagements, the writing, the editing, the follow-up. Over 10,000 people in my global community. And there I was, letting a stranger with the courage of an anonymous digital warrior disempower me, destroy my work, and my self-esteem.

I just wanted to make it go away and went to remove her from my newsletter, which means I had to access her profile:

“Personal growth. Women empowerment.” The irony.

And that’s when it hit me. That email was not a reflection of me at all.

This person had a lot of content but barely any engagement, let alone a community. And there she was, unleashing her anger and frustration at another woman trying to do her thing.

I never heard from her again, but never forgot the exact moment and the exact feeling I had that day either. This story just resurfaced after months because I read a newsletter from last weekend on The Saturday Solopreneur where he was talking about that. How deep rejection, criticism and insults sink in. I read his story and it threw me straight into that park, feeling exposed, tiny and embarrassed to do what I do.

How do you deal with this?

Many people ask me how to deal with trolls, negative criticism and the dark side of exposing yourself in public.

The truth is, you have to do what’s right by you.

Did you know that Taylor Swift once said on Instagram that she doesn’t read the comments on social media because they get under her skin? Taylor Swift. The most influential woman in the world.

My writing buddy decided to close his YouTube channel with over half a million subscribers because he couldn’t cope with the toxicity.

My collaborator once said she doesn’t engage with trolls or attacks because she’s not going to change their opinions or gain anything, so it’s a waste of time.

It’s a zero-sum game and there are no winners because there’s nothing to win, no prize at stake.

Yes, social media can be a very toxic place. As you grow your influence and visibility, you become a bigger target for good and for bad. You receive invitations to podcasts and stages, you are contacted by literary festivals and conferences, but you also receive more attacks and criticism, which can become mentally exhausting and emotionally draining.

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The toll you pay

Every time a hater hits your inbox, you pay a toll in the currency of energy, focus, and self-esteem, but guess what: You don’t have to. That’s the catch and that toll fee is totally up to you.

My only advice is this: set your boundaries to protect your space. Every day I have a bunch of people unsubscribe, but I have the notifications off because I don’t need negative triggers. That allows me to focus on the people who are here and want to grow with me.

As a public speaker, whenever I deliver a session or workshop to a client, there is always one hater. A few months ago, I gave a talk for 500+ people for the largest insurance company in Hong Kong, AIA. The rating was excellent, yet when the comments came in, one participant said they had learned nothing new. Nada. Basically, I had wasted one hour of their life. Two months later, they hired me again for another event for the same team.

This is what I’ve learned.

You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea, so you might as well be your own cup of tea – I actually prefer coffee.

People seldom change their opinion on social media: they selectively find the green signals that validate their own thoughts and ignore the colors they don’t like. But you can agree to disagree or at least plant a seed and a lemon for thought.

Successful people stay in their lane: I’ve never received destructive criticism from someone who was successful and felt good in their skin. When people attack others, they are usually channeling their own frustration: poor results, jealousy, lack of sex…go figure.

You can’t control how you feel, but you can control how you process those feelings and how you react to them (or don’t). Name the feeling, unwrap it.

If you play the toxicity game, be ready to get poisoned. When you engage with a hater, there are always two losers in the story.

Don’t react, respond: when you react, you are playing someone else’s game. When you respond, you regain agency and control.

Silence kills provocation.

And that day at the park?

I realized that what people tell you says a lot about them but how you react says a lot about you.

I didn’t win but I grew.

How do you deal with toxicity?

I would love to hear your stories in the comments or hit reply and I always answer (well, almost always ;)

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Black Friday is bloody stressful so I’m not discounting anything but if you become an annual paid subscriber/ Founding Member, you get to choose 1 of my 3 digital courses for FREE (valued at 88 US$).

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In a few hours, I’ll be doing the Phuket triathlon. I’m super excited and will be busy swimming, cycling and running, so I have someone else squeezing the lemons for us…

Every month I bring you fresh voices from my premium community, and today I have the pleasure of introducing you to “the prison lady."

, is the founder of The Impact Activator, a publication that supports change makers to do good work and get paid for it. She has over a decade of experience working in prisons, helping people get a second chance in life ❤️

But today, she’s here to talk about a different topic: the power of public speaking, and how something that scared her to death became her secret weapon and gave her business new wings.

If you’d like to incorporate public speaking into your strategy to reach more people, grow your community and boost your earnings, check out my digital course, Speak to Scale 🎤

I want to speak to scale ✨

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Welcome Jacqueline!

The first time I spoke in public, I thought I might actually die.

Honestly!

So I’m not here to tell you to feel the fear and do it anyway. I resonate if you’re struggling with the idea of all those people staring at you. I’m compassionate about your fear of drying up / sounding stupid / feeling uncomfortable.

But, and it’s a big BUT. I’d be remiss if I didn’t share why you should see if you can give it a go. The rewards are unbelievably rich and endless.

My First Time

OK it wasn’t actually my first time. I’d already had a couple of previous horrendous experiences. But it was the time that put the final nail in the coffin for public speaking (or so I thought.)

It was a leadership assessment day at a university, There were about twenty candidates and me, and we were told to give a short presentation at the end. I knew I’d smashed all the previous activities. I knew I’d be nervous about the presentation. And I knew that preparation is the tool of winners!

So I had all my carefully thought through notes written on neat little cards, confident that I could manage five people in a small room. Then the organiser showed us to an auditorium packed with people.

“What!” I thought. I knew I was first, we were presenting in alphabetical order. My maiden name is Bennett.

Out came the Madonna-style microphone. I sweated as they attached the mic to me. I was aware of hundreds of people eating crisps, chatting, sipping coffee. My hands shook so much that my notes rattled. I wanted to die. I actually hoped something dramatic would happen. I considered running away.

Nothing happened and I didn’t run away. But it was a disaster.

I forgot half of what I wanted to say. My voice cracked as I spoke. I froze.

And no, there isn’t a happy ending! A few days later the panel phoned to say I’d been their front-runner all day — until that presentation.

I didn’t get the job.

So I decided public speaking was just not for me. And I would never again put myself in that position.

The whisper that wouldn’t go away

Fast forward a few years, just prior to founding my social enterprise, Beyond Recovery, I had a clear insight — a vision of myself speaking on stage in front of thousands of people. I remember thinking, you’ve got the wrong girl! But the thought wouldn’t leave me alone.

And if you know me, you’ll know that I never ignore those nudges from the universe.

As the nudge persisted, I reluctantly made a deal with myself: for one year, I would say yes to every opportunity to speak. Networking events, local meetings, anywhere that needed a voice — mine would do.

And I was terrified every single time.

But I have a mantra:

I seen over and over again that courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s moving forward with it. You can’t think your way into confidence; you have to practice, wobble, and learn in real time.

Confidence comes from action. Not the other way around.

There are many things I learned on that year of ‘practice’. It didn’t feel like it got any easier and there were a few (quite a few) tears. But you know what they say ‘practice makes perfect’. I knew I had to put in my 10,000 hours to get good. I knew the only way to find my voice was to use it.

And then I learned something that made everything so much easier.

The magic of storytelling

I found out that the most powerful tool any speaker has is storytelling. Facts inform; stories transform.

Now you may think you don’t have any stories. I feel you. I thought that too.

Or you may think that you can’t tell a story. Yep me too.

But guess what? Not only is story telling the oldest form of communication, pre-dating writing even. It is a skill we have naturally when we are born. Just look at children, they are always telling stories and playing make-believe!

Storytelling is innate - it just gets squished out of us by society, schooling, parenting. We have to grow up and leave all that behind. We taught to deal in facts not fantasy. And we (think) we loose the art of storytelling.

But it’s within you in the same way that it’s within me. It may be a muscle you haven’t practiced for a while but the muscle is still there. Plus, we are human, right!? We all have experienced fear, upset, love, difficulties, magical moments. We’ve all got stories even if they seem everyday. Even if you think they are boring.

The good news is that it’s the everyday stories that resonate most!

During my public speaking experiment, I was invited to speak for 10 minutes at a business networking breakfast full of elegant women with pearls and designer handbags. I felt completely out of place.

The event was held in the bar of a public house in Henley in Arden, UK. I stood at the front of the room, in my best jeans and a new pink blouse bought for the occasion.

“So.” I said. Twenty five expectant faces looked at me. Glasses of orange juice and crumbs from the croissants decorated the white linen table clothes. I could smell the freshly brewed coffee. “I’ve been learning the piano.” I continued.

Instead of delivering a neat business pitch, I told them about my piano lessons. I’d started learning because I wanted to play at my upcoming wedding. I was petrified but I’d seen that being a beginner reminded me to stay humble, open, and curious. And how that was useful to me as a life coach. It helped me to be more empathic with my clients.

I warmed to my story as the women were laughing at my anecdotes. I felt confident as they got tearful when I told them of my pain. The time flew by. “That’s it!” I said.

The whole room stood up and clapped and cheered. I blushed at the response. And then as the meeting moved on and people huddled to talk there was a line of five or six women waiting to speak to me. They wanted to know more about my business. They wanted a card. They wanted to tell me about their difficulties, their issues.

You see? When you tell a story from the heart, people go there with you. They feel something. And when people feel something, their life changes — even if it’s just a tiny shift.

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

That event was back in 2013. I did attract a couple of clients at that event but the biggest win was that I realised I just needed to tell stories. I was still nervous but the stories helped me forget the nerves.

And you want to know something even more magical?

Just recently, twelve years on from that event, I signed up my first 10K client.

She met me at that event.

We haven’t been in contact for over ten years. But she noticed my posts on another platform over the last year and got in touch. She still remembers how she felt at that networking event.

The final moment that changed everything

So let me take you back to February 2016. I’d started my non-profit business taking innate health programs into people in prison.

A colleague, Aaron, who teaches facilitators how to share the Innate Health paradigm I use got in touch.

“Would you like to speak at our conference?” Aaron said. I gulped. I knew the conference was huge, attracting hundreds of people at the time. “Er, yes.” I said.

Aaron laughed. “I know you’re nervous.” He said. “But your work is powerful and I want people to know what’s possible when you get out of your own way.”

That May I was standing at the side of the stage ready to be invited on. I could see that there were more faces than I’ve ever imagined (there were 1000 people at that conference, and it was live-streamed). There were also screens projecting my face to the back of the room.

I wondered what on earth I was doing there. Why had I put myself through this. I was so nervous that I seriously considered making a run for it.

But instead of fighting the fear, I let it be there. I reminded myself that thought passes on its own. I didn’t need to fix my nervousness — I just needed to show up.

I walked on stage, and I remembered the men and women I worked with in prison, the people whose stories I wanted to share. The transformations I’d seen. The joy I felt every day that I did that work.

My attention shifted from me to them. The message was more important than how I felt.

I’d brought a panel of three other speakers with me and I knew I had to be courageous for them. When they had all done their bit it was my turn to stand up by the lecture.

Once again I had the Madonna mic fitted to me. Once again I had sweaty hands that shock as I looked out at the bright faces of the audience. Once again I thought my nerves would kill my flow.

But they didn’t. I brought along a letter written by one of the men inside. It was raw and real. “I’m going to read a letter from David,” I said. The letter was incredible. It told his story and how he had changed. It told about his passion for what he had learned and why he wanted to help others. It was full of swear words that I had to censor (which made the audience laugh) and by the time I finished, the audience was on its feet.

I got a standing ovation!

It’s 2025 as I write this and people still mention that talk to this day.

People I’ve never met will seek me out and say “I saw you at the conference when you talked about David, it made me cry.” Or “I saw you at the conference and I’d love to do the work you do, can you help me?”

It’s not about you

That’s when it truly landed for me: public speaking isn’t about you.

It’s about the message you carry.

It’s about connection, perfection.

It’s about allowing people to know they are not alone.

Your nerves, your shaky hands, your “ums” and “ahs”, they have nothing to do with what the audience experiences. They’re rooting for you. They want to feel something real.

Even the greats feel it. Bruce Springsteen once said he never gets stage fright, but that his hands get sweaty, his mouth goes dry, and his heart races before every show. When asked what that was, he said, “Oh, that’s excitement.”

It’s all perspective. Fear and excitement live in the same body.

But the wonderful thing about public speaking is that it lets people KNOW you. It lets them experience you. It means that they will come to you with opportunities. They will seek you out for advice.

Since starting on this journey I have spoken on many stages around the world in real life and on the virtual stage. I’ve hosted panels. I’ve spoken for an hour. I’ve spoken for ten minutes. I’ve presented research and stories and guidence.

Over coming that fear has helped me win clients, be invited to incredible places and gain a level of visibility that would be impossible otherwise.

That’s what’s available to you. That’s what’s on the other side of fear. That’s what’s waiting for you right now.

Planning, flow, and the art of letting go

A quick note on planning.

People often ask if it’s better to plan or to wing it. My answer is: both.

I plan loosely — a theme, a few notes, maybe a story I know will land — but then I let the moment lead me. If someone in the audience says something that sparks a new direction, I follow that.

Sometimes, I lose my flow. I might feel the energy drop or sense the audience disconnect. When that happens, I pause. I take a sip of water. I ground myself. I even say out loud, “Hang on a minute — I’ve lost my flow.”

And you know what? No one minds.
Because authenticity is far more magnetic than perfection.

Three simple ways to start speaking now

If your heart is nudging you to share your message, to speak up for what matters, or even just to share your heart-led work, don’t wait until you feel “ready.”

Here are three things you can do this week:

1. Start small. Offer to speak for five minutes at a local group, community event, or online gathering. Practice in low-pressure spaces where you can experiment and learn.

2. Record yourself. Film or voice-record a short message about something you care about. Watch it back with curiosity, not criticism. Notice your natural strengths, your tone, your energy, your warmth.

3. Share your story. Think of one real story that captures why you do what you do. Tell it at your next meeting, in a post, or to a friend. Storytelling is where true connection begins.

I hope you can see that public speaking isn’t about performing, it’s about serving. When you forget yourself and focus on the message, that’s when the magic happens.

Because the world doesn’t need more perfect speakers.
It needs more real ones.

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Today, my digital business travels with me around the world and I’ve turned my creativity into my lifestyle.

I’ve learned to monetize my writing, launch products that sell, and get paid to speak in public. My secret is in growing my community and having a strategy.

If you are a paid subscriber/ Founding Member, I share with you the exact framework I use:

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As a strategy coach, and a public speaker, I always put a lot of focus on the first impression. How to start on a high (at whatever you do) and set yourself up for success because a first impression goes a long way and you only have 7 seconds (or less) to make it - or break it.

I have different strategies too:

Start with a fun fact to break the ice.

Share a thought-provoking idea to get people thinking.

Tell a personal story to build a connection.

I never start my session with “I have (massive) imposter syndrome.”

That is, until this week…

A little background story

Last month, I received a notification about a new Founding Member. I had never seen his name before so I checked his profile before sending him a welcome message.

I have to confess, at first, I thought “Charlie” was a troll: multimillion businessman, Founder, CEO, a dedicated section at the financial magazine MarketWatch and…had served Presidents of the US. 6 to be exact.

Of course I fact-checked everything and to my horror, everything was true. I verified his LinkedIn profile too: 31K followers. Featured by all the top magazines you can name in finance and then some.

So yeah, imposter syndrome was in order.

To make things worse, his secretary contacted me to book the session. Definitely not a troll.

The session

Fast forward 3 weeks, I jumped into the strategy session via Zoom. I had prepared as much as I could, but even after doing my homework, I still felt way out of my league. I’m not the type of coach people book through a secretary - not yet in any case.

showed up on time and I didn’t have any of my killer openings ready because quite frankly, none of them quite fit the situation.

We said hi and totally out the blue, I threw a,

“Hi Charlie, before we start I muss confess one thing…”

And that’s when I dropped it,

“I have massive imposter syndrome talking to you.”

There it was. The mask came off.

How do you recover from that?

To be honest, I was totally ready for him to walk away after my Grand Opening and I was happy to refund him the money. After all, that’s not what you pay a coach for. Imagine if I were a surgeon in the operating theater!

But he didn’t walk away. Instead he smiled, his body relaxed, and all of a sudden, the atmosphere changed. It felt light, open and clear.

The following 60 minutes flew by. We spent the hour brainstorming, sharing perspectives, exchanging thoughts and collaborating on his project to build his finance community on Substack.

Since the mask had come off anyways, I didn’t have to pretend to be anything or prove something I was not. I could just focus on actively listening and share my honest perspective and constructive feedback, coming from a very different world to his.

In fact, Charlie was already amazing in his field but by focusing on what I could bring to the table, versus obsessing about the table, I didn’t have the pressure to “perform” and that took a huge weight off my shoulders because I was able to be 100% me.

We ended up the session with a clear action plan. No fancy templates but a solid strategy to help him grow his new Substack community, Capital Mischief, by leveraging what he already has: experience, a digital footprint and rock solid business proof. He’s definitely not starting from zero and with a clear plan and some collaboration on steroids with the right partners, his potential is huge.

The aftermath

I left the session feeling good and relieved, knowing that I had given my 200% regardless of the league I was playing in.

And then something happened the blew my mind.

I received an email from Charlie the next morning and I’m not going to paraphrase it so here it is (part of it):

He found the session extremely valuable and started implemented the actions straight away. But what struck him most was precisely my blunt opening: telling him how I honestly felt about being in his league.

I thought it might have made me look amateur or unprofessional, but to my surprise, it did the exact opposite. It helped him relax and trust me and realize he wasn’t talking to someone pretending to be a guru at anything. Where I saw an imposter, he saw honesty, integrity and value ❤️

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What’s Charlie up to

In less than 24 hours, Charlie made some changes and put the action plan to motion:

He turned his LinkedIn profile (see below) into a strategic bridge to drive subscribers to his Substack, Capital Mischief and started engaging with the finance community in conversations and debates.

Thanks to a tip I shared during my Live session this week (how to add links smartly), he was able to turn that conversation into a community incubator and he got 55 new subscribers in 9 hours. He had 200+ when we talked. You do the math.

A new lesson and friendship

I’m pretty sure that Charlie will turn Capital Mischief into a Substack Bestseller in Finance within the next 12 months because he has everything going for him, especially the winner’s mindset and attitude.

And I’m really happy he didn’t walk away because I learned a huge lesson.

We live in a world that is constantly requiring us to “perform.” We post our best picture, embellish our figures and profiles, show up as a coach with a proprietary framework, have a perfect how-to and opening for every situation.

But what we we actually don’t need all of that?

The reality is that in no matter how fancy the table is, people crave real and human. And somehow, when we don’t have masks, pretensions or aspirations to be anything other than ourselves, we surprise ourselves by how much value we can bring.

And talking about tables, Charlie invited me to visit him and his wife if I ever go to Florida.

This story has a part 2. Watch this space!

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If you want to get ahead with your finances, check out Capital Mischief, a future Substack Bestseller 😉

And if you want help with your digital strategy, I promise I’ll have a better opening for you in our session:

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I wish today’s email were different.

I wish I had a lovely picture signing book copies for a bunch of new readers with a smile.

But I don’t.

It is what it is.

Last Saturday was supposed to be one of the most exciting days of my life as an author. I was launching my book, The Anti-Procrastinator with Penguin Random House at the Singapore Writers Festival, the largest literary event in South East Asia.

Having previously participated in festivals in Kerala, India, and Hong Kong as an author, my expectations were high and I wanted to make the most of this golden opportunity in The Little Red Dot.

It had been a busy week: 4 public speaking engagements back-to-back in Shanghai and Hong Kong. A lot of traveling, packing, unpacking and way too much coffee to compensate for the poor sleep.

Even Django was protesting.

On Friday, I finished the last event, changed from my high heels to my Adidas sneakers in the hotel bathroom and rushed to the airport to catch my flight to Singapore with a little hand-carry suitcase.

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Hello Singapore!

7 hours later, I checked into my hotel in downtown Singapore and went straight to bed after a hot bath and a long day.

My body clock woke me up at 5 am, and after a coffee, I set off for a run in the city. I love running before a big event. It helps me stay calm, focused and sharp. I then went for a quick dip in the hotel pool. Blue skies and an idyllic setting.

Living the life.

“Girl, you are going to rock this!” (I also talk to myself before speaking in public).

After a lavish breakfast with an army of croissants, I headed to the Singapore National Library.

And that’s the exact moment things started to go downhill.

Fast and furious.

I arrived fashionably early to what was supposed to be “my room”. I double checked and triple checked but there was another book launch taking place in “my room.” I felt as if I was going on a hot date, only to find out another chick had taken my spot.

My event had mysteriously disappeared in that humongous building that was spookily empty on a Saturday morning. Eventually, someone realized it had been moved to another location… without informing anyone. Not even the speaker.

Not a good sign.

The new room didn’t have any sign or banner about the event, other than a tiny standing display. Better than nothing.

I started to get ready and looked around for my book copies to prepare for the book signing after the talk. That’s the most important part of a literary festival: talking to readers, connecting, and selling your book.

I did a visual X-ray of the room and had another bad feeling. No books in sight.

I checked with the organizers and they said it was handled by the publishers. I checked with the publishers (over the phone) and they said it was handled by the organizers. Going in circles again. Oooops. Somehow, the team forgot to bring the stock and set it up for sales. It was too late now.

No books on a book launch. Are you f***cking kidding me? It’s like organizing a pizza party and somehow forgetting to bring the pizza.

The Anti-Procrastinator

Is this it?

I’d like to tell you that suddenly something happened, things turned around and a lot of people showed up to my event.

I’d like to tell you that the books mysteriously appeared at the eleventh hour and I was able to sign lots of books.

But this is not how this story goes…

Only 9 people showed up. 10, if we stretch it with one of the organizers who was a self-proclaimed procrastinator, although she probably just wanted to fill the empty room. Bless her.

I looked at my watch, wishing I could make myself small to fit into my hand-carry and disappear without any explanations (kind of like my books). That would have been a good Halloween trick (no treats this year).

Eventually, I went on stage, grabbed the mic, and decided to focus on the moment. I always say that you have to show up for yourself, and so I did.

I stopped venting about the books, the organization, and the people who were not there, and decided to be present, enjoy the moment and give my best to the people who were there. And to myself.

My moderator, Lyn, was incredible, and she behaved as if we had a full auditorium. So did I. I engaged with every one of the participants and even though my tank was half empty, I gave 100% of what I had left: my energy, my time, my focus.

One dad showed up with his two daughters, aged 11 and 7, because the mom signed them up to stop procrastinating - on a Saturday morning. I have a new idol.

Strangely, surprisingly, and against all odds, despite not selling a single book, I felt at peace.

Instead of resisting the situation, I took it for what it was and made the most of my tiny seed.

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The aftermath

I’m back home now, after another long day at the airport and although I hesitated about publishing this story, I thought it was important to share it with you. Not for pity or sympathy, but for sharing the truth of what it really means to be a writer and grow a creative business.

Very often, what we see on social media is a glimpse of reality, a conveniently pixelated version of what’s happening behind the scenes.

A screenshot of the one Post that went viral, pretending that’s the norm.

The impressive stats that inflate your results when it suits you.

The selfie where you look good after 10 attempts and 27 filters (that’s me, ha!).

So I hope this is a reminder that not everything is going to go according to plan and there’s often a gap between expectations and reality:

You might write a book that no one reads.

You might be excited about launching a course and get no students.

You might publish a newsletter and a bunch of people unsubscribe.

You might speak at an event, and only 9 people show up.

Yes, these things will happen and if you are here long enough, they will keep happening because being a writer and a creator is about taking risks, trying new things and putting yourself in situations where you will fail.

However, I decided to call this story a beautiful flop for a reason. Because even if it doesn’t seem like it in the moment (I honestly felt like crap), this is when you grow the most. In the face of adversity, rejection and challenges. There is beauty in getting up again, picking up the pieces and keeping going.

Your journey is not defined by one step, but every step adds to your journey.

This story reminded me of why I started writing in the first place, why this newsletter and community exists and why I put so much effort into what I do:

When life gives you lemons, don’t just make lemonade. Use the seeds to plant your own lemon tree- The Lemon Tree Mindset.

With love, lemons and lemonade,

Veronica

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What’s next

If you want to grow your writing business with someone who does not promise you 6 figures overnight but helps you get results, I’ve got you.

Upgrade now for weekly strategies to grow your Substack community, build a digital portfolio and get paid for what you love doing.

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I’m building a writing-speaking business around my lifestyle and I want the same for my people. The Lemon Tree Mindset is a mix of mindset and strategies to help you turn your creativity into a sustainable business.

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The illusion of busyness

People think a full calendar is a badge of honour and importance.

It’s not.

It’s a warning - and one you shouldn’t ignore.

As writers, creators, and solopreneurs, we’re wired to say yes.

Yes to that new freelance gig.

Yes to that collaboration we are not too sure about.

Yes to squeezing in one more project.

We fill our plate by default, like when you go to a buffet and keep adding more food even if you are full.

But creating a life of busyness is the ultimate illusion of productivity.

You end up doing a lot of junk miles that don’t add up to any meaningful mileage and often leave you empty and drained.

Now, you can’t romanticize the whole “follow your passion” thing and only do what makes your heart sing. Life is not an à la carte menu, and sometimes you have to do shitty jobs because you don’t have a choice. Thinking otherwise is tone-deaf and privileged. But you can create opportunities and take risks.

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A little story

Many years ago, when my dad passed away, we suddenly found ourselves broke. Bankrupt broke. My sister and I didn’t get an inheritance, just debt. We were still studying and so my mom, who is a trooper, started taking jobs to literally pay the bills. Contract jobs, part-time jobs, maternity coverages, sometimes two at a time to get a little extra on night shifts. Whatever she could find to make ends meet.

When she turned 50, she decided she was ready to invest in her own business. Not because she had saved enough (those jobs didn’t come with fat), but because she had had enough.

I had never met anyone who had started a restaurant with only 600 euros until I met my mom. During the first six months, she didn’t have enough money to buy a professional dishwasher. When my sister and I saw her that Christmas, I couldn’t recognize her once soft and delicate hands. They were so swollen that her wedding ring didn’t fit (she was still wearing it even after years of Dad’s passing). So Vicky and I joined forces with Santa and that’s the story of how she got her kick-ass dishwasher that is 15 years old and still ticking.

And so is Mom!

Her restaurant, Tasca Telemaco is now a success (free ad for Mom). Everyone who visits La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, makes a mandatory stop there. She’s not rich, but she has done well for herself and now owns 3 (!!) small investment flats. More importantly, she loves what she does and you can feel it when you walk through the door of her restaurant. Pure joy.

That’s the power of a hell-yes mindset.

The trap of “Yes” and the burnout spiral

We’re hustlers.

We juggle projects and deadlines, pitch ideas, and chase dreams while balancing side gigs, social media, admin and life. But here’s the thing: saying yes to everything doesn’t make you a superstar; it makes you a stretched-thin, burned-out shadow of the person you’re meant to be.

I’ve been there. When I started my creative business, 3 years ago, I was the queen of yes. I took on every project that came my way, every brainstorming opportunity and every invitation to collaborate and “pick on my brains.” I thought I was building something, brainstorming, incubating, but I was building a cage.

My energy drained, my time vanished, and as a result, my creativity tanked because I didn’t have time to think, to wander around, and to do freaking nothing. Because let’s be honest, being a creator is doing a whole lot of nothing 99% of the time, so that once every blue moon, the 1% strikes the genius chord and you do something that moves the needle.

Then it hit me: I was giving my best to things that didn’t deserve it and my brain was like that little annoying rainbow circle that pops up on your computer and freezes the screen whenever you are handling too many tasks at the same time.

Another warning right there.

The solution is to close windows, reset, restart, and focus on the task that really matters, one at a time.

I’m not talking about computers here.

The Hell Yes operating system.

The “Hell Yes” rule is simple but transformational: if a project, opportunity, or commitment doesn’t get you excited, or gets you closer to your life goals, ditch it.

No guilt.

No second-guessing.

Just a firm, intentional, confident “no”.

This isn’t about being selfish; it’s about being intentional. It’s about reserving your energy for the work that aligns with your goals and your purpose.

Your energy is finite – and so is your time. Every time you say yes to vanilla, you’re saying no to something extraordinary, like one of those chocolate volcanoes.

And trust me, a half-hearted yes leads to half-hearted work. Your readers, clients, and audience can feel it. Worse, you can feel it, that nagging sense that you’re not showing up as your best self.

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How to live the Hell Yes life

1. Get clarity

Take a moment to define what lights you up. Not what makes most money or what others expect from you.

What you really love, what you want to create, the life you want to live and what you need to do to get there.

Is it writing that novel you’ve been putting off for years?

Creating the course you never have time for?

Launching a business that allows you to see your kids at night?

Signing up for your first run and getting fit again?

Your Hell Yes tasks are going to orbit around your Yes Hell life, so be clear on what that looks like and don’t let the shiny objects get in the way and distract you. They are white noise.

2. Practice saying “No” (It’s okay to feel weird)

Saying no feels awkward at first, especially when you’re used to being the “yes, Sir” type. Start small. Decline that low-paying gig that doesn’t excite you. Politely pass on that collaboration that feels misaligned.

Find your own way of saying no without being rude or offensive. Try reframing it. It’s not about rejecting others: it’s about protecting yourself, your time, your goals.

My experience is that when you are kind but firm, people respect you (and your time) more.

3. Audit your plate

Look at your agenda and be honest: which items are “meh”?

If you’re spending 80% of your time on the meh zone, it’s time to trim the grass. Delegate, delay, or drop anything that’s a zero-sum gain.

If you can’t schedule a coffee with a friend for weeks, can’t remember the last time you called your parents (if you are lucky to have them alive) or can’t find the time to have a night date with your partner, that’s another sign.

4. Protect your energy like it’s gold

There’s nothing like approaching life with energy: a workout, a meeting, a new project, a coffee chat…

I know when I show up at 100% and I love that feeling, but I also know when the tank is half empty, and I lose patience with my kids, I write half-heartedly, and I’m looking at the watch, counting the minutes for a call to end.

I don’t like that version of me. And you shouldn’t either. You deserve to be served the best lemonade I can offer.

What do you need to create the best version of yourself?

Schedule time for rest, play, and inspiration. Read that book piling up dust on your bedside table. Take a walk without your phone. Spend time outdoors thinking and meditating.

These moments recharge your creativity and help you spot “hell yes” opportunities with clarity.

When you pour 100% of your energy into your “hell yes” projects, something clicks. Your work feels more meaningful and rewarding. Your ideas flow. Your audience connects with your authenticity. You’re not just creating, you’re thriving and you attract the right people.

The ripple effect of Hell Yes

The “Hell Yes” mindset doesn’t just transform your work; it transforms your life.

When you say no to what doesn’t serve you, you say yes to more time, more joy, and more impact, more freedom.

You show up as the writer, partner or parent you were meant to be.

Your readers feel your passion.

You are fully present for your kids, your partner, your clients, your friends, yourself.

Your confidence grows. And so do you, because you grow into a better version of yourself, aligned with your values and purpose.

I challenge you this week to say no to one thing that’s not a “hell yes”. It could be a project, a commitment, or even a self-imposed expectation. Then, redirect that energy to something that makes your heart race.

Write that chapter.

Sign up for that race.

Take that course.

Let that idea that has been ruminating in your head become something - anything.

You deserve your 100%.

Freedom starts where busyness ends.

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Something to make you smile:

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Do you feel your hands sweating and your heart beating like it’s going to explode in your chest?

I hear you.

Speaking in public is terrifying for most, but it’s also transformational for your personal and professional growth.

I only started speaking in public at 41 and it was a game-changer because it gave my writing an amplifier to reach more people, grow faster and create new (and more profitable) income streams.

So many talented writers, authors and creators are feeling invisible behind their screens and it doesn’t have to be that way.

Your words deserve to be seen.

Your voice deserves to be heard.

Your story can make a difference on someone else’s life.

But you have to put yourself out there.

That’s why the topic of October is public speaking, and that’s also why I launched my digital course, Speak To Scale.

About courage

It all starts with courage and a deep breath, and today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to my Founding Member and friend, , to tell us how she went from deep fear to owning the stage with courage, authenticity and a genuine smile.

He story is a powerful reminder that fear is not your enemy and that imperfection can still land, even with an accent.

For stories about courage and creativity, check out her publication, Courage To Create.

And if you’d like to write a Guest Post and reach 10K+ readers at The Lemon Tree Mindset, you can become a Founding Member and book your 1:1 strategy session today.

Become a Founding Member 🌟

Meet Magdalena

I stood backstage, gripping my notes so tightly the paper crumpled at the edges. My pulse beat so hard I could see my shirt moving. My palms were so slick with sweat I worried the ink would smear beyond recognition. But worse than all of that was what happened to my thoughts: they scattered like startled birds every time I could only manage these short, desperate gasps of air.

“You’ll be great,” someone whispered as they nudged me toward the stage.

Maybe. But every time a microphone found me, English felt like a shirt two sizes too small. My accent thickened. My mind fogged. The words I’d rehearsed twenty times in the mirror came out tangled. I’d finish, paste on a polite smile, and carry the hollow home.

So after another quarterly presentation where I watched eyes glaze over in the third row, I cornered one of the “naturals.” She was a woman who’d just delivered a flawless product pitch in the break room without even breaking stride to sip her coffee.

“How do you do it?” I asked.

She smiled like she was about to share classified intel. “Easy,” she said. “Just imagine them naked.”

The Bombing

I tried it at the next all-hands meeting.

Big mistake.

Halfway through explaining our Q3 targets, I made eye contact with our CFO and my brain immediately supplied an image I absolutely did not need. I lost my place. Stuttered. My face went hot. I looked down at my notes but the words might as well have been in Mandarin for all the sense they made. Someone coughed. I tried to restart the sentence. “So, the key metric we’re... what we’re really looking at here is...” The silence in that room grew teeth.

I finished somehow. Sat down. And spent the rest of the meeting wishing I could dissolve into the carpet.

Now I was anxious and deeply uncomfortable. The only thing that visualization did was make me blush mid-sentence. Turns out, picturing your audience in their underwear is a terrible idea when you’re already fighting for oxygen.

That was the day I stopped asking for shortcuts.

The Study

Instead, I became a student of fear.

I started watching how speakers moved their hands, how they paused, where they planted their feet. I binge-watched TED talks like my life depended on it. Not for tips, but for permission. I watched Amy Cuddy straighten her spine before she spoke. Brené Brown let her voice crack on the word “vulnerability” and the audience leaned in closer, not away. Simon Sinek’s hands carved circles in the air like he was sculpting the idea itself in real time.

I wasn’t looking for perfection anymore. I was hunting for proof that imperfection could still land.

Then, in a talk I almost skipped, a speaker said something that stopped me mid-scroll:

“Don’t run from fear. Acknowledge it. Thank it. Then ask it to step aside.”

Simple. Maybe too simple. But I had tried everything else: visualization, mantras, deep breathing exercises in bathroom stalls, caffeine, even yoga poses between parked cars in the parking garage. None of it worked.

So I decided to try gratitude.

The Thirty-Second Thank-You

Before my next presentation, a client proposal meeting I’d been dreading for two weeks, I locked myself in a supply closet backstage. Closed my eyes. Felt my pulse hammering behind my ribs, the familiar tightness in my chest, the way my accent was already thickening in my throat even though I hadn’t said a word yet.

And then, silently, I spoke to it:

“Thank you for being here, fear. I know you’re trying to protect me. But right now, I’ve got this.”

I took one breath. Then another.

Something shifted.

The fear didn’t vanish. It never does. But it loosened its grip. Like a fist unclenching. My breath deepened. The static in my head cleared just enough for me to remember: I wasn’t here to perform perfection; I was here to connect with three human beings who needed to understand why our solution mattered.

That presentation still wasn’t flawless. My accent stayed. My voice trembled when I explained the pricing structure. But for the first time, I felt the audience with me instead of against me. The woman across the table nodded when I described the problem. A man in the corner smiled when I stumbled over “implementation” and said, “You know what I mean,” and kept going.

Tiny bridges formed between us. We won the contract.

From Fog to Focus

For five years now, I’ve practiced that ritual before every talk. Thirty seconds of acknowledgment before stepping into the light.

Small staff meetings where I’m the only accent in the room. A 3,000-seat conference in Austin where the stage lights were so bright I couldn’t see faces. An international education summit in Prague where I spoke about building inclusive learning environments and finally understood that my voice was the example.

Each time, the fear shows up right on schedule. Each time, I thank it and ask it to step aside.

Somewhere along the way, my accent stopped feeling like a liability. It became part of my signature. A rhythm that reminds people I think in two languages, feel in two cultures, and speak from the edge of both. The very thing that made me want to hide became the thing that makes people remember.

The Real Lesson

The worst advice I ever got, “imagine them naked,” taught me the best lesson: you can’t trick fear into silence. You can’t visualize it away or breathe it into submission.

You have to make peace with it.

Last month, before a keynote in Seattle, I felt that familiar grip. The fog starting to close in, my hands already trembling as I clipped on the microphone. Backstage, I closed my eyes. Thirty seconds.

Thank you, fear. I’ve got this.

I walked on. I shook. I sweated.

But when I finished, a woman approached me. “Romanian,” she said, ten years in the States, working in tech. I always try to hide my accent,” she whispered, eyes shining. “I practice my R’s at night. I say ‘gonna’ instead of ‘going to’ so I sound more American. But hearing yours tonight...” She paused. “Maybe I don’t have to.”

That’s when I knew: the fear that tried to silence me is now the very thing that gives me something worth saying.

Your Turn

Before your next presentation, or any moment that terrifies you, try this: Take thirty seconds. Feel the fear exactly where it lives in your body. The shallow breath, the racing heart, the fog. Don’t fight it.

Thank it.

Then ask it to step aside.

You’ll still shake. You’ll still sweat. Your voice might still tremble.

But you’ll finally remember: courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s not even calm in the face of it.

Courage is the thirty-second conversation you have with terror before you walk on anyway.

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Tired of feeling invisible and writing to the void?

It’s time to bring a strategy to your writing and turn it into a sustainable business.

Check out my NEW Creator Growth Bundle to help you grow and monetize your Substack and create new income stream with public speaking (paid webinars, workshops, keynotes…)

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Price is going up daily.

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I want the Creator Growth Bundle 🔥

My cohort students gave me some honest feedback about my new digital product. They told me it was priced “too cheaply” and didn’t reflect its true value. At first, I was a bit defensive, but then I took a step back and listened.

I swallowed my pride and they were right.

Not about the course, but about me.

The truth was, the low price wasn’t a reflection of the product’s worth. It was a reflection of my insecurities, my doubts, and my mindset.

Here’s the thing: all too often, we sell ourselves short, not because our work lacks value, but because we doubt ourselves. We hesitate. We become our worst detractors and listen to the little voice that is warning us with fear,

Will they pay for this?

Is it worth it?

Am I enough?

And sometimes, those thoughts keep us from charging what we’re truly worth.

It’s time for a mindset shift.

If you’re constantly undervaluing your work, your time, or your expertise, ask yourself:

What story am I telling myself about my worth?

Because the truth is, your work has value, but it starts with your mindset, your inner value.

Your confidence, your boundaries, your pricing, they’re all interconnected.

When you see yourself as valuable, you won’t shy away from charging what you deserve. Instead, you’ll stand firm, knowing that your work can make a positive impact and you will walk away with confidence if you have to.

Pricing isn’t just about numbers. It’s about how you see yourself and your own belief in what you have to offer and the impact you can make.

I used to think, “If I charge a lot, people might think it’s too expensive and will walk away.” But I was missing the point. The real question is:

Do I believe in the value I bring?

Can I really help people go from A to B?

Can I deliver on an actual transformation?

If I do, then my pricing should reflect that belief.

And so should yours.

It’s that simple and that hard at the same time.

Here’s an invitation for you:

Take a moment. Reflect on your current pricing and how you feel about it.

Are you proud of it?

Or does it stem from fear, guilt, or insecurity?

Be honest.

If you find yourself selling yourself short, ask: “What mental blocks am I holding onto?” Maybe it’s a fear of rejection, a belief that “you haven’t earned it yet,” or impostor syndrome whispering in your ear.

Whatever it is, you can challenge those stories.

Here’s how you can begin:

1. Value yourself fully. Recognize the unique gifts, skills, and experiences you bring to the table. No one else has your perspective or approach.

2. Charge based on value, not fear. Pricing is a reflection of how much you believe your work is worth based on the transformation you can deliver. If you undervalue it, others will too.

3. Set boundaries. Don’t be afraid to say no or raise your prices. Respect your work and your time and you will attract the right people, those looking for value, and transformation, not just a Black Friday deal.

4. Shift your inner dialogue. Replace “Am I charging too much?” with “I am offering something valuable, and I deserve to be compensated fairly.”

5. Practice confidence and manifest your worth: Celebrate your expertise, be your best advocate and trust that the right clients will recognize your value.

When you step into your worth with confidence and ownership, your work will resonate more deeply, and you’ll attract clients who come to you for the value you offer, not the cheap price.

So, don’t sell yourself cheap. Not because it’s easier or safer, but because you deserve to be paid what you’re truly worth and you will keep yourself accountable to your high standards and your promise.

Let’s raise our prices, our standards, and our belief in ourselves.

Because if not now, when?

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If you are ready to start speaking in public and creating an offer with 5K+ US$ sessions, check out my digital course:

Speak to Scale: Boost Your Business With Public Speaking.

I share my strategy to work with Fortune 500 (see my previous engagements here):

What to expect:

✔️ 8 modules with videos, exercises and frameworks

✔️ How to pitch and get invited to podcasts to build your brand

✔️ Strategies to launch paid webinars (content, positioning and pricing)

✔️ How to optimize your LinkedIn profile and bio for public speaking

✔️ Framework to create your public speaker infrastructure & speaker kit

✔️ How to pitch to corporates and find paid engagement gigs

🔥Lifetime access for 148 US$ ++ (40% off for paid subscribers)

I want to be a public speaker 🎤

Design by my Founding Member from One You Collective - check her out for stunning branding and design.

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