Hi Friends!
It's May and the long days are finally here. The flowers are popping off everywhere, trees are lush and Portland is giving us the kind of light that makes you want to stay outside watching the sunset on the front porch until 9pm.
As we near this lovely midway point in the year, I want to tell you about a goal I’m working on which is equally exciting and slightly insane.
I signed up for a Century bike ride in August.
It's the Covered Bridges Ride, about two hours outside Portland. The longest ride I've ever done was 60 miles, which I barely finished last June (I blame rain). So this is a real stretch. Right now I'm riding 30 miles at a clip, which means there's a long runway between me and 100.
I'll be honest, this feels daunting. But, you know what, with 50 around the corner, I’m only halfway there baby!!
Let’s go!
What I’m Practicing
Showing up. Even when the goal feels too big.
Here's what I keep reminding myself. Two years ago, hell no would I have joined a group ride of 30 miles. Last June, 60 felt like a push. The only way I'm going to get to 100 is to keep showing up, one ride at a time. To layer in distance the way you'd add weight to a bar at the gym.
It's slow. It's unglamorous. It's the same thing, again, with a few extra miles each week.
James Clear wrote something recently that speaks to this:
“The loser has more in common with the winner than with the person sitting on the sidelines. The winner and the loser each had the courage to try. Both risked embarrassment. Both were willing to face uncertainty. Both were stubborn enough to continue. Success is endurance in disguise. The sidelines are safe, but sterile. Nothing grows there.”
Wow.
The next 90 days will be tough training. But even if I’m the last to cross that finish line, I'm in the game. I'm training. I'm showing up. And that puts me a lot closer to the winners than to the people watching.
➡️ Here's what I want from you.
Are you chasing something big this year? Something with a specific date on the calendar? DM me your goal and when you intend to complete it. I'll add it to my calendar and send you 🙌🏼 the week before. Seriously, I love rooting for people doing hard things. We need more cheerleaders in our corner, especially when the thing we signed up for feels just out of reach.
I'll go first. August 9th. Covered Bridges Ride. 100 miles. Send me all the good vibes 💪🏽.
What I’m Loving
Stanley Tucci has a show on National Geographic called Tucci in Italy. Season 2 just came out and we are all about it.
Why?
One of my clients is in the food and regenerative agriculture industry. We’ve been talking a lot about messaging and positioning, especially given the premium placed on her products vs. the economic reality for many households right now. Why should they pay a little more? Here’s why: food is so much more than nourishment. It’s symbolic of culture and serves as a magnet for community. The taste of our food should be fundamentally rooted to the place where it was grown or raised. And this is why I’m so drawn to Tucci’s Italy walks. Certain products emote. They make you feel something far beyond their literal function. Food is one of those categories. But it’s not the only one.
If you look after a business, what are you communicating that’s beyond function? Beyond speeds and feeds? It takes courage to speak in a way that moves people. Even if you’re B2B tech (much of my background), aren’t there levers to pull that tell a wider story? That draw your customers to you.
Pro Tip: specificity is a key differentiator. Tucci doesn't make a show about "Italy." He makes a show about a 70-year-old fisherman in Le Marche pulling mussels by hand. That's why it works. Same principle for executives building a brand: stop trying to speak for an industry and start telling stories about specific people, specific moments, and specific choices.
Tucci makes the show. His dry, curious manner, speaking broken Italian is what makes you keep watching. The lesson for leaders: your point of view is the product. Strip out the polish, leave the personality.
Shining a Light
Mary Kay Ash (yes, the pink Cadillac one) once said:
“No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make the other person feel important. Never forget this message when working with others.”
This is what Shining a Light is about for me every month. Making people I admire feel seen and know they matter. And today, I want to do it for two women who have written their first children's books(!!).
Each of these smart women has a full time career, and on top of that, she's choosing to put a brand new thing into the world. That’s no small move.
📚 Julie Keshmiry — Princess Shmincess
If you're tired of damsel-in-distress princess stories, Princess Shmincess is the book you've been waiting for — a funny, heartwarming tale about a drum-loving princess and her unlikely dragon friend who both learn to be unapologetically themselves. Amazon bestseller and perfect for the little rockstar in your life!
Available Now - Buy Julie’s book here.
📚 Kelly Smit — The Flamingo who wasn’t Pink
Ringo is a grey flamingo living in a world full of bright pink flamingos, and he worries that he will never truly fit in. Along his journey, he discovers that friendship, kindness, and acceptance matter far more than looking the same.
Available Now - Buy Kelly’s book here.
I encourage you check these books out, buy them, gift them, and read them to your kids, nieces or nephews.
Well done Julie and Kelly!
ICYMI
Mother's Day was earlier this month. I posted something on LinkedIn I want to share again here, because the message is too important to leave on one platform and we all know that algo only served it up to 6% of you anyway!
This is also a shout out to all the partners out there. It is hard enough to lead, build and juggle. But doing it alongside those unseen heroes or heroines cooking, driving, managing things for you- it’s a huge advantage. Tell them thank you, if you haven’t lately.
Roy doesn't get enough credit.
I got to soak in Mother's Day this year. A hike. Lunch in the sun. A luxurious afternoon with a paper book. But the truth is, I'm only able to show up the way I do, in my business and for my girls, because Roy shows up for all of us.
When I'm deep in a client deadline or traveling, he's got dinner handled. When I need to think out loud about a pitch at 9pm, he listens. When one of the girls needs a last-minute birthday party present, he's already in the car heading to Target.
Behind most women doing big things is a… (read the rest here.)
Where’s Jess?
Shoutout to Tracy Hooper for nailing last month's challenge: Cannon Beach! 🙌
If you don't know Tracy, you should. She's the founder of The Confidence Project, an executive advisor, expert facilitator, and author who helps leaders show up with real presence, especially on stage and in person. Her latest offering is about words to lose and words to use: how to forge connection and signal authority with any audience. Worth a follow on LinkedIn.
This month's photo was taken somewhere far from Portland, and it ties directly into what I'm loving up above. ✈️
The first person to reply with the correct location gets a shoutout in the June edition.
Thank you for being here. See you in June. 💛
— Jess
Bet on yourself.
➡️ Did a friend forward this to you? Subscribe here. You’ll get pro tips and inspo about once a month.
