More Curiosity than Certainty
The discomfort of rooting our business plans in more tangled questions than answers.
“Are you telling me you don’t have a plan? A guiding goal?”
The responses I received to the last episode of And More took me a little by surprise. (Frankly, the fact that anyone listens to the episodes outside of my parents and a few close friends surprises me.) The DMs I received weren’t controversial or shocking, nor were they congratulatory. That’s just fine by me because the listeners’ comments indicated to me that I made my point.
I struck a nerve by asking more questions than giving answers.
As an always-in-recovery people pleaser and type A ambitious woman, what you might not realize is that the episode of me sharing that I’m designing my year with curiosity instead of certainty required more bravery than I expected. I usually can move quickly between creating pieces of content. I can pivot from recording a podcast and takeaways to writing this newsletter, and then quickly switch to working on the memoir draft revisions and checking social media. Even though I put almost all of my emotions into being present, I can bounce between projects easily.
The bounce wasn’t there after I recorded this episode. It was uncomfortable and squishy. It felt like my feet weren’t completely on solid ground because I was proposing another alternative to my natural “have it all together” self.
It felt freeing and extremely scary at the same time - like listeners would come out of the woodwork and question my ability. I half expected BEAM partners to email me, raising concerns about whether or not we should work together because they’d lost a little confidence in my ability to plot a path forward.
Once I finished and scheduled the episode, I closed my computer, grabbed an open cup of coffee, and went outside for a walk. Self-care had to rule the rest of the day so that I could be fully present with my family that night. It was a solo parenting week, after all. Have you ever had those moments when your brain and heart run faster into the spiraling tornado and your body just feels a bit numb? It all happened to me in a matter of a 45-minute walk.
As I climbed the hills in Queen Anne’s rolling neighborhoods, I had to come back to the same question I just recorded and hit “publish.”
What is the story I’m telling myself about this situation?
Obviously, my head went straight to “You’re gonna get canceled, Amy.” After ruminating on that thread a bit, I added one more question to the mix.
What is the lost opportunity if you don’t fully show up for the new way of doing things?
My answer: it’s a huge lost opportunity because the way of “showing up” with our normal expectations and definitions (especially in corporate America) never worked.
I’d rather model walking through the world with curiosity and driving business from that strength instead of strong-arming things into what I think they should be. That became clearer during my biz audit session with
later that day - more on that soon.Ultimately, I’m building a business that doesn’t look how media companies traditionally appear. That’s exactly what I want because the old model doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t work for moms and caregivers. We want and deserve better.
So, to answer the listener’s question, I do have a plan for 2024. It’s just more about curiosity than certainty. It doesn’t look like what we’re used to - and that’s just how I want it.
Join Me! Thurs., Jan. 18 at 2pm PT on LinkedIn
What happens when postpartum and perimenopause collides in our lives? How do we function? What should we look for and how can we find answers? Join me and Gennev’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoore-Su as we tackle these questions.
Amy’s 3 Things
It’s a new year! Let’s f***ing go!
Must Read:
’s latest essay on exploring her thinking on burnout struck a chord with my soul. Life can be full, and it can mean different things for different people. I resonated with her comments around ambition - it’s something I’m still exploring as a highly ambitious person.Must Watch: It’s award season! You should definitely watch Past Lives, but make sure to watch all of her awards speech from the Unforgettable Gala. “I got to play a regular person who's just trying to understand what it means to be alive, and THAT'S the breakthrough.”
Must Act Upon: The incredible force that is Bobbie, Chamber of Mothers, Moms First and our friends at Paid Leave for All launched their “Parents Push Harder” campaign with tennis superstar and mom Naomi Osaka. With a social media blitz and a full-page ad in Sunday’s New York Times, the collaboration aims to push for federal paid leave policies. BEAM joins them in shouting it from the rooftops.
I’d love to hear from you - what is something you want to leap out and do (big or small!) and need a little encouragement? Cheering for you!
