Hello Reader,

Something has been on my mind lately as Natalie and I plan our 2024 Luminary Mastermind:​

I would not be where I am today if I didn't have an incredible circle of people who give me honest feedback, gut checks, and thinking it through help.

Not a cheering section. That's what your family is for!

Here's what that support has looked like over the years:

My longtime friend who's got a long history in corporate and small business growth, who gleefully (ahem) pokes holes in my wild ideas. We all need someone like this who is clear, even when it's hard.

My client Nic, who I hire when I need to talk through my public-facing strategy—she's always got a smart, practical solution that didn't occur to me. I believe her last bit of advice was "You need to have a bigger message, you're underselling this." Which was absolutely true!

A close friend who's as ambitious as I am, but translating that to the corporate world and has grown a lot professional in recent years. She's someone who really gets the challenges of reaching new levels and how it's exciting but also deeply uncomfortable. When I struggle with people stuff (we all do!), this is who I call.

​Nequosha, my business attorney, who makes sure I'm not opening myself up to any sticky legal situations, but does so with the eye of a business strategist. We had a call with her about the aforementioned mastermind this week and I felt SO MUCH BETTER having her in our court (pun intended).

Various experts who know more than me: a podcast strategist, a productized services consultant, an agency growth expert, a systems specialist—these have all been folks I've called on when I got stuck at a particular point and need someone else's eyes on my business.

I've been thinking about what the common theme is that ties all these members of my circle together. They are all elevation-focused. That means they know that I'm motivated to improve, to grow professionally and personally (I define growth differently and none have had a problem with that), and to do things with integrity. They will disagree with me when I'm wrong or need to think through something further.

Like I said, not cheerleaders—smart people who understand big goals.

This is why Natalie (who's also an important part of my circle!) and are creating our mastermind—we know we can facilitate an incredible, diverse circle of powerhouses who will elevate together. We'd love it if it's the right solution for you (joining the waitlist is zero commitment), but even if now isn't the time for this kind of solution, I encourage you to think about your circle.

Who's in your circle now? Who do you need that's not there? How can you also support them? Are you surrounded by people who "get" your goals or have you left your community behind and are doing the lone wolf routine?

One of the nastiest lies out there is the myth of the solo wizard doing everything alone.

Back when I wrote for a trade magazine, one of my "beats" was interviewing successful people in the field. To a number, every single one of them had a massive list of people behind them that facilitated their success. And all of these folks were what we now call "personal brands."

Onward and upward,

Sarah

P.S. It's not really my style to give notice about this (I just adjust as appropriate and call it a day), but I feel like I need to in this case: my 1:1 consulting services have grown to a point I never expected over the last year. As a result, demand is at a level where I need to evaluate pricing so these services continue to make sense from a business perspective. Which means that in 2024, Spark Sessions, the Aligned Authority Accelerator, and my business mentoring program will all be getting pricing adjustments. If you are excited about any of these solutions, reach out now for 2023 pricing.