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My entrepreneurship journey from teacher to business owner, career pivots, burnout recovery, and aligned leadership.

Niceness is polite on the surface, but it tends to avoid discomfort. It keeps things pleasant. It smooths over tension. It excels at small talk and surface-level connection. But difficult conversations? Disagreement? Diverging perspectives? Niceness will differ to safer topics like the weather or last night’s game.

In the age of digital marketing, endless Zoom calls, and ever-transforming technologies, it can be easy to overlook the simple act of asking someone to coffee. But we are still hardwired for connection—one-on-one conversations with people who are doing interesting things and willing to offer insights and connections we didn’t even know we needed.

When you’re in the driver’s seat as a communicator, you have a choice. You can approach your message with empathy and relational trust. You can center stories that empower people, that honor their agency, that help them see a path forward. Or you can rely on fear. You can manipulate through scarcity. You can frame your words in ways that dehumanize others to rally support, to gain followers, to win.

What’s your big and daunting thing that you know you need to tackle, one step at a time? What’s the project, goal, or intention for 2026 that feels important to your vision and your desires?

What’s become increasingly clear to me is this: as AI becomes more prominent, it becomes more essential for leaders to use it intentionally and strategically. AI can absolutely be a game-changing strategic partner. It can also become a shortcut that weakens our critical thinking and dulls our craft. Both paths have very real consequences.

Their mission is both simple and profound: to rise above “us vs. them” thinking and build solutions together. They equip people with tools to uncover shared values, find hidden common ground, and work toward lasting solutions that reflect the will of the people, rather than just the loudest voices.

Lately, one of my favorite things has been getting to be a guest on podcasts. Truly—great conversations with thoughtful people about work, meaning, and how to create lives that feel good? That is my happy place. And getting to share those conversations with people I care about—you included—feels like a gift.

Every Wednesday, I share something that’s sparked my curiosity—a quote, resource, or idea—and a few thoughts on why it matters for how we work and lead.

At Allie Jones Consulting, this belief runs deep. How we gather matters. Whether it’s a board meeting, a client check-in, or a community roundtable, the way we design our time together shapes how seen, safe, and supported people feel—and how effective we can be.

It’s the willingness to show up, to lead with heart, and to keep creating even when you know not everyone will understand or approve.

Leadership today is tough. Silence feels safe, but it comes at a cost. Here’s why finding your voice matters.

I’ve always been drawn to helping people feel seen and the connections that lead to thriving. I loved the small talk that felt like true connection as I made people their daily cup of coffee. It made my day as a teacher when I saw a lightbulb come on for a student who was struggling. Hearing the joy and relief from a business owner after they read key messaging that wraps words around the heart of what they do is the most satisfying part of my job.

Below, I give a broad overview of each Enneagram Type. You may recognize yourself in a few—and perhaps a few others will remind you of your family and friends. You may also see some familiar traits of your clients. From the lens of marketing, I will share some ideas on how to best connect and empathize with each type on the Enneagram.

One of the most powerful tools to grow in self-awareness is called the Enneagram. An ancient personality typing system, the Enneagram reveals the different ways each of us sees the world and the underlying motivations that drive our patterns of thought, feelings, and behavior.

There are so many aspects to marketing, but at the end of the day, the biggest task is to just keep showing up.

While at first glance being scrappy can look unpolished and amateur, there is a humble wisdom in taking a feisty approach to pursuing goals. Scrappiness claims that perfection is overrated, and that lack of resources, experience, or ideal conditions isn’t a valid reason to postpone pursuing our dreams. Scrappiness reminds us that joy is in the doing, the trying, the process of becoming—not in the final result, or how many people approve of it, whatever “it” may be.