For a lot of people pleasers, I think it's rooted in a genuine desire to connect — to be a good friend, a considerate, nurturing, and loving person. But as Meg Josephson points out in her book Are You Mad at Me?, many people who struggle with people-pleasing are operating from the fawn response. They carry the belief that in order to feel safe and loved, they need to make everyone around them happy.

Too many projects in motion, things left undone and opportunities I hadn't had the bandwidth to pursue. Team members waiting on me to move something forward. And looking at it all laid out like that, my first feeling wasn't panic.

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?

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