Reader,
I'm home.
I got back from two weeks in Italy and the Netherlands on Sunday and then spent three and a half days down with the plague.
I'm finally on the mend and returning to work a little differently (and much slower) than I'd originally planned, but somehow, that seems fitting given the many pivots we made on this trip.
We had canceled trains that turned into new friendships... twice.
Lengthly travel delays and some last minute flight changes.
A few days with no cell service that forced me to navigate cities I didn't know using nothing but instinct, flashes of memory from a few travel blogs, and a poorly functioning map app.
But those experiences and places along the way also came with loads of cool learnings...
Did you know lemons aren't grown from seed?They're grafted onto orange trees but still become lemons. WHAT!
The entire city of Rotterdam was rebuilt post-WWII with the mindset of what could the city be... vs what it was. There are insanely cool buildings there now plus a lone old church that was rebuilt piece by piece.
The power of communication, patience, and agility...
I've been sharing pieces of the journey on LinkedIn, and as I've been digesting the trip, there's definitely more to come.
As we mark the beginning of what I think of as the shift into the fall (I know, I know... August isn't really fall), I'm carrying the importance of being intentional, flexible, and spacious.
This next season will be full of speaking engagements, conferences, client work, and the Built to Last Egypt retreat, which is now just 77 days away (EEEP!)
Starting next week, I'm also kicking off a new content series that I've been sitting with for a while. So many of the founders I talk to feel boxed into two options: quit, or keep pushing to scale because that's what everyone says you're supposed to do, despite feeling exhausted, frustrated, and disconnected.
I don't think we have to do business this way, and I want to spend the next several weeks showing what the real range of options actually looks like, including the reality that different parts of your business can be at completely different stages at the same time.
More on that soon. For now, I'm just glad to be upright.
What's been coming up for you lately? How has your summer been?
xo, Jess
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