Hey Leader,
Someone pointed out something funny to me this week.
Apparently, my automatic email response was telling people I wouldn’t be back until June 24.
June 24!
Now, I don’t know what happened there, but when he told me, I thought, wouldn’t that be nice?
Because if I could spend the next seven months sitting in Cabo enjoying margaritas, trust me, we’d be having a very different conversation right now.
Unfortunately, I don’t see seven months in Cabo happening anytime soon.
And if you’re anything like the women I’ve been talking to lately, you’ve probably got enough on your plate already.
Which brings me to something we were discussing with my team this week.
We were talking about what we should be doing for the women in our Be That Girl community as we head into the new year.
Naturally, we started discussing goals for 2027. What do you want to accomplish? Who do you want to become? How can we help you get there?
And I pushed back.
Because I started thinking about the women we’re talking to.
These are women running departments, managing teams, dealing with budgets, navigating corporate politics, raising families, and trying to get everything wrapped up before the holidays.
Do you really think the average woman in that position is sitting around wondering what her 2027 vision board should look like?
Girl, she’s trying to make it to Christmas!
And I get it.
Here’s where I want to challenge you.
There is nothing wrong with setting big goals. You know I believe in ambition. I’ve built my entire career around going after opportunities that other people thought were out of reach.
But sometimes all that planning becomes a very sophisticated way of avoiding what we need to deal with right now.
We convince ourselves that January is when things will change.
January is when we’ll finally speak up.
January is when we’ll advocate for ourselves.
January is when we’ll establish boundaries, have difficult conversations, or pursue that next opportunity.
Well, here’s my question.
What’s so magical about January?
If you know something needs to change, why are you giving yourself another seven weeks to avoid it?
I’m not asking you to overhaul your life before Christmas. You’ve got enough going on.
I’m asking you to take ownership of one thing.
The one-thing exercise
Before next Friday, identify one situation at work that isn’t getting the attention it deserves.
Maybe your team is juggling five priorities and nobody knows which one matters most.
Maybe you keep accepting additional responsibilities because you’re worried about disappointing someone.
Or maybe you’ve been delivering exceptional results for months and assuming the right people will eventually notice.
Here’s what I want you to do.
1. Name the situation.
Be specific. “I need to be more confident” isn’t specific.
“I need to tell my boss I’m interested in the open director position” is.
2. Decide what you actually want to happen.
Not what you hope someone else will figure out. What outcome are you looking for?
3. Take one action in the next seven days.
Schedule the conversation. Ask the question. Make the request.
You don’t need another notebook full of goals to do that.
And I promise you, a beautifully color-coded 2027 planner isn’t going to have that conversation for you.
At some point, you have to open your mouth.
Let’s talk about what happens after that.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking.
“Okay, Stephanie. I can have the conversation. But what if it doesn’t go the way I planned?”
That’s a fair question.
Because the hard part isn’t always figuring out what to do. Sometimes it’s navigating what happens when you actually do it.
You ask for the promotion and your boss says you’re not ready.
You establish a boundary and somebody pushes back.
You finally speak up in the meeting and the room goes quiet.
Now what?
These are the conversations I want women to be able to have with one another.
Inside Be That Girl Collective, we’re getting into the situations that don’t come with a convenient instruction manual.
We have a Monday Push to get you thinking about what you’re going to do that week. My Two Cents on Wednesdays offers perspective on situations women are navigating. And our Friday Report Back gives you an opportunity to reflect on what you actually did.
We also get together LIVE, and I bring women from my personal and professional circle into those conversations so you can learn from their experiences, too.
I want you to be able to ask questions, hear different perspectives, and learn from women who understand what it means to carry significant responsibilities while still trying to grow.
Be That Girl Collective is $47 per month.
If you’re ready to work on how you show up in the moments that matter, I’d love to have you join us.
JOIN ME INSIDE BE THAT GIRL COLLECTIVE
And whether you join us or not, I want you to do that one-thing exercise.
You know which situation you’ve been putting off.
Handle it.
You’ve still got plenty of time to buy that 2027 planner.
Stephanie
And to the gentlemen reading this...
I know you’ve been hearing a lot about Be That Girl lately. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you!
The Collective is specifically for women, but my leadership work is for everyone. And depending on what you’re working toward, I have a few other ways we can work together.
Leading people who don’t think or work like you?
My A.L.L.Y. Leadership Framework gives you practical tools to build trust, communicate across differences, and lead more effectively.
Responsible for developing leaders across your organization?
Bring me in to work with your team. From executive workshops to corporate training and keynotes, we’ll explore what your organization needs.
Doing great work but still getting overlooked?
My Stand Out & Move Up Bootcamp helps ambitious professionals make their value visible, communicate with authority, and take ownership of their career advancement.
Whatever stage of leadership you’re in, there’s always another level to grow into.