Triangle executives, small business owners, members of my cohort and employees across all levels are telling me: “Jes, we’re tired. We’re crispy-crunchy burned out.”

I’m a huge fan of sprints—for work, hobbies, and even workouts. Sprints keep me engaged, excited about my work and full of anticipation. But so often in my conversations these days, people are still talking about their day-to-day as if they are training for a marathon. Let’s talk about the advantages of sprints.

Generally, we default to our impostor archetypes when we’re feeling threatened, insecure or are questioning if we are ready for a new challenge. The question that rattles us so deeply is: “Do I really belong here? Do I have the right to be in this room?”

Here’s a thought to start: “Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of blame, judgment, and shame.”

That’s from author Brené Brown, and, sure, we could just drop the mic here… because, well, Brené. But, I still have more than 400 words left in this column, so let’s get after it…

Natural geniuses, we love your BRILLIANCE. But don’t stop there. Take the opportunity to dig in when it gets uncomfortable and expand your knowledge in new directions.

Battle Cry… a visual poem, commissioned, produced and performed to inspire women everywhere.

How do you know if you default to the expert? Well, you probably lean hard on credentials and believe more letters behind your name validate you. Here’s how it shows up in your everyday life…

If I’ve learned one thing from watching horror movies, it’s this⁠—don’t go it alone! That same nugget of wisdom applies to all us soloists out there…

Hey we tried, but we can’t cover impostor syndrome in 500 words. It just can’t be done! Over the next six weeks we’ll zoom in on the what, why and how of it all. So let’s dig in so we can kick it to the curb.

Let’s take a hard look at the canary in the coal mine. Is your energy high or low these days?

If you’re like three out of five Americans, you shouted, “Low, Jes. I’m tired!”

Someone in our winter cohort said: “I struggle with being envious or jealous of people versus being inspired by them.”

What an important observation! I’ve been thinking about it all week. And honestly, I know exactly what she’s talking about, and I’ll bet you do, too.

Because saying yes to one thing means saying no to another…

It’s the perfect time to check in on your Say:Do ratio. Not familiar with the term? Here’s a better way to reframe it: Do you do what you say you’re going to do?

I want to remind you that you have a choice to grow and evolve. You can forge ahead and design a year that feeds your soul, challenges your intellect and taps the shoulder of your curiosity…OR you can simply repeat.

“Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights.”

Remember: you are the artist. And you get to choose what vision you want to bring to life. Is it enough to rinse and repeat last year’s creation? Or is this the year you’ll be brighter, bolder and more true to you?

“You’ll never influence the world by being just like it!” — (An Anonymous but Very Wise Person)