2ND EDITION | ISSUE #156

Something funky happened when I pushed send on this newsletter earlier - and it didn't send to everyone - so if you are getting this twice sorry! ​
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Can I tell you a secret?

I'm running away tomorrow.

But only for like five days.

Depending on how long you've been reading this newsletter, you won't be all that surprised. Roadtrips are something I do pretty often, and my craziest travel stories have been documented in many a newsletter in the past - it's where some of my best content comes from.

• ​I wrote this newsletter (issue #143) en route to a place that changed it all​
• ​The crap grap moment (issue #114) & how to see above the treeline in your brand​
• ​5 signs that you're taking the long road (and how to find a better route) issue #107​

Having the flexibility to travel was a huge motivator behind starting a business in the first place, and whenever I do take time off to travel, I end up having huge creativity, productivity, and revenue spikes after.

A few days away = a shot of motivation and clarity for my latest brand endeavors (not to mention personal growth, confidence, and stories to tell, along with cute pics to share). If I'm ever feeling a little fed up with business (like I honestly am right now), a road trip is almost always the cure.

Last summer, after taking a nearly six-week sabbatical and sleeping outside for over 20 nights, I returned home and challenged myself to start from day one in building my brand. To think about things from the start. To go down to the studs.

The deeper I dug, the more work I found.

Now how much of that was my own process vs. productive procrastination - I don't know.

However, when you recognize that changes are needed behind the scenes of your brand, it's all too easy to experience something I like to call "the branding butterfly effect."

Because you change one thing - and suddenly it snowballs, and everything else needs to change too.

I updated my offer names, which required rewriting my services page, which in turn affected my homepage messaging, and subsequently, my Instagram bio no longer made sense. This necessitated an update to my email nurture sequence.

And honestly, I don't know if anyone can accurately quantify or plan for just how long that is going to take.

The problem is - it can get really overwhelming.

Especially when you are doing the majority of it by yourself.

Which brings me to where I am now. My latest adventure.

An adventure that is so ill-timed it's comical.

It's a sign from the universe that I need to take a minute to peace the eff out comical.

Because if there is two things I know

1. I need a break
2. I am never DIYing my entire website, by myself, ever again. Like EVER.

I have been feeling so behind, overwhelmed, and uninspired lately. So off I go - casually this weekend to Vermont and New Hampshire.

(Because if you are a girl who loves coffee, hiking, Gilmore Girls, and all things FALL, where else would you rather be in the next 5 days?)

The funny thing is.

I have 0 idea what the plan is.

Sure, I have the basics of what I need, so I CAN pack up and run away whenever I feel like it.
I know what I like to pack, wear, and have for a road trip.

I know where we are going But the details. Not so clear right now

(Shout out to my bestie who has definitely done some research, sent me a Google doc, and is providing the car, and has planned the route because - I'm just along for the ride and surrendering to it all ✌🏼)

So if you, too, are feeling a little burned out on your latest brand endeavor right now - let this be a reminder, a permission slip to be honest, life, the news, and running a whole business by yourself can be a lot. A bit of a slog.

Maybe you just need to run away for a few days?

&/or maybe it's a sign that you just need to surrender some control and let someone else do the work to get you to where you want to go?

Can I tell you another secret now?

A year ago, I was all about the strategy deck.

You know the one. The 30+ page Notion database (or PDF, or Canva doc) with your mission, vision, values, target audience demographics, competitor analysis, brand archetype, positioning statement, messaging pillars...

I thought that's what made me a good strategist. That's what "real" brand work looked like.

And don't get me wrong—I still think all of that has value. But here's what I realized after going through my own rebrand hell this past year:

Nobody actually uses them.

Not even me.

Now where the strategy deck and when/if anyone really needs one exsists within my offer ecosystem is still not 100% clear to me - but here's what I do know.

I'd spend hours building out comprehensive brand strategy databases for clients. Beautiful. Thorough. Every question answered.

And then... they'd collect digital dust.

Because when you're in the middle of launching a new offer, or updating your sales page, or trying to figure out what to post on Instagram, you're not opening your brand strategy deck to reference your "brand archetype."

You need to know: what do I say? What do I change? What's the next step?

That's when I realized brand strategy isn't the same thing as brand positioning.

Brand strategy (the foundations stuff—mission, vision, values) is discovery work. It's important. But it's also pretty much a one-and-done. It doesn't change much, even as your brand evolves.

Brand positioning is the development work. It's how you want people to perceive you right now. How you're showing up. What you're known for. What makes you different.

And that's what's constantly evolving and what actually helps you make decisions about your content, your messaging, your offers.

So I stopped focusing on selling strategy decks and started testing strategy sessions.

That's how Studio Sessions was born.

Instead of handing you a 40-page document to reference later (and then never open again), I give you a 60-minute strategy call where we talk through exactly what you're stuck on right now.

Then within 48 hours, you get a roadmap that's specific to your current pivot. Not theoretical. Not comprehensive. Not "here's everything you might ever need to know about your brand."

Just: here's what needs to change. Here's what to keep. Here's what to do first, second, and what can wait.

Because at the end of the day, you don't need another document on your desktop.

You need someone to help you see what you can't see when you're too close, and then tell you exactly what to do next.

That's what Studio Sessions does.

And honestly? It's what I wish I had for myself this past year instead of trying to DIY the whole damn thing alone.
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​But luckily, if you need help positioning your brand's next pivot, you do. ​

Advice I wouldn't have given you a year ago (but definitely will now)

If I was deciding to pivot my brand right now, knowing what I know? I wouldn't do it the same way.

Instead of scheduling out and planning a full brand pivot and setting myself up for failure—constantly trying to get re-motivated, squeezing in progress but feeling like all I've been doing is pushing the finish line off, creating more work for myself along the way—I would just focus on the next best steps.

Position the next offer. Update one sales page at a time.

Instead of being so zoomed out on the big picture that I'm just overwhelmed AF.

Because here's the thing: just like my sporadic road trip I leave for tomorrow morningng, you know where you want to go. You have all the stuff you need. You probably know what already works in your brand.

But you don't have the bandwidth to plan the route and buy the food.

And sure, you could do it - but you're only one person and your plate is already full.

Sometimes you just need someone else to map it out so you can surrender to the plan.

You can hire people like me to help speed that clarity process up and give you the momentum you need to feel like you are getting to the finish line of what can feel like a never-ending rebrand.

When pivoting your brand, the reality is that it takes time to gain clarity in the first place. I wouldn't have given you this advice a year ago - but since then, I've learned some things - and here's what I have to say about the strategy behind pivoting your brand now.

Focus on positioning, not brand strategy decks

Even as you rebrand and evolve, your values and brand foundations as a business owner are so ingrained in you as the human and face behind the brand that your "brand strategy" on a foundational level does collect digital dust. That's normal. You don't need to update and review that stuff more than like once a year or so.

Brand foundations = discovery work that collects digital dust (and that's okay)

Brand positioning = the development work that's constantly evolving

Brand positioning is about how you want people to perceive your brand right now. It's what helps you create content, make sales, and show up in a way that actually converts.

A strategy for the pivot you are in right now - figuring out the next best steps - is actually way more actionable than a 50-page brand strategy deck.

Here's what to focus on instead:

Grab a notebook (or open a Google doc) and answer these positioning questions for your current pivot:

1. What is the offer/service you're pivoting toward? (Be specific - not "I help people with their brands" but "I help wellness practitioners position their first signature offer")
2. Who is your perfect customer/client and what problem are they facing? (Not demographics - what are they actually stuck on right now?)
3. How can you help them solve that problem? (What's your specific approach or process?)
4. What makes you different or unique? (This isn't about being "the only one" - it's about your specific POV, process, or positioning)
5. What results and benefits does the customer get? (Not features - actual outcomes)
6. How will this be facilitated? (Is it a course, 1:1 container, group program, DIY resource?)
7. What's your price point/range? (Be specific - even if you're still figuring it out, put a number down)

These seven questions will give you more clarity on your current pivot than a 30-page strategy deck ever could.

Because at the end of the day, you need to know: what am I saying? What makes me different? What do I charge?

Not your brand archetype.

What actually needs to change (and what doesn't) The branding butterfly effect is real. You change one thing and suddenly everything else feels off. But here's what I've learned: you don't actually need to blow everything up and start over (if only I could tell that to Catie who scrapped her whole website and decided to start over). When you're in the messy middle of a pivot, the hardest thing is figuring out what's productive progress versus productive procrastination. What actually needs updating versus what you're just bored with. What to tackle first versus what can wait. ​ Here's where to start: 1. Update your brand colors If your aesthetic is shifting, this is the biggest bang for your buck. You don't need a full rebrand - sometimes you just need to refresh your color palette to support where your brand is headed. Your existing colors might stay (especially if your audience identifies you with them), but you might need to add new ones or shift the ratios of how you use them. → If you need help with this, The Brand Color Kit walks you through my exact process for creating color schemes with 2 rounds of 1:1 feedback from me (PWYW starting at $5) 2. Add or edit your fonts This is another high-impact, relatively low-effort update. Adding one new display font or updating your body font can completely shift how your brand feels without changing everything. → I cover font combos and what font’s your brand needs plus how that translates to your guidelines in the 2D Design masterclass​ 3. Create a moodboard for your pivot Remember last week when I mentioned falling asleep while trying to rebuild my website without a reference? Don't skip the moodboard step. You don't have to be creative or a designer to know what you like. Collect 60-80 images on Pinterest that capture the feeling you want your brand to evoke. Let your aesthetic shift inform your design decisions instead of trying to design in a vacuum. ​→ Reread last week's newsletter about moodboards here - link to issue #155​ ​ The key is: you need someone external (or at minimum, a clear visual reference) to help you identify what stays, what goes, and what evolves. Because sometimes keeping your logo and just updating your color palette is exactly what you need. Sometimes it's the opposite. But you can't see that when you're the one driving.

Okay so you've got clarity on your positioning. You know what design elements need updating. Now what? This is where most of us get stuck. Because even with clarity, finding the time to actually work on your own brand when you're juggling client work, content creation, sales tasks, and admin stuff feels impossible. There's no perfect schedule or strategy to balance it all. We're way too cyclical for that. But here's what's worked for me: Chief Creative Officer weeks. A CCO week is a 7-14 day period where you are your client. You block off time (it doesn't have to be the entire week - even a few hours a day works) to focus on your own brand work as the main priority. Maybe there are a couple of client meetings on the schedule, but the work you need to do for your own brand pivot is the main focus. It's how I've been able to consistently make time for my brand over the past year - going deep on repositioning my offer suite, rewriting my website copy, and now finally rebuilding the site itself. I'm actually testing a free CCO Week Challenge in November where we'll all participate in a CCO week together and share daily updates. I'll create some prep content leading up to it, daily journal prompts and challenges, plus some really cool giveaways at the end. ​Join the waitlist here → and I'll add you to a group chat next week where we can all vote on which November dates work best. Or, if you want someone to map out your pivot for you... Look, I get it. Even with all the right prompts and a plan to carve out time, sometimes you just need someone else to do the strategic heavy lifting. That's exactly what Studio Sessions does. It's a 60-minute strategy call where you brain dump your brand overwhelm and what's got you stuck, followed by a comprehensive roadmap delivered within 48 hours. We look at your brand holistically across strategy, design, and implementation. You'll walk away knowing: What to keep, what to refresh, and what to retire Whether your new offer needs its own landing page or if you can fold it into your existing site What to tackle first, second, and what can wait Which updates you can knock out yourself and which ones are worth hiring out Exactly what it's going to take to make your pivot happen (timeline, effort, resources) You get the google doc. The roadmap. The next best steps prioritized. So you can stop trying to be both the person driving and the person with the map. ​Book a Studio Session here → ($131)