💌 Lemon Cake & Silliness

Hi friend!

I want to be real with you.

I’ve been working long hours as of late.

I talk a big game of freedom and ease, but it doesn’t always happen like that.

Last week it’s been a 10 am to 11 pm type of deal.

With missed workouts and lunch at the computer screen.

To pull the curtains back a little bit, here’s how I spent my time:

• My group coaching program AuthenTech starts in April!

  There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into telling & connecting with people, creating a site, and prepping content for each module.

• Hosting my second workshop next Tuesday! It’s on “Navigating Tech Career Transitions With Confidence & Clarity.”

  Last time I got a compliment on my intro playlist and so NOW, the music has to really be on point 🎵

  

  never underestimate a Mary J Blige jam

• Supporting my 1:1 clients through things like landing a new job (from operations to product!), running life experiments, and strategizing work trips with new clients.

• Holding down 2 consulting gigs (one on career strategy for multi-hyphenates, the other around creating community for women and non-binary engineers)

❤️ My heart is full and excited when I reflect back on the work I’m doing.

But also, wow, was I a zombie of exhaustion.

I had to tear myself away from the computer yesterday by signing up for a dance class.

Which I’d describe as zumba with a twist.

Like, a cumbia mix of Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles?

Ok what? Yes please.

And the teacher was zany.

From the first song, she started clapping. Shouting!

And cheering.

She made funny expressions in the mirror.

Expressions so silly that I felt slightly embarrassed BUT ALSO couldn’t help but laugh.

And start acting a little sillier myself.

With bigger movements.

A little improvisation here and there - with the flick of the hand.

With more sass.

I found myself REALLY getting into it.

Feeling the joy that comes with being silly.

And grateful that the teacher created a space to let us all be ridiculous.

When I walked home afterwards, I thought,

“This is exactly what I needed. What’s the point if I’m not having fun?”

So that is going to be my focus for the next couple weeks (and beyond!)

Infuse more fun into whatever I’m doing 🎉💃

I’ll be honest, the midnight oil may keep burning for a couple more days

BUT

I can have fun with it. Be real. Be honest. Be silly.

Throw out wonky ideas like a Confetti Canon.

And have dance parties while making lemon cake in between meetings (I did this yesterday).

This is my callout to you, too, to have a little more silliness this week.

Cause why are we so damn serious?

This week’s writing:

• The 2 biggest $$ investments I’ve made in my career

• The different flavors of burnout

• Experimenting with a voicenote version of the above article

• You’re preparing too much

• Why I flubbed 50 job interviews

Rooting for you,

❤️ Sarah

🎵 Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles, the Cumbia remix of course

Start With Hello is a weekly newsletter of quips, tips + proven strategies specifically designed for women in tech who are ready to feel more like the energized and damn cool person they were 5 years ago.

It’s written by Sarah, a coach, founder, and Sushi Go aficionado. I offer 1:1 coaching and if you’re in a rut, I’ve got you - book a chemistry call. Please pass this along to a friend if they’d find it interesting AND have a brilliant day⚡️.