💌 no pain, no gain is a myth

Hi friend!

I worked my ass off for most of my tech career.

My laptop and I were morphed into one 💻 and my version of self care was trying out new coffee shops, lurking way into the late hours of the weekend.

Click-clacking away on my keyboard.

I thought this was how it was. How it had to be.

Work is hard by nature and…

The harder you work, the more you get rewarded, right?

Let me reiterate it another way in notorious bumper sticker fashion:

“No PAIN, NO GAIN.”

It’s something I consistently hear from my clients.

Who also worked their butts off to do well in their career and got rewarded for it.

*And then we all found ourselves exhausted.*

Scrolling. Irritated with our loved ones.

Confused about how we got here when we tried so, so hard.

No pain....no gain….

....Why are we centering our wellbeing and our career aspirations on bumper sticker idioms?

What about if we could make it easy?

Or listen up — what if it could be 🎉FUN🎉.

I’m telling you from the bottom of my heart - the moment I started having more fun and giving myself permission to fail — more started to happen. ❤️

It’s why I can write from such a real point of view — cause I finally found my alignment and it’s really me
(this is not chatgpt y'all)

Without the dreaded hours at work, forcing myself to “be productive” at all costs.

It’s what I now teach in my coaching program with a step-by-step process to make things happen in a big way.

With courage. With energy. With a sense of freedom, finally.

Give yourself permission to take your foot off the gas pedal.

And let’s drive to the nearest coastline.
Cotton candy is on me. 🍬

🚗 Hit reply and tell me about your dream destination on this [metaphorical] roadtrip. Where do you want to vacation? 🚗

p.s. Wikipedia says “no pain, no gain” actually became popularized by Jane Fonda. And I love Jane Fonda. But still — the message stands.

🏸 Other happenings:

• The Dream & Build Club is now LIVE. If this sounds like you, come join me.

  • “People tell you “oh, you’re so good at X” and you agree, but there’s something still holding you back.”

  • Your current job is not it. You’re constantly drained and can’t shake the feeling of not being very good at what you do. You long for that past you who is energized and knows you are pretty damn cool.

  • You have an idea of what you want to do and you’re (secretly) excited about it but where do you even start?

    For 1 week only, I am offering an early bird discount of $500 off, just for registering your interest. Sign up here before the 27th!

Other things I’ve written this week:

Re-Introducing Myself

Show And Tell As Adults

Vote here on what kind of content you want to see!

Rooting for you,

❤️ Sarah

Loving:

• Greetabl. I used to send these as little gifts to loved ones and I’m going to start sending them to coaching clients! Do you have any go-to sites to send something special?

• This NYT article on the many small ways we share love. My partner has an uncanny knack for knowing when I need a drink of water and will always make sure I have a full glass at bedtime. That’s love.

• This tab-closing party! Come join on the 21st.

Start With Hello is a letter of quips, tips, and stories for unconventional leaders in tech. 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 consultation. Please pass this along to a friend if they’d find it interesting AND have a brilliant day⚡️.