Hey!

Here’s your by-weekly 4 minute read to kick-start your week!

A quote that inspired me:

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” — Joseph Campbell

Here’s the truth nobody wants to hear: your biggest breakthroughs don’t come from your comfort zone. They come from those moments when everything feels impossible, when you’re drowning in pressure, and when quitting feels like the only option. That’s not the time to retreat, that’s when champions are made.

A life hack: How to rise when it hurts the most

Pain isn’t your enemy. It’s your teacher. And the students who pay attention during the hardest lessons? They’re the ones who graduate to the next level. Here’s how to turn your worst moments into your winning moments:

Lean into the discomfort. Stop running from what hurts. The moment you start embracing the suck, you take its power away. Pain is temporary. Quitting is permanent. When it gets tough, that’s your signal to get tougher.

Zoom out, then zoom in. When you’re in the thick of it, everything feels massive. Step back. What will this matter in five years? Then zoom back in: what’s the one thing you can control right now? Focus there. Action kills anxiety.

Reframe the narrative. You’re not going through hell, you’re going through boot camp. Every challenge is building your resilience muscle. Every setback is setting you up for a comeback. Your current struggle is your future strength story.

Find your why in the fire. When the pressure’s on, remind yourself why you started. Not the surface reason—the deep, burning reason. That’s your fuel when everything else runs out.

Celebrate the fight, not just the win. Most people only celebrate the outcome. Champions celebrate the effort. You showed up when it was hard. You kept going when others quit. That’s already a victory.  

What’s on my mind:

A couple of months ago, I watched a company go through what felt like the worst quarter of their career. Revenue was down, the team was stressed, and they were questioning everything. They called me, ready to throw in the towel….

But here’s what I told them: “This isn’t your breakdown moment. This is your breakthrough moment.”

We didn’t avoid the pain. We used it. We got honest about what wasn’t working, made the hard decisions, and rebuilt from the ground up. Two months later? Best month they’d ever had.

Here’s what I learned: we don’t rise in spite of the pain, we rise because of it. Every high performer I know has a story about their lowest moment being the catalyst for their greatest success.

The difference between those who make it and those who don’t? They don’t wait for the pain to stop. They use it as fuel.
Your challenge isn’t happening to you, it’s happening for you.

So here’s my challenge for you this week:
Instead of avoiding that one thing that’s been weighing on you, lean into it. Face it head-on. That’s where your breakthrough is waiting. The treasure is in the cave you’re afraid to enter.

Enjoy your week!
H