I've come to the conclusion that time is a social construct. Mostly.
I was thinking about this today, while getting ready to write this newsletter. See, today was the first day of the Neurodivergent Accessible Provider Certification program. I loved it. I'm in love with this material. It's going to make a real difference.
And I looked in the back end while prepping the recording, and I saw something that really struck me.
There are 25+ people taking that certification program.
Now, were a bunch of them already Solo School members? Yes. These people did not join all at once, for this program, so don't go doing mental math and thinking I'm Jeff Bezos'ing over here.
But some of them did. And overall, counting the coaches who have access and our members who have joined, there are now over 75 people inside Solo School.
Try to picture 75 people in your head.
Go ahead. See how 75 people would fill a room. Feel the difference in temperature, sound, and ambiance that 75 people in one space could create.
You can't, can you?
Not very easily.
And yet, 75+ people in that space is something we've co-created together. It's something I had the honour to start and the wisdom to continue, to persist with even when it all seemed like an impossible dream.
It's something that has me hearing "I know I'm in the right place" and "I cried because I finally feel supported" more than I reasonably should, but it makes me proud.
In the earlier days of my mentorship business, back in Q1 of 2021 when I was desperate for someone to even just get on a market research call with me, the idea that 3.5 years later I'd have a room of 12+ people on a coaching call or listening to a lecture live was certainly something I wanted, but not something I could really conceptualize.
It was an amorphous blob of goals, simultaneously something I wished for but had no idea what it would look like.
The thing is, that also feels like it was yesterday. For me, like many of you, there is either "now" or "not now" - all of the past is the past, all of the future is the future, and then, there's now.
Physics tells us that time is the 4th dimension - that certain things can move through that dimension, and that gravity can impact that dimension. Which means it's not linear, or finite, in the way we're taught to think of it.
There was a time when I dreamed of what I have today.
There will be a time when I have things I can't even fathom at this moment.
And I think that's one of the most beautiful things about business. You're creating something - often from scratch, from your ideas, sweat, tears, and menty-b's (IYKYK.)
Right now, it might not be much of anything. But in the next now, it could be everything. That's really something special that I don't think a lot of people get to experience.
The creation of something bigger than yourself, more than the sum of it's parts, and the fast-but-slow path to getting there, can really change how you look at time.
The days are long, but the years are short, and you're already going faster than you realize.
- Cheryl
❤️ More Support
Have you ever wanted to build a SaaS that allowed you to leverage your knowledge and step away from delivery?
Wish you knew how to use AI to upload your "you"ness to the cloud and have more income + impact by building an accessible app of yourself?
Come SaaSify yourself with me!
On November 20, I'll be hosting a live workshop on the process I used to codify my frameworks, ways you can do this *faster* now with AI, turned them into a set of instructions and prompts, the tools I used to turn them into a rapid prototype, the pre-sales campaign I used to fund the software development, and every step I took to turn that thing I do into a thing you can download.
Access is free for Solo School members!
Not a member and want to be? Join here!
🐿️ Squirrel Squad - Facebook Group Updates
We've had some super cool members' only offers lately, and a lot of threads about people starting new things.
Mineela asked about favourite ADHD podcasts.
Briar is looking for feedback on their next AI workshop topic.
I forced everyone to hand over their meme stash.
💯 Days Without Deadlines
My deadline-free project management system is shaping up nicely.
I just created a whole new set of beautiful cover graphics for my Notion projects, and I've moved from a task-and-deadline oriented Home screen to a "choose your own adventure!" style homescreen. Isn't it pretty?
Every morning that isn't a meeting day, I open this up and work on whatever calls me. I have each project labeled with urgency, status, type, and even have a project framework to help me decide what to work on.
It's been just about 100 days without deadlines, and I feel pretty confident I'm never going back.
Would you be interested in a tour/workshop on the project management system? Maybe if I work with someone to refine it a bit, we can put that together? Let me know if it's something you'd like to see in the new year.
💃 Fun With Friends
This is a new section where I share things that some of my business pals are up to, sharing, promoting, or creating each week.
Note that I haven't purchased these things (yet, some of them I will be) but I'm also not getting kickbacks from these hosts. They're people I follow, and whose work I admire, and I'm sharing their upcoming events with you.
I only share the ones I am personally interested in.
My group-chat buddy Mark is hosting a 4-part series on running group programs all month long. I really like his approach to pricing and transparency, so I have no doubt his group philosophies will be the same.
Kronda, one of the tech voices I listen to, is sharing her BFCM tech deal recommendations in a workshop next week. Her goal is to save you from buying things you don't need by making better use of what you have.
Gemma Went is hosting a workshop about summits. Whether you think they're old-school or not, they definitely can still be a nice boost to your business when they're done ethically and wisely.
M. Shannon Hernandez is one of the voices I listen to online about email marketing from a conversion perspective, and they're hosting a workshop to boost email conversions all week next week that looks very interesting.
Also, I'm LIVE in Portland on December 8 & 9 with Dusti Arab and Veronica Yanhs at Reinvent(ed) LIVE! I'll be hosting exclusive masterminding sessions on day two, and there are still a small number of those tickets available. Details here.
Are we friends? Are you doing something cool? Hit reply and let me know, I might feature it here!
💪 Business adaptation of the week
Takeout Tuesdays.
It's becoming my favourite day of the week.
Is it healthy? No.
Is it frugal? No.
But is it saving me from something I don't enjoy? Also no. (I like cooking.)
However...
I've made it a rule that I don't do a dang thing on Tuesdays other than meetings, and that is really supporting me in balancing my work better.
I used to dread Tuesdays a bit, not because I don't enjoy my meetings (I do) or because I don't enjoy all the other things on my plate (I do) but because I crammed so much stuff into every Tuesday that it was an untenable beast of a day to accomplish, and I'd fall into bed exhausted every time.
Now?
I look forward to them.
I wake up, I don't work out other than a basic stretch, I journal, I plan out my meetings, I eat breakfast, do my meetings, log off, order takeout, and relax.
I refuse to do anything else.
Now, Tuesdays feel like a respite rather than an overwhelming obstacle to overcome.
10/10, totally recommend removing extra tasks from your busiest days.
🎁 My favourite things this week
Still my sweater. Officially entering sleeve island. LOL!
I'm also working through a solid stack of books that I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks, because they're quick reads with some really good material about sales, marketing, and growth.
🐲 Hobby Hoarder Updates
Secret project announcement coming. Shhhh ;)
📚 What I'm reading
It's a stack. I'll show you next week. I promise. LOL!
Want to follow my reading? Check me out on StoryGraph, the minority-owned GoodReads competitor I love!
