Right on Time: When Self-Trust Matters More Than Crushed Goals
Weekly Dose of Work Recovery Vol. 12.17.25
“Gratitude grows when we pause long enough to notice.”
I spent some time this week looking back at the year inside Executive Unschool. Not in a “what performed best” way. More in a “what actually mattered” way.
What stood out surprised me and not because the numbers were big, but because they were honest.
Nearly all the resonance this year came from the same kinds of messages:
Naming misalignment women face when they abandon themselves
Talking about work harm honestly - it hurts
Sharing how to trust yourself even when it's hard
And discussing why it feels so damn exhausting to be the over-functioner and over-giver at work and at home
The podcast episodes people listened to most weren’t the polished ones. They were the (…slightly unhinged, a little messy!…) ones about work rupture, the desires you have for your work and life, how to redefine your relationship to work, and what to do when you realize something no longer fits who you want to be but you aren't ready to burn it all down.
The newsletters you opened weren’t instructional. They were reflective. They didn’t tell you what to do. Instead, they gave you permission to sit with what’s already true for you and allowed you to see yourself in my musings too.
And most of the work happened somewhere you’ll never see at all. It was in small group discussions and in private Zoom rooms where the biggest shifts happened. The change behind closed doors happened in the more than 185 1:1 sessions and 55+ private group workshops I facilitated this year.
Looking back, it’s clear this wasn’t a year of chasing goals or striving for big metrics and revenue jumps. It was a year of learning how much relief comes from telling the truth even when I didn't yet know what would come next.
And I wanted to share this with you, not as a recap, but as a quiet acknowledgment.
Because if you’re ending this year with fewer goals crushed but more self-trust, you’re not behind.
You might actually be right on time.
-Bree
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1. Soul Goal Session Virtual Workshop
If you missed yesterday's 2026 Soul Goal Reset, you can still have what we worked through. We spent our time in a gentle rhythm of breathwork, journaling, and reflection—not to force clarity, but to create enough space to hear what’s already there. If you’d like the replay, reply to this newsletter and I'll send it direct.
2. The Creative Reset — January 17, 2026
A one-day gathering at The Coven St. Paul where we step out of the strong-one identity and into something lighter, more honest, more you. We’re going to flex our creativity muscle, reset, and reconnect with the spark you had before you started carrying the weight of everyone else’s lives. Register here.
If you're a business owner and want to share your business, we're also looking for amazing vendor partners for the event. Join us!
This Week's Did You Know? The biggest BS I read all year…🤮
If you caught Lean In & McKinsey’s characterization of 2025 data showing declines in women’s representation in leadership, you likely saw it labeled an “ambition gap”—the idea that women want less leadership over time. That framing is GROSS. Women aren’t less ambitious; the data more accurately reflects heightened awareness of the personal, health, and caregiving costs baked into how leadership roles are currently designed because work isn’t working for women. What’s being labeled an ambition gap is actually discernment: a rational refusal to keep paying with our health, wealth, and wellbeing for hollow power…
Source: There's an Ambition Gap Between Men and Women, CNBC
Links & Resources We Love Right Now
A listen: The podcast Ivy Unleashed dropped a mashup of holiday tips for finding calm in the chaos of holiday season. December is exceptionally hard for so many, so tune in here if you need a true toolkit.
A learn: Glassdoor, the company that allows employees to post anonymous reviews of working at millions of organizations, cited their one theme for all of 2025 - FATIGUE. If you're tired, you take a NAP(A), you don't move to Napa…can you name the reference?
A shoutout: YOU. The people who have read the newsletter, shared it, and opened it week after week. The notes you send me matter more than I have words to describe. I'm so grateful for you.
Something I love: Ryan Serhant's leadership on Owning Manhattan. I love real estate drama, and I've watched many Netflix reality shows but Ryan is alone in the way he addresses issues directly and has courageous conversations. It's a reality gem!
