I still remember the exact moment I found out. A huge wave of emotions. Joy, disbelief (did I read that test right?), uncertainty, fear. All of it, all at once.

Now that I’ve had months to sit with it, I’m realizing some of the things I feared most at the start turned out to be nothing. And some of what got me, I never saw coming.

Whether you’re a mom-to-be, pregnancy-curious, or just here for the founder lessons hiding in all of it, here’s what surprised me most.

1. The thing I feared most was actually the easiest.

Going into this, I anticipated that losing control over how my body was changing would be one of the hardest parts of pregnancy. I’ve spent years learning and tinkering with my body like a system, knowing exactly what to measure and how to optimize it. So I wondered how I’d react when those dependable systems no longer showed up in how my body responded.

As it turns out? It’s surprisingly been one of the easiest parts. This isn’t because I stopped caring (if anything I’ve still kept up with my typical workout structure, steps, and 80/20 diet), but because of the work I’ve been doing consistently for years. Therapy, regular journalling, and learning to be kind to myself all compounded and showed up in this moment when so much felt out of my control. Over the years I’ve learned the art of discerning internal storytelling and chatter from objective truth. “Weight gain is bad!” is the story in my head. “My OB says I’m right on track for a healthy baby” is the truth. Now, with all my self-work I can hear the chatter and let it go.

I’ve learned that all that unglamorous inner work was compounding the whole time, quietly building a muscle I didn’t know I had until I truly needed it.

2. Mind over matter can only take you so far.

I pride myself on being able to outwork almost anyone, and how good I am at pushing through hard times (toxic trait, I know). But pregnancy doesn’t care.

My body needs actual rest now, not the optional kind I used to schedule in 15-minute increments. When I first got pregnant I really resisted the idea of taking breaks and resting, until I saw my Oura ring’s heart rate variability (HRV) stats. My HRV, which used to sit around 55, has now dropped into the 10s. That number was the wakeup call. My body is in overdrive (for comparison, in the past, after a night of drinking my HRV would usually be in the low 20s).

I’ve written before about treating health as an asset - track the numbers, because what gets measured gets managed. This is the first time my own numbers told me to stop. I’m finally listening (*and turning off my walking pad as I write this sentence).

3. I’m more than how hard I work.

For as long as I can remember, work was the thing I optimized everything else around. And my old pattern when I had more work than I could realistically fit in my schedule was to start earlier in the morning, and work later into the night. But now, by the evening I’m mentally and physically wiped in a way my willpower can’t push through.

It’s been really hard for me to accept that work isn’t the biggest thing on the table. Who am I if not the person who out-works everyone? My identity has been so tied to being a founder who shows up harder than anyone, and learning that that’s not the whole of me is uncomfortable (even when I know it’s healthy!). I’ve been sitting in that discomfort a lot lately. Now I’m being asked to prioritize something (or rather, someone) else, and that shift goes deeper than moving a few calendar blocks.

I want to be clear this isn’t me stepping back. If anything I took on more this year, including bringing our marketing function back under my wing (which I’m loving!). So it’s not about caring less. My body drew a boundary my ambition never would have. It took a baby to make me do the thing every wellness article, every therapist, and my husband (sorry, Jason!) have been telling me to do for years.

4. Research expands to fill the time you give it (just like work).

You know how work expands to fill the time you give it? First-time-parent research obeys the exact same law. It is bottomless. Lists of things you apparently can’t raise a baby without. Tips on sleep training (and also how you’re a terrible mother if you try to sleep train too early, or too late). Jason’s and my minds were blown going stroller shopping for the first time (Uppababy vs Nuna? Cruz vs Vista?). Every answer we found led to four new tabs in my browser.

This was me applying Parkinson’s Law in an entirely new domain. The lesson is identical to the one work taught me: nothing external is going to stop the expansion for you. There’s no natural finish line where the internet declares you’ve researched enough. So I started treating baby/pregnancy research the same way I operate with ambiguous projects at work. I give each decision a time budget and try not to go past it. An hour to land on a nursery theme. An hour of stroller research. An afternoon to plan the baby shower, then I commit and close the tabs. Do I always stick to the budget? No. But naming the limit means I at least know when I’m blowing past it, which is more than I could say before.

5. People show up for you in the most surprising ways

At the start of my pregnancy, I felt really alone. Like a lot of women, I followed the advice to keep it quiet until the end of the first trimester, given how much can go wrong early on. Sitting on that kind of news, unable to share it, is isolating in a way I wasn’t prepared for. And I assumed it would only deepen from there, since my life was suddenly unfolding so differently from most of my friends’. But in reality the opposite happened.

Friends have shown up in ways that have completely floored me. An outpouring of love: advice, resources, and regular check-in texts even when I know they’re busy (special shoutout to the ones patiently fielding my endless “is this normal??!” texts). It’s been one of the most heartwarming parts of this whole journey.

But the part I truly didn’t see coming is an unexpected kinship with other women. When I became pregnant, something shifted. I’ll catch the eye of another mom on the street and feel a quiet sense of belonging I’d never known before. Moms in my loose network have come out of the woodwork, unprompted, offering advice and wisdom I didn’t know I needed.

Nine years of building a company, and somehow it took getting pregnant for me to recognize how many people were quietly rooting for me the whole time.

6. I can have real fun without alcohol.

One of the things I braced hardest for was not drinking. I know I don’t need it to have fun, but there’s a difference between choosing not to drink and knowing you can’t for months on end.

Most surprisingly, I’ve realized that I can have SO much fun completely sober, like laugh-until-you-cry-and-you-bend-over-with-stomach-pain fun. It really is about the people you’re with. Strip the wine away and the good nights are still good, because the thing that made them good was who I was sitting with the whole time. <3

(That said, I’ve told Jason the first thing I want once this baby’s out is a platter of sushi and a glass of champagne. A girl’s gotta live.)

Six learnings in, here’s the pattern: almost nothing I braced for turned out to be the actual thing. The hard parts came from directions I never thought to watch. Turns out you can’t pre-worry your way through pregnancy, no matter how Type A you are. (Which, for the record, is very.)

With love, Connie.

Things I’ve loved recently - pregnancy edition:

• These sour candies were a lifesaver during my first trimester, helping to prevent nausea and quite literally stopping me from throwing up a few times when I was out!

• This serum as a natural alternative to retinol (something you can’t use when pregnant). To be fair, I was using it consistently before because it’s incredible, but it’s so nice to have pregnancy-friendly skincare that works.

• This belly care routine (so far no stretch marks, although I know it’s mostly genetic): step 1, step 2, step 3

• The best satin pants - I had these pre-pregnancy, and they’re such a great pant to wear low-rise throughout pregnancy.

• My favourite drawstring pants that still look chic.

• Another great pair of pants that you can dress up or down.

• Okay, one more pair of pants that I’ve been living in that a friend gave me for my birthday. They’re so great for WFH days but also when you’re out running errands.

• This gut test to see what my microbiome looks like during pregnancy and where I might want to support it.

• This sleep mask - I left this at a hotel last year and it was so good that I had to repurchase it. The contour area around the eyes makes such a difference because it doesn’t put pressure on your eyes, and still blocks out all the light.

• Hands down the best non-alcoholic drink. Still tastes like a cocktail and the best flavour of the spritzes imo.

Pregnancy/parenting podcasts and resources:

• Is It Normal pregnancy podcast: A bi-weekly podcast that breaks up common things you experience being pregnant (i.e. weeks 4-6, 6-8, etc).

• Joe Hudson The Rich Roll show: Specifically the parts about shame being a bad motivator, and an overview of “hand in hand parenting”

• Dr. Shefali Tsabary on The Bossticks show: On raising emotionally strong kids. I really resonated with her tips for raising girls (we’re having a girl!), and how parents need to teach their daughters to listen to their inner voice. Also loved what she said about how parenting is about checking your ego, so you don’t try to change the essence of who your child is to meet your ego.

If you’d told me this was possible three years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’ve spent the better part of a decade trying and failing to get them to prioritize consistent movement. So if you’re trying to build a sustainable fitness habit for yourself, or you’re lovingly trying to nudge someone in your life toward one, I hope sharing what finally worked for us is helpful! In this post I share what didn’t work, the system that finally clicked and mistakes I made that you can avoid.

Why this matters to me and why now

Family is one of my top values, and as such, my parents’ health is naturally very important to me. When they were younger, the occasional yoga class, a weekly strength session, and their daily walks were enough to get by. But as they’ve gotten older, I’ve been pushing them to create better workout habits. Specifically, consistent strength training to build bone density and protect against falls, and a real focus on healthspan, not just lifespan. The goal isn’t for them to just live longer, but rather for them to stay strong, independent, healthy and happy for as long as possible.

After years of trying, I realized that I needed a better system.

The years of failed attempts

Before anything worked, a lot of things didn’t. Over the years, I’ve:

• Paid for their Apple Fitness+ subscription so they could work out at home

• Bought them proper equipment for their at-home gym

• Found them a local community centre so they could play badminton

• Sent them inspiring videos of people their age strength training and their results

• Made them work out with me every day when they’d crash at my place over the holiday break

• Nagged more than I’d like to admit :’)

The pattern was always the same. My parents would be motivated for a week, then life would happen and it would fizzle out (travel, someone got sick, it was too cold, it was too hot, it was raining, etc etc). The badminton community centre is a telling example - they bought new gear and went to exactly one open court session, before the racket went back in the closet to collect dust.

It wasn’t until my wedding in 2022 that they began to take fitness more seriously (albeit probably for aesthetic reasons!). They started working with a personal trainer twice/week, and they’ve kept that up ever since. But even with trainer sessions, their lives were still largely sedentary. Two workouts a week plus daily walks is good but not enough, and I was determined to change that.

What finally worked: the system

Now those who know me know that I love a good process (Type A brain, Virgo rising, what can I say). So here’s the three-step system:

Step #1: A custom weekly calendar built around their existing habits.

I didn’t try to rebuild their week from scratch. Instead, I worked around the building blocks they already had, which were personal training Mondays and Fridays, and having access to a home gym and an Apple Fitness+ subscription.

• Monday: Personal training

• Tuesday: 30-min upper body, Apple Fitness+ at home (their trainer usually focuses on lower body Mondays)

• Wednesday: 30-min cardio, ideally a jog but an incline walk counts (for heart health)

• Thursday: 30-min lower body, Apple Fitness+ at home

• Friday: Personal training

• Saturday: A walk, or something gentle like yoga or pilates

• Sunday: Rest

These are on top of their daily walks, not replacing them, and the sessions are short (30 minutes), at home, and use tools they already have. I tried to balance strength, not overloading the same muscle group two days back to back, and having cardio sprinkled in.

Step #2: A printable calendar with checkboxes

I designed a simple weekly calendar in Canva and sent it to them to print. Each workout has a checkbox to mark complete, since I know they need this level of accountability.

It’s very low-tech and that’s the point. There’s something really satisfying about physically checking a box with a pen, and having the sheet sitting on the kitchen counter means the week’s progress is always visible.

Step #3: A manual daily check-in text

Every late morning, I have a recurring Reminder on my phone to text them in our group chat if they’ve done their workout.

I realized that it’s not just about having a daily reminder, but more importantly about it coming from me personally. In the past, my husband Jason built a simple app that sent them daily workout reminders. It lasted maybe a week before they asked us to turn it off - they found the bot annoying and it didn’t motivate them to change.

When the text comes from me, it’s different. They know I’m actually going to ask about it later, and that I genuinely care whether they do it. The timing matters too. Late morning gives them time to respond and still have most of the day left to do the workout if they haven’t yet. If I texted at 8pm, they’d be tired or out with friends and it would be too late.

In our group chat I also sprinkle in pictures of Jason and me working out, examples of the small ways we squeeze activity in our days for added inspiration, or links to great Apple Fitness+ workouts I found (my fave strength trainers are Kyle and Jenn).

Five things I had to stop doing

What also made the above system work is that I had to cut out things that felt productive but actually weren’t.

Automating the accountability. The bot story above says it all - there’s something about a human being noticing that an algorithm just can’t replicate.

Setting and forgetting. Handing someone a calendar or paying for their Apple Fitness+ subscription and walking away doesn’t work. The ongoing presence is the whole thing, and I had to accept that if I wanted them to build this habit, I was signing up for daily effort too.

Nagging without giving them the resources. In the early years, I’d push them to work out without removing any of the friction (e.g. saying things like “you should exercise more”). Obviously this went nowhere and mostly just succeeded in us being annoyed with each other.

Getting upset when they didn’t try. I lean hard on positive reinforcement now instead of disappointment. When they finished their first full week, we celebrated with a home-cooked meal. And a month in, I asked my dad if he felt stronger. He said yes, and that his trainer had noticed it too!

Not meeting them where they are. Sometimes my parents and I work out together when they visit. During these times, I never take my parents to Lagree or an intense F45 class. That’s not where they are, and the risk of injury isn’t worth it. Going zero to one hundred is discouraging and unsustainable.

Where we are now

Two months in, my parents are consistently working out five days a week. My dad has noticed he feels stronger and my mom is feeling more confident. I’m so happy they’re finally starting to take better care of themselves and that I get to be a part of it.

I’m not sure if I’ll forever text them daily reminders, but I’ve made peace with the fact that a little effort on my end is a very small price to pay for a lot more good years with my parents. <3

If you’re in a similar place and trying to help someone you love build a habit, here’s what I’d leave you with: be patient and be willing to do the unscalable thing. It’s so worth it.

With love,

Connie

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Things I’ve loved recently:

• This pre-shampoo bond repair treatment

  • I was recently introduced to the Abbey Yung method (shoutout to Colleen!) and started incorporating a step that I’d previously skipped - pre-shampoo treatments. I was surprised by how soft my hair felt after just one use. Highly recommend if you’re on a hair journey! This treatment was developed by the same chemist who created Olaplex, and is pretty affordable.

• This podcast interview with evolutionary psychologist on The Diary of a CEO

  • It’s a mashup of the most replayed moments, but I found Saad’s explanation of birth order fascinating, especially where he explains why (in his opinion) younger siblings are more creative.

• The Acquired podcast on Costco

  • We recently listened to this as a leadership team at work and it made me fall 10x more in love than Costco (if that was even possible). Their business model is absolutely incredible, from their unyielding focus on 11% gross margin, to arbitrage opportunities like their cash conversion cycle, and so much more. I highly recommend this deep dive into Costco’s history and operations!

• Claude

  • I made the switch from ChatGPT to Claude at the start of March and haven’t looked back for several reasons:

    • Its Chat feature is less sycophantic than ChatGPT, and you can program it to be even more direct with you.

    • It actually asks clarifying questions before responding, leading to better outputs.

    • It makes me way more efficient by actually helping me with work. Cowork is where I spend most of my time, with Excel analysis, Word doc work, and having it scan my email and calendar.

Six years ago, we were two young women with a big idea, a small budget, and delusional amount of faith in our idea. This month, our baby Three Ships turns 6!

I’ve been reflecting a lot on what it actually takes to build something that lasts - the habits, mindset shifts, and lessons I wish someone had told me on day one. So here are my top 6 things I’ve learned in 6 years. I hope at least one of them resonates with you!

1. Learn to celebrate yourself.

As a founder, you don’t have a manager, performance review, or gold star waiting at the end of a hard quarter. You really need to learn how to recognize your wins, big or small. The photo above is from our first ever office. We crammed four bodies into a space built for two (myself, my co-founder, an intern, and a friend who was subleasing a desk!), and we were so proud. In the photo, I’m holding the scrapbook that my co-founder and I kept to document our wins each month - customer love notes, press hits, and little milestones that felt huge at the time. It was our way of making the good stuff stick, and it's really fun looking back 6 years later at what we thought were big wins at the time!

I still do a version of this today, where I have a Google Drive folder that I use to save screenshots of wins. On the hard days and also the great ones, I go back there. I encourage you to find a way to weave celebration into your day-to-day. Maybe it’s a daily gratitude journal or a weekly voice memo to yourself rounding up your wins. Just find something.

2. Your health is non-negotiable.

I think of health as my keystone habit. If you’re unfamiliar, a keystone habit is the one that makes everything else click into place. When I’m showing up for my workouts, my energy is better and my focus is better. It’s the lever that improves everything else.

The practical side of this is real: long days are a given when you’re building a company. Health (working out and eating well) is what gives you the fuel to actually push through them. And when I’m stuck on a hard problem, a tough workout class or a long run gives me the mental clarity to figure it out. Movement gets you out of your head and into your body, and that’s often exactly when the answer surfaces. What this looks like is having recurring workout blocks in my calendar, and also booking hotels with on-site facilities when I travel for work.

I truly believe that prioritizing my health has made me a better co-founder and manager. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and in this job, people are constantly drawing from yours. Treat that energy like a business asset - because it is one!

3. Your startup isn’t your entire identity.

Being a founder isn’t and shouldn’t be your whole personality. The photo above is from a family cottage trip last year - one of the 1-2 getaways my husband and I plan each year for both our families. Quality time with them is really important to us since family is one of our most important values.

Here’s a simple gut check I love: look at your calendar. Your time should be going to the things you say you actually value. If you tell people family is everything but you haven’t called your parents in a month, your calendar is calling your bluff. Or if you claim health is a priority but you’re only squeezing in 30 minutes of movement a week, I’d question if that is something that’s actually important to you. Fill your calendar with things you value and are what you identify with outside of work.

Keeping a full life outside of the business has served me in two ways. It protects you on the hard days - when the business is going through hard times, you aren’t tying your self-worth to your business success. And it keeps your ego in check when things are going well at work.

4. Protect your time like it’s your top business asset.

The photo above is from Croatia, where my husband and I went last summer for a music festival. Truly one of the best trips of my life - and one that only happened because we got ruthless about our calendars ahead of it.

To make time for what matters, I keep a running list in my Notes app of things I’ve said no to: events, speaker opportunities, podcasts, etc. It may sound counterintuitive, but saying no is one of the highest-leverage moves you can make. The more you protect your calendar, the more space you have for decisions only you can make, as well as for a life outside of work that fills you up. Every yes is a trade-off, so make sure what you're trading for is worth it.

One important caveat: in the early days, we said yes to pretty much everything. We were new to the industry, knew nobody, and needed to learn fast. That approach made sense then and I don’t regret it. But as the years stack up, we have more experience and recognition under our belt, and can afford to be more selective. The goal shifts from “do everything” to “direct your energy where it counts most.” The sooner you can get there, the better.

5. Profitability is king.

I’ve seen so many exciting businesses with amazing products go under because they couldn’t raise their next round. When you rely on outside capital to survive, you give up control of your destiny.

In 2022, when we were fundraising, several investors passed on us. Their reason was that our topline revenue growth wasn’t aggressive enough, and they didn’t understand why we were so focused on EBITDA. But then 2024 rolled around, the market shifted, and those same investors were applauding our financial discipline and calling it a strength.

Funding cycles move in waves. Some years capital flows, some years it dries up, and what investors prioritize shifts with the market. The way you play the long game is to always be able to survive without outside cash. And there's a bonus - when you run a profit-first business, it teaches your whole team to think like owners. That ROI mindset becomes part of your culture, and that is priceless.

6. It’s not that serious.

Saving the best for last, because this one has gotten me through more hard days than I can count. When something feels catastrophic - a difficult launch, a rough quarter, people problems - I remind myself: it’s just skincare. Really good natural skincare that I genuinely believe in, but skincare nonetheless.

The stakes feel high because we care deeply, and that’s a great thing. But perspective is a superpower. The founders I’ve seen burn out hardest are usually the ones who can’t separate urgency from importance. Not everything that feels urgent is actually important. Not every hard day means the whole thing is falling apart.

Give yourself permission to laugh at the chaos. Enjoy the ride. You built something - that’s worth celebrating. (See: lesson one.)

Six years in, and I still have to pinch myself sometimes. We started with a scrapbook, a cramped office, and a lot of hope - and somehow, here we are! If you’re in the early days of building something, I hope this gave you a little fuel. And if you’ve been at it for a while, I hope it felt like a reminder of why you started. <3

Here’s to the next six. Thanks for being part of this ride.

With love,

Connie

Things I’ve loved recently:

• Switching from ChatGPT to Claude!

  • I made the change two weeks ago and have been loving it. Overall I find it less sycophantic/agreeable and more direct, I love the Cowork feature where it can work in Docs/Excel, and I find it knows me much better than Chat because of the Claude.md file I put together (which outlines my key business and personal goals, who I am, etc). I’m still learning the tool, but so far it has my stamp of approval!

• This highlighter/bronzer palette

  • I was debating buying this for a year and finally bit the bullet, and OMG I wish I hadn’t waited so long! It gives your skin an airbrushed effect, is lightweight and buildable and lasts all day. 10/10 recommend if you’re looking for a powder highlighter that will make you look glowy without the glitter.

• Hot Smart Rich interview with Chriselle Lim

  • I loved listening to Chriselle on Maggie Sellers’ podcast (and the HSR rebrand is so on point). She gets real about her divorce, how her identity has changed over time, and how she felt building Phlur to a $150M business.

I’ve learned a ton over these past years: how to bootstrap, fundraise, scale profitably, grow a team, launch into retail, and much more. A huge ingredient behind our success has been resilience and grit. I know I can outwork just about anyone.

But that only gets you so far. I know (and have experienced) that working hard instead of smart for too long leads to burnout, and I don’t want to be the reason my company is held back from truly scalable growth that doesn’t rely entirely on the founders’ direct output.

With that realization, this year my co-founder and I are intentionally focusing on up-levelling ourselves from scrappy co-founders to true co-CEOs. At the start of the year, we made a simple list: the things we’d do more of, and the things we’d do less of. The goal is to scale ourselves into the kind of leaders who can take a $16M business (where we landed last year) to $50M+ over the next 2-3 years.

Here are three things I’m doing more of and three that I’m doing less of, in case they help anyone else on their own journey from founder mode to scaled CEO.

What I’m Doing More Of

1. Longer Time-Horizon Work

It can be so easy to get swept up in last-minute fires or default to the “easy” work that feels good to cross off a list. I realized I’d been avoiding some of the deeper, more strategic work because after hours of thinking and planning, I often felt like I had “nothing to show for it.” Helping a team member or knocking out something menial at least came with a visible outcome. It’s a limiting belief that I’ve been actively working to unlearn. This year, I’ve been intentionally blocking time on my calendar for big-picture, 2+ year horizon work, and so far I’ve stuck with it!

2. Networking and Learning

This year, I’m intentionally putting myself in situations where the only goal is networking, including spending time living in other cities to meet and learn from others in the industry. Instead of squeezing this in around work, I’m trying to fully immerse myself and commit.

When it comes to learning, I’ve also been working with a Sales Consultant to pressure-test our assortment strategy by account, the processes I’ve built for our sales team, and our long-term retail strategy. I’m a big fan of never being the smartest person in the room, and I’ve been loving working with a Consultant! On top of that, I’m being more disciplined about staying informed: a weekly review of trade publications and a monthly deep dive into industry reports, rather than skimming them at the end of the week or when I have down time when I’m out.

3. External-Facing Category Leadership

The last major area I’m focusing on this year is building my presence as a thought leader in the beauty industry. That means writing more here on Substack (how meta) and showing up more consistently on Instagram (tbh, still not my favourite thing). It also means saying yes to more high-quality industry speaking opportunities to make sure Three Ships is in the room and recognized as a leader in the category.

What I’m Doing Less Of

1. Meetings

To make room for levelling up, I’ve had to get serious about protecting my time — because it really is my most valuable resource. When I did my annual review in December (I shared more in My Yearly Reset Ritual), I was honestly shocked by how much of my time was being eaten up by meetings. And this is coming from someone who already thought she was pretty intentional. Looking back at my calendar week by week was eye-opening. You don’t always realize it in the moment, but in retrospect a lot of meetings are ones you don’t actually need to be in, especially as a founder.

This year, on top of our all-team focus no-meeting day on Thursdays, I’m protecting 8 hours/week for deep, focused work. To get very specific:

• 2 hours on Tuesday afternoons

• 3 hours on Wednesday afternoons

• 3 hours on Friday mornings

Pro tip: don’t block these as regular meetings. Set them up as Out of Office time that automatically declines incoming invites. It’s the only way I’ve found to truly hold myself to it without feeling guilty.

That said, the biggest impact to reducing meetings hasn’t been my focused blocks, but rather learning to delegate more. That means encouraging my team to meet with each other without my involvement, and letting go of attending meetings as “insurance.” Fewer meetings for me has actually meant more ownership, faster momentum, and more empowerment across the team!

2. Context Switching Between Strategy and Minutiae

There’s research that shows it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain deep focus after switching projects. This year, I’m being much more intentional about not constantly having Slack and/or my inbox open, and to focus on one task at a time. That’s meant letting go of some guilt (like not replying to my team immediately and worrying about being a blocker), and trusting my Virtual Assistant to do her job filtering what emails actually need my attention.

3. Events, Podcasts and Speaking Engagements

As much as I love being invited to speak (and the extrovert in me genuinely loves meeting and connecting with people!), I realized I spent way too much time last year saying yes to events and podcasts that didn’t bring much value, or weren’t reaching the most aligned audience. This was distracting me from more impactful work that I could’ve done as a co-CEO.

This year, I’m declining most opportunities and only saying yes to the ones that get a full-body yes. A simple filter that’s helped: I ask myself, “If this [insert event/podcast] were happening tomorrow, would I actually want to go?” If the answer is no, it’s a no.

Closing Thoughts

If you’re in a similar season of growth, I hope even one of these shifts gives you permission to rethink how you’re spending your time. I’m still figuring this all out and would welcome any and all advice you may have!

With love,

Connie

Things I’ve loved recently:

• The Diary of a CEO interview with James Clear

  • Such a great listen if you loved Atomic Habits and want a refresher on the power of systems, identity shifts, and surrounding yourself with the right community. One idea that really stuck with me was James’s framework for decision-making: hats, haircuts, and tattoos.

    • Hats are decisions that are easy to undo (like how you can put on and take off a hat quickly).

    • Haircuts have a bit more impact, but even the worst haircuts grow out after a month.

    • Tattoos are the big, hard-to-reverse ones.

    Most decisions in life are hats or haircuts, but we tend to treat them like tattoos. The takeaway: make “hat” decisions quickly, since they’re low-commitment and reversible, and slow way down for the tattoo decisions.

• Sprinkling micro greens on everything

  • I’ve been buying small packs of broccoli sprouts and basically using them as a topping on everything - avocado toast, mixed into salads, scrambled eggs, and grain bowls. It’s one of those tiny habits that makes meals feel instantly healthier with almost zero effort. Microgreens are especially high in sulforaphane, which supports detoxification and overall cellular health. If you want to nerd out on why that matters,I found this Tim Ferriss interview with Dr Rhonda Patrick super eyeopening.

• Drops of God Season 2

  • If you’re into wine culture or love getting swept away by beautiful landscapes, then Drops of God is the show for you! The season is filmed in places like Japan, France, Italy, and Greece, and makes wine feel cultural and human. What I love most is how thoughtfully written it is. The storytelling feels genuinely respectful of each culture it touches, and the pacing lets you sink into the world rather than rush through it.

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That grounded energy is the spirit behind our newest launch and first product collaboration, the Three Ships x Neso Wellness Intention Incense Set. It’s a limited-edition set designed to pair intention-setting with the daily ritual of incense. Scent has such a powerful way of bringing us back to the present, and I thought it was so genius how these incense papers not only smell incredible, like warm cedarwood and bright bergamot, but also include thoughtful affirmations. Some are even left blank so you can write down what you’re ready to release, then watch it burn away.

What makes this launch especially meaningful to me is that it was truly led by our team. Aside from showing up for the photoshoot, I wasn’t really involved in the day-to-day creation. Getting to watch the company scale and the team flourish in this way has been so rewarding. It’s a heartwarming reminder of how far we’ve come over the past few years (vs the beginning days where my co-founder and I were involved in every single decision), and I feel so proud and deeply grateful for this team.

How I’ve been using it at home lately:

• Sit somewhere quiet, by myself in the morning.

• Tear off an incense paper, either one with an affirmation that resonates that morning or a blank one to write what I want to release.

• Light the edge of the paper, let it burn briefly, then gently blow it out.

• Place the paper on a heat-safe surface, taking a few slow deep breaths.

• Remind myself of the intention I set throughout the day. <3

If you get a chance to try the Intention Incense Set, my hope is that it becomes a small but meaningful moment in your day. Whether you’re masking, journaling, stretching, or simply taking a breath between everything else, it’s a gentle reminder that intention doesn’t have to be complicated.

With love,

Connie

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Things I’ve loved recently:

• Modern Wisdom Podcast - 11 Psychology Tricks From the World’s Best Brands

  • Loved this interview with Richard Shotton, a marketing and behavioural science expert who’s worked with some of the biggest brands like Guinness and Coke. He shared so many fun research studies that show how small changes in language, context, and framing can have huge impacts on behaviour. A great reminder that the best marketing often feels invisible!

• Beyond The Mat - Mastering Brand Building and Marketing

  • Another great interview with Kira Jackson, Chief Brand Officer of Set Active. I loved how she described the difference between being a founder and being a founder’s right hand. A founder needs to be laser focused with their idea, but a right hand person (like a COO) needs to have a wandering eye that can take many inputs from the outside world, then piece together insights from them (like a sieve for the founder).

• This flavourless creatine - I’ve been using it for the past year, mainly in smoothies but also in the occasional overnight oats or granola bowl. It’s been amazing for mental focus and improving my workouts - highly recommend!

• This bone broth recipe - I love having a cup first thing in the morning, especially in the cold winter we’ve been having!

Your brain isn’t meant to be a to-do list.

One of the biggest unlocks for me as a founder wasn’t working harder - it was reducing cognitive load. The constant background hum of errands, admin, and “I’ll just do it myself” decisions adds up faster, and take up more time and energy than we realize.

A helpful reframe for me has been putting a dollar value on my time (a concept taken from my #1 most recommended book for other busy founders). For example, if you estimate your hour is worth ~$100, why spend it managing your calendar and booking meetings when you can outsource those tasks to a VA for a fraction of that cost? I hate to break it to you, but constantly doing the small, low-leverage tasks is a disservice to you, your growth, and your future self - unless you genuinely love doing them. (Case in point: I know going to the farmers market takes time, and I still do it once in a while because it brings me so much joy. And I know I can’t be the only one - where my farmers market girlies at?)

Below are the recurring expenses and things I’ve outsourced that meaningfully increase my output as a founder, along with what I actually spend each month. I’ve also included lower-budget ways to do the same thing, because this isn’t about being fancy - it’s about being intentional, and I end with a short list of things I intentionally don’t outsource.

PS - Thank you Amanda A. for suggesting this idea to me on LinkedIn!

📆 Virtual Assistant

Cost: ~$400-500 CAD/month
What it replaces: 3-5 hours/week (sometimes more) handling inbox management (always at Inbox Zero), calendar management (booking and confirming meetings), and admin tasks (e.g. booking travel, shipping product samples)
Why it’s worth it: Previously, I was constantly living in my Inbox for fear I was missing an important or urgent email, or context switching between booking meetings, chasing logistics, or following up on loose ends. Now, my time is spent on decisions and relationships that actually require me, not on inbox triage or booking travel accommodations. (Read my post on My Inbox Survival System for a peek into how my VA and I manage my inbox, and the four folders you can copy.)
How to do this with less: We pay a premium for a VA based in Toronto ($37.50/hour), but there are great lower-cost options through platforms like Athena or Upwork ($10-20/hour). You can also start by using my inbox triage method first, then decide if and when it makes sense to bring on support.

🍏 Grocery Delivery

Cost: $10 CAD (+tax)/month for an unlimited delivery pass (I use Voilà)
What it replaces: ~1 hour/week spent driving to the grocery store, shopping, and driving home.
Why it’s worth it: It removes a recurring errand from my week and frees up a surprising amount of mental space. I no longer have to think about when I’ll squeeze in groceries or how busy the store will be. Ordering takes minutes and happens on my own schedule. Bonus: I buy fewer unhealthy impulse items now that I’m not wandering the aisles convincing myself I “need” snacks (no matter how tantalizing that bag of truffle popcorn looks..)
How to do this with less: Start with Click & Collect. Many grocery stores let you order online for a small fee (~$3–5), park in the lot, and have someone bring the groceries to your car. That’s how I started before upgrading to full delivery.

🫜 Meal Prep Service

Cost: $240-288 CAD/month
What it replaces: 2-3 hours/week spent meal prepping. Note: I only order 4 lunches per week since I actually enjoy cooking and usually eat out with friends or coworkers one weekday. We previously worked with a local chef who dropped off meals at ~$18/meal, but he recently switched careers, so I’m currently testing Factor, which comes out to roughly $14/meal.
Why it’s worth it: It removes the daily “what am I eating for lunch?” decision and keeps my workdays running smoothly. I’m no longer scrambling between meetings to pick something up or throw together a last-minute meal. I also eat noticeably better - I intentionally choose higher-protein options instead of making hunger-driven decisions that usually lead to carb-heavy lunches that leave me feeling sooo sleepy. It’s a small thing that has a big impact on my focus and consistency.
How to do this with less: Start with 2-3 pre-made lunches/week to test it out, or batch-cook one protein to mix with simple sides. I also used to freeze a few go-to meals.

🧹 Cleaning Service

Cost: $360 CAD/month ($180, bi-weekly)
What it replaces: ~2-3 hours/week deep cleaning.
Why it’s worth it: It completely removes the mental and physical burden of cleaning. I was honestly pretty resistant at first, but my husband convinced me to “just try it once.” The relief I felt walking downstairs after they left and seeing everything tidy and spotless was priceless. A clean space = a clear mind, which helps me focus during the workday, and makes it easier to actually relax when I’m off. This is easily one of the most noticeable quality-of-life upgrades we’ve made!
How to do this with less: You can start with a once-a-month deep cleaning service, and handle light upkeep yourself (that’s what we did). A robot vacuum and/or mop can also help with efficiency!

🏋🏼‍♂️ At-Home Fitness Subscription

Cost: ~$9.33 CAD/month ($79.99 USD annual membership)
What it replaces: 4+ hours of drive time/week
Why it’s worth it: I used to drive ~25 minutes each way to my “local” gym. I loved the aesthetic, the strength classes, and the sauna/steam room - but one day it clicked how much time I was actually spending just getting there. Even when I was listening to podcasts or audiobooks, that was still time I could’ve spent moving my body. In the time it took me to drive to and from the gym, I could’ve already finished a great workout at home. So two years ago, I decided to invest in a proper home gym (I wrote about how I set it up here), and swapped my gym membership for Apple Fitness+. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I do, but the variety is amazing (strength, HIIT, and running classes are my go-tos), and I can get a solid workout in 30 minutes (or stack two if I’m feeling up for it that day!). I still LOVE working out as a social thing, so I keep ClassPass (~$89 CAD/month) for the days I want to move and see friends.
How to do this with less: Buy two sets of dumbbells (light + heavy) and start with free YouTube workouts (I love Sydney Cummings Houdyshell for strength, and Move With Nicole for mat pilates). Take advantage of free trials for workout apps to see what you vibe with, or purchase downloadable workout programs.

🐶 Occasional Dog Daycare

Cost: $33 CAD/6 hour booking
What it replaces: Midday walks, background worry, and divided attention on especially busy days.
Why it’s worth it: On days when my schedule is packed, dog daycare lets me fully focus on work knowing my dog is exercised, stimulated, and happy.
How to do this with less: You can find a neighbour with a dog and swap turns taking care of both dogs (we used to do this!). Also look for half-day rates and package discounts.

To close us out, I wanted to share a few things I don’t outsource as a founder because they’re too important to hand off.

• Reading customer reviews - My co-founder and I still get and read every single customer review that comes into our inboxes. They’re a goldmine for ideas and an early warning system when something’s off. One time, reviews helped us quickly realize a product smelled “off” after we switched suppliers, which let us fix the formula and proactively send free replacements to customers who had purchased in the recent months. More importantly, reading reviews keeps me connected to why I started this company in the first place - something that’s easy to lose sight of when most of my days are spent behind a computer. :)

• Key relationship building - I don’t use a sales broker to pitch new accounts, even if it means it can scale our wholesale channel faster. I’m a big believer that one of a founder’s main jobs is finding and nurturing strong relationships. This also applies to investor conversations and dedicating a large portion of my time with meeting and helping other founders.

• Important hiring conversations - This is one we learned the hard way. During a period of rapid scaling, we weren’t as involved in interviews as we should’ve been. Now, either my co-founder or I is part of the final round for every hire. Culture fit and values > skills every time, and they’re way too important to gloss over!

At the end of the day, outsourcing isn’t about doing less, but rather about protecting your energy for the work only you can do. I hope this list gave you some inspo, and I’d love to hear what you’ve outsourced or delegated - always open to stealing smart time-saving tricks! 😉

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Things I’ve loved recently:

• The perfect wool v-neck sweater - I’m obsessed with the slight-balloon sleeves, length and fit. So good that my sister also bought her own!

• The Dream Bigger Podcast - interview with Raissa Gerona - I loved this conversation with Siff (Arrae co-founder) and Raissa (REVOLVE Chief Brand Officer), specifically the tips on working with influencers, scaling a brand, and the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to IPO.

• This adjustable candle warmer - not only does it help my candles “burn” more evenly and slowly, but it you can control the speed at which the candle melts by adjusting the height of the lamp and intensity of the light. It also has a timer feature so you don’t forget to turn it off (and it’s cute!).

• Our sensitive skin collection - I might be biased, but the Three Ships three-step bundle for sensitive skin has been saving my skin this winter. Ceramides = the skin barrier protection I need this season!

• This smoothie recipe - frozen blueberries, 1/2 banana, water, 1 scoop vanilla protein (I love the Vanilla flavour from GoodProtein), 1 scoop creatine, 1 scoop collagen and a sprinkle of chia seeds. Filling and delicious. <3

With love,

Connie

In my early twenties, it was easy to fit in workout classes after my corporate job (clocking off at 5pm - what a dream), make kale smoothies, and take an evening bath to wind down. These days look a little different: running a beauty brand, being a business advisor, starting to consult small businesses (hmu if you want to chat about this!), all while prioritizing my relationships and health.

This past year, I really found a system that works for me. I knew I wanted to share it, but first I wanted objective data to understand how my habits were actually impacting my health. So last month, I did a comprehensive health assessment with NiaHealth - bloodwork, VO2 max test, DEXA scan, the works. I was happy to see the results, especially during such a busy year of growth!

If you’re looking to establish your health fundamentals - or just make a few small tweaks - I hope this post helps in some small way.

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Health Pillar #1: Sleep

Sleep is the cornerstone pillar that impacts everything else in my life. Without quality sleep, I wouldn’t be focused at work, I’d make poorer diet choices (ghrelin, the hunger hormone, ramps up with less sleep), and I definitely wouldn’t feel motivated to work out. I do everything I can to prioritize getting 8 hours of quality sleep per night, not just 8 hours of time in bed, and this Eight Sleep 2025 sleep recap shows:

A few things that have helped me consistently hit 8 hours (other than not having kids yet- I feel for all the parents out there!):

• Not eating 3 hours before bed - this helps lower your resting heart rate earlier in the night, promoting deeper and more restorative sleep.

• A consistent bed time - I’m in bed 9:30PM and usually lights out by 10:00PM every night, including on weekends (unless I’m going out with friends or on a date night - gotta live a little!).

• Consistent wind down routine - speaking of consistency, I follow the same routine every evening to prime my body and mind for rest: skincare routine → red light mask + stretch + 10-min podcast → read in bed.

• Limiting caffeine - for me this looks like not having any caffeine after 10:00AM. It’s early, but I’ve learned that my body is extremely sensitive to caffeine. If you didn’t already know, the half-life of caffeine is about 5 hours, which means that 5 hours after drinking caffeine you still have around half of it in your system. Multiply that by the # of drinks you have in a day, and it really adds up!

• Blue light blocking glasses - my in-laws gifted me the ROKA x Andrew Huberman Wind Down glasses, and they’ve made a noticeable difference. I also avoid screens and switch my phone to greyscale at night (you can set up a shortcut).

• Less alcohol - Cutting back this year significantly improved my sleep quality. Shoutout to great non-alc options like Ghia (this flavour is my absolute favourite, and I’ve introduced it to so many friends!). If I do drink, I aim for my last drink at least two hours before bed as it impacts HRV, resting heart rate, and the amount of time in deep sleep.

• Investing in an Eight Sleep - it’s an investment, but has completely transformed my sleep. I wake up way less than I did in the past because it helps regulate my body temp. Highly recommend if you’re trying to get higher quality zzz’s!

Health Pillar #2: Exercise

I move my body every single day. At this point, it’s not something I even negotiate with myself - it’s just a daily habit (like brushing my teeth). I had the chance to do my VO2 Max test in December. Essentially you run on a treadmill with a (Bane-looking mask to track your oxygen) that inclines steadily over time, until you physically can’t run anymore.

Knowing that VO2 Max is one of the best predictors of longevity, my exercise plan is really focused around a mix of:

• Strength training 3-4x per week - A mix of ClassPass, Apple Fitness, and DIY/ChatGPT workouts in my home gym. Nothing fancy - mostly 30-60 minutes.

• Lagree Pilates 1x per week - Primarily for mobility, flexibility and core (oof).

• Zone 2 cardio 2-3x per week - This could look like incline walk for 30 min, or a slow jog. The key is to maintain a pace that you can have a slightly breathless conversation at.

• Walk 8-10k steps/day - Walking is incredible not only for your physical health, but also for focus, getting creative ideas, and mental health. Highly recommend a walking pad if you don’t already have one, especially if you live in a colder climate like I do! You can easily squeeze in 8-10k steps by walking a few hours before noon!

Health Pillar #3: Diet

The final pillar of health is diet. I’m definitely someone who eats my feelings, which usually looks like snacking when I’m bored, so I was curious to see what my DEXA scan would show.

What stood out most was that I need to build more upper-body muscle (can you tell I hate upper body day?). What I was really happy with, though, was my visceral adipose tissue (VAT) - the fat around your abdominal organs - which came in at 9g compared to the average of ~209g. I think this comes down mostly to diet, supported by the physical activity habits above.

I’m by no means a nutrition expert, but here are a few of my diet hacks:

• 80/20 rule - I honestly just try to follow the 80/20 rule, in that 80% of what I eat comes from whole, unprocessed foods. And the other 20% is whatever the heck I want so I don’t feel restricted. This usually looks like eating more “clean” during the work week and going out for fun dinner/drinks with friends on the weekends.

• Outsource meals - Meal prep isn’t my strength (I struggle to prioritize it). After trying HelloFresh for a bit, we switched to working with a chef who prepares meals tailored to our needs (more protein and veggies for me), which has been a huge unlock.

• Protein at every meal - Aiming for daily intake of 0.8-1g of protein per pound of ideal body weight.

• Eat without distractions - Admittedly I’m horrible at this when I’m eating lunch at the office (so much to do, so little time!), but I try my best when I’m home to eat without screens and without any distractions, to better recognize my hunger hormones.

Some Parting Thoughts..

None of this is revolutionary - and that’s kind of the point. It’s like what James Clear said in his famous book “Atomic Habits” - we don’t rise to the level of our goals - we fall to the level of our systems. Hopefully these tips give you some inspo to show up consistently and prioritize your health - it’s the most important investment you can ever make. <3

With love,

Connie

If you’re looking to reflect on 2025 and set actionable, achievable goals for 2026, I’ve got you. For the past 10+ years, I’ve been following essentially the same method for reviewing the year behind me and planning for the year ahead. I truly believe this process has helped me continuously grow, stay meaningfully connected to friends and family, and build a life that feels both ambitious and grounded.

What You’ll Need

• Year Compass - free downloadable booklet here. You can fill it out in the digital book, although I much prefer the printable version to put pen to paper.

• Laptop - to view your calendar from the past year

• Time - set aside about 6-7 hours. I usually take 4 hours for the Year Compass (2-2.5 hours for past year’s review, 2 hours for planning the upcoming year), 1 hour for vision boarding based on the goals I set from the Year Compass, and another 1-1.5 hours for plotting the big events and travel for the coming year.

• Year At a Glance Calendar - free downloadable template here. I replicated this from a calendar I saw on YouTuber Jillz Guerin’s channel a few years ago.

1. Past Year Review

I use The Year Compass, a 19-page booklet divided into two parts: one focused on the past year, and the second on the year ahead. It begins with a review of the past year, week by week, where you jot down any important or significant events.

If you live by your calendar like I do, this part can take some time - you’ll probably be surprised by how much you packed into a year. As I review my calendar, I also reflect on things like:

• Commitments I said yes to. For any events (panels, conferences, podcast interviews, networking, etc.), did they feel worth my time and energy? If not, why did I say yes - and how can I get better at only committing to things that are a true full-body yes?

• Energy patterns. When and where was my energy highest? Lowest?
  For example, this year I had three weeks of back-to-back work travel in October (LA → NYC → LA). I noticed I was completely exhausted when I got home and needed a full week to get back to baseline. I flagged this so I can be more intentional about travel pacing next year.

• Wasted space. Were there pockets in my calendar that felt unnecessary, draining, or misaligned?

Once the calendar review is done, you move through several additional sections, including:

• Breaking the year into “buckets” (e.g. Personal Life, Career, Hobbies, Mental Health)

• Completing sentence prompts about the year (like “The wisest decision I made…” or “The biggest risk I took…”)

• Answering reflective questions (such as “Who were the three people who influenced you most?” or “What were you not able to accomplish?”)

• Writing or drawing your favourite moments from the year

• Noting your three biggest accomplishments and your three biggest challenges

• Acknowledging anything/anyone that needs forgiveness, and anything that needs to be let go

• Summarizing the entire year in three words

All in, this section usually takes me about 2–2.5 hours. It can be tempting to jump straight into planning for the year ahead, but I recommend taking a break here. Giving yourself some space helps you avoid rushing the reflection - and ensures you show up to the goal-setting portion with clarity and energy. After all, you only get out of this process what you put into it! :)

2. The Year Ahead - Year Compass

The second half of the Year Compass shifts your focus forward, and mirrors the same mix of structure and reflection. You’ll spend time writing/drawing your big goals for the year, outlining your ambitions by category - things like Personal Life, Friends, Career, Physical Health, and more, and completing sentence prompts that help clarify how you want the year to feel, not just what you want to achieve.

I especially like that this section forces you to zoom out. Instead of jumping straight into to-do lists or overly specific resolutions, it encourages you to think about priorities, boundaries, and the kind of energy you want to carry through the year. This takes me around 1.5 hours to complete. By the end, I’m left with a clear picture of the year ahead - one that feels ambitious but also realistic, and motivating rather than overwhelming.

3. Vision Boarding

Now comes my favourite part - vision boarding! What I love about planning my year this way is that it forces real clarity. By the time I get to this step, I already know exactly what I want to work toward because I’m pulling directly from the same buckets I used in the Year Compass. Those buckets then become the foundation for my vision board. Instead of haphazardly using photos of generic goals (like someone at the gym, or a random tropical destination), I’ll find photos that represent the goals I set from the Year Compass. That might mean a wellness retreat in Costa Rica instead of “travel,” or a very particular bag I want to buy as a reward for a strong year, rather than a generic luxury item. I try to get as detailed and concrete as possible - this is where dreaming big and getting granular really pays off.

A couple tips on vision boarding:

• Keep it highly visible. This taps into your brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS), which helps you subconsciously notice opportunities and decisions that move you closer to your goals. I use my vision board as my phone and laptop background, and I also print it and keep it on my home office desk so I see it daily. (You can print directly from Canva for around $100, depending on size.)

• Choose a central theme or word. One guiding word helps anchor the board and keeps everything feeling cohesive rather than scattered.

• Create your own visuals if needed. If there’s something very specific you’re working toward, don’t be afraid to mock it up yourself. Last year, I created a fake cheque for $15,000,000 - a stretch goal above our annual revenue target. Seeing it every day made the goal feel tangible and achievable, and we actually ended up surpassing that number!

4. Year At A Glance Calendar

One of the final steps in my process is zooming out and looking at the entire year on a single page. I use a simple year-at-a-glance template that I adapted from YouTuber Jillz Guerin (you can save and make a copy of the template for yourself!). I start by plugging in all the big, immovable moments - friends’ and family’s birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, trips, and any milestone dates I already know about. Once those are in, I look for patterns and opportunities.

Pro tip: scan for long weekends early and plan something fun around them in advance! Last year, I intentionally scheduled staycations to land on long weekends, which gave me the option to extend them into relaxed four-day weekends when I needed a bit more rest. Having those moments pre-planned gave me something to look forward to during busier stretches.

You might be wondering why it’s necessary to see everything on one page. For me, this view makes it much easier to be intentional with my time - especially weekends. It helps me avoid overcommitting, spot open space, and balance busy periods with things that genuinely energize me. Plus, there’s something motivating about being able to glance at the year ahead and immediately see what’s coming up that you’re excited about. :)

5. Integration

This final step is arguably the most important part of my annual planning process.

A lot of people create a vision board and set goals, then don’t look at them again until halfway through the year (or later). When that happens, you miss out on months of momentum. Integration is what turns your goals from something aspirational into something actionable.

Once I’ve completed the Year Compass, I take the goals and targets I’ve set for myself and port them into my iPhone Notes app, using checklist-style bullet points. Keeping everything in one place (and in a tool I already use daily) makes it much easier to stay connected to what I said I wanted for the year.

From there, I set a recurring monthly reminder in the Reminders app to review my goals (you can make this more frequent if that works better for you). As I complete them, I cross them off in my Note. This step keeps my goals top of mind throughout the year, not just during planning season. It’s the difference between setting intentions once, and actually building them into your everyday life.

In Conclusion

At the end of the day, this process isn’t about perfection or squeezing productivity out of every moment of the year. It’s about creating clarity, intention, and momentum, while still leaving room for real life and spontaneity to happen.

Some years I follow this plan very closely. Other years, parts of it evolve/shift entirely. It’s totally fine for your priorities to change as life happens - sometimes the biggest win is simply noticing that what once mattered doesn’t anymore.

If you decide to try this process, use what resonates, skip what doesn’t, and trust that a little bit of thoughtful planning now can make the year ahead feel more grounded and fun!

I’m so excited for what 2026 will bring - cheers to the best year yet!

With love,

Connie

At the same time, discipline is something I’ve never really struggled with. My mom likes to tell a story of how, when she’d pick me up from middle school, I’d recite from the backseat a list of everything I was going to do when we got home (starting with skincare, of course!). So maybe some of the things I’ve been doing for decades feel obvious to me, but might be useful to others. And that’s really the purpose of this Substack: to share what I’ve learned in the hopes of helping even one other person. :)

Why I Think About Future Me

As we know, our strengths are usually reflections of our weaknesses. Two sides of the same coin. One of my self-diagnosed weaknesses is that I’m constantly living in the future. My husband, Jason, often calls me out on this - when we’re on a date night or vacation, he’ll catch me saying, “I’m so excited to [insert future thing - eat dinner, do this activity tomorrow, get home].” His go-to response: “Or… we can enjoy where we are, right here, right now.” Point taken.

Because I’m perpetually in the future (staying present is something I’m actively working on), I’m always thinking about how I can be in service of my future self. What would future Connie benefit from? How can I make her life easier? What would she wish I’d done? To me, discipline is simply doing something your future self will thank you for. And this is where my “weakness” of constantly living in the future flips into a strength. I’m always considering what I can do today so that future me is healthier, happier, and more fulfilled.

This mindset has shown up in both trivial and largely beneficial ways. In my early 20s, it meant leaving a big bottle of water by my bed before a night out to mitigate the hangover (or once, ordering UberEats from the bar bathroom so ramen would be waiting at my door when I got home - future me was very grateful). Today, it looks more like stretching at night with the 80-year-old me in mind: mobile, independent, and still active.

And of course, discipline has shaped my business. I distinctly recall a sunny weekend years ago when Laura and I were making products in my apartment kitchen. It was the first warm day of spring, patios were packed, and my friends were literally at the patio downstairs from my apartment asking if we’d want to hang out. Instead, we soldiered on, mixing, pouring, bottling, and labelling our skincare products while plowing through How I Built This episodes as the soundtrack to our hustle. That same discipline has carried us ever since - it’s even one of our four company values, “Hustle,” and it’s something every person on our team embodies.

The truth is, when you consistently do the things you tell yourself you’ll do, your self-confidence grows. One of my favourite quotes is: “Confidence is keeping the promises you make to yourself.” When you know you’ll follow through, you build an inner power and trust in yourself that no external validation can touch. That’s the real magic of discipline: it’s not about punishment or rigidity, but about creating a future you’re proud to step into.

How To Have More Discipline

1. Have a Clear Why.

It sounds cliché, but if you don’t have a strong reason to do something, you may keep up the habit for a week, maybe even a month, but eventually you’ll struggle to keep showing up for yourself. This often spirals into shame or frustration (“why can’t I just do what I say I’ll do?”). Until you have a strong raison d'être, discipline will always feel out of reach.

If you’re struggling to accomplish something and think it’s a matter of willpower, stop and ask yourself if the “why” is really your why. Maybe the reason you’re not able to do it is because it doesn’t actually matter to you. If it doesn’t truly resonate, you won’t keep it up. Last year, after being inspired by food content online, I set a New Year’s Resolution for myself to try a new recipe every two weeks. Well, that habit stuck for about a month before I recognized that this wasn’t something I was truly passionate about or cared enough about, and I moved on.

Another example I think many women can relate to is discipline with diet and exercise. In the past, I compared myself a lot to people online whose job was literally to look a certain way. That led me to see food and exercise only as a means to get a “dream body.” It never stuck. After years of that cycle, I realized my “why” wasn’t strong enough. Looking good wasn’t a deep enough reason to build sustainable healthy habits. Once I reframed my why - extending my health span (very different from just lifespan; see Peter Attia’s Outlive), building stronger bones and muscle, improving my mental health, clarity, and sleep - everything changed. With that why (plus an 80/20 mindset), I’ve rarely struggled with consistency around health again. And ironically, I now both look and feel my best.

Your why might look completely different. Maybe it’s starting a business to create freedom for your family. Maybe it’s quitting smoking because you saw firsthand the devastation it caused someone you love. Whatever it is, the clearer and more personal your why, the easier discipline becomes.

One small tip: regularly review your why, as it may change depending on the season of life you’re in. For me, this looks like setting annual goals in December, reviewing them monthly (using the iPhone reminders app), and evaluating if they still resonate.

2. Manage Your Energy

I think a lot of people would have more discipline if they thought about energy management. Yes, we all have the same 24 hours in a day (16 if you exclude sleep), but we don’t all operate at the same level throughout those hours. Trying to push through a hard project when your energy is low is a recipe for inconsistency.

The key is learning your natural energy patterns and aligning your most demanding tasks with your peak periods. For example, I know my energy spikes about an hour after waking, and again in the early afternoon. That’s when I tackle focused, challenging work. After 8PM, I’m essentially useless, so that’s when I do easy, low-stakes tasks like admin or tidying the house. It also means that I Boomerang emails that require more focus to return into my inbox in the morning when my mind’s fresh, because I know it’ll take me 2x as long to do the same work if I were to attempt these emails at night.

3. Be Selective With Where You Apply Your Discipline

Reduce the number of decisions you need to make. You can do this by cutting out tasks that aren’t meaningful, delegating what you can, or (and this may sound counterintuitive) doing something every day. Hear me out: when an action becomes part of your daily routine, it becomes part of your identity, which makes discipline far easier than white-knuckling through something once in a while.

It’s like James Clear said in Atomic Habits - lasting change comes from building habits that align with your desired identity. I love his example: if someone offers you a cigarette at a party, it’s harder to say, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit,” than “No thanks, I’m not a smoker.” The habit sticks because it’s part of who you are.

For me, this shows up in fitness. I identify as someone who works out because I intentionally move my body every day. Working out isn’t a decision I debate - it’s as automatic as brushing my teeth. Another example: I’m typing this Substack while getting steps in on my walking pad (4,708 since starting this post, and counting!). Not because I forced it, but because the routine is already embedded in my identity. When I want focused writing time, I just power up the walking pad. There’s no thinking involved, no negotiating with myself.

The takeaway: choose carefully where you apply discipline, and make those actions automatic by tying them to your identity.

4. Highlight + Top 3

I learned this framework from one of my favourite time management books - “Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day”. In it, authors Knapp and Zeratsky recommend choosing a Highlight and Top 3 each day.

Your Highlight is your non-negotiable for the day, something that, when completed, would make your day feel most satisfying (this means your highlight can also be non-work related). Only when you’re finished your Highlight do you move on to your Top 3. Everything else is noise.

I love this framework because it’s easy to use (I can follow it on a sheet of paper, no fancy planner needed), and it forces me to choose among competing priorities and focus on what truly matters.

One small tip: resist the temptation to add more Top “X” items (like extending to a Top 5 or Top 10), or to overfill your day. Stick to your plan unless unexpected emergencies pop up. This keeps you productive without burning out.

5. Put it in Your Calendar

“Don’t tell me your priorities, show me your calendar.” It’s easy to make big plans - tackle five work projects, hit Inbox Zero, cook a three-course dinner for date night, and still FaceTime your parents before bed. But if you actually put everything in your calendar and get realistic about how long tasks take, you’ll quickly see what can and can’t fit.

For the things you do decide to keep, treat them as non-negotiable. If it’s on the calendar, you show up - no excuses.

One small tip: if you tend to be overly optimistic about how long tasks will take, start tracking the difference between your calendar block and the actual time spent. I can’t recall where I learned this, but it’s simple: divide the actual time by your planned time to get your buffer ratio.

For example, if you allocate 30 minutes for monthly post-mortem slides but it usually takes more like 45, your ratio is 45/30 = 1.5. Going forward, you’d multiply that 1.5 by the time you block for similar projects, until your estimates become more accurate.

6. Set the Vibe

Sometimes you know you have a ton of work you need to get to, but just can’t get in the right mindset to get started. This is where your “Personal Boot-Up Sequence” comes into play. I learned this concept from Sahil Bloom, author of The 5 Types of Wealth. Essentially you make a repeatable ritual that uses sensory inputs to put you in a productive mindset. You can build your sequence using the five senses - for example, Bloom always gets a cold brew (taste) when starting a focused work block. If you need inspiration, I’ve pasted my boot-up (and power down) sequences below.

I’d recommend reflecting on the times you were most in flow, and breaking down what you were doing into your own repeatable ritual.

Final Thoughts

Discipline isn’t about willpower alone - it’s about designing your life so that following through becomes natural. I have SO many more tips that I could share, so if you found this helpful please let me know and I can do a part 2! :)

With love,

Connie

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Things I’ve loved listening to or reading lately:

• The Tim Ferriss Show - interview with Dr. Rhonda Patrick

  • Ways to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, the Norwegian 4x4 protocol for VO2 max training (tried it once and UGH, it was hard!), how using the sauna regularly can reduce all-cause mortality, the benefits of exercise and how you can still turn things around as a middle-aged person, the benefits of 10g+/day of creatine for energy and mental clarity (currently taking 5g but open to more), and the benefits of sulforaphane to detox BPA from microplastics. A jampacked interview for sure!

• The Tim Ferriss Show - interview with Martha Beck

  • On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, this conversation was all about mental health. I love something Beck says about anxiety - “the opposite of anxiety isn’t calm, it’s creativity.”

  • I also learned a new method to reduce anxiety: think of three things you love smelling, touching, feeling, tasting and hearing. Then imagine a scene that intermingles all of them and immerse yourself in it (e.g. smelling a campfire while petting your dog and eating roasted marshmallows). This helps to override the left side of your brain.

• Optimal Health Daily - Peak-End Rule: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices

  • This short episode talks about how the “peak-end rule” cognitive bias shapes your memories. Since we don’t remember experiences accurately, we tend to just remember the highlights (peaks) and how things end.

• Aspire with Emma Grede - How Allison Ellsworth Turned a Kitchen Experiment into a Billion-Dollar Brand

  • An awesome interview with the co-founder of Poppi. It’s super tactical and gets into things that most founder interviews don’t, including what to do post-exit.

• Recursion by Blake Crouch

  • Such a fun sci-fi book that I couldn’t put down - I ended up buying the hard copy just two days after starting the audiobook so I could slow down my reading and stretch out the enjoyment! Blake Crouch has written some other great thrillers like Dark Matter (which became a TV show) - highly recommend if you’re looking for a gripping novel to read.

My original flight from Toronto to Vancouver was delayed by two hours, which meant I’d miss my connection to Hawaii. Missing my sister’s bach was a non-starter, so I spoke to an Air Canada associate at the airport who confirmed that my plan to book a last-minute flight to Vancouver with another airline was solid. I booked it immediately.

Before I left, she casually mentioned I’d have to call customer service to try and get my checked bag off the original flight that I’d foregone my seat on - yep, the one carrying all our bachelorette party stuff.

Cut to me sprinting across terminals with Air Canada on the phone telling me they weren’t sure if I still had a seat on the second flight - even after I’d just dropped $800 on the new one. :’) That hour was one of the most stressful travel moments I’ve ever had, and my Oura agrees.

At this point, my checked luggage was MIA somewhere in Toronto, my parents were scrambling to reach someone at the airport, and I was about to board a flight with no wifi, no updates, and no idea if I’d have a flight or disappointment waiting for me when I land.

Once the plane took off, I had no choice but to surrender to the situation. And here I did something so cheesy I’m honestly surprised I’m even admitting it: I pulled out my phone and made a gratitude list in my Notes app. It’s something I trained myself to do a few years back - for example, when I’m sitting in the car grumbling in traffic I think: “At least I have a car. At least I’m not standing in the rain. At least I’m not late.” I hadn’t realized how much this practice had served me until this moment, when I needed it most.

I realized sitting in my seat that I was at a proverbial fork in the road - I could either stew in frustration for 5 hours, or I could channel that energy elsewhere. And I’m proud to say that I chose the latter. I did what work I could without wifi, chatted with my seat mate (who told me all about how proud she was of her niece graduating from dental school), and finally finished a book I’d been putting off for weeks.

I’m not sure what the point is of this post, maybe to remind myself and others that we all have these small choices in life. And they add up, they really do. So if you’re choosing between negativity and positive change, just know that I believe in you. <3

As I sign off, I’m not sure what’s waiting for me when I land. But I do know this: I’m stepping off this flight as a better version of myself, and that’s enough.

With love,

Connie

—

Post-flight update: As it turns out, all’s well that ends well. I had a seat on the flight to Hawaii and even got upgraded. My bag didn’t make it in time for the bach, but we were reunited five days later - just in time for my sister’s big day. :)

Things I’ve loved listening to or reading lately:

• Focus Less On Wealth & More On Lifestyle - Chris Williamson

  • Loved this short and sweet YouTube video, where Chris reminds viewers that tradeoffs work, but in the micro, not the macro (can’t trade off your health and time with loved ones forever). I also really resonated with his note about how some people don’t know how to hustle, and others don’t know how to turn it off (guilty).

• Self Care and Parenting the Inner Child by Rachel Trotta - Optimal Health Daily

  • I loved her tip on managing yourself like a manager would for a celebrity (i.e. reminding yourself not to take on too many commitments, to eat well, etc).

• Sleep Expert Matthew Walker: Do THIS to Sleep Through The Night And Never Wake Up Tired Again - On Purpose with Jay Shetty

  • I’ve already read and loved Matthew Walker’s book, “Why We Sleep,” but I appreciated that this interview focused more on how we can get better sleep. He also touches on the health implications of sleeping pills, and shared an interesting fact that taking melatonin only increases the speed of falling asleep by 2-3 minutes!

It forced me to stop and really think about how things had gotten so out of hand, and what I could actually do about it. I’m a big believer in focusing on what’s in your control, and for the past year and a half my inbox has been my personal experiment zone - and I’ve been the guinea pig. After a lot of trial and error, I’ve landed on a system that keeps me pretty close to Inbox Zero (more on that later) almost every time I open my inbox.

I’m always curious what methods others use, so feel free to comment below if you have any tips I haven’t thought of!

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Before diving into my inbox triage process, I thought it’d be helpful to share three common mistakes that I’ve made, in the hopes that it helps others that feel like they’re constantly playing catch up:

1. Having your inbox constantly open. A piece of advice that always stuck with me was, “your inbox is other people’s to-do lists.” Constantly responding to emails may feel productive because it’s busywork, but it leads to working in the business vs on it. Scheduling set times (or at least deleting the open tab - I know, it’s so tempting to keep open!) will help a ton with distraction and reduce context-switching.

2. Managing emails LIFO (Last In, First Out). Responding to the most recent emails constantly is another common mistake we make that makes us feel productive. Once I figured out how to triage my emails in order of priority with the use of folders, I successfully demolished the hold that LIFO had over me.

3. Opening emails more than once. I used to open emails, realize I didn’t have enough time to answer them, mark as unread, and then reopen them multiple times throughout the day until I found the right moment and brain space to resolve it. Process once: reply, archive or snooze for later, then move on.

My Inbox Management System

Here’s the system that works for me - and honestly, it’s pretty simple!

I use 4 main folders (aka “Labels” in Gmail) to sort every email that comes into my inbox:

1. Open Task - Today (these are the emails I must get done today aka time-sensitive, high-priority tasks)

2. Open Task - This Week (still important but not urgent. I aim to tackle these within a few days)

3. Open Task - Low Priority (things I want to get to, but there’s no rush. For example, someone asking for advice - I want to reply but it’s not time-sensitive)

4. Review - No Response Required (like the name suggests, any email I don't need to reply to. For example, if I'm cc'd on an email for visibility on a marketing campaign but don't actually need to be involved)

   1. This folder has two sub-folders with emails that have automatic filters to to skip my inbox: Newsletters and Customer Reviews. I read through these on Friday mornings.

Here’s a screenshot I just took of my inbox - you can see the 3 emails that haven’t been triaged yet, the 4 main labels I use to organize incoming messages, and the additional folders where I archive everything else.

When I first started this process, I handled everything myself - checking my inbox a few times a day and sorting each email into one of my folders. These days, I’m lucky to have an amazing Virtual Assistant, Natalie, who helps move incoming emails into the right folders. She’s been trained to spot what’s truly urgent (like emails from investors or buyers) and what can wait. It’s not a perfect science, so if something ends up in the wrong place I just forward it back to her with a note explaining where it should’ve gone and why. It's an ongoing feedback loop.

Now here’s the magic of the system. Whenever I have a pocket of time in between meetings or during a block of focused work, I’ll open up the “Today” folder and start chipping away. Anything left over in the Today folder at EOD is usually cleared through after work, unless I'm super tired in which case it waits until tomorrow. The “This Week” folder gets checked when I’ve handled the day's priorities, have finished my “Today” folder, and can knock out a few more emails. Or I clear it out on the weekend. “Low Priority” emails get handled whenever I have spare time, which means sometimes they’re pushed to week(s) following. LIFO? Not on my watch!

The reason I love this is that when I open up my inbox, I’m usually at “Inbox Zero” (aside from a few stragglers that came in after my Assistant last triaged it). This makes me less prone to distraction, anxiety and overwhelm. I head straight into my “Today” folder and get to work. And before you think it only works because I have help now - I’ll say this: even when I was doing 100% of it myself, this system made a massive difference in how I managed my inbox and my mental load. Another benefit? This system gives you a visual sense of how much you're taking on each day. Over time, you’ll start to notice if you're consistently overloading your “Today” folder, which can be a helpful signal that you’re mislabeling things as urgent when they’re really not, or just at capacity. Eventually, it helps you get better at spotting what’s truly urgent versus what can actually wait.

A few bonus tips:

1. Boomerang is my best friend. If I don’t have the energy to tackle an email (especially heavier stuff in my “This Week” folder) I’ll Boomerang it to reappear when I know I’ll have more brainpower. Since I’m most focused in the morning, I’ll often schedule those emails to return first thing the next day. When they land back in my inbox, they show up at the top with a star - that’s my Assistant’s cue to move them into the “Today” folder. Then I can dive in while I’m at my sharpest! :)

2. Every email I send gets Boomeranged. On the topic of Boomerang, almost every email I send gets Boomeranged, so it automatically comes back in my inbox if I don’t get a response within a certain time frame. It takes the mental load off trying to remember who I need to follow up with.

3. Use "schedule send" to avoid unnecessary email ping-pong. If an email doesn’t require an immediate reply, I’ll schedule it to send later (like later that week) so it doesn’t trigger a fast back-and-forth that clutters my inbox.

4. Try to avoid email threads from spiralling out of control. Before hitting send, I try to anticipate what the other person will ask and include those answers up front. It cuts down on the “quick question” replies and helps things move forward faster. Alternatively, to prevent endless back-and-forths, know when it’s right to just pick up the phone.

I won’t pretend I never fall behind, especially during the busier seasons of work. But with this system, I’ve found a way to keep email from running my life. Hopefully something here sparks an idea or two for you. And if you’ve got your own email tricks or rituals, I’d love to hear them!

With love,

Connie

Things I’ve loved listening to or reading lately:

• Essentials: Maximize Productivity, Physical & Mental Health With Daily Tools - Huberman Lab

  • Some snackable tips on how to stay focused during the day. I learned that your body temperature reaches its lowest point ~2 hours before you naturally wake up, and your most focused time is usually 4-6 hours after your body temperature’s lowest point. e.g. If you naturally wake up at 7am, then your most optimal focus time is 9-11AM. Learning to work with my body’s natural energy levels has been something I’ve tapped more into over the past few years.

• Q&A with Tim - The Tim Ferriss Show

  • I’m a huge fan of Tim Ferriss and his show, so this was a nice light listen that dove into a variety of topics like stoicism, how he doesn’t use AI in certain instances to avoid over-reliance, and the process of writing a book. I loved this quote, “don’t pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to handle a difficult one.”

Over the years, I’ve loved casually sharing health tips with friends. At dinner earlier this week, someone suggested I turn those conversations into a post. I hesitated.. mostly because I never want to sound preachy, but if even one of these tips helps someone on their health journey, then it's worth sharing. :)

Here are my top health investments, and the ones I wish I never made.

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1. Walking Pad

If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with my walking pad. I love a good workout, but I’ve found that one hour at the gym isn’t enough when I’m sitting at my desk for 8+ hours a day. And honestly, if I don’t get enough movement in, I have a hard time falling asleep. Cue: the walking pad.

Jason bought it for my birthday two years ago, and I’ve used it religiously ever since -usually 3 to 5 times a week. On lighter days, I’ll get an extra 5,000 steps in; on heavier ones, it’s more like 12,000+. Usually I hit 10,000 by noon. It’s not just great for physical health - walking while working actually helps me concentrate and get into a solid flow state. I can’t recommend it enough. Jason was super skeptical at first… and now he has his own. :) I’ve even convinced three members of my team to get one, and it makes me ridiculously happy when I see them using it on Zoom.

I get asked two questions all the time, so let’s get into it:

1. Is it hard to type while walking?
Not at all. I walk at a super easy pace, usually around 1.75 mph, so I can type without typos and talk on calls without sounding out of breath.

2. Is it a hassle to set up each time?
No! To address this, I actually timed myself: from raising my desk, pulling out and unfolding the walking pad, and putting on my shoes, it took me a grand total of 35 seconds. That’s like a fraction of your average Instagram scroll.

A few tips:

• I highly recommend getting a walking pad that folds (this is the one I have). It’s much easier for storage, which will increase the likelihood that you’ll continue to use it. I fold mine and lean it against my desk leg, so when I’m not using it it’s just resting there. Then when I want it, it’s easy to access and I have no excuses.

• Keep a pair of walking shoes next to your desk - again, if it’s easy you’ll reach for them!

• If you’re on the fence about investing in one, start by using a laptop on a treadmill desk attachment (if you have access to a treadmill). Ours is currently out of stock, but there are plenty online for around $50–$125. It’s a great way to get a feel for walking and typing before committing. (Note: I personally prefer the walking pad because it lets me access my monitor and not be limited to just my laptop screen.)

• You can also use it for other things, like watching shows or scrolling on social media. Sometimes I just want to do something mindless without lying on the couch, and it’s the perfect way to sneak in steps while bingeing a favourite series.

If you’re on the fence, I hope this post helps you take the plunge!

2. Eight Sleep Pod

The Eight Sleep was an investment that we debated for a couple of years, and finally bit the bullet late last year. After having used it for 6 months, I can honestly say that I wish I’d bought it earlier. It’s made the biggest difference for my sleep. The way it works is it runs water through coils in a temperature-controlled mattress cover. You can set it to whatever temperature you want, and it’ll automatically warm or cool your side of the bed (so you and your partner can sleep with different temperatures).

What’s most impressive is how it automatically adjusts throughout the night. It recognizes what sleep stage you’re in and your body temperature, and then tweaks the temperature to prolong and deepen your sleep. Here’s a screenshot from last night - it made 31 temperature adjustments while I slept, without me even noticing, which increased my REM and deep sleep by 17% and 32% respectively.

Using the Eight Sleep has made a night-and-day difference in my sleep. I wake up way fewer times throughout the night because I’m no longer regulating my temperature by throwing on/off my blankets or waking up sweating or freezing.

A few tips if you’re considering it:

• You probably don’t need the newest model. We got the Pod 4 because it was the latest version at the time (they’ve since released the Pod 5), but I’m not sure it’s worth the upgrade. One of its big features is that it automatically lifts your head slightly if you snore (ahem- Jason, when he’s extra tired), but we found it more disruptive than helpful. We’re light sleepers and found it really weird to wake up with a mattress tilting us up. We also don’t use the reading mode that tilts the head of the bed because we just use pillows, so it felt kind of unnecessary.

• Set it to preheat your bed before you get in. I read every night and I always look forward to climbing into a warm, cozy bed.

• You can use it as a silent alarm clock. It gently vibrates your side of the bed to wake you up without disturbing your partner.

If sleep is something you struggle with, or you just want to level up your rest, I genuinely think this is one of the best health investments you can make. Sleep is probably *the* health pillar I prioritize most (read Why We Sleep by Dr Matthew Walker and you’ll see why), so I was able to justify the expense for my long-term health.

3. Oura Ring

The Oura Ring is another one of those health tools I wish I’d gotten sooner. My journey with fitness trackers started nearly a decade ago - first with the Fitbit in 2016, then the Apple Watch in 2018, which I eventually retired last year. I found the Apple Watch too screen-heavy, in that I could constantly see notifications, get calls/texts from my friends (I love you but I need to focus!) and if I’m being honest, I didn’t love how it looked with my outfits and restricted me from wearing other watches.

Enter: the Oura Ring. It feels so much more seamless and I love that it gives me useful health insights without being distracting.

Here are the features I love the most:

• Cycle tracking: Because it measures body temperature, I can easily see when my period is about to start. My temperature reliably spikes just before my cycle begins. It’s especially helpful if your cycles are irregular.

• Sleep tracking: As mentioned above, sleep is my #1 health metric. I can clearly see how things like alcohol, eating late, and caffeine impact my sleep through metrics like heart rate variability and how long it took my heart rate to settle into its lowest point. It’s helped me become so much more intentional about my habits throughout the day - I’ve cut back significantly on alcohol, stop drinking caffeine around 10AM on most days, and the results have been great.

• Step tracking: Although it doesn’t track my steps from the walking pad, I mentally add those to my total.

• Stress and recovery: I like that it prompts me to check in when it notices my stress levels higher than my baseline, and also the daily Readiness Score that’s set depending on how well my body recovered from the day before. If I’ve been sleeping well and my vitals are strong, it nudges me to push a bit more that day. If not, it suggests taking it easier. I take the score with a grain of salt, but it’s a great reminder to be more in tune with how I’m feeling. One of the coolest things it’s done was recognize I was getting sick before I even realized it, and it automatically removed my activity goal for a few days.

• Workouts: It’s pretty good at recognizing what exercises I’m doing, like tennis, strength training, pilates, and even housework (whatever counts I guess?). I like that I don’t need to manually enter in my workout type/length.

If you’re looking for a discrete health tool that gives you great insights into your body, I’d recommend an Oura Ring.

4. Home Gym

If you have the space for one, setting up a home gym has been one of the best investments I’ve made. Time is my most valuable resource, and I’d much rather spend it actually working out than commuting to the gym or waiting for equipment. (Note: the exception is my one-off gym classes that I go to for fun to spend time with friends or to try something new!) I love the convenience of rolling downstairs after my morning coffee or squeezing in a workout after getting home from the office- without battling the motivation dip that often leads to a canceled gym session.

If you’re building a home gym for the first time, here’s what I’d recommend starting with:

• Treadmill: Especially important if you live somewhere with real winters. I use it a ton in the colder months, and do incline walks year round.

• (Adjustable) Dumbbells: We started with a pair of adjustable dumbbells to avoid the cost (and storage space) of a full dumbbell set. Once I proved to myself I’d stick with it, I upgraded to individual dumbbells My tip is to see what weights you reach for in gym classes for your upper/lower body days as a good starting point. You can also wait for sales - e.g. I bought mine during Black Friday for half off!

• Resistance bands: Buy a cheap pack from Amazon, you don’t need anything fancy. I like to use mine for finisher exercises and for physio.

• Workout bench: This is the one we bought and we really like it. It’s easy to adjust for various exercises like incline chest press, bent over row, or weighted glute bridge (killer).

• Dumbbell rack: Important for storage. We have two because of the sheer # of different dumbbell weights we have (3-tier rack, A frame rack).

• Lacrosse ball: Essential for recovery. We use the TRS Supernova 2.0 (recommended by a trainer), and it’s amazing - the grooves dig into tight spots that a smooth ball can’t reach. Highly recommend.

• Mirror: Because nothing beats good form!

• Mat: For core work and stretching. I personally like a thicker mat for my home gym, and look for one that doesn’t slip.

• Extras: Kettlebell, barbell with plates, and a workout buddy like the floof below:

And now, for a few investments I actually wish I could return:

1. Cold Press Juicer: I know, I know - everyone says they regret buying one. But I really thought I’d be the exception. After a brief stint of using my Huron religiously, it’s now sat in the back of my cupboard collecting dust. The cleanup is just too much for something that yields a few ounces of juice. Not worth the squeeze (literally).

2. Omnilux Red Light Mask: I don’t regret getting into red light therapy, but if I had a redo, I’d go for something with a bit more structure like the TheraFace or the Dr. Dennis Gross mask. The Omnilux is super soft and flexible, which sounds great in theory, but because of my face shape, it doesn’t sit flush against my lower cheeks and jaw. I doubt I’m getting the full benefits since the light isn’t close enough to penetrate effectively.

3. Hatch Alarm Clock: This one isn’t a total regret - I still use it every night for wind-down routines. The sound baths are lovely while I stretch, and the white noise has become a staple. But I’m not sure I’m getting enough out of it to justify the price (since I already have a free white noise app on my phone, and sound baths can be found on YouTube). Time will tell if it earns a permanent spot on my nightstand.

At the end of the day, everyone’s version of “worth it” looks a little different. What worked (or didn’t work) for me might be the exact opposite for you. If you’re just getting started, don’t feel pressured to go all in at once. Borrow from friends, test things out, and see what sticks. <3

With love,

Connie

Things I’ve loved listening to or reading lately:

• Emma Grede on Work Life Balance Truths, Successful Traits, Finding Your Strengths, & Hustle Culture - Him & Her Show

  • I think Emma is a brand building queen, and I admire her refreshing honesty about what it takes to “do it all.” I also liked listening to her new podcast Aspire (start with her interview with Gwyneth Paltrow).

• Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire - Dan Martell

  • This is my second time listening to Dan’s book, and it’s my #1 recommended productivity/time management/scaling up book I recommend for my founder friends. I still use his concept of “Audit, Transfer, Fill” (in fact, I have a sticky note on my monitor that serves as a daily reminder), and his energy audit practice is genius (documenting what you’re doing in 15 min increments, giving each task a $- rating in terms of value for your business, and highlighting tasks in green or red depending on if they light you up or drain you. Delegate what’s red and low $, pour more into what’s green and ).

Credits: Jyo John Mulloor

I’ll occasionally come across a post that inspires me - some of which end up in my camera roll - but it’s rare that one keeps me up at night, let alone for days after. As I lay in bed a few nights later, it hit me why this one stayed with me: it captured two competing sides of me so perfectly.

The Dichotomy

On one hand, I’m a driven entrepreneur who loves the rush of crushing targets, building a team, and chasing success. And a huge part of my entrepreneurial journey has meant putting in the hours - grueling evenings and weekends in the early days, when my co-founder Laura and I made thousands of products by hand outside of our full-time jobs. Even stemming before we started our side hustle, hard work was ingrained in me at a very young age. And I don’t want to discount that hard work - the trade-offs I made, like choosing 3 extra hours of work > seeing friends at that time got us far and I wouldn’t change the decisions I made during those early days.

But on the other hand (and being 8 years into the entrepreneurial journey), I love spending quality time with friends and family, creating new memories, and going on adventures with those I love. And lately, the reality of aging parents has been a loud wake-up call, one that reminds me just how little time we really have.

“Meeting every deadline but missing every sunset” feels like the exact tug-of-war inside my head. Like the angel and devil on my shoulders: one side loves being the first one up in the morning or the only one working on a Friday night with no one responding to my emails, hitting a flow state, and chasing that reward loop built over decades of believing, “working harder than everyone else will someday buy me all the freedom I want.” The other side wonders what memories I'm missing while chasing those extra hours.

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When “Me Time” Isn’t Really Me Time

On a deeper level, I realize that I categorize my leisure time into one of two buckets:

(1) Productive activities

(2) Fun activities with friends/family

But I rarely allowed myself to choose fun for myself - to “seeing the sunset solo,” so to speak. The only "me time" I gave myself was if it fit neatly under the self-improvement umbrella (i.e. going to fitness classes, meditating, sauna). Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE all those things and health/wellness is a huge passion of mine. But as my therapist asked me recently, “what do you actually do JUST for you and just for fun?” I had no words.

Origins of This Mindset

Looking back, I think I’ve always been hyper-aware of time and how little of it we have (I remember being maybe seven or eight years old, sitting in the back of my parents’ car, having the sudden, crushing realization that we all die one day and wondering, “but where do our thoughts go?” Morbid, I know.) Because I know time is precious, I’m constantly thinking about the opportunity cost of everything. If I spend time on X, I’m giving up Y. Even writing this post right now, I'm thinking: I could have called a friend, gone on a walk, or cleared my inbox.

And when I do carve out time just for me, I start running through the mental Rolodex of fun activities, debating whether they’re “worth it.” The irony? When I finally do choose something just for fun, I have such a good time - and even better, it actually makes time feel like it slows down. There’s research that when you do something novel, time seems to slow down because of the way your brain processes new experiences. From this realization, I’ve started to reframe fun solo time in this way: if I'm always thinking about time as a trade-off, spending it on fun actually stretches it out more. Along with that, I find myself re-living those memories which makes the time spent in that activity feel even longer.

Concluding Thoughts

Now, when I have some free time, I take two seconds to pause and ask myself what I really want to do. Sometimes it’s work that’ll make me feel the most fulfilled, and sometimes it’s lounging on the couch watching re-runs. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to publish this post because I’m still figuring things out. But if these words help even one person feel less alone in this constant internal juggle, then it’s worth it.

Maybe the real lesson is that it’s not about choosing only the deadlines or only the sunsets - it’s about learning to protect a little space for both. Because the deadlines might build the life you want. But the sunsets are what make it worth living. <3

With love,

Connie

Things I’ve loved listening to or reading lately:

• Break Free from Perfectionism, Anxiety & Burnout - Behind Her Empire Podcast

  • Great interview with Keren Eldad, an exec coach and author. Apparently only 12% of female founded businesses make it to Year 2 because of all the pressure we put on ourselves that leads to burnout.

• You Are Not Responsible for Other People’s Feelings - Jay Shetty Podcast

  • Loved this point he made about how if you feel responsible for how others perceive you, you’ll always be performing. Also, you aren’t responsible for other people’s expectations.

Before we dive into my favourite habit stacks, here are a few tips to get started:

1. Use your Reminders app: To start a new habit stack, I set an iPhone reminder at the approximate time I want to build my habit. For example, I’m currently trying to take a new probiotic with my morning water, so I have a 6 AM reminder. Even if I wake up later, it’s the first thing I see.

2. Leverage visual cues: Make your habit stack effortless by keeping related items together. I keep my headphones in the same compartment as my metro card, so when I grab my card, I immediately put on a podcast or audiobook.

3. Balance active vs passive habits: If you’re stacking two habits at once, one should ideally require little to no focus. Otherwise, you’re just going through the motions with both and not actually present for either. For example, I wouldn’t stack learning a new recipe with watching a documentary/show that’s hard to follow.

Here are some of my go-to habit stacks that help me stay productive, feel my best, and build self-care into my daily routine!

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Morning

• Warm water + coffee + journal: Starting the day with hydration before cozying up with my favourite caffeinated drink while doing Morning Pages (waking up both the body and mind). This journal is my favourite that I’ve used for the past 10+ years.

• Breakfast + clean counters + supplements: Cleaning the kitchen counters after cooking breakfast is my trigger to open my supplement drawer and take my vitamins.

• Workout + Streaks habit tracker: The second I finish my workout and put away my gym shoes, I open my Streaks app to check it off. It’s also my moment to review other habits I’m tracking (currently: daily journaling, stretching, creatine, 10K steps, no alcohol).

• Jewelry + perfume: After I’m done with my makeup, I head straight to my closet where my jewelry is laid out next to my perfume collection. I love accessorizing with fragrance so having the two next to each other is a great cue.

• Commute + read/listen: The moment I tap my pass to board the train, I open one of three apps - Substack, Podcasts, or Audible. If I don’t do this immediately, I’ll usually end up doomscrolling on Instagram.

Day Time

• Walking pad + work: Probably my favourite habit stack. As soon as I step into my home office, I’ll raise my desk and start walking (sneakers are laid out beside my desk to prevent excuses). Not only do I squeeze in an extra 5-7k steps each morning, but I find walking helps greatly with staying focused. It’s one of my best productivity hacks!

• Walk + call a friend/family member: Instead of listening to podcasts or music, I often use my afternoon walk to catch up with a loved one (or walk in silence to recharge).

• Finished meeting + to-do’s: I immediately write down the action items from work calls when they’re finished so my to-do’s don’t live in my head.

Evening

• Finished work + pause inbox + close laptop: My official “work is done” cue: pausing my inbox (shoutout to Boomerang’s Inbox Pause feature) and closing my laptop.

• Walk + scroll social media: If I really want to scroll after dinner, I make myself pace around the living room instead of sinking into the couch. 9 times out of 10, I log off Instagram in minutes because it’s not that enjoyable to pace while scrolling.

• Skincare + daily podcast: I like to listen to low effort podcasts when winding down, so my go-to while applying my skincare is Optimal Living Daily or Optimal Health Daily (~10 minute episodes where the host reads blogs or snippets of books).

• Red light mask + stretch + podcast: The ultimate multitasking self-care stack: red light therapy + light stretching + a chill podcast. I keep my yoga mat at the base of my bed as a gentle reminder. This is the red light mask I’ve been using.

• Hand cream + gratitude + brush my dog’s teeth: My nightstand setup is a built-in reminder: hand cream = think of a few things I’m grateful for, and my bedside drawer = my dog’s toothbrush + toothpaste (not the most aesthetic but the only way I remember to do it consistently tbh). I’ve been obsessed with this hand serum.

Weekends/Unconventional

• Clean makeup brushes + clean jewelry: My jewelry cleaner lives right next to my makeup brush cleaner under the kitchen sink. While I’m already cleaning my brushes each week, it’s the perfect trigger to take off my rings and drop them into the jewelry cleaner too.

• Hard boiled eggs + water plants: This is a weird one but hear me out. When I snack prep hard-boiled eggs on the weekend, I reserve the water, let it cool, and use it to water the plants around my house. Sustainability at its finest?

• Uber + inbox triage or clear photos: I like to use time in taxis to knock out easy emails or go through my recent photos for some digital decluttering.

• Online shopping + open Reminders app: I try to avoid impulse buys, so when I’m tempted by something I see online I save the link in a Reminders list called “Shopping.” If I still want it a month later, I give myself permission to buy it.

I’d love to hear what your favourite habit stacks are and if I missed any!

With love,

Connie

Things I’ve loved listening to or reading lately:

• Weekend Conversations: Balancing Your Present Self and Future Self - Elevate with Robert Glazer

  • Loved this honest conversation about balancing your future self vs what you want in the moment. Good reminder for myself to not do everything for my future self and enjoy the present more.

• High Agency in 30 Minutes - George Mack

  • My favourite read of the year so far. An amazing blog post recommended by my friend that highlights the differences between successful vs regular people.

  • I loved how it clarified that it’s not just about resilience/hard work, but also about having an internal locus of control.

  • Also appreciated the reminder that being normal = forgotten, so don’t dim your light!

    

• “#803: Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale” - The Tim Ferriss Show

  • Great reminder to lean into what we love doing, and also the mental benefits of long walks.

1. Constraints breed innovation - even if they’re forced.

Most people know we started Three Ships with $4,000 in savings, but what they don’t know is that we also launched the brand in just three months. The night that my co-founder, Laura, and I met, we decided then and there that we’d launch the brand in three months. This is because we knew we’d otherwise spend too long trying to make our product perfect. I’m so glad we did this, because we were able to get real customer feedback faster. The number of formula, copy, and packaging changes we made in those initial months were invaluable vs waiting to make a “perfect” product or brand from the start.

Tinkering around in my apartment kitchen where we developed our first product.

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Our tiny budget became one of our greatest creative advantages. We bought a $300 laser printer to print our own labels because custom ones were out of reach. In hindsight, that was a gift - we could iterate on labels instantly based on customer feedback at local markets. Since we couldn’t afford a distributor or a salesperson, I hit the pavement, pitching our products to neighbourhood shops myself. That experience taught me the language of selling and sharpened our unique selling points (e.g. Do people resonate more with the affordable price point, ingredient transparency, natural ingredients, efficacy, local angle, female-founded angle, etc?). Every single buyer I’ve worked with has told me that Three Ships is their go-to example for other brands looking to improve the way they work with retailers. I truly don’t think this would be the case had I not learned everything myself due to our budget constraints.

How most of our weekends looked in the beginning days with our brand pre-Three Ships name change, lugging a 6ft table and boxes of handmade products to various markets across the city.

Even though we’ve now raised millions of dollars in funding and have a full-time team of 20, we still operate with self-imposed constraints. For example, profitability is a non-negotiable, meaning our team has to be very careful with their budgets. This not only encourages strategic reflection on ROI, but also helps keep us grounded and prevents us from getting ahead of ourselves.

If you’re building something, try setting your own arbitrary constraints. I even do this in my personal life (like setting a deadline to write this Substack to override my perfectionist tendencies, how meta. That’s also transparently the reason there are only 3 lessons here instead of 5 - I ran out of time and need to prioritize my workload). Learn to see constraints as superpowers instead of limits.

2. Learn how to manage imposter syndrome, because it never fully goes away.

I used to believe that once we hit a certain milestone, my imposter syndrome would magically disappear. I thought I’d finally feel “legit” after making the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, closing a major fundraise, or landing a dream retail partnership. But each time, those nagging thoughts crept in: “You just got lucky.” “Right place, right time.”

What I’ve realized is that imposter syndrome doesn’t vanish - it evolves. As you master one set of challenges, new ones take their place. There’s always another mountain to climb, and with it comes that feeling of being unprepared or unworthy. The trick isn’t to get rid of imposter syndrome but to learn how to manage it.

Here are a few tips that have helped me:

• Create a “Personal Wins” folder. I screenshot and save anything that feels like a win, big or small - positive customer reviews, Black Friday sales numbers, buyer replies, even our first out-of-home ad. On tough days, I look back at these moments to remind myself how far we’ve come. As a founder, no one gives you a performance review or says, “Hey, great job.” You have to be that person for yourself.

• Track your progress. Every week, I jot down what’s stressing me out, what I’m working on, and what I’m grateful for. It’s amazing to look back and realize that things I once obsessed over barely phase me now. I also journal daily and revisit old entries every year or so. Seeing my personal growth on paper makes the imposter voice a little quieter.

• Craft personal affirmations. I’ve created affirmations in the areas where I feel “less than,” and I read them aloud in front of a mirror every morning. Some of my favourites: “I exercise my inner genius every day.” “I figure things out with ease.” “I am enough, exactly as I am.” Think about where you feel doubt and create affirmations to counteract those beliefs.

A snippet of the Affirmations note saved on my phone.

Imposter syndrome may never fully leave, but that’s okay. My hot take on imposter syndrome is that it’s okay to have - it means you’re pushing yourself into new territory and constantly learning. That’s where the magic happens.

3. Never take advice from someone you wouldn’t switch places with.

This was a hard lesson for me to learn, especially in the early days when my self-confidence was low. But a mentor once taught me that there’s a difference between giving someone a voice and giving them a vote - and learning to filter advice has been game-changing.

For example, when we were fundraising in 2022, we spoke with countless investors who didn’t understand our profitability-first mindset. Many passed on investing because they prioritized fast topline growth, insisting that EBITDA didn’t matter. I’m so glad we trusted our instincts. When the markets shifted, brands that burned through cash struggled, while our focus on sustainability kept us afloat. Funnily enough, when we fundraised again in 2024, the narrative had flipped - those same investors applauded us for being so diligent with our cash.

If you’re building something, remember your why. Advice is free and free flowing, but not all of it is worth taking.

These lessons are just a glimpse of what I’ve learned over the past five years. Building Three Ships has been the most challenging, rewarding, and humbling experience of my life. I can’t wait to uncover countless more lessons over the next five years. If you’re on your own journey, I hope these insights help you navigate the highs and lows with a little more confidence. <3

With love,

Connie

Honestly, I used to cringe when people called me organized. My inner critic would scream, “Why can’t you compliment my spontaneity instead?!” Being known for your organization skills is kind of like being praised for having really neat handwriting - it’s nice, but also makes you sound a little... robotic.

After years of learning to love what makes me me, I’ve realized instead to embrace my organization as a personal superpower. The truth is, being organized gives me more freedom, not less. It means I actually get to do the fun things I want - without the stress of scrambling. Sure, scheduling self-care might sound crazy or unnecessary to some, but when I scroll through my calendar and see blocked-off time for solo trips and recharge days waiting for me, it puts my mind at ease and also gives me something to look forward to.

Over the years, I’ve figured out a few simple systems that keep me on track without feeling restrictive. Honestly I could probably have made this post 10x longer (I’ve accumulated a lot of productivity/organization tips over the years), but here are my top four strategies that help me stay organized while still making space for the things and people that matter most.

1. Find a task management system that works for you and stick to it.

There are countless apps out there, like Notion, Todoist, Asana, Monday, Trello, you name it. My advice is to find what works best for you and ignore the rest. I remember when all my friends were raving about Notion, and I desperately wanted to love it too. It’s sleek, it’s aesthetic, and I even spent hours watching YouTube videos from productivity gurus trying to set up my own dashboards. I set up a habit tracker, used it for about a week… and then completely dropped it. No matter how many people swore by it, it just didn’t click for me - and that’s okay.

What works for me is a combination of Google Calendar and a good old fashioned notebook. I have a personal calendar that overlays onto my work calendar, so everything - work tasks, social plans, personal to-dos - lives in one place (my husband can also see my personal calendar and vice versa, making it really easy to plan around each other’s schedules). If something comes up, I immediately add it to the right calendar.

And this is where my notebook comes in. The night before or morning of a work day, I start a blank page with my Daily Highlight, Top 3, and remaining Work + Admin tasks. How I pick what falls into these buckets is by reviewing that day’s agenda from my Google Calendar (a mix of meetings/tasks).

• My Daily Highlight → The one non-negotiable task that needs my full focus (usually 60–90 minutes). I picked this up from Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky (learn more about the Daily Highlight in their blog post here).

• My Top 3 → Important/urgent tasks that matter but aren’t as critical as my Daily Highlight. Still important for me to finish that day.

• Other Work/Admin Tasks → A running list of smaller to-dos that I tackle if I have time.

I’ve been using this system for three years, and it’s made a huge difference in keeping me focused without feeling overwhelmed! Anything I don’t finish I just port over to the next days/weeks, ensuring I’m realistic with how long of a time block I assume tasks will take.

2. Reminders app - get your to-do’s out of your head.

If there’s one app on my phone that I can’t live without, it’s the Reminders app. I use it for everything, from planning ahead to keeping up with my skincare routine, so I don’t have to rely on memory (imo your brain should never be your to-do list).

If you need some inspiration, here are just a few of the ways I use the Reminders app:

1. Monthly Schedule Review: Once/month I get a reminder to review my schedule for the next two months. This includes things like checking upcoming events, dinners, and birthdays (so I can plan gifts or book reservations), and making sure I’ve scheduled wellness non-negotiables like massages, facials, and fun workout classes.

2. Monthly Check-in with my Top 5: My first phone had a "Top 5" feature that limited calls/texts to my closest people - a concept I still use to this day. Once a month I get a reminder to check in on my core circle. Most of the time, I’ve already talked to them recently, but it’s a nice way to make sure no one slips through the cracks when life gets busy.

3. Skin Cycling: I have a recurring reminder to use my exfoliating mask and bio-retinol serum on a rotating schedule (e.g. Monday + Thursday → Three Ships Superfruit AHA Exfoliating Mask ; Tuesday + Friday → Three Ships Skin Hero Bio-Retinol Serum). This keeps me consistent without needing to remember when to use what, ensuring I’m giving my skin the proper TLC it needs.

4. Daily/Monthly Health & Wellness Reminders: I set small, recurring reminders for tasks like morning supplements, affirmations, and using my red light mask. Similarly, instead of scrambling to book last-minute appointments, I have regular reminders to schedule mani/pedis, massages, facials, hair appointments, and going to the spa.

3. Weekly review

Every Sunday night, I take around 30 minutes to look ahead and plan my week. This includes:

• Scheduling in my workouts so they’re locked in. I go so far as to schedule my harder workouts (like lower body) on the days I have fewer calls and/or am less busy.

• Adjusting work tasks that I scheduled the week before to create better time blocks. If possible, move calls to create even longer time blocks for focused work.

• Checking recurring cal events like date nights (one on a weeknight, one on the weekend) and making sure they don’t conflict with other tasks.

• Scheduling in travel blocks for in-person meetings/events, and work breaks if I have more than ~2 hours of back-to-back calls.

This Sunday practice helps a ton with energy management - if I see a jam-packed week ahead, I’ll intentionally keep my weekend or weeknight plans light to recharge.

4. Minimize distractions with Focus Mode

One last tip that’s been a game-changer for me is using Focus Mode on my phone and Do Not Disturb on my laptop. My phone automatically switches to Focus Mode during the workday, and my laptop is set to block all notifications, so I’m not constantly interrupted. The only notifications I receive on my phone are from my family and my co-founder - everything else can wait. No notifications = no distractions = minimal task-switching. This helps me stay focused for longer aka stay organized and on top of my most important tasks. It’s an easy way to organize my time and energy, and a tip I highly recommend (this post walks you through how to set up Focus Mode on your iPhone).

Hopefully this post gave you a few ideas to test out. At the end of the day, staying organized isn’t about rigid rules or following the latest productivity trend - it’s about finding what actually works for you. :) <3

With love,

Connie

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Things I’ve loved listening to or reading lately:

• “The Karma of Success” - Liz Tran

  • Really great book with practical examples of how tapping into your intuition and inner genius can lead to success. I particularly resonated with the concept of the 3 S’s: silence, stillness, and solitude. Another key takeaway for me was the idea that manifestation = visualization + gratitude - like saying ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you.’ Most people remember to say 'Please' (visualize) but forget the crucial step of saying 'Thank you' (gratitude).

• “The Science of Protein and Its Role in Longevity, Cancer, Aging, and Building Muscle” - FoundMyFitness Podcast

  • Detailed walkthrough of all the FAQ’s around protein. My main takeaway is that total daily protein intake is more important than your protein intake window. I recommend giving this a listen if you’re trying to up your protein game like me, and want the straight facts.

Once life started returning to normal, I took a step back and asked myself how this habit had made me feel. The answer? Not great. As someone prone to anxiety, I couldn’t ignore the hangxiety that followed a night of drinking. It ruined my productivity, made me super negative, and left me feeling like I had a dark cloud over my head.

In 2021, I attempted my first Dry January. Five years later, and I’ve learned a lot. This year felt different - I wasn’t white-knuckling my way through it like in the past. I think part of that comes from developing a healthier relationship with alcohol, but also because I didn’t avoid social situations this time around. Instead, I lived my regular life: going to a Raptors game sober, celebrating a friend’s milestone birthday at the bar with a glass of sparkling water, and genuinely enjoying myself without alcohol present.

Below are three unexpected lessons that took me five years to learn:

1. Alcohol Messes with Sleep and Recovery More Than I Realized

At this point, we all know alcohol isn’t great for us (if you haven’t already, check out Andrew Huberman’s episode “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health”). But this was the first year I did Dry January with an Oura ring, and oh man, were the results shocking. During those four alcohol-free weeks, my sleep was solid. But as soon as February rolled around and I had a couple of drinks, my resting heart rate shot up, and my HRV plummeted (a lower heart rate variability means your body isn’t coping well with stress and/or not recovering as well).

The Oura ring stats don’t lie. :(

As a self-proclaimed wellness enthusiast, I love geeking out over optimizing my workouts, nutrition, and stress management, and yet I was (hypocritically?) overlooking how even just 1-2 drinks could wreck my sleep. Since sleep is arguably the most important pillar of health, this realization hit hard. Now, I’m being much more intentional about when I drink, saving it for truly special occasions rather than just any social gathering.

2. Dry January Boosted My Confidence More Than I Expected

Something I didn’t anticipate was how much more confident I’d feel without alcohol. Whether it was meeting new people at a party or having dinner with a retail buyer, I felt immense confidence that stuck with me long after the night ended. Conversations felt deeper and more engaging, and I loved reflecting the next day on what we talked.

It reminded me of a quote from Sober Curious (Ruby Warrington) that I read a few years ago: “Alcohol doesn’t help conversation flow, it just raises our boredom threshold.” After 5 years of Dry January, I totally get it. Being able to have more meaningful conversations made me feel closer to those in my social circle, and my confidence also increased because I stuck to my word. I’ve always believed that confidence comes from keeping the promises you make to yourself, and this time was no exception. Each time I stuck to my choice not to drink, it reinforced my ability to trust myself, which in the long run feels way more powerful than any temporary buzz.

3. Dry January Taught Me That There Are Better Ways to Manage Stress (Shocker)

As a busy founder, every day throws its own set of challenges at me. In the past, one of my favourite ways to unwind was having a glass of wine on the couch with my husband. But since we were both doing Dry January this year, we had to get creative; instead of pouring a drink, we went on hikes, cooked elaborate dinners, and I leaned into journalling more than ever before.

One quote from Sober Curious about stress really stuck with me: “Alcohol doesn’t relax you, it just puts ‘pause’ on the stress.” I didn’t fully grasp this until Dry January ended and I found myself at a bar with my husband after a particularly hard day. That first sip feeling was nice, but my hangxiety came back full force the next morning. AND my work problems were still there waiting for me, only this time I was less equipped to handle them because of the brain fog.

Now I’m not saying I’ll never drink again - I still enjoy a good cocktail or a great glass of red wine. But the lessons I’ve learned are impossible to ignore. These days, I find myself reaching for non-alcoholic alternatives more often (there are so many great options now!), and people are way less judge-y when you choose not to drink.

Curious - what’s your relationship with alcohol like? Have you tried Dry January/a month off?

Leave a comment

With love,

Connie

Things I’ve loved listening to or reading lately:

• “How to Succeed by Living on Your Own Terms and Getting Into Good Trouble with Chris Sacca” - The Tim Ferriss Show

  • So many good nuggets in this one! Loved the concept of hiring people who’ve had a tipping job in the past - i.e. server or customer service job, because they understand sales. They also chatted in depth about “snowplow parenting,” and how to avoid making things too easy for your children (learned helplessness).

• “Give Away Your Legos’ and Other Commandments for Scaling Startups”

  • Incredible article about the challenges founders face when scaling, particularly around team management. I highly recommend this for my entrepreneur friends!

    

• “7 Ways to Train Your Brain to Go From Insecurity to Confidence” - On Purpose Podcast with Jay Shetty

  • Reminder of the hierarchy of competence, and how you can work your way up to making great decisions with intuition through: unconscious incompetence → conscious incompetence → conscious competence → unconscious competence

• “How to Trust and Be Trusted with Rachel Botsman” - Revisionist History Podcast with Malcolm Gladwell

  • To make good decisions on if you should trust someone, be aware of what trust signals you’re leaning into, if you’re making the decision too fast, and if you’re making the decision out of convenience. Super relevant for hiring.

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But before I share the ways we bring our company values to life, a brief intermission to reflect on this being my first post. Starting a Substack has been on my mind for over a year. The idea came from realizing that I often share advice, books, podcasts, resources, and learnings from my own experiences with friends and fellow founders about topics I’m deeply passionate about, namely health/wellness, entrepreneurship, life design, and time management. After copying + pasting the same bulleted list of advice about fundraising to a first-time founder over the holiday break, I stopped (literally) and realized I wasn’t living one of my values of Curiosity (see definition in the post below). Why? I was getting in my own way. I told myself to feel the fear and do it anyway, and here we are, publishing my first Substack on a cozy Sunday in my PJ’s. From my little corner of the internet, I hope to inspire other founders and women, share lessons learned from building my startup, and create a space for my own creativity.

Now, let’s dive into the 6 ways we live our company values:

1. Values Champion Award

Every few weeks, we spotlight a team member who has gone above and beyond in living out our core values. This public recognition not only motivates others but also reinforces what our values look like in action. These spotlights happen in our Monday Team Syncs, where every team member is in attendance. What I especially love about this process is that it also reminds team members who don’t normally work in the same area of the business (e.g. Ops vs Marketing) what we’re working on, and that we’re all working towards the same goal.

2. Performance Reviews

Our mid-year and annual performance reviews include a dedicated section focused on values. Team members reflect on which of our four values they believe they best demonstrated, providing specific examples. Managers also provide downward feedback for their direct reports based on values. A bonus element of these recurring reflections is it allows team members and managers to recognize if a certain value is being overlooked. From my experience, it’s “easier” for teams to lean into our values of Compassion and Hustle, but a more broad one like Curiosity is more difficult to demonstrate consistently. (Our definition of Curiosity: asking questions is one thing, but having the willingness to discover the answers is another. Embrace, seek out, and share new experiences and ideas.) With regular performance reviews, we can spot and encourage team members to embody these overlooked values more fully.

3. Values Integration in Onboarding

We dedicate a session during onboarding to show new hires how our values come to life in real work situations. At the two-month mark, we conduct an anonymous 360º review. Colleagues share which values the new hire best and least exhibits, giving clear, actionable insights for growth. Note that these survey questions below are required questions, which forces the team to do the hard work of really reflecting on if the new hire fits our culture.

4. Feedback Culture

All feedback (positive or constructive) is tied back to a company value. This ensures feedback is meaningful, actionable, and memorable. For example, rather than saying, “Great job on that project,” we might say, “You really showed our value of Hustle by jumping in to support your colleague during crunch time, and showing up with 3 potential solutions instead of just flagging a problem.”

5. Values-Driven Hiring

Our interview questions are designed to assess candidates’ alignment with our values. We always hire for culture first, skills second. As a mentor once told me, “Will over skill. Every. Time.” I can’t stress enough how important it is to hire people who live and breathe your shared principles - it saves so much headache down the road.

This alignment is especially crucial in remote or hybrid workplaces, where building trust can be more challenging since you’re not always physically present with your colleagues. Knowing that you share the same core values establishes trust.

I recommend you create a question bank with a list of questions pertaining to each of your company values. For example, if you’re testing for Integrity, you can choose from a list of questions like:

• "Tell me about a time when you faced a situation where the right thing to do wasn’t the easiest or most popular choice. How did you handle it?"

• “What would you do if you discovered a colleague was cutting corners to meet a deadline?”

• “Can you describe a time when doing the right thing was inconvenient or costly for you? What motivated your decision?”

• “If your manager asked you to do something you believed was wrong, what would you do?”

6. Peer-to-Peer Recognition

We have a dedicated Slack channel for public shoutouts called #yay (in fact, I’m pretty sure it was one of the first channels my co-founder and I made when we started Three Ships 5 years ago!). Employees can give public shoutouts when they see colleagues demonstrating one of our values, and on a more meta level, this demonstrates our value of Compassion when teams share wins in the channel.

Making Values Stick

Embedding your company values into your culture takes intentionality, but the rewards are worth it. Values become more than words - they become the foundation of how your team works together. I truly believe that a company cannot succeed in the long-term without inherent trust, which comes from shared values.

That’s all for now, friends! I’d love to hear from you - what topics are you curious about? Whether it’s health and wellness hacks, founder life realities, or time management tips that actually work, let me know what’s on your mind. Until next time, take care and keep chasing those dreams!

With love,

Connie