And my husband and my son would roll their eyes as I squeak like a kid at home, proclaiming my intention to start decorating the moment September first comes.

Lol.

The “ber” months always stir something inside me.

It’s Pumpkin Spice Latte season. It’s “let’s put up the Christmas tree” season. And most of all, it’s reflection and wrap up season!

And this is why it’s my favorite time of the year.

It makes me pause, reflect, and be grateful for what has been…and hopeful in the year that will be.

And you do it in the middle of Christmas trees, blinding and colorful, LED lights, and crazy December schedule. How fun!

It used to make me feel anxious, though.

What do you mean I have to scrutinize everything I’ve done this year? See where I failed and go back to why I’ve failed to meet the goals that I’ve set during the start of the year? What if every single goal remains in the list because I slacked off?

You know what I mean?

But there’s this one ritual that I look always forward to when end-year planning season comes: choosing my Word of the Year.

Word of the Year Tradition

It all started with a few personal blog bloggers I follow. I can’t remember a specific person, but I heard it from them first.

They say, you have to pick ONE WORD that will guide you in the following year.

The Word of The Year

It’s a single guiding principle that shapes how you make decisions, set goals, and respond to challenges throughout the year.

And whenever you’re torn between decisions, you return to it and ask:

“What would it look like to live this word right now?”

That’s it.

Why “Word of the Year” Works?

So I did a little scientificky digging just right now to help me explain to you what makes this work.

This psychological phenomenon is the reason why.

And I think that’s part of why having a Word of the Year works surprisingly well.

Once you choose a word to focus on for a year, your brain starts picking all the things relevant to it.

For me this year, it’s STEWARD. And everytime I scroll upon the word on TikTok, I beam and I’m boosted up. And then I like that video. And so the algorithm would always show me videos about Stewardship.

That fuels me up.

(Even though I’m doomscrolling, it’s the productive type. 🤣)

Anyway, when you have a WOTY, you notice moments when you’re living it. You notice opportunities to practice it. You notice when you’re doing the opposite.

The word becomes a little mental signpost you keep bumping into throughout the year.

But, there’s a catch.

Picking the Wrong Word

As a writer and personal development junkie in her 20s, I started picking my Word of the Year.

Lo and behold, nothing happened. 😂

At least, at the end of the first few years of doing this. Six years ago, I figured out how to do this right.

When I chose the word “EXPRESS” in 2021, I started publishing more on social media and I got my first viral post 2 years after.

When I chose the word “BUILD” in 2022, I got invited to speak on stage to talk about how we’re building our SaaS content marketing agency.

When I chose the word “REAP” in 2023, we hit our highest revenue months in the agency.

When I chose the word “LOUDER” in 2024, I got invited as a SaaS expert and started getting B2B Creator opportunities in LinkedIn.

When I chose the word “TRANSCEND” in 2025, my newsletter (this) was cited as one of the top newsletters for B2B marketers in Southeast Asia.

This 2026, I chose the word “STEWARD” and I focused on everything that I have now —clients, families, my body, our home, my pets—and I started taking care of them more properly.

You get the picture.

So yes, there’s a right way to do this and I’m gonna share with you how to do it.

“Word of the Year” Finder

Find your word. Only for my paying subscribers, please scroll down to access this tool. :)

In choosing your Word

I looked back at the years when my Word of the Year actually worked, and noticed that I was doing a few things differently.

Here’s what I learned.

1. Stop choosing beautiful words without intention.

When I was younger, I always wanted to be fancy.

So there was this one year when my Word of the Year was “Swell.”

Why?

Coz we had gone surfing in La Union. I watched a really cool surfing movie. And I loved the pretend feeling of being a surfer in the ocean, and I wanted to carry that feeling with me.

So: Swell.

Yes, it was a beautiful word. It even had a beautiful meaning.

In surfing, a swell is a series of organized ocean waves generated by distant storms, traveling across the ocean and gathering energy.

Honestly, it had potential.

But my intention was lacking.

I mostly picked Swell because it sounded cool.

And that’s the first lesson I learned:

Your Word of the Year shouldn’t just sound good. It has to have a meaningful intention behind it.

2. Look backward instead of forward.

I used to look at the year ahead and decide what I wanted it to be.

This is going to be my year of growth! This is going to be my year of abundance! This is going to be my year of productivity!

But there’s a problem with choosing a word that plainly describes the outcome you want: The outcome isn’t completely in your control.

So instead of asking:

“What do I want next year to look like?”

Look backward.

What kept coming up this year? What did you struggle with? What did you crave?What felt missing? What did I not do? What are the things I should have done for the year to have been better.

An effective “Word of the Year” isn’t the one that describes your dream life. It’s the one that will help you become the person you NEED to be to hit your goals next year.

It should help you break a bad habit, correct a pattern, or stop making the same mistakes you made last year.

If you're overwhelmed and want growth, maybe you need focus.

If you want creativity but feel stuck in perfectionism, maybe you need play.

If you want recognition but keep hiding your work until it's perfect, maybe you need boldness.

If you want momentum but keep starting over, maybe you need commitment.

If you’re constantly rushing, maybe presence matters more than productivity.

Don't choose the word that describes what you want. Choose the word that describes what you need to do to get there.

3. Pick an active word as much as possible.

I’ve found that words work better for me when it’s an action word. It signals me to do something and move, rather than be something or to have something.

Growth is nice. Growing cues you to grow.

Confidence is nice. But Speak helps you gain confidence.

Discipline is nice. Practice nudges you to actually do something, whatever it is.

The point isn’t that nouns are bad and verbs are magical.

It’s that an active word makes it easier to ask:

“Okay, what does this look like today?”

And that’s where a Word of the Year stops being a decoration in your planner and starts becoming a behavioral cue.

4. Let the word come to you.

I remember having a conversation with a client one January.

I was their fractional marketing manager and after more than a year, we have to part ways because they’re going for another direction. I took the chance and I asked him for feedback because I wanted to know what I could have done better.

He said:

“I wish you had been louder…”

And he continues to explain, but it’s as if there was silence in my head and the background mutes and dies away and I’me left to battle with my thoughts, just like in the main characters in the movies.

There it was.

My word for next year: Louder.

It immediately resonated.

Except...It was January and I had already chosen my Word of the Year (it was REAP).

So I tucked it away for the next year.

Sometimes your Word of the Year doesn’t arrive during your year-end planning session.

Sometimes life hands it to you.

So pay attention, all year round.

This is also where that frequency illusion comes in.

Once a word becomes salient, your brain starts noticing it more. Suddenly, you see it in conversations, decisions, books, and little moments throughout your life.

So don’t rush to name it. Let it follow you for a while.

5. Test the word.

Before you commit, take your candidate word for a little test drive.

Ask:

“If this were my Word of the Year, how would it change the way I make decisions?”

If your word is Speak, what would you say that you normally keep to yourself?

If it’s Focus, what would you stop giving your attention to?

If it’s Ask, what would you finally ask for instead of hoping someone offers it?

If it’s Play, what would you do on an ordinary Tuesday just because it’s fun?

If it’s Ship, what would you finally put out into the world instead of tinkering with it?

If you can’t imagine the word changing anything, it might just be a pretty word.

I hope this mini-guide will help you find your Word of the Year for 2027 and finally help you hit your goals!

Word of the Year Finder

I made a mini-tool for the Glimmer Exclusive Community. Hope this will help you figure it out.

“Word of the Year” Finder

Find your word. Only for my paying subscribers, please scroll down to access this tool. :)

Read more

And I am not that consistent.

(My Clifton Strengths test supports this, unfortunately.)

I dislike doing the boring things over and over and over again. I feel like monotony kills my creativity.

But, I’m pretty sure it’s my excuse. I feel like I want to chase my glimmers all day and go on new adventures every time I feel like it.

This year, I got tired of it and I want to focus on doing few things and do them excellently.

I want to stop pausing at the first sign of progress and actually see how far I can go.

*pauses to play Moana’s How Far I’ll Go. This is probably my year’s soundtrack.

And ladies and gents, I think I’m making progress.

For the past two weeks, I've been ridiculously consistent.

I walked at least 5,500 steps daily. I tracked my calories. All client work are done. I did all my workouts. The kid didn’t have school for a week and I was buried in chores but I didn’t lose it. I went out and ran some errands. And I even lost a little weight!

I also published my comeback newsletter here on Substack (after postponing it for months), gained 1 paying subscriber, and a stranger messaged me about the posts I published and now I’m seeing her starting her own Substack.

See how contagious showing up is?

I am also now writing organically.

That means, without AI. I can finally hear the voice inside my head again.

(NOT in a creepy way though. It’s my writing voice. lol)

I am quite surprised at how I am doing lately aaand while reflecting on it all, I started asking myself, “How is this all happening?”

I did a breakdown in my head of the possible reasons why and it all boiled down to 5 magic pills.

Disclaimer: I won’t be selling you anything.

These are NOT pills you take. You’ll see.

Pill #1: Desire

If you want to be consistent, you have to want it for yourself first.

Like really, really, realllllllyyyyy want it for yourself.

Because if you just want it now and you don’t want it tomorrow, you won’t be able to stick to it for far too long.

I’ve worked on MAJOR projects I thought I wanted in my life just to learn that 1, 2, 3 years after, I hated doing it.

Like selling coaching and workshops because most of my peers were doing it. And the people around me told me I’m good and that I should do it.

Not just because you’re good at it. Or it feels like the right thing right now. It means that you have to make it your dream.

Pill #2: Guidance

Say you want to start working out.

But you have ZERO idea on how to start.

Having a mentor and a coach wouldn’t hurt.

They’ll map out your workout for you. Teach you about what to look out for. Show you the correct forms. And share with you the common mistakes so you could avoid them.

You won’t have to spend your time, energy, and brain cells (or even money) doing all these things. You can, instead, allot all that energy on doing the actual thing.

This is why you pay for stuff like this.

Pill #3: Progress

My favorite pill because it’s the most motivating one for me.

Progress. When we see what we’re doing works, we feel like we want to do more of it.

When you started working out and you see your belly fat become smaller than a week ago (I measure my belly!)

Or when you started a newsletter and can see new subcribers coming in.

Or when you started a home business and a stranger placed their first order.

Those little wins help us become a lot more consistent!

The lack of it—and it’s unavoidable really—doesn’t mean what we’re doing isn’t working.

It could just be invisible or too insignificant to notice for now.

Besides, progress is often invisible before it becomes undeniable.

That’s why we need another pill to keep up consistent especially on days where we feel like we’re not winning.

Pill #4: Community

Community might be optional. But for some of us, it's rocket fuel.

If you’re the competitive kid at school, you’ll love this.

If you’re an introvert, you might also volunteer to opt yourself out of this, but this works.

This is one of the MAIN reasons why I have been super consistent lately. It’s because of Cho Lim’s Kaizen Community, it’s a fitness and personal development group based in the Philippines.

I thought I was already good at my own life systems, but this group is on another level.

I like how they are so chill and so ambitious and driven at the same time.

So inside our community, we have daily trackers where we’re scored on our habits, workouts, calorie hits, and all that fitness jazz.

You see your own score, but it's also broadcast to the entire community. Your weight and daily calorie numbers aren't shared, but your weight-loss progress and total weekly score are.

So as a competitive girlie who loves tracking her progress, this one worked for me quite well. I have the tracker open all day.

Pill #5: Support from your Why

Last, but not the least.

Support.

The community is there, but you won’t be able to have a deeper bond with each and everyone. So having a support system helps you keep on track.

For me, that’s my family, my friends who know I’ve joined, my house support system (like Ate who cooks for us), and my accountability group who is on the same journey as I am.

My husband would see to it that we walk at night and would ask me if I’ve hit my daily steps. And my kid wrote the sweetest note on my whiteboard label the day I joined.

He wrote, “Mommy is getting stronger and so cool. Yay!”

Erm, just don’t mind his cursive handwriting. He’s probably sooo shy to write it. He didn’t even tell me that he wrote something.

I just saw it the morning after and I took a picture.

But yeah, the support alone from your WHYs is enough fuel to become consistent on the things that you want to do.

Create a consistency stack

I’ll be honest. I kind of let my Clifton Strengths test an excuse.

Maybe consistency isn’t a personality trait after all.

I just finally surrounded myself with an environment where showing up became easier. And it’s because of these 5 magic pills:

• Desire gave me the conviction to finally do the things I said I would.

• Guidance removed decision fatigue & gave me a path I could simply follow.

• Progress gave me dopamine boosts!

• Community gave me accountability.

• Support gave me resilience.

I did things I said I would this week.

And for someone who has spent most of her life chasing the next glimmer, that’s a pretty big discovery.

Now I really want to see how far I can go.

In the next issue, l’ll share how I do my daily to-dos and ta-das on my Weekly Hobonichi!

See you on the next one.

In English that is, “How about you? How are you?”.

Then, I went to tell her about how things are okay. I got consistent clients. How the hubby and I are tracking our investments religiously. The kid is behaving better than usual.

Objectively, life is good.

But then I heard myself say:

“I want to do MORE.”

Which is ironic because it goes against one of my core beliefs. I’m trying to build a slower, more intentional life, even if I’m naturally curious and interested in far too many things.

That’s when it clicked.

The heaviest thing I’ve been carrying isn’t more work.

It’s a growing pile of unpublished thoughts.

I haven’t been making space to write for myself.

And whenever I fall into that pattern, my mind becomes noisy. Restless. Simultaneously full and empty.

So today, I’m doing something that energizes the writer in me.

I’m bringing back Life Lately. Officially.

I used to write posts like this during my blogging days. This version, though, is less of a diary and more of a field journal for curious builders.

Every Friday, I’ll take you behind the scenes of my portfolio career and life.

I’ll share what I’m building, what I’m reading, what I’m experimenting with, and the random but meaningful things that shaped my week.

Think of it as “a week in the life of a multipassionate mom”, told in words instead of vlogs.

I hope you’ll find a glimmer worth taking with you.

🛠 One thing I’m building

• I’m making Claude Cowork fill up my weekly email reports for me from Klaviyo. I have done it successfully on some parts last week, but this week it seems like it forgot how to do it. I had 4 sheets to fill up. It’s an 80% mess today, but not giving up on it.

⚔️ Who I'm becoming

I’m a personal development addict so this section deserves its space. This will show you habits I’m working on.

• I’ve consistently hit 5k+ steps per day even though it’s raining hard. My kid and I would just run around the house in the dark when we want to hit our target steps. 🤣

• I’m also tracking my calories and protein. Ohhh what a hard thing to do. I didn’t realize I wsa consuming way less protein than my body needs to.

• And…this. I am trying to be a more present Substack writer. This is part of my commitment and I guess this Life Lately post is a good bridge for me.

📖 What I’m reading

As part of my anti-brain rot program, I went back to reading physical books. I also wanted to rely less on AI when it comes to writing thus this.

• Currently reading The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

  

• And the book of Esther and Luke in the Bible

I read them at night before I go to sleep. And sometimes, in the morning.

📱 An app I enjoy

Lately, I’ve been using dadan to document my SOPs. I’ve produced “cinematic SOPs”. lol

I love it because I no longer have to work twice like I used to. I’d write additional written instructions for my VA. but now, dadan generates it for me. It even produces “Chapters” that breakdown your video bit by bit and attach it as a pdf below your video.

If you want a discount, pm me on LinkedIn for a code. :)

💡 3 Things I learned at work

I’m finally dumping all my insights here. It will come in handy for you someday, I hope.

• There’s a time when Google throttles sending your emails in the inbox. You’ll know this because your open rate velocity will drop or pause all of a sudden. I’d usually decrease the number of sends, but sending continuously seems to help with recovery. (This is for problematic domains only.)

• Transactional emails affect deliverability too.

• Stacking businesses is what smart bootstrapped founders do.

💡 What’s next?

I’m finally committing to showing up here on Substack. I’ve revamped how my homebase looks (look here!) and I have things in store for you guys.

I’m also documenting my other Substack, SaaS Email Code.

That’s all I can promise for now.

Wow, this felt good.

My takeaway today is this….

Maybe we don’t always feel stuck because we’re lazy, unmotivated, or lacking discipline.

Maybe we feel stuck because we’re neglecting a part of ourselves that’s asking to be expressed.

For me, it’s writing.

Not for clients. Not for algorithms. Not for the money either.

Just writing.

What is it for you?

Keep following the glimmers,

♡ Aiza

They love my strategy. I’ve provided our next steps. Presented the content strategy that month. Interviewed them to extract the next month’s content angles.

I’m on fire!

But, all that energy from that dopamine hit usually evaporates after the call. 🫠

I would feel so accomplished that my body feels like I don’t have to do anything else after.

The moment I close Zoom, my brain shuts down.

See, I almost always never listen to a call recording.

I just rely on my good old memory to write those action items on my Hobonichi Planner.

I’ve worked like that for years, until I’d forget a tiny, minute little minor to-do. And I’m taken aback in the following call because I’d casually forget it.

I’d think, “How I wish somebody could extract my to-dos from the last call so I won’t forget it.”

As Little Miss Independent, my own wish is my command.

Sooo, I experimented with AI.

And lo and behold, I made it!!!

The Claude Artifact that turns transcripts into to-do lists

Here’s how it looks! I’m gonna show you how I did it. I’m on the free plan and it works just fine.

Here’s how to create your own checklist.

1. First, connect Fireflies to your Claude account.

I’m on Fireflies Pro plan because it’s been super helpful to me, especially to my consulting clients.

2. Next, go to Artifacts.

Select “New Artifact”

3. Next choose “Productivity tools”.

   

4. Then it will ask you for the details.

   

5. Use this prompt. Or feel free to tweak it.

Read more

I was about to work on some pending client work, but it can wait.

I decided to open my Substack instead.

The conversation I’ve overheard from across our table made me do it.

The mother said, “My mother was a smart woman. She has this journal with all her dreams, and travels, and she wished to have published it as a book.”

Ugh. Regrets of the dying.

They’re nothing different from the regrets of the procrastinators.

And as a procrastinator, I wouldn’t forgive myself if I traveled to Europe and only typed SaaS emails and CPG campaign breakdowns.

I needed to go back to my whimsy self and document our adventures as they unfold because if I don’t do so, then those memories would just disappear into the abyss.

It’s been 13 days since we’ve been here, and I love how each day has its own highlight, how each town has its own character, and how I get to dress up to match its vibe! This is extremely important to me.

They say travel wakes up the part of the brain that routine slowly sedates.

There’s actually a psychological reason for this.

Our brains love novelty.

When we’re in a new place, the mind has to pay attention again. The streets are unfamiliar. The light is different. Even buying coffee becomes a tiny quest!

That newness activates our brain’s reward and memory systems, which is why travel makes us feel more awake, more curious, and more alive.

For me, though, the one emotion doing the glittery heavy lifting is AWE.

Awe happens when we encounter something vast enough to stretch our usual mental map.

Psychologists describe it as a mix of “perceived vastness” and the need to update how we understand the world. It also pulls us out of self-obsession, makes us feel more connected, and can even change our perception of time.

It’s like awe is our brain’s tiny cathedral bell. It says, Did you see that? That is amazing!

The husband and I promised ourselves to do 1 international trip in a year — a major one every 2 years.

But you don’t have to fly across the globe to get this feeling. You could:

• Do a work staycation or family out-of-town every quarter.

• Try a new restaurant monthly.

• Eat out with the family weekly.

• Go on mini-adventures daily! (my favorite)

Before I end this, I’d love to remember the AWEsome moments that are starting to get loaded into my core memory crystal balls (Inside Out reference. I love writing about emotions!)

1. The first car ride home on the Isle of Wight

My brother-in-law and his friend fetched us and there’s something about seeing a really cute, dainty place for the first time. Especially if yellow green leaves peek at you from the roof window.

2. The first cup of coffee overseas

It was only take out, but I featured it on my story. It was Costa and it was warm and fuzzy, signaling for the upcoming adventure we’re about to live in. My friend from Ireland messaged me, knowing Costa is just in Europe. Just learned we can go to Ireland with our UK Visa! I wanted to go back there and visit her and some of our friends too, but it’s not planned. So maybe next time.

3. The Chairlift in The Needles

It only has 2 seats and my kid started to panic a little. I would have to, if not for my pre-travel ashwaganda ritual and my faith. I’m happy I no longer get fast heartbeats anymore. The view was divine!

4. Flowers everywhere!

Flowerful, colorful trees… Field of flowers… Cute little flowers on the sidewalk or in someone else’s yard… The flowers sold in the grocery (I bought one when we rode The London eye lol) They all make my heart jump.

6. Londoners with their books

I’m happy to see analog living in Europe. People aren’t engrossed with their phones. They still meet up in the park, book in hand, and talk about what they’re reading. (Yes, I eavesdropped on a conversation again. But it’s just 1 line.) And the bookstores!

7. Christmas shops in Spring

Super delighted to see Christmas shops in May scattered across Europe. These are my kind of people! I bought a red toaster to hang in our Christmas tree to remember our travel. I want to buy more. I also bought a decor from Stonehenge. It’s our new travel tradition. Then, by December, we get to remember all the travels we made that year and the years before that!

8. Strangers who noticed what I was wearing.

2 ladies who told me my coat is cute. They really approached me and asked me where I bought my coat. It’s just Primark. lol. I was even doubting the color when I first bought it because it wasn’t too grey and it wasn’t black.

a man who asked me if I was wearing Stan Smith. I said yes, I hold back on saying it was a limited edition that I got from my last Japan trip. 🤣 He told me he was a collector and he has lots of Stan Smiths. He just don’t wear them because they’re too small for him. lol. I also buy Stan Smiths when Im abroad. not particular about the brand, but the design drew me in. The first one was a magenta floral pair from HongKong and then the black lacey limited edition pair from Japan.

These interactions tells me I could’ve made really cute, lovely friends if I lived abroad. That truly made me mourn the lives I could’ve have lived…

Okay, I have to end here.

We need to hop on our next train!

The question I’ll leave with you tonight is…when was the last time you felt AWE? Still vivid, right? It does wonders to our brain.

Go get more of that!

P.S. I have a special gift to my paying subscribers for being MIA. I’m sharing my Content Breakdown Lovable app. I’m sending a new email to you right now. You should be able to use it right away. :) I’ll talk more about it on my upcoming issues! Thank you for staying!

Here’s a sneak peek! It could help you brainstorm some ideas to breakdown and give you a LinkedIn post outline. :)

When SaaS founders, execs, and teams land on my profile, I want them to think:

“Okay, she understands email at a systems and atomic level.”
“Ohhh, she’s senior. I need to pick her brain.”
“I want to work with her!”

Whether you’re a multipotentialite freelancer, consultant, or a portfolio career-ist, it’s more fun to get paid than to get praise for being so talented and multi-skilled.

Why your profile looks impressive… but doesn’t get you DMs

Your LinkedIn profile looks good.

Like… really good.

You’ve got a nice headline. Multiple high-paying skills. Past work that gives your credibility.

If someone stalks your profile long enough, they’ll probably think: “Okay, he’s good.”

But here’s the sad part:

They don’t message you. They don’t ask about your services. They don’t send opportunities your way.

You’re impressive…but somehow not pickable. Here’s probably why:

1. Your headline tries to say everything

Email Strategist | Copywriter | GTM | Strategy | Creative | Systems

Everything is true.

But when everything is important…nothing stands out.

This doesn’t signal expertise. It signals confusion.

2. You optimize for accuracy, not clarity

You might think, “I want them to see everything I can do.”

But prospects are asking: “Can this person help me solve my problem?”

Those are not the same goal.

Your profile is personally satisfying, but it doesn't resonate with prospects.

3. You don’t have ONE thing that sticks (and that’s expensive)

People scroll your profile and think: “Interesting…”

But they can’t even remember what you can offer after a few scrolls.

And if it’s not clear and sticky, you won’t get remembered…and thus, not referable.

Nobody would tag you in the comments and say, “You should talk to her, she does…”

Because they don’t know how to exactly finish the sentence.

How multi-skilled people optimize their LinkedIn profiles

The people I stalk on LinkedIn are the ones who clearly do multiple things. I used to be confused about how to optimize my own profile the right way.

So I paid attention.

And after a while, I noticed a pattern.

They definitely have a lot going on.

Their thinking is layered…You can see it on their posts…Their work definitely feels bigger than just their day job or agency or service…They have an awful lot of side quests (and personality!)…They offer consulting or B2B creator services on the side. I even see them building their own personal newsletters or YouTube channels.

You can tell they’re multi-skilled.

But I clearly know what they do (or offer) for a living. I know their MAIN THING.

Because when you land on their page, you instantly get it.

It’s clear, focused, and almost suspiciously simple.

And that’s exactly why it works.

So what does it actually look like when a multi-skilled person gets this right?

I went through the profiles I keep coming back to — the ones where I instantly get what someone does, even when they’re clearly doing a lot — and I noticed the same thing every time.

✨ One uber-clear Front Offer. ✨

Everything else hangs off it. Let me show you what that looks like in practice.

🔎 Breakdown #1 — The “I do 2 things” Profile

On the surface, Eric here seems to serve two separate masters.

He leads content at Dock and manages the community at Superpath.

On paper, that’s two roles.

But it doesn’t scatter his LinkedIn presence because both sit in the same world: content marketing.

So even if he’s doing multiple things, I still instantly know what he’s an expert in.

He’s a content marketing guy.

And that clarity is what makes it work.

In fact, it strengthens his credibility to lead a community like superpath—because he’s clearly in it, doing the work, not just talking about it.

💁🏻‍♀️ Repeat after me. It’s okay if I want to do 2 things at a time as long as they’re aligned.

🔎 Breakdown #2 — The “I have a day job, but I do other things” Profile

Next up are 2 of my favorite ladies from Buffer.

Sabreen is Buffer’s Brand and GTM person. I’ve been following her even before she got hired because she has the coolest LinkedIn presence.

At the same time, she is a Creator, and she helps brands with their visibility. And that Relatable Rants? That’s her new YouTube channel!

She’s one of those modern mixed bag influencers who does a little bit of everything, but people can still clearly expect a theme when visiting Sabreen’s profile.

Every single thing she does points back to the same ideas: brand, growth, and visibility.

That’s the glue. And once you see it, everything clicks. You don’t leave her profile confused. You leave knowing exactly what she’s about and who she helps.

💁🏻‍♀️ Repeat after me. It’s not about doing less. It’s about making sure everything you do is tied up together neatly.

Tami, on the other hand, is Buffer’s Senior Content Creator and an independent LinkedIn creator.

She got promoted from being their Senior Content Writer, which makes sense when you see how she works.

She runs small experiments around the creator economy—applying to brands, growing her presence, testing ideas—and then turns those into content on the Buffer blog.

So her “side” work isn’t separate. It feeds her main role.

And Buffer, as a social scheduling platform used by creators, becomes the perfect place for that work to live.

Nothing feels random.

Everything reinforces the same lane: 👉 Creator economy + content + growth

I instantly know what she’s about.

P.S. I love how Buffer gives their employees freedom to create and pursue other things. Ugh, dream company.

🔎 Breakdown #3 — The “I have a service business” Profile

Next up, Anthony Pierri.

The king of B2B positioning. Had to include him.

His offer is clear as day: B2B homepage positioning.

You land on his profile and instantly get it. His banner reinforces it, along with the companies he’s worked with. He also runs an agency, Fletch. (But you won’t see it mentioned explicitly in his headline)

And yes, he’s also in a band. But that part doesn’t compete with his positioning. It adds personality. It shows up as an icebreaker, something memorable. He even weaves it into his content sometimes.

But it never takes away from the main thing: 👉 B2B positioning.

That’s what he’s known for.

And this is Vincent, Anthony’s brother.

(You know how chronically online I am on LinkedIn. I can trace family trees in there now).

I wanted to highlight Vincent because he’s cracked the code on having multiple offers that actually make sense together.

The service: he does it for you.
The cohort: he teaches you to do it.
The subscription: he continues to do it for you monthly

But on his profile, it feels cohesive and strong.

There’s no “wait, what does he do?” moment. Because everything anchors back to one core skill: 👉 Visualizing expertise.

He’s not a jack-of-all-trades. He’s known for one specific outcome, delivered in different ways.

That’s what makes a profile convert.

And then there’s me.

And then there’s me.

On LinkedIn, I’m the email person. That’s my lane. But I’ve also let it be known that I’m building something as a B2B creator…not loudly, just as a layer underneath.

That combination has quietly opened doors I wasn’t expecting.

• I’ve been included in Mailmodo’s Expert Roundtable 2026

• I got invited to be one of GURU 2025 Networking Leaders

• I’ve constantly attracted SaaS CEOs, VPs, and executives are adding me in there (I’ve asked them and most mentioned this one thing!).

  

• I even got my first paycheck as a B2B creator recently.

  

None of this happened because I went viral. I post cat memes. Genuinely.

It happened because I got clear on one thing: what I wanted to be known for.

Once I had those, the profile almost wrote itself.

That’s what I call your Front Offer.

The one thing I lead with.
The one thing people can easily understand, hire, and refer me for.

Everything else? It supports it or builds from it.

But how do I know what my LinkedIn Front Offer is?

If you’re thinking:

“Okay… but how do I choose my one thing for LinkedIn?”

That’s the real challenge.

It’s not about picking a random service.

It’s about choosing something that:

• fits your skills

• solves a real problem

• and is easy to say yes to

Without abandoning the rest of what you can do.

That’s exactly what I’ve been working on.

A simple guide to help multipotentialites turn their range into one clear Front Offer—so they can start getting traction, DMs, and opportunities.

I’ll share more soon and if you want the details, comment “Front Offer” below so I could get back to you once it’s live.

For now, ask yourself:

If someone lands on your profile today…

Can they answer this in 5 seconds?

“What would I hire this person for?”

If not…then you know what to do.

But I’ve always liked wandering into other roads.

(For context, I’m a SaaS Lifecycle Marketer, but I can build a GTM and can write copy AND content. I’ve recently dabbled into eCommerce email marketing as well.)

Sometimes nothing comes out of it.

But most of the time, that curiosity gave me an advantage I didn’t expect.

Recently, it helped solve a SaaS email problem that had been stuck for nearly a year.

An e-Commerce strategy solved our SaaS email deliverability problem

A year ago, this SaaS domain was blacklisted.

I got hired to fix it and build an onboarding strategy at the same time.

I’ve solved it. Multiple times.

But the problem kept coming back.

Now, I believe it’s been solved for good.

We tried the deliverability expert’s advice which wasn’t technically from SaaS at all.

It was an eCommerce-style engagement strategy.

Different assumptions about user behavior.
Different segmentation logic.
Different ways of warming up engagement.

Slowly, the monitors started calming down.

The system stabilized…and we got:

92 Deliverability Score on Klaviyo.

50% opens and 27% click rate?!

And a calm GlockApps monitor and an 90% all-green PostMaster Tools dashboard.

If you’re into email, follow my SaaS Email Code Newsletter on LinkedIn.

I drop my email tactics there.

And that moment reminded me of something I’ve noticed over and over again in my work:

I’ve fallen in love with multidisciplinary thinking even more after hearing it as a Stoic practice from one random YouTube video.

But random dabbling in different lanes isn’t the way. You have to build on top of what you have already started…and you have to cross lanes strategically.

How to cross lanes strategically

The real advantage comes from intentional cross-pollination.

Here are a few ways multipassionates can cross lanes without becoming scattered.

1. Borrow solutions, not identities

You don’t have to become a new professional every time you explore another field.

Instead, borrow mechanics and ideas.

For example, you might learn from:

• video games how progress bars motivate people to keep going

• teachers on how they make learning easier

• fitness apps on how streaks build consistency

The goal isn’t to switch industries or reinvent yourself every few months.

The goal is to import useful tactics and adapt them to what you already do.

2. Study adjacent systems

Every field has neighbors.

If you work in one area, it helps to study the systems around it.

In Naval Ravikant’s essay “How to Get Rich (without getting lucky)”, he argues that there isn’t really a single skill called business. Instead, what matters are the foundational disciplines that help you understand how the world works.

For me, I build a foundation in transferable skills like:

• reading to absorb ideas quickly

• writing and speaking to communicate clearly

• mathematics and logical thinking to reason about decisions

• technology and computers to understand leverage and scale

• psychology and behavior design to learn how people move

These aren’t “business skills” in the narrow sense.

They’re fundamental systems of thinking.

And once you understand them, you start seeing the same patterns everywhere.

Trust.
Motivation.
Curiosity.
Commitment.

A problem that looks like a business problem might actually be a communication problem.

A problem that looks like a growth problem might actually be a psychology problem.

And when you see that clearly, you suddenly have many more ways to solve it.

If you did, would love for you to share it!

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3. Build a mental library of patterns

Over time, multipassionates develop something powerful: pattern recognition.

You start noticing when a problem resembles something you’ve seen before.

A motivation problem is actually a habit problem. (common in fitness)

A sales problem might resemble a storytelling problem.

A churn problem might resemble a lack of communication problem.

For me personally, I’ve learned how to apply SaaS onboarding tactics on my kid to teach him lessons quickly. And my writing community when I want them to engage a lot during our LinkedIn challenges.

When you see these patterns clearly, you’ll have more creative ways to approach the issue.

And new problems wouldn’t feel so new after all.

4. Keep one core expertise

This is important.

Multipassionates thrive when they have one anchor skill.

Mine happens to be email marketing.

That anchor gives you credibility and easy recall on platforms.

Everything else becomes supporting perspective, not distraction.

And this is more important: Claim one front offer on your social platforms. More on this in the next issue. This is how I don’t dilute my expertise and confuse my audience.

5. Translate ideas between worlds

The real superpower of multipassionates isn’t just learning many things.

It’s translation.

Taking an idea from one field and applying it somewhere unexpected.

It’s the foundation of creativity, innovation, and out-of-the-box thinking.

But translation also helps you connect with different people.

When you understand ideas from multiple domains, you can explain the same concept in different ways:

• through logic and frameworks

• through stories and metaphors

• through practical examples

The core idea stays the same.
Only the language changes.

And that makes it much easier to share, persuade, and sell your ideas.

Sharpen your knowledge edge

Staying in your lane keeps you safe, but crossing lanes keeps you dangerous.

The next time you’re stuck on a “marketing” problem, stop looking at marketing blogs. Look at how a chef manages a kitchen, how a pilot runs a checklist, or how your favorite RPG game handles leveling up.

When you feel like you’re stuck, try seeing it at a different light.

In 2026, being a multipassionate isn’t just a personality trait, it’s your competitive moat. AI is the world’s best specialist; it can do “one thing” perfectly.

But it still struggles to connect the dots between two seemingly unrelated fields. It can’t feel the rhythm of a restaurant line and apply it to an email workflow. That synthesis? That is your uncopyable edge.

And I have the proof.

I’ve been tracking job boards for months, and the signal is clear: Companies are hunting for multipassionate creators. They want the bridge-builders who can see the patterns AI misses.

Stay tuned for the next issue.

This post is public, so feel free to share it.

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Not the panicky “I’m drowning” kind.
Not the jealous “everyone is ahead of me” kind.

It’s quieter.
And duller, not painfully sharp.

It makes you feel like:

“I’m ready for pressure again.”

If you’re here, reading this, you might mislabel that feeling as FOMO… the fear of missing out, falling behind, or not building fast enough.

But I’m offering you another perspective:

Instead of calling this FOMO, maybe we can think of it as our next level knocking.

And here are the signs…

1. You feel restless even when your life is finally peaceful

You’re not exhausted. You’re not craving escape.

You just feel like your current ceiling is too low.

Not because it’s broken. Because you’ve outgrown it.

When stability stops feeling like relief and starts feeling like restriction, that’s not burnout.

That’s readiness.

2. You want more…but from a place of abundance

If before you can declare, “That’s enough ambition for today”…

It’s the opposite now.

You earn well… but you see how to earn better.
You have clients… but you could handle bigger rooms.
You publish consistently… but your standards quietly rose.

You’re not chasing more to prove something.

You want more because you can carry more.

That’s not scarcity.

You want more because you feel strong enough.

3. Other people’s wins don’t stab, they inspire.

When you see someone launch a product, land a contract, or go viral, you don’t spiral into inadequacy.

They calibrate you.

You don’t spiral.
You assess.

You think: “Interesting. That level is accessible. Nice! ”

That’s not comparison. That’s benchmarking.

4. Your goals no longer excite you anymore

The goals you set six months ago?
You can hit them without breaking a sweat now.

The dreams that once felt audacious?
Now they feel like training wheels.

This happens when your identity upgrades before your goals do.

You’re not directionless.
Your soul is simply outgrowing last season’s container.

You may feel uninspired or lazy or demotivated.
But that’s because there are no new, bigger goals to hunt.

5. You find yourself craving structure

You’re not fantasizing about disappearing or “taking a break forever.”

Instead, you want systems that could up your outputs:

• a solid content rhythm
• a repeatable revenue engine
• a product ladder that compounds
• an audience system that grows while you sleep

When you finally have time to think and even tinker with spreadsheets, SOPs, and AI agents…that’s a sign you’re preparing for another breakthrough.

FOMO creates frantic movement.
Expansion creates strategic elevation.

FOMO expands activity.
Expansion expands capacity.

If you mislabel expansion as FOMO, you shrink when you should scale.

If you mislabel FOMO as expansion, you scatter when you should stabilize.

So don’t guess.

Test it.

✦ The FOMO vs Expansion Framework ✦

A Strategic Test for Ambition

When you feel the urge to “do more,” run it through this test before you act immediately.

1️⃣ Origin Test: Where did this impulse start?

FOMO

• Triggered by competitor movement

• Triggered by someone else’s revenue, growth, launch

• Activated by industry noise

Read more

I know I disappeared from sharing LinkedIn prompts for… let’s say one full algorithm cycle (about 1.5 months).

I’m fixing that now.

Inside, you’ll find:

1. What I’ve actually learned about LinkedIn lately (the tea)

2. 5 post prompts you can steal for your next week of content

Let’s get into it.

☕ LinkedIn Tea (What’s shifting right now)

After doom-scrolling trend posts so you don’t have to, here’s what’s consistently popping up:

• LinkedIn newsletters are becoming the new “owned audience”

• Links in-post get more reach than LinkedIn posts with links in comments (yes, this flipped again. haven’t confirmed though)

• External links in DMs are getting blocked (heads up by our Outreach Specialist, Mary. That’s why having a LI newsletter pays)

• LinkedIn posts are acting like an SEO backdoor
  According to Kalo Yankulov, LinkedIn content can rank faster than your site pages!

• LinkedIn articles are showing up more in AI answers (From Semrush)

So yes, all these are pointing to “Yes, we should truly, deeply, madly focus on LinkedIn right now.”

And I am starting this February!

🎯 My Current Side Quest

I’m investing in one specific LinkedIn format that gives me:

• Organic reach

• Built-in prospect filtering

• Still feels creator-y, not salesy

I’m in a 1-month bootcamp experimenting with it now. I’ll share results once the data talks (not before).

Anyway, as promised, here are the posts that got me impressions last December.

1. Top 100 Filipinos Post (Glimmer writing)

👀 Read the post

Impressions: 2,463
Members Reached: 1,480
Reactions: 120
Comments: 36
Reposts: 0
Saves: 1
Sends on LinkedIn: 0

This post worked because:

Read more

(I’m grateful the outcomes were good, but still. Phew.)

This morning was the first slow Monday I’ve had in weeks.

Sunlight.
A walk.
Hot coffee instead of iced.

I’ve been adding chia seeds to my coffee lately. Random, but it somehow killed my iced coffee addiction. Probably for the best, since I’ve been coughing for two weeks and my body has been quietly asking for warmth instead of shock.

It felt like the right moment to write here on Substack.

I missed thinking about thinking.

A slightly stressed start

I wanted the year to begin gently.

Instead, I started it stressed.

I didn’t even get to journal my January goals. It’s been sitting on my Monday to-do list for weeks, quietly judging me. And without that pause to orient myself, I started feeling… lost. A little shaky. And anxious.

Like I was moving, but without a clear sense of direction.

Turns out, there’s a psychological reason this happens.

The Fresh Start Effect

The Fresh Start Effect boosts motivation… briefly.

But it also encourages overcommitment, because:

• optimism spikes

• friction is underestimated

• energy is assumed to be constant

January-you plans for a version of yourself with:

• fewer interruptions

• perfect focus

• unlimited emotional capacity

Then reality arrives.

Grief. School events. Illness. Work fires.

So the plan breaks.

And you start wondering if you are the problem.

I was in that exact spiral when I came across this post on LinkedIn.

It’s from Hailley Griffis, Head of Communications and Content at Buffer.

She wrote that we’re only 5% of the way through 2026.

Which means 95% is still ahead of us.

Something about that melted my FOMO instantly.

No rush.
No falling behind.
No imaginary finish line I’d already missed.

Just… the time ahead of me.

When time becomes visible

That idea stuck with me.

So I made a tiny app.

It shows the year as a percentage. It highlights today’s date. And it includes a short encouraging quote that changes daily.

It took me maybe five minutes. Thanks Lovable!

But the effect surprised me.

Seeing the year this way made everything feel lighter. More spacious. Less dramatic.

Turns out, progress feels easier when time is visible.

Get "The Year In %" Mini App here

So I’m sharing it with you.

Say hello to it. Use it for free. Share it with a friend. Post it on social. Do whatever you want with it. :)

Think of it as my quiet New Year gift to you.

Because if January felt heavy for you too, here’s a reminder you might need today:

You’re not late. You’re not behind. You’re just getting started.

93% is still yours.

We missed our flight. (boo!)

And we didn’t know until we checked in. lol!

My husband confidently knew that we were flying back home at 3 PM, but unfortunately, he booked an AM flight.

I knew it was an honest mistake because:

1. My husband would never book a flight at an ungodly hour.

2. He never committed this booking mistake.

And yes, this is a collaborative failure as husband and wife. Because as the self-appointed Travel Princess, I’ve never felt the need to double-check my husband’s plans.

Hotels? Covered.
Itineraries? Planned down to the hour.
Flights? Booked months in advance.

By him.

Our trips usually go smoothly, each and every time.

He’s done this perfectly so many times that certainty took over. For both of us.

And that reliability, my friends, became the risk.

So what happened?

When his brain saw “3”, it auto-completed the rest based on his identity and habit.

“I don’t book 3 AM flights,” therefore, “This must be 3 PM.”

It was a certainty error, and according to AI, it’s called Confabulated Certainty.
It’s a mistake where the brain isn’t unsure. It’s convinced.

A normal mistake sounds like:

“I thought it was 3pm but I wasn’t sure.”

Confabulated certainty is:

“I knew it was 3pm, so there was no reason to check.”

That difference matters.

Once the brain decides something fits, it stops checking.

What surprised me most was how familiar this felt.

Not just in travel, but in work. In routines. In areas of life that have been running smoothly for a long time. On email onboarding flows that have been running for quite a long time.

My brain doesn’t need chaos to make mistakes

My brain doesn’t fail under chaos.
It can fail under comfort.

I’ve said before that you can have a calm nervous system and still operate in survival mode.

So with 8+ hours to kill at the airport, I went back to my 2026 planning. As I worked through my 2026 Habits and Principles, and with Steward as my word of the year, I paused on this:

A steward doesn’t assume things are fine just because they’ve always worked.
They check. They tend. They build margins for human limits.

So instead of asking what I wanted to improve, I asked one question: Where am I most likely to be confidently wrong?

My 2026 operating code

I came up with these habits/rules under my 4 life pillars (more about my pillars here):

Clarity

Clarity helps me choose what to pursue without guilt or second-guessing. It’s how I follow the right glimmers without getting sidetracked or forcing myself into paths that don’t fit.

• 2 active projects, 1 unconsumed course at a time

• Daily night journal reflection with my Hobo cousin

• Bible daily plan

• Dedicate 1+ hours for learning/upskilling every workday (especially AI for workflows) -

• Get rid of 1 thing I don’t need online/offline weekly

Content

Content is how I explain what I do so my people and future clients get it. This is about creating useful, honest work that points somewhere, not just posting to stay visible.

• Turn 1 answer/comment into a post weekly

• Work on one past leggy idea per month (pick at least one “legacy” piece that’s performed well in the past and give it a refresh.)

• Build 1 internal asset per month

• Translate 90% of my content and sync publish on my platforms

• Every piece points somewhere (goal: sell)

Creativity

Creativity works better when friction is designed out. It’s about protecting momentum and turning ideas into finished work I am truly proud of without burning out.

• Monthly content impact report

• Close 1 open loop a week (unfinished task, strategy, etc)

• Improve 1 simple online/offline system weekly

• Refine content publishing/repurposing delegation every 2 weeks, then as needed

• Do 1-minute things ASAP (replying to emails, checking something, replying to clients, comments, etc)

Connection

Connection is how the right people find and trust your work, while prioritizing the most important connections offline. This is about growing through real relationships, not constant self-promotion.

• Leave no comment unreplied to

• 1 SaaS email/lifecycle problem suggestion a week

• 1 meaningful offline hangout per week

• 2 meaningful reachouts per week

• Stop working after 7pm or when Jezz gets home and walk the pets (except for night meetings)
  

Making this $500 mistake worth it

If I had to underline anything from this:

• Mistakes don’t only happen when things are messy. They happen when things feel settled.

• Confidence can skip checks faster than carelessness ever will.

• Systems that “always work” still need tending. Like my onboarding flows.

• Calm doesn’t automatically mean conscious.

• Stewardship looks less like fixing and more like not leaving things on autopilot.

These are the takeaways I’m carrying with me.

So this year, I’m not trying to build more stuff.

I’m continuing where I left off last year. It’s about tending what already exists and making it work better. Growing my following. Helping my clients hit their next milestones. And making more $$$ not just for me, but for the people who work with me.

That’s the stewardship I’m committing to.

They’re calling our boarding group soon, so I’m going to get on this plane, accept the $500 lesson fee we paid for, and get back home…

Excited to start working this 2026!

Expect more posts about planning in the next few weeks.

Because BFCM season as an email marketer is…well, you already know.
Brands panicking. Flows breaking. Meetings multiplying.
I had 4 BFCM campaigns for SaaS. And on top of that, I onboarded a new eComm client! lol.
And somewhere in between: my kid has project week, my country is flooding again, and I’m just really trying not to combust.

But weirdly… my LinkedIn impressions didn’t tank that much.

It’s not because I’m more strategic.
It’s because I show up even while drowning — and I show the process of staying afloat.

So today’s Spark is all about how I stayed visible during one of the busiest seasons of my year, using posts that required zero overthinking, zero perfection, but still built momentum.

Let’s get into it.

🔥 My 5 BFCM-Season Posts (and why they worked even when I was swamped)

You’ll see:

• the post

• why I think it resonated

• my writing process

• prompts you can steal when you’re also drowning in work

💡 Tip: The busier you are, the simpler your posts should be.

LinkedIn Spark Vol. 4

LinkedIn Spark is a Glimmer Exclusive where I unpack my best-performing posts from the past weeks.

Uncover LinkedIn trends and new insights along the way and use them on your own (or your client’s) strategy. Past issues:

1. The Blacklist Comeback Story (Glimmer writing)

👀 Read the post

Impressions: 541
Members Reached: 250
Reactions: 20
Comments: 6
Reposts: 0
Saves: 1
Sends on LinkedIn: 0

This post worked because:

$48 = 1 year of Glimmer content

The Glimmer Code is for the ones who love many things deeply. This is where scattered dreams find structure — and structure stays soulful.

Inside, I geekily unpack how to stay consistently creative without the chaos — and how to let curiosity lead again.

💛 Join for $48/year — every letter is a reminder that it’s okay to do it all, just not all at once.

Read more

A weekly chaos dump.

And because it felt like a Cram Day, I never used it for the things I actually wanted to build.

Newsletters. Digital products. My own content.

☝️ All the stuff that needed clarity, not crumbs of leftover energy, so I never get to do any of these in the past years, even though I really wanted to do all these since like forever.

But this year, something changed.

Theme Days finally started working perfectly for me (after years of trying).

And when that happened, I finally reserved Fridays for:

• My own newsletters

• Just thinking about the direction of my business

• Reflecting on the week that has passed

• Picking out the work insights that I could turn into a framework…or digital products…or work assets

• Nerding out on a work or life topic (currently studying fasting right now. Reading Fast like a Girl")

• Or maybe even a little lunch out with the parents at school

Last night, my husband told our boy:

“Mommy is always going out with friends na o.”

…which I interpreted as:
“Mommy finally can finally choose a social life and will not get back to a messed up work schedule.”

Because before this, all my personal projects — the things that make me me — were shoved to the back burner. Not out of neglect, but survival. I simply didn’t have the time or energy for them.

But now? Fridays have finally become… mine.

It’s not a rest rest day.
Or not a hustle day.

But a me day.

It’s a “write for myself” kind of day.
Or a “do whatever like today” day.

And all along, my definition of “slow living” is not actually lounging all day, doing nothing…It’s this.

It’s to have a day where I can happily afford to do whatever I like without feeling guilty…without feeling like I have to work on client work…or without feeling like I have to rush through it.

It’s to have Freedom Fridays sincerely, authentically, joyfully.

✦ What Freedom Fridays look like for me…

Think of it as a weekly moment where you unapologetically work on things that feed your mind and spirit.

It’s not like a vacation day where you intentionally relax 1-2x a year. It’s not an escape-from-burnout day.

Freedom Friday is a rhythm. A regular return or recharge. Every Friday is a gentle act of remembering.

When I was younger, I could spend hours reading, journaling, writing little stories… completely immersed in my inner world. That was my home base. That was how I recognized myself.

But life layers on —
Engineering work.
A clingy boyfriend.
Friends calling for adventure.
Marriage.
Motherhood.
The rollercoaster of being a first-time mom.
My rage-mom era.

And slowly, quietly… those moments disappeared.

And that, my friends, is how I lost myself.

But now, I am back.

So, if you’re not feeling like yourself lately, just go back to when you’re younger (kids or teenagers), we usually have something that we do all day that kept us connected to ourselves.

Figure out what those are.

Do that for your future Freedom Fridays.

On Fridays, I usually do:

✅ CLIENT WRAP-UP & REVIEW
• Wrapping up weekly email tasks (15-min morning meeting)
• Assessing my email skills
• Putting my lessons in a newsletter called SaaS Email Code

✍️ RELEASING MY THOUGHTS
• Writing my newsletters
• Polishing my frameworks
• Reviewing my content

🌀 REFLECTIONS
• Realignment with ChatGPT
• Planning the next week

🛋️ REST
• Sometimes I write.
• Sometimes I lounge and plot my Great Lock-In.
• Sometimes I don’t work…just exist.

𐦂𖨆𐀪𖠋 SOCIALS
• Lately, it’s about hanging out with parents at school

✦ What Freedom Fridays look like for you…

Before you close this tab, ask yourself one thing:

What would your version of Freedom Friday look like?

Not the “ideal life” version.
Not the Pinterest-board version.
But the real one — the one your younger self would recognize instantly.

Write it down.
One activity.
One ritual.

You don’t even have to do one full Friday.
Maybe start with one hour you want to reclaim.

Then block it out in your calendar…even if it’s just a tiny window next week.
That’s how momentum starts anyway…with a pocket of permission.

Your Freedom Friday is waiting for you.
Go claim it.

Sorry, you don’t have a choice. lol

And if this resonated…

🔜 Up next: The Freedom Friday Series

In my next issue, My Actual Friday Routine + ChatGPT-Assisted Reflection Prompts
I’ll walk you through the exact questions I ask myself (with a little AI sass on the side), how I use them to plan next week, and why this ritual has saved me from creative chaos.

✨ Spoiler: it’s part journaling, part systems check, part energy audit.

Stay tuned — it drops soon! :)

If you liked this piece, you’ll love this → Head to Creativity

It’s full of entries like this:

Deep breaths.
Soft routines.
Slow mornings and Vienna-ing my whole life.

Everything the internet swears will make you a clearer, more grounded human.

And it helped.
It truly did.

But here’s the part no one warns you about:

You can be calm… and still have cracks slip through.

And you won’t notice it at first because it won’t look like overwhelm anymore.

It’ll look like tiny mistakes.
Micro-mistakes.
Small slips that make you question whether calmness was supposed to protect you.

The kind of cracks that make you whisper:

“Wait — am I being too chill? Am I losing my edge? Am I moving backwards?”

I learned this the calm way during BFCM week.

When Calmness Isn’t Enough

I was running five BFCM campaigns — high stakes, high complexity, real revenue impact.

My systems and templates were tight.
Approvals were secured early and easily.
I got the support that I needed.

Emotionally, I was steady.
Even pumped up, even a little bit grittier than usual.

And even with all that, I still managed to:

Grab coffee with co-parents, show up for my kid’s exam-week chaos, attend & co-lead a school activity, and launch one of my own BFCM offers.

Calm on the inside.

But my environment?

A completely different story.

40% of the day, I’m away from the house. And my home office.
At 4 PM, I had to deal with a noisy house, with 5+ kids would barge in, asking me to open jelly ace, cook popcorn, or get some water. (I only have 1 kid, but sometimes, I have the entire basketball team. My kid’s friends).
I’d love to join in, but this is one of my 2-3 daily work bloacks.
Interruptions every five minutes.

Then by 6PM, I had to wind down for the day because my husband is there.
Chaotic home energy and fewer window for work.

It wasn’t stressful… (I’ve learned to embrace the mom life)
but it was definitely fracturing.

And that’s when the bigger truth landed:

The Cracks That Slipped Through

I made mistakes that I rarely — almost never — make:

– one email scheduled a day later
– one link pasted, but it wasn’t the best page to lead them to yet
– an email launch checklist completed too fast because I was mentally checking out

These were not catastrophic.
But inefficient and the gaps will show in my email results and I wanted phenomenal results for my clients this year, both new and old.

And this is me, reflecting on those mistakes.

Yes, I am hard on myself, easy on the others. ;) (Working on it!)

We all know every small mistake compounds during high-precision work.

I very well know these weren’t “I’m overwhelmed” mistakes.
They were primarily “my environment is overriding my clarity” mistakes.

And mostly, “I’m so calm I let my guard down” mistakes.

Focus mistakes during the Success Stage doesn’t always roar.

Sometimes it shows up quietly, in the form of:

✔ tolerating constant micro-interruptions
✔ feeling the need to accommodate everyone (ugh, the people pleaser in me is still peeking out)
✔ trying to be available for all roles
✔ mental tabs that keep on popping and never cleaning up
✔ 5–10 minute resets after every distraction
✔ guilt for putting up boundaries
✔ slipping back into “hyper-responsibility” because the room needs you and you can do it calmly this time

This is the quiet version of survival mode —
the one nobody teaches you how to spot.

Signs you’re still somehow operating in Survival Mode (even if you feel internally calm)

If any of these feel familiar, you’re probably in this grey zone too:

• tiny mistakes that don’t match your actual skill
• constantly re-reading things
• losing details you normally catch
• feeling “fine” but mentally blurry
• working in a chaotic environment because “I’m calm anyway”
• over-accommodating small requests
• being physically relaxed but cognitively scattered
• moving boundaries to keep the peace
• resenting interruptions but accepting them

Survival mode doesn’t just show up in emotion states.

It could also creep back into work quality, resulting not from a lack of skill or credibility, but from operating inside an environment that hasn’t evolved with you.

What I’m Changing Moving Forward

Because calmness is great, but boundaries and environments affect your sharpness, thus contributing to your work output, here’s what I’m doing differently:

– working in a dedicated workspace (i’m taking back my office)
– minimizing interruptions (yes, even with kids)
– checking mission-critical work only when fully present
– eliminating mid-stress email scheduling
– taking breaks at 40% tired, not 90%
– following my pre-send checklist religiously
– saying “No, I’m working” when excessive social plans come up

These are not productivity hacks, but environmental corrections that could give me back the discipline and sharpness I need on high-pressure, high-stake work days like the BFCM week.

The Real Point

Here’s the thing I wished I knew earlier:

You can do all the inner work in the world
and still fall into survival-mode execution
if your environment hasn’t caught up with the next-level you.

Calm helps your body.
Discernment protects your clarity.
Structure protects your time.
Boundaries protect your energy.
Environment protects your execution.

If you’ve been wondering why you’re calm
yet still slipping…
still missing details…
still working harder than you should…

It might not be you.

It might be your environment lagging behind the person you’ve already become.

And the beautiful part?

You can change that — gently and intentionally — now that you finally see it.

Share The Glimmer Code ✦

If you liked this piece, you’ll love this → Head to Creativity

It’s full of entries like this:

Only 1 post is responsible for it.

And I actually knew why LinkedIn has been pushing this post to visibility. It has something to do with the new feature they launched.

Any guesses?

If you’re looking to get more impressions before the year ends, you have to try this out.

Ready to find out what it is?!

LinkedIn Spark Vol. 3

LinkedIn Spark is a Glimmer Exclusive where I unpack my best-performing posts from the past weeks.

Uncover LinkedIn trends and new insights along the way and use them on your own (or your client’s) strategy. Past issues:

Confession: This is long overdue, so I’ll make it up to you by publishing another extra 2 LinkedIn prompt posts in the next 2 weeks!

Let’s get into it.

🔥 My top 5 LinkedIn posts lately

You’ll see the post, the impressions behind each post, why I think it resonated, my writing/thought process behind each, plus prompts you can steal for your next LinkedIn post!

💡 Tip: Join the conversation in my top posts. You’ll get more impressions and let people find you this way.

1. AI x Writing x Client win post (Glimmer writing)

I posted this post because I was feeling euphoric after writing a LinkedIn newsletter for a client. Like, I knew I delivered before I even got a feedback. lol.
14 minutes later, the client replied back to the email and said:

Impressions: 27,267
Members Reached: 19,009
Reactions: 45
Comments: 4
Reposts: 0
Saves: 21
Sends on LinkedIn: 0

👀 Read the post on LinkedIn

$48 = 1 year of Glimmer content

The Glimmer Code is for the ones who love many things deeply. This is where scattered dreams find structure — and structure stays soulful.

Inside, I geekily unpack how to stay consistently creative without the chaos — and how to let curiosity lead again.

💛 Join for $48/year — every letter is a reminder that it’s okay to do it all, just not all at once.

👀 Read the full post on LinkedIn (it’s too long)

🎉 Why this worked

Read more

It’s the lowest I've had: less than 1k in a week.

I stopped posting for a while because:

a. Things are worse in our country. Floods. Corruption. Earthquakes.

b. I was also on vacation.

But, I still scored an inbound DM.

It’s her first message. First interaction. And it’s an opportunity right away.

So yeah, short-term visibility doesn’t equate to getting opportunities. You just have to show up regularly. Like 2-3x a week.

And if you’re looking to show up on LinkedIn even though you don’t feel like it, today’s post is gonna help you with that!

LinkedIn Spark Vol. 2

LinkedIn Spark is a Glimmer Exclusive where I unpack my best-performing posts from the past weeks.

Uncover LinkedIn trends and new insights along the way and use them on your own (or your client’s) strategy.

Confession: This is long overdue, so I’ll make it up to you by publishing another extra LinkedIn prompt post next week!

Let’s get into it.

🔥 My top 5 LinkedIn posts lately

The past weeks have been pretty unmotivating for me as a Filipina.

If you’re not aware, our country is suffering from corruption, flood, earthquakes, volcano eruptions. To add to that, my kid’s school has been cancelled a couple of times.

Aaaand we had a vacation planned, so I was really juggling millions of thoughts per second.

I managed to post a couple of posts before our trip though and surprisingly, they did okay.

You’ll also see the impressions behind each post, why I think it resonated, my writing/thought process behind each, plus prompts you can steal for your next LinkedIn post!

💡 Tip: Join the conversation in my top posts. You’ll get more impressions and let people find you this way.

1. Shrug post (Glimmer writing)

I posted this post because of what I’m feeling. LinkedIn has changed and it’s okay to post non-work posts, even stuff you’ll post on Facebook. Surprisingly, this one resonated and I was able to share what’s currently happening in our country too.

Impressions: 904
Reactions: 46
Comments: 12
Reposts: 2

👀 Read the post

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She calls it a waste.

“You went all that way just to hang out & chill?”
Yes. Yes, we did.

We don’t wake up at 6 AM to “maximize the day.”
We don’t jam-pack our itineraries.
We don’t snap and go.

We just want to wake up somewhere new.
Eat something different and local.
And maybe, just maybe, nap without guilt.

My mom and I have opposite ideas of what travel is for.

Her version is loud, busy, full of plans.
Mine is slower. Quieter. Looser.

But if I’m honest?

This version of travel…the one I love most—
was shaped by both her and my husband.

She gave me the value of YOLO and fun.
He permitted me to slow down once I got there.

And somewhere between those two, I found my rhythm.

Slow traveling.

Confession:
I actually hate organizing trip details!

Planning a trip? Yes, I love dreaming about the trip.
I love curating the vibes, Tiktoking the food, the fits, and the moments.

But the actual booking?
The hotel hunting?
The AirBnb filters, ticket confirmations, route planning, tab overload?

Ugh, count me out!

Like yeah, I can probably do the “itinerary vision”.
But beyond that, you gotta step up and take responsibility. 😅

It’s always my husband who does everything else.
Every. Single. Time.

So yeah, probably that’s why I’m drawn to slow traveling.

The kind of travel where you’re not trying to prove anything.

You’re just letting this unknown life in a different place soften around you.

No rushing.
No pressure.
No “are we behind schedule?”

Just new sights. New taste. Unplanned joy.

He prefers this too.

That’s what slow traveling is for us.
Not lazy. Not boring.
Just… being there.

While curating the vision for our Japan trip (thank you, TikTok algorithm),
I kept seeing people get stressed by their own itineraries.

Stressed. By. Their. Vacation.

And I couldn’t help but think—
why make something so joyful… so hard?

So if you want your next trip to feel like a real reset, read on.

How to slow travel

🧳 Pack light.

Bring what you’ll wear.
1 day = 1 outfit. Toss in 2–3 extras for flexibility.

We went to Japan with two small suitcases—and I still had all my fits.

Because trust me:
Dragging heavy luggage down train stations with stairs and no elevators?
Not the adventure you think it is.

💪🏼 Physically prepare.

I remember flying domestic as a new mom 5 years ago—
and being dead tired just from the airport.

Since then, my husband and I started taking care of our bodies more.
I personally started strength training less than a year ago.

And wow—what a difference.

After 10k steps in a day, I could still carry my 7-year-old up the stairs,
walk 3k more to get home,
do client work,
and still do my skincare routine after. 😌

Also, Stresstabs FTW.

🥘 Prioritize quality.

We’re in our 30s.
We’ve graduated from picking the cheapest AirBnbs. 😂

Now it’s all about:
Good food.
Good bed.
Nice location.

You’ll feel more comfortable, safe, and rested. Period.

Also…yes to van tours.
If it saves time and preserves your energy for city walks the next day? Worth it.

😴 Sleep in. Without guilt.

If you got home late? Wake up late.
If you’re tired? Take a nap.

Build margin into your itinerary.
Choose 2–4 stops per day. That’s enough.
You’re not filming a travel tok (unless you’re a vlogger or something).
You’re trying to relax.

🎈 Be on time.
Slow doesn’t mean sloppy.

I’ve seen the faces of people with 1.2 hours left before boarding—
sprinting through subway stairs like they’re in a K-drama.

Not cute. Not relaxing. Not good for our nervous system.

Not good for our luggages either.

👝 Choose comfort.

Our MVP this trip?
A trolley bag that converts into a chair for our kid.

We got so many longing stares from other parents of all races. lol!
Because if you know, you know.

By 8PM, JJ’s energy was still at a solid 7/10…because he had that seat. He was joyful than usual because he’s not tired.

(P.S. Can’t bring it inside theme parks though, so plan accordingly!)

🛍️ Buy that cute thing.

If you can afford it, allot shopping money. It’s nice to take home stuff that reminds you of your time there. And don’t say you’ll go back to it later because more often than not, you might not go back to it ever again.

Slow travel.

Because what’s the point of vacations if you get mega tired and stressed out?

Travel is a good pattern interrupt

So don’t ruin it!

We travel not to fully rest.
(Because come on, do you know how hectic travel and days leading up to your departure date can get?)

We travel to get refreshed.

It’s about giving ourselves and our brains different inputs.
new sensations, new routines, new foods, new air—
so they can come alive again.

And that?

That’s what slow traveling makes possible.

🔜 Up next: The Freedom Friday Series

Next issues:

• How I plan my work when traveling

• Plan your life like you plan your travel fits

• I quit LinkedIn for a week. Here’s what happened.

• My Actual Friday Routine + ChatGPT-Assisted Reflection Prompts (Glimmer Exclusive - Paid only, Access below)
  I’ll walk you through the exact questions I ask myself (with a little AI sass on the side), how I use them to plan next week, and why this ritual has saved me from creative chaos.

Get 20% off for 1 year

May I suggest your next read:

Spoiler: I’m not.

I’m just really good at looking like I’m everywhere.
And the secret isn’t hustle or acting on all shiny new ideas. Or batching a month of content in one sitting.
It’s Theme Days.

I first heard about this from Joanna Wiebe back when I bought her 10X Clients course.
It sounded brilliant at the time…
And then I immediately went back to winging it :)

Because I wasn’t there yet — mentally, emotionally, financially.
I was in my Stability Era™ when I first learned about it.
Client work took up all my oxygen.

But this year? I finally found my rhythm.
One that works with my brain instead of against it.

And yes — it includes something called Freedom Friday, which I’ll get to in a sec.

First, let me show you how theme days actually work ↓

📅 What Are Themed Days?

The idea is simple:

Instead of juggling everything every day (client calls, marketing, admin, strategy—all in one day), you batch your focus by day.

Each day gets a theme. A focus. A role. A vibe.

So your brain knows how to show up without context-switching every 5 minutes. That way, you are extra mega productive.

It’s genius, really.

Think:

• Monday → Creative work and strategy

• Tuesday–Wednesday → Deep client work and deliverables

• Thursday → Admin, catch-ups, revisions

• Friday → Freedom, review, planning, and rest

• Saturday & Sundays → Food trips, fam time, soft rest

I even made a TikTok about Themed Days years ago.

(Warning: the filter is intense 😂)

@aizanity_How I manage 6-10 clients and all the thingamajigz I do as a freelancing mombie #freelancingph #freelancingtips #freelancingbabe #productivitytok #edutok #saasytips

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But back then, I wasn’t ready.
I was still living in “how do I keep this whole thing afloat” mode.
Theme Days felt like a luxury.

Now? They feel like a boundary. A gift. A nervous system reset.

✦ Why Theme Days Actually Work

Because creative work is emotional work.
And emotional work needs containers, not just calendar blocks.

Theme days gave me permission to:

• Stop overloading my to-do list

• Focus better

• Treat me as my best client 💖

• Show up consistently without crumbling

• And actually enjoy the pace I’m building at

It made me realize:
I don’t need to do it all. I just need to know when to do what.

🔜 Up next: The Freedom Friday Series

In my next issue, My Actual Friday Routine + ChatGPT-Assisted Reflection Prompts
I’ll walk you through the exact questions I ask myself (with a little AI sass on the side), how I use them to plan next week, and why this ritual has saved me from creative chaos.

✨ Spoiler: it’s part journaling, part systems check, part energy audit.

Stay tuned — it drops soon! :)

May I suggest your next read?

Cracked the LinkedIn algorithm once?
Cool. Guess I’m done now.

Landed a brand deal?
Awesome. Creator mode: unlocked.

Hit a $15k month?
Perfect time to pause everything and binge scaling TikToks.

Then, I'd lose momentum, and before I knew it.
It's like I'm just running around in circles.

It wasn’t the fear of success.

It was the *made-up* fear of going back to survival mode.
To having zero creative freedom.
To giving my energy away until there was nothing left for me. AGAIN.

Are you the same?

✦ The pattern I refused to see

I treated progress as bad pressure.
And any time things got too good, I’d quietly pull back.

Not in a dramatic self-sabotage way.
But in a “let me just take a tiny break that lasts forever” way.

Ahhh, the things I carried from being The Little Miss Perfect everybody can rely on growing up. At home. In school. For the family. They’re finally oozing out the lid.

Here’s the bad pattern I knew I was doing, but I didn’t do anything about it.

✦ Behavior Check: Are You Upper Limiting?

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks calls it the Upper Limit Problem.

You hit a new level of ease, income, or visibility...and you stay there instead of leveling up.
Because something inside goes: “This feels unsafe. Let’s mess it up.”

Not consciously. But your nervous system doesn’t know how to be okay with sustained success.

So you:

• Delay that next offer

• Get lost in another side project

• Ghost your own newsletter (👀 guilty)

• Tinker instead of launch

• Go pick another adventure

The solution?
Not to force your way up.
But to slowly build tolerance for staying at a higher level of success, energy, and clarity.

Even when it’s unfamiliar.
Even when it’s boring.
Even when you need to do hard things again.

What I felt last year was my wake up call:

I wasn’t tired from trying.
I was tired from starting over so many times.
And from avoiding growth that would allow me to rest and gain MORE at the same time.

And I wonder, “I know I am good… Great, even… but why does it feel like I’m on the same place?”

I kinda miss the privilege of pressure after having the chance to work with Cho Lim. He talked about progressive overload and I realized I want that for myself.

I’m ready again.

✦ The Glimmer Spiral

Every win is an energy point.
A glaring glimmer.

You can either:

• Let it fade (and start from scratch again later)

• Or spiral it up into something stronger.

This time, I wanna spiral things up. Like way way up.

✨ My client hit $30K MRR with my emails? Let’s push for $100K.
✨ Done co-writing the State of SaaS Onboarding report? Let’s unpack insights for the next 3 months.
✨ Landed my first creator partnership? Let’s go get 3 more from bigger brands.

I’m not shrinking after the win.
I’m staying in the room.

The win is not the reward.
The win is the door to the next win.
The win is not where the ambition ends so no,
This is not enough ambition for today!

Did this fire you up? If yes, what do you plan to do about it?

Leave a comment

✦ Here’s a wallpaper for you

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What’s next? I’ve already started winning without hustling, and in the upcoming ☕️Life Lately issues, I’m gonna share about My Great Lock in 2025 plan. ;)

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Relationships = how to get exclusive opportunities

And when I post what I’m working on, inbounds like this drop into my inbox.

(I’m sharing how I replied to this DM below. We’re having a coffee chat soon. Her secretary just emailed me.)

And since you’re reading this post, it seems like you and I have the same plan. 😉

So I’m starting a new and exclusive Substack series called LinkedIn Spark.

It’s where I unpack my best-performing (and sometimes unhinged) posts from the past weeks. Plus, I’ll be including the latest insights, trending ideas, and prompts you can steal.

My community thinks it’s a good idea. (Thank you if you commented here.)

So let’s get into it!

🔥 My top 5 LinkedIn posts lately

The past two weeks, my highest-performing posts had zero frameworks, very little structure, and all the ✨energy✨ of a TikTok trend reimagined for the LinkedIn girlies.

It’s part chaos, part behavior design, and, ironically, a strong case for why “infotainment” is winning in 2025. As Charlotte Mair puts it:

Trends will fade, algorithms will change, platforms will evolve. But real expertise, packaged in a way that’s engaging, relevant, and easy to connect with has staying power.

Here are my favorite sparks from the past few weeks.

You’ll also see the impressions behind each post, why I think it resonated, my writing/thought process behind each, plus prompts you can steal for your next LinkedIn post!

💡 Tip: Join the conversation in my top posts. I get more impressions, new connection requests this way.

1. Corporate nostalgia (Glimmer writing)

Posted this post after seeing my client’s team members banter at each other on LinkedIn, and it definitely made me jealous.

Impressions: 2,341
Reactions: 58
Comments: 35

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