"When I started working with you originally on energy tracking, I had calls [back-to-back] from like 12 to 6 every day, and now I'm at the point where I have a lot more choice in my schedule."
My client shared this on a call last week as we were reflecting on her journey and it got me thinking about how sometimes the path to our goals looks a lot different than we imagined—especially when it's sustainable.
Because the reality of what made this transformation stick (and why it will keep supporting her for years to come):
She didn't get there by dramatically restructuring everything overnight.
Three years ago, when we first started working together, she could see burnout heading straight for her. Like most high achievers, her instinct was to get from point A to point B as fast and efficiently as possible.
But even when you own your business, you can't always just drop everything and make drastic changes. There are clients depending on you, financial obligations, team members who need stability.
So we started with what she could control within her existing constraints.
We mapped her energy patterns and built sustainable practices that worked with her packed schedule at that time, not against it.
Small shifts that honored her natural rhythms while maintaining her professional commitments.
"I can actually utilize that information that I've had for so long [in all areas of my work]," she told me, referring to those early energy insights and the freedom she now has to implement.
In the moment, focusing on small shifts in energy management instead of immediate schedule overhauls can feel like a detour—like going sideways instead of forward.
But these apparent detours become the foundation for everything that comes next.
Over the months and years, those energy management practices supported her through hiring a bigger team, refining her company mission, and gradually evolving her role. Each change built on the last, creating sustainable momentum rather than dramatic disruption.
The ripple effects went beyond business too: better energy boundaries meant she could be more present in relationships outside work, and understanding her natural rhythms helped her communicate needs more clearly with her partner.
The result? Not just a better schedule, but a completely different relationship with how she moves through her days, personally and professionally.
Between Wanting and Having
The bridge between "I want this" and "I have this" is often built one small, sustainable choice at a time.
When you feel frustrated that change isn't happening fast enough, your system might be telling you:
This foundation needs to be stronger before you build higher.
This approach needs to be sustainable, not just efficient.
This change needs to honor how you actually function, not how you think you should function.
Something needs to be built gradually to last.
Your resistance to quick fixes might actually be protecting your long-term vision.
THIS WEEK:
Pick a single area where you want dramatic change but feel stuck by current constraints.
Instead of asking "How can I fix this fastest?" ask: "What small, sustainable shift can I make within my current reality that moves me toward my vision?"
Then experiment with that one small shift for a week.
The most powerful transformations often happen so gradually that you don't notice them building—until one day you look around and realize you're living the vision you thought was impossible.
Sometimes the detour is the path meant to get you there.
Currently Obsessed
Life in Weeks. Every few (or five-ish) years I run across the 4K weeks chart for looking at life. As I approach my 36th birthday this month, it was fun to look at how young that is in the grand scheme of things. This interactive one lets you look at yours.
Pancakes. I have always been a waffle or french toast girl. Why eat dry-ass pancakes when you can have crispy outside and cloud-like centers?! As always, the years go by and I continue to relearn the "never say never" lesson, lol. On my continued journey to replace all my cooking with GF recipes to support my health issues, I came across this lemon ricotta protein GF pancake recipe and I can say two things: (1) I now like a pancake (and it's not dry AF) and (2) I couldn't tell that was GF, in the slightest. The winningest of wins 🥳
Mermaids. I've been working on a personal project this summer that has me in the depths of the research on mermaids and if you could have told little Hannah (okay, let's be real, or 30 yr. old Hannah) that someday we'd get to do this with our time, she'd have gone absolutely bananas on you. And then begged for a $3k custom mermaid tail. lol
P.S.
You're not alone if you're realizing that you've been trying to build dramatic change without the right foundation. Most of my clients discover they've been working against their natural energy patterns instead of using them as their starting point.
The solution isn't just building better paths—it's building paths that work with how you're actually wired.
That's what my Energy Alignment Intensives are designed for. In this 90-minute session, we'll map your natural daily energy cycle, review your calendar together to make alignments, and dig into wherever you're feeling most stuck. It's like getting a mini personalized energy blueprint plus clarity on your next right step.
If you're ready to map your energy and start building the path that works best for you, I have spots available for August and September before the holidays hit. Book your intensive here.
