Yes. Eleven. That alone tells you everything you need to know about why I only do one big event per quarter. I did not realize how much this event was sitting in my body until it was over. The sleep was my body saying, thank you, we can exhale now. So let me tell you what happened and the strategy behind it, because this was very intentional. Here is the play-by-play: 1. I connected with a foundation owner on LinkedIn. She runs a literacy foundation, which is my area of expertise in education, and an animation studio that creates incredible literacy videos on YouTube, helping kids become readers and authors. She is also an author herself. I knew I wanted to get into her world and get close enough to build trust and work with her in some capacity! So I got on a call with her, and this is what happened! 2. I sold her a low-priced workshop for educators on how to Burn Bright, Not Out. $150 total for a thirty-minute talk and a thirty-minute Q&A. Yes, a thirty-minute talk about my own products stressed me out! I can talk about other people's content and tell my story all day, but this?! Why did I charge so little? Because this was not about maximizing revenue at this first step. It was about a relationship entry. I wanted to show value, alignment, and how I think. 3. On that call, I told her about who I was and what I did/do now. I told her I would follow up our conversation with an email with all of the info. I offered her bulk pricing on all of my products, and she picked the Illuminate journal. So I sold her 210 yellow (the color I had the most overstock in) illuminate mental health journals. They were delivered directly to her people’s homes as a Christmas gift. Yes. Two hundred and ten. 4. On Thursday evening, I delivered the virtual talk. We focused on burnout, energy, and exactly how to use the journal to help them avoid burnout. I also did a live walkthrough of the journal for the first time. It felt so good to explain my product! BTW - This is another benefit of booking that first speaking gig! Now I know I will be recording short walkthrough videos for every product and linking them via QR codes on my landing pages, quoted in the product, social media, and YouTube.

I have inventory at home. I have inventory at Amazon. I can use Amazon's MCF (Multi-channel Fulfillment) for the planners. And I already ordered author copies. They want them signed! Honestly, this is a good problem to have. Last night went really well. I grabbed screenshots and will share all the details soon. What surprised me most was what happened after. People reached out to me and shared kind words after screenshotting the chat full of them. Orders started coming in. People want signed copies of my book. That part feels surreal. And exciting. So now I’m sitting here doing the math. I’ve got an order for: 7 signed books and 10 Get Your Sh*t Done planners I happen to have exactly 10 planners at home, and I ordered more author copies of the books since they want them signed. My inventory has been low since the holiday market. Opps! Do I ship everything from home? Or ship the planners from Amazon and the books from me? To figure out shipping cost: I can weigh one book and one planner and estimate the box size. I just don’t have all seven books in hand yet. If you’ve done bulk orders from home, I’d love your wisdom. How do you think about shipping and discounted rates? I've sold from home, but only individual orders; this is my first bulk! I appreciate any advice. @Krista Brea @Claire Morgan

Tomorrow I’m leading a virtual workshop for 200 people and every single one of them already has my journal in their hands. This is a first for me and I’m honestly so excited. A foundation reached out and asked me to speak. I offered my journals at a discount. They said yes and bought one for every participant and mailed them out as a Christmas gift. I used Amazon MCF to fulfill the order and it worked beautifully. Yes, it was a little pricey during the holidays. Prices definitely shift depending on timing. Still 100 percent worth it. There is something really powerful about teaching when everyone is holding the same tool and we are learning together in real time. Note to self. Remember to ask for screenshots of everyone holding up their journals. That will be epic. Sharing this as a reminder of what is possible when you say yes, make it easy to buy, and trust the process. Grateful. Excited. And cheering all of you on as you build your own firsts.

No rush. No fixing. No proving. I slept an extra hour. And did a 30-minute yoga session instead of 20. I just needed it! Some Mondays are meant for easing in. Let your body wake up. Let your brain catch up. Let the week unfold instead of forcing it open. A slow start is still a start. And sometimes it is the smartest one. What is one gentle thing you are doing for yourself today?

And I’m giving my self GRACE for starting the new year slow. The struggle is real AND continued self-talk works wonders. I am not behind. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. How about you? Are you giving yourself the same grace you would give a friend? Burn Bright, Not Out