You've given yourself enough grace. Now you need leverage.

This newsletter is where I’m constantly telling myself the things no one else will. Writing my way to a wealthy, healthy, smell good life. Simply put, I’m calling me out. But if it stings a little, it’s your fault that you keep reading.

There comes a point where giving yourself grace is only giving you an excuse.

And I say that with love because I’ve been on both sides of it.

It’s genuinely confusing knowing the difference between when to prioritize rest versus when to push yourself to do more. And the internet is not making it easier. Hard work has been demonized, especially if you’re a woman encouraging other women to work hard. So in the meantime, everyone is scrambling to figure out how to make more money while working less.

Emma Grede (businesswoman behind all the Kardashian brands) and Allison Ellsworth (founder of Poppi, which sold for $2B to PepsiCo) will tell you work-life balance doesn’t exist if you want to build an extraordinarily successful business. And then you’ve got other gurus preaching the four-hour workweek and making money off of courses based on get rich quick schemes. Both can’t be right? Or maybe they’re both right for different reasons?

I think an important part that’s missing from many of these conversations is how to create leverage.

When I was in grade school, I used to wonder why people and brands give celebrities free stuff when they’re the ones with all the money. In my mind it made zero sense… because you’re telling me this person who could buy this entire restaurant, gets to eat for free? And I have to pay full price? Um rude.

But leverage is the piece that makes it all make sense. And once you see it and use it, you want to keep figuring out ways to pull the levers of life to work in your favor.

Working smarter not harder only works long-term if you actually understand leverage. So let’s get into it.

Okay so leverage is basically anything that multiplies your output without multiplying your effort. It’s the reason that a celebrity’s presence in that restaurant is worth more than whatever they would’ve spent on a meal. The restaurant is being strategic. One visit, a quick mention to another famous friend, a paparazzi photo, or an IG story could potentially be worth thousands in free marketing.

The celebrity built something that works on their behalf even when they’re simply living their life, and brands see value in that. Which, gives them leverage.

And that’ssss what we’re trying to build, sis. (Not just free meals… although, yes. But a life that works for us).

We talk all the time about working smarter but we skip the part where you actually have to BUILD the thing that makes working smarter possible.

This is where it gets good because I used to think leverage was only for people with money or millions of followers, which isn’t necessarily true. Good news is that we all have leverage, we just need to identify what it is and how to use it. So here are six ways to identify where your leverage lives.

Money. Obviously capital is the main way we think of leverage. When you have it, you can buy back your time, hire people, run ads, invest in tools. But it’s not the only entry point, which is the good news for most of us who didn’t start there.

Audience. If you have access to an engaged group of people, that is leverage. Even if you don’t have hundreds of thousands of followers, you can still maximize your influence. Every time you show up consistently, you are building an asset.

Skills. A specific, high-value skill is leverage. If you are known for being really, really good at something, you can use that to your advantage. And chile, this something can be extremely specific — crocheting baby blankets, vibe coding, organizing people’s non-aesthetic pantries, curating intimate events. Skill-building compounds, so the better you get, the more it’s worth.

Relationships. Who you know, who knows you, and who will genuinely vouch for you will take you further than you think. Relationship building (and maintaining, if we’re being 100) is a skill in itself. One warm introduction does what a hundred cold DMs and emails could never do.

Content and IP. Anything you’ve created that keeps working without you. A digital or physical product, a Substack newsletter, podcast, all of it is what I consider as yesterday’s effort paying you today. The payoff isn’t immediate but eventually, this is one that can unlock money and audience leverage.

Reputation. This one is the slowest to build and the fastest to spend, which is exactly why it’s so powerful when it’s solid. A strong reputation means people trust you and that your name carries weight in rooms you haven’t entered yet. And no matter how much leverage you have in any of these other forms, a bad reputation can prevent you from being able to use them.

This is the un-fun part. Having leverage is sexy but building it is a process that people who don’t understand it, will try to shortcut. It takes time, effort, and energy to create. Making the hard choice to stay in the game longer than most people do is the only route.

Getting specific about what I want to be known for and how I want to be known. Clarity creates alignment. You can’t build leverage without knowing how you plan to use it once you create it. Lets say you want to be an influencer known for your hot takes on relationships and you eventually want to host a daytime relationship talk show. You want to be known as a kind-hearted woman who’s deeply honest and caring. Now that you have clarity, you can have the conversations, build the brand, grow your skills, that all lead to your north star.

Documenting what I’m learning. I started My Millionaire Year series and this Substack for this very reason. When you document, you have no idea what type of leverage it’s building. A book deal? Hosting a show with YouTube? Traveling to London and Cannes for work? I mean, I’m not saying which of these have or haven’t yet happened… but opportunities will find me because I’ve opened myself to them by simply documenting.

Treat my reputation like my most valuable resource. Because it is. I take pride in always being personable and treating a someone like they’re the only one in the room when we’re having a conversation. I do good work. Great work, actually. I’m timely, kind, and I make sure these qualities show in everything I do.

Invest in relationships before I need them. I’ve gotten better at scheduling catch-up calls with incredible humans I connect with in the industry and even sending a quick note to friends when I miss them, etc. And it’s not in a “let me do this so when I need something, I have leverage.” There’s just something so special about being connected to likeminded people and massaging those relationships. Effort, yes. But I’ve reached a point in my life where relationships really matters to me. And you’d be surpriseddddd at how much creativity, inspiration, and opportunity, comes from a 15-30 min catch-up!!

Finallyyyy. Let’s pull the lever! Creating leverage and knowing when to use it are two different skills.

Using it too early can come off as presumptuous and using it too late could result in leaving opportunities on the table.

Use your audience leverage when a partnership actually serves your people (not saying yes every single time for the $$). Use your relationship leverage to make introductions that genuinely benefit both people. Use your skill leverage to solve real problems (and charge accordingly!!). Use your reputation leverage when you’re stepping into a new room and need a door opened. And then show up in a way that justifies someone putting their name on the line for you.

Leverage is a responsibility that can work disgustingly well if you handle it properly. It is not a withdrawal-only account, so beware how you spend it. The ones who sustain it are always depositing, adding value, showing up with integrity, and actively growing what they’ve built.

Simply put, the more I understand leverage, the more I realize that working harder then smarter should be the saying. Celebrities build their status and create major leverage that everyone wants a piece of. Instead of victimizing myself, I’m busy trying to figure out how to curate a life that flows with ease due to the work I’m putting in now. Because the hard work actually is the smart work in the long run.

What form of leverage are you focused on building right now? Drop it in the comments.

In love & creativity,

xx Erin