My Mid-Year Check-In

It feels like just yesterday I was ringing in 2026 and announcing plans to launch Annadea Beauty in the summer. But just like that, it’s already July, and Annadea is officially launched, with products available to purchase on annadeabeauty.com and Amazon (this still feels crazy to me).

Since launching a new beauty brand was one of my main objectives this year, my 2026 goals have looked a little different compared to past years. Instead of setting many small goals for myself, I set one giant goal. With that in mind, the words I chose to describe my intentions this year were “expand” and “expander.” Let me explain.

Let’s talk about the big goal: launching a new brand in a new-to-me industry while 1) running my current business at the same capacity, 2) writing a cookbook, 3) being a present and patient parent, and 4) staying sane (this last part is questionable).

I knew that starting Annadea was going to require me to rise to a new level of myself, which would ask me to be open to learning, asking questions, and drawing on a reserve of energy and patience I didn’t necessarily know I had. In short, I would need to EXPAND.

Stepping into the CEO role for a new brand is very different from being a content creator for your own personal brand. While I do work with brands and collaborators as a content creator, I can usually rely on myself for more of my day-to-day tasks. My schedule is a lot more flexible, and there are fewer stakeholders and team members to coordinate with. But leading a company is a whole other story.

The roles and responsibilities, and expectations and anxieties of being a CEO have stretched me to what I previously thought was my capacity, and then demanded even more. That feeling is exhilarating and inspiring. But also taxing. In this exciting new period of my life, I’ve found it necessary to be extra intentional about where I’m placing my energy so I can effectively rise to these new levels of myself.

Recently, my friend Margaret posed these questions to our friend Alex at her birthday party, and I think they’re so great to orient a mid-year check-in around:

• What are you leaving behind?

• What are you taking with you?

• What are you picking up?

Here’s what I’m leaving behind, taking with me, and picking back up as I continue to expand and find new levels within myself (and hope to inspire others to do the same).

Sugar-coating things. Kindness will always be a pillar of the way I operate in my personal and professional life. But as I’ve personally grown and expanded my business, I’ve learned that kindness can look like being clear, direct, and honest, rather than beating around the bush.

At Annadea, we’re a small team and are often all wearing multiple hats at once. Avoiding misunderstandings by getting straight to the point is often one of the best things I can do for a team managing many moving parts at once.

Living based on other people’s expectations. Everyone has their own idea of what it means to live a big, full life. And everyone should be free to pursue their version of that.

But I think it’s important to filter through the noise to figure out what I specifically want my own life to look like. It may not always look as flashy as “big lives” look online. It might not be exactly what my family, friends, and loved ones picture for their own lives. And that’s okay. Making sure I live up to my own expectations for myself is what matters most.

This came up for me most recently in the context of summer travel with a baby. There is so much external pressure (whether it be online or from well-meaning family) to travel with young children. Maybe for some that is a “big” life. But in the season I’m in, “big” looks more like the peace of routine. It’s okay to romanticize being home.

Mom group friends. In April, I started hosting swim lessons at my house for a group of mom friends and, I don’t say this lightly, it completely changed my experience of motherhood for the better.

I have remained close to my friends who don’t have kids yet, but I had no idea how much I needed mom friends. Now that swim classes have wound down, we’ve started a book club, and we’re discussing doing a Bible study. We set up play dates and go to chaotic happy hours with our babies. It’s so liberating to bond with people who understand the wild new-parent lifestyle.

Expanding the Annadea team. As I mentioned, we’re currently a lightweight team, all handling a lot of responsibilities at once. But as we grow as a brand, I’m excited to take on more talent who share our vision of creating clean, high-performing makeup-skincare hybrids that support ambitious women.

Recently, we just hired a social media agency that I’m so excited to work with. They actually learned about the opportunity through my social media profile, which is so amazing. I love growing our team from within our existing community. And on that note, we’re actually looking for someone to lead affiliate marketing at Annadea. If you think that might be you, please reach out to amy@annadeabeauty.com!

Date nights. It’s been quite a busy year for Kyle and me. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting a business and having a baby if you’re looking to optimize connection time with your spouse. But spending quality time together is important to us, so I’m excited to fit routine connection back into the chaos!

Regular massages. Now that I’m a mom, I’ve learned that I have to schedule time to relax, otherwise, it won’t happen naturally. Planning out regular massages where I’m away from my computer and phone and can have a small slice of me-time is something I’m looking forward to picking back up. If you have any masseuse recs in Austin, please let me know!

Auditing my work relationships. My content creation business was a one-woman show for quite a while, but I’ve been lucky to take on some talented team members as I’ve expanded. Ensuring everyone I hire operates at a high level of excellence and fits into my business as it grows will be important as I continue expanding my team.

Hiring a creative director and strategist for my content business. After launching Annadea, I’m going to start shifting a bit more of my focus to my upcoming cookbook launch. I’m taking on a creative director and strategist who can help me level up my content business’ brand strategy, positioning, and creative direction, and guide corresponding team members and agencies.

I can confidently say that 2026 has been one of the most exciting years of my life so far: from celebrating my daughter’s first birthday, moving into a new house, writing my first physical cookbook (more on that soon!), and launching Annadea Beauty. It has also been one of the most trying years of my professional life.

Because the truth is, we’re really just getting started. I truly can’t wait for what’s to come. And I’m looking forward to being even more thoughtful about my time and energy, leaving behind the things that no longer serve me and expanding myself even further to push the limits of my potential.