Conflicting Messages for 2026

Welcome to 2026.

In December, during the Rule Breaker Reset, I set my one f*ck to give: intentional time with my kids over the holidays.

And I did it.

Two weeks of skating, puzzles, bonfires, tobogganing, crafts, baking, and, obviously, lots of naps.

I even managed to silence low-grade professional anxiety from humming in the background.

High-achieving me is pleased because I did what I set out to do. Gold star earned. Huzzah!

Now, I know I really unplugged because the moment I opened LinkedIn again, my stomach got into knots.

The algorithm served me this gem:

“January decides more career success than any other month…

…[Successful people]:

🔥 They invest before confidence shows up.

🔥 They choose rooms that stretch them.

🔥 They position themselves for opportunities most professionals never even see.

Here’s the truth no one says out loud:

Talent alone doesn’t separate careers.

Momentum, positioning, and exposure do.

The gap created this month compounds all year…”

Translation: If you’re not sprinting right now, you’re falling behind.

And there are thousands just like it. January is peak hustle propaganda season.

Everyone suddenly knows a secret no one else is saying out loud. One move. One mindset shift. One push. And boom — success. 🚀

And as you would suspect, instead of motivating me, it did the opposite.

Because I’m not seeking more momentum. I’m trying to protect a sense of enoughness in a culture obsessed with optimization.

I want to stop living like every quiet month is a missed opportunity and every pause needs justification.

And then I read this from Amanda Goetz, and my body relaxed:

“And I’m going to spend the year learning what enough looks like.

To be enough.

To earn enough.

To do enough.

I love my new CMO role.

I have a new exciting writing project this year.

I’m hosting season 2 of the Girlboss podcast.

And my weekly newsletter is a constant creative outlet.

That’s enough.

More isn’t always better.”

Here’s the thing no one tells you about January:

It’s not the first page of your performance review. It’s a choice point.

We can:

• Let the noise convince us that urgency equals importance.

• Or decide — on purpose — what actually deserves our energy this year.

Hustle culture frames restraint as laziness.
Enoughness reframes restraint as discernment.

We don’t need to reject ambition.
We just need to stop letting the loudest voices decide what ambition looks like for us.

So before I commit to another year of “momentum, positioning, exposure,” I’m asking myself the same question I asked in December: what f*ck do I actually want to give?

January is trying to tell me I need to be doing ALL THE THINGS.

But I don’t have to go with it.

What’s the one f*ck you want to give right now?

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Sending enoughness,
J

PS. I’m building Rule Breaker Reset—small-group coaching for working parents who are ready to drop a few “shoulds,” choose one real priority, and stop feeling behind. If you want early access, reply and I’ll add you to the waitlist.