Ebb. Flow. And the urge to bulldoze through both.

All month inside The Collective, I’ve been hearing the same thing on repeat:
“I’m so glad you teach ebb and flow.”

Yeah. Me too.
Because this month? I walk it raw, unsexy, and slow.

Here’s the truth:

July’s goal?
Automations and ads. That’s it.

No big launches.
No dopamine rush from checking off a mile-long list.
Just backend systems.
The kind of shit no one sees or celebrates.

And it’s just me doing it.

I want the whole damn thing done.
The healing center. The team. The movement in motion.
But right now I’m laying concrete.

And I’ve learned the hard way that if you rush the foundation, it cracks.

In May, I emptied my brain and my heart.
Dumped every idea, every piece of the vision. Sorted it. Named it.
That was the beginning. (Thanks, Monday.com 🤩)

June was blueprint month.
I defined paths. Made decisions. Trimmed fat.
I saw clearly what I am building and what I’m not.

And now?
July is the pour.

Not fun. Not fast. But necessary.
Because more effort doesn’t equal more progress.
It just means more sacrifice.
And I’m done sacrificing sleep, joy, family time, and peace for the illusion of momentum.

That’s not me chasing a dream.
That’s me leaving myself behind.

So I’ve had to pause. Ask myself:

What part of me thinks pain equals proof?
What part still believes that unless it’s dramatic, it doesn’t count?

That belief runs deep.

But here’s what I know now:
I wasn’t built to hustle.
Not because I want it easy, but because pretending I’m a machine burns me out.

I don’t have a neat work-life balance.
I do seasons.
“On.” “Mid.” “Off.”

And when I let myself be in an ebb, life still moves.
It’s just not flashy.

Because somewhere along the way, we were sold this myth:

Success equals adrenaline.
Push harder.
Prove more.
Sacrifice big.

But maybe that’s not your formula either.

Here’s what I mean:

Story 1:
Years ago, I ran a little stationery shop selling custom wooden stamps.
One day, orders flooded in.
No ad. No promo. No new product.
Turns out I’d been featured on BuzzFeed.

I didn’t pitch them. I wasn’t even trying to get seen.
I had to Google myself to figure out what happened.

I wasn’t shouting from the rooftops. I was just doing my thing.
And it found its way to the right eyes.

Story 2:
A coach I knew once had only $15 left to run an ad.
She used it. Sold a couple of products. Paid off enough of her card to run another ad.
Rinse. Repeat.
Then out of nowhere, one ad just caught fire.

Within six months, her whole business changed.

She didn’t grind her way there.
She just stayed in the game long enough for something to catch.

So if you’re in a slow season
if you’re building quietly and your brain keeps whispering, “This isn’t enough”...

Let this land:

The ebb isn’t a detour. It’s part of the current.
Let it carry you.

Because when you stop bulldozing, you give your life a chance to build something that actually lasts.

You’re not behind.
You’re just in the pour.

See you next week,
Danielle