Shared with love on January 4, 2026

Welcome to my newsletter.

Every Tuesday, I'll send you something worth your time: patterns I'm seeing in my coaching work, frameworks for navigating work when you're drained, and what I'm consuming that's actually useful.

Here's what this is: a space where we talk about how your career is supposed to support your life, not consume it.

Here's what this isn't: toxic positivity or toxic pessimism. I'm not here to tell you to manifest your dream job or that everything is hopeless. I'm here to help you navigate the reality you're in. 

Let's get into it.

What’s On My Mind 💭

TLDR: If everything is important, nothing is important

It's January 6, and people are likely already feeling overwhelmed and exhausted at work, especially since many workplaces didn't slow down as usual in December.

When I'm not thinking about systems, I'm thinking about how we participate in them. Something I observe, both as a coach and as a person in the world of work, is our tendency to create false urgency by not seeking clarity or setting boundaries. Sometimes things are genuinely hectic. Other times we're making them hectic.

Here's what I mean: You have 47 things on your to-do list and they all feel urgent. You work frantically, switching between tasks, never quite finishing anything, ending the day exhausted and somehow further behind.

 A framework that helps: Big Rocks, Little Rocks, Sand

The idea is simple: if you fill your jar with sand first (small tasks, emails, meetings), there's no room for the big rocks (the work that actually matters). You have to put the big rocks in first.

Most of us spend our days filling our jars with sand. Responding to every ping, every request, every fire. The work that actually moves the needle gets pushed to tomorrow.

Each day, ask yourself:

• What are my 3 big rocks today?

• Have I actually asked for clarity before taking action?

• Who can I ask for help?

The people who seem calm in chaos aren't doing more. They're ruthlessly clear about what deserves their energy and brave enough to let the rest go.

What I'm listening to 🎧

Podcast: The Diary of a CEO - Chris Williamson: If You Don't Fix This Now, 2026 Is Already Over!

Now, I know this podcast can be controversial (largely from click-baity clips and titles—well, like this one). That being said, it's one of my favorites. It exposes me to voices outside my usual thought bubble. And remember, we do critical thinking over here, so we can consume content thoughtfully without swallowing it whole.

Three themes resonated with me as we head into the new year:

1. Sustainable accountability over perfectionism - The "never miss two days in a row" rule reframes consistency as resilience rather than perfection.

2. Honor your constraints - "In order to pick something up, you have to put something down." Strategic realism beats idealized versions of yourself.

3. Radical self-honesty - "If your life were a movie and the audience were watching, what would they be screaming at the screen telling you to do?"

Read the transcript | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple | Watch on YouTube

What I'm reading 📚

Article: The Psychology of the Sunk Cost Fallacy 

We stay in jobs, relationships, and projects longer than we should when we've already invested significant time or energy. This isn't a character flaw; it's a cognitive bias. The article breaks down what drives this pattern and how to recognize when you're stuck in it. I've been sharing this with clients recently wrestling with the "I've already put in 5 years here, now what?" question.

Speaking of getting unstuck: I created a tool for exactly this. The Career Clarity Bingo Card is 25 small, concrete actions to help you reclaim agency. Pick one square this week or aim for 5 in a row this month.

[ Download Your Career Clarity Bingo Card ]

Consider it a New Year gift from me.

What I'm sharing with clients ✨

Take action: Close the knowing-doing gap.

There's a difference between knowing what you need to do and actually doing it. Most people get stuck in the knowing part. Gathering information makes people feel safe. They collect one more article, make one more plan, tell themselves they just need one more piece of information before they can act.

 Often, that's not true.

The gap isn't about motivation or discipline. It's about trusting yourself to take one small, aligned action that gets you closer to where you want to go.

For example, you've been thinking about having a conversation with your manager for months. The small action isn't having the entire conversation. It's sending a calendar invite for a 15-minute check-in.

Pick one thing you've known you need to do. What's the smallest possible action you could take this week?

Write it down: "The one small action I'm taking is ___________."
If you want accountability, hit reply. I read everything.

If you've been reflecting, journaling, and thinking about what needs to change, my Reset & Reposition Workshop is where you close the knowing-doing gap. We'll use my CARE Framework to turn your reflections into a clear, grounded action plan for the next three months. One hour. Small group. Live coaching. You'll leave knowing exactly what to focus on. Learn more and save your spot.

Only the best,
Kashia