You vs. my sweaty workout clothes

About two years ago, I held my first retreat.

I gathered a group of incredible women at my mountain house in West Virginia. Over 2½ days, we circled up for workshops on planetary energies and chakras, shared communal meals, made bath salts and sunprints, sipped mocktails, sat around the fire, and closed with a blessing.

The photos? Gorgeous. The food? Delicious. The vibe? Sweet.

The truth? The retreat was… meh.

I was sick (but didn’t tell anyone). My period showed up two weeks early, and I was feeling it. The material I was teaching was still somewhat new to me. People “got their money’s worth,” but deep down, I felt like I had let them down.

I carried shame about that for a long time.

And yet—I’m so glad I did it.

Because it’s the same story as my first coaching session. (Shoutout to my friend Patrick, my very patient guinea pig.) I was a beginner. I stunk. But if I hadn’t allowed myself to stink, I never would have gotten here.

Today, I know I’m a world-class coach. If I ran that retreat now, it would blow people’s minds. Same with my new YouTube channel—today’s videos are “good enough,” but in four years, I’ll look back and laugh at how cute they were. And that’s the point.

Excellence comes from iteration. From trying, failing, improving, and trying again.

So here’s your invitation: stink it up.

What can you put out into the world this week, knowing it might not be perfect—but it will get you closer to mastery?

Hit reply and tell me either:

• A cringe-y stink-fest moment from your own business (we all have them), or

• One thing you’re going to try this week, even if you know it might stink.

Because the only way to get to excellence is to stink your way there.