table of funtents

1. 👋🏼 it’s me, hi

2. 🔥 BAU when life’s on fire

3. 🚪 parting words

👋🏼 it’s me, hi

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, MISFITS 🫶🏼

How’s your 2026 going? If we’re being real for a second, I’m having a truly crummy start.

I don’t want to put a ✨downer on your inbox✨ but y’all know well enough that this newsletter isn’t just fun - it’s honest. Zero BS. Hurts where it needs to.

I’ll spare ya for the intro bit. Let’s start by recaping your feedback from last episode’s poll!

To jog your memory, I mentioned reflections for the newsletter with a call to action to help shape its future. Here’s what you said:

With your go ahead, I’ll talk about things as they come. And ofc, do my best to keep episodes to the right balance of fun (via memes), data, story and lessons.

Now, onto the 💩 

🔥 BAU when life’s on fire

While some weeks I shout out wins or a cool new tool I’m playing with, this week I want to acknowledge a different take:

A LOT of us are struggling.

Yet we’re still expected to show up, smash targets and overdeliver?

Coming back from the holidays, something present in nearly all my conversations is how heavy things feel for folks right now.

I’m quite a carpe diem gal myself, and I’m definitely feeling it.

Alas, the stakes are even higher when you run a business and the buck stops with you. Can you afford a bad month(s) to hurt your finances or reputation when you’ve worked so hard to get here???

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT.

what’s burning?

A taste of my world right now:

• Moving next week. Dw - I’m still in London until end of Feb, after which I’ll be back home in Cali! But moving house, let alone country, is exhausting.

• I’ve been sick AF, making moving even more enjoyable.

• My TEDx is next Wednesday, though I had to record it on Monday (while sounding, and sweating, like a frog). And yeah, that is a 15 minute speech needing to be fully memorized, tyvm!

• Iran* - where my family is originally from - is going through a full-blown revolution and we’re severely impacted. Making all of the above feel incredibly futile ^

*If you want to stay informed about Iran, feel free to follow along on Instagram where I share updates daily. Not my content-niche, I know, but 100% more important rn.

Unsurprisingly, running keshty this month has been HARD.

But the greatest reminder has been how right I was 3 years ago to start my own thing, set my own schedule and choose my own clients.

Because amidst all this, work has been a saving grace. Second to my marriage, it’s kept me grounded (or should we say anchored, because 🚢).

Today, I’ll be brutally honest about how I’m running shop while the world’s on fire.

I hope that by sharing these lessons, you can fire-proof your own business in advance of crisis - or at least feel seen if you’re experiencing the same.

1. choose compassionate clients

My clients prob won’t agree, but I’ve disappointed them this month.*

*That’s how I feel and nothing you or they say will change that 😌. IMO if you’re going to call yourself CEO, you gotta feel accountability deep in your bones.

• with one client, we fully called Jan off.

• one client I told I can only deliver the bare minimum, and only at the end of Jan.

• one I had to move an entire university workshop (planned for months!) because I was too sick to run it in person.

Here’s what happened:

• the first client said they’re in the same boat, so we booked a friend lunch instead.

• the second created space FOR ME, checked in regularly, expected nothing, told me not to worry and put myself first.

• the third simply moved the workshop a week ahead with 0 drama (this is a UNIVERSITY, FOLKS!!!) and told me to rest.

If you’ve been following a while, you know it took kissing MANY client frogs (in both year 1 and year 2) for me to get here.

So if this you need this lesson rn, hear hear:

Choose your clients wisely and ruthlessly seek good people.

Because in the moments it mattered, the business survived thanks to them.

Take what you will when thinking which client you sign on next. Ask yourself, would they back you when shit hits the fan?

2. secure the basics

If past burnout taught me anything: nothing is more important than your health.

So unlike the tech-grind girly who used to power through work, biz-owner me does the opposite: I secure the basics as my foundation when the world’s on fire.

Examples of my basics include:

• 8 hours of sleep

• staying hydrated

• keeping the house tidy

• eating a champion’s breakfast

• when not contagious, getting outside / to the gym

This may look different for you, but the essence should be the same: these are the basics needed to survive, not be the self-actualized version of yourself.

3. achieve the main thing

Sure - some things need to happen every day for your business to run. A few of my examples include:

• file my self-assessment (Jan specific!)

• reply to important emails

• review + sign contracts

• issue + receive payments

But as I’ve said across so many episodes: we don’t work for A&E. We started our own ventures to have flexibility. No one will die if we leave things for a bit.

So while my world is on fire, here’s what I expect of myself:

To achieve ONE thing that is absolutely essential for the business to run each day.

And that’s it. If I’m up for doing more (like writing this episode, because it brings me ALL the joy) then fab!

But the only thing we NEED to do each day is the one thing that keeps the lights on. One priority keeps us grounded and ensures momentum doesn’t stop. It’s better than zero, but more manageable than two. Sorted.

🚪 parting words

If you made it this far without unsubscribing, you’re a real one and I salute you.

Sending you all the loving vibes to take care of yourself this month, and hoping life brightens by our next episode 🤞🏼

As always, I’m only a message away for thoughts, questions and topic ideas. I read and sincerely appreciate every single poll / email response! Please keep them coming.

Before you go, could you let a girl know what you thought of this issue with the pulse check below? Good intent feedback is always welcome ⬇️

xo, Neds