Earn better.

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I need to raise $28,000. I've only done $3,618.

I's almost a week into my Kickstarter campaign, and that funding bar is barely moving. My first thought: "This is failing!" Which immediately spiraled into: "I'm a failure!"

There it was—that old, familiar trap. The one where a project's performance becomes an indictment of my worth as a person. My body contracted. My creativity shut down. I could feel myself shrinking into a spiral of self-doubt I knew all too well.

So I did what I used to do next: I slapped on the toxic positivity. "This is fine! Everything happens for a reason! The universe has a plan!" Another old trap, just dressed in sparkles and affirmations.
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This recognition opened a door to something different: genuine perspective shift. Not the instant transformation we see on social media, but a gradual, honest process that's become essential for anyone trying to create something meaningful in the world.

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Breaking Old Patterns

Here's what I've learned: both responses are escapes. Catastrophizing escapes into self-destruction. Toxic positivity escapes into denial. Neither actually engages with what's happening.
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So instead of catastrophizing OR forcing positivity, I tried something different. I let myself feel the disappointment without making it mean I was worthless. The fear that maybe people didn't want what I was creating—without deciding this fear was prophetic truth. The awkwardness of asking people for money—without determining I should never ask for anything again.

This emotional honesty isn't wallowing (the shadow side of catastrophizing) or bypassing (the shadow side of toxic positivity). It's necessary groundwork.
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Ironically, this is exactly why I created The Practice—a deck of cards that transform your inner dialogue using principles of neuroplasticity. That morning, I pulled a card for overwhelm and spent 10 minutes with its somatic meditation, just feeling where the tension lived in my body without trying to fix or flee from it.

The Question That Changes Everything

Once I'd processed the emotional truth, I asked myself a question that felt almost rebellious in its opportunism:
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I'll admit, this felt uncomfortable at first. There's something almost mercenary about looking at a setback and immediately hunting for advantage. It's not the kind of thinking I was raised to embrace. Women, especially, are often encouraged to accept, to endure, to make peace with circumstances—not to opportunistically scan them for benefit.

But what if that opportunistic lens is exactly what we need?

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Finding the New Frame

As I sat with this question about my struggling Kickstarter, perspectives began to emerge:

• "I'm failing at the Kickstarter" 👉 "This is a chance to reaffirm my commitment to this product. If I still believe in it when the numbers are low, that belief is real."
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• "I feel awkward asking for money" 👉 "This is an opportunity to talk about something that can genuinely help people—and to get better at advocating for the value I create."
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• "People aren't responding" 👉 "I'm getting invaluable data about how to communicate my vision more clearly."

None of these reframes denied the difficulty. They acknowledged it while also finding the thread of possibility woven through it.

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From Insight to Action

But perspective alone isn't enough. Once I found these new frames, I asked myself:
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This last part matters. Instead of creating a massive action plan that would exhaust me, I looked at what I was already doing. Could I do slightly more of what was working? Less of what wasn't?

This is where the integration challenges in The Practice cards come in handy—they're designed to be small, doable actions that lock in a new neural pathway. Not overwhelming life overhauls, just simple steps you can take that day.

For my Kickstarter, this meant: Instead of desperately pushing the campaign itself, I started having genuine conversations about the problem my product solves.

Instead of feeling ashamed about the low funding, I became curious about what the resistance was telling me.

I adjusted my messaging, reached out to different communities, and—most importantly—I kept going, but from an expanded rather than contracted place.

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The Body Knows

Here's what I've learned: You know a perspective shift is real when your body responds. False positivity sits like a mask on top of tension. But genuine reframing? You feel it physically. Your shoulders drop. Your breathing deepens. Your creative energy returns.
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Next Steps

Developing this skill of perspective-shifting isn't instantaneous. It's a practice, and like any practice, it gets stronger with repetition.

Here's the process:

1. Feel the emotional truth fully. Don't bypass the difficulty.
2. Ask the opportunistic question: How might this work for me?
3. Sit with potential new perspectives until one resonates in your body.
4. Identify one small, easeful action that moves you toward this new vision.
5. Take that action from an expanded, not contracted, place.

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Please Support

As a reminder, this is an all-or-nothing campaign so if I don't raise the $28k in 38 days, I can't bring The Practice to you.

If you're reading this email (and got all the way here - THANK YOU!), you're clearly someone who values a better work-life. The Practice can help you build that. Please don't wait to support, click that button 👇 now!

Support The Practice

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With gratitude and vulnerability,

x Claire

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Resources ​

Looking for a job? ​LLC of Me​ Dreaming of a (potential) new career? ​Pivot Pathfinder​ Preparing to negotiate? ​Earn Better​ Seeking guidance? ​Explore Coaching​

👩‍💻 Coach Spotlight: Shivani Berry

3 Shifts to Go From Overlooked
to Recognized at Work

​Shivani Berry is the founder of Career Mama which helps high-performing moms at Fortune 500 companies excel at work while being present with their kids.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m working harder than ever, but no one notices”, you’re not alone. Too many of us are putting in late nights or taking on the extra project, only to watch someone else get the credit.

The truth is, leaders don’t reward the hardest worker. They reward the person they see driving outcomes.

Here are 3 strategies that help you get seen as the strategic leader you are (without working more hours):

1.Lead with outcomes, not tasks: Small shifts in language move you from being seen as a “task manager” to “strategic leader.”

• ❌ “I cleaned up the dashboard.”
• ✅ “I uncovered inefficiencies costing us 10+ hours a week and cut them in half.”

That’s what gets you taken seriously in the rooms that matter. You don’t lack value. You lack visibility.

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2. Connect the dots: Don’t just share what you did—show why it mattered. For example: “I caught a bug that would have delayed Friday’s launch and fixed it in time" or “I met with marketing to align on expectations for the upcoming project to avoid future confusion and delays.”

Tie your work to team goals, risks avoided, or decisions unblocked.

3. Reframe self-advocacy: “I’m just doing my job” is a promotion killer. If you don’t share what you’re working on, then your stakeholders will assume that no progress has been made.

Visibility isn’t bragging. It’s leadership. And, remember that when you look good, your manager looks good too.

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👉 Want more? Join Shivani’s free workshop, The 3-Step System High-Performing Moms Use to Excel at Work & Be Present with Kids on September 23 or 24th.

Join moms from top companies like Google, Uber & more to learn:

• A 3-part system to excel in your career without sacrificing your sanity
• Tools to escape the "Presence Failure Loop" (and the guilt spiral that follows)
• The exact mindset shift that helps high-performing moms get promoted—with less hustle

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Save Your Free Spot

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