​

Chief Pretty Officer | (CPO) Record |16. ​​ The TL;DR |January doesn’t need reinvention, it needs intention. Lists create pressure, themes create movement. This is a year for systems, stability, and a quieter kind of ambition.

​

Editor’s Note | Why Lists Stop Working.​
​
Hello! Quick pause.

If you’ve been wondering who’s behind C.P.O.,
​
you’re looking at her. The theme of my year.
​
Bullet Proof.
Nothing To Lose.
Fire Away.

Lord when I hear that song. I feel like this has been my theme for the last three years. Each year it resonates with more confidence.
​
While I initially expected a quieter month across the board, the beauty sector is anything but, with three major industry expo leaders kicking off the year and setting the tone for how brands will define their categories. I've returned hitting the ground running with the pace continuing much like the end of last year.

This is just an observation compared to other verticals I've serviced, not a complaint. I genuinely enjoy this pace and have set a high standard for myself.
​
Some exciting news! Drum Roll Please!!!!
​

As a founding member of Roster Radio! one of the coolest memberships in beauty, I'm starting this year with great momentum. It's truly exciting to be a founding member where my recommendations are put into practice and my thought leadership is valued.
​

I am eager to further elevate mentoring ambitious women, providing them with the necessary confidence and support.
People will knock you down.

It's never about falling, but how fast you can get up.

​
As your Chief Pretty Officer, I am here to champion your journey, understanding that your happiness and success are not a reflection of any personal lack but rather an opportunity for me to empower you.

Hit reply and DM me as I am always here to respond.
​

SHOUT OUT to some of readers out there that hit that button you know who you are : )!

More to come about Roster Radio and the exciting IRL programs I am happy to share with my community of Chief Pretty Officers! We will have events for our beauty community enthusiasts and I am happy to share the next event in NYC coming up soon.

​
We will have events for our beauty community enthusiasts happy to share our next event is coming up.

January has a way of demanding urgency. New goals, new habits. New versions of ourselves immediately. After coming back from the holidays, I was hit hard with all kinds of content: people reintroducing themselves, pitch-slapped with sales drafts. I mean… it was a lot.

For years, I met that pressure armed with lists. Long ones, ambitious ones. Twenty goals, neatly written, full of promise. Every January felt like a negotiation with my future self: This is who I’m going to be if I just try harder.

But somewhere between February and April, the list would start staring back at me.
​

Unchecked boxes, half-finished intentions. Momentum fading into quiet disappointment. The list didn’t motivate me anymore, it measured my failure.

What I didn’t understand then is that lists only work when life is stable. And life is rarely stable across the board.

​
​​
​Life Quakes Change the Rules

There are moments and sometimes entire seasons that fundamentally alter your baseline. Loss. Grief. Illness. Career shifts. Hormonal changes. Burnout.

I call these life quakes. More to come on this topic in the next episode. For now, I wanted you to be familiar with the term and file this in your C.P.O. Records. As you transition into adulthood, I want you to accept that “life quakes” are a normal part of existence; they will shake the foundation of everything you believe to be secure.

They don’t just disrupt your schedule.
They shift your nervous system, energy, priorities, and capacity to perform the way you used to.

After my fourth life quake, I realized something important:
​

I didn’t need more motivation.
I needed a different framework.

Ambition without context became cruelty.
That’s when I stopped writing lists and started choosing themes.

​
​
​Why a Theme Works When Lists Don’t

A theme doesn’t ask you to perform on command.
A theme gives you direction without pressure.

Consider it as the personal atmosphere you create for the year, like your own soundtrack accompanying your walk. I do this constantly and love it. The moment I step outside there's a rhythm, a certain movement that aligns with my harmony; it's my protective shield for happiness.

A theme for the year allows you to:
​ • make micro decisions instead of massive
overhauls like a “checklist”
• course corrections without shame
• progress that adjusts to real life

A theme creates room for growth and rest.

My themes now are built on pillars, not perfection.
They hold financial health. Hormonal health. Stability. Maintenance. They move with me when life moves me.

This isn’t about lowering the bar. It’s about playing the long game without burning yourself out.

​

The Season of Indifference
(And Why That’s Not a Bad Thing)

There’s a moment in adulthood when something quietly changes.
You stop needing to prove everything.

In my 20s and 30s, I cared about everything. Now, at 46 and turning 47 this summer, I've found a different approach. Now wield the “velvet hammer,” letting my silence be LOUD.

This season isn’t about asking you to reinvent yourself.
It’s about asking you to protect what you’ve already built.

These aren’t trends. They’re systems.
And systems don’t respond well to pressure, they respond to consistency.

​

​ ​

Closing Note | What Comes Next This year doesn’t need a list. It needs a theme that can hold you when life gets loud. In the next Record, we’ll talk about life quakes and how to master tools not as vanity, but as discipline. ​ Maintenance over miracles. Because when life quakes happen, you don’t scramble. They are part of your strength as being a CPO. ​ You will have to choose to be radically honest with yourself and the choices you want to make. ​ For now, release the list. Choose the atmosphere you want to live in. And let everything else build from there. Till the next one. ​ ​ ​Keep leading. ​ ​ ​Did you receive this newsletter from a Chief Pretty Officer? ​​​Join Here.​​ ​​