This past weekend, I received a wonderful gift—without realizing it for about eight hours.

Let me explain.
So, for a lot of 2025, I felt like I’d been battling self-imposed deadlines, and well…losing.
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It didn’t feel so great, but thanks to the inimitable Kristina Driskill and the Positive Intelligence (PQ) approach she introduced me to, I’m much better able to quickly recognize the cast of mental baddies—or saboteurs, as they’re called in PQ-speak—that tend to show up mid-mental battle.

Inspired by Kris’ amazing podcast*, I’ve even named my most prevalent battleground saboteurs:
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“Shoulda” (my inner judge—p.s. everyone’s got one of these according to PQ)
“Hardy” (my inner hyperachiever)
“Ava” (my inner avoider)
“Polly” (my inner perfectionist)

So this past Zoom-appointment-filled Sunday (AKA my personal Monday due to my 1:1 students weekday availability), as I was feeling a bit of cabin fever, my inner wise higher self, Sheena, softly whispered:
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​“Yes, you can go on a bike ride for 30 minutes with your family.”​
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Riding around in the gorgeous weather reminded me that being on a bike has always made me feel about as close to airborne as I’m willing to get (outside of an airplane, that is). I flew around, marveling at pigeon nests in boney-branched trees and inhaling wispy clouds right out of the blue skies (#sorrynotsorry, rest of frozen America).
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When I got back to my desk, I was focused.

Activated.

In a flow state.
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​And it wasn’t until bedtime that I realized the gift I’d received was one I gave myself: permission.

Permission to “let the soft animal of [your] body love what it loves,” in the words of my favorite poet, Mary Oliver.
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And here we are: at the end of the first month of this new year of 2026.
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I’ll continue giving myself permission to bend time this year by answering honestly, moment to moment, the question “What’s needed now?”

• If you’re a senior in high school, the answer to that question might be quiet space to reflect, go have fun with your friends, or maybe even consider a 4-month tattoo of “comparison is the thief of joy” across your wrist while college decision news continues to roll in over the next few months.
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• If you’re a teen student in any other grade or a parent of one, it might be figuring out how to find a spring semester rhythm that supports authentic communication with one another.

And if you’re a human in America right now, it’s almost certainly deciding how to promote warmth and balance in your home, workplace, and community amidst the alarming news coming out of Minneapolis—be it icy weather or ICE-y atrocities**.
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I’ve got you on some tools on the home and workplace front.
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I’m thrilled to be a part of my copy mentor Marisa Corcoran’s CCS Studio Community, and we are sharing our best resources to help you make some of those simple tweaks for the rest of this year and beyond

Presenting…

*drumroll 🥁 please*

The 2026 CCS Studio Showcase & Freebie Extravaganza—now through Friday, January 30!

In addition to my updated bubble-wrapped college planning timeline, I think you’ll love:

And so many more great resources from business owners I’ve met online who have become *real* friends *in real life* thanks to this community. (Plus, their emails will help you as the year progresses with even more tips and strategies!)

Did I mention these are all F-R-E-E?

And if you’re like “hey, what the heck is a freebie?”

It’s likely how you ended up reading this email. It’s an awesome resource, tip or tool a business owner offers that gives you real support and a taste of their style. It’s also the very best way to grow your audience for your business.

So give yourself permission to head on over and grab what you need from the 2026 CCS Studio Showcase & Freebie Extravaganza—it's live now!
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Keep on poppin’ 🫧,
​Mindi​
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*P.S. Also, just do yourself a huge favor and go check out Kristina Driskill’s PQ work and her delightful Saboteurs Slinking in the Shadows podcast.
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**P.S. And if you’re like me, you want to go ahead give yourself permission right now to stop feeling helpless about what’s happening in our country. I researched where to donate and made some plans to get involved in my community, and it felt really good. Here’s a great place to start.