Self-Trust Over Strategies: How I Prepared for a Week Off (And Still Delivered)

Fall Break

My Week Away

Here's what I'm NOT doing this week:

❌ Stressing about my 15 active Residents
❌ Panicking about work critiques piling up
❌ Feeling guilty for time off with Noa to see Harry Potter on Broadway
❌ Convincing myself I need to work harder to deserve rest

Here's what I AM doing:

✓ Visiting my BFF Taryn's office at 30 Rock
✓ Taking Noa to FAO Schwartz for early Christmas list planning
✓ Celebrating early her 7th birthday on November 5th
✓ Driving to New Jersey to see friends of 25 years at their barndominium
✓ Building fires and eating grass-fed steak in a nomadic teepee 
✓ Hitting the Crayola Factory Museum and a pumpkin patch
✓ Catching a show called Beautifica in Randolph, NJ

And yes, I'll still be delivering every work critique that comes in.

But not because I have some fancy complicated system. Because I trust myself.

Let's Talk Systems

Everyone wants to know the how. 

"Erica, what tools do you use?"
"What's your exact workflow?"
"Can you share your Airtable setup?"

And those things matter—they really do. But they're not the reason I can take a week off while running a 12-week residency with private design clients.

The real reason? I trust myself to show up.

I trust that when a Resident submits work through my Kajabi curriculum via an Airtable form and it lands in my inbox, I'll review it. I'll record my feedback. I'll upload the video to our community app.

I don't need to be at my desk to do that. I just need my computer and 60 minutes of focused time.

But here's what most people miss: You can have all the systems in the world, and if you don't trust yourself to use them consistently, they won't work.

Planning Mode

What Actually Happened Before This Trip

I didn't spend weeks preparing elaborate SOPs or panicking about coverage.

I did three things:

1. Scheduled this newsletter to go out on time (you're reading it, so it worked)
2. Pre-recorded and auto-scheduled my social posts inside Planoly 
3. Reminded myself what week we're on in the Residency (Week 7: Curriculum Design)

That's it.

The "system" isn't complicated. It's just consistent. And consistency only happens when you trust yourself enough to commit to showing up.

Planning Mode

The Implementation Day Retreat for Residents

Half way through Tabernacle, and before this trip, we held an Implementation Day Retreat for the Residents. The theme? Moving from fear into faith.

And what showed up in that room—virtually—was everything.

Alba faced her self-doubt and got clear on her visual identity fonts and colors for her upcoming launch 

Angie restructured her curriculum (see last week's newsletter for the breakdown) and gave her concepts memorable names: The Two Questions, The Crisis Breath, The Morning Anchor.

Monica created her full retreat promotion strategy—one reel per week, one long-form feed post per week, running from now through April.

Petra launched three offerings live on her website AND wrote six blog posts that will give her weeks of content.

Nicole posted her first reel without having to show her face while realizing: "I don't always have to be seen but I will be heard."

Nikki ordered business cards and landed on this: "I'm offering an experience and an invitation—not a solution or a fix."

Every single one of these women did the thing they'd been avoiding because they decided to trust themselves more than their fear.

They didn't need a better strategy. They needed to believe they were capable.

We are not talking tatics

The Ceiling Most of Us Hit

The ceiling most spiritual entrepreneurs hit isn't a lack of tactics.

It's not trusting themselves enough to commit to one clear path.

You have the knowledge. You have the gifts. You probably have more tools and trainings and certifications than you even use.

What you might not have is the self-trust to say: "This is my path. I'm committing to it. I'm showing up even when it's imperfect."

Because perfectionism whispers: You need just one more thing before you're ready.

And comparison whispers: That person's doing it differently. Maybe their way is better.

And fear whispers: What if you fail? What if no one shows up? What if you're not enough?

But self-trust? Self-trust says:

"I'll figure it out. I've done hard things before. I can do this."

✿

This work—building your business with integrity, showing up for your clients, doing the inner work around visibility and worth—this IS your spiritual practice. You're not separate from your business. Your business is an extension of your gifts. 

And when you trust yourself enough to show up fully, everything changes.

Until next Sunday, keep trusting yourself more than your strategies.

With soulful support,
Erica