This chart told me that 80% of Canadian businesses felt “uncertainty” was the biggest concern in Q3 of 2025. For context, during Q4 of 2021 (aka during the COVID-19 Pandemic), only 11% of businesses felt “uncertainty” was their biggest concern.
And when businesses are uncertain, they don't invest.
And when they don't invest, consultants like me feel it first because we don't get hired.
I don’t share this info because I 1000% blame the economy or ‘Merica for what’s happened in my (and so many others’) business. I share this because it helped me feel less alone.
But it also gave me something I didn’t expect: space to actually look at my business with clear eyes.
When work slowed down, I realized how much I’d been operating on momentum instead of intention - and how far I’d drifted from my values without noticing. The economy wasn’t the real problem; it was the pause-button that finally made the real problem impossible to ignore.
So, as of November 8, I decided I was taking an Intentional Strategic Reset: no more proposals, no more LinkedIn posts, no more networking lunches, no more banging my head against the wall to get work in the door.
Instead, I took an entire month off work.
This time away was much harder than I expected - and if you're an entrepreneur that has ever taken a mini-sabbatical, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
For the first two weeks, I was in a constant state of “this is ridiculous / what am I doing with my life? / how is this getting me closer to consistent $35k months?? / am I becoming a trad wife without a husband lol???”.
It felt counterintuitive and silly to step back - I didn’t share my rest plans with anyone aside from my closest friends, my partner, and my mom. And I also felt a twinge of guilt for being in a privileged position that allowed me time and space to rest without financial pressure.
But once I got past the first two weeks, I relaxed. And only then could I see what had been true for a while: my business (and parts of my life) were no longer aligned with my values.
Confession: values have never been a big focus for me. They’ve always been written down in my strategic plan, but they aren’t something I’ve turned to as a ‘guiding north star’ when making decisions, screening clients or designing offers. No more!!
Throughout my time off, I revisited my values in a big way and realized I was so far off the mark in both my life and business that no wonder work wasn’t coming in - Trump or no Trump.
So I started doing things that were in alignment with my values:
- I got rid of old clothes that I no longer loved (I value beauty in my environment)
- I created a personal calendar (I value order and planning - and love putting events, reminders and fun things in my cal)
- I had countless walks / teas / suppers with cherished friends and family (I value loyalty and connection with others)
- I listened to a wild mix of podcasts and audiobooks and read like crazy (I value freedom / growth)
Once I started building my day from my values instead of trying to always get to “Inbox Zero”, my head cleared. I could actually take a step back and reassess.
And that reassessment meant putting space between me and projects, actions, people, and opportunities that no longer fit my values.
The universe even got cute and sent me a pretty great job offer mid-month that was hard for me to decline, BUT I DID IT because it so very clearly violated one of my values (“freedom and growth”).
So I’m writing to you, friend, on Day 1 of my “back to work” time.
And if you’ve read this far, I’ll continue to be brutally honest.
No new clients here (yet).
No new ideas for new offers (yet).
No clarity on what next steps look like (yet).
But I’m here. I’m trying my very best to do things in my business / life that align with my values.
And if you’re heading into 2026 knowing your business needs a "realignment" too - just reply to this email. I’m easing back into consulting, and I’d love to hear what’s going on in your world.
