Navigating this moment & building for the future

This past week’s economic news felt like a punch in the gut (after a tough two years).

Tariff chaos. 🥊
Stock market drops. 🛝
JPMorgan raising recession odds to 60%?! 🤨

Whether this is a short blip or the beginning of a bigger shift, no one knows.

It might be the start of something like Covid… or just another wave in the wild economic ocean we’re all learning to surf.

Either way, I’m using this moment to re-center - and I wanted to share how I’m thinking about it. 👇🏻

Step 1: Let's get grounded

We don’t control the government’s decisions.
We don’t control the economy.

But we do control how we approach our mindset, our energy, our business, and our family.

So start there.

Take a breath. 🧘🏻

This is your “put your oxygen mask on first” moment. 🤿

Yes, there’s fear. There’s noise.
But not everything breaks when markets shake.

Will AI data centers stop building?
Will the need for nurses disappear?
Will software die?

No.

Much won’t change.
And what does change might create new, unexpected opportunities. ♻️

Step 2: Zoom out

If this moment feels big and scary… that’s because it is. 🫣

But it’s also not new.

I’ve been through four big economic dips: dot-com, 2008, Covid, 2022… and maybe this one. 😅

Each one felt like the end.
Each one passed.
And each one created opportunities that led to new, unforeseen growth.

Here’s the data:
📉 Average market drop during those downturns: 40–50% (ouch!)
📈 Average recovery time: ~4 months to 5 years (wow, wide ranges!)
📊 In every case, the market recovered to new highs and boom cycles

So let’s not act like this is unprecedented. It’s not.

This is part of the rhythm. 🕺🏻

The faster we accept that, the faster we can move forward with clarity.

Step 3: Remember where we live

Most of us live in the US. 🇺🇸

Underneath the headlines and short-term noise, one thing remains true:

We’re incredibly privileged! 🏡
We live in the most resilient, opportunity-rich economy in the world.
The U.S. economy has bounced back again and again (and again!). 

And now, we’re standing at the edge of another transformation, driven by AI. 💰

This isn’t hype. It’s real.
AI is creating a productivity revolution across every industry.

Data centers are expanding.
Infrastructure is being built.
New roles are emerging.

That wave won’t be stopped by a few months of volatility. 🌊

I have my son’s Daniel Tiger voice in my head: “Grownups always come back.”
Same goes for the U.S. economy.

We’re not standing on shaky ground.

We’re standing on the strongest financial market in the world and a system built to evolve and endure. 👀

Step 4: Align your mindset

Be realistic AND optimistic. 👯‍♀️

Be the calm, confident voice your clients and candidates need.

Share real data, not headlines.

Be transparent. Be helpful. 🤗

Be someone people remember for how you showed up.

This is leadership.

Step 5: Check your priorities

Financially:

• Audit your spending - business and personal. I cut a few hundred dollars in subscriptions last week. ✂️
  

• Renegotiate recurring costs - insurance, memberships, and software. It’s a great time to cut costs. Companies won’t want to lose you as a customer.
  

• Revisit savings plans - make a financial plan for both the optimistic and conservative versions of the next 12 months.
  

Professionally:

• Review your open roles. Are they solid? Or likely to get paused? 🤔
  

• Double down on the roles that are solid. Get them filled. Now.
  

• Rebuild your business financial model. Budget to your conservative plan, operate to your optimistic plan.
  

Step 6: Communicate proactively

Hiring managers:

Ping them. Gently but directly. 👋🏻

“I want to manage the candidates’ expectations - has anything changed with the role?”

Even if they don’t have news now, you’ve opened the line for next week’s follow-up.

Candidates:

Even if there’s no news, an update is important. 🤛🏻

Be transparent - it will build trust. Silence builds anxiety. 

This is your chance to stand out as the recruiter who keeps it real.

Step 7: Play the long game

BD right now might feel pointless. 

But you know what’s not?
Reaching out to people who will be your clients 6–12 months from now. 🤓

Send a message like: “How are you doing? How can I be a resource?”

The right people will want to talk. ☎️
That CXO who seemed untouchable last quarter? They’re thinking differently now.

Lead with calm, confidence, and curiosity.
You’re not pitching. You’re showing up.

And that matters - a lot.

Final Thought

This is a moment.

Not the end. Not a cliff. 

Just another moment in a long story.

Your job is to be grounded. 🪴
To be intentional.
To lead.

Start with your own mindset. 🫵🏻

Then bring that steady energy into every room:
Your family, your clients, your candidates, your team, your peers.

Pause. Breathe.
Make your plan. ✍🏻

And remember:
You’ve done this before.
You’ve got this.

And if you need support, guidance, or just someone to talk it through - I’m here - and I’m sure others in your network are as well.

Let’s meet the moment and be the leaders others’ need. 💪🏻

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Subscriptions be damned!

As I mentioned above, I went through my personal and business expenses last week, with a special focus on subscriptions and recurring charges. 🧐

I created a few lists:

• To keep 🐵

• To reconsider next month 🐒

• To terminate 🙈

The New York Times app was on my list to terminate.

For me, $25 a month for the news isn’t a good ROI right now.

I was ready to cancel.

I went through the cancellation flow on the app.

And here’s what I found:

$84% off! 🤯

$4/month!

For a year!

Just for going through the process of ending my subscription.

Yes, please! All day. 🔁

What am I doing now?

Going through every single cancellation flow! 🔪

P.S. - For real, though, I’m more nuanced. For apps + subscriptions I use a lot or that deliver a lot of value (like Beehiiv), I support them. But there are many subscriptions that I rarely use so I’d rather try to cancel.

A song for the moment - The beauty in the ugliest of days

This song came on my Spotify yesterday and it felt fitting. 🎧

I’d love to hear what song(s) fit the moment for you!

Lyrics:

Have courage in your heart
To ride with the waves
It's up to you
To see the beauty in the ugliest of days

Have patience my brothers
Live in the moment my sisters
We're all on trial
To see the beauty in the ugliest of days

And when I call, I know you'll be there
And when I fall, I don't have to be scared
Cause you caught me now
And you caught me back then
And taught me to see
The beauty in the ugliest of days

So I call you my friend
In these tattered clothes
With this troubled mind
To see the beauty in the ugliest of days

Have courage in your heart
To ride with the waves

It's up to you
To see the beauty in the ugliest of days

It's up to you
To see the beauty in the ugliest of days

It's up to you
To see the beauty in the ugliest of days

One fun thing: Sam Altman’s note-taking system

The other day I clicked on a very appealing YouTube thumbnail: 😻

A 5-min video viewed 235,000 times in the last 2 weeks!

Of course the bait worked. 🐟

And I learned that Sam Altman uses a simple notepad and pen for his note-taking system.

Check it out. It might work for you.

The video, though, also struck me as… just so damned obsessed with Sam Altman’s every word and action.

So I found it a small relief to find this article shortly thereafter, which made me chuckle:

And all of this is making me wonder, why isn’t anyone selling the “Sam Altman notebook + pen combo” on Etsy? 🗒️🖊️

This world is funny…..

Oh, and BTW, what’s your note-taking go-to?

Mine is Apple Notes. 🍎

PS - If you google “Sam LinkedIn”, which images do you think comes up first? Guess and then try! I was surprised.

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