Happy Thursday CEO,

What if the next level of growth in your business isn’t about doing more…but about being more you?

That’s exactly what I dug into on the podcast this week with one of my dearest friends and favorite humans, Michelle Mercurio, brand strategist, community builder, witchy woman, and all-around magnetic connector of people.

Michelle has had so many iterations in her career - corporate, teaching, branding, human design, tarot, hosting CreativeMornings RVA, leading retreats - and yet everything she does comes back to two core questions:

In this conversation we talk about what happens when you stop trying to squeeze yourself into a tiny niche, a polished persona, or wearing a professional mask and instead let your whole, multifaceted self actually lead.

​In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO, Michelle & I Talk About:​

1. Growth that isn’t just up and to the right​
Michelle sees growth not as a ladder, but a spiral. You may circle back to old lessons, but you return with more wisdom and self-awareness. You’re not behind! You’re evolving.

2. Values that are lived, not just listed​
Two people can choose the same value word, like transparency, and mean completely different things. The power is in the story behind the value: why it matters to you and how it shapes the way you work with clients.

3. Dropping the character & integrating all your selves​
For years, Michelle felt like she had to be a different version of herself in every room. Now her work is about integration where you don’t need a persona. You need a business that can hold all of who you are.

4. Community, networking & being a villager​
We talk about her years hosting CreativeMornings RVA and what it means to build rooms that actually look like your city. We also reframe networking away from elevator pitches and business cards and toward curiosity, stories, and showing up repeatedly.

Here's to showing up 100% as our authentic selves!

Racheal

PS - It's officially the 10 year anniversary of launching Plan Your Best Year Ever!​

In this 100% free 5 day challenge, you'll walk away with:

Here’s what you’ll walk away with:

1️⃣ Clarity on what actually worked (and what to ditch) so you double down on the strategies that drive real results and stop wasting energy on what doesn’t move the needle.

2️⃣ A holistic vision for your life and lifestyle in 2026 including upgrades to your relationships, health, wellbeing, creativity, and personal growth. You’ll define your version of success and discover exactly what you need from your business in terms of take-home pay, time, and freedom.

3️⃣ A business design plan that actually pays you! You’ll use the Get Paid Calculator to set your CEO Salary and ensure your offers, pricing, and sales goals align with the income and lifestyle you want.

4️⃣ 5 needle-moving goals powered by your Client Growth Engine so you can finally escape the feast-or-famine cycle and create consistent revenue through repeatable marketing, sales, and client delivery systems.

5️⃣ A 12-month action plan for consistent growth by mapping out your monthly marketing and sales activities, revenue goals, and key milestones so you know exactly what to focus on each month to stay on track.

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