He was sitting at a regional airport in Central Queensland, waiting for his flight home after night shift (not envious about that bit).

But guess who happens to walk past him?

Jimmy Carr.

Omg…Jimmy Carr is THE GUY that would be #2 on my list if you were to ask me, “Leanne, if you could have dinner with 5 people in the world, who would they be?” (feel free to guess my #1 in the comments).

I love everything Jimmy does - his book, Before & Laughter is in my top 3 memoirs, I love his life philosophy (here’s a terrific interview he did on Diary of a CEO), so of course we’re booked in for his Brisbane gig this weekend.

Ever since Chris has arrived home, I’ve asked him to replay the interaction about 17 times: Was Jimmy tall? Was he wearing his suit? Was he smiling? What EXACTLY did he say?

Here’s exactly what Jimmy said…

Chris waved at him + said, “Hey! How are you?”

Jimmy replied, “Hey mate. I’m great - you know, rich and famous!”

Ahahaha. This line is SO Jimmy Carr.

It’s precisely on-brand. It signals his entire worldview in two words - self-aware, unapologetic, comic.

Which is what I wanted to talk to you about today: Go-to lines.

Jimmy needs a go-to line because he gets waves and random hellos every day of his life.

It’s a cognitive shortcut that he can rely on.

And he's not the only one. Peloton instructors have made an art form of it with their one-liners, here are some of my fave go-to lines:

• “Grab water. Grab a towel. Get your life together.” - Cody Rigsby

• "I am. I can. I will. I do." - Christine D’Ercole

• "If you don't squeeze your glutes, no one else will” (LOL) - Adrian Williams

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You don’t need to be rich and famous to have a go-to line

There’s value in all of us having go-to lines.

On my podcast, Leanne on Demand, 95% of my solo episodes start with, “Hey! Thanks for tuning in to Leanne on Demand today”.

While it’s unoriginal, I find it helpful to start with this consistent line as it eases me into my monologue. When I host workshops or step on stages, I really just focus in on those first few lines to reduce the nerves.

It just acts as a nice little settler.

Getting started is genuinely the hardest part.

There’s a well-documented concept in psychology called task initiation inertia, which is the idea that the moment before you begin is the highest-friction point of any task.

Once you’re in, momentum takes over.

A go-to lines moves you off the Hesitation Station

A go-to line is essentially a launch sequence that bypasses your hesitation loop entirely.

There’s a Harvard, Columbia, and Wharton study I love on this - “Don’t stop believing: Rituals improve performance by decreasing anxiety” (Brooks et al., 2016). Researchers found that performing a ritual before a stressful task lowers heart rate, reduces self-reported anxiety, and improves performance.

You see this all the time when watching pro tennis players’ before they serve… Oh, and Alan Weiss and I also have a fun ‘toasting’ ritual before our Talk the Walk live-steam (here’s a replay of last week’s episode: How to design high-end client experiences) before our go-to lines, “Good morning, Alan! Good evening, Leanne!” makes kicking off the call a little bit easier.

The great news is that the ritual doesn’t need to be meaningful to anyone else. It just needs to feel meaningful to you.

For me, a go-to line is just a small, repeatable phrase that helps me move from yet-to-start to started.

It’s a small thing but something to consider as you go about your day - what could your one-liner be, either to start a meeting, or respond to a request.

Or maybe it could be something a little different from the default “Good, thanks!” when someone asks how you’re going.

Hit the heart 💙 and tell me in the comments what your line could be..!

Leave a comment

🌴

Leanne “But Was He Wearing A Suit” Hughes

P.S. Final roll call: We start in 180 minutes. In today’s virtual masterclass, I’m distilling seven years of MARKETING lessons into a 90-minute session on how to build a personal brand that wins premium consulting work. If you can’t make it live at 9:00 am AEST, the recording is included, all for US$100. 👉 Grab your spot before we kickoff

Today, I’ll share the EXACT email sequence that scored me a dream gig at Suncorp Stadium last weekend.

More on that below.

But first, a countdown: We start Session 1 of my masterclass series (Workshop Design) in three hours. If you want the frameworks I’ve used to build this business, grab your spot now.

(…And a quick shout-out to everyone joining from Stevie’s recommendation - welcome! And if you don’t know , you’ll absolutely LOVE reading about her latest adventure: I’ve Moved to a Greek Island With My Two Young Kids and I (Finally) Feel Alive Again 🇬🇷)

I Just... Asked

The anticlimactic story behind hosting a panel at Suncorp Stadium

Last weekend, I hosted the Brisbane Roar in Business event at Suncorp Stadium. It’s the second year I’ve hosted this event, this time sharing the stage with Michael Zullo (former Socceroo), Mari Seidl (Roar Midfielder), and Matthew Heath (Swyftx).

We talked about leadership, high performance, and navigating uncertainty. Afterward, my DMs blew up with one question, “How did you get THAT gig?”

People assume there’s a secret handshake or a high-level agent involved. Unfortunately, the truth is so boring it almost doesn’t feel worth sharing.

That’s exactly why I’m sharing it.

The email trail

Let’s rewind to June 21, 2024.

I was browsing the Brisbane Roar website and noticed they had photos from a corporate event I’d missed. So I emailed the generic contact address.

“Happy Friday! I was wondering if you could send me details on the Roar in Business network?”

She replied: “We’re looking at hosting a few more. Would you like me to reach out with information once these have been finalised?”

I responded on June 28: “Yes please! Would love to stay up to date with the events.”

If this were a movie, the story would end there. Leanne signs up for the mailing list. Leanne attends the next event. Leanne eats a sausage roll in the corporate box and goes home happy.

But a couple of days later, I had an idea….

I was probably making a coffee or walking Quincey when I realised - I’d just signed up as an attendee, but I run panels and host events for a living.

Why was I sitting on that?

Now, my first instinct wasn’t to fire off a bold pitch, it was to talk myself out of it.

I sat on it for a couple of days. Then I decided the cost of sending a slightly awkward email was a lot lower than the cost of wondering what would have happened if I had.

So on July 1, 2024, I sent this:

“Sorry, just adding to my previous email. I’m a business speaker/consultant, as well as an OG Roar Supporter (I helped set up The Den way back in 2005!).

If you need someone to help host panel conversations, MC, or speak in any way, I would be delighted to help out at a Roar event.

Happy to chat more! No problem at all if not interested, just thought I’d throw the idea out there.”

That’s was it.

She reached out last year, inviting me to host the panel. Then again this year.

Why it worked (and why it almost didn’t)

Looking back, the email passed a test that I now think about whenever I’m reaching out cold. Two criteria:

1. Find a task or skill that nobody else wants to do.

Hosting a live panel in front of a room full of corporate guests is something that gives a lot of people a physical stress response. For me, it’s super fun. When you offer to host, facilitate, or speak, you’re solving a massive headache for an organiser. You’re removing a problem from their to-do list.

2. Make sure that task is tremendously helpful to the person in charge.

I wasn’t pitching a keynote about my book. I was offering to make their existing event run better. That’s very different. It also helped that I could prove alignment - I’d been a supporter since 2005. I helped set up the original supporters club which made the ask feel natural.

By the way…

I’ve sent versions of this email many times - to organisations I admire, to events I wanted to be part of, to people whose work I follow. A lot of the time, I don’t hear back.

I’m not sharing the Roar story because it always works. I’m sharing it because it worked this time, and the only difference between this one and the ones that didn’t land, is that I kept sending them.

And yes, I know. It’s the Brisbane Roar. They’re not Liverpool FC. But hey, Suncorp Stadium is my Anfield.

You probably have your own version of this. A club, a brand, an association, a company you’ve followed for years. That kind of genuine affinity is rare, and look, we have one life, so why not reach out?

Don’t be scared to dream about working with, or for your a company, person, association or sporting team you admire.

Do your research - have a look at their website, events, strategy, connect with employees at the organisation on LinkedIn and see what they’re up to…

Then ask yourself: is there a gap I could fill? Is there a problem I could solve?

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Tell me - have you reached out to someone you admire and offered to help out? Who, or what companies would be on your dream list? Let me know in the comments.

Catch what you can with Leanne (upcoming development opportunities)

1. How to design high-end client experiences (free live-stream)

Alan Weiss, the rockstar of consulting, and and I are BACK for martini + coffee time, coming to you LIVE on LinkedIn, where you can jump in, comment, ask your questions + enjoy the banter!

If you want to command premium fees, you need to deliver a premium experience.
We’re going to talk about the psychology of premium buyers, how to position your value from the very first interaction, and why your fees should reflect the transformation you provide, not the hours you work.

🍸 Martini Time (US): Thursday, 23 April @ 5:00 PM ET
☕ Coffee Time (AUS): Friday, 24 April @ 7:00 AM AEST

Join our LinkedIn Live (or catch the replay here).

2. Last Call: The "Best Of" Series starts at 9am

I’m kicking off Session 1 of 3 in Leanne Hughes - The Best Of (7 Years Distilled) series in three hours.

If you want the shortcuts, the templates, and the hard-won lessons from 7 years in the trenches, you need to be on the Zoom (okay, it’s being recorded, too).

• Session 1: 90 Minutes to Masterful Workshop Design Friday 24 April

• Session 2: 1 Idea → Infinite Opportunities Friday 1 May

• Session 3: 7 Years of Solo Business Systems Friday 8 May

You can grab individual sessions for US$100 + tax, or the Full Bundle for US$180 + tax (saving you $120).

See you next week,

🌴

Leanne “Put your hand up“ Hughes

P.S. If this "no-luck-involved" breakdown made you think, hit the heart 💙 button. It helps more people find the strategy behind the "luck."

I INSTANTLY regretted saying that the moment it left my mouth.

During a client meeting for a new project requiring a full change plan, I did the Gantt chart planning in my head. I knew this work would take serious Leanne brain bandwidth.

My final book manuscript was also due the following Monday morning - so aiming to submit a client deliverable after that made a lot of sense.

Instead, I declared, “I’ll have that to you this Friday!”

Whyyyyy?

If you've ever said something similar and immediately regretted it, you're not alone.

For me, it comes down to a toxic combination of people-pleasing tendencies and a genuine addiction to pressure. Nothing mobilises me more than the stress of a looming task. If there was no pressure, I’d literally just bed-rot all day with my sausage dog.

Btw, the etymology of the word ‘deadline’ is pretty horrific. It originated in American Civil War prisons, where the “deadline” was a physical boundary. If a prisoner crossed it, the guards were ordered to shoot.

If you crossed the line, you died.

(On an aside, have you noticed how aggressive business language is? We have bullet points, target markets, headhunting, we ‘tackle’ tasks, ‘trigger’ workflows, have ‘frontline’ leaders, and we’re all just ‘killing it’?)

My Friday commitment isn’t life-or-death, but I act as if it is, because what do you have to lose?

Oh, you know, just trust, the single-most important commodity in a service-based business.

Anyway, I’d like to think one day I’ll change my behaviour and not set ambitious timeframes. But I don’t think I’ll ever change.

I got the change plan done, went on a boat + 6-hour champagne blitz for my friend’s b’day, and also submitted my book manuscript on time (here’s my post-celebratory LinkedIn post).

Yup, it sucked a little, but even after going through all that, have I learnt anything?

Nope! And it’s because - I adamantly believe there’s upside to setting a tough time-frame for yourself.

Example:

I recently looked up a guy I follow on LinkedIn to see if he had a regular Substack newsletter.

He does, but his bio reads: “I only share posts on Substack when they’re worth posting.”

His last post was back in January.

This can be a bit of a trap and there are two ways of looking at it:

1. Be like this bloke and wait for a “great idea” before sharing it. If I lived this way, you’d never get an email from me, because what does a ‘great idea’ actually look like? Who decides? Then, let’s say you wait 3 months before sharing something with your audience… It better be an absolute belter of an idea - they’ve been waiting MONTHS to read it. I find this approach creates more pressure.

2. Set a hard, specific deadline, like 5:50 am every Friday (the deadline for this weekly letter to you), and share what’s top of mind. This reminds me of my favourite Seth Godin quote: “Saturday Night Live doesn’t go on at 11:30 p.m. because it’s ready. It goes on because it’s 11:30 p.m.”

The other week, I almost skipped writing to you.

What was most top of mind was my Achilles injury ( boring). However, this Achilles post became one of my most “hearted” articles (thank you!). I got phone calls from lovely people checking in, very kind emails, and even an invite to speak at a national podiatry conference.

The magic of a deadline is that it helps to mobilise you.

Disclaimer: I’m not endorsing burnout hustle culture type commitment, where you lose sleep over what’s ahead of you and are frazzled 24/7…But just giving you a different perspective to consider when planning out your time, and asking a new question: Do you REALLY need an extra few days, or weeks… What would it look like to produce and ship something right now? And using that feedback to improve whwat you do?

Here are three ideas on how you can use deadlines to your advantage

1. Use pressure to say goodbye to perfectionism: A tight timeframe is the ultimate antidote to tinkering. When you only have until Friday, you are forced out of “perfect” mode and into “good enough” mode - which, most of the time, is exactly where you need to be. The next time you’re tempted to push a deadline back, ask yourself honestly, How much better will this actually be if I take an extra two days? The answer is usually “not dramatically better.” An aggressive deadline forces you to deliver the 80% that matters, drop the 20% that doesn’t, and move on to the next thing.

2. Own your calendar before you commit (ha! This lesson is written for me) Before you agree to any deadline, open your calendar, and make sure it’s one calendar that holds both work and life. I throw everything into a single Google Calendar: car servicing, appointments, dog walks, social events, all of it. Once you’ve committed, work backwards. Block out the actual time to do the thing. If I’m speaking at a conference on 21 July, I’ll add at a minimum two hours on 21 June to map the idea, two hours on 7 July to develop it, and two hours the day before to pack, practise, and rehearse. I share more on that in this episode 🌴55. Leanne’s (boring) way to manage overwhelm

3. Manufacture the pressure. If you don’t have a deadline, make one up. I mean, aren’t all deadlines simply made up anyway? I think this is why there are so many meetings - a meeting is usually a manufactured deadline to force us to produce something before we walk into the room. It’s the same principle that mobilises you to clean your house before the cleaners arrive. If you’re procrastinating on something, make it public. Book a meeting to review the work, or send an email saying, “I’ll have this to you by Thursday at 3 pm.” Always share a specific time.

What’s a ‘fake’ deadline you’ve set for yourself that actually worked? Let me know in the comments.

Leave a comment

Which brings me to my own manufactured deadline.

It’s my 7-year biz-aversary, and I’ve been meaning to consolidate everything I’ve learned about workshop design, marketing, and solo business systems into one place. If I didn’t set a deadline, I’d be tinkering with this idea until 2028.

So, I did what I always do: I over-committed, made it public, and put it on the calendar.

I’m calling it The Best Of (7 Years Distilled) - three live virtual sessions across three consecutive Fridays (April 24, May 1, and May 8), starting at 9am AEST.

I’m going to share the exact frameworks that built my business, saved my sanity, and generated real ROI.

Grab the full bundle of 3 sessions for US$180 + tax, or individual sessions for US$100 + tax.

→ Grab the 3-Session Bundle

Or pick the single session that excites you most right now:

• → Session 1: 90 Minutes to Design High-Ticket Workshops - April 24

• → Session 2: 1 Idea → High-Paying Opportunities - May 1

• → Session 3: 7 Years of Profitable Solo Business System - May 8

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What’s a fake deadline you’ve set for yourself that actually worked? Let me know in the comments.

And do you also over-commit in the moment, or is it just me…?

🌴

Leanne “Chronic over-committer” Hughes

P.S. If this lands for you today, tap the heart 💙. That little click helps my ideas reach the next person who needs it.

Craig’s sitting directly across from me in a crisp white shirt.

I was in the middle of a story, using my hands for big, sweeping gestures to drive home a point, when my left hand clipped my glass of red wine.

Time seemed to slow down as I watched a full glass of Shiraz begin its trajectory toward his chest. I could see the horror in Craig’s eyes.

In that split second, my career arc felt like it was bending in the wrong direction.

Then, in some lizard-brain survival instinct, I caught the glass mid-air before a single drop landed on him.

All of us at the table paused and burst into laughter.

Career Limiting Moment (CLM)?

Avoided…Phew.

But I’ve had many CLMs over my career.

A few weeks into a marketing role for a multi-million dollar maritime simulator, I sent a strategy document to the Managing Director. I had spent two weeks researching demographics and buying patterns to ensure the project was commercially viable.

I ended my note with, “You’ll find this is a very effluent market.”

Her reply landed minutes later - and I thought, Oh wow, she must be so impressed already!

But she wrote just one line: “I think you mean affluent. Look up effluent.”

I did.

Effluent is liquid waste or sewage discharged into the sea.

I had just told the person who hired me that our multi-million dollar target market was quite literally full of crap.

Blush

Oh, and there was that very first time I visited a mine site, when this CLM occurred (video snippet below).

These moments feel terminal when they happen.

Your blood rushes to your face and you wish, in Cher’s words, you could simply “Turn back time”.

But these are the stories not only serve as Career Limiting Moments, but Career Laughing Moments…and more importantly, Career Learning Moments… the kind of stories people actually want to hear.

Keeping your work receipts

In my next book, I write about keeping your Work Receipts. Building a file of evidence - screenshots of great emails, recognition you’ve received, and comments that remind you that you’re actually good at what you do.

I started keeping mine when I was employed, just by moving nice emails into a sub-folder in my inbox.

These days, I take screenshots on my phone and save them into an album.

Here’s an example of a lovely client email I screenshot last week.

I don’t look at this folder every day.

I look at it on the days when I need a bit of a pep in my step. On those days, I open the folder and scroll through, and it reminds me that I’ve done good work before and I’ll do it again. The evidence is right there.

But the brag file is only half the picture.

Your CLMs belong in that file, too.

They’re relatable, bring people together, show that you’re willing to take risks (sometimes unintentionally), and own the fallout.

Too often, we’re scared to try new things, or we’re wary of being innovative because of the fear of failure. But what if you could celebrate failed attempts, or at least normalise it by talking about it more?

Think about the last few roles you’ve held - where did you properly stuff things up? When did you walk away from a meeting thinking, “Oh dear, well, that’s going to follow me around for a while”? What did you learn?

Sure, these moments are not the best at the time - that’s the point.

But they serve as brilliant reminders of how much you’ve grown (I have the correct spelling of ‘AFFLUENT’ seared into my brain), and they’re connective tissue - stories you can share to help build trust and pull people in.

SIFT these stories with your team

One way to capture these moments is to start asking people to share them. A neat framework I learnt from reading The Story Cookbook, is to run an activity called SIFT (shared by Lisa Evans).

SIFT stands for:

• Stuff Ups (or, if you’re in the US, “screw ups”)

• Insights

• First Times

• Transformations

You can use the SIFT framework to build a collective “cringe folder” with your team. Instead of the standard status update where everyone pretends to be crushing their KPIs, go around the room and ask for one story from the last 90 days based on a Stuff-up, an Insight, a First Time, or a Transformation.

This surfaces the actual texture of the work - the friction, the experiments, and the accidental wins…and also gets laughs, too.

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Announcing: A brand new masterclass series: The Best Of (7 Years Distilled) with Leanne Hughes’

I have spent the last few weeks SIFTing through my own work, as it’s my seven year biz-aversary.

To celebrate, I’ve decided to take the best of what I have learnt across workshops, marketing, and systems and distill them into three live virtual sessions.

You’re invited!

The series runs across three Fridays (April 24, May 1, and May 8), starting at 9am AEST. That’s 11am NZST and 7am AWST/SGT. For North America, it’s Thursday evening: 7pm EDT / 4pm PDT.

All sessions are recorded, with the full bundle of 3 sessions available for US$150 (for 72 hours only), or individual sessions for US$100.

Paid Work Fame Substack subscribers get access to one complimentary session - hit reply and let me know which session (1, 2 or 3) you’d like to attend.

Session details below.

Alternatively, pick the specific session that suits you:

Session 1: The Best Of…Workshop Stream

Friday 24 April · 9am AEST | US$100

Seven years of workshop design distilled into 90 minutes - my all-time favourite/impactful activities, run sheets, and facilitation moves that reliably work across different contexts and group sizes.

👉Book The Workshop Stream

Session 2: The Best Of… Marketing

Friday 1 May · 9am AEST | US$100

The best lessons from writing books, articles (like this one), podcasting, LinkedIn, and live events - how to develop a clear point of view, turn one idea into many, and build an online presence that drives fun opportunities.

👉Book the Marketing Stream

Session 3: The Best Of…Running a Solo Business

Friday 8 May · 9am AEST | US$100

The tech, workflows, and decisions behind seven years of solo business - how to capture ideas, use AI day-to-day, and run things without overcomplicating them, or burning out.

👉Book the System Stream

I’d love to hear your story - leave a comment and tell me the most ridiculous thing currently sitting in your "Cringe Folder."

Or, if you simply enjoyed reading this, and have also survived a Career Limiting Moment, click the Heart 💙 button.

🌴

Leanne “Sifting 7 Years” Hughes

P.S. If you’re undecided on which stream to pick, the bundle cures your FOMO + includes all the recordings on a private podcast, so you can listen on the go. Grab the bundle here.

I thought it was healed after Everest Base Camp, so I stopped doing strength exercises and jumped right back into running.

That was a terrible idea.

This year has been tough. Not being able to run, which is where I do my best thinking, has knocked me around more than I expected. I didn’t realise how intrinsically linked it was to my identity. My sleep has been patchy, energy a little flat (NOTHING in the world beats a post-runners high!), and I know other people have far tougher health challenges, but it’s definitely a downer from time to time.

So, I’m throwing it all into recovery - from physios and alternative therapies to massage, shockwave therapy (painful), frequency patches, drinking collagen, and taking Chinese peptides (okay, I lie about the peptides, here’s a funny scoop on that).

There have been a couple of practitioners I regularly return to, and for a while, I assumed it was because their methods were better.

On reflection, though, I see their approaches aren’t all that different.

So, why do I keep returning to these two people?

They genuinely believe I can recover.

It’s not like they offer fake encouragement like, “You’ll be fine, babe,” but more like, “Leanne, this will take time, but yes, you can get back to where you were, and you will be stronger, too.”

They’ve said it with so much conviction that I’m starting to believe it myself.

We outsource belief more than we realise

When I think about why people come to me for consulting or coaching, it’s often the same dynamic. While they think they’ve signed up for specific expertise, advice and strategies, I think the most valuable thing they gain is the belief that they have it within them, to do x, too,

We all want someone in our corner who genuinely believes we can pull it off. Someone who tells you, “You can do it!” (love this video compilation below, warning: strong language).

We’re human. Of course, the aspiration is 24/7 bullet-proof self-belief, but the reality is that yes, it can run low at times.

The most helpful thing someone can give is borrowed belief - someone who looks at your situation and says, “Yes, this is tough. But you can handle tough.”

Think about the best leader you’ve worked with, the best coach, the best teacher. Chances are, they made you feel like you had the force within you to make things happen, when you were feeling a little unsure.

Belief as a tool

I recently read Nir Eyal’s () new book Beyond Belief, and I really like the idea that beliefs are tools, not absolute truths.

A useful question he shares is to ask yourself is, “Is the belief you’re holding helping you progress?”

Personally, I like having a bit of constructive delusion. Maybe I see things more positively than they really are, but that optimism helps me try new things, experiment, and get involved.

I care less about whether a belief is perfectly “correct” or backed by hard data, and more about whether it helps me see new possibilities, take action, and live with enthusiasm.

Any belief that helps you take better care of yourself, so you can help others, is worth keeping.

So if you lead, coach, or consult, keep this in mind

It might sound obvious, but no one will follow through on a strategy they don’t believe will work.

If you’re running a team, coaching a client, or leading a group, ask yourself: are you giving people hope that it’s possible?

Your belief audit

One of my fav practical ideas from Nir’s book is to do a belief audit. I liked playing this tune in the background when I did mine.

Step 1: Write down your current beliefs about a situation you’re in (for example, this war/fuel crisis we’re experiencing).

Step 2: Review each belief and ask:

• Which of these beliefs are opening doors?

• Which ones are closing them?

Treat your beliefs as upgradeable tools that you can swap out when they stop serving you. The good news is our beliefs are malleable!

If you’re going through a time when your self-belief is low, seek out the people who believe in you.

And if you’re in a position to lend that belief to someone else? Don’t underestimate what that’s worth.

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Pop-up podcast: The Campfire Method with Jan Keck

This week, I jumped back into the host seat of the First Time Facilitator podcast, to chat with Jan Keck about his soon-to-be-released book, The Campfire Method, and how to build real connection in groups (without awkward icebreakers).

We talk Risk Ramps, choice, quieter participants, TEDx lessons, and why the small moments before a session starts matter more than most facilitators realise.

Sign up to hear about his new book here: https://campfiremethodbook.com/

Watch the interview on YouTube or listen on the First Time Facilitator podcast.

🌴

If you’re celebrating Good Friday and the Easter weekend, may it bring you peace, reflection, and forgiveness.

Leanne “Constructively delusional” Hughes

P.S. If this lands for you today, tap the heart 💙. That little click helps my ideas reach the next person who needs it.

Leave a comment

Whatever your answer, it’s a reminder that the stuff we can’t control (wars, supply chains, global oil markets) makes the stuff we can control even more important.

Which is exactly what this week’s edition is about.

1. The grass isn’t greener

A journalist got in touch with me recently to comment on this line I shared with her, and instead of letting my response sit in my Sent Items, it’s here for you today.

Leanne, what do you mean by, “The grass isn’t greener… It’s just another shade of brown?”

A senior engineer once said this to me early in my career while I was looking for other jobs. His point was simple - we assume other organisations have it all together. They don’t. The line sounds cynical upfront, but it’s empowering. It shifts the question from “Will another organisation make me happier?” to “What am I not taking ownership of here?”

We romanticise the next role - better culture, better leadership, better balance, better pay with less stress. But what usually happens is we trade one set of problems for another. Every workplace has pressure, politics and imperfect humans. When people change jobs expecting emotional relief, they’re often disappointed because they take their own patterns with them.

We also forget the green patches we already have.

We fixate on what’s frustrating and assume the next organisation will fix all of that while keeping everything we currently take for granted. Often, the next place has its own brown patches in exactly the spots you assumed would be green.

When I first heard that quote, I was spending every commute home scrolling job ads. Instead of quitting my job, I started volunteering for cross-functional projects, hosting internal sessions, and building relationships outside my reporting line.

The environment didn’t change, but my reputation + influence did. Within eighteen months I was leading cross-functional projects, running workshops globally, and absolutely loving the job I’d previously wanted to quit.

Leanne, why are professionals expecting their organisation to “fix” their career?
There’s a growing narrative that organisations are failing employees. Sometimes that’s true. But in many cases, the individual has more agency than they’re using, because it’s comfortable to outsource responsibility.

Employers owe you pay and a safe workplace, that’s the baseline. Purpose, meaning and progression aren’t guaranteed perks. They’re outcomes you help create.

It’s easier to say “there’s no pathway” or “my manager doesn’t develop me” than to ask - Have I clearly stated what I want? Have I invested in myself without waiting for approval? Have I demonstrated capability beyond my job description?

No one is thinking about your career as much as you are. That sounds harsh. It is actually freeing, because it puts you back in control.

What are some practical tips for starting?

I think most professionals over-invest in doing good work and under-invest in being known for it. One quick point: Protecting your energy is sensible. But coasting in third gear long-term isn’t neutral (I am SO over the quiet quitting movement). It chips away at your confidence, your momentum, and how much you enjoy your day-to-day.

A few practical ideas:

• Check for FoML before you act on FOMO: People often leave a manager, not an organisation. FoML is Fear of My Leader. Ask: if this were the same job under a different leader, would I stay? If yes, explore internal moves first. Sideways moves can build skills, relationships and leverage fast.

• Host things: The quickest way to build visibility is to convene something: run a lunch-and-learn, facilitate 10 minutes of a meeting, or share a short project debrief with three takeaways. Hosting puts you in rooms you’d never normally be in, with people who wouldn’t normally see your work.

• Build relationships before you need them: Opportunities move through conversations long before they hit job boards. Pick five people whose work you respect and reach out with curiosity: “I’ve been noticing what your team’s doing on X. I’d love to understand it better.” I also recommend “friendtoring”: a regular catch-up with a peer in another part of the business to swap context, share what’s shifting, and learn how to get the best out of where you work.

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What career advice would you add? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

2. The goal to be second best

Last week I went to a Minerva Network event sponsored by Golf Australia at Golf X. Quick context: I’m a mentor with the Minerva Network, which supports professional female athletes. It’s brilliant.

They gave us Callaway high ponytail caps (finally, a cap that works), there was a putting competition to win a full set of clubs (I was out first round), it was a ton of fun.

Golf Australia’s mission is that every woman has golf as their second sport. Such smart positioning - they’re not there to compete with netball, tennis, hockey or WAFL. What they’re saying is whatever your main sport is, just add golf.

I used to play on and off a few years ago. I have clubs. I just… stopped going. And one of the reasons why is that I don’t have any girlfriends who like to play… so I’m ALL IN on Golf Australia’s new mission (who’s up for a hit sometime?!)

Question for you:

Where in your work or career could you stop competing for first place, and start positioning yourself as the perfect complement?

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3. Getting unprofessional with Miriam Hadness

I jumped on the Unprofessional podcast with Miriam Hadnes recently and we got into how being unprofessional changed my life (for the better!).

In this episode: why tight deadlines are a gift, what happens when you fuse your identity with your work, and why disliking failure and fearing it are two very different things.

See you next week!

🌴

Leanne “Karrie Webb-Wannabe” Hughes

p.s. Nodding along? Click the Heart button. Bonus points if you drop a comment.

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Your logo is on the bibs, on the banners, on the merch. Tens of thousands of runners with disposable income, all seeing your brand at one of the most iconic races in the world.

What a coup!

Then, while your colleague is on the ferry heading to the start line, they send you this video (see below).

If you can’t see the video, here’s what’s happening - runners are crammed onto the ferry, all looking towards the Statue of Liberty, while across the harbour a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry, wrapped in bright red, cuts into the scene with a giant Nike message: “NYC won’t carry you. It pushes you.”

Before the marathon had even begun, Nike was part of the experience, and the scene was all over the socials. Honestly, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when that stunt got pitched.

Btw, it wasn’t just the ferry - Nike ads were perfectly placed all along the marathon route and across New York City, plus they wrote a 6-page love letter to runners in the New York Times the following day.

They weren’t the official sponsor, but that didn’t stop them from making a HUGE impact. I think people loved them even more because it was so brazen.

If you were New Balance, you’d feel a little heartbroken.

Of course, Nike has a budget most of us can only dream of. But the main idea here is something everyone can use - you don’t need an official title to make an impact.

Nike could have just accepted that New Balance got the sponsorship and thought there was nothing they could do. Instead, they found another way in and took it.

I once worked for a company that did things the same way.

Wicked Campers. I get it - people often groan when they hear the name. But hear me out, because back then, they were truly great at this.

Think about what you expect from a campervan rental. You return the van with a full tank and worry about every scratch or dent because of the deposit. It’s all very strict, like Britz or Maui.

Wicked Campers couldn’t compete in that way because their vans were older and rougher.

So they decided to stop competing on those features and benefits, and made them an advantage.

Return the van without fuel? No problem. Scratches and dents? They just painted over them, often with the next wild design. They turned every weakness into part of the experience. What should have been drawbacks became the reasons people picked them.

What joins these two examples together?

Both Nike and Wicked Campers refused to let the absence of something stop them. Nike didn’t have the sponsorship; Wicked Campers didn’t have the fleet.

In both cases, they looked at what they were missing and asked a better question: “What can we do instead?”

We can all ask ourselves that question.

Maybe the thing you think is holding you back is actually the thing you can use to stand out.

For example, I’m a solopreneur. Some people hear that and think smaller. But the advantage is that clients deal directly with me, not a chain of intermediaries. There’s no handover to graduates, no passing the work down the line, and no inflated overheads built into the price. I’m also faster and more responsive.

Reflect: If you had to turn one limitation into a talking point, what would you choose and how would you frame it?

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Here’s some helpful resources to encourage you to think along these lines:

• Just Enough Evil by Alistair Croll and Emily Ross (book).

• The Nike story on Acquired (a brilliant, brilliant listen).

ASAP needs a rebrand

Here’s a poll I asked on LinkedIn, and there seems to be mixed messages on what ASAP actually means.

There’s no correct answer, it’s all subjective, and that’s why I think the lesson here is - remove ASAP from your vocab, and just give people a precise date and time.

One interesting point from the comments was that ASAP lands differently depending on the channel. A phone call feels more “urgent” while an email can feel passive, abrupt, or easy to ignore. It just reminds me of that quote, ‘the medium is the message’.

Interview of the week

Thanks to Joeri from The Solo Sauce Podcast for this interview. We recorded it a few days before I flew to Nepal last year, and I remember being extremely busy/flat out from trying to cram too much in my week, so he got a nice unfiltered version in this interview(!). It's a brilliant chat around my podcast journey, building a community, writing my book, the illusion of 'busy' and so much more!

Also, welcome new readers!

Finally, great to have a bunch of new readers, thanks for joining us. Here’s some links to some of the most reader-loved articles:

As always, click the Heart 💙 if anything in this article resonated and I’ll check in with you next week.

🌴 Leanne “ASAP(ish)” Hughes

p.s. Are we connected on LinkedIn? If not, change that by sending me a connection request. Or, follow more off-the-cuff stuff over on Instagram.

And if you’re feeling like everyone else has figured it out, you’re not the only one. Today, I thought I’d share how I try not to feel extinct, even as a 42-year-old elder millennial.

I jumped on a LinkedIn Live yesterday with Lisa Mulligan to talk about this exact thing (watch the replay here).

Here are five ideas that emerged from our conversation.

1. Resilience? So 2025. This is the other ‘R’ skill that matters.

I think the critical skill right now is resourcefulness. Resourcefulness puts you on the front foot, it’s proactive and it means you go out and find the thing before someone hands it to you. You teach yourself and you solve problems with whatever you have available.

(The anti-resourceful person gets sent to this website).

Almost everything you need to learn is free - all of the tools have free tier, tutorials are on YouTube, communities are open. The barrier to entry has never been lower.

2. Focus on “what” not “how”

I mean, this isn’t new - Covey wrote about it “Begin with the end in mind”.

Begin with what you want to achieve, then work backwards and use AI to help you get there. We’re in the no-code era. You don’t need to understand how AI works under the hood. That’s the best part. Don’t tell AI exactly how to do something. Tell it what you’re trying to achieve and let it work out the route.

If you go in dictating the method, you might end up recreating an old process when a better one already exists, especially as LLM models keep improving. Ask AI to recommend tools, suggest a sequence, or map out the steps.

3. Make it lighter (without the laptop)

One mistake I made was thinking I had to be on my laptop to use AI properly.

I associated it with sitting down at a desk, opening tabs, and doing serious work, which meant it started to feel a bit boring, like homework. And boring is a barrier.

What’s worked better for me is using AI on my phone, in real life, while I’m out and about, for example:

Yesterday morning, I printed out my book manuscript and instantly felt overwhelmed. Then I thought, hang on.

I opened ChatGPT on my phone and said, “I’ve got this manuscript, it’s due Monday morning, today’s Thursday. How do I get this right?” Within minutes, I had a project plan, a colour-coding system, and clear steps for each day.

Lower the friction. Don’t make AI a formal event. Make it something you can reach for in the moment you need it.

4. Give yourself credit - you’re probably using more AI than you think

Many of us don’t realise we’re already using AI with our existing tools.

Lisa shared research from PwC, Harvard Business Review, Stanford, and Berkeley that share the same pattern - women’s adoption of AI tools sits around 25% lower than men on average. Women are more likely to report never using AI tools at all.

I saw those stats and wanted to explore them.

If you have an iPhone and you’ve ever typed “dog” into your photo search bar, the technology that finds all your cute photos is AI. It’s already embedded in the tools you use every day, we just don’t always call it that. A lot of your favourite apps are quietly embedding AI into how they work.

You’re already in the game, way to go!

5. My three-pronged approach to staying in the loop.

If you’re wondering where to practically start, here are three things that have worked for me. I call them the three Ps (quick video below)

1. People. Find your people and let the algorithm do the rest. If you go onto YouTube and search for AI content, there are creators out there who will completely repel you. It can be very bro-ish. But within that same algorithm, there are people where you’ll think, oh, I resonate with this person and their approach.

   Once you find that one person whose style clicks with you, then the algorithm starts serving up more of that kind of content, and before you know it, you’ve built yourself a curated feed.

   Also, organise AI Jams with your friends colleagues / jump on calls and share what you’re doing behind the scenes (my friend Andy Storch did this recently with his community and raved about it).

2. Podcasts. Podcasts are your secret weapon here, and not for the reason you’d expect. Yes, you can listen on the go. But the real value is what happens when something lands and you hit Pause (another P word!). When you hear an idea, stop. Ask yourself: how would I apply what I just heard to a challenge I’m already facing?

   A lot of tech creators share examples that won’t be relevant to your world. So the skill is translating that to your own context. I find I’m pretty good at this when I’m out walking. I recommend listening to Greg Isenberg, even one episode of “The Startup Ideas Podcast” will get your wheels turning.

3. Play! Subscribe, cancel, and play. Jump in and try to break the tool (hard to do!) but just give it a go, have fun, experiment.

   One practical tip: when you find a new tool you want to try, pay for the subscription and cancel it immediately. You’ll still have access for the full 30 days, but you won’t get charged again if you forget about it.

Okay, that’s a bit of a summary of what we shared during the call.

I’d love to know which Point (1 → 5) you like to use the most when you approach new tech / a new thing?

Leave a comment

ONE MORE LIVESTREAM THIS WEEK:

Jump in and join Alan Weiss and me for our latest Talk the Walk LinkedIn livestream. It’s on Thursday 12 March 4pm ET (US), and Friday 13 March 6am AEST (Australia).

🌴

Leanne “Elder Millenial” Hughes

p.s. If any of this was useful, hit the heart 💙 (or get your AI agent to do it - no judgment here).

But first - a random quick poll. I’m curious to see how many of my fellow left-handers are reading this…

Okay, let’s get back to original programming…

1. Your name is the subject line

The best piece of real estate I ever bought cost me $11.99.

Before you start following me for investment advice, let me reveal the “property”, it’s my domain name: leannehughes.com.

I bought it in 2009, back when I was a faithful employee with zero business aspirations. I just saw the way the wind was blowing and thought, “That’s my name. I should probably own the virtual home of it”.

And even now, when new social media platforms emerge, I always jump on to register my name. ln a world of AI, changing algorithms and deep fakes, your name is becoming one of the few things you actually control.

Owning your virtual real estate is step one. Making your name worth clicking on? That’s the bigger challenge.

My Talk the Walk co-host, Alan Weiss, sends a Monday Morning Memo. I don’t read the subject line. I see “Alan Weiss” and I open it immediately. I do the same with Jenny Blake’s newsletters. These people (among others) have achieved ‘Default Open’ status.

For me, their name is the subject line. I know the value they bring, whether it’s insight, helpful tips, a laugh, or just a good story. The content is almost secondary to the promise of the sender.

50% of you see my name appear in your inbox and open it (thank you for reading!), the other 50% it’s a “Naahhh”, “Maybe later”, “Too many emails”, or a “Leanne who?” - I haven’t yet achieved Default Open status.

All of it adds up to one thing: when someone sees your name, they have an idea of what they’ll be getting. Yes, this is ‘brand’ and it’s more important than ever in a world of overwhelming inboxes.

However, this doesn’t just apply to newsletters. Think about your own inbox at work. Whose emails do you open first? Whose meeting invites do you accept without hesitation? Those people have earned Default Open status with you.

The question is - have you earned it with anyone else?

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2. The geeky bit

It’s been a big week of hosting virtual calls for various clients. I’m typing this after jumping off a call with education leaders. They wanted to know how I was pasting all my text so quickly for instructions into Chat.

I showed them how I did it (without using a StreamDeck), and they LOVED seeing behind the scenes, so thought I’d share my back-stage with you today.

In my book The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint, we create what I call a SPARK sheet, which is my version of a run sheet. I usually have three columns: Timing, Topic and Tools. But for virtual sessions, I change the third column from Tools to Tech.

Here’s a screenshot of what that looks like (if you can’t see the image in your email, scroll above and click the ‘View on browser’ link.

I developed a colour system that hasn’t changed since 2020. Orange highlight is directional (what to do). Yellow highlight is the text that I, or my Tech DJ can paste directly in as a chat prompt. I have this doc open on the side of my Zoom screen when I’m hosting calls.

What’s a Tech DJ? I’ve worked with Jan, my Tech DJ, since 2020, when he helped me roll out hours upon hours of leadership workshops for clients around Asia and the Middle East that year.

Since then, he’s been my wingman on calls, organising breakout rooms, screen shares, music, chat prompts, waiting rooms, tech support for people on the call. Sometimes I’ve been thrown out of my own Zoom room and he’s taken over until I get back. So good.

If you run virtual sessions, I can’t recommend this setup enough. Having a Tech DJ frees you up to actually be present, instead of fumbling around with keyboard shortcuts and buttons. It’s hands free facilitation.

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3. Next week! Join me on two LinkedIn livestreams

AI is the age of women (Thursday 12 March)

You know I’m obsessed with tech (here’s an article I wrote about my $11,899 tech stack) and when Lisa Mulligan from The Culture Ministry called about running an AI/tech live-stream, I said yes!

Here’s Lisa’s event write-up: I’ll be talking to (and learning lots) from tech-loving, early-adopting, super-energetic Leanne Hughes about:
• How she stays up to date with technology,
• Her successes and fails in being an early tech adopter, and
• Why she thinks it’s important for women in particular, to be part of the technology change we are seeing.

She also told me she will bring some of her tech toys along (squeal!).

→ RSVP on LinkedIn.

Talk the Walk with Alan Weiss (Friday 13 March)

Talk the Walk is a 30-minute variety show I co-host with the rockstar of consulting. I suggested we talk about work and travel, Alan replied with: “What about The Whole Life?”

So this one’s about everything that isn’t work. The cities we love, TV shows we recommend, and the random hobbies and experiences that make you interesting at dinner. Because if you’re working this hard and not building a life you actually love, what’s the point?

Bring your martini (ET) or your coffee (AEST).

We’re on:

• USA time: Thursday 12 March, 4:00pm ET

• Aussie time: Friday 13 March, 7:00am AEST

RSVP on LinkedIn.

If any messages here resonated with you, tap the heart 💙

🌴

Leanne “Loves buying website domains” Hughes

p.s. A bunch of new people have joined my world lately, so here’s a quick hello. And yes, while I love virtual work, you can’t beat in-person. Here’s a 60 second sample of my speaking work/vibes (warning: this is not your typical speaker reel).

(Asking for a friend).

We’re drowning in high-performance culture.

My feed is currently a graveyard of everyone 23x-ing their output using Clawdbot and optimising their morning coffee for maximum neuro-impact.

Or worse, drinking matcha… (sorry, not sorry).

Anyway, back to my original question.

The reason I’m pitching ‘Average Performance Coach” as something aspirational is that I believe the (usually self-imposed) pressure to be extraordinary slows us down.

Here’s what prompted that thought this week.

On a whim, I flew to Sydney yesterday for a lunch curated by Suzi Dafnis of Her Business. I’d planned to spend the day writing my book, but the temptation of hanging out with smart women in real life tipped me over the line.

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We went around the table doing intros. A bunch of women shared creative projects they do outside of business. Ceramics, painting, leather work. Beautiful, slow stuff.

I ended up in a group conversation with Valerie Khoo, host of the podcast So You Want To Be A Writer. She was encouraging another lunch guest to get back into writing. Her advice was simple:

“Just buy a journal and start writing your thoughts over coffee.”

Then she added this cracker caveat:

“Oh, and buy yourself an average journal. Don’t get anything too fancy, otherwise you’ll feel like you have to write something amazing.”

That is the whole problem, isn’t it? We make the container too precious, so the content has to be precious, too.

And suddenly… we don’t start.

Lower the stakes

This is why deadlines help - specifically, deadlines that feel slightly too soon.

Back in 2018, I flew to Singapore for a 2-day workshop hosted by Sean D’Souza on how to write a sales page. After the session, he said to our group: “Please send me what you have before my flight tomorrow morning so I can review it on the plane.”

If he’d given me two weeks, I would’ve agonised over every sentence and built a masterpiece in my head that never saw daylight. Because I only had until “tomorrow,” I felt fine sending something average.

He gave me feedback fast. I improved it. The momentum continued and I got the sales page online. Done.

Whatever deadline you think you need, cut it in half. The tighter the deadline, the less room there is for perfectionism to show up and start redecorating.

Be “Barely Adequate”

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received came from author of The Coaching Habit, Michael Bungay Stanier. When I asked him what advice he had for first-time facilitators he surprised me by sharing this phrase , “Be barely adequate.”

Watch the clip here (or, the full interview if you like).

Leanne’s tips for lowering the stakes

Here’s what I like to do to reduce the pressure on myself.

1. Buy the average journal

This is more of a metaphor than a shopping trip. Every project comes with a set of heavy assumptions that slow us down. When I launched my daily podcast last year, Leanne on Demand, people were stunned. They assumed a podcast had to be a 45-minute polished interview.

Who says?

I did 3-to-10 minute voice notes. By lowering the production bar to average, I actually got the thing out the door every single day.

Look at the project you’re avoiding. What rules are you following that are actually just roadblocks? If the “standard” version of your project feels too heavy, change the format until it feels average enough to start.

Oh but if you do want to take this advice literally, I’d recommend getting a notebook from Muji or even Kaisercraft.

2. Set a “Micro-Deadline”

Whatever time you think you need, you’re probably overestimating. Speed is the best filter for perfectionism, set harder deadlines.

3. Define the “Floor”

Before you start a task, ask: What does a ‘3 out of 5’ look like here? We usually aim for a 6 out of 5.

4. Use the “placeholder” method

If you get stuck on a specific word, a title, or a piece of data, don’t stop. Type [TK] (journalism speak for ‘To Come’) and keep moving. You can go back and fix the “average” parts later, but only if you have a draft to work with.

Hope this helps get you started!

Tell me: What would “average” look like for you, in a good way, this week?

Leave a comment

🌴

Leanne “Your Average Performance Coach” Hughes

p.s. If you thought this was an average article, hit the Heart 💙 and let me know (it’ll warm my heart!)

Here’s the site I created to make my ideas more “easily” searchable by AI tools.

Here is the full process I follow for every framework page, from raw idea to published page with schema markup.

Where the frameworks start

Most of my frameworks start…

Read more

1. Why the future of selling belongs to hosts

2. How to stay visible when AI becomes the search engine

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1. Why the future of selling belongs to hosts

Have you heard about live social selling? Live commerce is already worth around US$1 trillion globally. By 2030, it’s projected to hit US$3.7 trillion, growing at 24% annually.

And in China, their live streaming e-commerce market hit nearly 5 trillion yuan in 2023 (that’s around US$695 billion). “Going to the shops” in China increasingly means opening a livestream with your favourite host, not walking to the shops.

Buying behaviour is shifting.

It’s so weird because growing up as a kid in Australia in the 1980s, I remember the famous Tim Shaw Demtel Home Shopping infomercials (“But there’s still more!”). That’s basically what live social selling is, only this time watching it on TV and phoning a 1800 number, you watch live hosts on social media (like TikTok or WhatNot) and click the ‘Buy Now’ button directly from your phone.

I’ve been watching TikTok live sellers for the past few weeks and what they’re doing is exactly what we do as hosts in a room.

And I keep thinking... I already know how to do this!

For example, these hosts run a show, they have great segments, product demos, stories, Q&As. They co-create with the audience. Viewers ask questions, request demos, challenge claims.

In China, those billions in sales are driven by charismatic hosts and key opinion leaders. Your ability to hold a room, build trust in real time, and make complex things feel simple. The best live sellers behave more like TV presenters or workshop facilitators, than traditional sales reps.

Anyway, something to consider if you have this skill set. You don’t even need to store products, you can dropship items, sell through affiliate marketing, etc.

The key question of course is, "What would I sell?”

I’m thinking something along the lines of endorsing my favourite travel products or tech tools. Anyway, watch this space, I might run a mini experiment with it (after I’ve submitted my book manuscript!).

2. How to stay visible when AI becomes the search engine

This week while I was meant to be at a solo writing retreat shaping up my manuscript, I got slightly distracted.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made a ton of progress on the book (progress = deleting 11,000+ words which is a good thing. You do NOT want to read the early version, it was terrible).

Anyway, while I was away, I ended up spending about 30 mins each day quietly rebuilding parts of my website.

I actually enjoy tinkering with websites. I built my first site when I was 14. It was a fan website dedicated to my favourite Socceroo, Harry Kewell. Total Football UK ended up reviewing it, too, which was kinda kewell…

Anyway, let’s get back on topic:

This post is about why I’m renovating my website a little, and the shift in how people find expertise online.

For paid subscribers, I’m sharing the exact step-by-step process to build each page.

But first, some context

The way people access information has changed. When you want an answer to something, you do not always go to Google and click through ten blue links anymore. You might ask ChatGPT.

Or you might still use Google, but the answer appears at the top of the page in an AI-generated summary before you click anything. How does it know what to post in the summary?

In an ideal world, my work is referred in conversations, or someone hears me speak, reads my book, listens to the podcast, reads this newsletter, etc. I still want that to happen (Plan A).

But making sure I’ve optimised my online presence means I need to renovate HOW my content is delivered online (Plan B).

Two concepts worth knowing

I’m not jumping on the “I’m an AI guru” bandwagon but I do recommend getting familiar with these two terms:

1. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is about making your content visible to AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude so they reference you when someone asks a question in your area.

2. AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is about structuring your content so it gets pulled as a direct answer in Google’s AI Overviews and featured snippets.

You create content that is specific, authoritative, and genuinely useful because AI systems favour that kind of content because it is easy to extract, cite, and trust.

Often, you already have the information on your site, it’s just about restructuring it in a way that is AI-friendly.

A page that says “Hi, I’m Leanne, book me” is not going to get cited by anyone. A page that thoroughly answers “how do I design a two-hour workshop?” with a named framework, clear steps, and practical examples? That has a real shot.

Why am I telling you this?

1. If you read my stuff often, you know that I love being the guinea pig and trying out new things…But also?

2. Because this applies to more people than you might think.

If you run your own business (consulting, facilitation, coaching, speaking), your ideas probably live in scattered places right now. The fix is to get your frameworks onto properly structured pages on your website.

If you are a founder/leader inside an organisation, think about your product or service.

When someone asks AI “what is the best tool for [the problem you solve]?”, does your product show up in the answer? If your team has a genuine methodology, a unique process, or a framework that your best customers already use to get results, that is your content.

👉 Explore my new frameworks page here.

If you are a paid subscriber, I’ll send a second email to you shortly, sharing exactly how I built each framework page, step by step, including the process, the tools, and the prompts I used.

Have you heard about GEO and AEO? What are you doing differently?

Leave a comment

🌴

Leanne “Add to Cart” Hughes

p.s. Hey, a quick thank you. I just discovered that my podcast, First Time Facilitator was voted in the Top 5 global facilitation podcasts in the 2026 Session Lab Facilitation Impact report.

p.p.s. If you learnt something new while reading this, click the Heart 💙 to let me know!

How on earth does that happen?

Well, it was quite simple. They decided to send a wedding invitation to Bad Bunny, Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world (2025).

I love this story.

I mean, how many of us have flippantly mentioned to our mates, “Oh, how amazing would it be if Tom Cruise came along to my book launch?”

… Just me?

Anyway, I bet this couple were the same! They probably said, “Wouldn’t it be incredible if Bad Bunny sung at our wedding?”

But they actually took the next step and sent the invite.

Total wildcard move. No doubt they said: there’s NO WAY he’ll respond.

But whaddyknow? They were invited onto a Zoom call where they learned Bad Bunny wanted them to get married during his halftime performance.

Life can be cool like this. But it takes a bit of audacity to dream up that wildcard experience, and the courageous follow-through to send an invite.

I sent a wildcard invite to someone this week

I can’t imagine they’ll get back to me. And that’s okay.

But actually doing it felt great.

I mean, the chances of getting a response if I DON’T reach out? 0%. But if I reach out, surely that increases to at least 1%. Which is better, right?

→ What invitation are you keeping in the drawer because you’ve already decided the answer is no?

(Oh and Tom Cruise, if you are reading this, send me a reply).

Further reading on this:

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12 resources from seven years of facilitating

Last week was International Facilitation Week. To celebrate, I dug through my shelves and shared the 12 resources that moved the needle for me from my first workshop to a global consulting business.

The books (pictured below) aren’t all “facilitation” books.

Some are about the business side. Others, like Jonah Berger’s work on social psychology, don’t get talked about enough in our world. But understanding what influences how people behave in groups? 11/10 recommend.

Beyond the books:

• Workshops Work podcast by Myriam Hadnes (now called Unprofessionalism) has a brilliant back catalogue.

• A Facilitator’s Journey podcast by Kirsty Lewis covers the business side.

• The First Time Facilitator podcast (mine!) has 250+ episodes tracking the journey from newbie to business owner.

If you enjoy this list, you might enjoy this article too: Don’t Read These 21 Books.

A 60-second reminder to get out of your own way

There were a million reasons why I shouldn’t have been trekking in Nepal last November.

It feels like ages ago now, but we’re lucky because the extraordinarily talented Brisbane filmmaker Ben Taylor recorded the epic trip.

Here’s the 60-second doco trailer. The theme of our trip, and the full-length documentary, is: Get Out of Your Own Way and is out at the end of May.

→ Watch the trailer

The ultimate life skill I believe is having trust in backing yourself - giving things a shot. The biggest competition is not external, it's the belief and self-talk going on inside.

Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut or ‘hack’ to building this. It’s just consistently putting yourself in the ring, getting used to falling down, facing rejection, and welcoming that experience over and over again.

The good news? You also get to experience the incredible upside. And that’s what keeps you getting back in the ring.

I learnt a lot about that in November. Here’s what I wrote on the experience: The Average Person’s Guide to Getting High.

Join us on LinkedIn Live

“No guilt, no fear, no peer.” I heard Alan Weiss say this at a workshop in Las Vegas years ago. Someone in the room added “you’re lucky I’m here” and it stuck.

I’ve asked Alan to dig into it with me on our next Talk the Walk livestream. We’re exploring the difference between ego and actual esteem, and what can change in your business (and life) with a fearless approach.

BYO coffee, your martini, or your questions on Thursday 12 Feb, 4pm ET / Friday 13 Feb, 7am AEST

→ Join us live, or watch the replay on LinkedIn.

A small number of 1:1 spots are opening

Most of my work is group programs, workshops and keynotes. A few times each year I work privately with a handful of people who are already doing well and want to move faster.

Because it’s personalised, there’s no set curriculum. It’s based on where you’re at and what you most need help with. This is a PAYG month-to-month offer, no lock in, with a combination of calls and on-demand support.

If any of the above sounds like where you're at, reply with "1:1" and I'll send you the details.

🌴

Thanks for reading!

If any of these ideas resonated with you this week, I invite you to click the heart 💙 .

Leanne “Wildcard for the Win” Hughes

P.S. Curious what this would look like for you? Drop a “1:1” reply.

My request got denied.

I worked in organisational development and had become obsessed with podcasts as a learning medium. The conference felt like a chance to understand the craft from the inside.

But fair enough. I guess it wasn’t immediately transferrable to my role.

However, I was still keen to go.

So I requested annual leave. I paid for my own ticket and I went anyway.

That decision changed my life.

You gotta be in it to win it

At the conference, there was a raffle to win a book by author Andrew Griffiths. To enter, you had to write your podcast name on a piece of paper and drop it in a hat.

Slight issue:

• I wanted to win the book.

• …But I didn’t have a podcast.

Because I really wanted that book, I sat there thinking about some advice I had learnt at the conference: If you want to start a podcast, make it about something you want to learn more about. That way you’ll keep going, even if no one listens to it.

At the time, I was running workshops and figuring it out as I went.

So I wrote “First Time Facilitator” on a blue Post-it note and dropped it in the hat.

I made myself a deal: if my note gets pulled, I’m creating the show.

A few minutes later, Andrew was on stage. He reached into the hat and it was like slow motion.

He pulls out a blue Post-it note.

“Congratulations Leanne Hughes, podcast host of First Time Facilitator, come down and tell us what your show is all about!”

WHAT THE..!

I had thirty seconds to scramble, get to the front of the room and explain a podcast that didn’t exist.

I can’t even remember what I said.

But I played along and explained the premise of my fake show.

I turned that lie into the truth a few months later, releasing the First Time Facilitator on Apple Podcasts.

The wrong question everyone asks

Before committing to any event, conference, or training program, someone always asks: “What’s the Return On Investment (ROI)?”

It’s a totally fair question.

I ask myself the same thing.

But it’s also the wrong question.

Sure you can read the event, training or session outcomes and say, “Okay, as a result of attending this event, I’m going to 10x my income!"or, “I’ll learn how to use AI to slash my working hours to 2 hrs/day and retire next month!”

But that’s all false because the ROI of any event is something you create - what you will do, who you will meet, what you will personally extract from the experience.

Two people can attend the exact same conference:

• One leaves with a handful of new LinkedIn connections and some great travel footage for Instagram Stories.

• The other leaves with a powerful new identity.

The event is raw material/stimulus.

The ROI of any room you walk into is determined by you.

A quick caveat: I'm not saying sign up to everything. Obviously, do your homework first. Check who's running it, who's speaking, whether the content actually aligns with where you're headed. The point isn't blind enthusiasm. It's that once you've decided something is worth attending, don't outsource your ROI to the organisers. That part's on you.

How do you extract value from attending an event?

Here are some things that I’ve done in the past:

• Do some prep. Look up speakers and fellow guests, send a connection request that includes that you’re attending the conference.

• Organise your own side quest. Think about dinners, coffees or walk and talks you could host outside of the official learning times. Or, host a little thing for contacts in that city that aren’t going to the event.

• Stay a little longer: If you’re travelling even staying an extra day helps you consolidate/commit to action before arriving back in the real world. But even if it’s on your ‘home ground’, you can put this buffer in your calendar, too.

• Decide the output before you attend… or maybe not even that. Block time in your calendar over 30 days post-event for taking action, so you’re committing to implementing something.

• Volunteer at the event. Offer to introduce a speaker, host a table discussion, or summarise key takeaways for the group. Hosting gives you access.

• Really listen to the other questions people are asking and how they’re describing their challenges/opportunities. It gives you good intelligence as to what’s going on around you, and potential content or business ideas.

• Follow up within 48 hours. Send a voice note or short message to the people you connected with while the energy is still fresh.

• Debrief with someone who wasn’t there. Explaining what you learned to a colleague or friend forces you to distil your key learnings. Or, scale that by writing an article like this!

What would you add to the list?

Leave a comment

One more thing

I hear people occasionally say, “Oh, I’d really love to build these skills and do that PD but my company won’t pay for it”.

Nooooo. If I’d waited for my company to approve that conference, I wouldn’t be writing to you right now.

I love this quote from Jim Rohn

You are the only person who will advocate for your growth with the intensity it deserves.

Back yourself to extract the ROI.

🌴

Leanne “Mining for ROI” Hughes

I love this place. We visit every year. In fact, I love it so much, my personalised car number plate is BANGKOK.

Strangers ask me all the time: "Excuse me, why do you have that as your plate?"

There are two reasons:

1. As above. We love this city. I often joke, “If you can’t get it in Bangkok, it doesn’t exist”. There’s incredible food, service, best rooftop bars, massages, variety of shopping malls, amazing hotels.

2. Bangkok is my spirit city. It's a crazy, messy, chaotic place... but somehow, it just works. It reminds me of how I operate: don't judge me on my process (or what my desktop looks like), judge me on the end result.

There’s always something new to learn here, so sharing some anecdotes with you today.

Oh! And I also packed my Ray Ban Wayfarer Meta AI glasses for this trip, so scroll down the bottom of this email where I’ll unpack my experience using them.

1. Who is the Real Influencer?

Chris and I were at a bar in Sukhumvit, the expat area of Bangkok. He was happily working his way through a few beers, and I was starting to slow down, definitely thinking about the exit.

The bar staff were totally on to it.

They were that type where you only need to accidentally glance in their direction and they’re already picking up your eye contact and offering you another drink.

And when they saw me, they saw a woman who was about to tell that guy it was time to go home.

So, they scooted over and offered me to try their home-made sausage rolls for free (which I politely declined because I’d already filled up on hot chips/fries, of course) but I appreciated the gesture.

And then they offered me something I couldn’t resist.

They invited me to jump on their bar laptop and pick my favourite songs for the entire bar to listen to - my first DJ gig, ha ha!

That worked.

I happily stayed a little longer.

By keeping me engaged, they kept us both at the bar, and made more money.

There is almost always a “Shadow Stakeholder” in the room. This is the person who can veto your idea with one comment because it’s too much work, or it doesn’t fit their vibe, or they just don’t trust it.

Or, hey…Maybe they were just being nice? Or, maybe they just KNEW I had great taste in music?!

Who knows.

But I like the lesson here:

→ Are you paying attention to the person who decides when the party is over?

2. Texting Mr T

We’ve been using a transport fixer named Mr T for years. If you need a lift from Bangkok to anywhere, you send a Whatsapp message to Mr T.

The exchange is always the same: a couple of quick texts, a driver in a decent car appears reliably on time, you pay cash, and the job is done. He once rescued a friend of mine whose original trip was cancelled at the last minute; Mr. T had a car there in five minutes.

For a long time, I thought Mr T was just a guy with a busy phone, lots of friends with decent cars, and very quick texting skills.

Yesterday, I asked my driver about him. He laughed. “Oh, it’s a huge operation. Very big.”

How has someone scaled to this size while keeping it feeling this personal?

The systems are there, they’re just invisible to you as the customer. All you experience is quick, reliable, human service, just like you’re texting a friend.

→ How can you make sales feel low friction, like you’re just texting a mate?

3. Solve All the World's Problems With a 2x2 Framework

In 2022, I released “Two by Tuesday”, where my challenge was to create a new 2x2 framework weekly.

2x2’s are great because as you start drawing them and filling in the gaps, you can’t resist but place yourself in one of the boxes as a super quick self-reflection exercise.

I use them all the time to frame a concept or idea at the beginning of many workshops I’ve delivered for clients.

So, I was delighted to see it used to pick the perfect cocktail as you overlook a Bangkok sunset!

Cheers 🍹

(and if you’re wondering, I stayed on theme and selected the ‘Sunset’ cocktail)

4. I Wore Meta AI Ray Bans for a Week (Here's What Happened)

If you’re a regular reader, you know that last year I pre-ordered a pair of Halo glasses. But they’re still in pre-production mode and I’m an impatient person.

I want to give these wearable smart glasses a go, so I picked up a pair of Meta AI Ray Bans and packed them in my suitcase.

Actually, that’s a lie.

I didn’t pack them in my suitcase.

• I wore them as I walked onto the plane.

• I wore them when my bubbles arrived.

• I wore them when cabin crew took my order.

And I captured all of that footage.

Which is Point 1: Privacy.

It’s a bit scary. On the pack of these glasses is some instruction text “Make sure you ask someone if you can film them” (and yes, I did tell cabin crew).

But how do you monitor this? At least when you’re holding a phone, people know they’re being filmed. But with these, it takes a pretty astute person to look at the sunglasses, try to see if the blinking white light is on (which isn’t so obvious).

And scarily, a secondary industry has popped up, where you can pay someone to disable the LED privacy protecting recording light.

So, just sharing that with you upfront.

Aside from privacy concerns which yes, admittedly, are a big consideration, what’s the upside?

Okay, so much.

Point 2: Hands-free-freedom

The fact you’re NOT waving a phone around is strangely freeing.

I’m surprised at how much I LOVE not having to get my phone out to take photos and record videos on my trip. If you find you pick up your phone to take a photo, then get sidetracked by clicking an app, then you’ll love that freedom, too.

You can use both hands - so for any type of sport, hiking, or movement, like driving, you can capture it, it pretty much works like a Go Pro.

The footage is incredible, too. I was amazed at the clarity.

Here’s a YouTube Shorts video I made running through Lumphini Park so you can determine the quality yourself.

But, can’t you film this with your phone, Leanne?

Yes. But there is something so lovely about walking around, hands-free, shooting content. I think it gives an interesting perspective as well. You’re filming literally from your point of view, from what you are actually seeing at your height, at a moment in time.

I think because they are so discreet, you can take it out and not feel self-conscious when you walk around the breakfast buffet, filming all the food stations (which is yes, what I did as well. Although, if you’re the type who gets self-conscious taking out a phone to record, you’ll probably also feel very self-conscious wearing shades indoors!).

Point 3: Other random features:

• I had directions on my phone and as I was walking, it was like driving a car - I had navigation in my ear, telling me where to turn, so I didn’t look like a tourist.

• I was talking to a client, Jax at a workshop recently who works with blind and visually impaired students. She mentioned how these glasses are incredible because you can enter a space/look at something and ask, “Hey Meta, what do I see here?” and it describes the scenario for you.

• You can stream music directly from your glasses and make calls, all without having to pop anything else in your ears.

Do I recommend getting a pair? It really depends on what you want to do.

If you’re like me, and enjoy capturing footage on the go, I think you’ll LOVE these. Just check to see what data you’re signing over to Meta AI, as that is also a major consideration..!

Hit the heart 💙 if any ideas here resonated, and I’d love you to tell me in the comments: What is YOUR spirit city, and why?

Leave a comment

🌴

Leanne “Just Call Me DJ Hughesy” Hughes

It’s a client: “Where should we meet tomorrow? I can drive anywhere that works for you.”

The problem with this:

She lives on the other side of town. I have an airport drop-off before meeting her, and another meeting back on my side of town immediately after.

I have zero local intel on the “in-between” areas.

Cue the familiar brain explosion.

As you know, knowing where a suburb is on a map and knowing a good meeting spot in that area are two completely different skill sets.

Maybe you’ve experienced this, too?

For me, this logistical dance usually involves five browser tabs, three map cross-checks, and way too much bandwidth.

But I found a better way of dealing with it…

Presenting: Leanne Hughes’ “I can’t believe it’s not butter” super simple but awesome solution

Okay, okay, I want to be upfront: The solution I’m about to share is embarrassingly basic.

But I’m genuinely excited about it because it’s easily the best use of AI I’ve found all year (I can say that, given it’s only 16 Jan).

Rather than opening Google Maps trying to find a location halfway, I did something different.

I opened Google Gemini instead, and typed one specific sentence.

“Help me find a cafe for a meeting that’s easy to get to from Brisbane Airport, but is closer to Woolloongabba/Coorparoo and open today, 12pm, Thursday 15 January, with easy parking.”

Two minutes later, I had the perfect solution mapped out: a genuine halfway point, vetted with insider local knowledge, and delivered as a live, interactive Google Map.

It felt like hiring a local concierge who already knew the traffic patterns, the cafe vibe, the parking situation, and the opening hours - without me having to cross-check a single thing.

AMAZING.

When you combine Gemini’s reasoning with Google Maps’ live data, it gives you outstanding information on one page.

It knows that 12 PM on a Thursday is a different beast than 8 AM on a Sunday. It understands that “easy to get to from the airport” means staying near major arterials like the Clem7 or Airport Link.

How else can you use the force of Gemini + Google Maps?

The magic isn’t just asking “Where is X?” or “Coffee near me” because you can just use Google Maps for that.

The power is in adding the context of your life.

• ❌ Don’t just ask for a cafe.

• ✅ Ask for a cafe with shade, near water, that takes bookings, isn’t busy between 8-10am, and is on the way to your next meeting. That’s when AI moves from search engine to your personal concierge.

Another example, let’s say you’re at a conference and organising a meetup:

• “I need a restaurant for 8 people tonight at 6pm near [hotel name]. It needs vegetarian options, offer online bookings, be lively but not deafening, and have reviews mentioning they allow separate bills or split payments.”

Anyway, that’s one key idea this week, but one that you’ll hopefully find as insanely valuable as I did!

Your turn

What’s a logistical headache on your calendar that you could solve with one specific prompt?

Leave a comment

The start of the year is when small changes make an outsized difference.

I love working with founders and leaders who want to build momentum early, simplify how they work, and kick things into gear (fast).

If a radical reset is on your radar, email me at hello@leannehughes.com and tell me what you’re aiming for. I know a good halfway cafe… or we can keep it simple and chat virtually.

🌴

Hit the heart 💙 if this gave you an idea worth testing.

See you next week!

Leanne “Finally has a personal concierge and so can you” Hughes

p.s. Apparently, our producers love us, so Alan Weiss’ + Leanne Hughes’ Talk the Walk’s season has been extended. We’re on soon discussing “New Year, New Idea(s), Thursday 15 Jan 4pm ET (Friday 16 Jan, 7am AEST), join us live on LinkedIn or watch the recording.

If you asked AI to generate an image of "Utopia," it would give you Queenstown, New Zealand.

It is so perfectly rendered it almost feels fake, and returning to the "real world" has given me the exact jolt to kick-start my 2026.

This trip was with a great mate, Angela. Usually, my travel is for work, holidays with Chris and the family, or to climb a mountain (standard, ha ha). It’s incredibly rare for me to travel without a 'purpose.' We pre-booked absolutely nothing, which felt incredibly rejuvenating - and we still didn’t miss out on a thing. Highly recommend visiting once in your life!

You can choose your own adventure there.

• Keen to indulge? Wineries, restaurants, onsens, leisurely walks around the lake. Definitely visit Ayrburn. I don’t even like rosé that much and still walked out with this bottle. The owner clearly sees what’s coming with an ageing population. He’s building residential apartments AND a private hospital on the property.

• Want thrills? Luge, shotover jet, bungy-jumping, skydiving, mountain biking, steep hikes, so much.

Right, enough about holidays, here are three thoughts for you.

1. What’s Your Anti-Word?

Everyone’s talking about their word for 2026.

(Btw, I’m not against this exercise, it’s actually great and I highly recommend my friend Jason Fox’s program: The ‘Choose One Word’ Ritual of Becoming).

However, I’m going the other way.

I’m choosing the word I want out of my life. The word that I want *cues best Squid Games voice*, eliminated.

That word is “maybe.”

This landed for me while listening to a Tim Ferriss podcast episode featuring Derek Sivers. They were talking about simplicity, and Sivers made a distinction that stuck.

Listening to that, I had one of those uncomfortable moments of recognition.

Most of my “maybes” are just delayed no’s.

It’s just that I’m too chicken to say no upfront.

I’m delaying the inevitable because I’ve convinced myself that Future Leanne is more capable than Current Leanne.

It’s like when I go grocery shopping at Coles:

1. I think, “I only need a few things,” so I grab a basket.

2. Then I see more stuff I want.

3. Instead of going back for a trolley, I keep piling things into that basket.

4. Soon, my arms are shaking and the plastic is cutting into my palms - all because I didn’t want to commit to the trolley in the first place.

I tell myself, “Future Leanne can handle this heavy load.”

But really, I’m just making life harder for myself.

The same thing happens with opportunities.

We know in our gut whether we’re excited or not. But instead of trusting that instinct, we say “maybe” and let it sit in our mental shopping basket, getting heavier and more awkward.

Sean D’Souza has a great test for this: If the event/commitment was on tonight and it was raining, would you still want to go?

If not, it’s probably not a maybe. It’s a no that you’re avoiding.

2. The Empty Room Experiment

I spent the entire day yesterday emptying my home office.

Want a reset?

A nice practice is to pretend you’re painting the walls, so take every single item out of your room. Then, channel your inner Marie Kondo and set one rule: Nothing comes back in unless it “deserves” a place.

In the process of cleaning up, I found a career guidance report from when I was 15 years old (why I hoarded this? I have no idea but it’s in the bin now).

It said to function best, I needed “freedom to work independently” and suggested three career paths:

1. Media (Writing and recording)

2. Design (Creating models and frameworks)

3. Business Management (Consulting)

Looking at my life in 2026, that’s the exact Venn diagram of what I do.

Sometimes we already know who we are - we just need to clear the clutter to see it.

Btw, highly recommend you also take that time to clear the decks before jumping into the start of a new year.

I’m writing this from my home office now and it feels so incredibly light.

3. Your Calendar Doesn’t Lie

The best way to reflect on your year isn’t answering endless reflection prompts. I reckon we over-engineer the process.

The best place to start is by looking retrospectively at your 2025 calendar and asking: Did my commitments actually reflect who I wanted to become?

So, for this to work in 2026, you’ll need to:

• Create a vision of who you want to become

• Take actions that reinforce that identity.

• Eliminate any tasks/commitments that detract from that identity.

This calendar audit works for individuals, but what’s interesting is that it’s exactly how I help organisations align their strategy to execution.

Most companies have beautiful strategic documents that sit in SharePoint while everyone makes random decisions based on what’s urgent.

The fix isn’t another three-day retreat. All we need is 2 x half days together to turn your strategy into something that actually drives daily decisions.

Hit Reply if you’re curious how that works.

Over to you

What’s your anti-word of the year - the one word you need to eliminate to make space for what actually matters?

Leave a comment

As always, click the Heart 💙 if anything in this article resonated and I’ll check in with you next week.

🌴 Leanne “Goodbye Maybe” Hughes

p.s. Are we connected on LinkedIn? If not, change that by sending me a connection request. Or, follow more off-the-cuff stuff over on Instagram.

So for this end-of-year reflection, I'm serving up some curated reading lists, featuring:

• What you actually loved - the articles with the highest views, shares, and forwards

• What I was sure you’d love... but didn’t - the pieces I personally thought were stronger but somehow missed the mark

Share

Writing in public is a funny thing. You hit Publish on an article you think is banger/so good/super valuable.

The result? Crickets.

Then, you write something in the moment, thinking it’s fairly average…

And your inbox explodes!

This is a great reminder to us all:

YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN MARKET!

It’s difficult to predict what will hit or not. You have to hit that Send button to find out what resonates (or not).

Reflection 1: Spend 80% of your effort on the subject line

Based on my Top 5 Most-Read list, the pattern seems to be strong subject lines that feature a number, preferably with a dollar figure. This doesn’t mean you’ll see $$ headlines in all my articles next year, but it’s an interesting observation.

It’s why Mr. Beast, the #1 YouTube creator on the planet, says: “Obviously, no one can watch your videos unless they click on it. I don’t care if we spend up to $10,000 making a thumbnail—I just want the best thumbnail possible. The thumbnail literally decides whether or not they watch your video.”

One of the best writing reminders I try to incorporate comes from legendary copywriter Joseph Sugarman: “The sole purpose of the first sentence in an advertisement is to get you to read the second sentence.”

(Btw, want to improve your writing? Read his book: The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters).

Tip: Pay attention to the emails you open. Screenshot the subject lines and headings you love, and see if you can turn those into templates.

Reflection 2: Write to sort out your mind

There’s immense value in writing. It really helps sharpen your ideas.

As you know, this year I’ve been podcasting every single day on Leanne on Demand. However, I feel like my greatest growth has happened writing these weekly emails to you.

Talking is easy. You can loop around, come back to an idea later, and use your voice to amplify emotion or intention.

Writing is infinitely harder because you, the reader, set the pace. Language and formatting make all the difference.

The great thing about writing is it helps sort out your mind and clarify your thinking and by going through the process of writing weekly, the “Big Idea” for my next book finally crystallised.

And this week, I signed a worldwide book contract with Wiley for my second book, due for release in October 2026!!!!!! (I’m sure my editor will ban my use of exclamation marks, but we’re allowed to party here.)

Anyway, here’s my comparison list of what you actually read and shared vs. what I wanted you to read in 2025 :)

(If you can’t see the links, click ‘Open in Browser’ at the top of your email)

My Top 5 most-read/shared articles this year

1. The book I wrote in 52 days that made me $60K

2. This screenshot gets more buy-in than a $10,000 off-site

3. How 35 people paid 292 days early for an event that doesn’t exist

4. Dear Diary

5. The dark arts of interrupting someone

What’s the pattern with these top-performing subject lines?

1. A screenshot that beats a $10K off-site? And “52 days to make $60K” We love the math of small-time investment, big financial payoff.

2. “How 35 people paid 292 days early for an event that doesn’t exist” makes your brain go, whaaat? People don’t pay for things that don’t exist… So now you have to figure out how the hell I pulled that off by clicking the email.

3. “Dark arts” sounds like I know something sneaky and “Dear Diary” implies more of a back-stage email (which it was), we enjoy digging behind the scenes.

Of course, fundamentally, you need to deliver on your promise you create in your subject line.

Subscribe now

The Top 5 emails I enjoyed writing the most

I remain convinced these were my strongest pieces, even if you didn’t click them as much. Maybe give them a second chance!

1. Exposure: Why hanging out is the new MBA

2. The average person’s guide to getting high

3. The 1,000,001 reasons trap

4. The ‘not my job’ mindset that’s costing you millions

5. The case for being uncoachable

The 5 other articles I’d like to give some love to shout out

1. How to win at calendar tetris

2. This 7:24am ritual reveals who you really are

3. How to host a panel that doesn’t put people to sleep

4. Don’t read these 21 books

5. The career advice a 6’5” bestselling author gave me over dinner

Bonus: Here’s an email I wrote that came from the heart, I didn’t publish it to your inbox, but it’s a speech I wrote for a speaking gig I did for a Mother’s Day event this year: Where’s the training manual for daughters?

Leave a comment

🌴

Thank you for being here.

I don’t take it lightly that my ideas get the opportunity to hit your inbox.

💙 Hit the heart to give me a signal that you enjoyed reading some of my articles this year.

I hope you enjoy recharging with loved ones over the break.

Toasting you with a glass of bubbles.

I’ll see you in the new year!

Leanne “Now Engaging Sloth-Mode” Hughes

Well, technically, I hired software to do them instead.

This year, I ran my consulting business without a single employee or office. Just me, my laptop, and 51 tools that handle everything from client bookings to podcast editing.

The cost? $11,899 Australian dollars (approx $7900 USD).

I LOVE tech, in fact, trying new tools a go is a hobby of mine, but I need to keep it in check.

So, I sat down to audit which tools to keep or flick, and I’m sharing my entire solopreneur tech stack with you in this article.

Btw, when you’re running a one-person business, the line between business and personal tech blurs.

Therefore, I’ve included ALL the tech I used this year including fitness apps, to streaming services.

Here’s the emoji guide/how I evaluated each tool:

• ✅✅✅ I REALLY loved the tool this year

• ✅ Keep

• ❌ Cut

• 🤔 Reconsider

Two tech tips before we dive in

Tip 1: Your existing tools are quietly getting better

I discovered something interesting during this audit: tech tools are improving at lightning speed, often adding features that could replace other subscriptions entirely.

For example:

• Google Calendar now has an inbuilt scheduler that could potentially replace Calendly for basic appointment booking.

• The only reason I’m keeping Calendly is their paid booking feature - people can pay when they schedule, which Google doesn’t offer yet.

Tip 2: The one-month experiment strategy

When I want to test a new tool, I have a simple rule: buy it for one month, then immediately cancel the subscription.

This gives me 30 days to properly evaluate it without the mental load of remembering to cancel later. If the tool proves its worth, I can always resubscribe. If not, I’m automatically out after the trial period.

You’ll see this strategy throughout my audit - tools like Perplexity AI, Tavus AI, and Luma were all one-month experiments.

Here’s the category breakdown:

• Media and content creation: $3775

• Operations: $2720

• AI tools: $1,067

• Marketing: $1,912

• Hybrid tools: $175

• Entertainment and streaming: $1262

• Fitness: $988

Here’s the detail…

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Media and content creation: $3775

Content is my primary revenue driver, so I’m willing to pay premium here. The test? Does this tool help me create content faster, better, or reach more people?

• Auphonic - $40/year ❌ Improves the quality of your audio
  Hello Audio and Descript both handle audio levelling now, so no need to keep this. Cancelled.

• Buzzsprout - $202/year ✅ Podcast hosting
  I host my OG podcast, “First Time Facilitator” here, and every now and then I release pop-up episodes, so keeping it.

• Descript - $469/year ✅✅✅ (my fave tool on the planet) Video/audio editing
  This tool literally enables my daily podcast, Leanne on Demand. Edit, caption, transcribe - everything happens here. The AI Underlord feature is incredible.

• Hello Audio - $1,491/year ✅✅✅ for private podcasting
  My most expensive subscription IS my highest revenue generator. I use this tool to create private podcasts for a variety of different clients/products/services/scenarios. Listen to my podcast about private podcasts (so meta!).

• Kahoot - $31/month 🤔 for trivia/quizzes
  Perfect for client trivia events, but testing monthly activation instead of annual.

• Podpage - $239/year ✅ Generates beautiful podcast websites from your RSS feed.
  Set-and-forget automation that creates professional podcast landing pages, it creates my daily podcast episode website with one click.

• Restream - $300/year ✅ Professional streaming to LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.
  Found this when Streamyard failed mid-livestream with Alan Weiss. Sometimes your backup becomes better than your original choice. Watch our latest episode of Talk the Walk

• Slido - $87/year ✅ Q&A and polling platform for events.
  The ROI: Workshop essential that pays for itself in one corporate gig. Handy to. have to use for interaction.

• Stan Store - $193/year ❌ Social commerce platform that turns your social media into a money-making machine.”
  Stripe links do the same job for free.

• Streamyard - $446/year ❌ Live streaming studio in your browser
  Platform crashed just before a live show. I ended up switching to Restream mid-year, which is more affordable.

• Zoom - $277/year ✅ Reliable video platform
  Every client call, mastermind, podcast recording runs through Zoom. At $277/year for unlimited professional meetings, it’s the cheapest business infrastructure on earth.

Operations: $2720

These tools keep my business running without me having to think about them. The goal? Automate the boring stuff so I can focus on revenue-generating activities. Every tool here either prevents problems or eliminates manual work.

• Calendly - $229/year 🤔 Meeting scheduler tool
  The dilemma: Google Calendar now has scheduling built-in, but Calendly handles paid consultations seamlessly. The paid booking feature alone might justify keeping this for now.

• Dropbox - $187/year ✅ File storage
  Every file syncs automatically. If my laptop died tomorrow, I’d lose nothing. Peace of mind for a solo business is worth way more than $187.

• iCloud Storage - $180/year ✅ Apple’s cloud storage service for seamless file sync across devices.
  Take photo on your phone, access everywhere instantly.

• Loom - $152/year ✅✅✅ Video messaging tool that helps you get your message across through recorded videos.
  This tool saves me SO MUCH TIME, and from so many meetings, and helps me collaborate with other time-zones easily. I use it for proposal walkthroughs, client feedback, share details about upcoming events, and to roast people.

  Loom is an interesting example of how a brilliant UX creates loyalty. Descript can actually do what Loom does, but Loom just does it so flawlessly, fast and friendly. I did a breakdown between the two tools and how I use both in this episode: 🌴295. Tech Talk: Descript vs Loom

• Luma - $99/month (one month only) ✅ Event ticketing platform
  The strategy: Upgraded for Con Con launch month to avoid paying 5% commission on ticket sales. After Con Con sold out within 10 days, I cancelled premium but it’s worth paying the monthly fee to save on-costs.

• Microsoft 365 - $192/year ✅ Includes premium versions of Office apps
  I dislike Microsoft, and I hate Microsoft Teams especially…But some of my clients use it, hence why I’m on the bandwagon.

• Squarespace - $754/year ✅ Website hosting
  Three of my websites are hosted on Squarespace: leannehughes.com, firsttimefacilitator.com and The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint site.

• Xero - $927/year ✅ Online accounting software
  Professional accounting software prevents expensive mistakes and keeps the tax office happy, I pay a bit more to handle multiple currency payments as I work with clients around the world. I’m liking the recent AI upgrades: 🌴344. The Xero update I didn’t know I needed

AI tools: $1,067

AI changes weekly, but I use different AI LLMs for different types of work rather than forcing one tool to do everything.

• ChatGPT Pro - $355/year ✅ Conversational AI model

  Chat GPT isn’t actually the best tool but I pay for this subscription because it has SO much context on me that is sometimes helpful to work with… but I wish I’d started with Google Gemini. I do like Sora AI though.

• Claude AI - $112/year ✅ AI assistant created by Anthropic
  More natural writing voice for specific content types.

• Manus AI - $486/year ❌ Intelligent automation solutions for businesses.
  Manus had AI agents before ChatGPT caught up. Now that ChatGPT does it, I’ve cancelled this.

• Perplexity AI - $29/year (one month) ❌ Accurate answers with cited sources.”
  Great research tool, but ChatGPT and Gemini caught up quickly. One month was enough to evaluate.

• Tavus AI - $85/year (one month) ❌ AI video generation platform that creates personalised videos at scale.
  I trialled this out for a month for an AI avatar experiment.

Subscribe now

Marketing: $1,912

Marketing tools need to either generate leads directly or save me massive time in outreach and relationship building.

• Canva - $216/year ✅ Graphic design platform
  Professional-looking graphics without design skills.

• Kit.com - $800/year 🤔 Email marketing platform built for creators who sell online.
  Eek, this is hard. I haven’t sent newsletters through Kit for the last six months (hello, Substack), but my free downloadable lead magnets are still available here.

• Instagram Verification - $23/year ❌ Blue tick verification service.
  I’m just giving this a go this month and see if anything happens? Btw, are we connected?

• LinkedIn Premium - $704/year ❌ Access to insights about who’s viewed your profile, InMail credits, and advanced search filters.”
  The reality: Paying $704 to see who viewed my profile feels ridiculous when written down. Maybe I’ll cancel over the next month or two, and see what happens. I don’t really use all the features

• Pickfu - $169/project ✅ eRsearch platform that provides real consumer insights in minutes.
  Market research for book titles and business decisions. When your book title determines success, $169 for real human feedback is smart risk management. I’ll use it again when I write my book next year.

Hybrid tools: $175

I call these hybrid because they’re tech tools used for lifestyle efficiency.

• Amazon Prime - $79/year ✅ Fast shipping, streaming, and other benefits.”
  Fast shipping for business supplies and personal needs. I have saved a fortune on free and fast delivery.

• Uber One - $96/year ✅ Provides discounts and benefits across Uber and Uber Eats.
  Discounted rides to client meetings and events and when I’m travelling. I continue to save a LOT having this subscription.

Entertainment and streaming: $1262

• Kayo Sport - $360/year ✅ Australia’s sports streaming service
  Need this for my sporting fix.

• Netflix - $252/year 🤔 Streaming service
  I’ll keep it for Stranger Things Season 5 and reconsider… (ahh, who are we kidding, I’ve had Netflix for so long, I’ll never cancel. Just when you think you should cancel, they bring out a brilliant new show..)

• Paramount Plus - $98/year 🤔 Streaming service
  The seasonality: Purely for A-League football (Go the Roar!). I’ll cancel at the end of the seasom.

• Spotify Duo - $276/year ✅ Digital music service
  Mandatory. I have hundreds of playlists, hate ads and use this every day during my runs and work.

• YouTube Premium - $276/year ✅✅✅ “Watch videos ad-free, download content, and play videos in the background.”
  The ROI: Time saved not watching ads makes this a productivity tool disguised as entertainment. Best purchase IMO.

Fitness: $988

I am obsessed with fitness data, I have 3 wearables now (Apple Watch, Garmin Fenix 6s and the Oura Ring).

• Oura Ring - $109/year ✅ Smart ring that tracks your sleep, activity, and recovery.
  Sleep and recovery insights that drive better performance decisions. Though, I usually only check my ‘Readiness’ score after I’ve done a workout. I do like how it shows whether you have minor or major symptoms before you feel them. I think I’ve avoided getting sick a few times because of this feature alone.

• Peloton - $780/year ✅✅✅ Connected fitness products with live and on-demand classes.
  I use this app daily use for cardio, strength, meditation, stretching. We have both the Tread and the Bike+ (although you can do the classes on any tread or bike). I love the instructors, the community, the music, everything about this company.

• Strava Premium - $99/year ✅ Social fitness network
  Training analysis and health pattern recognition. Also, just fun to support friends on there. When you pay for the subscription, you also get to become a ‘Local Legend’ on certain routes. I also love the flyovers, see the below video from my Nepal hike.

Okay, that’s it!

What do you think?

• What tool am I missing?

• What’s a tool you can’t live without?

Let me know!

Leave a comment

Want some inspiration to make 2026 a great one for you? Watch my latest Talk the Walk live-stream with Alan Weiss on Climbing the Mountain….And go do something HARD next year!

And

Hit the heart 💙 if any piece of this was useful - it tells me you’re enjoying my writing and helps others find these breakdowns.

🌴

Leanne “Tech Stack” Hughes

P.S. You’ve seen the tech stack I use to scale my own impact. If you’re a leader ready to scale yourself and your vision, I can help. I’m currently locking in my key projects for 2026, so hit reply and share your biggest ideas or goals for the New Year - let’s see if we should team up.

If you’re not into cricket, that probably sounds like I’m off to watch a building burn down. Maybe you’ve never heard of The Ashes at all. Maybe your understanding of cricket stops at “that odd sport where they stop for tea.”

Here’s the bit most people miss.

The most iconic rivalry in cricket started from a journalist mucking around.

In 1882, England played Australia at The Oval. On home soil, England had never lost to Australia. Everyone assumed it would be a routine win.

Then Australia won. It was a total shock.

Reginald Shirley Brooks, a journalist at The Sporting Times, could have filed another dry match report.

Instead, he borrowed inspo from the obituary section of the paper and wrote this:

It was a joke. In Australia, we call this a “piss-take” and probably an article he could have talked himself out of writing.

Some English women read this mock obituary and decided to take it literally.

They burnt a bail, placed the ashes in a tiny urn, and presented it to the English captain, Ivo Bligh.

That little urn became The Ashes.

More than 140 years later, it’s still cricket’s most coveted prize because one man didn’t delete the silly idea.

Here’s what I love about this story:

1. Most people underestimate the power of small moves. A handful of words, written quickly, became a tradition that’s outlived every person involved. Most of us underestimate what our words can do. But the right words, at the right moment, with the right twist, can create traditions that last centuries. Where are you underestimating the impact of something small you could say today?

2. There’s a hidden advantage sitting in the gaps between worlds: Brooks didn’t invent anything new. He brought in a new lens, borrowed from another section of the newspaper and mashed these two worlds together. Mashups are one of the most underused strategic levers in business. Look at what Louis Vuitton did with Pharrell to turn a legacy fashion house into a cultural engine. Formula 1 reinvented itself globally by fusing racing with reality TV storytelling in Drive to Survive. In the workplace, companies like HubSpot run internal events that feel more like TED meets a music festival than a corporate town hall. What’s one concept from outside your field that you could borrow to make your work instantly more interesting?

And then there’s the other pattern everyone ignores…

People don’t act.

Which brings me to a story I’ve never forgotten.

The message I nearly didn’t send

A few years ago, I’d splurged on a private box at the cricket for the Australia vs West Indies Test.

That morning, while getting ready, a thought popped into my head:
“How great would it be to meet Justin Langer today?”

He’s one of my cricket heroes. Oh, and we’re both left-handed. I’d listened to a podcast about his leadership philosophy and walked away with even more respect for him.

He was commentating that match.

So I opened LinkedIn and typed a message.

“Hey Justin, I’m at the ground today. Any chance you could pop over between commentary stints for a quick chat?”

Then my brain kicked in.

• “This is ridiculous.”

• “He’ll never see it.”

• “Don’t be that person.”

But there was zero downside and infinite upside, so I hit send.

Later that afternoon….

Omg…

THE Justin Langer walks over to our box!

We chatted for 15 minutes about his meditation practice, how he literally grounds himself before a game (shoes off, walking the pitch), and his philosophy about the power of simplicity.

Also: I almost didn’t send that message.

I stared at my phone thinking, “This is ridiculous.”

If he didn’t reply, no harm done.

If he showed up? Life moment achieved.

Most of us talk ourselves out of the ask before we even try.

Shoot your shot.

🌴 Leanne “Send the Message Anyway” Hughes

P.S. If you enjoyed reading any part of this, hit the heart 💙 It helps more curious humans find these stories, and it honestly makes my day.

P.S. Alan Weiss and I will be talking about doing hard things for our next Talk the Walk livestream on 10 Dec 4pm ET / 11 Dec 7am AEST. Here’s the link to RSVP.