Nice Work: Sliding down the muddy hillside of 2023

Hey there,

It snowed this week on my walk home from the gym. Just a flurry, but still. I know what that means—it’s all downhill from here. We’re coasting toward 2024.

Or let’s be real: based on the year a lot of you have had—hell, the year I’ve had—maybe we’re not so much “coasting” as “sliding down a muddy hillside and getting thwacked with branches along the way.”

(Come to think of it, “Muddy Hillside” really should have been the Pantone color for 2023.)

Anyway. Here’s the deal: next week, we’re putting on a half-day retreat. It’s for anyone who’s fed up with overthinking and overworking. Who’s tired of feeling powerless. Who wants to drop all the baggage of 2023 at the door and start next year a little lighter.

It’s for you.

So…did you get your ticket yet? You can do it right now for as little as $1.

See you there!

– Sara

PS: If you like what we do here at Active Voice, do me a favor: tell your friends about this event. We want to help as many people as possible feel powerful and purposeful next year—and finding new people who need a voice like ours really helps us survive.

Next week

Reclaim Your Power

Close out your year by saying goodbye to people-pleasing and “proving value”—and hello to a whole lot more purpose, joy, and energy in 2024.

Friday, December 8 from 1-4pm ET. A pay-what-you wish event.

Join us for an end-of-year retreat all about reclamation—of our purpose, our energy, and our identities. Because you don’t need to prove your worth. You’re already worthy, just as you are.

If you’d like to let go of the people-pleasing and perfectionism ruling your life, this event will help you begin. You’ll leave with a fresh perspective on how you want to show up in the new year—and actionable ideas for making it real.

EPISODE 14

Who left the gaslight on?

When work makes you question your grip on reality, how do you learn to trust yourself again?

On the radar

No, Seriously, F*ck Engagement: Building a More Human WebI got to see my friend David Dylan Thomas do the shorter version of this talk a couple weeks ago. It was excellent, and I’m sure this extended experience—happening on December 5—will be even better. Get a ticket!

How to be rich in content design“Saying no is hard, but it’s easier than feeling your spark fade daily as you do time-twisting aerobics to cover impossible deadlines. Work is an exchange of your time and skill for money. It’s not a free-for-all on your wellbeing.”

Podcast interviews galoreIf you’re not tired of listening to me yet, I got to be on a whole bunch of podcast episodes lately to talk about that gaslighting essay: On Power of Ten, Andy Polaine and I talk about being an underdog at work, breaking the people-pleasing cycle, and why I never want to hear the words “do more with less” again. On Design Feeling, I talk with Nirish Shakya about the emotional and psychological toll people are under at work and the value of a self-reflective practice. And on The Interface, Patrick Stafford and I talk about why companies shouldn’t hire people if they don’t already believe they deserve to be there. Thanks to everyone who had me on!