Know Your Plays.
Make Your Choices.
I'm not much of a sports girl but I LOVE me a GOOD GAME. I don't follow any one sport or root for any one team in particular, all I need is the kind of game you can feel.
As a Chicagoan by transplant, I’ve found myself wound up in the love of sports more than one time in recent years. This past season, the Bears had this city strung out on hope in a way that felt culturally healing (we’ll get em next year, boys). And this weekend… PHEW the east coast girl in me was itching to run home to watch the Knicks take the NBA championship for the first time in my entire life.
On top of that, we’ve got the world cup spreading vibes, and Puerto Ricans showing everyone how culture is done (WEPA). This summer is off to a beautiful start, it’s giving connected, competitive, collaborative energy that I honestly didn't realize I needed. All of it got me thinking about the game I'm playing. And the one you're playing too.
Playing With Purpose
I'm not going to watch a game I don't care about. But I will always show up for a team I believe in, for something that actually means something to me. That's honestly one of the most fun parts of Anthelo. It's so much less about me and so much more about plugging into teams I genuinely believe in and want to see win.
Over the weekend I had a conversation with a fellow entrepreneur, and we connected almost instantly on something I don't think gets talked about enough: the joy of just being in it. The daydreaming, the learning, the talking out loud about your business and how it grows, creating and solving problems in real time….
We've been lucky to take our lived experience and point it toward something intentional, something aligned with who we actually are AND make a living from it. That's a dream. And I want that for every authentic leader out there.
Small proof point: We are powering through June and this is my THIRD newsletter this month! GO ME. These don’t come out on any sort of schedule outside my intuitive/ADHD logic. But every time they’re born of inspiration and come with a purpose.
The Back Half of 2026
Heading into the back half of 2026 (genuinely wild to say out loud), I want to encourage all of us to assess our current positions. Where are you focused? Where are you hedging? Where do you want to be when December rolls around?
It's not over. Not even close. But that fourth quarter push starts now, with your mindset, your fortitude, and your willingness to keep moving when the scoreboard is not on your side. The teams that come back don't wait until it looks better. They stay focused on playing the way they know how to play best. And we LOVE a fourth quarter comeback, baby.
So ask yourself: What are your best plays? What can you pull out, on short notice, under pressure, when the conditions are right? How do you show up as your own MVP?
For me, it's the emergency. When the moment is urgent — I show up ready. My clients come to me for ongoing support, but much more for access. For the kind of help they didn't know they'd need until they need it. I'm the player who can come off the bench, read the chaos, and find the move that keeps us on track without losing sight of who we are or where we're going. I’m running with that all day.
On Choices
In a space full of energy and options and sometimes fear and sometimes excitement, there are always opportunities. But opportunity means nothing if we don’t make choices.
What is the right choice? Not the loudest one, not the most visible one, not the one the algorithm is rewarding right now. The one that's aligned with who you are and where you're actually trying to go.
Some of us already know. We know who we are, we know what we stand for, and the direction has already been decided. If that's you, keep making those choices. Stop second-guessing them.
And if you're still sorting it out, think about how you want to wrap this season and prepare for the next, it will guide you to your next best choice every time.
Take five minutes. Think about what's in front of you right now. And make one decision, a clear, intentional choice that you know is going to move you toward that fourth quarter push.
Make it now. Then go execute. (You know where to find me if you need me.)
And a quick plug before I let you go: If you're in Chicago (or you can get here) I need you at PROMPT on July 20th. We're kicking off Tech Week Chicago, and this event is for leaders and decision makers who are serious about building and running businesses in a world where AI is already part of the game. Come find out what that actually looks like.
Anywho, I’ll TTYL.
Love, Jaz