Change is inevitable. Here in the Midwest, people love to say "if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes and it will change." The same can be said about life. Nothing stays the same for long. For the first 3 months of the year, 90% of my brain space was taken up with fear and worry about the new administration. Those very real concerns remain, but then Tax Day changed my perspective. Money troubles took up 90% of my brain space as I tried to figure out how to pay a very late tax bill....
15 days ago • 2 min read
I don't know what to say, honestly. I'm still in awe. Last week, I sent this email, and it was the hardest thing I've ever written. (And that's coming from someone who has shared every "secret," including having had 2 abortions, having cheated on her ex-husband, and having lost her brother to heroin). The next day, I felt such regret that I sent this email talking about that, too. About 37% of you saw those emails, and 13% of my total email list unsubscribed. But nearly as many people (36)...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Yesterday, I sent a really vulnerable email. Here's how the next 24 hours went. I'm sorry for sending 2 emails in 2 days, but I'm always deeply curious when someone else sends an email like the one I sent yesterday. Did they get what they asked for? Was it as embarrassing as they feared?Do they wish they hadn't sent it? So, here's a 24-hours-later update. First, the data: Open rate is 32.78%, a solid 10% lower than usual. 18 people (or .05% of my total list) unsubscribed. The click rate was...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Reader, This isn't the easiest email to send. Entrepreneurship has been especially challenging this year ... for me, and for so most of my clients and biz buddies. Business is slower, money is tighter, and the emotional weight of the world is heavier. I'm about to get really vulnerable. If that's not your thing, probably best to delete now. My coaching business has been scarily quiet in 2025. I haven’t signed a new 1:1 client this year, and I’m about $1,000 short on a tax bill I need to pay...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
A degree in Gender & Race Studies. If I could afford to go back to school, I'd get an MA in Gender & Race Studies. Every year or two, I search degree programs online. "Someday" I tell myself. But why wait?! While I value the college experience, I also know that universities are (often unnecessary) gatekeepers. The internet has democratized knowledge, and I can create my own damn degree program. Enter: Assigned Reading, a new podcast featuring all the essays I'd want to read in a Gender & Race...
2 months ago • 2 min read
How to give without getting pissed. I had a great call today with one of my favorite clients (you know who you are 😘). She shared that she's feeling overwhelmed by all the awesome and unpaid opportunities coming her way. It's tough to find people willing to pay for anything with a recession looming, but there's no shortage of folks asking for people to be on their podcasts, speak at their event, help them promote an offer, etc. I felt this conversation in my bones after having just talked on...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Becky Mollenkamp Want to fight against oppression? Sen. Cory Booker shows us how. As I write this, I've been watching C-SPAN coverage of Sen. Booker's "filibuster" (okay, not technically a filibuster, but it shares that spirit) for 6 hours straight. He's now in the 20th hour of a nearly non-stop speech on the Senate floor in protest of Trump's agenda. As I'm listening, I'm feeling something I've not felt much since Election Day — hope. Most especially at this incredibly powerful part of his...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Becky Mollenkamp I'm depressed. But this isn't about that, exactly. This is about the reality of trying to run a business right now, the power of vulnerability, and the importance of community. ... I'm overwhelmed by the state of the world. It's a struggle to accomplish more than just the essential personal and professional tasks. It's bizarre to see entrepreneurs "business-ing as usual" right now. I understand that we all have to compartmentalize sometimes, but c'mon, this is Code Red. I'm...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Becky Mollenkamp This one is for entrepreneurs (or wannabe biz owners)... Be wary of business coaches. Investing in coaching is scary AF, amiright? After my $3k Macbook, the second big purchase I made on my new biz a decade ago was dropping $6k on a business coach. She was a former lawyer who had built up a huge Facebook group (remember those? 🤣). She was pretty, seemed really smart and nice, and had many fans. I got swept up. When she offered a 6-month group coaching program, I felt major...
4 months ago • 4 min read