Last month, I hosted the largest event I’ve ever put together, managed multiple launches, traveled with my family, attended my sister’s wedding, and supported my clients…while it was full of so much joy, I hit some hard moments, too. But somewhere in the middle of the crazy schedule, I changed. In this week’s episode of Doing Business Like a Woman, I’m sharing the biggest lessons I learned from the first quarter of 2026 about pressure, belief, visibility, leadership, energy, marketing, and what it really takes to grow as a CEO. Inside this episode, I talk about: Why getting deeply connected to your “why” changes everything The mindset shift from “expect the worst” to “expect to win” What pressure taught me about emotional capacity and growth How using time and deadlines differently can sharpen your focus The importance of rest, integration, and identity growth after big seasons This conversation is full of the real behind-the-scenes growth that entrepreneurship requires, because building a business is never just about strategy. It’s about who you become while you’re building it. If you’ve been in a season of growth or questioning yourself lately, I think this episode will really speak to you. Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome and introduction to today’s conversation01:00 - Reflecting on Q1 growth and business lessons02:00 - Preparing for the Women’s Success Summit03:00 - Reaching the goal of 100 women in the room04:00 - The power of community and asking for help06:00 - How the event fundamentally changed me07:00 - Wins, disappointments, and lessons from Q108:00 - Recognizing the need for rest and integration10:00 - Professional and personal growth in a short season11:00 - Lesson 1: Getting deeply connected to your “why”13:00 - Helping the woman I used to be15:00 - Marketing with mission and purpose17:00 - Lesson 2: Creating your own energy as a CEO18:00 - Supporting your emotional, physical, and spiritual energy20:00 - Publicly sharing a bold goal and risking failure21:00 - How support showed up after sharing the vision23:00 - Holding belief all the way through25:00 - Visualizing success and redirecting fear26:00 - Shifting from “expect the worst” to “expect to win”29:00 - Learning to constrain and focus31:00 - Using time and deadlines as a tool33:00 - Focusing on high-impact activities35:00 - Pressure, burnout, and emotional capacity37:00 - Why pressure does not have to stop you38:00 - Rest, identity growth, and integration after big seasons39:00 - Final thoughts and invitation to connect Stay Connected: 📝 Join the 90-Day Marketing Accelerator: https://www.melissamkellogg.com/90dma 📩 Sign up to receive my Friday Newsletter! https://avanticreativegroup.mykajabi.com/newsletter-opt 💭 Your thoughts and experiences matter to me! Share your takeaways from this episode with me. https://www.speakpipe.com/DoingBusinessLikeAWomanPodcast 🌐 Website: https://www.melissamkellogg.com/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissamkellogg/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissa_m_kellogg/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BusinessAcademy4Women Want to Grow Your Sales, Doing What You Love, in the time you have?? Then, you’ve got to go and grab my free on-demand video training that will teach you my simple process for creating compounding results from the sales and marketing strategies you are already using. Get the training HERE. Subscribe to the podcast + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.