Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum.

Erica: We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com.

Erica: Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. Y'all, it is time to celebrate. Now on the day that this episode drops, February 20 is my 38th birthday. Yes. Another trip around the sun.

Erica: I have officially made it another year. And y'all know that I love a birthday. Not just for the cake, for the presents, and for the love that I get for my family and all my friends, which is fabulous, but because it is the perfect time to reflect on the past year and also a fresh start for my next trip around the sun. Now you know I love a fresh start, and the fresh start effect is in full force this birthday. Right? It's a whole new chapter.

Erica: It's like a new week, a new year. For me, this is '38. But before I dive on into 38, I wanna take a moment and share with you some of the lessons that I learned, the accomplishments I tackled, and also what I didn't do. And then I wanna jump into what I wanna do heading into 38 years young and what I wanna leave behind in 37. So to kick it off, damn.

Erica: What a year. The biggest change I made going into 38 by far was giving up alcohol. And for those of you who know me or knew the old me, you can pick your jaws up off the floor now because yes, it is true. I cut out all booze last February because it wasn't serving me anymore. It wasn't helping me sleep.

Erica: It was fueling my anxiety. And I realized that heading into '37 that it was time that I really reevaluated my relationship with alcohol if I wanted to have the life I wanted to live. Now I won't turn this podcast into a preaching session about booze because you do you, boo. But for me, it wasn't working anymore. And I now think clear.

Erica: I sleep better. I love harder. I accomplish more goals than I ever dreamed possible. And most importantly, I am more present in my everyday life. My anxiety is gone.

Erica: I show up for my children twenty four seven, my family, and I'm able to shut down the stress of work all without alcohol. And that wasn't something I could do before. So this is what works for me. Now while many people may not want to evaluate how booze impacts their life, it has made the biggest change in mine, and I'm celebrating my decision to be a non drinker. If you are someone who is thinking that you might want to explore this, hit a girl up.

Erica: I'd love to share with you what I did that made it easier to give up, and I would honestly be honored to be your number one supporter if you are super curious and, you know, wanna learn more about a life without booze. Now I also launched my business and this podcast in the year of '37. Hot damn. That has been amazing. I have met so many incredible women.

Erica: I've networked my ass off. I've learned so much about myself, and I truly believe that I have found my passion and purpose in life. I have found what fills my cup up, and it is a way that, like, I can actually do it, and it's sustainable. And this is a feeling that I just I can't even begin to describe. I've also honed in on my sticky floors.

Erica: I've done the work. And I mean, I have done the work. And I'm still doing the work to get unstuck. Giving up booze, starting this podcast, and my business have all led me on a journey of self discovery. I've been able to dig deep and explore why I do what I do and why I don't do other things.

Erica: Why act certain ways in certain situations and why I respond the way I respond. Because I've become self aware of my sticky floors and my brain's natural inclination to respond a certain way. I have been able to take actionable steps to change how I respond, to change my actions, to open up truly limitless possibilities. It has also led me to discovering my three step framework that helps other women get unstuck. Now this framework works for anyone, guys, gals, and non binary pals, but y'all know my passion is working with women.

Erica: This three step framework has been the basis of my executive coaching practice. It's how I work with executives in my real life chief people officer job and how I uncover my own sticky floors. More to come on this three step framework soon, y'all. But I traveled to Spain. I traveled to India in the year of '37.

Erica: I continued running half marathons. I got my executive coaching certification. I joined a podcast accelerator program. I attended a keynote speaker boot camp, and y'all, I started writing my book. Yes.

Erica: I finally started. What a freaking year. Going over all these accomplishments and milestone makes me truly awestruck and proud of my damn self, y'all. It makes me realize that I am a freaking superstar. And I don't say this to be arrogant or self promotional.

Erica: I say this because as women, we do not celebrate our accomplishments nearly as often as we should. We do amazing things, and then we just keep rocking it out and doing all of the things that we do. We don't skip a beat. And it really makes me think about all the pregnant women out there who are literally growing humans and still doing the damn thing. We as women are fucking powerful, and we can't forget it.

Erica: So take this podcast drop, my birthday drop, as your sign to celebrate your damn self. You are a rock star, and you are doing amazing things. Not only are you enough, you are more than enough. Girl, you are a gem. So what does 38 look like?

Erica: Oof. Well, Well, I'll tell you one thing. I love setting goals, and I love milestones. But one thing I learned in '37 is that I don't know what's gonna happen in a year. When I look back on all the accomplishments and what I actually did in my thirty seventh year on this Earth, I could never have imagined it.

Erica: So I'm not gonna try to map out '38 to a t. But what I will tell you is this. I'm saying no to stress. I'm saying no to anxiety. I'm saying no to nights that I don't get eight hours of sleep.

Erica: I'm saying no to the things that cross my boundaries. I'm saying no to perfectionism. Y'all know that as a sticky floor I struggle with. But I'm saying yes to so many other things. In my thirty eighth year, I want to make an impact.

Erica: I want to finish my book. I want to get on more stages as a keynote speaker. I want to share my sticky floors with other women so they don't feel so alone. I want to empower women to bust through the glass ceiling at rates that we have never seen before. I wanna do my part to close the pay gap.

Erica: A hundred and thirty two years is too long. I wanna make a difference in women's lives, and I wanna make a difference in your life. Because what I did realize in my thirty seventh year is that this is what I was born to do. This is my life's work. This is my calling.

Erica: So if I can make a difference, I want your input. Please, please, please join me in the private Facebook group. It's the now to next tribe. It's linked in the show notes, and I will see you in there. I can't wait for this next trip around the sun.