Clarity Is the New Hustle
The Hustle Looked Good — Until It Didn't
There was a time when I wore "busy" like a badge of honor.
I was juggling photography, coaching, designing graphics — saying yes to everything and charging way too little for most of it. My skin was flaring. My energy was tanked. My self-worth was hanging on by threads of overgiving.
The calendar was packed to the edges. I was reheating the same mug of coffee three times and still forgetting to drink it. I was crossing off to-do lists like trophies — but somehow feeling more disconnected by the day.
I felt like a phone running on 2% battery — frantically trying to do everything before I crashed.
Hustle didn’t just burn me out. It convinced me I didn’t deserve to rest — or to trust myself. That’s how the trap of imposter syndrome gets set: keep moving, keep doubting, keep chasing.
The Lie Hustle Culture Told Us
Hustle culture sold us the idea that if we just worked harder, faster, longer — we’d eventually feel successful. We’d feel valuable. We’d feel enough.
But what it really taught us was to disconnect from our own inner knowing. To ignore the signals — exhaustion, disillusionment, misalignment — and just keep grinding anyway.
When you move without clarity, it’s easy to confuse busyness with progress. It’s easy to doubt yourself, even when you’re doing everything "right." Because deep down, hustle teaches you to measure your worth by your output — not by your truth.
And when your worth is tied to how much you can force, imposter syndrome doesn’t just knock — it moves right in.
You don’t have to hustle yourself into exhaustion just to prove your worth. There’s a different kind of leadership rising — rooted in calm, clarity, and real connection.
What Hustle Couldn't Give Me
(But Clarity Did)
It wasn’t one big crash that woke me up.
It was quieter and maybe even more painful because of it.
There was a season when my calendar was packed with sessions, workshops, editing deadlines, and client calls. I was working around the clock. Answering emails at midnight. Saying yes before I even knew what I was agreeing to. Doing everything "right" — and still feeling wrong.
The money didn’t match the effort. The joy didn’t match the hours. The confidence definitely didn’t match the hustle.
I thought if I just did more, it would eventually "click." But the more I pushed, the emptier it felt.
It wasn’t until I finally slowed down — long enough to hear my own voice again — that I realized the truth:
Hustle made me move faster. Clarity is what finally moved me forward.
It wasn’t another late night, another discount, another overstuffed calendar that shifted everything. It was sitting with the discomfort long enough to admit: I wasn’t missing hustle. I was missing alignment.
I didn’t need to push harder. I needed to trust myself more.
And that tiny, rebellious decision to honor my clarity? It changed everything.
🌿 If this hits close to home, maybe it's not because you're behind — maybe it's because you're ready to move differently.
If you're craving that kind of shift, the Clarity Is the New Hustle workshop is a space built just for this
Because real success today isn’t about doing more. It’s about seeing more. It’s about moving when it matters — and pausing when it doesn’t.
Hustle Builds Burnout.
Clarity Builds Legacies.
In today’s world, the ones who stay clear and rooted move forward.
Not the one who says yes the fastest. Not the one who does the most.
The leader who knows:
Which doors to walk through.
Which ones to let close without guilt.
When to pause and wait for the real invitation.
Clarity gives you that power.
Hustle? Hustle just makes you feel like every door is life-or-death.
The leaders who thrive today aren’t the ones who force every opportunity. They’re the ones who recognize the right invitations — and walk through them with purpose.
Hustling to Open Every Door Nearly Took Me Out
Back in 2018, I thought I was doing everything "right."
I launched Thriv. I started building communities, sending newsletters, posting content, launching a podcast — all of it. Every day was a checklist of "do more, be more, prove more."
But no matter how much I did, it never felt like enough.
The results weren’t matching the energy I was pouring out. The fatigue was constant. And slowly, without even realizing it, I slipped into a scarcity spiral — working harder, feeling less secure, and watching my financial stability crumble right along with my energy.
By 2019, I was completely depleted — physically, emotionally, and financially. I walked away from it all, heartbroken and exhausted. I turned my back and I simply walked away from everything I created!
When the Doors You Opened, Close
Waiting for the right one
And not even 4 months later, the world stopped. Oh Sh*t! The pandemic hit. The stay-at-home order came down. And there I was — sitting again in fear, lack, and uncertainty — wondering what came next.
There I was staring at my computer wondering how was I going to maintain stability while the whole world was unraveling with uncertainty. Then a text came through.
A friend told me about a project happening across the country and said, "Jenn, you’re the one to bring this to Baton Rouge."
I could have missed it. I could have doubted it. I could have talked myself out of it.
But something in me — something deeper, something clearer — said, this is yours.
The Power of Saying Yes to the Right Door
Instead of charging families for porch portraits, I asked them to "pay it forward" — to support a local business instead of paying me directly. It was very understood that we needed to keep money circulating with in our local economy if we were going to make it through the pandemic. This project and it’s mission gave people a clear answer on how they could help during such an unprecedented time. “Buy Local”
And the response was overwhelming.
I photographed families from the curb — sometimes 40–60 sessions a day, working 7-hour days, almost every other day, for months.
And in just three months, I captured nearly 900 portraits — more than I had in the past nine years combined.
Even more beautiful: Forty other photographers joined me. Together, through our community’s collective effort, we estimate that $1.28 million circulated back into the local economy during a time when small businesses were fighting to survive.
Clarity Doesn't Just Change Your Direction. It Changes Your Legacy.
The Front Porch Project didn’t just save my business. It saved my peace of mind.
It allowed me to continue paying my employees — and even hire additional help. It gave me a way to serve my community, to lead without burning out, and to trust the timing of real opportunities instead of chasing validation.
By 2021, I was officially debt-free (until I joyfully bought my new home!).
But more importantly, I finally understood:
👉 Clarity doesn’t just protect your energy.
👉 Clarity transforms your life to be able to give more with out the burnout.
#TLDR:
Hustle builds burnout. Clarity builds movements.
Looking back, I realize it was never about doing more. It was about trusting that when I moved with clarity, the right doors would open — and I’d be ready to walk through them.
Hustling made me chase survival. Clarity invited me to create impact.
Ready to create your own clarity moment?
Join me for the Clarity Is the New Hustle workshop online May 7th. We'll clear the noise, reconnect with what matters, and build momentum from a place that feels like you.
From Chaos to Clarity:
The C.A.L.M. Way to Lead and Thrive
Success isn’t about chaos management anymore — it’s about clarity creation.
When we stop trying to outrun chaos and start moving from a place of calm, everything changes.
We stop forcing doors open.
We stop tying our worth to how much we can juggle.
We start choosing — deliberately, wisely, and with heart.
And that’s where C.A.L.M. comes in.
Meet C.A.L.M.: Your New Playbook for Sustainable Success
Hustle teaches us to chase everything and doubt ourselves in the process, I built
C.A.L.M. to help us lead differently — with intention, trust, and momentum.
Every place you felt stuck?
Every place you felt pulled to hustle harder instead of leading smarter?
This is where C.A.L.M. comes in.
🌳 C = Clarity
Recognize the right invitations — the ones that align with your gifts, your values, and your true purpose — without burning yourself out trying to force them.🌳 A = Adaptability
Permission to pivot, adjust, and respond with strength — not fear — when life, work, or leadership shifts.🌳 L = Leadership
Leading yourself first — with self-trust, heart, and grounded presence.🌳 M = Momentum
Moving with the right energy at the right time — in a way that sustains you, not depletes you.
C.A.L.M. isn’t about slowing down for the sake of it.
It’s about moving at the speed of alignment.
It’s about trusting your timing.
It’s about building success like a tree builds strength — slow roots first, then unstoppable growth.
Because you don’t have to hustle yourself into belonging anymore.
You get to lead your life, your work, your vision with clarity, adaptability, leadership, and momentum that actually last.
🌿 Planting a life and legacy that doesn’t just survive it thrives and lives to create another day.
Clarity Isn't Just a Nice-to-Have. It's Your New Superpower.
🚫 Hustle says: "If you’re not busy, you’re failing."
✅ Clarity says: "If you’re not aligned, it’s not for you."🚫 Hustle says: "Push harder."
✅ Clarity says: "Pause. Listen. Choose wisely."🚫 Hustle glorifies urgency.
✅ Clarity honors sustainability.
In a world obsessed with speed, your clarity is your competitive edge. Your calm is your power move.
The Future Belongs to the Clearest,
Not the Loudest
🌿 You’re not here to force every door open.
🌿 You’re here to show up fully, share your gifts boldly, and let the right doors present themselves.
🌿 You’re here to lead — with heart, with purpose, with clarity.
Hustle is an outdated paradigm. Clarity is the revolution. And the future belongs to those brave enough to lead from it.
If you’re ready to stop managing chaos and start creating clarity —
this workshop was built for you.
Join me live for Clarity Is the New Hustle on May 7 — one hour, real tools, lasting clarity.
Start Here: Grow Your Clarity Today
Big shifts don’t always start with big moves.
Sometimes the clearest transformations begin with the smallest choices — the ones we barely notice at first, but feel differently when we live them.
Because clarity isn’t something you hustle toward.
It’s something you create space for, a little more every day.
🌿 Pick one thing to slow down with today.
Drink your coffee without reheating it three times.
Walk slower. Answer a message with intention.
Give yourself enough space to hear your own clarity.
🌿 Before you rush into the next thing today, ask yourself:
Is this mine to do right now?
That’s how clarity starts — one tiny check-in at a time.
#TLDR:
You don’t have to hustle yourself into belonging.
You just have to trust your gifts and your clarity enough to choose wisely when the right door appears.
