Hello Friends:

I've recently returned from another cathartic experience, this time closer to home in downtown Austin. There are so many things I'd love to share with you here and in person, as you wind down 2025 and take advantage of the current retrogrades. Retrogrades are ideal times for reflection, reconsidering, resting, and restarting. Mercury stationed retrograde in Sagittarius on Sunday, while Jupiter, the expansive, beneficial planet of faith and justice, is stationing retrograde tomorrow, November 11th at 7:41 a.m. CT in its exalted sign of feeling Cancer.

When Uranus (energy, static, surprise) re-entered Taurus on November 7th, I wondered what the disruptor would be in the sign of the body, resources, beauty, and all other earthly concerns. So on Saturday after the conference that I'm describing below, I had an unexpected visit to the ER, because of left-side tingling and numbness. No worries, I'm totally fine, but it was a wake-up call to take better care of myself, particularly my diet and exercise. Goodbye caffeine and sugar :(

The other breakthrough moment came in the form of a summit. You may know Sam Vander Wielen, if you own an online business. She has created an $8M business from selling only 1 product: The Ultimate Bundle, which are legal templates and down-to-earth education on how and when to use them. Sam published her book this year, When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy, and has been touring it through speaking at major events like Kit's Craft + Commerce Conference. She's humble, plain spoken, astoundingly smart, and incredibly resilient. She built her company despite managing her own brain surgery, caring for her terminally ill father for nearly 4 years, and then the death of her mother shortly after her father's passing last year. She models integrity, humor in the hard parts, authenticity, and generosity, and I'm grateful to know her.

Well, Sam invited me to Jay Pappasan's inaugural "The One Thing Summit," this weekend, where she was the final keynote. The One Thing is named after his book with Gary Keller (founder and CEO of Keller Williams) of the same name, and included some really wonderful speakers. Besides, Sam, I really benefitted from the keynote given by educational behaviorist, best-selling author, and award-winning scholar, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe. She spoke about burnout, resiliency, and hope in such an entertaining yet educational way. Dr. Robyne is the gold standard in delivering an hour-long talk that hits you hard. Here is my Otter recording and transcript of her talk, which I highly recommend spending time with when you're folding laundry or hiking. You won't be the same.

Here are the other recordings of some of the talks if you're interested in public speaking, AI leadership, or building habits.

-Sam's One Thing​

-The Anatomy of Habits: Microbehaviors to Extraordinary Results

-The CRIT Framework for Strategic Thinking by Geoff Wood (AI Leadership)

-Overcoming Speaker Anxiety with Tristan de Montebello

News You Can Use

Ok, here are some of the biggest takeaways I'd love to share with you.

Here's The One Thing Approach:

1) Cast a Vision: Identify your core values and define the vision for your future by setting Someday, 5-year, and 1-year goals

2) Identify Priorities: Zero in on the activities and habits that drive the outcomes you seek, 80/20 rule!

3) Create a Plan: Turn your annual goals into one-page plans and build a "411" to break down goals into quarterly, monthly, and weekly targets.

4) Take Action: Time block your priorities, protect your time blocks, and do your most important work.

5) Evaluate: Review results, spot trends, get perspective, and adjust strategy and vision

Face what failure looks like: Failure to Cast a Vision, Go Small, Protect Time, Live the Pareto Principle, and Build Routines.
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These are proprietary to The One Thing methodology, which you can read about in the book.

If you do only a few things, here is the minimalist approach:

One-Time Retreat: 1. Reflect 2. Cast Your Vision

Quarterly: 1. Identify Priorities

Weekly 411: 1. Take Your Goals For a Date, 2. Time Block Priorities

Daily: 1. Goals Before Phones, 2. What's your ONE Thing Today?

Some of you who read this newsletter are already coaches, so this might already be a part of your repertoire, but it is such a helpful reminder.

Wisdom to Ponder

These past few months, I have been diving even deeper into my own spiritual practices, particularly going deeper into Vedanta teachings and the Chakra system in yoga, which I have been leading on Sunday evenings at The Yoga Common. Something I've been contemplating is: The Law of Identification. Unlike the Law of Attraction and Manifesting, this law says that you attract what you identify with. It's a more efficient way to get what you want.

Some questions we might ask are:

"Do I live in a benevolent or malevolent world?" ​
If I think people are for me or against me, it will determine how I speak on stage.

"Do I have an abundance mindset or lack mentality?"​
If I believe I don't have time or money, I'm right.
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What you focus on expands. Jupiter transits will show you.

What other questions give you clues about what you identify with? It's easier to see in your friends and loved ones what they identify with as the "symptoms" that keep showing up. Almost chronic and predictable. Health issues, money worries, difficult relationships, unsatisfying work, few clients, you get it.

In these teachings, it's not enough to say, "I'm going to stop smoking." It's more likely to happen if you believe "I'm not a smoker." You will do the things a non-smoker does, live as a smoke-free person. Otherwise, you will likely keep doing the thing you're saying you're not going to do because the attention is on that thing you're struggling with, and you identify with it.

Take It Off the Mat

From December 5-7, 2025, I'm renting a house in Wimberley and taking some time out to work on my own vision and strategy for 2026. If you'd like to join me, there are 5 other beds in this picturesque property. So, for 5 doers (or 6 if you're willing to bring a partner to share a bed) also in need of head space, heart space, and sacred guidance, I'm inviting you to join me.

We'll plan the priorities and components of the year using archetypal wisdom tools like astrology, Human Design, Tarot, Gene Keys, but also... frameworks, systems, science, lean canvas, and proven strategy. You'll leave with a personalized strategic plan and tools for success in whatever category you are working on: Vocation, Relationship, Health, etc.

I'm calling it The Compass of Devotion because it is an actionable vision of guidance, not traditional goal-setting that keeps failing. It is aligning with your soul's wisdom (King of Cups meets the King of Swords) for fulfillment.

It will be Friday, Saturday, Sunday, December 5-7. 2025 in Wimberley. Here's what it looks like:

Friday

3:30 p.m. Check in and get settled

4:00 p.m. Receive your astrology and personal energy calendars

4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Orientation

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Dinner

7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Setting up your workbooks

8:30 - 9:00 p.m. Opening Circle

Saturday

8:00 - 8:30 a.m. Yoga, Hike, or Meditation

8:30 - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast

9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Preparing for Success (values, dreams, habits, environment, obstacles, priorities)

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Break, Tarot, Filling Out Workbook

12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch (Tarot for some)

1:45 - 3:30 p.m. Getting It Down (planning Q1-Q4 daily, weekly, monthly, time blocking)

3:45 - 5:30 p.m. Workbooks, Movement, Tarot for some

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Sharing Circle

Sunday

8:00 - 8:30 a.m. Yoga or Hike

8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Breakfast

9:45 - 10:30 a.m. Creating your personal fairy tale to live in 2026 or Setting up your Trello/Notion for follow-through

10:30 - 10:45 a.m. Closing Circle

11:00 a.m. Check Out

The schedule might change based on the needs of the group. This investment in yourself is $1200, which will more than pay for itself in 2026. Guaranteed. If you do it in earnest. It includes all the activities, lodging for two nights, all materials, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And for the first 3 to sign up, I have some bonus surprises worth over $500.

If this is something you'd like to do virtually, please put yourself on a waitlist so I know if there's interest in this option.

Mercury is retrograde, so please be patient with the platforms. As I'm typing this, Kit is having trouble connecting to its pages. Simply respond to this email if neither of these buttons are working.

I hope to have provided some insight and value here. If there's something you'd like to see more of (astrology, Tarot, etc.), please let me know. I'm currently building something that I'm excited to share soon. If you attend the Strategy weekend, you'll see me build it in real time.

There are open times for Astrology or Tarot sessions if you can't make the weekend. Or, perhaps I'll see you at an upcoming Witches Market. I'm doing them again to keep my AstroTarot chops up, be around other creative esoteric folks, and hear what's happening in the Collective.

Thank you for reading this far and for your support of my work!

With much love and reverence,

Monica

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