it’s not luck, it’s your choices
Your life is built, not stumbled into.
“I don’t know how I got so lucky,” I said to Dasha, feeling grateful for the friends I have in my life.
We were all together in Croatia — ten of us — celebrating my birthday (a crazy concept to me that we actually made it there, haha).
An Airbnb to ourselves. Everyone taking time off work. People flying in from three countries. It just felt surreal to me.
How did I get so lucky to have these people in my life?
Friends who feel like family. Who inspire, support, and show up.
What Dasha said next made me think:
“It’s not luck. It’s your choices, girl.”
Those were actually her exact words — she’s poetic like that 🫶
And deep down, I know she’s right.
Over the last few years, I’ve been making tiny (and sometimes big) decisions that bring me closer to the life I want:
Saying yes to opportunities — or creating them.
Turning online connections into real ones.
Bringing people together by hosting events.
Creating content even when I don’t feel like it.
Quitting my job and launching anyway (see what I did there?), even when I’m scared.
Sharing my work and being my own biggest cheerleader.
Learning to love myself and prioritise my health.
So no, it’s not just luck.
It’s been a series of very intentional — often scary and unstable — moves.
And this week felt like a full-circle moment, too.
I got invited to speak at the Make with Notion conference in Berlin (!!) — one of the coolest things I’ve done so far.
The whole day was a blur of meeting friends and the Notion team, people wishing me luck, going over my talk in my head, getting mic’d up, networking...
I left so grateful. So full of life.
It reminded me why I’m building this life-first solopreneur business in the first place:
To be around people I admire. To teach what I know.
To keep following my gut and working on projects that light me up — even if I’m not always sure where they’ll lead or if they’ll pay the bills (lol).
Another big thing happened:
I had my highest-paid consulting week ever.
The best part is that it didn’t feel like a big hustle.
During my first consultation, I was nervous. It felt like because someone’s paying, their expectations must be sky-high. But I’ve realised people just want clarity — to get closer to a solution. And because I’ve been there before, they ask me. That’s really all it is.
I’m learning to trust that I do know enough — that I am the right person to help.
It’s a great feeling, especially as someone who deals with major imposter syndrome.
What’s helping is getting clearer on who I help (founders and marketers) and the value I bring (systems for personal branding and growth).
I’m working on my first-ever Personal Branding Bootcamp for marketers — super exciting — probably launching either December or January.
In the meantime, I offer three key services that cover my costs and build the right momentum:
1:1 Notion sessions and one-off projects for marketers who want to learn Notion and get their setup right.
1:1 Personal Branding consultations for founders who need clarity and direction.
My LinkedIn Service for Founders — I create the strategy, a custom GPT, conduct a content interview, optimise the profile, pre-write the first month of content, and build a Notion system to track it all. Plus, I offer a monthly retainer for ongoing support — because feedback is key in the first months.
I’m saying no to inbound opportunities that don’t fit — basically anything outside these three offers — because I want a content-first business with just a few strong services.
Right now, these services and a few sponsors cover some of my bills. Eventually, I don’t want to rely on freelance work for income — I want to do it because I enjoy it.
Content is work. And building trust takes time. But I believe in the long game.
It’s already starting to pay off — even if I’m not out-earning my old full-time salary (yet). Things are moving in the right direction, and I’m feeling more confident. That’s what matters most.
Oh — and in the middle of these projects and brain-heavy work (lol), I took a few days off to go sightseeing with my friend Oskar, a fellow Notion ambassador and productivity expert from Sweden, and his lovely daughter. Alex, Notion Ambassador and Agency founder, also joined us for a bit. Heart is full ❤️
Museums, parks, walks. It reminded me that a few days off won’t break anything. Life goes on if you plan for it properly, even as a solopreneur.
I blocked my calendar, so I had no meetings.
I caught up on messages in the evenings.
And I came back with a new appreciation for the life I get to build now.
if you’re in a season of doubt, here’s a gentle reminder:
You’re not behind.
You’re not lucky or unlucky.
You’re just making one small choice at a time.
You’re moving forward — and that’s what matters.
We’ll never reach the finish line if we keep moving it further and further.
Today, let’s just be grateful for how far we’ve come.
Nobody has all the answers.
Catch you next week,
Maria
“I don’t know how I got so lucky,” I said to Dasha, feeling grateful for the friends I have in my life.
We were all together in Croatia — ten of us — celebrating my birthday (a crazy concept to me that we actually made it there, haha).
An Airbnb to ourselves. Everyone taking time off work. People flying in from three countries. It just felt surreal to me.
How did I get so lucky to have these people in my life?
Friends who feel like family. Who inspire, support, and show up.
What Dasha said next made me think:
“It’s not luck. It’s your choices, girl.”
Those were actually her exact words — she’s poetic like that 🫶
And deep down, I know she’s right.
Over the last few years, I’ve been making tiny (and sometimes big) decisions that bring me closer to the life I want:
Saying yes to opportunities — or creating them.
Turning online connections into real ones.
Bringing people together by hosting events.
Creating content even when I don’t feel like it.
Quitting my job and launching anyway (see what I did there?), even when I’m scared.
Sharing my work and being my own biggest cheerleader.
Learning to love myself and prioritise my health.
So no, it’s not just luck.
It’s been a series of very intentional — often scary and unstable — moves.
And this week felt like a full-circle moment, too.
I got invited to speak at the Make with Notion conference in Berlin (!!) — one of the coolest things I’ve done so far.
The whole day was a blur of meeting friends and the Notion team, people wishing me luck, going over my talk in my head, getting mic’d up, networking...
I left so grateful. So full of life.
It reminded me why I’m building this life-first solopreneur business in the first place:
To be around people I admire. To teach what I know.
To keep following my gut and working on projects that light me up — even if I’m not always sure where they’ll lead or if they’ll pay the bills (lol).
Another big thing happened:
I had my highest-paid consulting week ever.
The best part is that it didn’t feel like a big hustle.
During my first consultation, I was nervous. It felt like because someone’s paying, their expectations must be sky-high. But I’ve realised people just want clarity — to get closer to a solution. And because I’ve been there before, they ask me. That’s really all it is.
I’m learning to trust that I do know enough — that I am the right person to help.
It’s a great feeling, especially as someone who deals with major imposter syndrome.
What’s helping is getting clearer on who I help (founders and marketers) and the value I bring (systems for personal branding and growth).
I’m working on my first-ever Personal Branding Bootcamp for marketers — super exciting — probably launching either December or January.
In the meantime, I offer three key services that cover my costs and build the right momentum:
1:1 Notion sessions and one-off projects for marketers who want to learn Notion and get their setup right.
1:1 Personal Branding consultations for founders who need clarity and direction.
My LinkedIn Service for Founders — I create the strategy, a custom GPT, conduct a content interview, optimise the profile, pre-write the first month of content, and build a Notion system to track it all. Plus, I offer a monthly retainer for ongoing support — because feedback is key in the first months.
I’m saying no to inbound opportunities that don’t fit — basically anything outside these three offers — because I want a content-first business with just a few strong services.
Right now, these services and a few sponsors cover some of my bills. Eventually, I don’t want to rely on freelance work for income — I want to do it because I enjoy it.
Content is work. And building trust takes time. But I believe in the long game.
It’s already starting to pay off — even if I’m not out-earning my old full-time salary (yet). Things are moving in the right direction, and I’m feeling more confident. That’s what matters most.
Oh — and in the middle of these projects and brain-heavy work (lol), I took a few days off to go sightseeing with my friend Oskar, a fellow Notion ambassador and productivity expert from Sweden, and his lovely daughter. Alex, Notion Ambassador and Agency founder, also joined us for a bit. Heart is full ❤️
Museums, parks, walks. It reminded me that a few days off won’t break anything. Life goes on if you plan for it properly, even as a solopreneur.
I blocked my calendar, so I had no meetings.
I caught up on messages in the evenings.
And I came back with a new appreciation for the life I get to build now.
if you’re in a season of doubt, here’s a gentle reminder:
You’re not behind.
You’re not lucky or unlucky.
You’re just making one small choice at a time.
You’re moving forward — and that’s what matters.
We’ll never reach the finish line if we keep moving it further and further.
Today, let’s just be grateful for how far we’ve come.
Nobody has all the answers.
Catch you next week,
Maria
“I don’t know how I got so lucky,” I said to Dasha, feeling grateful for the friends I have in my life.
We were all together in Croatia — ten of us — celebrating my birthday (a crazy concept to me that we actually made it there, haha).
An Airbnb to ourselves. Everyone taking time off work. People flying in from three countries. It just felt surreal to me.
How did I get so lucky to have these people in my life?
Friends who feel like family. Who inspire, support, and show up.
What Dasha said next made me think:
“It’s not luck. It’s your choices, girl.”
Those were actually her exact words — she’s poetic like that 🫶
And deep down, I know she’s right.
Over the last few years, I’ve been making tiny (and sometimes big) decisions that bring me closer to the life I want:
Saying yes to opportunities — or creating them.
Turning online connections into real ones.
Bringing people together by hosting events.
Creating content even when I don’t feel like it.
Quitting my job and launching anyway (see what I did there?), even when I’m scared.
Sharing my work and being my own biggest cheerleader.
Learning to love myself and prioritise my health.
So no, it’s not just luck.
It’s been a series of very intentional — often scary and unstable — moves.
And this week felt like a full-circle moment, too.
I got invited to speak at the Make with Notion conference in Berlin (!!) — one of the coolest things I’ve done so far.
The whole day was a blur of meeting friends and the Notion team, people wishing me luck, going over my talk in my head, getting mic’d up, networking...
I left so grateful. So full of life.
It reminded me why I’m building this life-first solopreneur business in the first place:
To be around people I admire. To teach what I know.
To keep following my gut and working on projects that light me up — even if I’m not always sure where they’ll lead or if they’ll pay the bills (lol).
Another big thing happened:
I had my highest-paid consulting week ever.
The best part is that it didn’t feel like a big hustle.
During my first consultation, I was nervous. It felt like because someone’s paying, their expectations must be sky-high. But I’ve realised people just want clarity — to get closer to a solution. And because I’ve been there before, they ask me. That’s really all it is.
I’m learning to trust that I do know enough — that I am the right person to help.
It’s a great feeling, especially as someone who deals with major imposter syndrome.
What’s helping is getting clearer on who I help (founders and marketers) and the value I bring (systems for personal branding and growth).
I’m working on my first-ever Personal Branding Bootcamp for marketers — super exciting — probably launching either December or January.
In the meantime, I offer three key services that cover my costs and build the right momentum:
1:1 Notion sessions and one-off projects for marketers who want to learn Notion and get their setup right.
1:1 Personal Branding consultations for founders who need clarity and direction.
My LinkedIn Service for Founders — I create the strategy, a custom GPT, conduct a content interview, optimise the profile, pre-write the first month of content, and build a Notion system to track it all. Plus, I offer a monthly retainer for ongoing support — because feedback is key in the first months.
I’m saying no to inbound opportunities that don’t fit — basically anything outside these three offers — because I want a content-first business with just a few strong services.
Right now, these services and a few sponsors cover some of my bills. Eventually, I don’t want to rely on freelance work for income — I want to do it because I enjoy it.
Content is work. And building trust takes time. But I believe in the long game.
It’s already starting to pay off — even if I’m not out-earning my old full-time salary (yet). Things are moving in the right direction, and I’m feeling more confident. That’s what matters most.
Oh — and in the middle of these projects and brain-heavy work (lol), I took a few days off to go sightseeing with my friend Oskar, a fellow Notion ambassador and productivity expert from Sweden, and his lovely daughter. Alex, Notion Ambassador and Agency founder, also joined us for a bit. Heart is full ❤️
Museums, parks, walks. It reminded me that a few days off won’t break anything. Life goes on if you plan for it properly, even as a solopreneur.
I blocked my calendar, so I had no meetings.
I caught up on messages in the evenings.
And I came back with a new appreciation for the life I get to build now.
if you’re in a season of doubt, here’s a gentle reminder:
You’re not behind.
You’re not lucky or unlucky.
You’re just making one small choice at a time.
You’re moving forward — and that’s what matters.
We’ll never reach the finish line if we keep moving it further and further.
Today, let’s just be grateful for how far we’ve come.
Nobody has all the answers.
Catch you next week,
Maria
Be the first to know about every new letter.
No spam, unsubscribe anytime.