I am my #1 client.

How I invest in my most valuable asset.

When I first went out on my own (freedom! excitement! terror!), I still managed to burn myself out. I was way too stressed about my high-interest mortgage to prioritize feeling “rested.”

Around that time, Erika and I were laying on my carpet, petting Cleo’s famously soft belly fuzz, talking about working for ourselves—money, burnout, scarcity, creativity, all of it.

I was so inspired by her practice — her daily writing practice, how she made working for herself fun, how she’s building her flywheel.

“You are your #1 client,” I said. She grinned— “I am my #1 client.”

It’s been neon in our minds ever since.

Slide from my talk about creativity and potential.

Last Wednesday—a year and so after that carpet conversation—Erika invited me to speak to her cohort about creativity and of course, I had to start there.

Sure, I had to trick myself into believing I was my most lucrative client to start prioritizing myself. I needed permission to give myself all the things I was giving my clients. Thank you to my late stage capitalism rot for that. This is I learned:

Treating myself like a brand worked fabulously. I need clear, true vision and strategic rigor. I need to celebrate my value and my values. I need to nourish my organization with clarity, confidence, imagination, and strategy.

I became more empathetic. I became way more dialed in to what my clients are going through. My business is basically my own personal high-stakes self-development course. I’ve never thought about myself this much. It’s a trip.

My work got better. The work was sharper, more alive, more inspired when I was, too. When we’re tapped out, everything dulls. Creativity shrinks to survival mode. You play it safe, repeat. And that’s bad business for consultants like me. I’m hired to solve problems originally, intuitively, creatively—not to “optimize.”

Doing nothing is strategic, actually. My weekly growth strategies now include rest, joy, movement, curiosity, solitude, silence, stillness. Building my self-trust in therapy is a business investment. My mind wanders during business hours. I clear my calendar and prioritize exploration. I am determined to try and fail learn. I waste time. Gasp.

So, yeah—it is business-imperative to be as generous with myself as I are with my clients. The more attuned I am to myself, the more connected I am to my work.

My #1 client.