Welcome to Gratitude Driven, a weekly newsletter where I share practical ideas and insights across personal growth, professional development, and the world of AI and data science.

I started making YouTube videos because I noticed that my coaching clients were always asking me the same questions: What skills should I learn? How can I make a strong portfolio? How can I network effectively?

Throughout the last year I’ve shared the answers to these questions on YouTube, as well as continuing to coach people one-on-one. As my platform grows, I am fortunate to be in the position where I can no longer keep up with demand for one-on-one coaching. But I still want to be able to help folks at an affordable rate.

So, I’m launching a learning community! 🎉

This will be a place where you can ask questions and get feedback from me in a group setting. I’m still working out the exact details, but it’ll definitely include a-sync and live support, learning resources, accountability, and networking.

Since you’re already on this email list, you’ll be the first to know when we launch. I’ll make sure to have a special price for the first folks to join.

I’m sharing this because I’m excited, but also to give you a heads up: Once the community launches, my rates for one-on-one coaching will go up significantly. So, if you want to meet to discuss your career individually, I’d highly recommend booking now!

Here’s the link.

Thank you all for your support. I’m really looking forward to this and I hope it will be helpful. <3

This week I’m breaking down the 10 technical books I’m planning to read in 2026. The title is AI books, but really it’s a mix of books to help me level-up in my career. I have some unintuitive ones in there, so I hope it’s helpful!

Blog version with links to the books is here.

We're often told that achieving our goals requires sacrifice. If you want to build a business, learn a skill, or make big changes in your life, you're going to need to grind. But you can't just keep adding things to your day—at some point, you have to say no to things you're currently doing

This is true. If you want to achieve great things, you have to accept that everything is a trade-off. Devoting yourself to learning a new skill or changing careers takes time. Something has to give.

Many people who talk about their path to success echo this sentiment. I've know I’ve certainly had to sacrifice a lot to get where I am today. Working full-time while building a content business and coaching practice means I've had to get comfortable saying no to things I might otherwise enjoy.

So yep, sacrifice is real, and it's necessary.

The problem is, all too often, people sacrifice the wrong things.

I've heard one too many "successful" people talk about how they have no social life, no hobbies, or no time to make it to the gym. They even talk proudly about it, like somehow this proves how serious they are.

And I get it. When you're ambitious and driven, it's tempting to throw everything you have at your goals. The problem is, the things that tend to get cut first are often the things that matter most. Health. Friendships. Joy. We sacrifice them because they feel optional, and no one's holding us accountable for them the way a boss or a deadline does.

Now, I'm not one to criticize hard work. There will be seasons when you realistically can't live a “balanced” life, and for short sprints of intense focus, there's nothing wrong with that. But it's easy to get stuck in that mode. What starts as a temporary push becomes the new normal, and over time, we lose sight of what we were working so hard for in the first place.

The extra sad part is that it (usually) isn't even necessary.

There are plenty of low-value things that can go long before high-value things like time with friends, hobbies that bring you joy, and taking care of your health. The key is being honest about where your time actually goes, and then being ruthless about cutting the things that don't serve you or your goals.

Here are some of the biggest time-savers that have allowed me to work full-time while creating content, being there for friends and family, and still having time for my health and hobbies:

None of these sacrifices hurt me in the short or long term. I don't miss mindless scrolling. I don't miss shows I wasn't even enjoying. I feel better not drinking. Cutting these things didn't cost me anything meaningful. Instead, it just creates space for what actually matters to me.

I also make use of my evening hours, but not how you think.

I also wouldn't gain anything by grinding harder after 6pm—I'd just burn out. So those evening hours are used deliberately to recharge. For me, that means seeing friends, having dinner with my husband, going to dance class, or reading sci fi. These aren't luxuries I'll "earn" someday when I've made it. They're part of the life I'm living right now — because now is the only time we really have.

If you cut the things that are mindless and unfulfilling, bring real focus to your work and study hours, and recharge deliberately, there's no reason you should have to sacrifice what actually matters.

So yes, make sacrifices for your goals. Just make sure you're sacrificing the right things.

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