Behind the Laptop // 010: The Worst Launch of my Career

This is a weekly behind-the-scenes series where I share raw stories, real decisions, and the mindset that shaped my brand from the inside out.

I couldn’t fall asleep that night.

And when I did, I woke up with a pulsing anxiety I hadn’t felt in years.

Which was confusing because everything in my life was exactly how I wanted it to be.

Two adorable dogs curled up at my feet.

My dream villa in Bali. A custom-designed space a five min walk from the ocean.

A business that was generating high-figure months—consistently.

But that morning, something was off.

And I knew exactly what it was.

The only thing different about that day compared to every other one?

I had just made a 5-figure investment into a marketing agency.

An agency recommended to me by a trusted friend who would help blow up my brand, increase my lead flow, and help me finally be seen for the expert I had grown into.

I always felt like the best kept secret, my clients raved about me to everyone they knew, but the size of my audience felt so small in comparison to the insane results I helped my clients create.

So when this agency promised visibility, recognition, and scale, I didn’t hesitate.

I wanted more people to see what I could do.

I wanted to reach a wider audience without diluting my presence.

And most of all, I wanted a team that could help carry the load, so I could finally breathe and just stay within my zone of genius.

The agency had glowing testimonials and the CEO was genuinely kind and easy to connect with.

Everything looked great on paper.

But the moment I signed the contract, my body rebelled.

It wasn’t just nervousness at my next expansion,

It was a deep, unmistakable no.

At the time, I didn’t understand what that no meant.

I thought maybe I was afraid of being seen, or that I was self-sabotaging my own growth thinking funnels/ads/marketing was “hard.”

But now I know better,

The issue was never the investment.

And honestly, it wasn’t even the agency (though they did have some glaring gaps in their systems and communication.)

The real problem was that I handed over my brand without ever defining it.

I thought they would come in and help shape my visibility strategy.

But what they actually did was try to fit me into their existing framework: A one-size-fits-all approach to content and growth that didn’t reflect the nuance, depth, or power of my brand.

And the truth is: most agencies don’t know how to ask the right questions.

They don’t ask about buyer psychology.

They don’t look at your brand narrative.

They don’t explore your archetype, tone, or the energetic signature behind what makes your presence convert.

They just assume you’re ready to be scaled.

But I wasn’t.

Not because I wasn’t successful.

Not because I wasn’t ready for more.

But because I didn’t have the internal clarity required to hand over the reins without losing the essence of what made my brand work in the first place.

What I needed wasn’t a visibility strategy.

What I needed was a Brand Codex.

What is a Brand Codex?

Your Brand Codex is your brand and marketing bible.

Just like you’d create a visual brand kit: with your fonts, colors, and imagery dialed in.

You need a strategic Brand Codex that covers your message, content pillars, buyer psychology, and marketing approach.

It’s what ensures that every touchpoint of your business, from your Instagram post to your welcome sequence feels like you and converts like crazy.

Because if you’re here:

• You’ve hired VAs or agencies, but still, nobody writes better than you

• You’ve built funnel after funnel, but the number of buyers inside your offers never really grows.

• The right people are trickling in, but your offers still aren’t stacked with the ones who fully get what you’re about

Then you already know: There’s a gap between what you know you’re capable of and what your brand is currently communicating.

A Brand Codex is what anchors your message into a repeatable system, so the right people find you, trust you, and buy from you, consistently.

It’s how you go from:

• spending hours writing content that makes you sound like a beginner →

  to bingeable, branded posts that reflect the true depth of your expertise

• From watering down your message to be liked or avoid judgment →

  to magnetic content that positions you as the authority and drives daily Stripe notifications

• From lowering your prices just to get someone—anyone—to say yes →

  to attracting aligned, high-quality leads who are already sold before the sales call

I have 3 spots left to work with me privately inside the 1:1 Brand Codex Intensive.

This is a deep, strategic partnership to refine your message, elevate your content, and build a marketing system that makes scaling effortlessly, inevitable.

This isn’t about templated funnels or pretty graphics.

It’s about crafting the kind of brand that sells while you sleep, because it speaks straight to the soul of the people you’re meant to lead.

The current rate is $500.

Once these next 3 spots are filled, the price will rise to $600, and then increase again to $800 in June.

If you know this is for you, save your spot here: 1:1 Brand Codex Intensive

That’s it for this edition. I share a new one every Monday. Join the list here so you don’t miss the next drop.