03/09/2026
Business will teach you a lot about yourself.
I had one of those Brewing a Career catch-ups with Anne Cullen yesterday, really enjoyed the conversation and there were a few takeaways I wanted to share.
Anne helps couples stay aligned while they grow their businesses and raise their families. She treats those three things not as separate challenges, but as one interconnected system.
We talked about environment. The relational environment. The people around you. The culture you’re embedded in. Whether it actually aligns with who you are.
When that environment is right, it brings out the best in you. When it’s not, the impact spreads everywhere else in your life.
We also talked about values including the energetic values. The ones that actually shape what gives you energy, what drains you, and who you work well with.
Getting clear on your values isn’t abstract work. It’s the foundation for every decision you make about who belongs around you.
And then Anne shared what she’s learned from building businesses:
When you work for yourself, there’s always something you don’t know.
- The uncertainty of revenue
- Whether an idea will work
- Whether you’re making the right decision
- Whether something that feels uncertain now will turn out to be exactly the thing you needed.
You learn to make the best decision you can with what you know, trust yourself a little more, and keep moving.
And maybe that’s why knowing your values and being intentional about the people and environments around you, matters even more.
When the path isn’t certain, you need something else to anchor you.
Most couples treat business and family as two separate challenges. But the moment you see them as one system, the work becomes about getting clear on who does what and why.
Making decisions from a steady, shared place and not acting from your own bubble. Showing up as a unified team in the business, at home, and everywhere in between. That’s where alignment actually happens.
P.S. What’s one thing business has taught you that you didn’t expect?