The 84%

The 84% "My gig is to bring people together, build a community where we vibe on all that good, positive energy the universe is dishing out. Rustie

Let's lift each other up, find that deep-down self-love, & get rich where it counts—in the heart & soul."

I didn’t learn leadership from a PowerPoint.Simply said. I learned it leading REAL people, with REAL numbers and REAL co...
09/04/2026

I didn’t learn leadership from a PowerPoint.

Simply said.

I learned it leading REAL people, with REAL numbers and REAL consequences.

I learned it when someone called out and there was nobody else coming.

When the numbers weren’t where they needed to be.

When the plan looked fantastic on paper Monday and fell completely apart by Tuesday.

I learned it sitting across from employees who were frustrated, overwhelmed, scared, angry—or simply needed someone to listen. Most of the time there was nothing I could do except to be present.

I learned it making decisions I knew wouldn’t make everyone happy.

And I learned it by getting things wrong.

👆That part matters.👆

Because leadership isn’t knowing all the right answers.

It’s having enough self-awareness to recognize when your answer isn’t working—and enough humility to change it.

The best leaders I’ve known weren’t perfect.

👉🏻They were present.
👉🏻They could adjust.
👉🏻They could listen.
👉🏻They could own a mistake.
👉🏻They could make a hard decision.

AND?

They understood that the people doing the work weren’t numbers on a spreadsheet.

Ironically, when you start treating people like people, the numbers tend to follow.

Retention improves.💡
Trust grows.💡
Teams become stronger.💡
Performance moves.💡

That’s the kind of leadership I BELIEVE in.

Not leadership from a PowerPoint.

Leadership learned in the messy middle—where real people, real numbers and real consequences live.

Lead Forward™

Regulated leaders build regulated cultures.





I’m pretty sure the aliens added something extra when they built me. 👽🛸Because logically? My little internal “beacon of ...
09/01/2026

I’m pretty sure the aliens added something extra when they built me. 👽🛸

Because logically? My little internal “beacon of hope” should have burned out YEARS ago.

Right now, I am basically melting into goo.

My body has apparently decided we’re handling things one ache at a time.

My debt has officially entered the “second job required” category.

I spent $26 trying to win the lottery and won $8, which feels like a fairly accurate summary of my current return on investment. 🙄😂

I’m juggling work, school, building a business, parenthood, and a major surgery—and there are absolutely moments when I wonder how the hell I’m supposed to carry all of it.

And yet…

There’s still this stupid little light.

Not a giant inspirational flame.

Not some beautiful sunrise accompanied by motivational music.

Just a tiny, stubborn beacon somewhere inside me saying:

Keep going.
Something will change.

Maybe that’s what hope actually looks like.

Not pretending everything is okay.

Not denying that you’re scared, exhausted, overwhelmed or occasionally questioning every decision that brought you here.

Just refusing to believe that where you are today is where you’ll stay.

I don’t know what the next chapter looks like.

But apparently the aliens programmed me to keep turning the page.

So… onward. 👽

09/01/2026

There’s a strange place in life where you can be winning and losing at the exact SAME time…….💣

You can be proud of what you’ve accomplished AND completely exhausted by what it took to accomplish it.

You can succeed in a job AND realize you’ve outgrown the environment.

You can go back to school because you’re building something bigger while simultaneously wondering why the hell you added homework to an already overcrowded life.👈🏼(that)

You can prepare for a major surgery knowing it’s the right decision AND still be anxious about what comes after.

You can be a parent who loves fiercely AND still occasionally want to lock yourself in your bedroom and declare yourself unavailable. 😂 (check)

NONE of those things cancel the others out.

I think we’re taught to measure life too neatly.

Winning = happy.
Failure = sad.
Growth = exciting.
Change = brave.

Except sometimes growth is terrifying.
Sometimes winning costs more than expected.

Sometimes failure redirects you.

AND……….sometimes the bravest thing you do is admit that something you once fought incredibly hard for NO LONGER fits.

Maybe success isn’t always crossing the finish line with your arms in the air.

Maybe sometimes it’s standing in the middle of absolute chaos, looking around and realizing:

“I am changing my life while I’m still living it.”

………,,,,,,,,,,Messy does count!!

🔥🔥🔥Keep moving.🔥🔥🔥






There’s a strange place in life where you can be winning and losing at the exact SAME time…….💣You can be proud of what y...
09/01/2026

There’s a strange place in life where you can be winning and losing at the exact SAME time…….💣

You can be proud of what you’ve accomplished AND completely exhausted by what it took to accomplish it.

You can succeed in a job AND realize you’ve outgrown the environment.

You can go back to school because you’re building something bigger while simultaneously wondering why the hell you added homework to an already overcrowded life.👈🏼(that)

You can prepare for a major surgery knowing it’s the right decision AND still be anxious about what comes after.

You can be a parent who loves fiercely AND still occasionally want to lock yourself in your bedroom and declare yourself unavailable. 😂 (check)

NONE of those things cancel the others out.

I think we’re taught to measure life too neatly.

Winning = happy.
Failure = sad.
Growth = exciting.
Change = brave.

Except sometimes growth is terrifying.
Sometimes winning costs more than expected.

Sometimes failure redirects you.

AND……….sometimes the bravest thing you do is admit that something you once fought incredibly hard for NO LONGER fits.

Maybe success isn’t always crossing the finish line with your arms in the air.

Maybe sometimes it’s standing in the middle of absolute chaos, looking around and realizing:

“I am changing my life while I’m still living it.”

………,,,,,,,,,,Messy does count!!

🔥🔥🔥Keep moving.🔥🔥🔥







08/30/2026

I had an interesting realization recently.

Sometimes you don’t realize how much life you’ve lived until you look backward.

Not at every date or every detail. Just at the distance.

There were seasons when I wasn’t building some beautiful five-year plan. I was figuring out the next week. Sometimes the next day.

Working. Parenting. Moving. Rebuilding. Dealing with things I never planned for and making decisions with whatever information and energy I had at the time.

And because I was so busy DOING it, I never stopped to recognize what I was actually learning.

How to adapt.

How to make a decision when none of the choices were particularly good.

How to start over without having everything figured out.

How to keep moving when Plan A, B and occasionally C went straight to hell.

Looking back, I realize I have rebuilt my life more than once.

I have changed direction when the original plan fell apart.

I have made mistakes. Lord knows I have gotten some things wrong.

But here’s the part I almost missed:

Every version of me taught the next version something.

That woman wasn’t just surviving.

She was collecting skills.
Building confidence.
Learning what she would tolerate — and what she wouldn’t.
Figuring out what mattered.
Becoming someone capable of handling the next unknown.

We spend a lot of time measuring ourselves by how far we still have to go.

Maybe once in a while we should turn around and look at the ground we’ve already covered.

Because you may discover something important back there:

You already have evidence that you can do hard things.

And sometimes?

That’s exactly the reminder you need before deciding what comes next.




I had an interesting realization recently.Sometimes you don’t realize how much life you’ve lived until you look backward...
08/30/2026

I had an interesting realization recently.

Sometimes you don’t realize how much life you’ve lived until you look backward.

Not at every date or every detail. Just at the distance.

There were seasons when I wasn’t building some beautiful five-year plan. I was figuring out the next week. Sometimes the next day.

Working. Parenting. Moving. Rebuilding. Dealing with things I never planned for and making decisions with whatever information and energy I had at the time.

And because I was so busy DOING it, I never stopped to recognize what I was actually learning.

How to adapt.

How to make a decision when none of the choices were particularly good.

How to start over without having everything figured out.

How to keep moving when Plan A, B and occasionally C went straight to hell.

Looking back, I realize I have rebuilt my life more than once.

I have changed direction when the original plan fell apart.

I have made mistakes. Lord knows I have gotten some things wrong.

But here’s the part I almost missed:

Every version of me taught the next version something.

That woman wasn’t just surviving.

She was collecting skills.
Building confidence.
Learning what she would tolerate — and what she wouldn’t.
Figuring out what mattered.
Becoming someone capable of handling the next unknown.

We spend a lot of time measuring ourselves by how far we still have to go.

Maybe once in a while we should turn around and look at the ground we’ve already covered.

Because you may discover something important back there:

You already have evidence that you can do hard things.

And sometimes?

That’s exactly the reminder you need before deciding what comes next.




Taking a huge pay cut is hard……Especially when you know what YOU bring to the table.The uncomfortable reality of the 202...
08/28/2026

Taking a huge pay cut is hard……

Especially when you know what YOU
bring to the table.

The uncomfortable reality of the 2026 job market is that loyalty and experience don’t always carry the weight they should.

There are employers who will look at an experienced candidate, recognize the value of their skill set—and also recognize that person has bills to pay.

And sometimes? They’ll price the offer accordingly.

That’s why I think the idea of a “side gig” has changed.

It isn’t necessarily about hustling harder.
It’s about having a backup plan.

💡Consulting.
💡Freelancing.
💡Teaching.
💡Selling something you create.
💡Building a small business.

Turning years of experience into something that belongs to YOU.

Because desperation is expensive.🔥🔥

When one employer controls your entire income, walking away from a bad offer, unhealthy culture, or ridiculous expectations becomes much harder.

A second stream of income—even a small one—creates something incredibly valuable:

Choice.

It gives you room to say, “No. My experience is worth more than that.”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing what you need to do to keep the lights on.

But don’t confuse survival pricing with your actual worth.

Take the bridge job if you need the bridge.

Just keep building the road that gets you where you actually want to go.

Your years of experience didn’t suddenly become less valuable because somebody offered you less money.

Build the backup plan before you need the backup plan.







08/28/2026

Taking a huge pay cut is hard……

Especially when you know what YOU
bring to the table.

The uncomfortable reality of the 2026 job market is that loyalty and experience don’t always carry the weight they should.

There are employers who will look at an experienced candidate, recognize the value of their skill set—and also recognize that person has bills to pay.

And sometimes? They’ll price the offer accordingly.

That’s why I think the idea of a “side gig” has changed.

It isn’t necessarily about hustling harder.
It’s about having a backup plan.

💡Consulting.
💡Freelancing.
💡Teaching.
💡Selling something you create.
💡Building a small business.

Turning years of experience into something that belongs to YOU.

Because desperation is expensive.🔥🔥

When one employer controls your entire income, walking away from a bad offer, unhealthy culture, or ridiculous expectations becomes much harder.

A second stream of income—even a small one—creates something incredibly valuable:

Choice.

It gives you room to say, “No. My experience is worth more than that.”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing what you need to do to keep the lights on.

But don’t confuse survival pricing with your actual worth.

Take the bridge job if you need the bridge.

Just keep building the road that gets you where you actually want to go.

Your years of experience didn’t suddenly become less valuable because somebody offered you less money.

Build the backup plan before you need the backup plan.







08/28/2026

“The rules” are usually just somebody else’s map……💣

Useful? Absolutely.

Concrete? NOT even close.

When you’re building a business, it’s easy to convince yourself there is a RIGHT way to do it.

💡Follow the plan.
💡Stick to the strategy.
💡Hit the milestones.

Oh? AND the very wage advice of

“Do what successful people did before you.”

Except… your business isn’t THEIR business.

Your people aren’t THEIR people.

AND the conditions you started in may not be the conditions you’re standing in six months from now.

Sometimes growth requires adjusting the sails.

That doesn’t mean the original plan failed. It means you learned something.

Maybe the offer needs to change.
Maybe the audience does.
Maybe the process that worked with five employees is terrible with fifty.
Maybe the leadership style that worked yesterday isn’t what your team needs today.

Fluidity isn’t a lack of direction.

It’s the ability to keep your destination in sight while being willing to change how you get there.

And frankly? That applies to a whole lot more than business.

👉🏻Friendships change.
👉🏻Families change.
👉🏻Teams change.

👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻WE change.👈🏼👈🏼👈🏼👈🏼

Healthy relationships require adjustment too.

The goal shouldn’t be to follow “the rules” so rigidly that we stop paying attention to what’s actually happening in front of us.

✅Have a plan.

✅Know your values.

✅Know where you’re trying to go.

Then give yourself permission to move the damn sails when the wind changes.

That isn’t quitting the plan.

That’s navigating it…..






“The rules” are usually just somebody else’s map……💣Useful? Absolutely.Concrete? NOT even close.When you’re building a bu...
08/28/2026

“The rules” are usually just somebody else’s map……💣

Useful? Absolutely.

Concrete? NOT even close.

When you’re building a business, it’s easy to convince yourself there is a RIGHT way to do it.

💡Follow the plan.
💡Stick to the strategy.
💡Hit the milestones.

Oh? AND the very wage advice of

“Do what successful people did before you.”

Except… your business isn’t THEIR business.

Your people aren’t THEIR people.

AND the conditions you started in may not be the conditions you’re standing in six months from now.

Sometimes growth requires adjusting the sails.

That doesn’t mean the original plan failed. It means you learned something.

Maybe the offer needs to change.
Maybe the audience does.
Maybe the process that worked with five employees is terrible with fifty.
Maybe the leadership style that worked yesterday isn’t what your team needs today.

Fluidity isn’t a lack of direction.

It’s the ability to keep your destination in sight while being willing to change how you get there.

And frankly? That applies to a whole lot more than business.

👉🏻Friendships change.
👉🏻Families change.
👉🏻Teams change.

👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻WE change.👈🏼👈🏼👈🏼👈🏼

Healthy relationships require adjustment too.

The goal shouldn’t be to follow “the rules” so rigidly that we stop paying attention to what’s actually happening in front of us.

✅Have a plan.

✅Know your values.

✅Know where you’re trying to go.

Then give yourself permission to move the damn sails when the wind changes.

That isn’t quitting the plan.

That’s navigating it…..






Address

1235 East Boulevard STE: E 1663
Charlotte, NC
28203

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