Promotion, Hills, and Sour Patch Kids — Progress Over Perfection

Hey you,

This week was a mix of wins, lessons, and a little bit of chaos — just how I like it.

I got promoted at work (still riding that high 🙌), crushed a 6-mile run I was so close to skipping, and had one of those simple, joy-filled moments that reminded me what all this “balance” stuff is about.

We stopped by our neighbor’s house before a community event, and Ledger met their dog, Denver. They became instant best friends — running around, laughing, playing fetch. He hasn’t had a fetch buddy since Charlie passed, and seeing that spark in him again hit me right in the heart.

One Thing to Think About This Week

Addition by subtraction.

Ask yourself: Is this adding clarity or adding noise?

This week I’ve been stripping back distractions — tightening my schedule, cleaning up my environment, and simplifying my systems. I’m excited to test this out as I move deeper into marathon training and leadership at work. Fewer things, done with more focus.

Celebrate Your Wins

🏅 Promotion unlocked! Hard work, consistency, and showing up with purpose paid off — stepping back into leadership feels surreal.
🏃‍♀️ 6 miles, baby. I dreaded it, I doubted it, I did it anyway. The first mile sucked, but then I found my groove — Husker game on, sour patch kids halfway down my throat (not recommended mid-run 😂).
🧠 Mindset shift: When my brain tells me to stop, Runna asks if I want to modify a workout. I stop and ask myself: Is this truly too hard, or just temporary discomfort? That little pause has changed everything.
🧹 Garage purge: Gave away my CNC setup including all my diy wood and created space for what’s next — clutter out, clarity in.

Productivity Hack of the Week

💡 CORE but make it simple:Capture → Organize → Review → Engage.

After revisiting Jeff Su’s system, I realized my “organize” step was the missing link. So I added three small calendar anchors:

AM Review: Triage new inputs.
Mid-Day Check-In: Reprioritize against reality.
End-of-Day Hand-Off: Block tomorrow’s #1 task.

Small tweaks, huge peace of mind. Organizing and reviewing my notes, tasks etc allow me to better engage into the work that actually matters instead of searching endlessly for that one note I can’t find.

What I’m Into This Week

App: Strava - The fitness sharing app that connects all the dots to accountability.
Video: Jeff Su’s System video on CORE is so valuable and worth the watch. He shows how to accurately use a few tools together to build the most functional work system for notes, tasks, meetings, calendar etc.
Framework: Ali Abdaal’s Ideal Week — I built mine based on my actual energy, not wishful thinking. It’s nice to review where your time goes. Beware, you’ll be shocked.

Life Snapshot

Personal Wins: Built a realistic Ideal Week that fits around my life, not the other way around.
Family Moments: Lunch at June’s turned into one of those simple but meaningful moments — good food, deep talk, and a cookie-stealing bird that had us laughing out loud.
Neighborhood Fun: Watching Ledger play fetch with Denver made my whole weekend.
Real-Life Relatability: Saturday energy was low, but I still moved my body. Not because I wanted to — but because i’m committed to showing up for myself.

One Last Thing

Accountability beats motivation every time.

Motivation comes and goes, but the promises you make to yourself — those are what build confidence. Whether it’s a run, a work project, or a simple reset, keep your word. Future You will thank you.

Fun P.S.

Ledger’s still in his “trash can tour guide” era. He spots every single one. It doesn't matter where we go anymore, if he sees a trash can, he will point at it, walk up to it, try to touch it..... and possibly try to move it. What have we started?

Community + Challenge Corner

👟 Join the Run Crew: 30 days • 3 runs a week • Finish with a Turkey Trot — local or virtual. Come join me!

📩 Be my accountability buddy: Reply “I’m in” with your run/walk goal for next week.

I'm documenting my entire journey on Youtube. Come follow along (and root for me... I need all the support I can get. 26.2 miles will come so much quicker than I can imagine). Follow along here

Closing

Whether it’s a six-mile run, a leadership leap, or just keeping a promise to yourself — keep showing up with consistency and joy.

Progress doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be yours.

See you next week 💛

— Trina ✨

P.S. Want more? You can view all Newsletter posts here. Interested what my 1:1 coaching looks like? Check out my website transformwithtrina.com

🎧 Want more? Catch this newsletter on the podcast too:

Transform with Trina