The Year After the Mea Culpa: Building a 'Visibility Vision' That Matches the New Me

Recently, I wrote a blog titled The Professional Mea Culpa I Never Expected. It was, without exaggeration, the most honest thing I’ve ever published. I wrote it in the quiet that follows a reckoning. The kind of reckoning that doesn’t just make you pause your business, but reevaluate what you thought success was supposed to look like.

That blog wasn’t a cry for permission. It was a declaration of presence. I wasn’t apologizing for stepping back - I was making peace with the fact that I had. And now, I’m writing this next chapter with the same voice, just amplified.

This isn’t a reintroduction. It’s a continuation. A richer, bolder, more intentional one.

And now that I’ve told the truth about what paused me, I’m ready to tell the truth about what’s pulling me forward.

1. The Visibility You Build After the Disruption Hits Different

The difference between momentum and performance? One is fueled by purpose. The other is fueled by pressure. In 2025, I started letting go of the pressure. In 2026, I’m building purpose-backed visibility that actually fits the woman I’ve become.

That means:

• No chasing metrics I don’t care about.

• No marketing strategies that ignore the human on the other end.

• No content that tries to pretend the last few years didn’t change me.

  
  

The old version of visibility was: “Show up everywhere. All the time.”The new version is: “Be seen in the places that matter. By the people who matter. Saying the things that matter.”

2. I’m Not Pivoting. I’m Planting.

I used to think visibility meant pivoting toward the next trend. But after everything I’ve walked through - and written through - I’m not pivoting anymore. I’m planting.

Planting roots in the thought leadership I’ve already built. Planting systems around the stories I know change lives.Planting a vision that’s more legacy than launch.

Because I’m not trying to be everywhere. I’m trying to be undeniable where I choose to show up. And that means building a 2026 plan that’s rooted in strategy and soul—not urgency.

3. So What Does That Look Like? Here's My 2026 Visibility Vision:

This year, everything I do falls under one of four visibility categories. Each of them reflects who I am as a teacher, storyteller, marketer, and woman in leadership. I'm sharing to hold myself accountable for jumpstarting my life and maybe to give you some ideas.

1. Thought Leadership with Depth

Long-form essays, op-eds, and content that challenges old norms and offers new narratives, especially around women’s experiences, authority, and voice. ✔ Submit one essay per quarter ✔ Focus on publishing where the right readers are and not just the biggest platforms ✔ Lead with ideas, not clickbait

2. Speaking with Intention

Keynotes, workshops, guest teaching, or my adjunct professor work at my alma mater, whether it’s for ten people or ten thousand, the platform doesn’t matter. The resonance does.

✔ Book one speaking event per month (virtual or live)

✔ Host my own storytelling-based masterclass each quarter ✔ Say yes to what aligns. No to what drains.

3. Creative Publishing

The next book. The next play. The next script. Creative work is visibility - especially when it centers truth, experience, and the power of perspective.

✔ Finish new manuscript or dramatic work ✔ Re-release excerpts of past work with updated commentary ✔ Create video/audio-based storytelling moments on social

4. Collaborative Mentorship

Whether in classrooms or coaching rooms, I’m focused on empowering women to use their voice - without waiting for permission.

✔ Lead 1–2 intimate mentorship containers in 2026 ✔ Develop curriculum or short-form courses on storytelling and visibility ✔ Spotlight the women in my orbit who are also rising

4. This Isn’t About Recognition. It’s About Resonance.

Do I want to be seen? Of course. But not by everyone.I want to be seen by the women building something that will outlast them. The ones writing books in between carpool and board meetings. The ones making art and money. The ones who’ve paused and are still showing up.

That’s who I write for. That’s who I teach for. That’s who I build visibility with.

And I’ve learned this: the most powerful visibility doesn’t come from shouting. It comes from standing still in your truth so clearly, so confidently, that people can’t look away.

5. If You’ve Been Quiet, This Is Your Cue

I’ve been quiet, too.

But 2026 isn’t about being loud. It’s about being louder in the right places.

If you’ve stepped back, stepped down, or stepped away, you’re not behind. You’re building clarity. You’re building depth. You’re building a voice that isn’t afraid of being heard anymore.

So this isn’t a professional comeback. It’s a visibility reset. And it’s already in motion.

Want help planning your own visibility map for 2026? Or looking for a space to write your way back into the room? Let’s connect. My inbox is open.