Talk from the Trail - June 2025

Hey there!

Welcome to those of you who are joining us after our first AMA last month! We really had a blast connecting with people, sharing our experiences, and being candid about the enjoyable and challenging parts of entrepreneurship. The energy and community from that event – chef's kiss! Judging by the response, we'll host additional AMAs in the future - stay tuned.

This month, we're talking about seasons, what is on Abby's mind after 10 years in business, and an opportunity to develop your leadership skills. Keep reading!

Living the E Life

Here in Georgia, it's officially summer. The kids are out of school, camps are in full swing, heat and humidity aren't being shy, and we're freshly stocked on sunscreen and bug spray. There's no doubt that this is a transition - a new season.

Similarly, life as an entrepreneur is full of seasons. Seasons may be chosen or forced upon us, predictable or surprising, a welcome reprieve or stress-inducing, short or long. The thing about seasons is that you will always be in one (or several) at any given time. Here are some ways we try to thrive (or sometimes simply survive) through the seasons:

Name it.

It's hard to know what to do - how to survive or thrive - if you have no idea where you are. Start by identifying the season you are in. Maybe you are working a part-time job, accruing mentored hours for CMPC, starting to build your own business, learning to cook, and in a relationship with a significant other - otherwise known as "work-apply-build-cook-love" season, or five seasons in one! The realization that seasons can be overlapping was a game-changer for Lindsey. Seeing on paper how different aspects of life can be happening at once allows her to choose grace through it all.

Be in it.

Knowing what season you're in allows you to get a better sense of what's most important right now, how you want to spend your time, and ways you might navigate it. For example, Abby is currently in "summer-maintenance-develop-fitness" season, which means she is camp and swim lesson chauffeur for her boys, seeing fewer clients until August, working behind-the-scenes on projects and contract work, and exercising daily while looking forward to the beach and some down time in July. Whew. This season is temporary, and understanding it allows her to stay organized, structure her time accordingly, and enjoy some of the fun of summer with her family.

Plan it out.

As entrepreneurs, we get to determine how we structure our time and our lives. Many of us get used to the seasons of sports we support, and come to expect some down time in the off-season. Slower times might allow you to shift to a more dedicated season of learning or creating, or maybe that's when you'll take a trip to recharge. We can't run at a high op-tempo all year long - and shouldn't. Invest in yourself by intentionally planning your upcoming seasons, while allowing for some flexibility with inevitable curveballs!

Use your tools.

Any season is going to bring challenges - mental, emotional, and otherwise. The good news: you already have a toolbox full of skills and strategies that you teach clients regularly, and those also apply to you. Each season is a new opportunity to practice what you preach. Lindsey often gravitates to mindsets and movement; Abby often leans in to completing stress cycles and self-compassion.

Lean on your support.

We both value connection. If you're a solopreneur, it's easy to feel lonely, especially in the midst of a challenging season. One of the best things we can do is lean on our people - in our personal and professional lives. Recently on Instagram there was a post about how having a 12-minute talk with a friend can change your whole way of thinking. So, make the call. Send the text. Grab the cup of coffee. Go on a hike. Whatever it is, relationships will outlast the season - invest in them.

Abby celebrates 10 years in business

Speaking of seasons, last month Abby celebrated 10 years in her business, Intrepid Performance Consulting, LLC. She's spent some time reflecting on how it all began and the journey along the way since then. If you're just starting out or have been in business a few years, we hope that her top 10 lessons from the past decade offer you some insight or encouragement, or both.

Trail Tips

In our experience, entrepreneurship and hiking have so much in common – the challenges, the joys, the camaraderie, and the views. Here are a few hiking terms that are on our mind this month as we think about our own entrepreneurial journeys.

Lookout – A place on a trail, like a ridge or high point, that provides a good view of the surrounding area. The 10-year mark in a business is a great lookout spot. It might not be the summit (the end point for the hike), but it sure does give you a good place to pause, enjoy the view, reflect on how far you've come, and look forward to what's next. When you get to a lookout in your business, be sure to pause to celebrate it for what it is before continuing on your hike.

Bonus steps or miles – The extra steps taken to get to a specific view that weren't on the original trail. Every entrepreneur will tell you: we end up taking a few wrong turns and sidetracks along the journey. Sometimes those bonus steps or miles are unintentional, while other times they are on purpose. Either way, they often lead to some pretty unique and sometimes spectacular views that we wouldn't have experienced otherwise. So, it's okay to detour sometimes. Trust that you can get yourself back on the main trail, or choose a new one that is even better for you.

Let's Keep Climbing

Interested in leveling up your leadership skills?

Want to make an impact within the field?

Consider applying for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology's (AASP) Leadership Academy! Applications are open until June 30th.

This is your chance to be a part of a small, inaugural cohort of AASP members who are committed to learning and growing as leaders. With a cohort mentor to guide you, you'll invest 12 months into developing skills and building relationships that will serve you well as a future leader within AASP (think: committees, special interest groups, or the Executive Board), and also support you as an entrepreneur.

Just take a peek at the Leadership Academy Charter (scroll your way down to page 8 and beyond for all of the skills they've considered building into this experience)! We could make an argument that many of these skills and characteristics have contributed to our success in business.

We each have an important role to play in helping the field of sport psychology to keep moving forward - and this is a great way to get started.

Please contact Betsy Shoenfelt, AASP Past-President and Chair of the Leadership Academy Committee, with any questions.

Happy trails.

Abby & Lindsey

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