The Wall Street Wellness Newsletter (including upcoming events!)
Some lessons learned from entrepreneurship and exciting community events (in NYC & MIA) coming soon...
Hi friends,
Happy Q2 to those who celebrate! With the end of Q1, I’ve felt the poetic urge to reflect on what I’ve learned in my first quarter of entrepreneurship since publicly launching Wall Street Wellness LLC. I’ve summarized the 5 most meaningful takeaways below (although I’ve learned many, many…many more) and hope you find them insightful.
P.S. Make sure to keep scrolling for upcoming WSW events in NYC and Miami, as well as some other fun wellness topics. 🙂
Don’t take things personally.
This goes for all of life but especially when you’re building a new company. People will dismiss you, doubt you, and even occasionally ghost you.
The good news is it has nothing to do with you.
For every unanswered email or “maybe another time” you receive, there are even more “yes” and “how soon can you start” messages coming your way if you stay focused and keep pushing.
And once you break through that wall, things get really good, really fast.
You regret 100% of the moonshots you don’t take.
I’m convinced that half of running an early stage company is making bold moves and hoping they stick.
Send the email. Pitch the article. Suggest the coffee meeting. Worst case scenario, it’s a dead end. Best case scenario, it opens doors you never imagined.
The most important meeting of my week.
We live in a world of constant distraction, which makes it especially hard to be creative or build something original.
As an entrepreneur, it’s not just the phone and social media - it’s also QuickBooks (no coincidence this newsletter is coming out after April 15), CRM updates, and the blackhole known as “business development.”
So I’ve taken matters into my own hands. I now have a weekly hold on my calendar called “Monday Morning Meeting with Myself (MMMM).”
It’s where I go for an early morning walk every Monday with no headphones and my phone on airplane mode.
It’s truly amazing how many creative ideas you generate when you simply give yourself the time to think.
I recommend everyone at least try it out. Oh, and I get 10% royalties on whatever good ideas come up during your first MMMM. 😉
If it’s not in your control, don’t let it control you.
This is easier said than done, but I’ve learned firsthand that worrying about variables outside of your control wastes a lot of time that could have been spent on more productive things in your control.
When I find myself spiraling from “what if’s” I’m reminded, I’ve done the best I can do where I can do it. And if it doesn’t work out, it’s because something better is unfolding.
Slowly but surely, this is becoming my default mindset whenever I hit a speed bump. It has also proven to be true 100% of the time.
Taking care of yourself = taking care of your business.
So it turns out you can still absolutely burn out even when you’re doing what you love. Luckily over the years, I’ve gotten better at spotting the signs and resetting before things go too far.
That moment hit in late February when I realized I’d been running Wall Street Wellness like a full-on sprint rather than building with a long-term career mindset.
Despite things going “well”, I found myself unmotivated and unenergized. The real reason? I’d been putting myself last and I was showing up that way too.
So I got serious about building time into my schedule to invest in myself.
I also enlisted some accountability, getting back on the calendar with my therapist and personal trainer for some extra support with my mindset and physical goals.
Surprisingly but not, WSW is doing even better now that I’m spending a few hours away from it during the week to take care of myself.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR - Events are coming to NYC and Miami!
April 21st in NYC:
Synergist Network x GLG x WSW: Realistic Wellness on Wall Street
If you’re a woman in an investing role in NYC, I’d love for you to attend this workshop and networking event I’m leading at GLG’s NYC office, presented by Synergist Network and GLG.
The event is technically already at capacity, but reach out to me if you’re interested and I’ll pull some strings. 🙂
May 31st in Miami:
Intimate Dinner & Conversation in collaboration with Hey Ruby Hospitality
I’m teaming up with my friends at Hey Ruby to host an intimate dinner at an exclusive Miami venue for an evening of conversation around realistic well-being, creating an energizing, vibrant life, and the journey of transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship.
Official details coming in early May. Message me if you’d like the link sent directly to you when tickets go live as space is extremely limited.
June 11th in NYC:
Othership x WSW: Sauna, Cold Plunge & Community Networking
WSW is coming to Othership NYC! I met Robbie, the CEO of Othership, last month and we instantly connected. Our missions are deeply aligned and I’m so excited to collaborate on this event.
Plus, I’ve got a generous discount just for the WSW community.
More details to come, stay tuned!
April NYC Trip - Let’s connect!
I have a few times still open for meetings while I’m in town for client events (April 20-26) and would love to connect with anyone interested in partnering with WSW!
Other Happenings at WSW HQ…
Yes you can balance a corporate career and a side-gig, it just has to be in that order.
I recently spoke with Yahoo! Finance about the reality of balancing a full-time role and a "side hustle".
As many of you know, I built the Wall Street Wellness community (@wallstreetwellness) alongside my demanding roles in finance for many years.
In my opinion, it’s absolutely possible as long as you have clear priorities, serious time management skills and honest reflection about the value that the extra responsibility will create in your life.
Find the full article here and my additional thoughts about “poly-working” here.
For those still curious about the “MMMM”…
I spoke more about my new weekly habit during the Health & Longevity Panel at Israel Tech Week.
You can watch the video here.
Book: …
In the spirit of transparency, I didn’t read a new book this month.
I’ve been running extra hard at work and opted to watch Sex and The City (for the first time ever!) when I needed to decompress instead.
That being said, I’m still coming armed with a recommendation from the archives:
The Four Agreements was a powerful reminder that so much of our inner peace comes down to how we choose to think, speak, and show up. The book helped me realize how often we create unnecessary stress by making assumptions, taking things personally, and letting our words work against us instead of in our favor. 10/10, no notes.
Recipe: Shrimp Rice Noodles with Peanut Butter Sauce
I’ve made this recipe 4 times and it keeps getting better.
The dish is soy free, gluten free and dairy free but definitely not flavor free. Let me know your thoughts if you try it out!
Product: My Beloved Reverse Osmosis Water Filter
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I filter my water over on @wallstreetwellness so I figured I’d share here as well!
After much research, we went with the BluVua UV model.
We’ve been using it for 6+ months and definitely recommend. I’m very happy with the water quality and filtering speed vs. other countertop models.
HOT TIP: Make sure to re-mineralize your water after you RO filter it! I use these trace mineral drops.
If you’re still reading, thank you. In the early days of a business, every subscribe, like, and share makes a real difference. Your early support means so much as I keep building Wall Street Wellness - both the community and the consultancy.
Please reply directly to this newsletter if you’d like to share any thoughts, comments, etc. I’d love to hear from you and I’m so glad you’re here!
With gratitude,
Sophia
Founder, Wall Street Wellness
Putting it into the universe 🙏
If you know any organizations who may be interested in Wall Street Wellness LLC workshops, training seminars or advisory, please reach out!
I’m calling in more public speaking this year. If any podcasts or speaking opportunities (panels, conferences, events, etc.) come to mind, I’d be very grateful if you passed them along.
I am always open to hearing ideas for WSW events and collabs. Have a suggestion? I’d love for you to share it with me!
We purchased the same BluVua UV water filter thanks to your recommendation and love it! Thanks for doing the research! Highly recommend.
Wow I loved this. I really like what you said about it not being a sprint (YOURE SO RIGHT) everything good takes time or else it wouldn’t be good right? I also liked what you said about not taking it personal it literally has nothing to do with you. We forget everyone has their own lives and priorities and life happens. Looking forward to next month’s newsletter