3 Months In: Progress on Every Dream

A few days after my birthday this year, I set some new goals and shared them here, knowing it would keep me a bit more accountable. There’s something about putting it out into the world—once it’s written down, it’s not just in my head anymore; it’s a reminder staring back at me, urging me to follow through.

So, let’s take a look at where things stand with those goals—and maybe even set a few new ones while we’re at it, because this is quickly becoming a regular check-in.

Since my last update, life has thrown me some major curveballs. I’ve gone through heartbreak that nearly broke me, traveled, attended events, launched new projects, and poured my energy into bringing fresh ideas to life. It’s been a whirlwind, to say the least, but I’m still standing—and more determined than ever.

Launch Founders Circle – COMPLETED

Getting this out the door was tougher than expected, thanks to some technical hiccups. When I pushed the Founders Circle to our development machine and began rigorous testing, everything seemed smooth at first—new members were signing up without a hitch. But long-time community members ran into issues, and tracking down the exact API calls causing the problem turned into quite the challenge.

Thankfully, after some serious troubleshooting, we got everything sorted! Members are already transitioning from our regular membership to the Founders Circle, where they can access extra benefits and, most importantly, help support the mission of Founders.

If you’re interested in joining us, check it out at https://founders.work/circle

Speak at One Event – PROGRESSING

I shared how it had been years since I last spoke at an event, and how much I missed it. Since then, I’ve revisited some of the materials I presented in the past, and it’s reignited my passion to get back out there even more.

That said, progress on this front has been a bit slow—and that’s on me. With everything else going on, it’s been tough to stay laser-focused on this particular goal. However, I have made some headway! I’m currently in talks about speaking at an upcoming entrepreneurship event, so with any luck, I’ll have some exciting updates to share very soon. Stay tuned!

Have Founders Be Break Even – PROGRESSING

With the launch of Founders Circle, we’re making meaningful strides toward this long-term goal. I know this is a marathon, not a sprint, and while I’m still fully committed to achieving it this year, I’m also trying to stay realistic. It might take longer than I’d like, but I’m going to keep pushing. Most nonprofits face challenges in their early years, but I can see the progress we’re making, and that keeps me hopeful. I’ll keep focusing on what we can control and keep moving forward—one step closer each day.

Donate at Least 1% of my Time – COMPLETED

I knocked this one out faster than expected, which has me thinking about raising the bar to 2% for the year. I’m not making that jump just yet—there’s a lot on my plate right now—but in a future update, I’d love to aim higher. Who knows? Maybe I’ll push it even beyond 2%. We’ll see how things unfold!

Read Every Single Day – PROGRESSING

I’ve been having a tough time with this one, but I’ve realized some days I dive deeper into reading than expected, while other days I miss it altogether. Rather than get discouraged, I’m treating this goal as cumulative—focusing on the bigger picture over the year. So if I skip a day but make up for it on another, it still counts in my book.

I’m committed to reading daily, but with everything else going on—life, events, development work, social obligations—it needed some flexibility. I’m confident I’m still honoring the spirit of the goal, even if the approach is evolving.

Write Daily – PROGRESSING

I’m really proud of my progress on this goal. I’ve been writing every day, whether it’s a journal entry, a blog post, or just diving into some creative writing. It’s been incredibly fulfilling, and I’m feeling great about it. I’m definitely planning to keep this momentum going, and who knows—I might even raise the bar on this one in a future update!

Now for some new goals…

Since I’ve made some decent progress on some of these goals I’ve decided it is time to add a few new goals to the list for things that I want to accomplish within one year of sharing them. I’ll be sure to add these to the tracker on the sidebar as well.

Complete Development on Founders Writing Challenge

he Founders 42-Day Writing Challenge started on social media last year, but since then, we’ve completely revamped it. Now, we have a new challenge system on our website where users can earn badges, track their progress on a fun calendar, and interact with each other along the way.

After successfully launching the 42-Day Reading Challenge on this platform, I knew it was time to bring the Writing Challenge into the mix. So, I set out to redesign it and integrate it into the new system.

The plan is to roll it out first to our Circle members and then to our general membership as soon as possible. It’s been such a fun project, especially with creating new writing prompts, images, and badges—some of my favorite things!

Complete Founders Education & Courseware System

’ve been eager to launch the educational side of Founders, using our new courseware system to offer a series of courses for both our general and Circle members. Creating high-quality, accessible courses that allow others to learn and grow is something I’m deeply passionate about, and it’s been a key focus of mine for several months.

While most of the technical framework is in place, the real challenge now lies in developing and uploading the first courses. It’s a big task, but it won’t just be content from me or the Founders team—our members will also have the opportunity to create courses for the community.

It’s definitely a heavy lift, but I’m working hard to bring this vision to life.

Increase the Podcast Cadeance

We’ve officially launched the first episode of the Founders podcast, and for now, the plan is to release a new episode each month. But honestly, I’m aiming higher—I’d love to ramp up our schedule and start releasing episodes at least twice a month. It’s an exciting start, and I’m eager to keep the momentum going!