Feel the fear and do it anyway 👻

Issue 23: 10 minute read

🙋🏽‍♀️ Dani’s Doings: What I’ve been up to during my Toronto Summer, reflecting on my business journey so far, and my newest YouTube video

💸 Money Matters: Job hopping has turned into job “hugging” unfortunately, friendship is getting so expensive, and more money stories.

✈️ Travel Tings: A new way to buy people’s cancelled vacations for CHEAP, life in Canada is becoming less desirable, and other travel news.

🫶🏽 Community Corner: A 40% off sale on budget trackers for a limited time only, your chance to join my new course & community at the lowest price it will EVER be, new press features, and more! 👀

Reflecting on my Toronto Summer

I’ve been home in Toronto for almost 3 months now and I’ve been loving it (for the most part)! I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many of my internet friends in real life, attend a few networking + brand/influencer events (something I can never do while living abroad), and of course, spend lots of quality time catching up with friends and family. My boyfriend and I had planned to leave again around November, but honestly, I’m exhausted.

I didn’t realize until now how much I was craving a routine, predictable internet speeds, being able to choose my outfits from my own closets (not my suitcase), and have access to my Vitamix blender and my bike (named Skye). These are the sides of digital nomad/remote work life that people don’t talk about enough. Routines matter! Familiar environments matter! I predict that we’ll end up staying in Toronto until after Christmas, then head right back to Malaga, Spain in January, but we’ll see how it goes! I get bad seasonal depression as soon as the cold starts to kick in, so it’ll be interesting to see how much of the Fall and potentially Winter weather I can handle 😅

I’m heading to a cottage tomorrow morning in Ontario (Tobermory, to be specific) and I’m super excited to enjoy a fully “unplugged” week along with some bike riding, BBQing, board games, and amateur painting.

What I’ve learned as a former corporate gyal turned entrepreneur

It’s officially been two years since I was laid off from my once dream job to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. It has been a wiiiiiild ride full of highs and lows. I know many readers of this newsletter dream of one day starting their own business, and that’s why I like to be super transparent with everything I’ve learned on my journey to (hopefully) make yours a little easier. Some of my most valuable lessons include:

1) Feel the fear and do it anyway

Damn near everything about being a business owner is scary. If you release a product: will people buy? If you drop a new piece of content: will people watch it? If you speak at a conference: will people like what you have to say? EVERYTHING IS SCARY! Positive outcomes are never guaranteed. But growth is on the other side of discomfort, so you gotta learn to lean into uncertainty and just do it anyway (even if you’re terrified). You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

2) Ship fast and iterate later

Making everything perfect is holding you back. PUT THE THING INTO THE UNIVERSE (whether it’s a piece of content, a product, etc.) and make it better later. Perfectionism is often just procrastination in disguise. Here’s a quick 6-minute TED Talk on this topic that may change your life.

3) Comparison is the thief of joy

This applies to all areas of life, but especially in entrepreneurship. Never compare your behind-the-scenes footage to someone else’s highlight reel. What you see on social media is rarely the full story. Yes, it is wise to always do your competitive analysis checks, but spend the majority of your time + energy focusing on YOU. Your uniqueness is what makes you thrive.

Business Progress:

I’ve made major progress on my business since the last Liberty Letter, friend!

1) I launched my brand new website, which I ADORE. I’ve never felt more confident to show off the company I’m building. Check it out here to learn more about my mission, goals, and partnership opportunities.

2) The first cohort of my course (Liberty Launchpad) and private community (Liberty Lounge) is officially going live on October 21st! You can check out all of the details here. The objective of the offer is to teach burnt-out women how to take career breaks (without going broke). It includes 6 live modules that cover everything from mindset, to money management, to planning your break, to reintegration into the workplace, and so much more! I’ve put my heart and soul into this program and I cant wait to share it with you. Founding members for our first cohort will lock in a special 40% off rate. To be first in line to access this price, join the waitlist here.

3) In order to get access to ad revenue on YouTube (my main goal!), you have to reach 1000 subscribers + 4,000 watch hours (or 10M Shorts views). Here’s my progress:

I’m 69% there! YouTube is more of a hobby for me right now, but I do enjoy sharing my travel vlogs with y’all. Check out my latest vlog where I take you around my faaaaaavourite city in the entire world: Chiang Mai, Thailand. Don’t forget to leave a comment and subscribe to my channel to help me reach my goal friend!

• Remember the "job hopping” trend of 2021 and 2022 where people were jumping between companies to increase their income? Yeah, those days are long gone. “Job hugging” is now a thing due to the rough job market. Check out the article to learn about how this new trend and how employers can make work life easier on their employees.

• Friendship is getting expensive, and 44% of young adults are turning down invitations to save money instead. Details and more here. I’m curious: in this cost of living crisis, have you been turning down social events friend? Feel free to reply to this email and let me know!

• It’s no secret that the economy has very turbulent since Trump came back into office. If you’re looking to “Trump-proof” your finances, here are some helpful tips.

• Fast food prices are at an all-time high! (I definitely learned this past week as I was on aunty duty for the week and cannot believe how much it costs to feed three kids!). If you’re curious about what’s causing the pricing spikes, read the article here.

• Studies show that people in the United States have low levels of financial literacy at all ages. For example, most respondents didn’t know that a retirement savings plan with an employer match is better than one without one. Fascinating stuff! Read the article here. On the flip side, studies show that Canada is one of the most financially literate countries in the world.

• Did you know there’s a marketplace where you can buy people’s cancelled vacations to travel for cheap?! News to me! One lady got an all-inclusive vacation to Thailand that was originally $4,700 for only $1,200. Find out how here.

• Canada is losing its appeal as a country to live in. Emigration is UP and immigration is DOWN in record numbers! Details here.

• The U.S. passport has fallen to its lowest position EVER in terms of strength & global reach. Check out this article to see which passports have been climbing in strength 👀.

• Another example of how Japan is living in year 3025: when there’s an earthquake, their vending machine doors open and allow free access to supplies and more! Read more about the innovation here.

• The busiest and most popular flight routes of 2024 have been revealed! Some of the results did surprise me and you can read about them here.

• My second business, FixUpSzn, is officially 1 year old! To celebrate its launch, I’m offering 40% off ALLLLL budget trackers (including our best seller, Irie Income: Annual Budget Tracker) using the code BDAY40. Grab yours here before the sale ends on September 7, 2025 at 11:59PM ET.

• 📰 New press feature alert! I chatted with The Globe & Mail about my first sabbatical (aka my Liberty Leave), and how I was able to afford it. Read the article here. 

• If you’ve been thinking about a career break/sabbatical yourself but you’re unsure if you’re financially prepared for it, I’ve got a quiz for that! Do it for free here.

• After many requests over the years, I’ve finally created a page where you can access all of my fave products that I recommended + my freebies! Check out The Liberty List here.

_{These may include affiliate links where I earn a small commission (and you pay nothing!), which helps me to continue to grow and produce content like this newsletter. Thanks for your support!}

Psssst: Did you know that the Liberty Letter is part of the Liberty Leave brand? Visit the website to learn more! | Wanna work together? Reach out here.