The We Pivot Podcast is for you. If you're a woman who has recently pivoted into entrepreneurship, you'll find digital marketing tips, trends, and strategies to help grow your business in today's digital world. Join Tona and Al Haywood as we have fun breaking down all things digital marketing. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. And welcome back. How is the start of your 2026 going? Man, I know I haven't been around much over here lately. And honestly, I really realize that that's okay. I've really been focused on things that matter most right now. If I look at my analytics, I can see that people are still listening to a lot of the different podcasts. So I realize that I need to continue to show up, just like I tell you to, right? With 2025 already gone, I wanted to slow down and reflect for a moment and really feel that it is important to do that. Because if we're growing and building anything meaningful, we should always be learning along the way. So today, I want to share five things that I learned in 2025. Not trends, not theories, just real lessons that shaped how I am going to continue moving in 2026. One thing that I realized is when I slowed down and truly focused on one platform, I finally got the results I was looking for. Truth be told, I wasn't really trying to gain thousands of followers. Although I would like to get to 150, staying at that 149 is kind of awkward. So maybe I will, hey, what digital marketing will get to that 150 soon. But in reality, I wasn't really trying to gain thousands of followers. I really just wanted to see if I could get real engagement on a Facebook business page that felt dead. Going from around 90 followers to 149 to me mattered because I didn't think it was possible. I also realized that everyone has a different timeline. As a digital marketing coach, you can't push people before they're ready. When people are ready, they will take the next steps and keep momentum. Trying to rush that process usually does more harm than good. I always felt like when I worked with coaching clients in the past that it was my fault that they didn't continue to move on with me or make the transformation that I really knew that they could that they could. I recognized early, well not early, but late, that it wasn't me. It was actually them. And they have to be ready to make the changes that we're requiring them to implement. And if they're not, that's okay. Maybe they'll come back later and they'll be ready to implement those changes. And when they do, I'll be here. Also, sometimes you build something just to tear it down again. What you think your audience needs might not be what they actually need. And I realize pivoting isn't failure. The faster you realize it, the better. I think sometimes when we pivot because something isn't working, we feel like we failed. But that's not necessarily true. We just found that based off our audience and what they need, we needed to design something that was specific for them in the specific season they're in. Like I do have GPTs that I created, but I don't talk about them much. I recognize that when I have ongoing clients that I talk to on a one-on-one basis or people who are on my email list, those are the people that I will talk to about my GPTs that will be a specific fit for them. So that was how I decided that I wanted to pivot. I also decided that digital marketing clarity coaching was something that I really wanted to provide to people who were trying to get out of the a rut because they felt stuck or they felt overwhelmed with all of the different things that are coming out them, at them at a time when discussing things dealing with digital marketing. They don't know whether to do this or that, try this tool, that tool. They don't know if they should be on this platform, that platform. The digital marketing clarity coaching gives them an opportunity to talk with somebody, talk to somebody, and kind of decide where they should be spending the majority of their time based off of the season that they currently find themselves in. I also realized that AI is definitely helpful, but if you don't know what to say or who you're speaking to, it will definitely fall flat. Your audience can tell, your audience can always tell. People want your stories and your lived experiences. And you don't have to be afraid to talk about them. You don't have to follow every trend or jump on everything new. Sometimes you need to just sit back and think. Ask yourself if something is truly beneficial for you in this season. It's okay to walk away from things that just don't fit. I also learned that I can't be everywhere. Even things I love, like podcasting, have to fit in my season. Showing up less, but with clarity is better than showing up everywhere exhausted. And ain't that the truth? I also learned that even when it looks like nothing is working, God is still working. Even when I couldn't see it, even when the progress felt slow, just because something isn't visible yet doesn't mean it isn't happening. We're in that culture where we don't want to wait for it, we don't want to be patient, we just want to see the results fast. And sometimes patience is the thing that you really need in order for things to grow. These lessons are why I'm focusing on digital marketing clarity coaching in 2026, helping people know what to focus on without pressure and definitely without overwhelm. As I continue moving into 2026, I definitely will choose clarity over the noise of the world and marketing, telling me what I should be focused on, telling me that I need this new AI tool or an AI twin or whatever else. I'm gonna stay in my lane and trust that even when things feel quiet or slow, I will know God is working behind the scenes. And if you're in a season where you feel like nothing is moving, you're not alone, sometimes growth is happening in place you places you can't even see it. And if you ever need a space to think things through and get clear on what's next, guess what? I'm here. All you have to do is click on the link in the show notes. If you want to get clarity coaching, that is definitely fine. There will be a link to do so. And if you want to help me get to 150 on my Heywood Digital Marketing Facebook page, that link will be in the show notes as well. Thanks for listening, and until next time, bye bye.

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