Last week I started coaching my first paid AI client.

Built an app called Woozle in 4 hours during a buildathon - it's a space where neurodivergent folks can celebrate any win (got out of bed, took a shower, sent the email) in a community of people who get it. You pick a handle, stay pseudoanonymous, and just... get cheered on. No judgment. No anxiety. Just celebration.

Did an 8-hour MindStudio bootcamp that completely blew my mind. Built my first Chrome browser extension the next day. It scrapes contact info from LinkedIn search pages.

Had my first Black Friday as a vendor.

My sister Sommer flew up for Thanksgiving. (The sister I met in 2016, 48 years after I was given up for adoption. The one who makes me the quiet sister. If you know me, sit with that.)

And my unemployment benefits ended.

Eight months since April 1st. Eight months of the job market calling me overqualified and somehow not quite right at the same time. Eight months of people asking when I'd get a "real job."

So here's what I keep thinking about:

Nothing is broken.

Not me. Not you. Not the person reading this who's been told they're too old, too late, too out of touch, too whatever.

We've been sold this idea that if things aren't working the way they're "supposed to," something must be wrong with us. That we need fixing. That we need to get our sh*t together before we're allowed to try.

But what if the trying IS the getting-sh*t-together?

What if showing up messy and building anyway isn't the problem - it's the point?

I didn't wait to be ready to coach that entrepreneur. I didn't wait to feel qualified to build Woozle. I didn't wait for the perfect moment to launch my first Black Friday offer.

I just... started. From exactly where I was. Which was: broke, frustrated, and running out of time.

And you know what? It's working. Not perfectly. Not profitably enough yet. But it's working.

Because I stopped waiting to be fixed first.

There's a Japanese art called kintsugi - repairing broken pottery with gold. The cracks don't get hidden. They become part of the beauty.

I used to think that was a nice metaphor.

Now I think it's just the truth.

You're not broken. You're whole. Right now. Exactly as you are.

The cracks are just where you start.

Here's the thing about being whole: it doesn't mean having your sh*t together.

It means remembering you were never actually broken in the first place. That the voice saying you're too messy, too much, not enough, too old, too late – that's not your voice. That's the voice of every system that needed you smaller to function.

You didn't fail at being ready. You survived by adapting. And now? You get to remember the parts you set down to make it through. The curiosity. The audacity. The refusal to perform competence you don't feel. The permission to build something ridiculous in four hours just because you can.

Reclamation isn't about becoming someone new.

It's about picking up what's already yours.

Actual useful AI tool directory

Future Tools is exactly what it sounds like - a searchable directory of AI tools organized by what you actually need them to do. No listicle BS, no affiliate spam. Just submitted my HR Automation Advisor GPT for inclusion. We'll see if they add it.

Trevor the Italian Greyhound will save your soul

When I need a lift, I go straight to Trevor the Iggy. This TikTok is so freaking funny and adorable it's basically emotional first aid. You're welcome.

R Generation - my virtual co-workers

R Generation is a remote-first community of professionals, designers, and creatives. As a design thinking nerd, I love that most events are virtual whiteboard sessions using Miro. I've been writing their weekly newsletter (Remote Expresso) since March - these folx are my people.

Partner of the week

Turns out newsletters don't pay for themselves. Who knew? This week's partner helps keep the lights on – and their work is legitimately useful:

What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join 1,000,000+ early adopters reading The Rundown AI — the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.

Sign up to start learning.

Here's the thing nobody tells you about AI: the tech part isn't the hard part.

The hard part is figuring out what you actually need it FOR.

So instead of giving you another batch of copy-paste prompts, I made you something different.

Before You Touch AI: The 3 Questions That Actually Matter

It's a guide that walks you through the clarity work that comes BEFORE the AI work. Because once you get clear on what you're actually avoiding, what would actually change if it got handled, and what you're actually afraid of - the AI part gets weirdly simple.

You think your struggles disqualify you. But what if the thing you're navigating right now is exactly what someone else needs help with? This prompt helps you find the business idea hiding in your pain point.

Role

You are a wise, direct business strategist who helps people turn their lived struggles into valuable offerings without bypassing the hard parts or getting preachy.

Objective

Help me identify how my current struggle or past challenge could become a service, product, or offering that helps others facing the same thing.

Context

The struggle I'm dealing with (or have dealt with) is: [describe your challenge - unemployment, burnout, career pivot, ADHD overwhelm, etc.]

I'm afraid this makes me unqualified because: [your specific fear - "I haven't figured it out yet," "I'm still messy," "I don't have credentials," etc.]

What I've learned or figured out so far: [any insights, workarounds, or tools that have helped]

Output

Give me:

Why this works: You're not being asked to have it figured out. You're being asked to look at what you're already navigating and recognize that someone else is three steps behind you, desperate for exactly what you've learned. Your mess isn't disqualifying - it's your credibility.

💡 Remember: If the output feels too "inspiration porn" or skips over the hard parts, tell ChatGPT. Say "be more realistic" or "include the parts that still suck" - you're allowed to build something that acknowledges struggle without sugarcoating it. You're the expert on your own experience.

✨ Try it in ChatGPT (free version works great):

🗓 Tuesday, December 9th · 12 PM CST / 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET

Feeling behind on AI? You're not. You just haven't had a chance to practice.

In this 60-minute live session, we'll turn "too much" into "I've got this." No jargon. No overwhelm. Just calm, practical confidence - and prompts you can actually use the same day.

You'll learn:

Includes replay access + 25-Prompt Pack + ROCO Quick-Reference PDF.

💜 Know someone drowning in tech overwhelm?

Send them this link. It’s a $30 transformation from panic to confidence - and yes, they’ll thank you later.

📅 Thursday, December 18th @ 10:00 AM CST

Emily Worden and I are teaming up again for a webinar on using AI in your job search. More details coming soon - stay tuned.

The trying IS the getting-sh*t-together.

You don't have to be fixed to start. You don't have to be ready to build. You just have to be willing to begin from exactly where you are.

Which is whole. Right now. Cracks and all.

💜

Take care of yourself, take care of each other,

Deb

P.S. Forward this to someone who's waiting to be ready. Spoiler: nobody's ready. We're all just starting anyway.