ruts

I've been in this online game full time since 2018.

So I'm fast approaching a decade under my belt doing it.

And I can tell you this...

In that time I've had my fair share of days, weeks & months where I've just sat there feeling like I'm absolutely pounding my head against the wall.

And 9 times out of 10 it wasn't because stuff wasn't 'working'

It was nearly always energetic.

And this came in 2 forms:

1) I felt like I'd fallen completely out of alignment with the business, the strategy, the way I was doing things

2) Life OUTSIDE the business was taking so much from me that there was little left when I sat down to build or do anything creative (like this type of work requires)

Unfortunately though, life goes on.

There's bills that need to be paid.

And as the sole provider?

You've kinda just got to figure it out.

So I've tried a LOT of shit on my journey to try work through these phases (which is the good news, they're phases).

And today I want to share with you 4 things that have worked for me at different intervals to go from pounding my head against the wall & feeling stuck in the mud...

To having a new lease on life, feeling realigned & reinvigorated & breaking into new seasons for the business & life.

These are in the order of severity from easiest, to biggest leap...

So depending on HOW FAR bogged in the mud you might feel (or if you revisit this later if you're flying right now) then you can decide which is appropriate.

#1 Spend A Bunch of Cash & Level Up The Rooms You're In

Now I'm not talking on stupid shit.

I'm talking about spending money to get in rooms with people who have done what you're trying to do & have probably already overcome the roadblock that you're facing (being it personal or business or both).

I did this in mid 2021 after my first digital product offer had shot past the $1m mark in the first year BUT it was consuming my entire life & I didn't know the answer to fix it.

I remember it was like 2am in the morning, I saw a post & dropped $24,000 to join a Facebook Group. That was it. Just a Facebook Group. And it changed the direction of my business forever.

Mentorship & masterminds isn't just about the strategy...

It's about getting around people who have done 1% shit DESPITE the challenges life throws at us along the way (internal OR external).

Normally when you read this advice online it's self serving.

But I have nothing to sell you in this Newsletter, so go spend it on the person or the group of people that feel most aligned to you & have smashed through the roadblocks you're facing right now.

Then get in there, get active & immerse yourself.

Sidebar if you're pounding your head against the wall because you've had some success & feel complacent? Spending a chunk of cash is a great way to break out of a rut too because then you want to go make it back (and more). But for the most part I'm talking about shit deeper than just the $$$ here.

#2 Cut The Strategic Energy Drain & Replace It With Something New

One of the pieces of wisdom I learned from that $24,000 / year Facebook Group was that there's 2 ways to fix your calendar if you aren't vibing with it anymore:

a) Add more fun stuff that gives you energy

b) Cull the stuff that you see in there & go 'shit not today, pls, anything but that!'

And usually the BIGGEST yields & energy improvements come from removing stuff that is draining you.

They're the biggest upside, and then adding the 'cool / fun' stuff isn't much by comparison.

Also if you try stack MORE on top of an already maxed calendar, however enjoyable it is, the yield will be nothing compared if you clear the decks first.

I've done this TWICE in my main online business (Caris Digital) where I run the Lifestyle Business Academy today.

The first was in 2021 when I decided to ditch sales call forever INSTANTLY clearing my calendar of back to back to back strategy sessions.

I started selling $2k - $50k offers with a simple Google Doc / PDF & haven't taken a sales call since 2021.

The second big shift was in late 2024 when Liana was pregnant with our 2nd son August & I decided to get out of selling in the DMs & needing to post content on socials for lead gen.

I stopped using the manual systems that had made me & my clients millions & rebuilt everything around ads > low ticket offers > email to sell our bigger packages. That machine has been running since then & forms the base of what we do at LBA today.

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I want to pause here for a second because both of these while challenging for different reasons, aren't insane.

If you've made money, you'll make back what you invest 10x over if you pay attention. The yield on information, coaching & masterminds is INSANE for people who take action.

If you change strategies & you're the type of person who just makes shit work? You'll make it work again because that's just who you are.

So they might stretch you a bit & enough to break you out of a smaller rut or misaligned season...

But if you try either of those & it doesn't quite cut it?

Because something bigger is sitting on your shoulders?

Maybe life stuff outside the business...

You'll need to break out the big guns & I've got 2 more things I've used at different times that have really helped.

#3 Health > Business / Money

As I type that it really should ALWAYS be like that...

But let's be honest.

When work needs to get done, we do it.

And aside from the absolute gym lovers who'd happily spend all day there because it's their thing...

We let the diet, the workouts, the cardio slip when stuff gets busy.

I know I do.

In late 2024 before my 2nd son was born & when I was deep in the throes of changing our systems around like I mentioned before...

I woke up the day after my birthday in late December, looked in the mirror & just felt shit.

I had let myself go, especially over the Christmas period.

From that day on over the next 12 months I dropped nearly 40lbs through hyper focus on diet & exercise.

The business came 2nd during this period & it allowed me to skyrocket my energy.

And honestly, behind the scenes during 2025 life was throwing curveballs left right & centre in my family life (parents & grandparents health challenges) & so having control over this routine was massive in hindsight.

​I shared a video on YouTube here breaking down exactly how I lost all this weight WITHOUT giving up the foods I love, in case you want to follow the same plan.

#4 Pack Up & Go

I only have to go back to Q2 this year to tell you about how I had to whip this trick out of my kit bag.

My fitness journey helped me get through a rough 2025.

But after I hit my goal with that & kind of had it on maintenance...

Life got heavy again & I needed to try something else.

This is what caused us to pack up our amazing lives on the Gold Coast & go to Asia for 4 months just to change things up. I shared more about this in this video here.​

New sights, new sounds, new smells & just some space to stop, reflect & breathe.

Literally within a few days of changing environments I felt like a different person & started finding my mojo again & it has stuck with me since through our travels & now back to Australia as we plan what the next season looks like.

You don't have to go as extreme as us & move countries with 2 children under 3, maybe try a month in a different city or state to start?

If that doesn't work...sure go abroad.

But after a huge 18 months I knew I needed something more dramatic, so we made the jump & I'm so glad we did.

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So they're the 4 things I've used at different times across the journey to help jolt myself out of a rut & a season where I'm pounding my head against the wall.

Sometimes it wasn't as bad & a simple investment or new strategy to reignite the flame did the trick.

But sometimes shit got heavy, usually when life outside the business was throwing me grenades, and in those times I had to pull out bigger tools from the arsenal & go deep into my own health journey or just pack up life for a bit & completely change my environment.

If things are amazing right now, that's great & I encourage you do DOUBLE DOWN while the going is good because we always have challenges around the corner.

So perhaps bookmark this for when that comes. I'm not saying this to be a doomsayer, it's just life & business.

If things are challenging you right now, just remember you're not alone, everyone goes through it, this season will pass and there are tools to help you in these times.

Hopefully 1, or multiple, of the strategies above that helped me can help you as well.

Appreciate you stopping by.

Until next time,

— JC