10/13/2026
“I did start before I was ready.”
That’s Emma Grede, on stage at Create & Cultivate last month, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
She talked about watching the men around her: investors, board members, senior leadership - move on ideas they had no real business pursuing, while the women in the same room kept refining theirs until they felt “120% ready,” then quietly decided to wait another year. Her point wasn’t really about confidence, rather it was about risk: if there’s nothing on the line when you make a decision, you haven’t actually decided anything. You’ve made a comfortable move and called it a choice.
She said to write down the story you keep telling yourself about why you’re not ready, then debunk it line by line. I’d add one more line to that list: what’s the actual cost if this doesn’t work? Write the number down. It’s usually smaller than the story and usually smaller than the version of “ready” you’ve been waiting to feel.
What’s the decision you’ve been waiting to feel ‘120% ready’ for?
