Over the past few weeks I haven’t felt like myself. For the first time in 5 years as a business owner, I’ve found myself feeling anxious and slightly worried. 

Worried about our sales numbers. 

Worried whether my content is still relevant. 

Worried about the impact of AI on humanity 

Worried about people’s ability to focus and stay patient in the age of instant gratification. 

Worried about the state of our country (and world) and where we are headed. 

I’ve never been one to worry much, which is a major reason I’ve had continuous success over my career. I’m a strong practitioner of Stoicism and focusing on what I can control each day. I’m committed to taking consistent action and try to reframe all challenges as gifts and opportunities to grow stronger.

My friends, clients, and family would describe me as “positive” and “inspiring,” and I know firsthand how important it is to protect my energy each day, so I can help energize others. So this feeling of anxiety is quite new and unnatural to me. 

I also realize I’m not alone. A lot of other people are worried right now, even if they aren’t saying it out loud. Many people feel less financially secure than ever before, with rising home prices, interest rates, gasoline, utility, insurance, grocery, and travel costs. There are frequent layoffs in tech and looming threats of AI replacing our jobs. It seems like every company is trying to improve efficiency and use AI to reduce OPEX. While this hasn’t directly impacted AE’s yet, many companies are actively moving away from hiring human BDR’s and now using AI BDR’s. 

All of these fears are causing many people to spend less money because they aren’t sure what the future has in store. Deloitte’s most recent State of the Consumer Report confirms that financial well-being sentiment has slipped in 2026, and consumer spending has slowed this year. 

Yet despite these realities, most people tend to keep their worries to themselves. We all want to appear strong, grateful, and in full control of our lives. Besides, nobody likes a “Debbie Downer,” as we all know how it feels to be around anxious people who constantly worry about every possible threat. So like most people, I decided to keep my worries to myself and continue plugging away as usual. However, sweeping my worries under the rug wasn’t helping. 

The more I kept my worries to myself, the worse I felt. 

So I decided to start opening up a more (not just to ChatGPT, but to humans). I shared with my wife how I was feeling. I shared with my CRO concerns that I had about the market and our growth trajectory. And I’m sharing it right now in this newsletter with 18,000 newsletter subscribers. 

And a funny thing started happening when I opened up.  I received love, guidance, and support and felt A LOT better. Even as I write this newsletter I feel immediate relief. 

So if you are worried about the future, you’re not alone. But worrying by itself won’t help you feel better or change your present circumstances. 

The way we actually can change how we feel is through intentional action, not passive reaction. Here are the four things I’m doing right now to feel better, which are helping immensely: 

1. I’m sharing openly and without shame. The more I share, the more support I get and the better I feel. Whether you are sharing with friends, family, or your therapist, there’s no shame in opening up. In fact, it’s often the exact medicine we need as your loved ones are here to support you most when you need it. But if they don’t know what you are experiencing, they can’t help. 

2. I’m doubling down on self-care. While my “productivity” levels may be lower than usual right now at work, physically I am the calmest I’ve ever felt. Normally when I’m anxious I spring into work mode, but I’ve found this only buries the problem and doesn’t help make me feel better. Instead of using work to stay busy and escape my worries, I’m taking long walks, meditating every day, breathing slowly, exercising and working at a more sustainable pace. 

As a result my nervous system is calmer than it’s ever been, and my stress level on my Whoop is consistently “low.” Many people neglect their self-care when they are worried about their jobs, but I’ve found that self-care allows me to think clearly, focus, and take the right actions that actually can improve my work and life, rather than just doing more busy work to feel better. 

3. I’m focusing on what I can control. My biggest concern right now is the future of our business. Last year we grew 50% YOY, but in 2026 we are completely flat. At the beginning of the year, we hired another seller, BDR, coach, and promoted two of our team members to CRO and COO to support continuous growth based on last year’s results, which has created higher operating costs. 

Although we are executing the same strategies as we did last year, we haven’t seen growth  as many sellers are reluctant to invest in themselves based on fear and uncertainty of their future.  

But rather than blaming macro economic factors, our team is committed to implementing new strategies and  doing everything in our power to rise up to the challenging market conditions. These include: 

1. Program Enhancements – we are introducing new workshops and content to help sellers thrive in 2026,  including how to write strong business cases with AI, how to book meetings with Senior Execs in a crowded market, and how to automate all their manual work and free up selling time using Claude Code. 
2. Internal team upskilling – We are doing weekly training with the sales team to drive new appointments, meeting conversions, and sell more 1:1 coaching. We are tripling down on supporting our sales team and helping them succeed, rather than putting unnecessary pressure on them.

3. Tool refresh- We are updating “Ask Ian” GPT to automatically create tailored, personalized POV’s for clients, create Account Plans, segment Territories, coach big deals, and even send clients prospecting e-mails that follow my proven frameworks

4. Pricing flexibility – we are introducing new payment plans and incentives to make it easier than ever before for new clients to say YES to coaching with UYSP. If you want to hear more about our new offers, you can book a call with my team here

5. Podcast launch – I’m launching a podcast next month to highlight the transformation stories of sellers who went from “average” to “elite” to inspire others to make the necessary changes to perform to their full potential. 

Will all of these new strategies work? I’m not sure yet, but I do know one thing: momentum is created when we are in motion. Feeling helpless and changing nothing does not work. As the market shifts, we must pivot quickly to stay ahead and continue to maximize client value. Peace of mind comes from knowing we are doing all we can to get the results we desire. 

4. Trust God – this is perhaps the most effective strategy to reduce my worries. Let go and Let God. By trusting that everything is happening for a reason and is part of God’s plan for my life, it gives me peace. Every challenge and hardship I’ve experienced has led to something greater, and I fully trust that this season will help me grow stronger and lead me exactly where I’m meant to go. I also trust God to provide for our family and keep us safe, because he always has. 

Luke 12:22-25 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 

These four strategies have been immensely helpful during an uncertain time, and my hope is that they can help you as well. I dive deep into each strategy in this video

If you’ve made it this far, I’d love to hear from you. Is there anything in particular you are worried about right now? Sharing often brings immediate relief. If I can help in any way, I will do my best to respond. And for those with effective strategies to reduce anxiety, what helps you feel better?