Week 1 of The Women’s Playbook: Rewriting the Rules of Business

Here’s the thing no one likes to say out loud:
The “rules of business” weren’t written for us.

• They were built for men in gray suits who had a wife at home handling the rest of their lives.
• They were built for a world where control, domination, and 60-hour weeks were badges of honor.
• They were built for someone with a body, brain, and set of priorities that look nothing like mine.

And yet, for years, I tried to play by them. I worked the “right” hours, went to the “right” events, and followed the “right” formulas. I wanted to play the game—I just didn’t want to kill myself doing it.

But I tried.

I drank more than I should have. I stayed up late answering emails. I ignored my family’s needs because “this event” or “that crisis” felt too important to wait. I put my own health at the bottom of the list, convinced that setting myself on fire to keep others warm was just “part of it.”

If this sounds familiar, you’re in good company.

I’m not alone.
So many women I mentor are working themselves raw to win a game they never agreed to play by rules that were never meant for them.

The more I looked around, the more I realized something:
The women I admire most—the ones building thriving businesses and rich, full lives—aren’t playing by the patriarch’s playbook at all.

They’re making their own.

• They’re running businesses that work with their energy, not against it.
• They’re making money without shame or apology.
• They’re collaborating instead of competing for scraps.
• They’re showing up human, not perfect.

And it works.

Over the next 12 weeks, we’re going to talk about these old rules—and how we can rewrite them together. Because we don’t just need to tweak the game…
We need to write a whole new one.

“Not Our Playbook” Rules:

1. The Grind or Die Rule

2. The Play Small Rule

3. The Don’t Talk About Money Rule

4. The Keep It Impersonal Rule

5. The Competition Rule

6. The Follow the Blueprint Rule

7. The Never Show Weakness Rule

8. The Perfection Rule

9. The Say Yes to Everything Rule

10. The Lone Wolf Rule

11. The Be Affordable Rule

12. The Success = Sacrifice Rule

Your turn:

What’s one “rule” you’ve been told about business that felt wrong to you? Drop it in the comments—I might feature it in a future post.

📩 Want every new rule delivered straight to your inbox? Join the list here [The Women’s Playbook] and get behind-the-scenes updates as I turn this series into a book.