So surgery was on Wednesday and seemed to go as planned.

(If you missed last week’s announcement, I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer… the same day I tested positive for C’VID. Clearly not my best week! Surgery was this past week. Below is an update of how it all went.)

Although I slept through it all (VERY weird to imagine being totally out and literally a small private part of your body taken out), my husband said the doctor debriefed him that she was “pleased with how it went.” Before and after pics:

From my standpoint, I remember the anesthesiologist giving me something via IV to “chill” me out which… knocked me out. Last I recall was starting down the hall to the operating room and thinking to myself, “This would be a good time to think positive thoughts…” Then over and out.

Picked up food on our way home (thank you to all those who sent us gift cards – full initial scoop on surgery and how to help here) and then my husband Marc and I had a few moments of quiet, until first the kids came home with my step-daughter Olivia and then my mom who flew in from California was dropped off by my step-sister Jen. 

Now is where it starts to get even more interesting…

Once I finally was awake on Thursday (after 330pm!), I checked in with my Mom. Only trouble is that my mom coughed and it sounded all too familiar… 

Yup, my mom did a home test and was C’VID positive. 

So now besides making sure I recover, my Mom is quarantined in our house and Marc and I are taking care of her. (I can’t make this up!) Kids are both now sleeping in the basement (while mom is quarantined in our son’s room) and we are trying to make the best of things. 

To keep “normalcy” for the kids, we did a combo of chill activities (like beading, a hike, and painting pottery), but I probably overdid it a bit as I headed to bed last night needing another weekend off after the weekend. Know what I mean?

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On June 14, 2022, my life changed forever. 

Not only did I test positive for C’VID in the morning, but by the end of the day, I heard back from a recent biopsy that I have early stage breast cancer.

(This all started with a routine mammogram in May and then a follow-up mammogram to investigate some concerns. So PSA, if you are a woman and due for a mammogram, get it scheduled and go.)

Hearing the cancer news on a 3-way call with my husband — and not even being able to cry into his arms after the news for fear of my recent and likely very contagious C’VID diagnosis — was less than ideal. 

But it served a dual purpose — giving me some time to “be” with all of my feelings as I faced the reality of my new situation while also giving me something else to focus on.

Recovering from C’VID and getting out of quarantine needed to be the first priority. My cough was terrible and I pretty much lost my voice. I didn’t try to push through (something the “old me” might have attempted)… I postponed the launch we were in the middle of and chose frequent naps and Net-flix.

Once I was able to re-enter the outside world, I met with the surgeon and feel like I have somehow gotten on speed dial from all of the incredible staff at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 

(It is not lost on us that this is the same organization my husband Marc has raised over $150k for from running the last 10 Boston Marathons.)

I’ve made it through the shock, anger, pity, frustration, and all the “why me’s”.

Now I’m reading Michael Singer’s book “The Surrender Experiment” from my friend Kate Northrup’s recommendation. As a high-achiever, I have spent too many hours (well really years) trying to control and ensure outcomes go my way. 

But this is something way beyond my control, and this book is a very timely reminder of the calm and freedom that can come from letting go, surrendering, and trusting in life’s unfolding. Now I ground myself that at least I found out early and perhaps this is what needed to happen to monitor things more closely in the future and uplevel my own care for my physical body.

I’ve shared the news with some close family, friends, colleagues, clients, and our team so far, and today I am ready to share it more broadly as I have had some time to process so many feelings over the last few weeks. (Turns out if you share that you are scared of going for a biopsy, not surprisingly, people close to you will want to make sure the results turned out ok.)

The great news is that it has been caught very early. And as breast cancer goes, to quote my surgeon, this is all “very favorable and very curable”.

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Did you catch my Part 1 earlier today?

I shared why I want you to be upset your business doesn’t have reliable Profit Projections yet. 

I often wonder how business owners can even sleep at night without knowing how much money they have coming in, starting with the current and upcoming months!

[Hint: Inside the Cash Flow CEO Accelerator, I’ll finally show you how to create actual profit projections so you know what to work on, what to offer, and how to pay yourself more. Apply now because applications close tomorrow night.]

Even though your business hit 6 figures, now you may just be feeling more overwhelmed with how much tax you could owe — and the not understanding all the money stuff makes it even more confusing! 

You may have a bookkeeper and even an accountant, but do you have any tax planning and strategy yet?

Most business owners do NOT and then, especially when they grow fast, they get hit with a hefty unexpected tax bill — to the tune of $10k to $30k+ due immediately without a plan to handle it.

Once you reach / pass $100k revenue, it often isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Instead, especially when it comes to your taxes, it can feel like “Mo Money, Mo Problems.”

It doesn’t have to be that way!

Most of your tax stress comes from one of 3 places:

1 – Not having your money system organized, so just collecting the numbers is stressful

2 – Not estimating and setting aside taxes throughout the year

3 – Not having an expert support you with tax planning or tax strategy

Again, Cash Flow CEO to the rescue!

The full curriculum of trainings will teach you how to create a real money system (and hire or work with your bookkeeper in a streamlined way) and transfer money into a separate account each month to provide for taxes (no more surprises). 

Then the new Tax Hacks For The Growing $100k+ Expert bonus training from Kimberly Tara, Tax & Profit Strategist, will also help you to know:

• the different ways to pay yourself and what that means for your tax return
• commonly missed tax deductions
• the difference between tax planning and tax preparation + when you should hire a tax strategist
• when an S-Corp can be the right move for you and how to maximize its benefits
• where to find a welcoming space where you’re not alone figuring this out 

OK, you ready to take control of your business and actually get the money side handled and supporting your overall growth?

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