Explore and plan, but with no franticness or urgency

November 24, 2025

There's a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in the world of business and making a living right now, and I don't like it at all. I do, though, think it's accurately reflecting the moment we're in and the people who believe they control us right now.

I also think it's equally true that a lot of us have ideas right now that are coming to the surface, compelling us to explore, examine and imagine. To stretch ourselves and our thinking and believe in our dreams just a bit more.

Feeling compelled is actually quite engaging and possibly even fun, and it's a very, very different energy than feeling urgency or being pushed against your will.

When we are compelled, that can be explained as feeling driven by a need or desire to dig deep into a thought or idea, and maybe even to take some action. Whether it's a creative endeavor, a new business idea, or a marketing campaign you're feeling called to work on, to be compelled is to feel a magnetic draw to go deeper into something.

What if exploring your idea is the very thing you can do to disrupt the exploitation and extraction going on around us?

What if you could take a bit of time for yourself and explore that idea bubbling up inside you? With no pressure to perform and no expectation that you'll produce anything on some artificial timeframe.

What if you could bring your whole heart, in full alignment with yourself, and explore in as much safety as you need because the only person you have to declare anything to is yourself?

(Side note: I think something I need to talk about more is that in this workshop experience, I will never ask you to share anything with me or the group unless you want to. I absolutely will NOT push you into doing something that doesn't feel supportive; you are safe to bring your heart with you.)

That's what my "Spark Your Idea" workshop is all about. In this experience, I offer a framework to gather your thoughts - whether they are delicate gossamer threads of the finest silk or an unruly pack of feral cats - and capture what you really need and want. But without any sort of hectic energy. And without all the franticness and urgency that's pressing in around you.

And yes, you'll probably also end up naming some things (in private, just for yourself) that are causing you to feel challenging emotions like anxiety and powerlessness, but I've learned over the years that's nothing more nor less than a healthy expression of working on ideas. In Spark Your Idea, I'll remind you to keep breathing even when your challenging emotions and thoughts derail you. And I'll help you figure out strategies that can work for you alongside of those challenges instead of suppressing them.

The Spark Your Idea workshop experience begins December 9th. Get more details and register here.

A note on my identities: I'm a white, cis-het, non-disabled middle-class woman living in Ohio in the U.S. I know people who share my identities have done a lot of harm in the world, so if my identity is an obstacle for you, I get it. I hope you'll take a chance on me anyway, but if not, I still believe in you and your idea. I'm sending loving support no matter what.

My client Chris Musei-Sequeira, an extraordinary man who I'm fortunate to now call a dear friend, explains my Spark Your Idea workshop experience this way:

If you’ve got an idea you’d like to nurture, I’d like to help you do it through my Spark Your Idea Workshop.

My Spark Your Idea Workshop, which begins on December 9th (details here), might be for you if you’ve got the itch to start something new or make a shift in some way including:

• Introduce a marketing idea or campaign

• Write a keynote speech

• Plan a new program or business

• Develop a work of art

• Move an existing program or idea in a new direction

• Offer your services to a new audience

• Become a coach or consultant

• Write a book

• Begin a community organization

• Start a blog, podcast or youtube channel

• Offer a course or design a curriculum

Also, I will continue to ask this favor to ask of you: please keep recommending me to friends and colleagues who might need a business coach or strategic planner (my specialty as a planner is small shops) or of course folks who might be interested in my Spark Your Idea workshop. My equity pricing structure means I can help most folks and I have extensive experience, especially in the area of social justice. Some of my clients run high-revenue businesses, while others run non-profits or part-time or one-person businesses.

As I mentioned above, I try to be transparent about my identity as a white, cis-het, middle-class, non-disabled woman in the U.S., because I think it’s important for my potential clients to know. I often get to work with people who have identities that differ from mine, and together, we are building a more just and equitable world where our lives and work are much better because of it.

Here’s to a great love of exploring without being frantic,

Kay Coughlin, CEO and Business Coach, Facilitator on Fire