When I first got the idea to start You Do You by Geo, it was my husband, Gary, who asked why I didn’t do something with what I’m good at.

Well, I’m good at a lot, so I was surprised he would ask me that.

Kidding. I’m kidding.

It was January 2023. I had just been laid off for the first time from a career I had built brick by brick. One I was very proud of.

Maybe this was a good time to start something new. Something different. A little scary.

OK, so big scary.

People had told me I was a good leader. But could I write about it? Would anyone trust what I had to say? Could I help someone else believe in their ability to lead?

I thought maybe I could.

Then my brain had a few follow-up questions.

What if they think I’m a fraud?

What if people criticized my work? What if someone read it and said, “Who does she think she is? She wasn’t that good of a leader”?

That was the fear I didn’t know how to get past.

I could acknowledge that I had made mistakes as a leader. But putting my name on something about leadership felt like inviting people to decide whether I had any business talking about it.

In April of that year, I went back to work at the same company. And the idea stayed an idea.

Whew, that was close! I almost committed to something I wasn’t sure I was good enough to do.

There’s humor in that, but there was relief, too.

I needed the income, the benefits, and the security of a regular job. Those were real needs. Going back to work wasn’t something I needed to apologize for.

But I also have to ask myself: Did I need to set the idea aside completely? Could I have started small while I was working?

I didn’t find out. The question stayed in the back of my mind.

Could I still do it?

Those nine months weren’t empty

I followed people who were doing the kind of work I wanted to do. I explored programs and certifications. I talked with people who had put themselves out there.

Then, in January 2026, I was laid off again.

Was this a sign? I wondered.

One night, I had a vivid dream about starting this business. That’s when the name came to me: You Do You by Geo.

I remember telling my wonderful friend Janice, “This time I’m doing it.”

It took me nine months.

But during those months, I earned my real estate license. I entered a field where I had no experience. I applied for jobs and got turned down.

I was putting myself out there, and some of the answers were no.

That left me feeling vulnerable about who I was as an employee and a leader. I was also learning how it felt to be new at something again.

So when I look back, I need to give myself credit for the steps I was taking. I also need to be honest that I was still hesitant to share my voice.

Then Gary asked me what I was waiting for.

Around that time, I had the inspiration for my first article. Something I wanted to say.

And I started.

I didn’t have every answer about where this would go. I had a story and a willingness to share it.

I had heard that question before

This wasn’t the first time someone had helped me act on something I wanted.

When I was about to turn 50, one of my employees pointed out that I encouraged so many other people to go back to school.

When was I going to do it?

Well. There was a question.

That conversation pushed me to go back and earn my bachelor’s degree.

I had been encouraging others to recognize their potential while struggling to recognize my own. Sometimes, I needed someone to turn my encouragement back toward me.

Starting this blog brought that lesson around again.

And there’s something about leadership I don’t want to miss here: one of the people who helped me grow was someone I led.

I wasn’t always the person providing the push. Sometimes, I needed to receive it.

Before we say, “Just do it”

The image that inspired this article says, “Be scared, and do it anyway.”

I connect with that. I finally started something I wanted even though I had doubts.

But after living this, I want to ask more questions before telling someone else to push past their fear.

What are they afraid will happen? What do they need to learn? What responsibilities are they trying to protect? And is the opportunity even something they want for themselves?

I needed income and benefits. I also feared criticism. Those concerns weren’t all the same, and they didn’t need the same response.

That matters when we’re developing others. Encouragement is more useful when we understand what’s making someone hesitate.

I also want to be careful with the idea that we should show up underqualified. There’s a difference between needing more preparation and assuming that everything we already know has no value.

I had leadership experience to draw from. I also had more to learn. Both could be true.

Writing about my experience doesn’t require me to claim that I was a perfect leader. It does require me to be honest about what I learned, including where I got it wrong.

A beginning I can learn from

I’m still finding out what You Do You by Geo can become. I don’t have every answer, and publishing a few posts hasn’t erased every doubt.

But now I have something I didn’t have when the idea lived only in my head: a beginning I can learn from.

Gary’s question helped. My employee’s question helped years earlier. Their encouragement mattered, and I still had to take the next step.

As a leader, I want to keep recognizing possibilities in others. I also want to listen closely enough to understand what support they need to act on them.

And maybe it’s time I offered myself some of that same encouragement.

What’s something you’ve encouraged others to do but haven’t given yourself permission to try? What would help you take one manageable step toward it?

Mine was sharing the first story. Yours doesn’t have to look like mine.

But hey, you do you.