You did it. You made it to December and we're in the final two weeks.

I know the temptation is to let everything you feel like you didn't accomplish consume you. Or maybe you're like me and you're planning to coast into the new year, enjoying the limbo post-Christmas where you're confused about what day it is and have consumed so much cheese you're basically dairy.

Perhaps there's a happy medium. Enjoy the final days of a year that may have been good or rough depending on your circumstances. Hold close the lessons you've learned, the ground you've taken, and gently let go of the heartaches and hardships. Enter the new year in a space of new beginnings and new hope. (Yup, makes me think of Star Wars too.)

Me? I'm planning on plenty of whimsy and joy these last two weeks. I have no idea what that looks like, but since I'm a classic oversharer - if you're following me on LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram and you're interested - you'll find out.

Here's the thing about the holidays: somewhere between becoming an adult and now, they stopped being magical and started being stressful.

You used to know what you loved about them. The smell of cinnamon. Staying up late. The week where time didn't exist. Believing something special was coming. The feeling of anticipation instead of obligation.

Then adulthood happened. Budgets, family dynamics, performance, perfection, Pinterest, keeping everyone happy while slowly forgetting what made you happy.

This week, I'm not asking you to fix it or change it or make it magical again. Just remember what you loved before it became work. That version of the holidays? That joy? It's still yours. You just set it down to survive the to-do list.

Your chill Tias do it till they're satisfied

Old school funk and groove. I completely identify with these women and I am movin' right along with them. This is the vibe.

Merry Crisis

Wholesome holiday décor turns unhinged real fast. Broken sound box, awkward spinning, peak "I'm not okay but it's festive" energy. Millennial exhaustion meets Christmas decoration. Same.

Say It On The Beat

Never seen this game before and now I'm slightly obsessed. You say the images on screen in time with the beat. Looks like silly fun that could go terribly, funnily wrong. Need to get my hands on this one.

My Zoom skills in a nutshell

I completely resonate with this because my Zoom skills are crap and this happens frequently. You know the one.

My best performing TikTok to date

The one where I compare AI to a parrot that's read the entire internet. I mean, it's not wrong. An oversimplification maybe but still kind of accurate. Anyway, doing my best to get this business up and running by invading the TikToks.

Celebrate & Plan GPT is getting love

If you didn't try it in September, give it a go now. You may feel like you've gotten more accomplished than you realized and be able to plan 2026 from a space of anticipation rather than trying to fix yourself. End-of-year timing hits different.

Partner of the week

Turns out newsletters don't pay for themselves. Who knew? This week's partner helps keep the lights on – and they seem to know what they’re doing:

They all have newsletters.

If you’re building a personal brand, social can only take you so far. Algorithms glitch. Reach tanks. But a newsletter gives you real ownership and revenue.

That’s why we built a free 5-day email course that shows you how to grow and monetize with sponsorships, digital products, and B2B services.

Usually we charge $97, but for the next 24 hours it’s free. Sign up for the course today.

Get the course 100% free

What to Watch GPT

It’s Christmas week for a lot of people.

Which means:
– extra humans in your space
– overlapping tastes
– weird schedules
– and at least one moment where someone says, “Want to put something on?”
…and everyone just stares at the TV.

So I made What to Watch.

It’s a small thing. On purpose.

One AI conversation that helps you pick something to watch without turning it into a committee meeting.

You tell it:

It looks at what’s available right now on your services and gives you three real options (and a bonus whacky one ‘cause hey, I made it) with reasons.
Not infinite scrolling. Not “trending.” Just workable choices.

This is just for fun. No pressure. You're going to make something ridiculous that teaches you how AI image prompts actually work.

You can't break it. If it looks weird, you just tell the AI what to change. That's the whole point.

Press enter. Watch what happens.

Want dogs instead? Say: "Make them dogs"

Want it weirder? Say: "Make it cyberpunk style"

Too fancy? Say: "Make it look like a 1950s postcard"

Just tell it what to change. It understands.

That prompt had 4 parts - that's the recipe for ANY image you want to create:

Now you can make your own. Change any of the 4 ingredients.

Main Ingredient: [Penguins at a holiday party / Robots caroling / Grandmas on motorcycles / Whatever sounds fun]

Flavor: [Pixar animation / Oil painting / Comic book / Vintage photograph]

Plating Style: [Close-up / Dramatic lighting / Soft focus / Ultra-detailed]

Seasoning: [Whimsical / Elegant / Chaotic / Cozy / Ridiculous]

Why this works: You learned by doing, not by reading instructions. You got a silly result in 30 seconds. Now you know the recipe and can use it for anything - greeting cards, weird gifts, random Monday fun.

A high school buddy can't make weekday sessions, so I'm running one on Sunday. Since she's gonna be there and I always think things are more fun with more people, I'm opening it up.

This is the same session I'm currently charging $30 for - but no recording, no 25 Midlife Prompts packet. Just show up, learn AI basics, have fun.

This is for people who are truly new to AI - skeptical, afraid, overwhelmed, or all three. I do my best to make it as approachable and fun as possible.

Feeling behind on AI? You're not. You just haven't had a chance to practice.

In this 60-minute live session, we'll turn "too much" into "I've got this." No jargon. No overwhelm. Just calm, practical confidence - and prompts you can actually use the same day.

You'll learn:

Includes replay access + 25-Prompt Pack + ROCO Quick-Reference PDF.

💜 Know someone drowning in tech overwhelm?

Send them this link. It’s a $30 transformation from panic to confidence - and yes, they’ll thank you later.

The webinar with career coach Emily Worden was last Thursday and it was a blast. People told me it was the best Zoom they've ever attended on the topic. The resource packet that went with it is 15+ pages of strategic job search goodness.

Emily and I are putting together an actual course on this for January - two 90-minute live sessions plus other goodies. Details coming soon.

Still in the works - I know, I know, been talking about it for weeks. But THIS IS THE WEEK. I'm sending invites to everyone from the AI Confidential: Founder's Cohort this past summer and the LinkedIn Beta testers.

If you raised your hand, check your email - I’m shooting for Tuesday!

Go make something ridiculous. Press play on whatever you need. Take the week off if you want.

The rails were always optional.

💜

Take care of yourself, take care of each other,

Deb

P.S. Forward this to someone who's drowning in streaming options or thinks they're too late for AI. Spoiler: they're not.

P.P.S. My inbox is open. Hit reply and tell me what weird holiday image you made, or what's feeling murky. I may tackle it in a future issue.