There’s this image people have of what it looks like to run a successful agency: early-morning journaling, color-coded calendars, a spotless desk, perfectly layered outfits, and, of course, iced coffee in hand by 5:01 AM.

Cute, right?

But the truth? That’s not what it looked like when I built System Envy. (And it still doesn’t look like that now. Trust me)

System Envy started while raising wild boys, managing house projects, showing up for games and practices, and trying to pour into my marriage and relationships…

…all while running client calls and remembering to move the laundry to the dryer.

And guess what? The myth of the 5 AM CEO (the one who has her whole life aestheticized, her inbox at zero, and her energy optimized by sunrise) isn’t just unrealistic for most of us. It’s unnecessary.

(AKA, a myth!)

You can build something powerful without being perfect.

You can run a high-performing business without waking up before the sun.

You can be a great mom, a present partner, a strategic CEO, and a human being who sometimes answers emails in sweatpants.

It took me a long time to trust that and believe in that, but it works. And that’s why System Envy was never built on hustle culture. It was built on strategy and on systems, client results, and being ridiculously clear about what actually matters in this business.

So if you’re building something of your own, I hope this reminds you: your real life is enough. You don’t need a 5 AM routine to be a CEO. You just need to keep going.

Psst… If you’re curious, I rounded up a few of the everyday things that keep me grounded, from my favorite pens (seriously, a good pen is a MUST) to the laptop stand I genuinely use every day. You can find them all right here on my LTK.