Eight years.
Last year, I told you I felt like a baby deer trying to find its footing. Wobbly. Awkward. Unsure at every turn.
Well. Update: the deer can walk now.
(Mostly. Still trips over the occasional tree root. But we’re walking.)
Year 8 wasn’t about finding my footing anymore—it was about planting my feet. Standing in rooms I used to only dream of being in. Building rooms of my own. And finally, finally learning to back my own belief instead of borrowing everyone else’s.
Let’s dig in.
Full Capacity, Fully Me
This was the year the agency, Oh Snap! Social, ran at full capacity—and I mean that in the best, most sustainable, most I-actually-have-a-life kind of way.
My team handles the details now. The deliverables, the deadlines, the thousand tiny things that keep an agency humming. Which means I get to show up in all my strategic glory—strategy, client comms, big-picture vision, the creative work that lights me all the way up.
There’s something powerful about trusting your team enough to step out of the weeds and step into your zone of genius. (It only took me eight years to fully let go. Growth!)
And that freedom? It gave me space to do something I’ve talked about for years but never had the bandwidth to actually do: build my brand with intention. Not by accident. Not “someday when things slow down.” On purpose.
The Right Rooms, The Right People
If I had to name the theme of this whole year, it’s this: being in the right rooms with the right people.
I grew my presence in the author and publishing community more than I ever have—and not just in a LinkedIn-follower-count kind of way (though, hi, that grew too). It’s the relationships. The new movers and shakers shaping this industry who I now get to call peers. The conversations that only happen when you keep showing up where your people are.
But here’s the part I’m most proud of: I stopped waiting to be invited into rooms. I started building my own.
Enter—Author Legacy Chats. A monthly space I created to bring authors, experts, and big-hearted thought leaders together for real conversation about legacy, visibility, and building something that lasts.
Turns out, when you create the room, you get to set the table.
(And friends—I set a really good table.)
Shoutout to my new author friends who joined me for an in person Author Legacy Chat while we were all in Anaheim at Social Media Marketing World.
Bigger Stages, Brighter Lights
Last year I snuck a little manifestation into the middle of a paragraph, hoping no one would notice me wishing out loud for bigger stages.
You noticed. (You always do. I love you for it.)
Year 8 delivered:
I continued—and expanded—my role with the American Marketing Association, getting to teach and connect with marketers in a way that fills my cup every single time.
And I took the stage at Book Launchers’ Author Empire Summit in Las Vegas. Vegas, baby. Speaking to a room full of authors who are out here building empires of their own. The girl who used to white-knuckle her way through a five-minute intro? She belonged up there. I guess I can finally lean into the whole, “I’m a speaker now.” Landing page for that coming soon…
From Big Idea to Officially LIVE
Remember the new thing I was just in the infancy stage of launching my beta cohorts for? The brand-new offer that stretched me more than anything ever had?
This was the year I went all in.
I invested—real time, real money, real belief—in launching my program. But before the doors open to the world, I got to do something even more meaningful: deliver it to two beta cohorts.
These brilliant humans said yes before there was a polished sales page or a track record to point to. They believed in this vision—and honestly? They let me borrow their belief until I found my own. The feedback they gave me was tremendous, the trust they extended was everything, and I will be grateful for both of those cohorts forever.
Forever forever.
And I’m so proud to announce that my official training-wheels-are-off cohort of Expert Excellence Engine launches late September! 🎉
Writing the Book (Yes, THE Book)
For years, “write a book” lived on my someday-maybe list, gathering cob webs.
This year, I’m actually doing it—with the help of a ghostwriter to get it up and out of my brain. (Because if I’d waited until I magically had time to write it solo, you’d be reading my Year 45 blog before it ever shipped.)
The goal: a rock-solid lead magnet that serves both sides of my world—my agency clients and the authors I consult.
Because here’s the truth I keep circling back to: authors are solopreneurs in their own right. They’re not just writers. They’re founders, marketers, and CEOs of their own message. And this book? It’s me practicing exactly what I preach. Follow along on my social media for sneak peeks of my progress. (Instagram. LinkedIn.)
Eyes On My Own Paper
Can I be honest about the least glamorous—and maybe most important—win of the year?
I got better at tracking ALL the things.
I invested in a mastermind, and it handed me something I didn’t even realize I was missing: a system. I know my projected income now. I’ve set goals (and, okay, manifested a few). And most importantly, I’ve learned to keep my eyes on my own paper.
Because you know where my eyes used to wander? Straight into the “am I enough?” spiral. Comparison. Doubt. The whole exhausting circus.
Steadfastness—that’s the word I’ve had to repeat to myself over and over and over this year. Stay the course. Trust the vision. Have a little fun along the way. Eyes on your own paper, Karlyn.
I’m getting better at listening to her. I made a bold move, and while I was in California for work, I stayed an extra day to treat myself and add a little joy by going to Disneyland solo. This is where I’ve found the true magic of Disney lives. I had the best time doing what I wanted, when I wanted, because I wanted to… and there’s not a lot of that in my day-to-day these days.
Deep Gratitude, Bigger Vision
To my two beta cohorts—you said yes before there was any proof. You’ll never fully know what that belief did for me.
To my team, who keeps the well-oiled agency machine running so I get to dream bigger and build louder—you are the heartbeat behind all of it. I can never thank you enough.
To the author and publishing community that welcomed me into your rooms and showed up in mine—thank you for the trust, the conversations, and the connection.
And to my family, my people, my why—thank you for the dance breaks, the grace, and the never-ending reminders of what all of this is actually for.
To you, reading this: thank you for being here, year after year, behind the curtain with me. I don’t take a single one of you for granted.
What’s Next?
In Year 9, I want to:
- Finish and launch the book 📖
- Grow the Expert Excellence Engine into the go-to program for published authors ready for what comes next. We’re going for 50 authors impacted by the end of 2026!
- Keep building rooms—and filling them with the right people
- Continue to keep my eyes on my own paper.
If you’re reading this, I hope you feel inspired. Seen. Like you’ve been pulled up a chair at the table. *pats seat*
Let’s keep going. Let’s keep building. Let’s keep showing up—on purpose.
Year 9? Let’s make it mighty fine.