I’m a senior strategic program manager with 15+ years of experience, including leading $25M+ platform builds, scaling ARR from $24M to $86M, launching AI solutions with real adoption and ROI. 


🎯SPECIALTIES:
• Strategic Program Management
• Corporate & Business Strategy
• Strategy Execution & OKRs
• Enterprise, Digital & AI-Driven Transformation
• Portfolio & Program Management
• PMO Leadership & Governance
• Change Management & Adoption
• Operational Excellence & Process Improvement
• Executive & Board Communications
• Cross-functional Stakeholder Alignment
• Team Leadership, Coaching & Development

Tye Trepanier

I train in Krav Maga. And oddly enough, it’s taught me more about leadership than many professional settings ever did.

Nothing happens overnight. You don’t “arrive.” You show up, do the work, and repeat it until progress shows up quietly. 

Ego gets checked fast, because everyone around you knows something you don’t. And if you’ve learned anything at all, you owe it to the people behind you to slow down and help them learn too.

It’s a long game. You train in small, incremental steps until the movements become muscle memory. The moment you start overthinking, you freeze. 

And in Krav Maga, freezing usually ends with you getting punched in the face.

That part feels familiar.

I’ve seen the same thing in business. Teams stall when they over-analyze instead of building capability. 
Leaders hesitate when they should trust the preparation. Strategy works best when the fundamentals are so clear that action becomes instinctive.

It’s also taught me focus. If my mind drifts to work during class, I miss what’s happening right in front of me. 
And I’ve literally paid for that with a smack to the face.

The lesson stuck: stay present. Deal with what’s in front of you until it’s safe to let it go.

Leadership isn’t about thinking ten moves ahead all the time. 
Sometimes it’s about staying grounded in the moment, trusting the training, and responding clearly to what’s actually happening.

Miss that, and the feedback is immediate.

"Action Favors The Bold"

#LeadershipDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #Strategy

The first time I led a team, I had rank but zero credibility. That gap taught me something I still use today...

The first time I ever led a team wasn’t in a conference room. It was in the Army.

I was fresh out of college and suddenly responsible for a 30-person team. No easing into it. No training wheels. Just instant accountability. And honestly? It was terrifying.

I had a senior enlisted partner who knew far more than I did and helped me drive the mission. But the responsibility was still mine. And I learned very quickly that rank alone doesn’t earn you anything that matters.

Trust is the currency.

If you walk in with ego, posture, or the need to prove yourself, people will see it immediately. In the military, there’s a phrase for what happens next: stacking arms. It means the team technically shows up, but they mentally step back and let you fail.

The only way to avoid that is to lead differently.

Be prepared. Know your job. Treat people with respect. Get to know them as humans. Make it clear you’re there to lead, not perform.

That lesson stuck with me. Titles don’t create followership. Behavior does.


Be honest. What’s the earliest sign you’ve seen that a team has started “stacking arms” on a leader?


"Action Favors the Bold."

#Leadership #LeadingThroughExperience #ServantLeadership

One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned came from a project that actually succeeded.

In IT projects, it’s really hard to be successful unless you have buy-in from your engineers. 

I learned that partnering with the engineer and saying, “Look, I think I understand this, but I need your help to help me really get it,” goes a long way.

The real lesson for me was being humble enough to go to the subject matter experts and ask them for coaching and guidance. On the technology side, when engineers have a leader who opens up, asks for their opinion, and treats them with respect, you win them over pretty quickly.

"Action Favors the Bold"

#Leadership #Engineers #LeadershipStrategy

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You can repair the past. You can transform the future.

Change is what we do to what already exists.
Transformation is what we do when we decide the current path is not the one we want.

I shared a post in my feed with a wicked visual that sparked this thought: https://lnkd.in/g4TDu6uR

Here’s the mental model I’ve been using:
     * The future can’t really be “changed,” because it doesn’t exist yet.
     * The past can be “changed” in a practical sense: you can fix errors, unwind decisions, and clean up what’s still impacting today.
     * But you don’t transform the past. You can only repair it.
     * You transform the future by setting a new course and building something different on purpose.


#ChangeManagement #Transformation #StrategyExecution

𝗜𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Performance isn’t just about skills. It’s about safety.

According to Wiley research highlighted in the article, people who report psychological safety are 31% more likely to be high performers. That’s not culture fluff, that’s a performance multiplier.

When people fear speaking up, problem areas go unspoken, risk gets buried, and teams solve yesterday’s problems instead of tomorrow’s. The real work of change and transformation doesn’t happen in silence; it happens in honest, unguarded collaboration.

Psychological safety isn’t “feel-good.” It’s a fundamental enabler of performance:

• It lets teams challenge assumptions before things break
• It reduces hidden rework after things break
• It accelerates learning instead of hiding mistakes

Leaders who treat psychological safety as a performance priority create environments where real feedback flows and real problems get fixed sooner.

Performance grows where people have both the ability and the permission to speak up.

"Action Favors the Bold"

#Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #TeamPerformance

Open article: Top 10 Leadership Pivots Every Leader Should Make in 2026 by forbes.com

Leaders face stress, burnout, AI uncertainty, and culture challenges in 2026. These 10 leadership pivots will boost team performance and psychological safety.

Top 10 Leadership Pivots Every Leader Should Make in 2026

AI isn’t changing what teams build first. It’s changing when leaders are forced to decide.

One thing this Fast Company piece surfaced clearly: teams can now pressure-test ideas before they ship, before customers react, before real money is on the line.

That removes a lot of hiding places.

When the signals are there early and leaders still push forward without clarity, that’s not a technology issue. That’s a leadership one.

AI doesn’t guarantee better outcomes. It just makes bad decisions harder to ignore.


"Action Favors the Bold"

#AI #Leadership #Strategy #Transformation

Open article: The AI behind the AI by fastcompany.com

How today’s trendiest tool is driving products and teams

EXECUTIVES ARE FIGHTING THREE DAILY VILLIANS:

1) Focus: priority overload
2) Facts: decision fog
3) Follow-through: adoption drag

 If any of these three feels familiar right now, you’re not alone.
 
The fix is less glamorous than the problem, but it works: align the priorities, create one version of truth, and remove the friction that kills adoption.

This is the playbook I use to get momentum back: Focus. Facts. Follow-through.

 If you could fix only one this quarter, 
 which creates the biggest unlock: Focus, Facts, or Follow-through?

If your GenAI program is ‘successful’ but nothing runs 'faster', you’re not scaling AI. 
You’re scaling typing.

You don’t have an “AI strategy” problem.
You have an “AI theater” problem.

I’ve sat in exec reviews where GenAI usage looked incredible.
Tons of prompts. Tons of “adoption.”

And yet… the business ran exactly the same on Monday:

- Decisions still bottlenecked
- Handoffs still breaking
- Approvals still living in someone’s inbox purgatory

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹: interaction is not impact.

The shift I’m watching (and pushing for) is simple:

- GenAI creates outputs
- Agentic AI owns workflow outcome
Not sci-fi. Just systems that ca take action inside a workflow, defined by guardrails, and knows when to hand off to a human

If you want to separate hype from strategy, steal these 3 questions:

1 - What job does the agent own end-to-end? (not “helps with”)
2 - What metric moves if it works? (cycle time, error rate, containment, revenue leakage)
3 - What is the stop button? (when does a human step in, and who is accountable?)

Just because “We deployed GenAI” is your headline.

The better test is:
-Did the work change?
-Did risk stayed controlled?
-Did outcomes move?

If you’ve seen AI theater up close, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 (mine is: beautiful demos, zero workflow ownership)


~ "Action Favors the Bold" 

#AIStrategy #AgenticAI #GenAI

Strategic Program Management | Strategy Execution | PMO & Program Management | Change & Adoption | Digital & AI Transformation | SaaS & Tech-Enabled | Exec & C-Suite Partner | Veteran

I share a lot about transformation and change with my network, and this visual from Rob Llewellyn is one of the simplest, most elegant ways I’ve seen to anchor the concepts in a practical framework.

Yes, there’s a lot more nuance to both Change and Transformation, but this image captures a big truth in a way that’s instantly usable, so I had to share it.

Equipping enterprise leaders & consultants with the systems & skills they need to have more impact with business transformation & AI | Fortune 100 Advisor | CEO | Author

You don’t get butterflies by fixing caterpillars.
You get them by letting go of the past.

Most teams aren’t confused.
They’re just misaligned.

They say transformation.
But they’re funding change.

Here’s the difference:

Change makes things better.
	•	Faster delivery
	•	Lower cost
	•	Smoother processes

But the reference point is always the past.
You’re trying to improve what was.

Transformation starts from a different place.
It asks: what if we created something entirely new?

It’s not a reconditioned version of now.
It’s a deliberate design of what could be.

Both are valid.
Both are hard.
But they create wildly different futures.

🔄 In change mode:
The past constrains the possible.
Success = improvements over yesterday.

🦋 In transformation mode:
The future pulls you forward.
Success = promises made and kept
about a world that doesn’t exist yet.

So ask yourself and your team:
Are we designing the future? (Transformation)
Or just decorating the past? (Change)

Because strategy doesn’t fail from bad intent.
It fails from unclear ambition.

One shift that improved decision-making everywhere I’ve worked: treat purpose as part of the strategy cascade, not something that floats above it. Integration is the whole game.

Most purpose statements collapse the moment a real trade-off shows up.

I’ve followed Roger Martin for years, and this piece is classic Roger. Calm. Precise. And quietly corrective.

Teams love to debate purpose in the abstract. Big words. Big ambition. But then a hard decision lands. Exit a market. Say no to a customer. Stop funding a capability. 

And suddenly that purpose offers no guidance at all.


That’s the trap Roger is calling out.

Purpose isn’t strategy. And it can’t float above it.


If purpose isn’t explicitly tied to where you play, how you win, and what capabilities you invest in, it won’t survive pressure. It sounds good, but it can’t help leaders choose.

The insight here is integration. Purpose only matters when it reinforces real strategic choices. Otherwise, it’s just decoration.

That distinction is what separates strategy that makes traction, from strategy that disappears when it’s tested.


What’s the clearest sign you’ve seen that “purpose” is being used as wallpaper instead of guidance?


#Strategy #Purpose #DecisionMaking

Open article: Thinking Intelligently about Corporate Purpose by rogerlmartin.substack.com

Thinking Intelligently about Corporate Purpose

Most leaders say they “develop their people.”

Here’s what it looked like when it actually worked.

I’ve noticed learning comes in cycles:
     + head down, just surviving
     + a short “curiosity window”
     + real excitement to go deep

One of my team members was solid, but I knew a certification would boost credibility and long-term marketability.

What made the difference was not the certification. It was the timing.

I asked where he wanted to grow. He wasn’t sure. 
So I did three things:

     + Shared the pattern (learning sprints, then recovery)
     + Came back later with 2–3 specific options
     + Made it clear the company would pay
 
Then I gave him space.


Next 1:1, different energy. He picked a course, finished fast, and applied it immediately. The program leveled up in ways we did not expect.

The point is simple:

Catch the curiosity window. Then remove friction.
 
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: what’s the hardest part of developing talent in the real world?
     A) Identifying what they should grow next
     B) Getting them to commit without pushing
     C) Getting budget approved
     D) Helping them apply learning back on the job

Reply with A/B/C/D and one sentence. (I read every response.)

A competitor launched “AI-powered” and our leadership room got… weird.
Not because of the product. Because of what it did to our thinking.

The conversation drifted fast, not toward impact, but toward optics and speed.

That’s when it hit me: real AI progress rarely looks impressive from the outside. It looks slow, quiet, and unfinished.

I’ve seen this pattern repeat across transformations. 
- Teams confuse pilots with progress
- Announcements with adoption
- Activity with outcomes

As some influential AI leaders point out, the loudest companies aren’t always the most advanced, they’re often the most pressured.

The progress that actually lasts shows up differently. 
- Leaders invest in data hygiene
- They train people
- They ask whether anyone is using the tools
- Whether work is changing because of them

My test for “real progress” is simple: is work actually changing, or are we just announcing things?

I’ll be honest... I’ve felt that same urge to react publicly instead of building deliberately. 

What helped was 
- Stepping back
- Tuning out the noise
- Refocusing teams on what would create value now, not applause later.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿?

If I had only looked at strategy like a sommelier looks at wine.
Instead of chasing certainty, I would’ve built the one skill most leaders skip: taste.

Early in my career, I thought strategy was about frameworks, answers, and being able to defend a position with data. 

The better I got at the tools, the more confident I felt. But over time, something didn’t add up. 

Two strategies could look equally sound on paper, and yet one would feel right in practice, while the other quietly fell apart.

That’s the gap Roger names so well in this piece: connoisseurship.

Strategy is the ability to make fine distinctions when the answer isn’t obvious and the numbers don’t settle the debate. 

And that kind of judgment only develops one way, through practice, reflection, and restraint.

I’ve seen incredibly capable leaders rack up years of experience without getting meaningfully better, simply because they never slow down to ask, 

Why did that land the way it did? Practice without reflection just grooves the habits you already have.

And then there’s the discipline of protecting your own thinking. 

Not letting your perspective get drowned out by every new voice, model, or trend. 

That one hit close to home. It takes intention to create the mental stillness needed to actually see what’s going on.

This post is a good reminder that becoming better at strategy isn’t about consuming more content or chasing certainty. 

It’s about developing taste. That takes time, humility, and a lot of honest reflection.

If you care about strategy as a craft, not just a toolkit, this one is worth reading slowly. 

"Action Favor the Bold"

#Strategy #Leadership #Growth

I helped build Google Cloud from startup to $106B backlog. Now I'm building something even bigger: activated leaders who change the world.

For 9 years, I was part of the founding sales team that transformed Google Cloud into an enterprise powerhouse. I introduced Fortune 500 companies to cloud transformation, architected strategic partnerships, and drove the adoption that fueled unprecedented growth.

But here's what I learned scaling one of tech's biggest success stories: The companies we build are only as powerful as the leaders we become.

What I Do Now:

► Keynote Speaking & Workshops: Energizing audiences and teams with insights from the frontlines of hyper-growth and transformation

► Executive Coaching: Partnering with leaders to expand their impact beyond corporate boundaries (lilahjones.com)

► The Activated Leader™ Movement: Building a community of leaders who refuse to settle for anything less than their full potential

► Fractional CRO: Activating Organizations through executive sales leadership

My Expertise:
  •  Hyper-growth Strategy: Scaled enterprise sales from zero to billions
  •  Transformational Leadership: Navigated corporate complexity while maintaining authentic impact
  •  Strategic Partnerships: Built relationships that moved markets
  •  Executive Presence: Influenced at the highest levels of tech's most innovative companies

Why I Left Google:

Not because I had to, but because I chose to. After helping build something extraordinary, I realized my next chapter was helping others do the same, whether inside corporate walls or beyond them.

I believe every leader has untapped potential waiting to be activated. My mission is to help you find it, fuel it, and turn it into lasting impact.

The Activated Leader Philosophy:

Your career is not your calling. Your job is not your identity. Your true legacy lies in the influence you build, the lives you transform, and the courage you show when choosing growth over comfort.

Let's Connect If:
• You're ready to expand your leadership beyond your current role
• You want strategies and sales support from someone who's built at an enterprise scale
• You believe in creating impact that outlasts any single company
• You're done playing small with your potential

Work with me: lilahjones.com
Join the movement: The Activated Leader Newsletter https://www.lilahjones.com/newsletter-subscribe


From building billion-dollar businesses to building unstoppable leaders. Your activation starts now.

Lilah Jones

3 months ago, I resigned from Google.  Today, I'm on a list of "20 Women in GTM to Follow in 2026."

Being named one of Sprouts.ai's 20 Women in GTM to Follow is a reflection of every mentor, teammate, and community that pushed me forward.

2025 broke me open. 2026 is about building in public and lifting others along the way.

To the women on this list: I see you.

To anyone navigating their own GTM path: let's connect. 

Maggie Hott, Shari Johnston, Tara Benyousky, Tiffani Bova, Abbie White, Madison Leonard ☀️ , Winnie Palmer, Liz MacAulay, Megan Bowen, Melissa Moody, Lindsay Tjepkema, Caryne Say, Lizz Harrell,  Zoe Fairfax, Hannah Ajikawo Anne Pao, Lindsay Rios, Rachel Johnson

20 Women in GTM to Follow in 2026 🌟

To kick off 2026, we're spotlighting standout women across B2B SaaS: founders, operators, advisors, and revenue leaders, each bringing unique perspectives and proven growth strategies.

These incredible women share inspiring journeys of innovation, resilience, and real-world impact in scaling GTM motions that deliver results.

Swipe through the carousel to meet them and follow to uncover actionable insights on pilots, sales scaling, and revenue playbooks. Check them out 👇

Maggie Hott, Shari Johnston, Tara Benyousky, Tiffani Bova, Abbie White, Madison Leonard ☀️ , Winnie Palmer, Liz MacAulay, Megan Bowen, Melissa Moody, Lindsay Tjepkema, Lilah Jones, Caryne Say, Lizz Harrell, Zoe F.,   Hannah Ajikawo, Jen H., Anne Pao, Lindsay Rios, Rachel Johnson.

20 Women in GTM to Follow in 2026

In January 2022, I said "I do" to my best friend.

And "I don't" to alcohol.

Two decisions. Same month. Both permanent.

One came with a ceremony, witnesses, and celebration. The other happened quietly. No announcement. No fanfare.

But they were the same kind of decision.

Not "I'll try." Not "Let's see how it goes." Just: I've decided.

I spent years managing my relationship with alcohol. Rules. Boundaries. Negotiations. "Only on weekends." "Only at special occasions." "Only when networking."

I thought discipline meant control. I didn't realize it meant exhaustion.
The same pattern showed up with food. With hustle culture. With earning rest instead of taking it.

I was managing relationships that needed endings.

Here's what I've learned:
The hardest relationships to end aren't the dramatic ones. They're the ones you've convinced yourself you have under control.

The ones with rules. The ones with exceptions. The ones where you're always negotiating.

Veganism. Sobriety. Choosing presence over productivity.

These look like restriction from the outside.

From the inside, they feel like freedom.

Because there's nothing more exhausting than managing something you should have ended years ago.

And nothing more liberating than finally just deciding.

What relationship are you ready to stop managing?

🎵 Music: “One Life” by Boyce Avenue

I watched my dad disappear over six years.

Diabetes didn't take him all at once. It took him slowly. His energy. His mobility. His independence. The man who taught me to fight for what matters—shrinking a little more each month.

When Virta Health invited me to speak at Moonshots for Health 2026, my first thought was: "Am I bold enough to talk about bold disruption?"

Then I thought about my dad.

And I realized this isn't about being bold. It's about refusing to accept preventable suffering.

I started my career in a body shop. I've stood in Google all-hands meetings with my voice shaking, saying what no one wanted to hear. I've collected "needs improvement" reviews and bathroom panic attacks and moments where I wondered if leadership was for other people.

Bold disruption has never felt bold in the moment. It's felt terrifying. Necessary. Personal.

On January 28th, I'm joining Richard Mayes  - Managing Director of Health & Wellness at United Airlines for a conversation about what it really takes to push against entrenched systems. Not best practices. Not theory. The messy, human reality of driving change when the stakes are real.

The event also features Ricki Lake  (yes, the former talk show host) sharing her personal health transformation, plus insights from @Dr. Ben Bikman and McKinsey Health Institute.

It's free and virtual (11am-4pm ET). Link to register in comments.

If you're responsible for population health, benefits strategy, or organizational change—and you're tired of watching people suffer from problems that have solutions—this one matters.

What would you fight harder for if it were personal?

Virta Health

Managing Director, Health & Wellness

United Airlines

McKinsey Health Institute

You've known for months. Maybe years.

This week I talked about courage deficits — the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. About the woman who analyzed for two years when her gut knew in two seconds.

But here's what I didn't say:

She wasn't broken. She wasn't weak. She wasn't even wrong for taking time.

She was scared.

And fear dressed as analysis is still just fear.

I've been her. More times than I'd like to admit.

Sitting with a decision I already knew the answer to. Calling it "due diligence." Calling it "being responsible."

Calling it anything except what it was: Stalling.

Because what if I was wrong?
What if I failed?
What if the thing I wanted didn't want me back?

Here's what I've learned:

A wrong decision moves you somewhere. No decision keeps you exactly where you are.

And that thing you've been "thinking about"?

It's not waiting for more data.

It's waiting for you to trust yourself.

You already know what to do.

You've known for a while.

The only question left is: When will you let yourself do it?

This weekend, I hope you give yourself permission.

Not to have all the answers.

Just to take the next step.

That's enough. That's always been enough.

"If I stopped doing this tomorrow, would anything actually change?"

That's the fastest way to know if you're stuck in motion.

➤ You're networking three times a week. But you haven't applied for a single role in two months. If you stopped networking tomorrow, would you be any closer to a new job?

➤ You're researching your "next chapter." Books, podcasts, frameworks. If you stopped researching, would you have made a decision?

➤ You've been "preparing" to launch something for six months. If you stopped preparing, would it exist?

That's motion.

Movement is different.

Movement means something changes because you did it.

You apply — now you're under consideration.
You have the conversation — now there's a decision point.
You launch imperfectly — now you have feedback.

Most leaders spend months in motion because it feels productive. It looks impressive. It keeps the fear at bay.

But six months later? Same place. Just busier. 🌊

Patricia activated at 58.

Left a VP role she'd held for 12 years. Started the nonprofit she'd been "thinking about" since her 40s — mentoring first-generation college students.

Her kids thought she was having a crisis. Her husband asked if she was okay.

She told me: "I've never been more okay. I've just never been brave enough to admit what I actually wanted."

Marcus activated at 34.

Turned down the promotion everyone said he'd be crazy to refuse. Took a lateral move that gave him his weekends back.

His LinkedIn connections were confused. His nervous system finally wasn't.

Elena activated at 41.

Stopped pretending her marriage was fine. Had the conversation she'd been avoiding for three years.

Six months later: she was in the middle of a  divorce but slept better because she was finally honest.

Activation doesn't have an age.

It doesn't require permission.

It doesn't wait until you're ready.

It just requires one moment of truth:

"This isn't working. And I'm done pretending it is."

That's Stage 1. That's what this month's Activation Series is all about.

I've watched executives, parents, founders, and first-time managers all hit this moment.

Some at 28. Some at 62.

The age doesn't matter.

The honesty does.

Frameworks don't change lives.

Decisions do.

What decision have you been postponing?

I gave Julie 21 days to decide.

She'd spent 14 months "getting clear." Three coaches. Six assessments. Still stuck.

So I took away the options.

No more research. No more assessments. Just a deadline.

On day 22, she picked.

Within 90 days - new role she actually wanted.

The clarity didn't come from more information. It came from a commitment deadline.

That's the core of Stage 2: ALIGN.

The full framework went out to newsletter subscribers this morning.

Inside:
→ The 4 signs you're hiding behind research
→ The one question that reveals the choice you've already made
→ How to set your 21-Day Commitment Deadline (and what happens when it hits)

Subscribe link in comments.

If you've been "thinking about it" for more than 90 days, this one's for you. 🌊

Eight networking coffees in three weeks.

Resume updated twice. LinkedIn optimized. Career coach on speed dial.

When I asked how many roles she'd actually applied for?

Silence.

Then: "I'm still preparing."

She wasn't lazy. She was terrified.

And she'd found the perfect hiding spot: motion.

Motion is the work that feels productive but changes nothing.
→ Updating your resume for the fifth time
→ Researching companies you'll never reach out to
→ Having "informational interviews" that go nowhere

It looks like progress. It feels like effort.

But six months later, you're in the exact same place. Just more exhausted.

Tomorrow's newsletter is about the difference between motion and movement — and the 3-question test I use with clients to figure out which one they're stuck in.

Most people are surprised by the answer.

The Activation Series continues. Stage 3: ACTIVATE.

Link in comments if you want it in your inbox at noon CST. 🌊

1,460.

That's how many dinners I have left with my daughter before college.

I did the math on an elephant in Kerala last month.

Four years. 209 Tuesday nights. 1,460 chances to be fully present instead of mentally rehearsing tomorrow's meeting.

And I almost missed every single one because I was "building my career."

You can earn back money. You can recover from a bad quarter. You can't recover a Tuesday.

For 20 years, I optimized for the wrong ROI:

Return on Investment.

Promotions that looked like progress. Comp packages that felt like winning. Titles that sounded impressive at dinner parties.

Meanwhile, the actual ROI was tanking:

Return on Intention.

First days of school I missed. Dinners I attended but wasn't at. Weekends I spent "catching up."

The lie I believed for 20 years: Grind now, live later.

Later is a lie.

The moments you're postponing aren't waiting for you. They're happening right now. Without you.

My daughter already learned to ride a bike. I was on a call.

Her first heartbreak? I heard about it three days later. I'd been traveling.

These moments don't reschedule for when you're less busy.

What moments are you trading for milestones?

Comment REFLECT and I'll send you a 3-minute guide to align your time with what actually matters.

She waited 22 months.

Not because she didn't know. Because knowing felt harder than pretending.

In those 22 months:
→ She turned down a role that excited her because "now isn't the right time"
→ She spent Sundays dreading Mondays instead of being present with her kids
→ She kept telling herself "just one more quarter" while another year disappeared

Twenty-two months of managing instead of deciding.

That's the cost of skipping Stage 1.

Most people think acknowledging the truth is the easy part. It's actually the part we avoid longest.

Because once you say it out loud — "I don't want this anymore" — you can't unsay it.

And then you have to do something about it.

Today's newsletter is about what those 22 months actually cost. And why the leaders who move fastest aren't the ones with the best plans — they're the ones who stop lying to themselves first.

The Activation Series, Stage 1: ACKNOWLEDGE is in your inbox now.

Already subscribed? Go read it. 🌊

Not yet? Link in comments.

What have you been managing instead of deciding?

Activation Series Part 1

He'd been in Stage 1 for seven years.

Seven years of knowing something was wrong. Seven years of ignoring it. Seven years of "I'm fine, everything's fine."

When he finally came to me, he was burned out, disconnected from his family, and running on fumes.

But he didn't want to talk about that.

He wanted to talk about his "next move." His "growth strategy." His "five-year plan."

I stopped him.

"Before we talk about where you're going, can we talk about where you actually are?"

Silence.

Then, slowly, the truth came out:

He hated his job. Had for years.
His marriage was struggling. Had been for a while.
His health was declining. He'd been ignoring the signs.

He'd been so focused on planning the future that he'd never acknowledged the present.

You can't build a map if you don't know your starting point.

We spent three sessions just on Stage 1. Just on telling the truth about where he was.

It was the hardest work he'd ever done.

And the most important.

Six months later: different job, stronger marriage, best health of his adult life.

Not because he found a better strategy.

Because he finally told the truth about where he was starting from.

What truth are you avoiding about where you actually are?

You've been "getting clear" for months.

Maybe years.

Here's how to know if you're actually getting clear, or just hiding:

1. You keep adding options instead of eliminating them.

You started with 3 possibilities. Now you have 7. You call it being thorough. It's avoidance with a better name.

2. You're waiting for "one more data point."

One more conversation. One more assessment. One more article. The data point that finally makes you certain? It doesn't exist.

3. You can't define what "sure" would look like.

If you don't know what certainty looks like, you'll never feel it. You're chasing a finish line that keeps moving.

4. You've talked to 3+ people but haven't made a single move.

Talking about change feels like making change. It's not. Movement is the only thing that counts.

Here's the truth:

You're not unclear. You're uncommitted.

The clarity you're waiting for won't come from more research.

It'll come from picking one option and moving.

Which sign sounds most like you right now?

She analyzed for 2 years. These 4 questions took 2 minutes.

Two weeks later, she'd made the decision she'd been avoiding for 24 months.

Use these when you're stuck in analysis mode:

1. "What would I do if I wasn't afraid?"

Write it down. Don't filter it. That's usually the right answer — fear is just standing in front of it.

2. "What's the cost of another month of waiting?"

We obsess over the risk of acting. We ignore the cost of not acting. Make the cost visible.

3. "Am I researching to decide — or researching to delay?"

If you've been "thinking about it" for 90+ days, you already know. Research with a deadline serves decisions. Research without one avoids them.

4. "What would I tell my best friend to do?"

We give others clear advice we won't take ourselves. Say it out loud. Then take your own advice.

Most people think they have a clarity problem.

They actually have a courage problem.

And courage isn't built by more thinking. It's built by honest answers to hard questions.

Comment READY and I'll send you 5 quick questions about where you're stuck.

Based on your answers, I'll send you a personalized voice note with the one thing I'd focus on first — so you can stop spinning and start moving.

Which question do you need to sit with today?

Julie knew her Enneagram, her StrengthsFinder top 5, and her MBTI.

She'd talked to three coaches. Taken six assessments. Spent fourteen months "getting clear."

But when I asked what she was actually going to DO?

Silence.

Then: "I'm still figuring it out."

Here's what I've learned:

Research feels like progress. Sometimes it's just hiding with a highlight reel.

The leaders who get unstuck aren't the ones with the most clarity.

They're the ones who stop waiting for certainty and start moving without it.

Tomorrow I'm sending the second issue of The Activation Series:

"Stage 2: ALIGN — Commit to what you want, not what you should want."

Inside: the difference between researching and hiding — and what to do when you've been "figuring it out" for too long.

Link in comments to subscribe before noon tomorrow.

How long have you been "getting clear"?

I didn't become vegan because of ethics or the environment.

I became vegan because of a guy I met on a cruise.

Not the way you think.

My friend turned 40. We celebrated on a cruise. As a vegetarian, I got a lot of pasta. Bland pasta.

Her friend was vegan. His meals had lentils, interesting spices, actual flavor.
So I asked for a vegan meal.

And that was it.

No dramatic health crisis. No documentary that changed my life. No moral awakening.

I just tried something different. And realized I could keep going.

Here's what I've learned about lasting change:
It rarely comes from pressure. It almost never comes from willpower. It usually comes from curiosity.

I didn't "give up" cheese and eggs. I just stopped wanting them.

The shift happened when I stopped framing it as deprivation and started seeing it as exploration.

Same thing happened with alcohol. Same thing happened with hustle culture. Same thing happened with needing external validation.

The changes that stuck weren't the ones I forced. They were the ones I discovered.

What if the thing you're trying to force yourself to do just needs a different frame?

Not "I can't have this." But "I wonder what happens if I try this instead."
Curiosity is gentler than discipline. And it lasts longer too.

Your GTM worked at $2M ARR. It's breaking at $8M.

I see this pattern constantly.

The founder-led motion that got you here? It won't get you there. The playbook that closed your first 50 deals starts leaking at 200.

And most teams don't realize it until they're already stuck.

That's the inflection point. When your existing GTM motion stops working and you need to rebuild for the next stage.

I've spent 20+ years building and scaling revenue engines, including leading sales teams at Google. I help B2B SaaS companies move past founder-led chaos to predictable, scalable growth.

I'm going live with SproutsAI to share what I've learned:

🔸 How GTM frameworks must shift to support scale
🔸 Early signals that your current motion is breaking
🔸 How to transition from founder-led sales to a real revenue engine
🔸 The missing link in Sales, Marketing, and RevOps alignment
🔸 How to rebuild GTM systems without overengineering

If you're in that inflection point — or heading toward one — this is for you.

Link in comments to register.

What's the biggest GTM challenge you're facing right now?

Join us for a LinkedIn Live session, “How to Scale B2B SaaS GTM Frameworks in 2026,” with Lilah Jones, CEO | GTM Advisor | Fractional CRO at Activated Leader HQ, as she shares how B2B SaaS companies must evolve their go-to-market frameworks to scale sustainably in 2026.

Lilah specializes in go-to-market transformation for B2B companies navigating critical growth inflection points. With 20+ years of experience building and scaling revenue engines, including leading sales teams at Google, she helps companies move from founder-led chaos to predictable, scalable growth. Her expertise lies in the messy middle: when your existing GTM motion stops working and needs to be rebuilt for the next stage.

Here's what you’ll learn in this 30-minute session:

🔸How GTM frameworks must change to support scale in 2026
🔸Early signals that your current GTM motion is breaking
🔸How to transition from founder-led sales to a scalable revenue engine
🔸What alignment across Sales, Marketing, and RevOps really looks like at scale
🔸Practical guidance for rebuilding GTM systems without overengineering

Click 'Attend' now to save your spot and mark your calendars!

#SproutsAI #B2BSaaS #GTMFrameworks #SaaSGrowth #RevenueLeadership #GoToMarket #ScalingSaaS

How to Scale B2B SaaS GTM Frameworks in 2026

I used to close deals from bathroom stalls.

Not because I was efficient.

Because I was having panic attacks and my team couldn't know.

Senior Director at Google. Six-figure comp. Performance reviews that said "exceeds expectations."

And a body that was screaming: This is killing you.

But I ignored it. Because ignoring it was easier than admitting I'd built a life I didn't want.

Your bathroom stall looks different than mine.

Maybe it's the Sunday scaries that start Friday afternoon. Maybe it's the promotion you got that feels like a trap. Maybe it's the role that pays well but makes you smaller every day.

You know it when you feel it.

This isn't sustainable.

Your body knows. Your nervous system knows. That knot in your stomach knows.

The only question is: What are you going to do about it?

Keep performing?

Or finally start living?

Have a powerful weekend.

See you Monday.

"Are you pregnant?" "Doing Whole 30?" "Training for something?"

These are the questions I got every time I didn't drink.

For years, I felt like I needed a REASON to say no.

Like choosing not to poison myself required an explanation.

I'd make up excuses: "I'm on antibiotics." "Early morning tomorrow." "Trying to be good this month."

Anything to avoid the real answer:
I just don't want to.

But that answer felt insufficient. Almost rude.

Because corporate culture has made alcohol the price of admission.

Happy hours. Client dinners. Networking events. Sales kickoffs.

The unspoken message: If you're not drinking, you're not really IN.

It took me years to realize:
I wasn't managing my drinking. I was managing other people's comfort with my choices.

In January 2022, I stopped managing. I just decided.

Best decision I ever made.

And it started with three questions.

Comment DONE below and I'll send you the 3 questions I asked myself before I finally ended my relationship with alcohol.

No judgment. No program. Just the honest questions that helped me stop negotiating with something that was never negotiable.

I was in a toxic relationship for over a decade.

Not with a person.

With a habit.

And today I'm sharing how I finally ended it.

Not with willpower.
Not with a 30-day challenge. 
Not with rules.
I just decided.

At 12pm today, you'll get: 
→ The real story of how I broke up with alcohol (and why January 2022 changed everything) 
→ The 3 questions I asked myself before I finally said "I don't" instead of "I can't" 
→ Why managing a relationship is sometimes just postponing the breakup
This is the most personal thing I've written since Kerala.

Not subscribed yet? Link in comments.

Already subscribed? Check your inbox at noon. 🌊

What would you finally end if you stopped negotiating?

I asked her what she actually wanted.

She went quiet.

After a pause, she blamed her boss. The economy. Her team.

Everything except the truth.

Then: "I don't want to be in marketing anymore."

That one sentence unlocked everything.

Most people think they're stuck because they lack clarity.

They're actually stuck because they haven't told the truth about where they are.

This is where every big transition starts. It's also where I'm starting my new series.

Tomorrow at noon, I'm sending the first issue of The Activation Series to newsletter subscribers: https://lnkd.in/g2Sc-z6P 

"Stage 1: ACKNOWLEDGE — Tell the truth about where you actually are."

Inside you'll get:
→ The question I asked her that made her go quiet (and how to ask it yourself)
→ The 3 signs you're avoiding instead of acknowledging
→ Your one move this week (not next quarter)

Link in comments to subscribe before noon tomorrow.

What truth have you been avoiding?

taplio

The Battle

Tye Trepanier

Lilah Jones

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taplio

The Battle

Tye Trepanier

Lilah Jones

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Tye Trepanier's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreTye Trepanier's LinkedIn Performance