Hello Driven Visionaries! 💫

We are six days into the new year. By now, the world has told you to hustle harder, wake up earlier, and optimize every single second of your existence.

We’re here to tell you to delete that blueprint.

If there is one trap we all fall into in January, it’s "The Borrowed Dream." It’s the vision of success that society handed you—the one that measures worth by how busy you are and how much burnout you can endure. It usually involves doing more to prove you are more.

But here is the energy we are bringing into 2026: If success doesn't feel like freedom, it’s just a shiny cage.

This week, we are stripping away the "shoulds." We are looking at the difference between looking successful and feeling successful. Because true wealth isn’t about hitting a generic milestone someone else set for you. It’s about having the audacity to say "no" to the noise so you can say "yes" to your own alignment.

Remember - your version of success doesn’t need anyone’s approval!

The Project Rich Bitch Team 💎

I spent a solid chunk of my life collecting gold stars.

I wanted the title that sounded impressive at dinner parties. I wanted the salary that made my parents brag. I wanted the validation that comes from looking like you have it all figured out.

And eventually? I got it. The checklist was complete.

I remember distinctly sitting in my home office after landing a massive "win"—the kind of career milestone I’d pinned to my vision board years prior. I sat there in the silence, waiting for the confetti to go off in my brain. I waited for that wave of satisfaction to hit me.

Instead, I just felt... heavy.

I had built a life that looked flawless to many but felt suffocating in reality. I was rich in status, but I was bankrupt in joy. I had climbed to the top of the ladder only to realize it was leaning against the wrong wall.

That was my wake-up call: If you’re winning someone else’s game, you’re still losing.

I had to tear up the scorecard. I stopped chasing "impressive" and started chasing "aligned."

Redefining success was terrifying because it meant walking away from what everyone else wanted for me. But let me tell you—success isn't a job title. Real success is the freedom to wake up and recognize the person in the mirror. It’s peace. And that is a luxury that hustle culture can't buy.  Evaluate where you are and determine what your win looks like - on your terms.

Dana✨

I attract aligned connections who elevate my vision and amplify my impact. 💎

If you only track your net worth, you are getting bad data.

Society loves to measure success by a single metric: the number in your bank account. But we’ve all met people who are "rich" on paper but emotionally bankrupt in reality. They have the penthouse, but they also have the ulcers, the lonely dinners, and the constant anxiety.

That isn't wealth. That's just an expensive cage.

To live a truly Rich Life, you need to diversify your portfolio of happiness. We measure success across 5 Dimensions:

⚡ The Pop Quiz: Take a hard look at your life right now. If you are a 10/10 on Wealth but a 2/10 on Connection and Vitality, the math doesn't add up.

Real success isn't about maximizing one category at the expense of the others. A Rich Life is when all five dimensions are thriving in unison. Stop trying to be just "rich." Aim to be whole!

You wouldn’t run a business for five years without checking the books. Yet, so many of us run our lives chasing goals we set five years ago, never checking if they still turn a profit for our soul.

This week, we aren’t adding to your to-do list. We are editing it. It’s time to audit your ambition.

Here is your 10-minute assignment:

1. The Line Up Write down your top 3 current major goals (e.g., Make Partner, Buy the Vacation Home, Lose 10 Pounds).

2. The Source Code Check Look at each goal and ask the uncomfortable question: “Whose voice is this?” Is it your desire? Or is it your father’s expectation? Your competitor’s highlight reel? Society’s timeline?

3. Spot the Counterfeit Identify the goal that feels "heavy." The one you are chasing just to prove you are "good enough." That is a counterfeit goal. It will cost you energy and pay you back in resentment.

4. The Swap Cross out the counterfeit. Replace it with a goal that aligns with your current definition of a Rich Life.

The Rule: If it doesn't light you up, it doesn't get to stay on the list.💎

We usually think of luxury as something you buy. It’s the silk sheets, the first-class upgrade, the heavy logo on the handbag.

But in 2026, we are redefining the term. The rarest, most expensive thing you can own isn't a material good. It’s the audacity to live a life that makes sense to you, even if it looks confusing to everyone else.

That is the ultimate flex.

Real luxury is the ability to disappoint others in order to stay true to yourself. It’s choosing your peace over their applause.

Sure, on paper, the bank account might look a little smaller. But the life? The life feels infinitely richer.

Don't let the world convince you that luxury is just about accumulation. The highest form of wealth is waking up in the morning, looking at your calendar, and realizing you didn't build a cage—you built a sanctuary.💫

Meet Erin Loechner. Erin was the definition of the "It Girl." She was a high-flying art director and stylist in Los Angeles with a massive online following. She had the HGTV web series, the million followers hanging on her every post, the red carpet invites, and the six-figure status.

She had done what we are all told to do: She won the game. She checked every single box on the "Successful Woman" checklist.

And then? She quit.

She didn't quit because she failed. She quit because she realized she was climbing a ladder that was leaning against the wrong wall. She realized she was spending her life performing happiness for an audience rather than actually experiencing it. She was rich in "likes," but poor in time.

So, she burned the script.

She walked away from the LA hustle and the industry clout to move to a quiet town in the Midwest. She traded the "status" of a fast-paced career for the sanity of a slow morning. She traded the validation of strangers for the presence of her family.

Again, this is the ultimate flex.

Waking up in the morning, looking at your calendar, and realizing you didn't build a cage—again, you built a sanctuary - Now that is success. 🚀