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Breaking Burnout with a Growth Cadence

Hi friends,

I used to think growth was all about accomplishing more, fast.

Turns out, slowing down is just as important as doubling down.

Real growth comes from finding the right rhythm in your work. Cadence. The pace that keeps you moving forward without burning out. As the Navy SEALs like to say: “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”

Let’s dive in and please share this with those who could use it.

Cheers,

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Breaking Burnout with a Growth Cadence

The Power of Cadence in Action

Let me tell you about a client of mine.

He is a successful entrepreneur, but his go-with-the-flow approach lacked direction. He had no big goal to drive his energy. He was doing fine, but missing real opportunities for growth.

When he hired me, cadence was baked into our process. My goal was to help him set a rhythm—a sustainable, long-term pace that wouldn’t just grow his business, but also support his personal well-being. This was about setting deliberate goals and making sure that each step built toward a larger vision.

The result? Over time, we developed a three-year growth plan, creating a system of bi-weekly check-ins to track his progress as well as quarterly retreats to reset on goals.

And it wasn’t just his business that benefited from this. As his business cadence improved, so did his health and wellness. He wasn’t burning out by chasing short-term wins – that’s not my objective; he was building a sustainable pace for long-term success.

I’ve seen the opposite as well where my clients will go to the other extreme and focus on accomplishing more and more and more until they burnout.  This isn’t the way forward either.

It’s a simple truth: if you don’t control your life pace, life will control it for you.

That’s why I’m giving you my four tips for establishing and maintaining a strong Cadence, so you can be in control of your journey. Let’s dive in.

Tip No. 1: Consistent Progress Over Time

Growth isn’t about making massive leaps. It’s about showing up every day, getting 1% better with each and every rep.

Early in my entrepreneurial journey, I had a period of low demand on my time. I felt restless, like I should be doing more. But a friend told me, “Recharge. Read. Prepare. Soon, you’ll need all that energy.” He was right.

Growth is cyclical. Sometimes you sprint. Other times, you pace yourself. The key is recognizing where you are and acting accordingly.

What small step can you take today that moves you forward, no matter how small even if that step is preparing for an unknown future?

Tip No. 2: Adjust Your Tempo

I’ve seen entrepreneurs push too hard at the wrong times.

When you move too fast, you miss critical opportunities. When you never push, you stagnate. The trick? Knowing when to shift gears.

I’ve learned to project the demands on my energy out into the future. I think of my energy levels like a battery.  When I’m looking ahead to a high-output phase, I plan ahead to make sure I get the battery full by pulling back and recharging.  

This awareness has kept me from burning out and has allowed me to maintain momentum over the years.

When do you need to slow down? When could you push harder? Project ahead your energy needs.

Tip No. 3: Momentum Through Milestones

Milestones, check-ins, recurring meetings all help to set consistency.

For all my coaching clients and I recommend that we meet twice per month to check-in, get unstuck, reflect, and refocus. Coaching isn’t micromanagement but a way to bring greater awareness to your actions and activities so that you can recalibrate and even track real progress. These check-ins are lifelines for maintaining focus and staying aligned with goals.

With so many people and problems pulling you in different directions as a leader, you can easily find yourself drifting away from your initial goals. Check-ins keep you moving in the right direction.

Who’s helping you raise your own awareness? How are you measuring your progress?  Do you have a regular check-in?

Tip No. 4: Aligning with Your Team

Establishing a sustainable cadence is not just about you.

As a leader, you have to set and even match your team’s cadence. You should ensure your team is working at a pace that suits everyone’s strengths and energy levels.

Adjust yourself and the people you lead to avoid burnout while maintaining productivity.  Mastering your team’s cadence is about finding the right balance between urgency and discipline, keeping you and your team on track for long-term success.

My client’s problem wasn’t that his team couldn’t keep up — it’s that he hadn’t synced everyone’s pace.  We worked on aligning his speed with his team’s strengths. The result? A stronger, more cohesive unit.

When your team is out of sync, it is like adding friction into a system and growth can stall. But when everyone’s aligned, progress occurs naturally.

Have you checked in with your team’s rhythm? Have you aligned with their strengths and the pace of progress?

The Bottom Line: Cadence Unlocks Progress.

Mastering cadence means finding balance. It’s knowing when to push, when to pull back, and how to maintain momentum without burning out.

Where do you need to adjust your cadence today?

Quote I’m Pondering

This was a quote sent to me by Austin Baker on the occasion of my birthday and I thought I’d pass it along here to you.  

“They will criticize you for what you are, for what you are not, and for what they think you are.

“They will judge you for what you do, for what you don't do, and for what you fail to do. They will talk about you for what you say and for what you keep silent about.

They will point at you for your successes and for your mistakes, for your decisions and for your doubts. No matter how much you try to please, there will always be opinions.

“So, live for yourself, because in the end, the only thing that matters is being true to your own path!”

- Henry Ford

Content Diet

• Read: Not Boring - Known for his long-form content on everything ranging from AI to web3 and hardware, this is one of my favorite newsletters on business, tech, and culture. It’s written by the VC and tech writer Packy McCormick. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t yet.

• Getting to Yes With Yourself and Possible by William Ury: Both books by William Ury offer invaluable insights for entrepreneurs and leaders. Getting to Yes with Yourself emphasizes mastering internal conflict for better external negotiations, while Possible shows how to achieve ambitious goals through collaboration and breaking down barriers. Check these out if you’re looking to improve self-awareness, communication, and the ability to turn big visions into reality.

Learn More About My Coaching with a 30 Minute Meeting (No Obligation)

Speaking of Cadence and Preparing…

For those that don’t know, I have the honor of investing in and serving on the board of the company that produces and sells Alma Del Jaguar Tequila.  I visited with our Tequila producers in Mexico at NOM 1414.

Trips for work in Mexico take a lot of energy because we are cramming a ton into a little bit of time (e.g. meeting our glass supplier, distillery partners, label maker, agave farmers, and more). This particular trip was part of 2 full weeks of travel that started in Denver and ended in Seattle including some very demanding hikes.

Knowing this in advance, I used the week leading up to prepare, leverage good habits, and rest up. And right now, I have about 10 days in Memphis to recharge and reset for more travel and work pushes that I know are coming in October.  

Well, that’s all I got for you today. Thank you for reading! If you found this helpful, please forward along to a friend. And reply to this email if you

See you next month.

-Eric

P.S. Here is a picture of our Alma Del Jaguar team in Mexico in September!

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