Hey Reader,

Happy New Year! 🥳

I've been sitting here in my cozy corner of Chiang Mai (currently writing from a cute cafe called Lush!), reflecting on 2025, and whew... what a year it's been.

You know I'm always about keeping it real with you, so grab your favourite beverage because this is going to be a juicy one.

Let's start with the numbers (because who doesn't love some concrete data?):

🎯 840 wonderful humans purchased from me in 2025

📊 Income dropped 40% from 2024 (more on this in a sec!)

📧 More than 3,486 new subscribers joined through collaborations alone

The best performing collaboration events from 2025 included:

• My own Beyond Social Selling Summit, which brought in 667 amazing new subscribers
• Smart Business Mastermind, where I provided an exclusive training to their members, welcoming 189 new friends
• The Content That Converts Bundle, where I added 143 fantastic humans to the community

Now, let's talk about what REALLY happened in 2025...

I spent the entire year as a digital nomad (living what I like to call the long-travel life in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand).

Think three-month chunks in places like Hoi An, Da Nang, Kuala Lumpur, and Chiang Mai.

Sounds dreamy, right?

Well... it was, but also:

❌ I did not enjoy the weekly stadium-level music played till midnight in Vietnam (sleep? what's that? 😅)

❌ Moving locations every 3 months meant I was on an eternal quest for a decent pillow (and bed as it turns out...)

❌ Adjusting to new routines every few months, which left me feeling discombobulated more often than not 🙃

But here's what's wild - even with ALL of this happening, I still made over $80k this year.

✨ My Author Consulting brought in 43% of my income (bet you didn't even know I do this... I'll share why in a second)

✨ The Grow, Nurture, Sell Membership (originally called the Digital Income Accelerator) generated 37% (I love having recurring income)

✨ My weekly (evergreen) Fri-YAY Flashie sales emails? They brought in a solid 20% of income from one-off course purchases

The best part about my income for 2025?

It was ALL through email marketing.

No social media posting.

No paid ads.

Just genuine connections through the inbox.

I'll let that sink in a bit...

And before I go all TMI and share the personal stuff, I want to touch on the Author Consulting I do.

As a Manifesting Generator, I'm multi-passionate. 👋

I actually have two businesses:

1. My author consulting & coaching over at lisecartwright.com
2. Everything else I do here at hustleandgroove.com​

The main reason that my author business generates a big chunk of my income?

I offer a premium 1on1 service.

My packages start at $2,500 USD.

And most of the authors I work with?

They write non-fiction and have their own speaking and consulting businesses.

I only tend to work with a handful of these clients each year, because it's a high-touch service.

One I love to provide!

(if you ever want 1on1 support getting your non-fiction book out into the world, feel free to book in a 15-minute call with me here.)

Ok, now onto the vulnerable sharing... ☕️ 😢 💔

August brought a major life change with an unexpected separation (aka didn't see it coming), shifting me from traveling as a couple to solo female traveler status.

(I could share more about this but I won't. It's still raw and I'm still navigating it all. I'm happy to chat with you individually though, so if you've got any questions, feel free to hit reply and ask.)

Add in perimenopause deciding to kick it up several notches (thanks, hormones! 🙃), spending my birthday alone for the first time in 48 years...

Let's just say my nervous system had its hands full.

But you know what?

Even with my personal life being a big pile of 💩, some amazing things happened too:

✅ I found an incredible doctor in Chiang Mai who's helped get these hormones under control

✅ Made a genuine new friend here in Chiang Mai (adult friendships for the win!)

✅ Started strength training, despite travelling full-time

✅ Launched two new offers: The Human Design for Business Collective and the AI Book Buddy

✅ I discovered just how resilient I really am (thanks in large part to my therapist and the Rosebud app)

My biggest lesson?

Sometimes doing less leads to more.

I'm incredibly proud that I generated over $80k this year, despite everything I had going on.

By focusing solely on email marketing and showing up authentically for my community, I maintained a high-five-figure business during one of my most challenging years.

Here's to being real, resilient, and ready for whatever comes next in 2026!

Take care

Lise xoxo

PS: If you're reading this thinking, "But Lise, I wish I could create this kind of stability with just email marketing..." - I've got something for you.

The $1K Lab is where I teach how I've built this email-first business. At just $19/month, you'll learn how to build an engaged email list and create consistent sales (even when life throws you curveballs).

Ready to make 2026 your year of email marketing success? Join us in The $1K Lab here.

PPS: Remember, success isn't always about growing bigger — sometimes it's about growing stronger. 💪