Hi, I’m Kate. I’m here to teach you how to slay the long game and show it in all aspects of your life: health, weight, relationships, and everything in between. My life isn’t perfect, but I’m living the life of my dreams and on my terms.

✔️ never have to “look” for work nor had a job interview since 2007.

✔️ not a slave to recessions + layoffs + corporate glass ceilings.

✔️ became comfortable with living on the edge of discomfort.

✔️ became a pro at making good decisions & predictions.

✔️ don’t wait for opportunities— I create my own.

✔️ time freedom to do whatever I want.

✔️ work from anywhere in the world.

✔️ every day feels like a vacation.

✔️ work never feels like “work.”

2024 was marvellous and exhilarating as I dared to finally do everything I’ve wanted since losing my health in 2020 and then losing my love to illness in 2022. I’ve always lived on the edge of my comfort zone, but I pushed it further this year than I could imagine. I travelled most of the year. I earned more than 2x what I made last year with half the amount of work. 2024 was my reward to celebrate my progress.

Here are 11 lessons I learned in 2024 that translate to strategies on how to play the long game:

1. Relentless focus on the progress.

People don’t live their dream life because they’re striving for perfection.

Instead, focus on continuous improvement.

“Relentless” was my one-word theme for 2024.

Being relentless… on everything that I’ve worked up to since then.

I’ve made much progress trying to design a dream life in the last few years.

Progress.

After all, in life, the journey is all we have.

2. Systems To Rule Them All

To enjoy the journey, you must have systems.

Otherwise, healthy habits become a messy burden.

Systems are the foundation of a successful and fulfilling life— they free up mental energy, reduce stress, and allow you to focus on what truly matters.

Examples of systems:

→ a meal plan
→ your calendar
→ your morning/night routine
→ project management system
→ a system for learning new skills
→ your routine to drop into deep, undistracted work
→ daily journaling to enhance mental health & creativity

The key is to identify areas of your life where you’d like to improve and then create a system to support that improvement, which you will perform consistently.

Because of systems, I truly began to embrace the journey after realizing it was my daily habits and the little things that allowed me to wake up every single day since I was 20, excited to LIVE… no matter how hard of a time I was going through.

I love life so much —including the endless difficulties and challenges.

I truly see every single day as the first day of the rest of my life.

Because I found joy in the little things.

The mundane, unsexy routines you needed to do to make your dreams a reality.

→ Lifting weights + exercising daily are non-negotiable, also so I can listen to podcasts.

→ Riding my bike to work in the rain or shine rather than wasting my life away in a car.

→ Never touching the free beer at work but carrying around my water bottle everywhere (still doing this 17 years later).

→ Making lunch daily while cycling into work with a heavy backpack every Monday for 5 days of meal prep— and effortlessly avoiding the delicious cafeteria food and snacks at my tech company.

3. Do not go comfortably into the night.

My routine became effortless because I stayed consistent for 3 months when I began my journey and saw major results despite how hard it was.

Results are the best motivator.

Make hard choices early on for an easy life later.

For years, I’d get up at 5am, do a 100km bike ride before work, arrive at the office’s gym and take a cold shower, head back to the gym in the afternoon for heavy lifting or CrossFit, ride back home rain or shine to have a home-cooked dinner, and then work on my consulting business.

I was relentlessly strict and disciplined throughout my 20s. But hey, I also partied A LOT and had balance because I knew how to maintain my energy. Some called me crazy, but my hyper-focus ADHD mind thrived!!

*I came from a poor, uneducated family and distant parents, so don’t play victim and tell me I was privileged! 🙃

Life truly began in my 30s when I experienced ‘trauma and anxiety’ for the first time due to an ex’s family trauma. I completely lost my health and years of sacrifice in my career— it was the first dark winter in my life.

That period of my life was dark and brutal, yet in hindsight, navigating it felt effortless because I had the grit, resilience, and interoceptive wisdom from a decade of biohacking.

Biohacking gifted me with insights, so I intuitively knew the exact steps to take to move forward.

4. Precondition your mind for tough times.

My problems became easy because my brain was experienced in dealing with hardship.

Forcing yourself to do hard things as often as you can will make life’s endless problems feel easy.

Earning rewards like the steak or the view at the top of the mountain while doing something hard to attain makes the luxuries feel 10x worthwhile.

Being a cyclist, the mountains were my teacher.

When you’re in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, you never know what weather conditions Mother Nature will throw at you, so you have no choice but to adapt and keep on peddling.

Imagine being in miserable cold and wet conditions for hours, but you have no choice but to pedal for another three hours to get into the comfort of a warm shower.

Over time, you learn to be unbothered by situations like this. You settle into the discomfort.

It gets easier every time.

These survival skills will help you in all other aspects of your life, including your career and personal relationships.

Overcoming shitty weather and problems keep you out of your comfort zone so you don’t get weak and complacent like most people.

Do you notice how some people crumble at the sign of adversity because they lack resilience? They are called “snowflakes.”

5. The cold is your best friend.

To avoid being a snowflake, learn to embrace the cold.

People get defensive when you talk about cold showers because they feel like they deserve the warmth and comfort of a sauna or their heated homes— because woe is me— life is hard enough!

Of course, we all deserve warmth and comfort— but not always.

The savage reality is that we’re drowning in comfort from our perfectly climate-controlled homes and cars, being able to order unhealthy foods from our fingertips so we can sit on the couch in front of Netflix while doom-scrolling simultaneously. You’re also breathing in all the toxic scents in your home— candles, skincare and cleaning products, detergents and your own stale air because all your windows are closed since it’s too cold out. ❌

People always get sick, not because it’s cold out… but because their bodies are too weak.

Strong people have strong bodies that can withstand the cold.

So next time, instead of throwing on an extra jacket, try to sit in the discomfort for a little longer.

Or better yet, train yourself to love cold showers and plunges. You can do anything with the power of neuroplasticity and repetition.

Which brings me to my next point:

6. Stop waiting for the perfect condition to start.

Too far often, people wait for the perfect conditions— like a dry, sunny day for a bike ride or a run.

Little do they know that perfect conditions do not exist in real life.

When you wait for perfection, you miss the opportunities.

The people who succeed aren’t necessarily the richest, prettiest, or kindest, but they’re the ones who take action regardless of circumstances.

The latter, we call these “fair-weather athletes.”

No shame or judgment in that because we all started somewhere. But “being fair-weather” won’t get you far. Most of these people tend to exercise to run away from their problems. When they get home, they drink a bottle of champagne, binge drink and eat everything in sight because they burned 2000 calories that day, yet their spouse hates them, and they pass on toxic habits of over-exercising and perfectionism to their children.

Exercise is great, but not when you overdo it, and do it for the wrong reasons.

However, when done right…

7. Exercise can mitigate many of your bad habits.

I heard Rhonda Patrick or Peter Attia saying this in an interview.

Of course, when it comes to wellness and longevity, we must work on all five pillars:

→ sleep
→ exercise
→ nutrition
→ community
→ purpose & passion

But exercise is still the most important.

Biased by not biased! Hear me out! 👉🏼

“Physiology drives psychology.” — Tony Robbins

Our brains can be stubborn, slow, and filled with biases. However, modern science doesn’t teach that your brain and body are NOT separate. Your body stores emotional memories, too.

What you do with your body impacts the mind and vice versa.

When we change our physiology, even subtly, we can shift our thinking and emotional patterns, including our bad habits and everything we don’t like about ourselves.

Think about it: whenever we feel stuck, whether it’s procrastination, anxiety, or even just a general feeling of blah, the best thing we can do is take the one action with the biggest immediate rewards.

This is exercise because the endorphins you get from just 10 to 20 minutes of movement will stimulate you like nothing else.

Action drives motivation.

A brisk walk, a quick jog, a vigorous dance session, 10 air squats—anything that gets our blood flowing instantly shifts our emotional states.

Once unstuck, we can take action, no longer confined by fear or anxiety holding us back.

But that’s not all. Exercise also boosts something called BDNF, which is like fertilizer for your brain. BDNF helps your brain grow and create new connections, making learning and remembering things easier and even breaking bad habits.

Exercise helps you stay on routine and gives you the motivation to create better habits, including:

✅ sleeping earlier
✅ eating better
✅ drinking less

… all habits needed for longevity.

Many gurus will tell you that sleep and nutrition are much more critical, but exercise will keep you motivated. So, even if you don’t like exercising, you are better off trying to find ways to enjoy it.

Hint: Don’t wait for motivation. Take action. Start small. Start with a walk.

8. True Balance is 80/20.

Being ‘average’ is to be mediocre.

Being mediocre or lukewarm won’t get you where you want to go.

The dreaded comfort zone. A place of the supposedly righteous homeostasis—but this equilibrium is where all things die.

Comfort isn’t bad, but the problem is that our brains are wired to search for it. Comfort represents “safety”— much needed when being hunted as prey on the savannah. 🦁

Modern society has changed, but our wiring has not.

It’s, in fact, a dead zone where you become weak and complacent if you spend too much time in it.

Imagine a society where everyone is exactly the same. Same job, earns the same amount of money, and lives in identical houses. It might seem fair initially, but this “perfect” equality would be stifling. There would be no room for people to be different, to try new things, or to achieve extraordinary things.

True progress comes from a society that allows for some differences.

People should be able to pursue their dreams, work hard, achieve success, and help others in need.

This “imbalance” allows for innovation, creativity, and a more fulfilling life for everyone.

I apply 80/20 everywhere:

📌 80% of my habits are on point. I don’t worry and eat the cake the rest of the time.

📌 80% of the content in my feed is intentional and helps me grow.

📌 80% of my life is lived outside my comfort zone. I travel alone and even book hotels mid-air. My windows are even opened in the middle of winter. I can jump into a glacier lake or cold shower, no problem. Six-minute cold plunges are nothing (compared to 40-minute mountain descents in the rain). I love cycling and running in the rain. People think I’m crazy, but I’m used to it! Being comfortable is very uncomfortable because I know, inherently too well, that nothing worthwhile grows in the comfort zone

📌 80% of my friends prioritize health and exercise, are well-travelled (creates an open mind), and are into personal growth. This is very important because we are the average of our environment.

9. Do your inner work, or your emotions will destroy you.

Unfortunately, many people begin to dislike you when you start growing up, and they don’t.

In psychology, this phenomenon is called projection— part of your Monkey Mind’s defense mechanism. When we grow and evolve, we may encounter aspects of ourselves that we don’t like— insecurities, fears, or negative traits. Instead of acknowledging these within ourselves, we unconsciously project these painful feelings onto others.

For example, if we feel insecure about our intelligence, we may see someone smarter as arrogant or condescending. We’re basically seeing our own fears and doubts reflected in them.

This is particularly true for those stuck in a mindset of scarcity and victimhood.

They believe there is a limited amount of success, happiness, or love and that their lack of these things is due to external factors or the actions of others. Nothing is their fault, but everyone else is to blame.

Examples of victim mentality:

❌ ”I’m too old…”
❌ ”Everyone I date is a jerk.”
❌ ”The government is coming to save me.”
❌ “I can’t get a job because the economy is bad.”
❌  “I’m not successful because I come from a poor family.”
❌ ”______ thinks she is better than everyone else because she sends podcasts to the group chat.”

This projection can manifest in various ways, such as feeling threatened by another person’s success, criticizing their achievements, or even engaging in passive-aggressive behaviour.

They haven’t started the inner work.

If you’re engaged in inner work, however, you understand that the world is abundant with possibilities, and everyone is on unique journeys. You recognize that another person’s success doesn’t diminish your own.

Doing your inner work means figuring out what triggers you and undoing those patterns so that when life happens, you don’t get “triggered” or mad at others for not having the same opinion or being on the same life journey.

Guess what, darling? Life and everyone and everything, especially those closest to you, will always trigger you.

Inner work is:

→ healing past trauma
→ emotional awareness
→ breaking limiting beliefs
→ questioning your triggers
→ sitting in uncomfortable emotions
→ undoing patterns and conditioning
→ cultivating self-compassion
→ connecting to your values

Inner work can be extremely uncomfortable, with all your fears and insecurities dumped onto you. But it’s worth it. Doing this work makes you less likely to react negatively when someone else does well or says something you disagree with.

Instead, you’ll be able to celebrate their success, embrace new perspectives, and focus on your journey with more peace and joy. Reframe the discomfort as radical growth, and you’ll also discover the most valuable currency in the universe….

10. Inner peace is more valuable than time and money.

In our pursuit of success, we often prioritize accumulating wealth and optimizing our time.

We chase promotions, strive for bigger houses, and meticulously schedule every minute of our day. These pursuits can bring rewards, but they rarely guarantee true happiness.

True fulfillment comes from within.

Inner peace, a state of contentment and tranquillity, is a priceless treasure.

Unlike time and money, which are finite, inner peace is an infinite wellspring cultivated through practices like mindfulness and self-reflection.

While wealth and time can provide comforts, they cannot guarantee the deep sense of fulfillment that comes from inner peace.

Prioritize cultivating this invaluable resource.

It’s an investment that yields dividends far greater than any material possession – dividends of:

✅ happiness
✅ resilience
✅ a truly fulfilling life

… while being unshaken by external circumstances.

11. Life waits for no one.

So what are you waiting for?

If you don’t like something about your life, you are the only one who can change it.

How?

A great way to get unstuck is to envision what your life will be like if you continue living the way you’re living.

It will probably be atrocious.

Our brains are better at running away from something we don’t like than running towards something we want. Use this primal instinct to your advantage.

I remember what it is like to be stuck in an unhappy and toxic relationship or going to a job that no longer kept me fulfilled because of the bureaucracies and glass ceilings.

It may seem despairing because change does not happen right away. The magic happens in all of your daily habits and the unsexy, mundane details of daily life.

Optimize yours to get you where you want to be. Imagine:

⚡️ a body that feels strong and capable
⚡️ a new job on the other side of the world
⚡️ financial freedom that allows you to pursue your passions
⚡️a passionate relationship with somebody who meets your needs
⚡️a life where you are surrounded by people who love, support and push you

Begin by reviewing point no.7: create inner peace by exercising and strengthening your physiology. I’ve never fallen off the bandwagon since I began my healthy lifestyle in 2007.

My results kept me motivated as I conditioned my mind to love pain (point no.3 about the comfort zone).

Because of that, I learned that physiology drives psychology. Whenever I felt stuck, I physically took action to change my state of mind. As I continued to do this, I saw my life change. However, it was not linear or noticeable at the moment but I knew it was happening so I kept on going. In hindsight, fitness has also taught me to embrace delayed gratification rather than instant gratification, which many of our minds have been programmed to do since birth.

In this journey of personal growth, you’ll begin to condition your mind to make your own decisions and create opportunities in a world that has conditioned you to be a cog in the machine. Stop being a cog and start being a creator.

“I don’t want a nation of thinkers; I want a nation of workers.” — John Rockefeller

All you must do now is to take the first step.

What is the ONE habit you can start doing daily that will take you where you want to go?

The Takeaway

Have relentless focus on your progress.

Create systems to make life easy.

Avoid the comfort zone.

Precondition your mind for tough times.

Hard choices now, easy life later.

Embrace the cold and lousy weather— things out of your control.

True balance is 80/20.

Inner work is important, so you’re not a sh!tty person.

Because life isn’t going to wait for you.

So remember:

Do not go comfortably into 2025.

Let it be a year of growth, not complacency.

Shatter your own expectations.

Dare to be extraordinary.

Don’t forget to have fun.

Embrace the journey.

It’s all you have.

Blasphemy! Have you no ambition? No desire to constantly push yourself to the absolute brink of burnout?