When Everything Aligns: Finding My Way Back Through Values
Last week was one of those rare moments when all my worlds seemed to converge.
In three very different spaces — a national media platform, a podcast, and a live conference stage — I found myself telling the same story in three different ways. And in each, I came back to the same truth: when we align with our values, everything else begins to fall into place.
Three platforms, one thread
In Mamamia, I wrote about what really happens after you “beat” cancer. We’re often told survival is the finish line — but in reality, it’s the starting point of a whole new reckoning. The silence. The questions. The slow, patient work of piecing yourself back together.
On Trevor Young’s Crank the 3rd podcast, I talked about my zigzag journey — through breast cancer, single motherhood, and the many reinventions that have shaped me. I spoke about how I found my way back to my values and voice, and why kindness, courage, and curiosity have become my anchors.
At NOVA Entertainment’s national sales conference, I stood on stage with their team to talk about values alignment in business. Together, we explored what happens when personal values and company values meet — and how performance without purpose can only take us so far.
Three different audiences. Three different formats. But underneath, it was the same story.
The Affection Economy in action
These moments reminded me why I built The Affection Economy in the first place. It’s not just a leadership framework, and it’s certainly not just a book. It’s a way of living and leading that centres people, purpose, and connection — in every room, on every stage, and across every platform.
The Affection Economy asks us to lead with courage and clarity, to place kindness at the centre of our strategy, and to remember that business and community thrive when we put people first.
And last week showed me that this philosophy can travel across spaces — whether in a national magazine, a podcast feed, or a corporate conference.
Coming back to my Values Compass
The truth is, I couldn’t do this work if I hadn’t first done the personal work of coming home to myself.
The Values Compass — my self-paced program that will launch soon — was born from this journey. It’s a simple but powerful process that helps you identify your core values, build your own compass, and begin realigning the choices you make every day.
When I was younger, I thought success meant achievement, titles, or recognition. But the zigzags of my life — cancer, grief, single motherhood, and reinvention — taught me that success is really about alignment. It’s about living and leading from your values, not in spite of them.
And that’s what last week felt like: alignment.
All platforms pointing true north
From Mamamia to the podcast to NOVA, every platform carried the same thread: voice, values, and the courage to come back to ourselves.
This is what The Affection Economy looks like when it’s lived, not just written about. And it’s what The Values Compass offers — a way to stop drifting, to start deciding with intention, and to realign with what matters most.
Because when we live aligned, the world feels it too.
Further Reading
If this story spoke to you, or if you’re ready to realign with your own values, I’d love to continue the conversation. Book a free 15-minute call.
Author’s Note:
This piece was originally published here on The Story Maker. It is available for republication, syndication, or editorial adaptation.
For commissions or licensing, please contact Jet Swain.
