Three lessons every entrepreneur can use to navigate uncertainty and build resilience

This summer, I learned a lesson — stay calm and swim on.

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Here’s how it happened.

In the thick of my federally funded consulting work screeching to a halt — literally in 48 hours — what had felt like a thriving portfolio suddenly looked barren.

For the first time since launching my business, I wondered: Would I need to take a job? Switch directions?

The early spark

In that swirl, I remembered advice I’d received early in my consulting journey:

Follow what the world needs and what brings you joy. Get clear, and stick to the work.

Five years ago, that clarity became my guiding light.

My vision was to bring what I had studied, taught, and led as a federally funded researcher for nearly a decade out into the world.
To help organizations take on wicked social impact challenges.
To use innovation, diverse perspectives, and cross-sector knowledge to co-design promising next-step solutions.

To my amazement

Almost immediately, doors opened.

In just five short years my consulting firm works with organizations ranging from tribal entities to the Blackstone Foundation, Dow Chemical, and Ivy League Universities.

It has been the ride of a lifetime — a chance to hone my craft, grow as a social impact leader, and meet so many brilliant humans. Along the way, I even had the chance to teach at the Stanford d.school.

And then — everything paused

This year, with sudden federal funding shifts, everything changed.

In 48 hours, projects were put on hold. For the first time, I questioned if the consulting business I had poured myself into would carry me forward.

So I turned to an industry leader — one part street smart and one part sage — who has been consulting for decades.

He reassured me that these moments come. And then he gave me three gifts I’ll never forget.

Three lessons in business resilience

1. Stay calm and swim on.
   I love open-water swimming. My goal is 50 swims each summer — and this year, I blew it out of the water.
2. Don’t hustle.
   In my consulting model, I’ve never advertised. People find me because of my expertise and the way I work: creatively, collaboratively, and joyfully.
3. Trust your clients.
   If the challenges are real and important, clients will find the funding. That’s why they came to you.

What happened next

One month later, he was right.

New consulting projects came in. Clients revived canceled work or found new pathways. Old friends and new changemakers brought me projects I dearly love.

I let go in new ways. I trusted. I didn’t hustle. I swam, waited, and found joy.

What emerged? A year of work that is deeply in alignment — even more tightly tied to my “why.”

My lessons for consultants and entrepreneurs

• Trust the work.
• When in disruption and in danger of a tailspin, keep your true north and know your business model.
• Remember: your clients are deeply invested — they are the project’s greatest champions.

And because I’m a designer, I’ll leave you with a few prompts to ask yourself when work suddenly dries up or the landscape shifts:

• What is my true north?
• How do I get my business? If there’s a sudden drought, is it time to evolve the model — or hold steady?
• If I never needed to work again and lived thriftily, what would I do to bring myself joy?

Go do that.

And above all: stay calm and swim on.