Issue #55: The Holiday Gift Guide for the Ambitious Professionals in Tech

Give the gift of growth and development without the shopping stress

👋 Hola friends! Thank you for opening my email! I appreciate it.

I’m Kax and welcome to my newsletter where I write about enjoying a career in Tech, becoming your favorite version of a Leader, building a Startup with zero funding, and all the human mess in between.

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Give the gift of Growth and Development this Holiday! 🎁

If you’re like me, you’re probably feeling the “last push before the holidays” rush. I have a to-do list that’s still as long as my arm (and I write tiny letters), and that’s just for work… both of them! And then there’s the personal to-do list that I need to wrap up soon because we’re leaving for our Christmas trip next week. 😱

Christmas is in 15 days, peeps! And that leaves some of us effectively only 10 days to get shit done before we have to travel or before the people we need to see, get help from, and unblock us leave for their own travel — hello dependencies!

Inhale. Exhale. 😮‍💨

So for today, I thought I’d take a pause from writing about careers and building a startup. And instead, let me help you take one thing off from your to-do list:

🔲 Finish shopping for Holiday gifts 🎁

So if you’re still looking for gifts for your team, your career-driven friends, or your ambitious family members, don’t worry! I got you 💪

🪴 all gift options are/can be delivered digitally so you can save yourself the shopping trip plus reduce wrapping waste!

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For the ones who are exhausted 😫

🎁 A 7-day guided self-hypnosis program to fix their burnout. Help your loved one find relief from their exhaustion and anxiety. It’s a 7-day sanctuary where they can quiet the mental noise, release the tension, and begin to feel like themselves again.

7-day burnout fix guided self-hypnosis program

🎁 Welcome the Hynam Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum This book is a story about hope, healing, and how to truly live. And books! And coffee!
🎁 Write Yourself Happy: The Art of Positive Journaling by Dr. Megan C. Hayes It’s a practical gift that shows how our commonly experienced positive emotions can help us live better. Plus it’s all based on science!

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For those who want to be great leaders 😎

🎁 Story Teller Tactics from Pipdecks Why this is a great gift? Because awesome communication skills is non-negotiable for leaders! To be able to influence change, inspire action, and 1000x more things, leaders need to be great at telling compelling stories.

story teller tactics deck of cards in physical or digital

🎁 Paid subscription to Deb Liu’s substack Practical and inspiring stories about leadership and growth from Deb Liu and other guests. A lot of the good stuff are now locked and only accesible for paid subscribers.

🎁 1 month 1:1 Coaching Support Perfect for new leaders who have yet to figure out how to lead authentically AND deliver impact through others. 😉

Book a call with me and let’s design together how to make this a great gift!

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For the ones who are looking to prioritize personal and career growth 😎

🎁 Download and Print the Year Compass (it’s free!) It’s a free booklet (or digital too) that helps people reflect on how their year went and plan for how they want their next year to go. It’s great for helping people design their ideal year!

image from the year compass website

🎁 A 7-day guided self-hypnosis program to boost their confidence. Empower your loved one! Help them feel ready to embrace and create new opportunities for themselves. It’s also Magical Audios’s best selling program!

🎁 Paid subscription to Rachel Botsman’s Rethink with Rachel Awesome newsletter to help understand problems and other interesting things in a new and different way. Definitely in my top 3 newsletters!

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Before you get going on your New Year’s Resolutions 🎊

This is not my “What a Year” issue just yet. I still have some weeks to digest everything that’s happened in the last 12 months. 😂

But just in case you’re already dead set in making 2025 your year, then let me offer this:

Take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. 😮‍💨

Do that a few more times.

Now notice the feelings and thoughts that are coming up in your head. Just notice them. Don’t give them stories. Don’t give them judgement. Just notice.

Take a deep breath again. Inhale. Exhale. 😮‍💨

Now grab a pen and paper.

And I’d like for you to think about:

1. At least 3 things that you’re grateful for this year. I’m pretty sure there are more than 3! How did those things make you feel? Who was there with you? 

2. At least 3 things that made you incredibly proud this year. I’m also sure there are more than 3! What did you do to achieve these? 

3. Top 3 (only 3) biggest challenges that you have overcome this year. How did you overcome them? What have you learned about yourself by overcoming these challenges? 

4. What will you let go of this year?

5. What will you take with you next year?

Why did I ask you to do that?

A lot of my coaching clients when they started working with me had a list of things they want to achieve, along side a longer list of feelings about being left behind, not feeling ready, not feeling good enough. I’m the same. Or at least I used to be the same.

So we changed some things and the intended results have rolled in since then.

Our minds are funny.

It’s easier to focus on the gap between where we are right now vs where we want to be. “Where we want to be” being a constantly moving goal post that seems to enjoy changing positions whenever we achieved the original goal. And while it’s great to keep an eye on the prize, just focusing on this gap all the time is precisely why we’re constantly feeling frustrated, insecure, and sometimes scared.

But here’s an alternative.

Acknowledge how far you’ve already come. Recognize the expertise, experience, and support that got you there. Pay attention to the great things that you’ve already made happen and gave you joy. So you can repeat them.

And similarly, identify the patterns that made things hard so you can let go of them.

When you do so, you’re helping yourself feel empowered. You’ll notice the things that were actually within your control and how much you’ve gained because of the actions you’ve chosen to take.

You’ll also notice how much you already have. And this recognition stimulates a happy hormone that keeps you motivated and reinforces the behaviors that’ll get you to your next goal. (It’s not just woo-woo, it’s neuroscience!)

So here’s a reminder from me to you.

You’ve already achieved so much. And you already have so many things going for you. At this rate, further progress is just inevitable. Trust yourself to do the right things. And when the results are not what you expected, dust yourself off and learn from what happened. Then try again.

You’ve already got this!

I still have one more issue to send out before this year ends, but in case you’re planning to go off the grid for your holiday (which I highly recommend), then:

Happy Holidays! 🎊 Thank you for being with me this year. And I’m looking forward to spending another year with you. I’ll see you on the other side ❤️

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If you got to this part of this newsletter, thanks for staying with me til the end. And thank you for sharing with me topics that you’d like for me to share my thoughts, feelings, and violent reactions on.

❤️

Kax

PS. Here are more ways for us to connect:

1. Follow me on Instagram, Bluesky or LinkedIn for less filtered thoughts, feelings, and violent reactions. 😂

2. Learn more about my 1:1 coaching services. I typically work with experienced Product Managers and new Product Leaders who want to achieve their product and career goals. (and if budget is a constraint: join incitefulapp and you can get coaching for free!)