“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” John C. Maxwell said it, and I’ve lived it. But what happens when life doesn’t just hand you lemons — it stops you cold?

January was one of the most inspiring months of my life. I traveled to Italy with my Davines family, then to Mexico for another incredible gathering, and capped it off with 10 beautiful days with my husband Billy. I met new people I already love, reconnected with old friends I’d missed deeply, and came home on fire,  absolutely convinced that nothing could stop the momentum I was building.

Then, one evening,  just one block from home after dropping my daughter at a friend’s house, I pulled a U-turn and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the trauma center in Trenton, NJ. I had been unconscious for nearly two hours.

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” — Paul Martinelli

I still can’t fully remember what happened. What I do know is that my mind was racing, should I go to the gym? Should I go home and cook dinner? Back and forth, distracted, indecisive. Most people would chalk it up to a random accident. But as my husband always tells me: you think a lot. And he’s right.

I didn’t see this as an accident. I saw it as a nudge from God: slow down, get focused, and make definite decisions.

The plan was already in my hands

From September to December, I was part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program — six months of intensive planning alongside 46 other entrepreneurs. I had a solid, well-thought-out business growth strategy. And yet, I was still being indecisive. Still chasing the next shiny thing instead of executing what I’d already built.

Six weeks of recovering from a concussion gave me something I hadn’t given myself in months: time to think. I realized that if I spent six months building a plan, was I actually working the plan? Or was I already distracted?

The honest answer was: I wasn’t focused. And left to my own weaknesses, that wasn’t going to change on its own.

The leadership decision that changed everything

I made a commitment: stop doing too much. Focus on two things:  what does each of my two salon locations need most right now, and what number will finally let me exhale?

I went back to my original business development plan: make both locations profitable and running like a well-oiled machine before even thinking about a third venture. No more detours.

I also did something that great leaders do, I leaned on my team. They are my backbone. They do things better than I do in many areas, and that’s not a weakness — that’s a superpower. I asked them to hold me accountable each week: give them their performance metrics, stay on top of the numbers, and show up consistently.

I’m now in week three. It feels incredible. I’ve followed through every single week — planning my time, reviewing performance, staying in my lane.

As the CEO of your business or your life, ask yourself:

1. What are the top three things you need to be doing right now, and are you actually doing them?
2. What is your one most important thing , the needle-mover that would be a true game changer if you focused on it?
3. What is distracting you ,and what are you doing that you know deep down you shouldn’t be?
4. Who can you enroll to help hold you accountable , because we rarely win alone?

Leadership development isn’t just about learning new skills. Sometimes it’s about having the courage to come back to what you already know — and finally doing it.

I didn’t need a new plan. I needed to trust the one I already had.