Welcome to entry 18 of the Revenue Diaries! Very much appreciate you joining me on this beautiful Sunday night. My newsletters tend to range between 2,000 and 3,000 words, so let’s give a breakdown of what’s in tonight’s entry: 

• A Screwed-Up Dream That Was Oddly Calming

• Practical Guide: Translating Marketing Speak to the Board Room: Talking Human

• Practicing Gratitude When Life is Chaotic 

Enjoy

♥️kyle

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A Screwed-Up Dream That Was Oddly Calming

I don’t spend a ton of time reflecting on my dreams. I usually forget most of them within the first couple of minutes of waking up. But the other night, I had a dream I couldn’t quite shake.

And what better place to unpack it than this wonderful newsletter?

The dream started out pretty ordinary. I was with my family in a nondescript place, doing nondescript things. It felt like just another random dream sequence.

But the world was ending.

Not in the way you’d expect—no fire, no explosions, no chaos. Instead, a mist was slowly rolling over the earth, and everything it touched simply disappeared.

Not destroyed. Just erased. Gone.

Very Stephen King, right?

The details are hazy, as dreams tend to be. I remember flashes of my family and me trying to figure out what to do while waiting for the mist to reach our side of the world. There was this quiet anticipation like we were all bracing for something inevitable.

But the clearest part of the dream was the end.

As the mist approached our city, I realized I wasn’t with my family.

Cue the dream-induced anxiety.

I had to get to them before the mist enveloped us all. I had to run, and so I did—full sprint, heart pounding, every step feeling heavier than the last.

But here’s the strange part: everything was silent.

No footsteps. No people screaming. I was in the middle of a damn city, and there wasn’t a sound. Just quiet.

When I finally reached them, we hugged, cried, and braced for the mist. But it didn’t take us. Instead, there was peace. A deep calm that felt completely out of place—but also oddly right.

Weird as hell, I know. And I’m not typically one to dissect my dreams, but this one felt important. There was something about that mix of anxiety and silence that stuck with me.

We spend so much of our lives running—chasing what matters, racing against what might disappear, fearing what might be lost. But maybe the silence was telling me something.

There can be peace even when the world feels like it’s falling apart. That sometimes, the noise is just in our heads, and the real world is much quieter.

And maybe the things that truly matter won’t disappear if we reach for them with everything we’ve got… and actually be present.

Board Room Translation Guide: TL;DR Talk Human. 

Your influence in the board room and executive team is 90% communication with measurable examples. The words you use can make or break you.

Naturally, I've been compiling a list of "instead of saying this, say this" with measurable results. Many are based on my gotcha moments where I've failed miserably at explaining what marketing does.

I've said things like:

“We’re increasing brand awareness.” “Our demand generation efforts are working.” “We’re improving our SEO strategy.”

Every marketing leader has said some version of these. The problem? Nobody in the boardroom or executive team cares about (or understands) marketing buzzwords. They care about revenue, efficiency, and business impact.

Let's flip the script. I've compiled a list of marketing-speak and translated these statements into terminology a room full of non-marketers would understand. And bonus, I've included the right metrics to back them up.

Examples for your hungry eyes!

🚫 Don’t say: “We’re generating a lot of leads.” 

✅ Say this instead: “We’re bringing in people who are actually interested in buying.”

 📊 Measure it with: Organic Traffic, Demo Requests, MQL-to-SQL Conversion Rate

I put together a full table of these translations and a template so you can ensure your marketing efforts land in the boardroom.

I'll share the list and other communication tips this weekend in my newsletter, but if you just want the table. Let me know.

Now, let’s dig into a few more examples from the Board Room Translation Guide:

🚫 Don’t say: “We’re increasing brand awareness.” 

✅ Say this instead: “We’ve expanded our reach by 30% in high-intent markets.” 

📊 Measure it with: Share of Voice, Market Penetration, Branded Search Volume

🚫 Don’t say: “Our demand generation efforts are working.”

 ✅ Say this instead: “We’ve generated $500k in qualified pipeline this quarter.” 

📊 Measure it with: Pipeline Value, Sales Velocity, Win Rate

🚫 Don’t say: “We’re improving our SEO strategy.” 

✅ Say this instead: “We’ve increased organic traffic by 25%, driving 200 new demo requests.” 

📊 Measure it with: Organic Traffic, Conversion Rate, Revenue from Organic

Why does this matter?

You solidify your influence by translating marketing activities into revenue, efficiency, and business impact. You align your work with the language of the boardroom. And in the end, that’s how you build trust, gain influence, and drive real business outcomes.

If you caught last week's newsletter, you might remember our dive into executive business reviews and the concept of 'red teaming' for board meetings. This translation guide is the perfect companion to that approach. Just as red teaming sharpens your presentation by anticipating tough questions, this guide ensures your language resonates, turning marketing speak into boardroom gold.

On Practicing Gratitude Through the Grateful Flow

The other day, I sat on the living room floor with my son, Andersen. He had his chess board out, eager to play, but my mind was elsewhere. Yep, you guessed it, I needed to finish the deck for an analyst call, Slack messages were piling up, and the usual to-do list was running through my head. I caught myself staring at my phone, half-listening, half-distracted. 

And that’s not fair to my son or me. 

Time is fleeting, and I needed help being present and focused.

It was time to revisit my old friends Phil Stutz and Barry Michels, the writers of The Tools. I discovered the book when dealing with a tough period right after COVID. The book is packed with practical strategies that cut through the noise and push you to take action when you’re stuck.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the five tools in The Tools:

1. The Reversal of Desire: Helps you lean into discomfort instead of avoiding it. When something feels scary or painful, the mantra “Bring it on!” can help you confront it head-on.

2. Active Love: Dissolves anger and resentment by sending love and positive energy toward those who may have hurt you. It’s not about letting them off the hook—it’s about releasing the hold they have on you.

3. Inner Authority: Counters feelings of insecurity and self-doubt by connecting with a deeper sense of internal strength. It’s a reminder that your worth doesn’t depend on external validation.

4. The Grateful Flow: Helps shift you out of negative thought patterns by focusing on gratitude. It’s a simple way to move from scarcity to abundance.

5. Jeopardy: Introduces a sense of urgency by imagining the consequences of inaction. You picture yourself on your deathbed, looking back on your life, and feeling the weight of what could have been.

How to Practice The Grateful Flow:

The Grateful Flow tool is about shifting your mindset from stress to gratitude. Here’s how to put it into practice:

1. Start Small: When you feel overwhelmed, take a breath and list three things you’re grateful for. They don’t have to be big—just real.

   • “I’m grateful for my morning coffee.”

   • “I’m grateful that Andersen wants to engage.”

   • “I’m grateful for this quiet moment.”

2. Feel It: As you think of each thing, let yourself actually feel the gratitude. It’s not just a mental exercise… connect with the feeling.

3. Return to It Often: Whenever you feel frustration or stress creep in, return to this practice. It’s a quick way to break negative thinking.

Ideas for Building Gratitude into Your Daily Life:

Whether it's the first sip of coffee in the morning or a quiet minute before bed, building gratitude into your day can shift your mindset and bring more peace.

Here are a few simple ways to practice gratitude daily:

• Morning Gratitude Check-In: Start your day by listing three things you’re grateful for—before checking your phone, before the chaos starts.

• Gratitude Moments with Kids: During bedtime or dinner, ask your kids to share what they are grateful for. Model it by sharing your own gratitude too.

• Gratitude Breaks at Work: When meetings pile up and stress levels rise, take a two-minute gratitude break. Write down or think of a few things that are going well.

• End-of-Day Reflection: Before bed, reflect on the day. What small moments brought you joy? What made you smile?

Practicing The Grateful Flow isn’t about ignoring the hard stuff. It’s about finding space for the good, even when things feel chaotic. It’s a reminder that the small, everyday moments, like playing chess with your son, are the ones you’ll remember.

I hope this practice brings you some peace this week. And if you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes.