What Michael Phelps, Ken Langone & Kat Cole Taught Me About Confidence, Leadership & Financial Power

I left the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Summit last week feeling full, humbled, and, if I’m honest, completely exhausted 😂 But it was the kind of exhaustion that comes from being cracked open in all the right ways.

The Small Business Summit brings together entrepreneurs and business owners from across the country, people building, scaling, and redefining what leadership looks like today. Over three packed days, I heard from leaders of all kinds: athletes, founders, and CEOs, each sharing what it takes to lead with purpose, clarity, and resilience.

Their words cut deep, reminding me of a few simple, powerful truths about money, leadership, and what it means to show up for yourself when life looks different than you expected. 

Here are my top 4 takeaways:

1. If You Do Good, You Get Good

Ken Langone, founder of Home Depot, said this with such conviction that the room fell quiet. 

“If you do good, you get good.”

In business, in money, in life—it’s easy to get sucked into chasing results and outcomes. But the reminder that generosity and integrity are still the real drivers of success hit me hard. You can’t control everything, but you can control how you show up, how you treat people, and how you do your work. The return always finds its way back.

2. If You Don’t Have a Seat at the Table, You’re on the Menu

Kat Cole, CEO of AGI, said something that I cannot stop thinking about and shared immediately with my team: “If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re on the menu.”

That’s the cornerstone of what we believe at Beyond the Green about financial confidence. It doesn’t matter if you don’t earn the paycheck or if you’re the household breadwinner: if you’re not calling the shots with your money, someone else is.

Taking ownership of your finances isn’t just about making a spreadsheet and having savings accounts. It’s also about voice, boundaries, and agency. 

3. As Michael Phelps Says, Preparation Is the Key to Success

From Michael Phelps to my negotiations teacher, Mori Taheripour, the message was the same: preparation is everything.

Mori talks about preparing to proclaim what you want: doing the inner work before you ever walk into the room. That reminded me that confidence starts long before the conversation does. It’s the quiet work of getting clear on who you are, what you value, and what you’re asking for. And that kind of preparation shows up everywhere: in how you negotiate, how you communicate, and how you handle your money.

4. Embrace Where You Are

Entering my third trimester and attending a summit of this scale was humbling. I couldn’t push harder, so I didn’t. 

Instead, I slowed down. I listened. And don’t get me wrong, old stories came up: like the ones that tell me I’m only as good as how much I do or how much people love me. I’m only human, after all. But I’m so glad I went and faced all of that because I left more grounded, clear, and deeply accepting of the season I’m in, both personally and professionally.

Sometimes success just means giving yourself permission to slow down. To rest. To trust that the work you’ve done is still taking root, even when you step back.

The Summit gave me a lot: inspiration, connection, and the humbling realization that even at eight months pregnant, I still try to take notes like I’m cramming for finals. But what I really walked away with was this: confidence doesn’t come from having it all together: it comes from showing up anyway, messy and human and ready to grow.

How are you showing up this month?