To me, the most wonderful thing about new beginnings is that they’re a chance to look forward to where I’m going, and back at where I’ve been.

You might’ve noticed — especially with The Reflection Series we wrapped a couple of weeks ago, and in the “What’s still true for you?” segment of my recent Interview with Danielle LaPorte — that I’m feeling a little nostalgic these days. But it’s for a great reason!

Taking a peek into the past is a wonderful way to celebrate every single step that’s led up to this current moment. It’s humbling, sometimes embarrassing, and occasionally hilarious, but every time I dig back into the She Takes on the World blog archives, I’m reminded of the people and experiences that made me who I am today.

Maybe you can relate? It feels almost like what happens when you move out of a home you’ve loved for years.

You wander through every room, and suddenly, you realize how many books on your shelf you adore, but haven’t touched in years. You dig through the old boxes of long-forgotten trinkets, keepsakes, and photos, and your heart aches and swells at the same time.

Here on the She Takes on the World blog, I’m proud to have created hundreds of blog posts, videos, and interviews to help you take your Business and life to the next level.

Still, every creator has their favorite pieces!

That’s why 10 years later, there are a few posts that stand out as turning points or big lessons learned.

Curious which ones they are, and what I learned? Read on!

(Depending how long you’ve been hanging here, you may have seen these before. Others may be completely new for you — but I hope you enjoy each of them as much as I do!)

My 2010 interview with Arianna Huffington:

Ah, October 2010. An era of side bangs, pounding electronic music, and one of my first awards at the Women: Inspiration and Enterprise Symposium. One of the things I was most excited for on the trip was the chance to interview none other than Arianna Huffington — who’s still a hero of mine to this day.

Unfortunately, the interview didn’t go as planned. Arianna let me know she’d be unable to make our scheduled interview time… but invited me to meet her for breakfast that morning.

Crap. I wasn’t supposed to interview her in a crowded dining room. I didn’t want people milling around in the background while I interviewed one of my biggest inspirations! This wasn’t how I pictured it all going down!

After a few minutes of thought, however, I squared my shoulders and responded “Absolutely.” So, with Ariana’s sister filming, we conducted this short interview.

It was worth it! I promise what it lacks in audio/visual quality it makes up for in content.

The lesson I learned: Good ideas won’t always go as planned. Make them happen anyway.

My Forbes “Entrepreneurship is the New Women’s Movement” article:

To this day, this article for Forbes still gets a ton of traction… and may be the reason you landed on this website.

When their team gave me the go-ahead to write the piece, I was still a relatively small-time business owner. She Takes on the World was a couple of years old, and I had a list going, but nothing into the range most Forbes writers did. I pitched myself and my idea, and crossed my fingers.

At the time, it blew me away that I’d even gotten the “Yes!”, and I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated. Was anyone going to agree with me? Was it even my place to empower women at this stage of my career?

However: I knew exactly what I wanted to say, and why. I spent weeks working on it, editing it, and finding new angles, and the end result was something I was incredibly proud of. It’s a piece that still generates shares, likes, and comments to this day.

The lessons I learned: Be courageous. Speak your truth. Those who need to hear it will find you.

My Can a $%-Off Price Help You earn What You’re Worth? post:

My favorite thing about this post has got to be the cat “censored” overlay over the f-word.

Beyond that, though: This post was one of the first times I ever consciously chose to be polarizing with the discussions I was having on my blog. Back then, my (now former) business partner and I decided to set a $%-Off price from the get go of our business, and I wanted to share with my tribe why they should do the same.

Translation: a $%-Off Price is the pricing amount that you set that you never go under. It’s a promise to yourself to value your time, and will charge what you’re worth.

At the time I was writing it, I felt a little uncomfortable. Was I going to alienate people? Would readers get upset at me for swearing? Was this too much?

As you can see by the comment thread at the time — the post received an overwhelmingly positive reaction, and really offered perspective some entrepreneurs needed.

The lesson: It’s OK to be polarizing — especially when you care about what you’re saying. Those who don’t like it can opt out, but those it resonates with will appreciate you all the more for it.

My recent Amplify Collective Podcast interview on relationships:

While it happened just a few months ago, this interview with The Amplify Collective’s Get Amplified Podcast falls under the category of “things that didn’t go as planned” in this roundup.

First off: The Amplified Collective is a movement aimed at disrupting how women move and operate in the world (its an awesome podcast featuring two women entrepreneurs here in L.A.). I arrived at the interview thinking I’d be talking about business, my books, or my students… but what we actually ended up talking about was my over decade-long relationship ending.

I talked about this event in the fourth part of The Reflection Series, but at the time of this interview I hadn’t spoken about my breakup at all. And, while I tried to steer the conversation away from relationships, eventually I decided to just sit back and let the interview roll in whatever direction it needed to.

The result was a discussion I’m very proud of — one that might just be my most vulnerable ever.

The Lesson: You can’t control everything. And sometimes, the unexpected directions lead to the most beautiful, extraordinary places.

I hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane with me!

Now I have to admit: I’m curious.

What’s your favorite blog post from the She Takes on the World archives and why?

As we also work to create our next evolution, I’d also love to know: What kind of content and topics would you like to read more of?

Don’t be shy! The team and I read every single comment, and would love to know more.

I can’t wait to see what you suggest.