For years, I've been connecting with interesting people and documenting insights that might help my clients and myself. What was once private is now (mostly) public.

People often ask: "How do you know all these people?" and "How do you connect these (re: random) ideas?" The answer is simple: consistent relationship cultivation and thoughtful note taking. My north star is trusting my instincts, my maps are the constellations in these reflections.

This approach to multidisciplinary networking has helped dozens of clients, colleagues, and friends strengthen their networks and unlock new opportunities. Find my Personal Archive on CultishCreative.com, watch me build a better Personal Network on the Cultish Creative YouTube channel, and listen to Just Press Record on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow me on social media (LinkedIn and X) - now distributed by Epsilon Theory.

You can also check out my work as Managing Director at Sunpointe, as a host on top investment YouTube channel Excess Returns, and as Senior Editor at Perscient.

Feel free to steal these ideas directly - that's what they're for! I can't promise you'll learn FROM me, but I guarantee you can learn something WITH me. Let's go. Count it off: 1-2-3-4!

Introducing... Jenny Rozelle!

Do you know Jenny Rozelle? She's an Indiana estate and elder law attorney, business owner of Indiana State and Elder Law, podcast host of Legal Tea, and someone who turned a front desk job into owning a law firm.

If not, allow me to introduce you. Jenny went from answering phones at a law firm while putting herself through night law school to buying that same firm and tripling its size. She's the daughter of convenience store owners who decided in second grade she wanted to be a lawyer - and was too stubborn to change her mind. I wanted to connect with her because she embodies something I value deeply: the power of relationships to transform your trajectory when you show up with 200% effort and genuine curiosity.

Our conversation is LIVE now on the Epsilon Theory YouTube channel (and this Cultish Creative Playlist). Listen and you'll hear how traveling the world on Semester at Sea, working full-time through law school, and building a cattle farm with her husband and business partner created the perfect recipe for entrepreneurial success.

THREE: That's The Magic Number of Lessons

In the meantime, I wanted to pull THREE KEY LESSONS from my time with Jenny to share with you (and drop into my Personal Archive).

Read on and you'll find a quote with a lesson and a reflection you can Take to work with you, Bring home with you, and Leave behind with your legacy.

WORK: The 200% Rule - How Going All-In Opens Doors

Key Concept: Jenny's approach to work isn't about perfectionism - it's about consistent excellence that makes you indispensable. When you show up with that level of commitment, people notice. They give you opportunities. They invest in your growth. Her mentor Susan paid for her law school prep course and helped edit her personal statement because she had proven herself worthy of that investment. This level of effort creates a compound effect where each role becomes a stepping stone to something bigger.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: As a rule, when someone says to give an activity 110%, I like to correct them that you can’t actually give more than 100% as a matter of, you know, math. Conversely, if somebody says to give an activity 100%, I like to encourage turning it up to 11, and maybe eking out 110% (or more).

I have no quibble with either - just I like the poetic sentiment of stretching the numbers’ meaning. So when Jenny uses 200%, I appreciate how much emphasis her doubling adds, all while fully loving the point she’s very intentionally making, about the value of consistent excellence over time.

Trying a little bit harder than average, producing a result that’s a little bit better than average, making it known that your bar is consistently higher than average - not even by much, just a little bit - it compounds over time.

I am stubbornly obsessive over a number of details. Like sharing one of my Cultish Creative posts a day. There’s no directly monetized reason for the behavior. It’s pure passion. And you know what? Putting that on the line, or, I should say slightly above the line everybody else draws, over and over, becomes unexpectedly valuable over time by signaling the level of commitment I give tasks I’m involved with.

200% or 2,000% or whatever number you want to use - rise above.

Work question for you: Where in your current role could you shift from "good enough" to "exceptional" - not for recognition, but because excellence becomes its own opportunity magnet?

LIFE: The Power of Pause - Strategic Rest Isn't Quitting

Key Concept: Jenny's decision to work at a law firm before attending law school wasn't a detour - it was strategic validation. She understood that assumptions about career paths can be expensive mistakes. By taking time to work in the field, she confirmed her passion, gained practical experience, and set herself up for success. This kind of intentional pause requires confidence to go against conventional wisdom, but it often leads to better long-term outcomes.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: You know the, “Be careful about what you wish for because you might actually get it” quote? Jenny reminds me of it here. How it deserves a variation. A “be careful what strive for” or something with more of a “be careful what you invest your time in” sentiment. Being careful here means being intentional. You don’t want to arrive somewhere fully accidentally.

Because if you’re going to give 200%, and set that bar at least marginally above average, the results will compound. Jenny could have become a miserable lawyer had she not stopped to ask it. Not to mention, if she didn’t keep stopping to ask it too.

This isn’t a one and done aspect to this type of compounding. It’s a constant check in with where the bar is set, with why you’re doing it, and then what you need to update to make sure it’s still what you want. In Jenny’s case, that meant adding cows to their home situation on top of owning and operating their law firm. For me, it’s integrating Cultish Creative alongside my professional work and responsibilities.

None of that happens by accident. You have to stop and ask questions along the way, repeatedly. That takes giving yourself time, space, and some grace.

Life Question For You: What major decision in your life would benefit from a "strategic pause" to gather real-world experience before committing fully?

LEGACY: Building Bridges, Not Just Businesses

Key Concept: Jenny's greatest business asset isn't her legal expertise - it's the relationships she built over decades. Starting at the front desk meant clients watched her entire journey, creating deep trust and loyalty that no marketing campaign could buy. When she and her husband bought the firm, they didn't lose a single employee or client because she had invested in relationships at every level. This is how you build a legacy business: by being genuinely invested in the people around you for the long haul.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: Everything that compounds evolves too. Being a lawyer is different than wanting to be lawyer. Being a writer is different than wanting to write something. So the questions you ask at each point in time - they have to be different too.

When it’s relationship oriented, like with Jenny’s now clients, many of which are former clients of her prior employer, this creates the opportunity for them to grow with you. This is an understated aspect of how life and career and identity can all overlap in a healthy way. Your life and career is nested in a community full of the lives and careers of others. You have to see it as an ecosystem.

That’s why I see Jenny’s firm as a community asset. They have local relationships with real people and their families. The community needs them and they need the community. It’s the reason they care to have seen her grow up and into her practice. It’s the reason she cares that she’s been given the opportunity to grow around them.

You can accidentally be a member of a good and growing community, to a point. But at some point, you have to wake up to it. You have to realize it’s not just you, it’s them too, and then get intentionally invested in the ecosystem itself.

Set the bar a little higher than you think others are setting it. Get the results you respect, repeatedly, and people will notice. Then, when you find who else is on board with your ethic too, keep growing forward, for your mutual benefit.

Legacy question for you: How are you building relationships today that will still matter in 10, 20, or 30 years - and what would those relationships say about your journey?

BEFORE YOU GO: Be sure to…

• Connect with Jenny Rozelle on Twitter/X @JennyRozelle and LinkedIn

• Check out her podcast Legal Tea for estate and elder law insights

• Follow Indiana State and Elder Law (particularly if you're an Indiana resident)

• Take a moment to reflect on all these ideas!

You have a Personal Network and a Personal Archive just waiting for you to build them up stronger. Look at your work, look at your life, and look at your legacy - and then, start small in each category. Today it's one person and one reflection. Tomorrow? Who knows what connections you'll create.

Last thing: Don't forget to click reply/click here and tell me who you're adding to your network and why! Plus, if you already have your own Personal Archive too, let me know, I'm creating a database.