Sometimes there are so many possibilities that choosing takes all your energy, leaving you unable to commit to anything or let the rest go.

TL;DR

→ Setting priorities starts with understanding yourself: your values, your capacity, and your goal.
→ It’s easier to say no when you know what you’re making room for.
→ Both parts of The Red Thread begin this week: finding your direction and uncovering the experience that will help you move toward it.

Who here has an enormous note full of books you need to read? The one that makes you feel behind just by existing.

And everywhere you look, someone has learned a new skill, changed jobs, or run a half marathon. Nothing extraordinary. You could do those things too. But the more you watch other people doing things, the less energy you have for your own life.

Do you know why this drains you instead of inspiring you? Because it gradually becomes a list of things you haven’t done. Every new discovery gives you another reason to feel behind.

When we started New to America Pro, we wanted women to bring their ideas and try them: host conversations, launch projects, find people to build with.

But we noticed that possibilities can create overwhelm too. The calendar fills up, and so does the fear of missing out. Even a supportive community can become another place where you feel you aren’t doing enough.

Before helping women bring their ideas to life, we needed to help them answer an earlier question: which of these ideas are yours to pursue right now?

That question became the foundation of The Red Thread.

Just as we choose food around our bodies and our goals, we need to choose books, conversations, and projects around how we work and where we want to go.

And if the opportunity you turn down becomes a success, would that success have brought you closer to the life you want?

Sometimes the hardest part is accepting what you already know about yourself.

Perhaps you enjoy working on a team, while everyone around you is starting a business. Or you want to lead, earn more, and take on responsibility, while people keep suggesting something less demanding.

We practice understanding them and letting them count when we choose our next step.

A new cohort begins on October 28.

We start with your values and define your Point B: where you want to go. You leave with a values map and a written goal to return to as you work, choose opportunities, decide where to put your energy, and let other things wait.

We begin on October 27, continuing the work from Part 1.

We build your Career Bank: the work you’ve done, the projects you’ve taken on, and the results you’ve achieved, including the numbers. Feedback from three people who know you helps uncover strengths you may overlook.

You leave with a bank of facts and patterns from your experience: evidence that supports your direction and a clearer view of what you need to develop next.

That’s how the pieces of our community connect. After The Red Thread, you can bring an idea into the room, try it, and find support. And when everything starts looking equally important again, you have something to return to.

This week, Maria Mironicheva will share takeaways from MAICON 2026: how companies are adopting AI, which professional skills are becoming more valuable, and what you can already apply in your work.

Bring a question from your own work. It will help you pick out what matters to you from a much bigger conversation.

Which of your goals does it serve?

Mon, Oct 26 · 6:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM PT · Builders Circle: 10-week sprint with Gaukhar Dossova. Each participant works on one project and checks in every Monday on progress, obstacles, and the week ahead. This cohort is closed; the next starts in January. Members only. → Details

Tue, Oct 27 · 1:00–3:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM–12:00 PM PT · Open Desk: Work Together Hours with Maria Gordienko. Two hours of quiet co-working on your own tasks. Mics stay muted, cameras are optional. Drop in for twenty minutes or stay the whole time. Members only. → Join us

Tue, Oct 27 · 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT · English Speaking Club with Iuliia Dubrovskaia. Practice English through real conversation. No grammar drills, and mistakes are part of the process. → Register

Tue, Oct 27 · 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT · The Red Thread, Part 2: Evidence with Maria Gordienko. Build a bank of experience and achievements, discover strengths through feedback, and gather evidence for your chosen direction. Five weekly sessions, up to eight women. $112. → Join Part 2

Thu, Oct 29 · 6:00–7:30 PM ET / 3:00–4:30 PM PT · MAICON 2026 Takeaways with Maria Mironicheva. How AI is changing marketing, work, and the skills we need, from company adoption to content, search, and measuring results. Bring your questions about using AI in your work. → Register

Look at one thing you keep telling yourself you “should do.” Which of your goals does it serve?

Azhar & Maria
Founders, She's NTAP (New to America Pro)

P.S.
What would you love to take off your list, but feel afraid to let go of? Hit reply. We’d like to hear it.