And let me tell you, there is zero shame in saying my age. Every single year we get to open our eyes, breathe deeply, and keep showing up in this world is a blessing. Considering the alternative? I’ll take another candle on the cake, thank you very much.

Now, this newsletter isn’t about EBITDA, KPIs, or how to run a leaner operation (though you know I’ve still got plenty to say about those too). Today is about something more personal. More human. More real.

I was sipping my cafecito yesterday morning, birthday edition, of course, out of one of my favorite mugs. It’s plain black at first glance. Simple. But when it heats up, the message appears:

“It was never a dress.”

And right beside it? A superhero cape. That mug? That’s us.

We are walking around with invisible capes. And we don’t even realize it, until things get hot.

When the pressure rises, the deadlines close in, the chaos hits the fan, that’s when the cape shows up. That’s when we become the strategist, the mediator, the closer, the peacekeeper. That’s when we pick up the pieces, calm the storm, push the project, call the client, get it done.

We dig deeper. We get resourceful. We deliver.

And here’s the beautiful irony, for 25+ years, people only saw me in heels and dresses. Every meeting. Every event. Every single day. It became part of my personal brand, heels, presence, confidence. Until recently, when I started choosing comfort. Flats. Sneakers. Me.

I met up with a friend not long ago, and the first thing he said was: “Pancha… are you shrinking?” I laughed and said, “Nope. I just finally took off the heels.”

But nothing about me has shrunk. Because it was never about the heels. Not the dress. Not the suit.

It was always the cape.

We’ve just been conditioned to think that power has a look. That leadership wears a tailored blazer. That being taken seriously means you have to choose between softness and strength. Between ambition and family. Between who you are, and who the world expects you to be.

But let me say it loud for the people in the back:

You don’t need a title.

You don’t need permission.

You don’t need to be taller, louder, tougher, or more polished.

You already carry the strength.

You already wear the cape.

Sometimes it shows up at the office. Sometimes in a hospital room. Sometimes while wiping tears, or making hard calls, or starting from zero, again. Sometimes while managing a business and a home and a team and a to-do list that could eat a grown adult alive.

And sometimes, you’re a pawparent at the vet, because your pup ate something they shouldn’t and life just won’t give you a break.

But that’s when the cape shows. That’s when your real power kicks in.

I’ll never forget when one of my employees left and surprised me with a farewell gift, a scavenger hunt through the office, filled with Wonder Woman-themed notes and treasures. One note read: “For some of us, you are our Wonder Woman.”

That one got me.

Because there’s a version of that for all of us. Wonder Woman. Superman. Pick your hero.

The point is you don’t need a costume to be legendary. You already have what it takes.

So, if you’re sitting on an idea

If you’re wondering if you’re ready

If you’ve been playing small (not short, small)

If you’re waiting for someone else to say “go for it”

This is your sign.

It’s not the heels. It’s not the dress. It’s not the suit. It’s the cape. And you’ve had it all along.

With love, in flats, and unstoppable, because capes don’t wrinkle and growth looks good on me.