What Bozoma Saint John Taught Me About Systems, Soul, and Showing Up Fully
Some books teach you something. Others crack you open and rebuild you. The Urgent Life by Bozoma Saint John did both with these creative CEO business lessons.
Initially, I read it as a woman, a systems strategist, and a creative CEO, and every page felt like a wake-up call. Not just about grief, but about how much of our work is built on urgency that isn’t ours, pressure that isn’t healthy, and systems that don’t actually serve us.
However, after losing her husband to cancer at just 34, Saint John discovered what she calls “the freedom of urgency” — not the panic-inducing urgency of deadlines, but the profound clarity that comes when you realize how precious time truly is.
As a result, creative CEO business lessons reminded me that love is the strategy. Clarity is the vehicle. And surviving? That’s not the goal — thriving is.
Therefore, I pulled five of the most soul-shifting creative CEO business lessons and translated them into how I show up for my clients, my business, and myself. If you’ve been building on fumes, stuck in chaos, or questioning whether it’s all worth it, this is for you.
1. Urgency Isn’t Panic — It’s Presence.
What the book says:
Bozoma doesn’t glamorize urgency. She reframes it. “Urgency isn’t about constant motion,” she writes. “It’s about being fully present in the moments that matter.” Urgency isn’t about rushing—it’s about being radically clear on what matters now and moving with heart, not fear.
How I’m applying it:
Consequently, I restructured my week to include more white space. I automated the noise. I built systems that help me prioritize what matters this season, not what Instagram says should matter. I even created what Saint John calls “presence checkpoints” throughout my client journeys—places where I intentionally slow down to be fully there.
How you can apply it:
Similarly, audit your to-do list. Ask: “Is this urgent because it’s aligned — or because I’m afraid?“
Build a simple “priority filter” system (Notion, journal, whatever works) and commit to 3 urgent on-purpose actions per week. That’s it. As Saint John would say, “Choose what deserves your urgency, don’t let urgency choose you.“
2. Grief and Growth Walk Together.
What the book says:
Furthermore, Bozoma’s story is steeped in loss — and yet, she doesn’t treat grief like a detour. It’s part of the path. She writes, “Grief doesn’t diminish your capacity for joy; it expands it.” She makes space for it while still showing up, building, and healing.
How I’m applying it:
As a result, I stopped pretending that hard seasons don’t impact my workflow. I built client systems that hold space for my humanity — buffer time, flexible launch windows, “grace weeks.” And I started talking about grief in my brand. Because we all carry it. As Saint John says, “Your grief is evidence of your courage to love deeply.”
How you can apply it:
Likewise, you can take inventory of where you are forcing yourself to “just push through” when you actually need space.
Then adjust your ops — even one automation or boundary helps. Build systems that let you show up human, not superhuman. In Saint John’s words: “The goal isn’t to overcome grief, but to carry it with grace while continuing to build.”
3. Clarity is the Most Urgent Strategy.
What the book says:
Moreover, Bozoma made choices — hard ones — with incredible clarity. “When time feels finite,” she writes, “you stop wasting it on things that don’t matter.” That clarity gave her the urgency to act on purpose, not react out of panic.
How I’m applying it:
I do weekly “clarity check-ins” where I review what actually moved the needle and what just drained me. I also trimmed services that felt like noise — and leaned harder into strategy and systems, because that’s where I thrive and deliver. Saint John’s framework of “What deserves my yes?” became my filter for every opportunity.
How you can apply it:
Create your own Clarity Dashboard. Track 3 things weekly:
- What gave me energy?
- What drained me?
- What results came from what I focused on?
That’s your roadmap. Your backend should support that clarity, not bury it. As Saint John says, “Clarity isn’t just knowing what to do—it’s knowing why you’re doing it.“
4. Love is a Legit Business Strategy.
What the book says:
In addition to strategic clarity, Bozoma’s whole world is built on love—romantic, maternal, communal. “Love isn’t a luxury,” she insists. “It’s the foundation.” And she shows that love isn’t soft or side-salad energy. It’s the fuel. It’s the mission.
How I’m applying it:
Every system I build now has one question baked in: Does this reflect the way I want my people to feel?
That’s how I design onboarding flows, automate client touchpoints, and create supportive timelines — with love at the center, not as an afterthought. I’ve started what Saint John calls “emotional mapping”—identifying where my clients might feel vulnerable and designing systems that meet them there with care.
How you can apply it:
Choose one part of your client journey this week (inquiry, delivery, offboarding). Ask: “How can I infuse care and clarity here?”
Then set up one automated step to reflect that. A thoughtful email, a feedback form that feels like a hug, a surprise milestone message — it counts. In Saint John’s words, “How we love is how we lead. How we love is how we build.”
5. Survival Isn’t the Goal — Thriving Is.
What the book says:
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Bozoma faced unimaginable loss — but she didn’t stop. “Survival mode is necessary sometimes,” she acknowledges, “but it was never meant to be permanent.” She started living more urgently, more fully, and with more boundaries around her joy.
How I’m applying it:
I stopped normalizing burnout as a badge. I built out my “support-to-self” toolkit: rest protocols, marketing weeks that don’t require me to show my face, and a client calendar that doesn’t stretch me too thin. I embraced what Saint John calls “the urgency of joy”—making pleasure non-negotiable, not just an afterthought once work is done.
How you can apply it:
Make a “Bare-Minimum CEO Plan.”
→ What’s the simplest version of your business that still honors your income and your energy?
→ Start building your systems around that — then expand as you grow, not as you pressure yourself.
As Saint John writes, “Thriving isn’t a luxury. It’s a responsibility to yourself and everyone who depends on you.”
Let’s wrap this up (TL;DR)
Ultimately, these five creative CEO business lessons weren’t just good quotes — they were calls to action.
In conclusion, you don’t need more hustle. You need more honesty.
More alignment. More room to breathe.
That’s what The Urgent Life gave me. And that’s what I want for every creative, wedding pro, and visionary building their dream from scratch.
Bozoma Saint John lost her husband at 34 and found herself rebuilding her life while raising their daughter and navigating her career. Her journey isn’t just inspiring—it’s instructive. She shows us that urgency isn’t about speed; it’s about significance. Systems aren’t about control; they’re about creating space for what matters.
Moving forward, next week, I’m breaking down a new book — and how it’s literally reshaping the way I structure my client backend. You’ll want to catch it.
Until then:
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📩 Send me an email if you want help applying these to your business.
👯♀️ And send these creative CEO business lessons to a fellow creative CEO who’s tired of barely surviving their dream.
📚 Book of the Month:
The Urgent Life by Bozoma Saint John
Podcast Episode: “How to Love Our People Bigger & Better with Bozoma Saint John” – LISTEN HERE
🛠 Resources:
→ Grab the CEO Bookshelf Notion Dashboard
→ Buy the Panic to Presence Worksheet to aid in finding the clarity you need.
→ Download the next 5 Actionable Steps you can take to improve your business.
