Happy Hump Day {{first_name | Toaster}} 🐪 ,

It's hard to believe we're already halfway through the year.

There’s something interesting about the halfway point - January often arrives with ambitious goals, vision boards, and new stationery. But by July, the excitement has often faded and the reality of execution has set in. This is usually the point where many of us start asking, “Why haven’t I done more?” or quietly abandon the goals we were once so excited about.

But progress is hard to measure while you’re living it.

Growth rarely happens in big, obvious moments. More often, it looks like a culmination of small decisions that don't feel significant at the time, such as a conversation you finally had, a skill you practiced, a boundary you set, a risk you took, or simply showing up on the days when motivation was nowhere to be found.

One thing we've noticed this year is how quickly we've normalized constant progress. New AI tools every week, teams restructuring, economic uncertainty, and expectations shifting faster than we can keep up. Every scroll seems to tell us we're behind - someone got promoted, raised funding, completed a Hyrox, moved abroad, got engaged, launched a startup.

We've become so focused on what is going on around us that we rarely stop to ask whether we're still headed in the direction we actually want to go. Before rushing into the second half of the year, take a moment to check in with yourself. Not your LinkedIn profile. Not your to-do list. You.

Here are a few questions to sit with:

And one more question: When was the last time you truly rested? Summer has a funny way of making us feel like we should squeeze in even more. More travel, plans, work, catching up. Rest isn't something you earn once you've finished everything. If you've been putting off taking PTO, consider this your reminder to book it. Close the laptop and touch some grass.

The person who wrote your goals in January didn't know everything you know now. Maybe your priorities have changed, or the path looks different than you imagined. That doesn't mean you've fallen behind; it means you're learning, adapting, and growing.

However the first six months have gone, remember: you don't need a new year to make a fresh start. The second half of the year isn't an opportunity to catch up to some perfect version of yourself. Use this time to check in, adjust your direction, and keep moving forward. You got this girl!

Team Toast 🥂

P.S. After an incredible first cohort, we're opening applications for a second round of our Google Career Certificates program. Applications open today and close July 23rd. Access is available exclusively to paid Toast members. Members can find the link to apply in our community Slack Channel.

The last few months have been a whirlwind behind the scenes, and we're finally ready to share what we've been building.

This year, Toast is launching two new products - and we're just two weeks away from unveiling the first.

Our mission has always been to increase women's representation in tech. While we've helped companies hire incredible women for years, we wanted to make that impact even bigger. So, we built Toast Talent Marketplace: a sourcing platform that gives hiring teams direct access to our network of women in tech. Search by skills, role, seniority, and location to discover qualified talent in minutes, because building better products starts with building more representative teams.

We're counting down to launch, and we can't wait to show you what's next. Join the waitlist to get launch updates, early access, and be the first to see Toast Talent Marketplace in action.

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