The Aligned Life Reset

Jeannie Savage
Feb 2
6 min read

In the heart of every thriving bookkeeping practice lies something much deeper than spreadsheets and reconciliations. For Jeannie, founder and CEO of The Strategic Bookkeeper, it all begins with alignment. That’s why she created the Aligned Life Reset workshop—a 90-minute soul-refresh designed not just to inspire, but to provoke real change. It’s about clearing the clutter, recentering, and leading a business (and a life) rooted in authenticity.

Inside this blog, we walk you through the big ideas from Episode 99 of The Strategic Bookkeeper Podcast, capturing the essence of Jeannie’s workshop, her five-part reset framework, and why it matters more than ever for bookkeepers globally. Whether you’re just starting your practice or you’ve been in business for years, this is a mindset shift that can help you reset and realign for the life and business you truly want.

Why Alignment Matters (and What It Really Means)

The concept of an "aligned life" might sound like a fluffy wellness trend, but Jeannie Savage cuts through the noise. In her words, an aligned life is one where your values guide your decisions—business, personal, and everything in between. It’s not about perfection (Jeannie is quick to remind us we are all beautifully flawed human beings stumbling along with the illusion of control), but about conscious choice. It’s about stripping away the societal shoulds, the comparison traps, the trauma responses like people-pleasing and perfectionism, and tuning into what actually matters to you.

Alignment is also about intentional living. It means choosing your own definition of success instead of chasing someone else’s. It’s about building a business that supports your life—not the other way around. When you’re aligned, every action you take flows from a deep understanding of what truly matters.

As bookkeepers, we're trained to prioritise clients, compliance, and chaos. But alignment asks: what happens when you prioritise you? Jeannie built her own six-figure lifestyle practice by doing exactly that. She didn’t get there by hustling harder, but by taking a breath, reflecting deeply, and choosing to put herself first. And she encourages other bookkeepers to do the same.

The Five-Part Framework for Realignment

The Aligned Life Reset is built on five core pillars: Values, You, Shame, Vulnerability, and Priorities. Each one is designed to help you understand yourself better, work more meaningfully, and live more fully. Let’s break them down:

1. Values

This is where it all begins. Using a worksheet inspired by Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead, Jeannie walks you through a powerful values exercise. You start by highlighting every word that resonates, then narrow it down to your top four—and eventually your “domino value”: the one value that, if you live into it, allows all the others to fall into place.

For Jeannie, that value is courage. Courage to be honest. Courage to be kind. Courage to be authentic. Courage to lead.

Values aren’t static. They evolve. And when you know yours, they become a compass for every decision you make—from how you price your services to who you work with. You also start to recognise when something is out of alignment, and that awareness is powerful.

Jeannie encourages every bookkeeper to treat their values as non-negotiables—something you return to during tough moments, big decisions, and daily operations. When you're living in alignment with your values, your business feels like an extension of your purpose.

2. You

Jeannie often says, "Start with you." And this means understanding your personality, your wiring, your genius zone. Tools like the Human Needs Test, Wealth Dynamics, DISC profiling, and Love Languages all help with this.

When you take the time to truly get to know yourself, you unlock a strategic edge. You stop building your business based on someone else’s template and instead lean into your strengths. That’s where the magic happens.

Many bookkeepers struggle with wearing too many hats. But when you know your Wealth Dynamics profile, for instance, you can build a team around your weaknesses and lean into your flow. That means less friction, more freedom, and higher profits.

3. Shame

Shame is the silent saboteur of success. It whispers, "Who do you think you are?" and keeps us stuck in comparison, fear, and self-doubt. Jeannie credits Brené Brown for opening her eyes to the power of naming and sitting with shame. Not squashing it. Not ignoring it. But acknowledging it, even giving it a seat at the table.

When we don’t deal with shame, it dominoes into perfectionism, procrastination, and paralysis. But when we see it for what it is, we can gently call it out and move forward.

Shame often hides in plain sight. It shows up as over-delivering, undercharging, or constantly second-guessing yourself. But as Jeannie says, when you learn to name it, you take away its power. You start leading from a place of worthiness, rather than trying to prove yourself.

4. Vulnerability

Vulnerability gets a bad rap. But in Jeannie’s world, it’s a superpower. It’s not about oversharing. It’s about showing up honestly, even when it's uncomfortable. For bookkeepers, this might mean saying "no" to a client who doesn’t respect your boundaries, or being honest about what support you need to grow.

Vulnerability opens the door to connection. It helps you build trust with your team, your clients, and yourself. In business, that trust is everything. And the irony? Vulnerability is often the fastest path to earning respect.

As Jeannie explains, vulnerability without values isn’t vulnerability. It’s chaos. But when rooted in your core values, vulnerability becomes a bridge to connection and courage.

5. Priorities

Finally, we get to the tough one: putting yourself first. Especially for women (and especially mums), this feels like a radical act. But it isn’t selfish. It’s smart. If you’re running on empty, you can’t serve anyone else.

Jeannie invites you to define your top three priorities. Hers? Her health, her son, and her purpose-driven work (aka her empire building). Once you know yours, decision-making gets easier. You stop saying yes to everything. You create space.

Too many bookkeepers live in reactive mode—always serving others, rarely themselves. But when you set clear priorities, you begin to reclaim your energy, your focus, and your joy. You show up better for your clients because you’ve shown up for yourself first.

The Practical Reset: How to Put This Into Action

The Aligned Life Reset isn’t just theory. It’s deeply practical. Jeannie provides journaling prompts, values exercises, book recommendations, and a full workbook to help you move from intention to action. This isn’t about creating a vision board and hoping for the best. It’s about building daily rituals of awareness, writing, and checking in with yourself.

If you’re wondering where to start, Jeannie suggests:

Journal one page a day. Even a shopping list counts.
Identify your domino value and reflect on how you can live into it.
Redefine what success looks like—not in society’s terms, but your own.
Start your day with something that feels good (Jeannie starts by saying hello to her pillow).
Ask yourself regularly: "What do I want to stop doing, start doing, and do more of?"

She also encourages bookkeepers to embrace the power of space—mental, physical, and digital. Create white space in your calendar. Declutter your work environment. Turn off notifications. These small habits compound into big clarity.

Jeannie doesn’t pretend this work is easy. But it’s essential. As she says, "If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?"

Why This Matters for Strategic Bookkeepers

At The Strategic Bookkeeper, alignment isn’t just a personal development concept—it’s core to how you build a thriving, high-profit practice that fills your cup.

It’s about:

Attracting clients who align with your values and respect your boundaries.
Avoiding burnout by knowing your limits and designing your work around your life.
Making confident decisions because they’re anchored in who you are.
Growing with clarity by building a business that supports your vision of a perfect day, week, and life.

When you do the work to align your life and your practice, everything else gets easier. Your messaging gets clearer. Your confidence grows. You stop comparing and start creating.

Jeannie’s journey—from burnout and antibiotics to a peaceful, profitable lifestyle practice—proves that alignment isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation.

You also start building a brand that stands for something. Clients will know what you value. They’ll feel it in every email, every interaction, every deliverable. And when your brand is rooted in truth, it becomes magnetic.

Jeannie’s journey—from burnout and antibiotics to a peaceful, profitable lifestyle practice—proves that alignment isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation.

And if you’re ready to start this journey yourself, the Aligned Life Reset Workshop is available inside the podcast and supported by a downloadable workbook.

Want to reset your life and your practice?

Search "Episode 99 - Aligned Life Reset" on The Strategic Bookkeeper Podcast and grab your free workbook from the show notes. Start slow. Go deep. And remember: progress over perfection.

Because you deserve to build a life and practice that aligns with your values, fills your cup, and gives you choice.

And that’s exactly what The Strategic Bookkeeper is here to help you do.

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