February 2026 Roundup: Big Ideas, Better Soup
The month everything started coming together — quietly, deliberately, and right on time.
Theme of the Month: Embodiment
If January was about finding my center—getting honest about what fits — February was about moving from it. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just steadily, in a way that felt like something finally clicking into place.
It also brought the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Fire Horse. I tend to pay attention to astrology when it speaks to me, so I wore red to mark the occasion — and honestly, the energy fit. Not chaotic fire. Contained heat. Directional.
Less spark. More presence.
TL;DR
February was a full one.
→ Three essays on AI, brand, and the shape of modern marketing work.
→ A speaking invite to Switzerland that genuinely lit me up.
→ An AI deep dive that turned into a structured learning mission.
→ Morning routines that finally stuck and a night out that hurt.
The through line: things are clicking. Quietly, deliberately, right on time.
On the Calendar: Last Chance
Today is the day. I’m co-teaching a live, virtual workshop on AI-Powered Growth Marketing through the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School Institute for Entertainment, Media, and Sports — and there are two sessions to choose from.
Practical, application-first, and built for marketers who want to understand how AI is reshaping entertainment, media, and sports marketing — without losing the human thread. No technical background required.
Virtual • 6–9 PM PT • $49
Learn More & Register → February 25 (tonight) or February 27
In Case You Missed It: February Posts
This month’s essays revealed a pattern to me.
My AI Strategy Isn’t About Tools — It’s About Decisions laid out the five strategic decisions I’m making about AI in my business. Catch up here.
Brand Isn’t a Wrapper — It’s a Filter reframed brand as a decision-making system — something that clarifies what belongs and what doesn’t. Catch up here.
How AI Is Changing the Shape of Marketing Work zoomed out to look at how the structure of our profession is shifting inside new technological systems. Catch up here.
On paper, the essays sit in different buckets: foundations, brand thinking, modern systems. In reality, they’re all circling the same idea: how discernment is the real advantage inside fast-moving environments.
That thought has been living with me for a while. February is when it stopped being abstract and started feeling real.
Not “I should explore this.” More like, “This is the work.”
What’s Coming Next
Two threads are unfolding in a way that feels both energizing and inevitable.
The first is Switzerland.
I was selected to speak at a symposium in June. My topic of choice: AI-mediated voice in the business world. This means I’ll be kicking off a study in March — if you know any executives who have a strong opinion (pro or con) about using AI for personal communications, please send them my way.
When I read the acceptance email, I didn’t just acknowledge the news. I felt it. I was (and still am) excited, lit up, and a little surprised by my own enthusiasm.
It feels like walking into a room where all my interests intersect — brand, voice, leadership, systems, technology.
Not because I chased it, but because I’ve been quietly building toward it.
The second thread is something I’m shaping behind the scenes: the Brand + AI Jumpstart. It’s a contained clarity system designed to help founders articulate what their brand stands for and use AI to sharpen their strategic thinking. It’s intentionally small and designed to reduce noise, not add to it.
I know I’ve been talking about this one for a while. March is the month.
Creative Inputs: Learning on Purpose
February was, not subtly, an AI month. Courses. Webinars. Podcasts. Books. Articles. I was on a mission: understand how AI is actually reshaping marketing and what that means for my work.
This wasn’t a casual obsession. I needed to understand the system from the inside out.
That energy is powerful. It’s also destabilizing if it’s unchecked.
So instead of swinging between overdrive and burnout, I've been more deliberate about how I spend my time — allocating space for learning, building, and serving the work already in front of me. The goal isn't to do more. It's to metabolize better.
I also stepped into a book club this month, which, despite adding another book to my reading list, was a nice change of pace. The February pick was On Our Best Behavior by Elise Loehnen. It wasn’t my favorite read, but its central argument is solid: women have been conditioned to live according to everyone’s expectations but their own — and need to return to themselves. I can’t argue with that. I can just keep trying to do it.
Off the Clock: Stability as a Strategy
February goes down in history as the month I finally found some rhythm.
I built a morning ritual I actually follow: supplements, movement, a real breakfast, and daily walks with Zoey — whose joy every time I reach for the leash remains, without exaggeration, absurdly grounding. I also tackled a few of the doctor’s appointments I’ve been ‘too busy’ for (aka avoiding). Nothing dramatic. Just the quiet work of taking myself as seriously as I take everything else.
And yes, I’m still obsessed with soup.
One large batch a week. It started as a convenience and turned into a ritual. There’s something satisfying about chopping vegetables after a day spent thinking about systems and leadership theory. It’s tactile. It’s slow. It demands presence.
I didn’t expect it, but adding more structure to my day has actually been the key to unlocking everything else.
On a completely different note: I went out dancing with a friend this month, and enjoyed it way more than I expected to. The catch? I paid for it the next day — not with a hangover, but with achy joints. Which I think says something about where I am in life. Honestly, still worth it.
Wrap-up: Honoring the Moment
Something about this month felt different. Not bigger or louder. Just more mine.
The AI workshop, the Switzerland invitation, the writing, the early mornings, the soup — it’s all pointing in the same direction: forward, on my own terms, from the inside out.
That’s not something I could have manufactured (believe me, I’ve tried). It’s something I had to let happen.
My message to the Universe: More of this, please.
About the Work
I’m Amy Zwagerman—brand strategist, fractional CMO, and founder of The Launch Box. I work with founders and marketing leaders to translate durable marketing principles into strategies and systems that fit their specific context, stage, and goals.
Marketing Jam sits alongside my client work as a place to explore ideas more openly. If the thinking here resonates and you’re curious about working together, you can learn more about my services or get in touch here.
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Integrity Pledge 🙋🏻♀️: The books, newsletters, shows, podcasts, and client work shared here are 100% reflective of my world. I will always disclose if and when I have a relationship with a brand I mention in a post or am sharing an affiliate link.