EP 327 - If It’s Not a Hell Yes, It’s an Easy No | Guest: Liza Roeser Founder, CEO of Fifty Flowers
- Govindh Jayaraman
- 21 hours ago
- 4 min read
Some ideas don’t need to be polished. They don’t need to be optimized. They don’t need a strategy deck or a five-year plan.
They just need to be true.
When Liza Roeser wrote her napkin for this conversation, she didn’t overthink it. She didn’t hedge it. She didn’t soften it.
She wrote:
If it’s not a Hell Yes, it’s an easy No.
At first glance, it sounds obvious. Almost too simple.
But as you’ll hear in this conversation, simple doesn’t mean easy.
This napkin came from lived experience — from building, growing, sustaining, and at times questioning a business in the real world. From moments where saying “yes” felt exciting… and others where it quietly drained energy, focus, and alignment.
Liza shared openly about the tension leaders face when opportunity is everywhere — when good ideas, good offers, and good paths forward keep showing up. And how, paradoxically, those “good” options can become the very thing that pulls us away from what’s right.
This episode isn’t about being reckless. It’s about being honest.
Honest with your energy. Honest with your capacity. Honest with what you’re truly available for — and what you’re no longer willing to carry.
The Hidden Cost of “Maybe”
One of the themes that kept resurfacing in this conversation was how hard it can be to identify a true Hell Yes — especially for high performers.
Leaders are wired to push. Entrepreneurs are trained to see possibility everywhere. Builders are conditioned to believe that effort can make anything work.
And yet, Liza spoke candidly about moments when pushing through wasn’t noble — it was exhausting. When perseverance crossed the line into misalignment. When shutting something down was harder than starting it, but necessary.
There’s a subtle trap here:
When everything feels like an opportunity, nothing feels like a clear choice.
And in that fog, “maybe” becomes the default. Not because it’s right — but because it delays discomfort.
But as Liza reflected, when decisions come from that place, clarity erodes. Energy leaks. And leadership becomes heavier than it needs to be.
Why “Easy No” Is an Act of Leadership
What stood out in this episode wasn’t bravado or bold declarations. It was restraint.
Liza talked about how difficult it can be to say no — not because the answer is unclear, but because the implications are real. Saying no can mean disappointing people. Letting go of revenue. Closing doors that once mattered.
And yet, the alternative is far more costly.
Dragging a half-hearted yes forward doesn’t just slow you down — it reshapes your culture, your calendar, and your confidence.
An “easy no” isn’t dismissive. It’s decisive.
It protects what matters most so your Hell Yes has room to breathe.
5 Key Takeaways from This Conversation
1. A Hell Yes is felt before it’s justified
Liza shared how clarity often shows up as a feeling long before logic catches up. The challenge isn’t knowing — it’s trusting what you already know.
Take Action: Before you analyze the upside, ask: Does this expand me or drain me?
2. Hard choices don’t mean wrong choices
There were moments Liza described that were deeply difficult — emotionally and practically — yet still clearly right.
Take Action: Stop equating difficulty with misalignment. Some of the best decisions are hard because they matter.
3. Good opportunities can be dangerous
Not everything that’s viable is valuable. Not everything that works is worth it.
Take Action: Review your current commitments and identify one “good” thing that may be crowding out something great.
4. Energy is a leadership metric
Liza spoke about how decisions made without regard for energy eventually show up everywhere — in culture, quality, and momentum.
Take Action: Audit where your energy consistently drops. That’s data.
5. An easy no creates space for the right yes
Saying no isn’t about shrinking — it’s about making room.
Take Action: Ask yourself: What would become possible if I released what I’m tolerating?
A Quiet Question to Sit With
As you listen to this episode, you may notice a situation, an offer, or a commitment that’s been lingering in your mind.
Not wrong. Not broken. Just… heavy.
And you may already know the answer.
Because when it’s truly a Hell Yes, it doesn’t require convincing.
It simply feels like alignment.
More About the Guest
Liza Roeser is the founder of FiftyFlowers, a company built with intention, resilience, and a deep understanding of what it takes to grow something meaningful over time. Her insights in this episode come not from theory, but from lived leadership — navigating growth, challenge, and clarity in the real world.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liza-roeser/ Website: https://fiftyflowers.com/
What’s your Hell Yes right now — and what deserves an easy No? Write it down. Even if it fits on a napkin. Then share it with us using #PaperNapkinWisdom.
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