TL; DR
I thought helping build the 2026 PESO Model Certification® meant I already understood it. Spoiler: I did not. Once I started completing the exercises myself, especially in the Earned Media module, I hit the classic adult learning frustration barrier and realized how much I still had to learn.
Working through the certification reminded me that PESO is not a framework. It is an operating system. Visibility is not luck. It is engineered through processes, consistency, and intentional practice. And the real learning does not happen when you read or listen. It happens when you do.
The certification forced me into the messy middle of adult learning where confidence dips, systems matter, and trusting the process becomes essential. With each exercise, I built fluency, not just knowledge, and saw firsthand how PESO, Visibility Engineering, and strong operating systems create clarity, capability, and confidence.
The takeaway: learning is humbling, systems are liberating, and visibility is something you build on purpose. You do not need perfection. You need a beginning.
From “I’ve Got This” to “Oh No I Really Don’t”
There are a few things in life that frustrate me more than not being good at something.
And no, I am not one of those magical humans who can pick up a new skill and instantly excel. I have to work at it. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Sometimes, with snacks and wine, if it’s really stressful.
You already know about my crocheting saga.
You don’t know golf, and I have a complicated relationship.
Driving range? Delightful. Top Golf? A blast. Nine or eighteen holes? A humbling journey in self-acceptance.
Pickleball? Let us just say I am enthusiastic, not skilled, and move on.
So, in the spirit of continuous learning, and thanks to Instagram’s suspiciously accurate algorithm, I recently ordered an adult paint-by-number kit and a beginner embroidery project.
Something creative without requiring actual creativity. And a throwback to things I loved as a young girl. A win in my book
But none of those learning adventures compares to the one that blindsided me the most: completing the 2026 PESO Model Certification®.
And yes, I was involved in building it.
And yes, I still got humbled.
This is the story of how a seasoned learning professional, someone who has spent 25 years architecting training programs, building operating systems, and coaching leaders, found herself smack in the middle of the adult learning cycle again.
And how the PESO Model®, Visibility Engineering, and a whole lot of processes reminded me why the doing phase is where the real learning happens.
Welcome to the PESO Model Circus
Spoiler: I Thought I Was the Ringmaster
For the past year, I have had the privilege of working alongside Gini as she architected the 2026 PESO Model Certification.
I have learned more from her than I can summarize about the PESO Model, marketing, PR, business operations, and what it takes to build a scalable, sustainable learning ecosystem.
As she built each module, I read her scripts, listened to her recordings, created the workbooks, designed the quick reference guides, and absorbed every podcast episode.
I felt good. Confident even. Not expert level, but solid enough to contribute meaningfully to conversations.
And then came the moment every adult learner knows too well.
The shift from “I understand this” to “Ohhhhhhhh. I actually have to DO this.”
Because at Spin Sucks, we don’t just build great learning experiences. We live them.
Every team member completes the certification, exercises, and all.
No shortcuts.
No “but I helped build it” exemptions.
I went in with confidence. I had read and heard each lesson a dozen times. I had built the workbooks. I had reviewed every exercise. I was ready.
Or so I thought.
Owned Media Bliss
Owned media went well. Really well.
This time, I listened to each lesson as a learner, not a builder.
Soaking it all in.
Smashing the assessment.
I imagined how I would articulate Spin Sucks owned content: our website, our social channels, our FAQs, and the PESO Model itself. I breezed through the first several lessons, asked Gini for a quick gut check, and moved on.
I felt good. Competent. Capable.
And then I hit Earned Media.
The Moment the Universe Said “Sit Down, Shelly”
Earned Media lessons one and two – check and check.
Then, out of nowhere, lesson three hit like a two-ton balloon.
Suddenly, my years of deeply understanding the businesses I supported, my superpower in corporate learning, did not translate.
Not here. Not yet anyway.
The exercise asked:
- What PR and marketing outlets are your dream placements?
- Who are the influencers, publications, newsletters, and podcasters your audience respects?
My brain responded with a very eloquent: “Uhhhhhh, Who knows? Not me.”
I felt out of my depth. Out of my comfort zone. Out of excuses.
This is the moment adult learning theory calls Conscious Incompetence, the stage where you realize how much you do not know. Scott H. Young calls it the frustration barrier, and he is right. It is the point where most learners quit.
But I have been in learning long enough to know: this is where the magic happens.
So, I leaned heavily on the PESO OS AI prompts Gini built. I kept going. I asked for another gut check. This one took a bit longer. I needed reassurance. I needed guidance. I needed to trust the process.
And slowly, I did.
Where Adult Learning Actually Happens
In adult learning, we talk a lot about the stages:
- Unconscious Incompetence
- Conscious Incompetence
- Conscious Competence
- Unconscious Competence
But here is the truth most people do not want to hear: you cannot think your way into competence.
You have to DO your way into competence.
I know, I know, doing can be tough!
Reading, listening, and watching are essential. They build a foundation and context.
But the transformation happens when you apply the knowledge.
When you make decisions. When you test. When you fail. When you adjust.
When you really have to think, and think hard.
The PESO Model Certification is built around this philosophy. It is not a passive learning experience. It is an operating system you implement as you learn it.
And that is where the real growth happens.
The Secret Sauce I Did Not Know I Needed
One of the biggest revelations for me during this process was how deeply the PESO Model connects to Visibility Engineering, the discipline of designing systems that make your expertise visible, credible, and scalable.
Visibility is not luck.
It is not charisma.
It is not “posting more on LinkedIn.”
Visibility is engineered.
It is the result of:
- repeatable processes
- consistent messaging
- aligned content
- strategic amplification
- intentional measurement
- and a system that ties it all together
The PESO Model is that system.
It is not a checklist.
It is not a collection of tactics.
It is an operating system for building trust at scale.
And like any operating system, it only works when you use it consistently, intentionally, and with a clear understanding of how the pieces fit together.
The PESO Model Is Not a Framework
It Is Your New Operating System
Before working at Spin Sucks, I understood PESO conceptually. Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned. Four media types. Four buckets. Four categories.
But the certification and especially the exercises made something click:
PESO is not just a framework. It is an operating system.
Frameworks help you understand.
Operating systems help you execute.
Frameworks are conceptual.
Operating systems are practical.
Frameworks sit on a shelf.
Operating systems run your business.
The PESO OS AI:
- aligns your messaging
- clarifies your audience
- structures your content
- guides your outreach
- informs your measurement
- and creates a repeatable engine for visibility and trust
It is not about doing more.
It is about doing the right things, in the right order, with the right intention.
And once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
Processes Are the Unsung Heroes
If you know me, you know I love a good process.
A branded workflow.
A tidy operating system.
A checklist that actually means something.
The PESO Model Certification is full of processes, not to restrict creativity, but to support it.
Processes:
- reduce cognitive load
- eliminate guesswork
- create consistency
- build confidence
- and make learning stick
This is adult learning 101.
This is cognitive science.
This is how we humans grow.
When you combine PESO with processes, something powerful happens.
You stop reacting and start engineering.
You stop chasing visibility and start creating it.
You stop hoping for results and start producing them.
The Forgetting Curve Is Real
And PESO Helps You Beat It
One of my favorite adult learning truths is the forgetting curve. We forget most of what we learn within seven days unless we reinforce it.
This is why:
- repetition matters
- practice matters
- application matters
- systems matter
The PESO Model Certification is intentionally designed to combat the forgetting curve.
Each module builds on the last. Each exercise reinforces the previous one.
Each decision you make becomes the foundation for the next.
It is not just learning.
It is layering.
It is not just knowledge.
It is capability.
It is not just understanding.
It is fluency.
Trusting the Process
Even When It Feels Like a Tightrope Walk
I am not finished with my certification yet, but I am further along than I was and, more importantly, I am learning in a way that sticks.
I am gaining confidence.
I am building fluency.
I am trusting the operating system.
And I am reminded, once again, that learning is a process:
Read. Listen. Do. Validate. Adjust. Repeat.
The doing is where the transformation happens.
Final Thoughts
Learning Is Humbling and Systems Are Liberating
If there is one thing my PESO Model Certification journey has taught me, it is this:
Learning is humbling.
Systems are liberating.
Visibility is engineered.
Whether you are crocheting, cooking, learning a language, or building a PESO strategy, the path is the same:
Start. Struggle. Ask for help.
Practice. Apply. Adjust.
Grow.
You do not need perfection.
You need a beginning.
And if you truly trust the process, you will be amazed at what you will build, your own integrated PESO campaign.
© 2026 Spin Sucks. All rights reserved. The PESO Model® is a registered trademark of Spin Sucks.
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