I know this because I live it—literally. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare disorder that makes my joints behave like drunk interns at a yoga retreat. If I sit still too long, my body doesn't relax—it seizes, dislocates, and reminds me in no uncertain terms that motion is survival.

Funny how that applies to media strategy, too.

Everyone in this industry is terrified of the wrong move. But almost no one talks about how dangerous no move is. If you’re clinging to that “tried-and-true” model like it’s a life raft, I’ve got news: that thing’s made of papier-mâché, and the tide has changed.

We’re in a moment where marketers are fetishizing safety, confusing it with stability. Spoiler: they're not the same. Holding still isn’t saving you. It’s calcifying your thinking, fossilizing your plan, and quietly bleeding relevance while you’re busy fine-tuning a dashboard that stopped mattering two quarters ago.

Discomfort isn’t a red flag. It’s a sign you’re still evolving. And if your media strategy doesn’t make someone in your org uncomfortable—your CFO, your agency, your ego—then it’s probably dead on arrival.

This week, we’ll talk about how to spot the signs that your strategy has gone stiff, brittle, and ready for the content morgue. No AI hype, no shiny objects. Just movement, flexibility, and how to keep your campaigns from snapping like a neglected tendon.

Welcome to your Sunday. Let’s stretch.

👉 Keep reading below in ADOTAT+ for the practical framework: how to evolve without tearing everything apart.

Let’s get personal.

I have a genetic disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). It’s one of those things you don’t see until it slaps you across the face—or in my case, dislocates your joints while you’re reaching for a coffee mug. Sexy, right?

Here’s how it works: If I sit too long? My body breaks down. Not metaphorically. Literally. Joints seize up, ligaments go slack, and everything that’s supposed to hold me together turns into cooked spaghetti. And the kicker? Trying to stay still feels like the safe option. Like I’m giving my body a break.

But with EDS, stillness isn’t rest. It’s decay.

And now let me drag you kicking and screaming into the metaphor you didn’t ask for but desperately need: this is exactly how most of you are treating your media strategy.

Everyone in this industry is terrified of the wrong move. But no one’s talking about how dangerous no move is.

You know the type. The brand manager who keeps pushing the same campaign from 2021 because “it crushed it once.” The CMO who tells you they’re “waiting to see how the market shakes out.” The programmatic team that hasn’t touched a new platform since the Obama administration. They’re not cautious. They’re ossifying.

Let me put it plainly: inaction is not neutral.
In business, just like in my connective tissue, standing still doesn’t protect you—it erodes you. Slowly. Quietly. And by the time you realize what’s happening, you need surgery.

That’s what EDS taught me. And that’s what most of you are ignoring.

Let’s break it down like a knee on a bad day:

Staying in place may feel like you're buying time. But you're actually buying irrelevance—at full price, with no return policy.

Everyone’s so allergic to discomfort. You’d think mild pain means something’s broken. In my world, discomfort is the first proof you’re alive. When my body aches, it’s not because I’m failing. It’s because I moved.

Same with your strategy.

Discomfort when a test fails? Good.
Discomfort when engagement drops after trying something new? Even better.
Discomfort when you kill a sacred cow campaign that’s not converting anymore? Mazal tov. You're finally doing your job.

Want to know what real failure looks like? It's that moment when nobody on your team has any idea why you're still running a $400,000 campaign on a channel nobody uses—because it’s just “what we do every quarter.”

Here’s your diagnostic chart. Check all that apply, and then book an appointment with your media chiropractor (aka: yourself).

If you said yes to 3 or more, your media plan isn’t a plan. It’s a soft tissue injury waiting for a crisis.

The best strategies—just like the best joints—aren’t locked. They’re elastic. Responsive. Willing to bend before they break.

So, no, you don’t need to leap off a cliff into every trend with “AI” in the name. But if your entire Q3 plan is built on “do what we did last year,” you might as well be loading up your joints with sandbags and calling it a wellness routine.

The next breakthrough? It’s not coming from a brainstorm. It’s coming from that awkward, semi-failed test campaign your junior analyst wanted to try and you said “maybe Q4.”

👉 Want to learn how to stretch your strategy without tearing your ad budget in half?
👉 Want a media workout plan that won’t put you in traction?

Keep reading in ADOTAT+. I’ve got the ligament-level drills to keep your business limber.