The Elevation Approach
Four phases that carry any goal to the finish line without burning you out in the middle.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
The Elevation Approach is Tina Wells' four-phase method for completing any goal while protecting your energy. It moves through preparation, inspiration, recreation, and transformation, with recreation being the phase most people skip and the reason they burn out mid-project. Wells developed it after realizing she was great at research and networking but kept collapsing before the finish line because she never paused. Treated as a toolkit rather than a rigid sequence, it lets you diagnose exactly which principle is broken when you stall. Because harmony is maintained rather than won once, the phases are meant to be re-run continuously.
Origin
After two decades running an award-winning marketing agency, Wells hit burnout in her late 30s. Reflecting on why she could never finish her own creative projects, she realized she excelled at researching and socializing ideas but always jumped straight back into the hustle instead of resting. Adding a recreation phase gave her the stamina to reach the finish line, and she codified the pattern into the four-phase Elevation Approach in her book.
Core principles
- 01Every meaningful goal moves through the same four phases: preparation, inspiration, recreation, transformation.
- 02Most people skip recreation and jump from inspiration straight back to hustle, which is why they burn out before finishing.
- 03The phases are a toolkit, not a checklist — diagnose which phase is broken when you stall.
- 04The system applies to any goal: launching a business, a family trip, a renovation, learning a hobby.
- 05It is cyclical — after transformation you re-run the phases because harmony is constantly maintained, not achieved once.
How to run it
- 1
Preparation — the art of getting ready
Declutter your physical, digital and calendar spaces, get curious by researching the idea, and know your numbers (financial and health). This clears the canvas and signals you are ready to begin.
Pro tip Notice when you spontaneously start decluttering — it is often your subconscious processing that a new season is starting.
- 2
Inspiration — socialize the idea
Take the prepared idea to the right people, categorize your relationships by the energy they deserve, and build grounding rituals so you stay in harmony during busy seasons.
Pro tip Bring the idea to peers who hold you accountable, not cheerleaders who only validate.
Watch out Calling everyone your best friend dilutes your relationships and drains your energy.
- 3
Recreation — unstructured play
Take a real break with no target outcome to restore the energy you need to finish. This is separate from your workout, which belongs in preparation.
Pro tip Watch how children play — no outcome, just fun — and copy that mode.
Watch out Skipping this phase is the single biggest cause of burning out before the goal is done.
- 4
Transformation — bring it all together
Reflect honestly on what is and isn't serving you, allow your desires to change, and complete or pivot the goal. Then loop back through the phases as needed.
Pro tip It is okay to discover you no longer want the thing you started — pivot and re-run the process.
Watch out Skipping honest reflection here means repeating the same misaligned pattern next cycle.
In the wild
Wells walks through launching an agency: in preparation you declutter your calendar and computer, get curious about the industry, and check IRS data on agency profitability. In inspiration you meet people and gather resources. In recreation you take a two-day trip to get your mind off it. In transformation you pull it together and launch, then months later re-check the 12 principles when something feels off.
→ A launched business plus a repeatable diagnostic to correct course whenever harmony slips.
Wells structures her day on the approach itself: mornings are preparation, afternoons are inspiration with recreation built in, and evenings are transformation-focused work for her Asia development schedule. The afternoon recreation is what drives the rest of the day.
→ She reports working faster and reacting better to problems while avoiding the burnout that once forced her to shut a company down.
Common mistakes
Jumping from inspiration back to the grind
Skipping recreation and returning straight to hustle drains the stamina needed to finish, which is why goals stall in the middle.
Treating it as a rigid one-time checklist
The phases are a cyclical toolkit for diagnosing what's broken; using them once and stopping misses their maintenance purpose.
Is it for you?
Best for
Entrepreneurs and creatives who start many things but struggle to finish without exhaustion.
Not ideal for
People who want a rigid one-time linear checklist rather than a cyclical, self-diagnosed practice.
From the transcript
“there are four phases in the elevation approach preparation inspiration Recreation and transformation”
“instead of taking a break right and just letting everything settle... I would go right back into the hustle and that's why I could never…”
“it is literally the prescription to get you to the other side of realizing whatever that dream or goal is”
From the episode
Tina Wells: The Elevation Approach, How to Achieve Work-Life Harmony While Still Crushing Your Goals
Tina Wells