2023 End of Year Recap

This year has been a year of transformation. After participating in the 1k1day business course by Nicole Walters back in 2018, I made it a yearly tradition to create a Google Document to acknowledge my accomplishments. From March to November, I was in a cocoon, reinventing myself, and everything in between feels like a blur.

This year, I decided to share some of my wins publicly for two reasons. Firstly, for personal reflection and the ability to look back on my journey, just like I did when I reviewed my Linkedin profile and noticed the synchronicities between my careers in journalism and communications. Secondly, I want to encourage you to confidently celebrate your own achievements.

Let's dive into my top ten moments:

1) I had the privilege of hosting and co-hosting 9 months and 11 episodes worth of the Majestic View Show with special guests Chaste Christopher I. , Michael Pratt , Tanesha Cameron-Cole, MBA , and Roxanne Stewart . It was an incredible journey, and I'm grateful for the partnership with media mavens Lia Miller , Funmi Eko Ezeh , and Pamela D. Marshall Corporate Strategist, Author ! You can still find the videos on YouTube, so binge-watch here!

2) This year, I had the opportunity to connect with extraordinary Black women who inspire me with their success and contentment. They've shown me the true meaning of building an inclusive, diverse, and accessible community.

3) I attended Impact Weekend (founded by Maya Elious ), BOMESI (Black Owned Media Equity & Sustainability Institute) (founded by Rhonesha Byng ), Bailey Casson Family Reunion (organized by the women in my family branch, part of Frederick Douglass' family tree), AFROTECH (founded by Morgan DeBaun ), and TaNesha Rushing (Tea Rush)'s Music Festival.

4) I volunteered as a social media manager for multiple events. Events still need real time social media coverage especially for FOMO, so my prices will be going up in 2024.?

5) As their marketing and event strategist, I had the privilege of speaking on behalf of Sanicle three times and curating and strategizing four UN National Day events. You can watch me speak on my experience with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) at the Black Menstrual Health Summit, and watch me pitch their newest women in the workforce AI idea at 1 Million Cups' Global Entrepreneurship Week event on the end of year recap blog post that I helped to publish: https://sanicle.us/end-year-event-recap/

6) I extended my podcast to the internet radio, Tulsa, Oklahoma's Black woman owned station, The Greenwood Beat, founded by Dr. Angela K Chambers and Dr. Francetta Mays. You can watch the episode where Omare (Ogisi) Jimmerson of Oklahoma Birth Equity Initiative was a guest: https://youtu.be/4W-apmzye4w?si=M593U5qBAVBzP7SQ

7) I have secured being a TEDxUTulsa speaker for March 2024 that will significantly alter the course of my impact in raising awareness for retinoblastoma, the form of eye cancer that I have!

8) I successfully grew my social media presence by 62%!

9) The community voted for me! I am honored to be nominated for TWO categories: Breakthrough Marketer and Hidden Gem at the 2nd Annual 2023 Black Women Marketers ? Achievement Awards.

10) I have been featured on four platforms and podcasts this year: I returned as a guest to Aurora Remember ’s Embracing Intensity Podcast, I was a guest on Jamilah F. Bashir, M.Ed. the IEP Coach’s Black History Month Series, Sasha (Anisah) Beckette-Abdullah 's Real Reading Talk Podcast, and the Black Business Expo by Dr. Eric Kelly III . You can watch these videos and more on this YouTube playlist.

This will be my final regular LinkedIn Newsletter. While I've enjoyed creating it and appreciate how LinkedIn automatically invites people to read and subscribe as soon as they follow or send a connection request, I highly recommend using this feature if you don't have other ways to maintain a regular newsletter and build your audience and thought leadership. As a subscriber to other LinkedIn newsletters, I love receiving them in my email.?

I find myself spreading myself thin. I'm a strong advocate for ConvertKit [archive] and currently paying for their services. You can watch this video I recorded on their latest features here.

Here are some ways to stay in touch with me:

- Join my ConvertKit email list: https://zaakirah-nayyar.ck.page/profile

- Join my Substack email list: https://seelifedifferent.substack.com/

1. I'm in the process of migrating my audience from Mailchimp to Convertkit, which includes previous photography and marketing clients, friends, family, associates, and those who have shown interest in my strategic marketing services, as well as my book.
2. I have my podcast extension called "The Black Women’s Health Show," which currently focuses on BIWOC's health and wellness in Oklahoma and the surrounding U.S. States. You can subscribe to it on Substack here, an alternative newsletter platform that offers a chat feature and an option to have a paywall (which will be enabled in 2024). Creatives like myself greatly appreciate your monetary support as well as sharing the articles.
3. I have my blog on my website, which includes show notes for 50 out of the 100 episodes of the "See Life Different" podcast, along with other marketing and mindfulness-related posts. https://zaakirahnayyar.com/category/podcast/

And here are some ways to support me and empower yourself to see mindfulness and marketing differently:

- Check out my book, "See Life Different Lens: A Survivor's Memoir on Overcoming Adversity with Resilience": https://zaakirahnayyar.com/book

- Listen to the "See Life Different" podcast: https://zaakirahnayyar.com/podcast/

- Watch the "See Life Different" Summit in March 2024: https://zaakirahnayyar.com/seelifedifferent/

- Look out for the upcoming "See Life Different" Documentary in Winter 2024: https://zaakirahnayyar.com/documentary/