Navigating the digital world as humans

A different kind of newsletter this week but one I hope you'll enjoy.

Breaking the so-called “ice” with what is really on my mind. Next week's Monday issue will be back to the usual marketing news and stories. But with a twist.

I haven’t sent out a weekly newsletter since May 13th. Since January 2023, I’ve prided myself on not taking a break and being consistent at sending and growing this little corner of the internet.?

Many times I would be asked how I did it. “It’s easy”,?I would say to anyone who asked. Each Sunday morning, I’d sit for an hour or two at my kitchen table. No overthinking. Just writing what was in my heart and hopefully sharing something of value when it came to social media strategy and marketing.

But since May 13th, I’ve felt paralyzed. I haven’t known what to say or write as my own life felt increasingly heavy. For those of you who have read this newsletter for the last while, you know that my mother has Alzheimer’s. It is not easy watching someone you love disappear and grieving them while they are still physically here.

In June we traveled to Scotland for a number of reasons - some were joyful but some of the reasons were sad. We were there to see my mom and to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary before she moved to the next phase - a care home. We were there to visit my mother-in-law’s birthplace and to scatter her ashes in one of her favourite places.?

Not easy things to do or go through.

So, today’s newsletter and my return is dedicated to both of these women. Both of you have taught me things, influenced my own growth and how I am a mother. Thank you.?

Something to think about this week ??

I get asked this a lot and it is something I think about a lot. Most people I know and work with use social media for professional reasons. Either for their businesses or career growth. No one wants to seem “unprofessional”. But they also know that more personal content tends to perform better and get better engagement.

So what to do?

Ultimately you have to decide what is right for you, but one of the things that I’m thinking about more and more is this:

You don’t need to be churning out and sharing content that doesn’t feel right. This was one of the main reasons why I felt stuck in sending out this newsletter. It didn’t feel right to share social media tips, news and resources with you over the last few weeks. I always feel that people can see through fake (or generated these days) content.

And while it is completely ok to not share and to keep things private, I don’t believe that the reason to keep things private should have to do with being seen as unprofessional. We are all human, vulnerable and each person reading this will at some point go through hard times where perhaps they need to tap into the support of their virtual community. No judgement, no pity, just kindness.

Something to do this week

Be kind to those who may not necessarily deserve your kindness. At the end of the day we don’t know what is going on in someone’s life and here’s my own story.

Something to write about this week ??

My ask for help

It’s ok to ask for help. This was something we reiterated at our last Gather Society event. If there’s something you need help with, ask. Because each time you will be surprised by how the people you know can help.

So, here’s my ask for help.

This Fall we will put on our next Gather Society event which will be more focused on professional development for women in business (~75 ppl). We are looking for a cool (maybe donated!) space to host this event at. It’ll be a combination of speakers, workshop style sessions and networking.

One of the other things I also believe in is innovative solutions so the reason I’m sharing here is that I suspect some of you reading this work in an office building which may have this type of space available (and potentially underused as we work more remotely) or know of a cool venue which we could look at. All ideas and connections welcome. And we love spaces with windows.

What’s in it for you?

You’d be helping me and the women I’m doing this with continue to grow something cool, support women in business and also be able to attend :) Your company would also be recognized! More info about Gather Society and what we are creating can be found on our website.

And now for something a bit lighter ?

If you’ve read this far, thank you. Here’s something that I loved doing recently with my daughter.