The Struggle is Real...

I have a very entrepreneurial personality. Whether I have worked for someone or have worked for myself, I'm always thinking about the next best idea of how to make the business or brand better. How can we generate more revenue? How can we promote this brand in a more creative way? How we can become more operationally efficient? How can we implement the right tech for the business? How can I start a side hustle to make some extra money? How can I create more community, resources and support for people (mostly women)? And the list goes on...

I am so proud about all the different initiatives I've started over the years and all the amazing brands and businesses I've had the opportunity to work with.

Probably my biggest passion project has been focused on women. It started back in 2008 in Los Angeles and has brought me to San Francisco, New York, Reno, Park City, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and now Salt Lake City. I was determined, no matter where I lived, to either be part of an organization with the focus on women or start my own.

I think my proudest moments have come from everything I've done in the Salt Lake area. Most importantly through W Collective Co. and Utah's 40 Over 40.

Especially with W Collective, which I think I have pivoted its business model three times now. Currently, it's a consultancy focused on providing services for women founders.

Last year, I started a process of intense reflection. It came after several months of emotional breakdowns that led to suicidal thoughts. This wasn't the first time I had suicidal thoughts, but the intensity in which it came on made the other moments feel like a walk in the park.

Here are some of the situations that brought on these suicidal moments over the years:

• 15 years of infertility (4 IUIs, 3 IVFs, severe endometriosis, laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and a lot of money!)
• Losing a couple of jobs that rocked my world
• Breaking my jaw, being wired shut for 6 weeks, while being unemployed
• Reviving W Collective after shutting it down and struggling to create a viable stream of revenue
• Going on dozens of job interviews (8 interviews for one company!), and not landing anything
• Moving into perimenopause

The last one, perimenopause, was the thing that brought on the last suicidal moment, which really scared me. Thankfully, I have incredible people in my life that were willing to help and support me to find solutions. (I have to tell you, I'm still working through solutions, because I ended up in the hospital recently, so the trial and error continues).

I bring all this up, because even after this intense reflection, my entrepreneurial brain was still working overtime.

At the beginning of this year, I was working on all these things:

• Revamping W Collective into a consultancy
• Getting ready for this year's Over 40 gala
• Managing the W Collective community I started last year on Slack
• Launching the Badass Babes Investment Club on Slack
• Launching the W Collective newsletter on LinkedIn
• Starting a full time position with Universal Media

All this while taking care of a family member and my older pup Asia going through cancer.

The struggle is real and has been real for many years. I just came to a point when I realized that I can't do it anymore. I'm exhausted. I'm burnt out. I'm moving into one of the most important phases of my life as a woman and I need to make sure I'm taking care of myself and my health.

So these are the things I'm pulling back on:

• I'm no longer running the W Collective community on Slack, it's running itself
• I shut down the Badass Babes Investment Club
• I will be pausing the W Collective newsletter for now
• I have two clients I'm consulting with through W Collective, that will probably go down to one
• I'm also not producing regular monthly or quarterly events anymore, only focusing on the Over 40 gala
• I'm not attending any events unless they are of high-value

I know this is by no means a failure, rather, it's empowering, because I'm taking control of my life and my needs.

It's seriously ok knowing and embracing not being able to do it all, especially as women.

I will continue to post about different topics related to women, because it still is and always will be my passion. For now, I'm going to focus on the most important things and continue to pair down my life and work.

Thank you for letting me share all this and thank you for always supporting me, the W Collective, and all my entrepreneurial ventures.

Signing off for now,

Robyn

It All Started 40 Years Ago

For those that don't know, my late father-in-law, Allan Cohen (also known as the Moses of Malls) pioneered shopping mall advertising. He had a couple of exits before selling his last company, which grew to a portfolio of over 400 malls, to Clear Channel Outdoor . Just over a decade ago, he launched his second business, Universal Media . Currently, it has a boutique portfolio of media properties in key markets across the country.

Unfortunately, Allan passed away in 2021, but my family continues to carry on his legacy. And now I get to as well. I joined Universal Media in January focused on sales and business development. We are working on a lot of exciting things alongside this amazing renaissance that is happening in the OOH (Out-Of-Home) advertising world.

To learn more, check out our website. If I can help you with your advertising needs, don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

Celebrating Juneteenth

Finally, Happy Juneteenth! For those not familiar with this day, June 19 commemorates the "ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's name is a portmanteau of the words "June" and "nineteenth", as it was on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War." (Source: Wikipedia)

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in on June 18th, 2021. Most states recognize the holiday as a paid day off, with a handful as a floating holiday, and some (still) not recognizing it at all.

Some states, as far back as 1994, started recognizing it as an observance, so it's great that it finally became a federal holiday.

However you celebrate or recognize this day, it's important to understand the history of this country and what certain groups have experienced. We still have a long way to go, but it's a start.