"Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you." 🙌🏾 ~Misty Copeland
Shout-out to Rae Wright Ingram for buying me coffee. She's a traveler, foodie and technologist just to name a few of her talents. Thank you for the support! ☕️
--
Did this week fly by for you too? I feel like it was Monday one minute and Friday the next. But I also feel like time is sooo weird right now. So, I guess, all we can really do is roll with it, right? 🤷🏾♀️
My major highlight of the week was hosting another successful I Can't: Side Hustle workshop along with the fabulous Saya Hillman. Saya is such a wonderful collaborator and it's really awesome for me because she handles all the things and I just get to show up and teach. 👩🏾🏫
Also I want to shout-out Kristin "Baker Bettie" Hoffman, Sarah and Adam Avenir and the team at &yet for sponsoring scholarships for black participants. Thank you so much!
I know how overwhelming starting a side hustle can be so I'm glad I'm able to share stories and tips to help folks move forward. Some of the comments:
"This has been so great! Thank you very much!"''
"I need cheerleaders!"
"LOY - the best people" (LOY =#LifeofYes which Saya lives by)
"I LOVE that group"
"LOY is the best group!"
"Thank you Saya & Jess!"
The main takeaway for folks? Find your squad. It's so important to surround yourself with people who are going through similar things that you are. Folks that will cheer you on and give you advice if you're struggling. Friends who will encourage you to celebrate your successes, even if those are baby steps. A safe space where you can be vulnerable, put yourself out there, and dream big and wide. Find those people that you can do all of that with. And if you need someone right now, let me know. Happy to be a part of your squad too!
We are all on this side hustling journey together! 👊🏾
And if you want to know some other things we covered during the session, Saya created some fabulous notes highlighted in the #lifevibes section below. I'm waiting for her to teach an I Can't: Doodle class so I can learn how to take cool notes. In the meantime, if for some reason you think you can't light yourself, facilitate virtually or decorate cakes, check out some upcoming offerings here.
On to the picks!
P.S. Ankle update: I am officially walking without crutches. Still have my boot as we have a ways to go, but yay progress! 🙌🏾
Note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you click through my link and make a purchase that means I may receive "thank you money" at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love.
#loves 😍
📺 Watching: Little Voice. An Apple TV series about a young woman struggling to find her voice. With original music by Sara Bareilles. Sign. Me. Up. 3 episodes in so far and I'm a fan. And yes I did get an Apple TV subscription just for this show. 😳
🎧 Listening: RomComPods. I am warming up to podcasts but audiobooks are hard for me to focus on. Maybe I can do a mix of the two? A romcom podcast with 30 minutes an episode. Maybe I can listen before bed? And if you love audio fiction type stuff, check out my gurl Shenee's Fan Wars: The Empire Claps Back podcast. It's so good.
📚 Reading: One of Us is Lying. 5 teenagers end up in detention, then one ends up dead. Dun dun dun. Think The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars. It's twisty turny in the best way. Found it via this list.
🤫 Tool: Krisp helps to fight background noise on video calls. I've been using it with my Zoom meetings and it makes a big difference in muting grandma's tv and radio when I'm on calls. Get one month free using my link.
#sponsor: Gather the People
Creating and building something of your own can be incredibly hard. Sharing it and hoping people will buy it and can be even harder.
Gather the People is a book that shows you how to bring your creative ideas to life and share them in a way that is true to you and your values.
My boss, Sarah just recently finished a second edition of the book and is hosting a free Instagram class focusing on supporting people who’ve had the rug yanked out from under them, which we can all relate to.
I, for one, am looking forward to it. Registration is free and everyone is welcome. Just follow @gatherthepeople on Insta and turn on post notifications so you don't miss a beat. Class starts August 4th!
#reads
35 Self-Love Mantras to Help You Shake Self-Doubt — advice.shinetext.com
What if we showed ourselves the same love that we show to those we care about?
The one I've picked for myself is "I am here and that matters." What's yours?
The Only 3 Ways to Make Money as a Content Creator — medium.com
Ads, donations, are sales are the three major categories for making money as a content creator.
For me, I make money through affiliate marketing (recommending products I love and then people buying using my links), donations (through Buy Me a Coffee and Patreon), and sales (from providing coaching services and doing workshops). This is a simple way to think about ways you can make money in your business too.
Simple Productivity Hacks I Use to Work Smarter From Home — medium.com
I love a good productivity hack! And working from home has pretty much turned a lot of things I thought made me productive on its head. For example, I'm not so much a morning person at the moment and find myself getting more things done in the afternoons.
I definitely want to try Reece's suggestion of putting the same song on repeat - and see what that does!
#icymi
😍 Last issue’s top pick was: 71 Passive Income Ideas to Stop Trading Time for Money
#lifevibes
#supporters ☕️
Thank you Rae, Stephanie, Christine R., Christine M., Frances, Hannah, Chris, Brandy, Mea, Kristian, Maria, Avery, Adam, Monale, Barbara, Shenee, Desiree, Lisa, Kandice, L'Oreal, and LaVerne for being #jesspicks supporters!! ❤️
Want to help support this newsletter? Buy me a coffee.
