“I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.” 🙈~Maya Angelou
Shout out to Maria Jones, Meg McKeen, and Lauren Strayhorn for buying me coffees this past week! ☕️
Maria is the founder of Yuva Yoga. She recently wrote about the idea of home on her blog. Home can mean your family, the physical building you live in, or something else entirely.
Meg is the founder of Adjunct Advisors, where she helps insurance salespeople leverage what makes them great. She is the host of Bound & Determined, a podcast featuring the stories of women in insurance.
Lauren is the founder of Notedd, a digital media platform that helps women of color stay informed, connected, and authentically themselves. Their weekly curated newsletter features news, events, infographics, and opportunities for content submissions.
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Earlier this week, I attended a fantastic speed networking event hosted by Black Tech Jobs. I met ten different people, spending five minutes with each. And now I have some new contacts to add to my network. 🙌🏾 What struck me about this is how much I've missed meeting people. It's soooo good for my soul.
I also facilitated a discussion on impostor syndrome, which went well. We talked about what it is, and one of the participants likened it to the social media reel. You know the feeling that everyone on social media has their shirt together and is always succeeding? Meanwhile, you might feel that you are not expert enough or knowledgeable enough. We talked about how everyone has experiences, perspectives, and knowledge to share, no matter the age or experience level. And we also discussed how most of us still feel impostor syndrome but find ways to move forward despite it.
Almost every day, I think someone has made a mistake. That I’m not supposed to be where I am and waiting for the day when someone will knock on my door and call me a fraud. Here are a few tips we shared in dealing with this feeling:
🏘 Build your community. Surround yourself with others in your same situation. You’ll be able to share your struggles and successes. And get advice and support to move forward.
👩🏾🏫 Think about who might need to see/hear/know you. For me, this is something that keeps me going. As a black woman in this world, I need to share my journey, experiences, and perspectives. There is a reason that representation matters. I don’t know who might need to hear my story or know where I came from to be inspired to pursue their dreams.
👣 Take baby steps. Take little actions and celebrate those small wins. The key here is that every time you put yourself out there, and you stretch, you’ll get a bit better and a bit more confident.
Have you dealt with impostor syndrome? What are your tips for managing it?
On to the picks!
P.S. It was so nice chatting with a few of you on Voxer. The offer to chat still stands if you want to send me a message. Or if you need help getting started, hit reply, and I'll send you an invite to voxer.
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.
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If you're looking to read important business stories told in a light and fun way, check out The Daily Upside.
It's a business newsletter written by a former investment banker, delivering unique stores and insights you won't read anywhere else. It's free, and you'll learn something new every day. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!
#loves 😍
👋 Site: Meet Our Weirdos. We launched a new series at work this week that will highlight our weirdos over the next couple of months - people who share our values. It's such a fun series and my gurl Saya is even highlighted. It's cool to see my worlds collide and to be a part of a project that encourages folks to celebrate their quirks.
📧 Resource: Inbox Sweep Method. Kimi Kinsey has a great ebook for getting more organized with Gmail. She covers how to get rid of unwanted emails and make sure you don't miss the really important emails. And if you sign up before Monday, you'll get to participate in a live 5-day challenge to help break the steps down into more manageable pieces (yay baby steps!)
📺 Watching: Punky Brewster. My friend Khalilah posted about watching this and I immediately was like, "WHERE CAN I FIND THIS?" Punky was a big part of my childhood experience. The original series is on the NBC app and they have a reboot on Peacock featuring the original Punky as an adult. Holy Macanoli!
#reads
How I Learned to Trust My Dopeness — advice.theshineapp.com
"Even the talented, intelligent famous women we’ve all come to know and love have fallen victim to impostor syndrome at some point in their careers."
I can't talk about impostor syndrome without mentioning L’Oreal Thompson Payton. She has some great tips to quiet that inner voice and is writing a book on this very topic:
Start a Brag Book
Write a letter to your inner critic
Accept that impostor syndrome is along for the ride
Trust your dopeness
What I Learned in 3 Years of Writing a Newsletter — annhandley.com
I love posts like these. Ann Handley shares 7 things she's learned as a newsletter creator.
Here are a few things that I want to think about more for #jesspicks:
Looking up from your phone is the best way to find things to write about. (I need to get better at this)
An email newsletter is not a distribution strategy, it's a relationship-builder. (Wow and true)
Create response triggers. (Really like this idea of doing things that don't scale)
Tip: Josh Spector's For the Interested Newsletter
#icymi
😍 Last issue’s top pick was: Meet Edgar.
🎧 Chatted about creating a curated newsletter with Tara McMullin.
👜 Featured in What's In My Bag?
#classifieds 🗞
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Thank you Lauren, Meg, Maria J., Chivon, Kim, Luciano, Colie, Chasity, Laurie, Latienda, Collette, Anne, Kristen, Liz, Katherine, Monale, Betsy, Melissa, Lindsay, Jennifer, Kayla, Madison, Rae, Stephanie, Christine R., Christine M., Frances, Hannah, Chris, Brandy, Mea, Kristian, Maria K. Avery, Adam, Barbara, Shenee, Desiree, Lisa, Kandice, L'Oreal, and LaVerne for being #jesspicks supporters!! ❤️
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