Life Lessons - Kids
This week's podcast episodes have been about the kids in our lives.
I know that January is usually a time for resolutions but I didn’t make any this year. As this month has been so heavy already, I’m glad I don’t have the added pressure to put on myself of sticking to a resolution. I did join my friend, Mandie Brice, in reading The Pivot Year, and journaling daily about the prompts. This has been a great addition to my life because I’ve been pondering for months on what more I want to do, need to do and would like to do. I’m not someone who sits still and while I have a business that isn’t going anywhere and a podcast that is growing, I want to ensure that I’m making an impact, using my voice and helping others use theirs. I’ve had this tug inside of me that hasn’t gone away and daily journaling with these prompts has definitely helped remind me of why it’s sometimes good for those “unanswered prayers” to not come through.
The Future Of Social Media
We are facing the ban of TikTok as of this weekend and have seen some big changes at Meta which affect Facebook, Instagram and Threads, which begs the question…what’s next? You know by now that I will say podcasts are still going to be key, along with having your own newsletter and website. Owning your own platforms means that no one can take them away from you. Even with Substack, I still have a subscription to Flodesk and my entire subscriber list housed there as a backup (I utilize Flodesk for other reasons but that’s a big one).
TikTok has been huge for the publishing industry and for author support. My hope is that more utilize podcasts to help promote authors and books we love. I don’t know where these longer form videos will end up but launching podcasts that are streamed to Spotify and YouTube for video purposes is certainly an option and might be a great reminder that done is better than studio perfection!
Expanding
I’ve decided to turn on the paid subscriptions for Substack for those of you who are interested. I’ve already created a post for paid members where you’ll receive access to downloads that are expanded from my free downloads from my website (step by step instructions, details on repurposing, templates and more). If you know me, you know that I want to bring as much value as possible to those who follow me, support me and buy from me, so I will be working hard at adding more resources in the paid subscription area.
I want to launch a book club (or possibly 2!). One will be around advocacy and focusing on how we have conversations, how we can make greater change, how we can be active as women and parents and books that simply change our lives. I’d love to do a “just for fun” book as well, which is why I mention 2 clubs! I’ll announce the book we are going to read to everyone but we’ll have a virtual meet up for those in the paid area and if you’re local to San Jose, I’d love to make this an in person meet up that we can possibly share virtually. This is a way for me to bring my love of books, advocacy and building community together and I hope it’s something that more of you want as well.
Since you know I love honesty, I have to say that it was a hard and long decision for me to even turn this option “on”. I don’t have sponsors for my podcast and have spoken for free at events for years (including paying for my own travel), but knowing that I want to keep doing more, providing more resources etc means that I need to remember that my time is worth something as well. I’m not removing all the free stuff, so don’t worry about that disappearing!
Life Lessons On The Pod
This week I interviewed Louis L. Reed and Cindy Muchnick on their books and the lessons we can learn from both of them are around our kids.
Louis was originally on the podcast in 2021 where he shared his life journey of having been formerly incarcerated for 14 years. He answered every question I had honestly and genuinely which is why we have kept in touch all of these years. He just released his book, Deuce’s First Step, which is a children’s book specifically for children of incarcerated parents. He’s been the child of incarcerated parents and was himself the incarcerated parent. The child isn’t to be blamed or made to feel different because of their parent’s actions which is why I love this book and even gifted it to a classroom who has a student that is affected. We have to remember that stories like this might not directly affect us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn, listen and make a difference.
Cindy Muchnick is the author of The Parent Compass and we discussed the importance of raising independent kids. Cindy’s book focuses on parents of high school aged kids mainly but as a mom of two elementary school kids, this is a must-read for parents of kids of any age. We talked about teaching self-advocacy to our children (I share some personal examples with my own kids), finding community support and the challenges we face as parents and the pressures our children are facing.
What I’m Reading
I’m currently listening to the audiobook of A Return To Common Sense by Leigh McGowan (she’s I Am Politics Girl!), reading More Or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova and buddy reading The Grip by Marcus Stroman with my little guy.
Supporting Los Angeles
The wildfires continue to burn and will for awhile. Today I saw students going back to school and their excitement to be welcomed by a new school and feeling some normalcy warmed my heart. There are many GoFundMe fundraisers to donate to along with the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund, Altadena Girls and many more. I also found a number of businesses selling products whose profits go to wildfire funds. As a Californian, this print below felt extra special to me and I look forward to hanging it in my office. The Designing Chica is donating funds to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) in Pasadena which supports immigrant workers hit hardest by the LA fires.
My Bookaversary
Sunday, January 19th marks one year since How To Get On Podcasts came out! How a year has passed already is beyond me! If you haven’t purchased a copy yet (what have you been waiting for?!), it’s on sale for just $16.20 on Amazon! I’ve told the family that we’ll be celebrating with cake! I wish I had the pie Steph Hockersmith (Pie Lady Books) or more of the cake from Lele Cafe here in San Jose made for my launch! Wish I was having another sushi and wine party with friends too!
On Monday as we reflect on Martin Luther King Jr. and all he did for our country, I hope you take a moment to do something for someone else. I’ve been so encouraged this week, especially by
, and , who said we should simply do something for someone else. Small acts of kindness not only affect others, but they affect us as well. I shared with Shannon how I went to our local Barnes & Noble because it’s closing and as I filled multiple baskets with books, I stopped and took a photo of every book of every author I knew and/or had interviewed. I posted them all and although it was for them, it brought me so much joy to see their books out in the wild. I might have also prominently displayed them for others to see if I hadn’t bought the last copy!