This is my biggest pet peeve
Yet, it's something you should be doing.
If you ask my kids what my biggest pet peeve is, they’ll tell you it’s having to repeat myself. If I tell them to clean up their rooms or remind them to wash their hands more than once, I get annoyed. I understand that when you’re asked in an interview about your journey or what inspired you to write the book you did, it probably feels like you’re repeating yourself.
I had an episode on the podcast in which I asked the guest how she launched her second career and she replied, “UGH this is so boring because everyone knows it by now.”
First of all, please don’t ever say that about that question or any question asked of you in an interview. It’s rude. I asked the question because in fact not everyone does know it. I assure you that none of us are that famous that we don’t need to repeat our origin or inspiration stories. Oftentimes there might even be details that are left out when you tell a story. I assure you that everyone does NOT know your story or your inspiration because every audience is different.
Differing audiences are exactly why it’s so beneficial to do podcast interviews on a variety of shows. You’ll reach new listeners every single time.
Unless you speak directly to the same person, like I do with my kids, I assure you that you are not repeating yourself when you share your story. Every podcast is different. The algorithms make it so your followers don’t all see the content you create, so keep sharing yourself, your journey, your story, your inspiration.
Out & About
I’ll be honest with you…I’m somewhat of a homebody. I love that I get to work from home and once the kids are done with activities for the day, I treasure being able to curl up in sweats and read a book or watch some Real Housewives. This week, I left the house for two (yes, TWO) outings and I’m so happy I did. We are living in a time when building community is extremely important. The pandemic made it so we couldn’t leave our houses and it’s become comfortable to not have to go out and make human contact…I get it!
I had the absolute honor and pleasure to be the conversation partner of
at Book Passage SF and talk about her new novel, A Girl Within A Girl Within A Girl. It was so fun to not only have this incredible conversation with Nanda about her book and her experience coming to America from Guyana at the age of 9 but to also meet an entirely new group of women who also wanted to hear from Nanda.
I met up with my friend
who is the founder of a local San Jose group called The Gigis. We agree that we need more in person gatherings, especially here in San Jose and it was such a treat to get to spend an hour with a like-minded friend. I need to make more time and prioritize coffee dates with friends. We need to build community, to have conversations, to gather. I’m going to continue making more time for this. I’m also going to make a greater effort to find authors who are willing to come to San Jose. Sure, SF is great, but San Jose is much easier to drive around and we do have a population of one million, so there are lots of readers here!Speaking of in-person meetups….
Books That Build Book Club
We are meeting IN PERSON this month! Our book is Women Are Angry by Jennifer Cox and we are so lucky that Jennifer is flying in from London to be here in person! Please let me know if you’ll be able to join us and I’ll send you the address details. Mark your calendars, grab the book and start reading!
About Women Are Angry…
How Being Angry Can Be Positive
Explore how women of all ages are conditioned to suppress their emotional health and discover therapeutic ways to confront challenging feelings.
The Times and Sunday Times Self-Help Book of the Year
Hysterical, selfish, dramatic. These are just a few of the labels women are given if they do not meet society’s expectations of what it is to be a good girl. With so much emotional build-up, it’s no wonder that our physical health is being affected. To address this issue, learn how you can use your anger to improve your health and wellbeing instead with psychotherapist Jennifer Cox’s amazing advice in Women Are Angry. This honest women empowerment book shares how you can use strong negative emotions such as hate and resentment as tools to speak up and demand positive change.
It’s natural to be angry. So many women are looking for advice for personal transformation, but so many are missing the bigger picture: it’s okay to be upset. Join Jennifer Cox as she explores how repressing our “ugly emotions” can cause us more harm than good, and why expressing them can help us thrive. With practical mental health tools, relatable experiences, and innovative conversations, you will find so much can change by exploring what makes you angry before letting go.
In Women Are Angry, Jennifer Cox provides strategies for overcoming the following effects of sexist and repressive stereotypes to readers at every stage of womanhood:
Ways baby girls face strict societal norms through clothes, toys, and more.
How young women are sexualized and criticized for their bodies
Why motherhood and career expectations can be overwhelming for many female adults
How doctors and medical professionals often ignore concerns from older women
Cha Cha Changes…
I’m changing up the podcast starting Wednesday, March 19th…I’m adding a third weekly episode and will be joined by the most incredible co-host. She’s someone many of you are familiar with but don’t get to hear from nearly often enough. We will be chatting books, life, motherhood…literally no topic is off limits and we are completely unhinged…in a good way! Get ready for fun! Wednesday episodes will be titled Booked & Unfiltered!
Advocacy
This week I attended an Indivisible townhall with my Congressman Jimmy Panetta. I’ve joined a number of political content creators in helping one another and know that collectively we are making a difference. Every voice counts. I’m working hard to keep up with the California Moms For Good social media and am so grateful for the many women across the state who are sending me updates and content to share. It’s not just poliltics…it’s important issues that affect all of us. My next goal to tackle is working on creating a list of all of the offices up for election in 2026! If you’re in California and know of some, send them my way so we can start organizing!
Keep using your voices! Don’t forget to rest though!
Yes, Michelle, to in-person meetups. I feel you on the having gotten very comfy being at home. I’ve had reason to go to big events in the last several months (the first was a Kamala rally) and I was shocked at how much I liked them! It felt refreshing to _be among people_. It was interesting revisiting the story I’ve told myself about what kinds of things I ‘always’ like/don’t like.
Last semester my friend’s kids and my kids had art class at the same time. It was fun to have the scheduled, weekly time together. This semester the kids’ classes don’t line up, but I still go meet her during her kids’ class. Who knew this flagrant, no-reason, frequent getting together was allowed?! (Well, for one my grandma Naomi and her bff Silvia knew, but it’s been lost to me until recently.) I recommend!