The Checklist, and Those Final Touches, When You’re Missing A Glamorous Content Team. You wrote the post. Chiseled your content. Verified your verbiage. And drizzled in your dazzle. Amazing. Now what? Well, before you hit publish and realize the scroll-stopping title you swore was it — “Bestest B’Day Swag Ever” — scores a shady 43 out of 100 (so low, not even your Grandma will see it, and she’s been waiting), run through this checklist to make sure it’s polished, connected, and ready to do what you need it to do. Aka, reach and work for your readers. We humans, while creative, colorful and clever, can be a little… umm, clunky at…
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Small Steps, Big Changes: 31 Days to a Better You
Y.O.U., Recharged: A 31-Day Guided Journal. Be a Badass with a Goodass Journal. Looking for a path to reset yourself or reclaim some peace?I think we can all agree that life’s weird right now, no matter where you are. Not quite falling apart, not quite thriving either. Somewhere between “how did I get here?” and “what’s coming at me tomorrow?”And when things get interesting (read: confusing, chaotic, or just plain frustrating), finding ways to process, pause, and maybe—just maybe—bring ourselves back together, couldn’t come at a better time. And that’s where journaling comes in. But not the kind that stares at you like a 31-day blank threat.I mean guided journaling. And 31 days to…
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How a Better To-Do List Keeps Morning Stress Away
Why the Right Planning Matters (But Not Too Much). This might be a long one, bear with me. But it’s a good’un, and I wanted to be super clear. I’m a big planner, sometimes an over planner. But learning how a better to-do list keeps morning stress away has changed the way I start, and run, my day. And it’s not because I love it so much, that I can’t bear not to do it, umm… no, it’s because I need a solid focus for my day. Every day. Living a rigid life is not for me at all but when I wake up and am getting ready for the…
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Done Is Better Than Dreamed: A Real Way to Begin
Why Starting Still Feels So Damn Hard (Even When You’re Ready) You’re on your treadmill, or out on a walk, wrapping up watching the 9th video when you swore video #8 was *the one*. Then video #10 pops up, making you doubt everything all over again. Fast forward to after your shower and a meal that still doesn’t have enough protein to sustain your Big Age, and now you’re umpteen videos deep. Yet, somehow, you’re more confused than when you started, and mad enough to contemplate letting your idea, ‘your thing’, pass you by – again, wondering if it’s just you. Procrastination Station Welcome to OVER-DOING-TOO-MUCH. Well, that’s what I’ve…
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We All Have Unique Gifts. How To See Yours Clearly
We do. I promise you we do. I know at times when I’ve heard the word ‘gift’ in relation to a person, I’m envisioning two wild ends of the spectrum. Either someone so loud and obvious, like a mega star, think of the names of some favorites. The A-list types with the one-off voices, and albums you own multiple copies of, and would buy again and again. Or, for those with deeper pockets than mine, the conversation pieces from award-winning artists recognized by national galleries. Or on the other end, a child who’s a huge step ahead of their peers because, at the age of 2, they can double-tie their…
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Small Actions, Big Results: Celebrate What’s Really Working
Yes, I’m looking dead at you. When was the last time you actually celebrated something you did right? And I mean all those wins that you wrote off as small and didn’t even acknowledge. When you think about them, there’s so many, so while it’s unrealistic to hire a confetti ceiling net to drop each time, or pop some Veuve—who’s got that kind of money? You still need to pause long enough to say, “Hey, that was good! I did that! I did that!” Insert seat-shimmy dance. Here’s the sciencey (yes, that’s a word… kind of) truth to it. Big or small, your brain doesn’t care one bit. Every one of those wins…
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The Surprising Ways Book Clubs Better My Writing Process
When a new book club spun up in my ‘hood, and a friend invited me to join, I was like “Yeah, OK!”. I like books and writing but knowing it would be a monthly meet-up with some like-minded Babes, good wine, other drinks and a tasty but light spread to review books… oh, I was in. At the time we were confirming members, rules around hosting monthly etc., I was in the ugliest first stages of my book. Truthfully, I’d put it down. Stuck on which of five directions to take it in and no clear direction, no matter how much I Googled or hit Pinterest. This book club couldn’t…
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The Truth About Bad Titles and Your SEO Score
Got a problem being succinct? Love a melodic, lyrically infused blog title? Or a mysteriously clever promo header? I know I do. Well, guess what? SEO doesn’t love it as much. BOO! I know, I know. “Hands up, ‘Chatty Cathys’” Another thing to admit: I have a teeny-weeny tendency to… waffle on. I’ve been told this affliction is a bit more common in those of us over 40. Rude, but probably true. We (I) have a lot to say, learn, and share. And while that can work, to a point in your main blog content, it’s an absolute SEO killer, and leaves all your juicy content floating-in-the-wind-dot-com. Completely unnoticed. And…
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Juneteenth: Learning & Celebrating Black Freedom in the U.S.
Today is not just another Thursday. It’s Juneteenth. A day that marks freedom finally getting to the enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Two and a half years! Let that sink in for more than a moment. So when you hear people say it’s a celebration, now you understand. I was born and raised in London, England, to parents with Ghanaian roots, so learning about the reason for this national American holiday brought both horror but ultimately joy in the power of Black Americans. Through my discovery, and it’s been over some years, I found Juneteenth was actually one of many…
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How To Say “Oh, No, but Thanks”, When You Don’t Want To Do Something
I Don’t have to. Don’t desire to. Don’t need to. And said just like that. I can hear myself say it. Clear, crisp, firm. My kindest boundary. Being a Londoner, though I’ve lived in the USA for two decades now, occasionally I’ve had to explain to folks that my use of “sorry”, before I speak, isn’t what they think though it’s an easy mistake to make. I’m not walking around burdened by guilt and shame for every tiny misstep I make. And I don’t mean to speak for every Londoner, but it’s cultural and a term for an “Oops”. A version of “excuse me”. A filler word we throw in to keep things…
