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Hey honeys and hustlers,
The start of the summer has been one for the books. While summer technically starts on June 21st, I consider Memorial Day the official start of the hot-weather months (and goodness gracious, has it been hot). I’ve been trying to stay cool by getting outside in the mornings and being locked in during the day and evenings. Typically, summer is when I become more active. Attending more events, appearing on podcasts as a guest, and hanging out with my friends. But this year, I knew I was moving to another state (temporarily, I think), so I decided to try something different than my usual. I haven’t been publishing as much this year as I would like, and I wanted to use this month as a momentum shifter.
I said no to events and unnecessary travel
I took Threads off of my phone’s home screen (I doomscrolled dramatically less)
I stopped posting on LinkedIn daily
I ended the weekly Substack Livestream I hosted with Michelle and Corey (though I hope we can bring it back!)
I moved to a new state and started a new job
I kept biking and walking in this wild summer humidity and rainy weather
I got back to writing like a maniac, both digitally and physically
I made more time to edit my back catalog of video podcast episodes across 2 shows
I’ve always argued that saying ‘yes’ to something means saying ‘no’ to something else. But saying ‘no’ isn’t easy, however necessary it may be to give something a full-throated and whole-hearted ‘yes.’ I’ll also be the first to admit that I’ve likely procrastinated on making these hard decisions longer than I should have. I really want to give myself to writing and producing video/film at a high level, while making time for my friends, family, and nature. The sacrifices have largely been worth it, even if the subtle habit changes felt like huge adjustments at first. This month I’ve:
published 5 Melanin MVP podcast episodes (both and audio and video episodes). This has been our highest month for downloads since the launch of the show. 🤯
published 3 MMVP articles (with hopefully one more on the way)
published 6 Please Hustle Responsibly articles
garnered 7,000 total article views
biked and walked 75+ miles (not the most I’ve ever done in a month, but certainly not the least)
The results look sexy, but the choices to achieve these may not. This isn’t a “hustle til you drop” inspiration post. This is a “results look sexier than the sacrifices” post. And this isn’t even half of the sacrifices some creatives and entrepreneurs have to make. Sometimes it’s a financial investment that means you may not be able to go on vacation or attend a family member’s graduation (been there). The posts on social media look cool. Maybe this newsletter looks cool. But I want you to know that while my sleep hasn’t been the greatest this month, and my body definitely still needs to catch up on rest, I’m extremely happy with everything that I accomplished, and a little sad that I haven’t been able to travel (or plan travel) like I usually do. Two things can be true.
Now I’m off to figure out how to stay cool when temps reach 100+ for 3 days straight later this week. Happy Monday, I’m rooting for you. You made it halfway through the year. Be proud of that, and share your wins with me + others! You can leave a comment or reply to this email. I’ll include some community wins in the next newsletter so we can hype you up and celebrate what you’ve been working on this year.
P.S. I’ll be sharing more about the newsletter block template product over the next month, but if you want access to the newsletter templates early, click this link. The first 100 subscribers get lifetime access. Everyone else will have to enroll in an annual subscription.
Thanks for reading 💌
Angela's newsletter is genuinely heartful and helpful for creators. I find myself searching back in the archives for inspiration and practical tips.
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🚀 Community Spotlight
Emily Lauren Dick is a multi-passionate, feminist, author, brand strategist, and designer who helps values-driven businesses make money while making the world a better place. She is the founder of Unbuttoned Brands, a bold brand studio that creates brands for entrepreneurs that feel unmistakably like them—because being yourself is the strategy™.
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