For days, I've been wanting to share my heart with you, balancing family time and my own battles with procrastination. Today, I'm finally sitting down to tell you about my recent journey healing my relationship with my mom, and in the process, myself.
Every year I have a WORD for that year.
My journey in healing generational trauma, finding myself, and getting more aligned with my REAL me each and every day by addressing the deeply engrained narratives that kept me stuck and “safe”. Our businesses are a reflection of ourselves, and we are largely a reflection of our inner subconscious. As small business owners, it is our duty to re-write these narratives so we can get unstuck and live in full alignment with out highest potential, so we can shine a light on others and make the impact we are capable of making.
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Gloria
Today, I got a message from someone who watched my PR Masterclass to learn how to cold pitch and grow her business organically.
I get messages from people often about their main takeaways, and how they plan on using my CPR pitching method to get crystal clear on their message, but this message made me remember WHY this work is sacred to me, and to our PR Starter Pack community (are you joining us on our 2023 PR vision planning call tomorrow to meet our incredible members?)
So often, we feel like we have nothing to say.
We've been told that someone ELSE is always doing it better, and we should sit and "wait our turn".
I've spent an entire lifetime as a 5-foot-tall first-generation Asian American woman being told that other people's voices and stories matter more than mine.
From the times I've been asked if I speak English, to the times I've been told to get coffee because I "must be the intern because I look too young to be a manager", to being told I should pitch two white startup bros for a diversity story in the Spanish newspaper, even though they didn't speak any Spanish or have real ties to the culture, I finally realized that we will never be able to re-write the narrative if we don't take up space and see ourselves reflected back in the media.
This narrative that someone else always has something better to say is a legacy of oppression that keeps us small and quiet, and the work we are doing in our community is to destroy this harmful narrative that prevents us from doing the impactful work we are here to do.
I recently wrote an email about why we should give fewer f*cks about tools and strategies, and focus on priceless skills that can't be stolen instead.
The skill of using your voice to confidently tell your story and message to a wider audience is sacred work we do here, and tomorrow I can't wait to help our PR Starter Pack members set a vision for making 2023 a BIG, BOLD year.
If you feel like you've always sat on the sidelines because you had to "wait your turn", we are here for you.
If you feel like you've been trained to prioritize others' needs before your own, we see you, and we've got your back.
Together, we are decolonizing our minds and paving a new path----one that doesn't involve giving our power away to others.
If this resonates with you, I hope you can join our community and meet us soon.
Let's shine a light on each other so we can ALL shine brighter.
Gloria
We aren't just here to get another set of "tools" or pay for a "framework" or even the next best strategy.
Tools and strategies come and go, and can be bought/copied/given/transferred.
But not skills.
Skills have to be built through test and practice, with the support of community, the bravery of your own self-actualization and forged through the richness of your own experiences.
As small businesses, we are in a community to support one another in the lifelong building of skills so that we can have beautiful mastery in our domain.
Skills allow us to rise above the constant "looking around everywhere for the answer", to an inner knowing because we've built a repository of deep knowledge that allows us to take informed actions so we can grow.
Skills are irreplaceable, priceless assets that NO one can take away or steal from us--regardless of the market conditions, or how many or little resources you might have.
Skills are what elevates our ability to create value and achieve our goals.
That's why our PR community is so enriched by everyone's diverse experiences.
Because together, we share the goal of acquiring skills that are more valuable than anything that can be copied, sold, or transferred.
The other day, I was doing a 1-1 pitch writing session for a PR Starter Pack member (btw, our 2023 PR vision planning call is on 1/30th--are you joining?).
She was a designer and watercolorist and we talked about Pantone's color of the year.
Usually, it's kinda like, who the hell cares....if you're not a designer or artist.
But then she said something striking.
This year's color is a BOLD SLAP IN THE FACE.
Then I got to thinking.
If these "color of the year" decisions are made on purpose, then maybe this LOUD ASS, BOLD, UNAPOLOGETIC Magenta color is telling us something.
New years often floods us with so many emotions, goals, things we wish we did, things we regret we did, and things we already feel overwhelmed by knowing we 'have to do'.
As small business owners wearing ALL of the hats, I also know the feeling of wanting to do better and improve upon yesterday and last year, with the constant desire to optimize and accomplish MORE.
This need for MORE literally drove me to burn out, see post here
Wanting to accomplish MORE isn't a bad thing.
But this email is to remind you that you are a living, breathing, limitless human and you deserve to rest and to feel expanded. And not feel guilty about not being "productive" 24/7.
Because your most game-changing ideas and most powerful energy come from a state of feeling expanded and infinite.
So, whatever your goals or themes for your business for this year, here's a reminder that we do not need another "NEW YEAR PLANNER" or reason to feel "behind".
Last month, I hosted a 2-hour live workshop/monthly training call for our PR Starter Pack members where we discussed:
Exclusive insights on the 2022 State of the Media and Journalism from Cision and what's changing about PR
Insider tips on how to follow up and collaborate with journalists
Last minute gift guide pitching tips + examples
How to use HARO
What is a "good" open rate and DM follow-up cadence?
Pitch feedback from InStyle Shopping Editor Emily Cieslak who shows us REAL emails she gets in her inbox (!!) + introducing her to our PR Starter Pack members!
and more!
On last month's PR Starter Pack member calls, I revealed that these words were cliche and should be ❌ avoided as they are not specific or valuable enough to pitch⬇️
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