• If you know anyone with dementia, you know they have certain phrases they like to repeat. For my maternal grandmother, it was, “Looks like spring.” (Along with, “Where’s my purse?” but that’s a story for another day.) It didn’t matter what time of year. If the sun was out, it “looks like spring.” It became a catchphrase of sorts that my mom and I say to each other to this day. Just today, I texted her a picture of blooms on a tree and you know by now the response I got. As funny as it is, it is bittersweet. Dementia is a cruel disease and we had to look for the humor or we’d go absolutely mad ourselves. Being surrounded with a family of medical professionals, gallows humor is a real and necessary part of the deal. It’s a reminder to find the humor and keep your humor as much as you can, even during the darker times. It’s also a good reminder of the power of connection. She’s been gone and hasn’t said “looks like spring” in over a decade, but the shorthand my mom and I have through her words carries on. I’m certainly not saying to bypass the negative emotions, rather advocating for the opportunity to find something that makes the negatives feel not so bad and a bit easier to navigate. Swipe to see some pretty flowers found on my walks this week that definitely look like spring. Hug your people. Tell someone you love them today.
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    If you know anyone with dementia, you know they have certain phrases they like to repeat. For my maternal grandmother, it was, “Looks like spring.” (Along with, “Where’s my purse?” but that’s a story for another day.) It didn’t matter what time of year. If the sun was out, it “looks like spring.” It became a catchphrase of sorts that my mom and I say to each other to this day. Just today, I texted her a picture of blooms on a tree and you know by now the response I got. As funny as it is, it is bittersweet. Dementia is a cruel disease and we had to look for the humor or we’d go absolutely mad ourselves. Being surrounded with a family of medical professionals, gallows humor is a real and necessary part of the deal. It’s a reminder to find the humor and keep your humor as much as you can, even during the darker times. It’s also a good reminder of the power of connection. She’s been gone and hasn’t said “looks like spring” in over a decade, but the shorthand my mom and I have through her words carries on. I’m certainly not saying to bypass the negative emotions, rather advocating for the opportunity to find something that makes the negatives feel not so bad and a bit easier to navigate. Swipe to see some pretty flowers found on my walks this week that definitely look like spring. Hug your people. Tell someone you love them today.
  • Last January, I shared an idea with a mastermind group I’m in. I said something like, “Hey, I think a deck of story starters for marketing would be a great idea! So when you’re stuck, you can pull a card and get a prompt to write about.” Then I immediately got busy doing something else. The idea was always in the back of my mind, though I resisted it because it didn’t feel quite right — something was missing. What’s missing is our connection to self. We have to know how we feel about ourselves before we can ever begin to connect with others. Once I realized that (and got an encouraging-yet-firm push from @erynemorgan last fall), everything came together. Maybe I’ll make a marketing prompt deck one day, but for now, I’m beyond pleased to introduce @untitledjournalcards! Untitled: Self-Discovery and Journaling Cards were designed to help you tap into the power of your own story so you can first connect to yourself and then with others.

✍🏻 Everyone has a story and we need the connection that the power of words and stories bring to our lives. When we connect with others through our stories, we learn about ourselves, we learn about others, and we can heal parts of ourselves — even parts we didn’t know needed to feel that relief of healing and connection. Words are powerful. Use this deck to guide you in your writing practice to heal, discover, and maybe even share your words.
 Remember, you get to say what the title is because it's your story. Your story. Your life. Your title. 👈🏻 Swipe to see my attempt at mock-ups, follow @untitledjournalcards, and pre-order your deck (link in both bios). There’s still work to be done, but action over perfection! This quote came up during @dontkeepyourdayjob podcast with @annelamott (I believe her friend said this, actually) and I immediately ran to a Post-it to write it down. It’s so good!
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    Last January, I shared an idea with a mastermind group I’m in. I said something like, “Hey, I think a deck of story starters for marketing would be a great idea! So when you’re stuck, you can pull a card and get a prompt to write about.” Then I immediately got busy doing something else. The idea was always in the back of my mind, though I resisted it because it didn’t feel quite right — something was missing. What’s missing is our connection to self. We have to know how we feel about ourselves before we can ever begin to connect with others. Once I realized that (and got an encouraging-yet-firm push from @erynemorgan last fall), everything came together. Maybe I’ll make a marketing prompt deck one day, but for now, I’m beyond pleased to introduce @untitledjournalcards! Untitled: Self-Discovery and Journaling Cards were designed to help you tap into the power of your own story so you can first connect to yourself and then with others.

✍🏻 Everyone has a story and we need the connection that the power of words and stories bring to our lives. When we connect with others through our stories, we learn about ourselves, we learn about others, and we can heal parts of ourselves — even parts we didn’t know needed to feel that relief of healing and connection. Words are powerful. Use this deck to guide you in your writing practice to heal, discover, and maybe even share your words.
 Remember, you get to say what the title is because it's your story. Your story. Your life. Your title. 👈🏻 Swipe to see my attempt at mock-ups, follow @untitledjournalcards, and pre-order your deck (link in both bios). There’s still work to be done, but action over perfection! This quote came up during @dontkeepyourdayjob podcast with @annelamott (I believe her friend said this, actually) and I immediately ran to a Post-it to write it down. It’s so good!
  • This picture is NOT current reality. In real time, I’m sitting at a makeshift desk because my real office desk is torn apart. The day I’ve been waiting for is here… I’m getting new windows installed! (The things we get excited about after a certain age.) And I figured I’d take this time, while boundaries are being broken and my physical space is transforming, to share a bit about other transformations and boundaries that have been happening. The big one…. I’m changing up my services. I’ll still offer copywriting (I am a writer at heart after all) but I’m changing how I do it. In this season, instead of retainer copywriting, I’m offering quick-turn writing services. 👉🏻 You can hire me for a week and we can accomplish a LOT or you can hire me for a day and we can work on one specific project. If you go with a week, you’re basically handing off all decisions to me. If you go with a day, we can create together. This is especially great if you have something that’s so close to being done, but you need a final push to finish. 👉🏻 You can also hire me to audit your words if you’re thinking, “Hm. This is good but it could be better.” 👉🏻 Or I can help you with your strategy and messaging. Because listen, if you don’t have a plan, you aren’t really making any real progress. 👉🏻 OR you can hire me to be your writing coach and collaborator and learn to tell your story better. And to hire me to do any of this begins by contacting me. You’re smart and you knew that part. ^^ That’s uncomfortable to share. But @jamielynnjensen said I had to do this and I’m a rule follower and also a person with rent and bills and a dog who likes the good peanut butter and I have to talk about this! So, listen, this post is very much “Do as I say, not as I do” because I would probably never be like, “Slapdash a post together in the middle of a construction zone where you can barely hear yourself think,” but that’s were we are today, friends. Perfectly imperfect!! What have you been working on? I want to hear about it in the comments. Please take this post as permission to share it imperfectly. PS: ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, JAMIE?? 📷 @gossboss_photovideo
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    This picture is NOT current reality. In real time, I’m sitting at a makeshift desk because my real office desk is torn apart. The day I’ve been waiting for is here… I’m getting new windows installed! (The things we get excited about after a certain age.) And I figured I’d take this time, while boundaries are being broken and my physical space is transforming, to share a bit about other transformations and boundaries that have been happening. The big one…. I’m changing up my services. I’ll still offer copywriting (I am a writer at heart after all) but I’m changing how I do it. In this season, instead of retainer copywriting, I’m offering quick-turn writing services. 👉🏻 You can hire me for a week and we can accomplish a LOT or you can hire me for a day and we can work on one specific project. If you go with a week, you’re basically handing off all decisions to me. If you go with a day, we can create together. This is especially great if you have something that’s so close to being done, but you need a final push to finish. 👉🏻 You can also hire me to audit your words if you’re thinking, “Hm. This is good but it could be better.” 👉🏻 Or I can help you with your strategy and messaging. Because listen, if you don’t have a plan, you aren’t really making any real progress. 👉🏻 OR you can hire me to be your writing coach and collaborator and learn to tell your story better. And to hire me to do any of this begins by contacting me. You’re smart and you knew that part. ^^ That’s uncomfortable to share. But @jamielynnjensen said I had to do this and I’m a rule follower and also a person with rent and bills and a dog who likes the good peanut butter and I have to talk about this! So, listen, this post is very much “Do as I say, not as I do” because I would probably never be like, “Slapdash a post together in the middle of a construction zone where you can barely hear yourself think,” but that’s were we are today, friends. Perfectly imperfect!! What have you been working on? I want to hear about it in the comments. Please take this post as permission to share it imperfectly. PS: ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, JAMIE?? 📷 @gossboss_photovideo
  • “Be humble enough to keep learning.” We were chatting briefly after a workout when he said that to me. I immediately went home, wrote it on a post it, and stuck it to my computer monitor. (Before I even made myself a cup of coffee, so you *know* it was important!) But like… Isn’t that the truth?? Continue to learn, improve, find new perspectives. AND be open to knowing that you aren’t the expert. We have to be willing to be curious and confident enough to admit that we don’t have all the information about all the things all the time. There are tons of things we don’t know. But if we’re humble, curious, and open to learning… THAT, to me, is a sign of a life well lived. (Thanks to @thelexgonzalez for inspiring this post and killer workouts at @rampnrize!)
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    “Be humble enough to keep learning.” We were chatting briefly after a workout when he said that to me. I immediately went home, wrote it on a post it, and stuck it to my computer monitor. (Before I even made myself a cup of coffee, so you *know* it was important!) But like… Isn’t that the truth?? Continue to learn, improve, find new perspectives. AND be open to knowing that you aren’t the expert. We have to be willing to be curious and confident enough to admit that we don’t have all the information about all the things all the time. There are tons of things we don’t know. But if we’re humble, curious, and open to learning… THAT, to me, is a sign of a life well lived. (Thanks to @thelexgonzalez for inspiring this post and killer workouts at @rampnrize!)
  • A post on social media is not going to fix anything. What will is taking small, deliberate actions each day to contribute to the world you want to live in. Every day, you have a choice. Supporting our communities by spending dollars with the people whose values align with ours and spending it with a company that serves the community you live in. Or with a large corporation with questionable practices, loopholes, and inhumane conditions for workers. Posting caring, positive messages. Or anger, hatred, and divisive language. Hell, even saying hello to your neighbor or walking right on by. The choice is yours. Every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you want to live in. Every word you speak is a vote for the world you want to live in. Every action is a vote for the world you want to live in. We (white folx) have massive privilege. Let’s use it.
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    A post on social media is not going to fix anything. What will is taking small, deliberate actions each day to contribute to the world you want to live in. Every day, you have a choice. Supporting our communities by spending dollars with the people whose values align with ours and spending it with a company that serves the community you live in. Or with a large corporation with questionable practices, loopholes, and inhumane conditions for workers. Posting caring, positive messages. Or anger, hatred, and divisive language. Hell, even saying hello to your neighbor or walking right on by. The choice is yours. Every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you want to live in. Every word you speak is a vote for the world you want to live in. Every action is a vote for the world you want to live in. We (white folx) have massive privilege. Let’s use it.