Announcements Aren’t One-And-Done

If you’re announcing your reopening - or even just letting people know about your current limited offerings - you can’t do what I’m seeing so many people do:

Just one text-on-image post stating the facts.

Nope.

First of all, most people won’t see this announcement post. They have to go searching for it. That itself limits the reach of your message - but if you’ve continued posting other things in the interim (which, hopefully, you have), you may leave many people confused without the whole story, since very few will scroll back to see the initial post announcing what the heck you’re doing.

Here’s how to do it better:

• Focus on still making your posts interesting (as in non-COVID time), but perhaps with a twist. A drink held by a gloved hand. A shopping bag held by someone with a mask. A picture of your take-out setup. That special you’re serving, shot in natural light in a way that makes it look absolutely delicious - in a takeout container. A stack of packages for online item orders, ready for the post office.

• Reiterate at the end of every post what your ordering or buying situation is. Don’t make people search for your previous explanation. Do make sure it’s at the end, though - the beginning of your post should still speak to people, just like it always should. It should draw their attention to what’s appealing about what you’re showcasing, or call them out in a way they feel identified with, or ask a question to engage them - look at old posts that got a lot of traction, and do the same in Coronatime. But always end the message with very, very clear, concise information on how people can support you (and safely obtain this thing you’ve gotten them so excited for).

• Post a lot! Seriously. People are ROOTING for small businesses right now. Many large companies are slashing budgets, which often means fewer ads, and even fewer organic posts. So, get in those feeds! Rather than making your followers sick of you (and again - they aren’t seeing every post, I promise you!), it’ll warm their hearts to see you surviving and thriving.

• Don’t forget to let people know who you are and where to find you! I can’t even count how many random “specials” menus I’ve seen posted on Facebook that don’t in any way indicate what restaurant they’re for, posted by the owner’s personal account instead of by the business. Don’t make people dig for information. Make it really clear who you are, where you are, and how they can support you right now - as well as how you’re there to support them!

#MidweekMinute 12/4/19: now with extra jazz hands!

Where were you for The Great Thanksgiving Facebook & Instagram Blackout of 2019?…

Facebook is going to start allowing users to transfer their photos more easily to third party partners, starting with Google Photos. The feature is being rolled out to Ireland first, with the rest of the world expected to follow in early 2020.

Facebook’s cracking down even further on preventing discrimination via ad targeting, expanding the rules to include every possible place one could purchase ads on the platform (not just within Ads Manager) and expanding the public ad library to make housing ad targeting more visible.

Instagram’s testing making your phone vibrate when you like a post. This was uncovered by reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong, who also discovered that Twitter is working on nested replies (like Reddit).

Wondering what to Tweet? The new 2020 @TwitterBusiness Calendar highlights upcoming events and how to Tweet about them.

Twitter has released Twitter Brand Surveys as a way to measure ad recall.

Twitter has also introduced the Twitter Privacy Center, a hub for all privacy-related information, features, and releases.

Don’t freak out if your YouTube subscriber count is down: YouTube is removing closed accounts.

#MidweekMinute 11/27/19: Keep your friends CLOSE

When Borat’s got more common sense and decency than your CEO, it may be time to look deeper…

Last week, the new social network on the block was the journalism-based WT.Social; this week, it’s Cocoon, a family-based networking app from former Facebook employees. (No networks OR ads, just you and your chosen family.)

On a related note, Facebook’s working on a Close Friends feature for Stories and Messenger, similar to the one Instagram has, continuing the overall trend towards “microsharing,” now that our networks have all gotten so swollen with acquaintances and strangers.

The new Facebook Viewpoints app will pay you for participating in surveys or performing tasks. They’re starting with a “well being” survey.

Facebook has quietly released a new meme-making app called Whale, which is exclusive to Canada at the moment. There was no fanfare or announcement, an uncharacteristic move for the social media giant.

In case you’ve ever been curious how Instagram’s “Explore” feed gets populated, they’ve given us a peek behind the curtain with a new blog post explaining the AI behind it.

Feature-uncoverer Jane Manchun Wong has discovered that Instagram is testing out a new IGTV feed with vertical scroll - ironic, as TikTok, which is laid out that way, was previously testing a grid feed, a la Instagram’s Explore tab.

Twitter’s Hide Replies feature is out of beta and available to all.

Twitter is also FINALLY bringing native scheduling to the platform! It’s in beta, and only some people have it. It’s web-only for now, though, which is frustrating, since we already have TweetDeck… but it’s a step in the right direction.

#MidweekMinute 10/9/19: Insta just keeps snappin'

Anyone out there being a “wirch” for Halloween?… No? OK, moving on.

Facebook’s Portal device will now integrate with its Workplace platform (think Slack meets a private Facebook for just co-workers), which should be especially useful for videoconferencing.

Instagram has launched the Threads messaging app, replicating one of Snapchat’s earliest functions. The camera app is built around direct, private photo and video messaging. Instagram’s also testing an AR feature that will allow you to virtually “try on” products like eyewear and cosmetics.

Instagram will also no longer allow you to see a feed of notifications regarding the actions of people you follow - so if you want to know what they’re up to, better slide into those DMs (or Threads!).

One big advantage for Facebook of owning Instagram: if a new feature isn’t a hit on one platform, it could still work on another. Facebook’s Group Stories, discontinued a few weeks ago, is now being tested as an Instagram feature. (It is worth noting that this, too, is a feature that originated many years ago on Snapchat.)

In a recent survey of U.S. teens, YouTube beat out Netflix for the first time ever as the most preferred streaming entertainment platform.

MORE INFO ON ALL STORIES:

View my Flipboard Magazine.

#MidweekMinute 9/25/19: The Future Is NOW

Sorry in advance for all my political Tweets. Let’s not go into that here… on to other social media news!

Facebook has suspended API access for tens of thousands of third-party apps in the continued wake of the Cambridge Analytica data-mining scandal, which prompted Facebook to investigate hundreds of app developers on the platform.

Facebook is discontinuing the seldom-used Group Stories feature tomorrow.

Facebook is acquiring CTRL-labs, a neural learning firm dedicated to translating human brain impulses into digital signals, as part of their Facebook Reality Labs team. The company’s key product is a wristband that will enable you to control electronic devices without touch. (Yes, we officially live in the future.)

Instagram has announced viewing restrictions on weight loss & cosmetic procedure content for users under age 18, and advertising restrictions for how such products are promoted in general.

Twitter’s Hide Replies feature, previously testing in Canada, is now active in the U.S. and Japan. This feature is designed to hopefully help discussions on the platform from getting too ugly (as they are wont to do).

YouTube announced - and then rescinded - major changes to its creator verification system, which would have rescinded verification badges from many creators based on updated criteria. YouTube will re-launch its verification program in late October for accounts not already verified.

YouTube and Google have announced Video Reach ad campaigns, which will enable advertisers to upload numerous types of video ads under a single campaign and allow Google’s AI to optimally distribute them in accordance with viewer insights.

Join me on LinkedIn Live at 4 pm ET for discussion of all stories!

MORE INFO ON ALL STORIES:

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#MidweekMinute 9/18/19: Creators gonna create

You all know you want #slofies of my dog, don’t even front…

LOTS of news about Facebook Creator Studio announced at the International Broadcasting Convention:

• New tools and metrics for Live, Watch Parties, Creator Studio

• Facebook Live “Rehearsal” mode

• Live video trimming

• Live video duration extended from four hours to eight

• Multistream broadcasting (simulcast to different platforms)

• Pre-scheduling to Instagram and IGTV via Creator Studio

• Expanded language options for auto-captioning

• New video metrics for Distribution, Watch Party viewership, and Loyalty

• Enhanced Watch Party branding, metrics, and sharing

Facebook is testing a new Chat post type to launch private group chats, much like the recently-introduced Chat sticker in Instagram Stories.

Facebook’s new Portal TV set-top box device functions as a broadcast system - like Firestick or Roku - as well as a webcam.

YouTube trolls beware: they’re testing a Profile Card feature that will publicly display your comment history.

LinkedIn has introduced Skill Assessment tests in order to support users’ claimed talents with validation badges for those scoring in the top 70th percentile or above.

more info on all stories:

View my Flipboard Magazine.

#MidweekMinute 9/11/19: "Likes" ain't nothing but a number...

Politics and vulgarity aside, one important user lesson on social media is to know who you’re dealing with.
(#TeamChrissy)

Moving on to more universally applicable social media news…

Let’s be real; you’re going to Facebook-stalk your online date anyway (I MySpace-stalked mine, back in 2006!). Why not just find them on Facebook Dating to begin with?

Facebook is tightening up location security on mobile, allowing for greater nuance and defaulting to whatever the user’s most restrictive settings are (device settings and app settings are often at different levels) unless otherwise specified.

Facebook’s also considering a test to hide like counts on posts, following a similar test by Instagram still in progress. YouTube has also recently removed follower counts from accounts with over 1,000 followers.

Facebook and Instagram are stepping up their ecommerce game, working on in-ad checkout functionality on Facebook and the ability to turn an organic shopping post on Instagram into an ad.

Watch those “private” Instagram posts - they’re apparently easy to access and share via web browser. (Whoopsies!)

If you’ve been posting your Tweets via text, you’re out of luck for a bit - Twitter is temporarily suspending that function after CEO Jack Dorsey was hacked via a SIM card swap.

Twitter doesn’t want to be a mystery to you; they want you to succeed (and thus keep using them). Hence their latest Agency Playbook, full of basic - yet key - tips on what’s proven to provide the most engagement on the platform. Helpful, right?

MORE INFO ON ALL STORIES:

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#MidweekMinute 7/3/19: Ms. Gritmon if ya nasty

I simply cannot imagine what public figure’s Tweets might inspire such a content warning…

Taking its recent advertising anti-discrimination regulations a step further, Facebook will now make advertisements for housing, jobs, and credit searchable by all users, regardless of income, geography, or other targeting features that might be deemed discriminatory.

New Story sticker alert: Instagram has officially added the rumored “Chat” sticker, which adds those who click it into a DM group.

Instagram is also adding ads to the Explore tab, and has rolled out a new profile layout (in case you’re wondering where scroll view went).

Twitter’s got a new layout in beta - and it’s making your Lists easier to access on mobile, just a quick swipe away from your home screen.

Twitter may soon allow you to customize the appearance of the site to your own liking. You’ll be able to better customize content, too; they’re testing an auto-mute feature that will preemptively prevent certain content from appearing on your feed based on accounts you’ve blocked in the past.

If you thought LinkedIn had been showing you more posts in your niches of interest, congrats, you’re correct; the algorithm has shifted to prioritize “people you know, talking about things you care about.”

LinkedIn is also beefing up Company Pages, including your choice of Calls to Action, mobile editing, and the ability to engage with hashtagged conversations as your page entity, and they continue to roll out upgraded advertising functions; the latest news is that audience retargeting is coming soon.

Girlboss is the new online professional network for women supporting women (started, of course, by Nasty Gal founder Sophie Amaruso).

more info on all stories:

View my Flipboard Magazine.

FAQ: Consolidating video traffic

Should I upload my video to one platform and then just link to it from the rest - or should I upload my video natively to each platform?

As with most things: this depends on your goals.

If you’re mainly focusing on building an audience on one platform over the others, and you want to consolidate all your views in one spot (for example, you’re trying to build your Facebook audience, thus views on your Facebook post would do you the most good), go ahead and link or embed the video when promoting it elsewhere.

However, that technique won’t get the most reach - and, therefore, won’t get as many overall views. Platforms give strong preference to videos loaded natively to their platform. So, if what you’re going for is as many eyeballs as possible on your content, load it up to each platform separately.

Make sense? Good.

FAQ: Well-equipped

What kind of equipment should you have in order to create great video?

Well… something that can create videos, for one. But that something can be your phone. My entire FAQ video series was filmed on my iPhone, as are most of my videos.

Good lighting can be provided by a window, a lamp… or, yes, a specialized ring light. Quality sound can come from a dedicated USB microphone (I like the Blue Yeti), a lavalier microphone that plugs into your phone (here’s a cheap one that I like)… or just the regular microphone on your phone, computer, or camera. You don’t need a fancy backdrop. You don’t need expensive equipment. In fact, apps like Wave.video, Ripl, and Camtasia don’t require you to film any video footage at all; you can utilize their libraries to create your own video from pre-made content.

So… what’s the one true must-have for your video setup?

A great idea, clearly executed, preferably entertaining and educational.

That’s truly it.

FAQ: SEO

I’ve had a LOT of people ask me about SEO - but many of those people don’t actually know what it means. They just know it’s important.

They’re right that it’s important. It’s part of how you get found online. And there’s a lot more to it than simply being on social media.

You know I hate turning down business - but, truly, SEO is a specialty unto itself! Even comic strip Christine recommends finding a dedicated expert if you’re serious about improving your SEO.

#MidweekMinute 5/1/19

Obviously, Facebook’s F8 conference - and the resultant announcements, and IMMEDIATE updates - is the big story this week. I’m even having a special livestream Thursday night with a few experts to go through some of the changes; join us live!

Facebook has announced they’re downplaying the newsfeed in favor of groups and events, making Messenger and direct communications with “close friends” a bigger priority, and upgrading the Dating features that they’ve apparently already had for a year in certain countries (did you even know? I didn’t; I recall announcing that it was coming, but didn’t know it had already happened!).

Facebook has also officially blocked surveys that mine for personal information (which is what got them in all of that privacy hot water to begin with).

Instagram has announced upcoming updates to their Camera feature, the immediate rollout of the Donate button for Stories that I mentioned last week, upgrading its Creator functions for more creative story options, and allowing influencers to sell things directly (more of an affiliate situation than a shop).

Twitter has announced several new live video content partnerships with content creators including Viacom, LiveNation, and the NFL. Not a fan of the new Twitter redesign? It’s all good; you can change it back. Twitter is also creating new tools for users to report misleading election-related posts, starting with India and the European Union - which, IMHO, is хорошая идея.

Meanwhile, LinkedIn is testing a “Services” feature for freelancers, which would help connect them directly to potential clients.

more info on all stories

View my Flipboard Magazine.

FAQ: Is Facebook dead?

Is Facebook dead?

Between the data crisis and Zuckerberg’s January 2018 game-changing “Facebookpocalypse” announcement, hoards of people have huffily announced that they’ve “quit Facebook” - and encouraged others to do the same.

Sure, some people have left. But is it a significant enough percentage of your audience that you need to shift your business plan around it?… let’s see what the data says.

My comic book alter-ego paraphrases Mark Twain:

FAQ: Must I advertise on social?

The January 2018 “Facebookpocalypse” is still being felt… with many pages experiencing limited organic reach.

Does that mean that Facebook is now “pay to play”?

What about other social media platforms? And, even if you CAN get organic traction, should you still be putting some ad dollars towards social media?

My comic alter-ego is always mindful of the needs of teeny tiny micro businesses - and, for them, ORGANIC can be the best source of data…

#MidweekMinute: App Tweaks

Now that we’ve all recovered from the FB/Insta/WhatsApp outage (honestly, I didn’t even notice it - I must have been busy on Twitter that day - or even IRL (gasp!)…

Facebook is experimenting with a few changes to the user experience. First up, they’re considering merging the newsfeed and Story feed into a single side-swipe interface (in a continued effort to get you to actually use stories on Facebook). They’re also testing bringing Messenger back into its main Facebook app, instead of forcing you to open the separate Messenger app to read messages on mobile. (That’s not the only change for Messenger - they’re also discontinuing Messenger Scan Codes.)

Instagram, meanwhile, is tinkering with their algorithm to demote content deemed “inappropriate” - sparking debate over what exactly that means. (Fewer belfies?)

Twitter is playing with a whole bunch of app changes in its new twttr experimental app (available by application only); they’re playing with swipe gestures (swipe to like!), improved conversation-thread tools (identifying authors, nesting original tweet context into replies), and creating a “true black” dark mode to save battery on mobile devices.

LinkedIn continues their march away from professionalism and into “social media” by adding reactions (and more photo stickers).

learn more:

View my Flipboard Magazine.

FAQ: Getting active on LinkedIn

How often do you log into LinkedIn?

If you’re still using it as a static resume hub, only logging in to update new information or when you’re looking for work - you’re missing out on a TON of opportunity.

It is NOT the same as Facebook, however…

Or, as my comic counterpart would say: it’s like real-life networking; bring your best business self, and leave the cat pictures at home.

FAQ: Should I use a Group or a Page?

You may be hearing a lot about Facebook Groups. But what are they? Are they different from Pages? Are they part of Pages?

My hot take, which not everyone will agree with (MLMs, I’m looking at you): Groups are for conversation, not sales. Tread carefully. Make sure you bring VALUE to your groups - otherwise, don’t do it.

And, regardless - definitely keep your page.

This week’s comic barely scrapes the surface of this complicated topic - but here’s her take.

FAQ: Do I still need a website?

Time for the flip-side of last week’s question: if social media is so important, do I still need my own website as well?

They’re pretty different things. Here’s why you need both.

My comic alter-ego agrees:

View fullsize

BAREing Our Inhibitions with Susan Hyatt

I was thrilled to be in the room with coach Susan Hyatt for the New York City launch party of “Bare,” her latest book.​

Susan’s BARE method is, nominally, an anti-diet diet book; in her practice, she does help women lose weight, and trains other trainers in her certified method. However, she will be the first one to tell you that it’s not really about weight loss, and it is certainly not about doing anything unhealthy in pursuit of a certain look. She rejects that utterly, and will, in fact, tell you that “weight loss coaching” is simply an easy in to find women who are ready for the REAL work - the work of letting go of societal expectations, ​and learning to put all of your energy towards making yourself happy, at ANY weight.

Although we are Facebook friends, I was honestly shocked that Susan truly knew who I was when I walked in the door - but she did, as well as details about my life. I loved that!​

As I do, I live-Tweeted her talk... and, as Beyoncé is her prime inspiration, I accompanied each insight with an appropriate Beyoncé GIF (one of which she specifically called out while retelling her journey towards the publication ​of “BARE”).

I have written the Beyoncé of diet books. @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/OhQpPTUHVY

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

​In Hyatt-world, “Beyoncé” could be taken as shorthand for “confident, kickass, unabashedly feminine, and a total game-changer.” Her book is not about making women feel bad about their weight, or to tell them what to do in order to get smaller. It is about finding their own POWER.

I created the book advance WITHOUT the publisher - choose yo’ self, ladies! @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/ekgpDhwBgx

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

Despite her magnetism and following, “BARE” actually had a hard time finding a publisher. Hyatt recounted a specific weekend where she traveled to NYC to meet with book publishers, only to find little interest when she arrived. She turned the weekend into a video shoot, creating the online portion of her BARE program - and turning a loss into a gain of not only productivity, but also profit.

My special sauce was helping a woman realize she’s valuable and amazing AS SHE APPEARS TODAY @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/DcyOyBJJSU

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

While Hyatt’s signature programs nominally revolve around weight loss, her mission is about empowering women - and training her certified coaches to do the same.​

Under the guise of weight loss, I was doing the real work of unwinding the message they’d received since childhood that their bodies were not valuable unless they fit a certain standard @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/OutdzNaKOT

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

​Hyatt referred to weight loss as a “Trojan horse” to get her messages of empowerment into womens’ hands.

This isn’t about THIGH GAP;
This is about WAGE GAP.@susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/mv2r0Iw8CL

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

Why women? Why not men? Well, if you exist in our society, you are likely aware of the messages society feeds women from birth about the connection between their physical appearance (skinny!) and their worth.​

The national emergency is not a fucking wall; the national emergency is violence against women’s bodies.@susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/8HyUFwxWdi

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

​These messages about worth - and worthlessness - have created a world full of women who are wasting so much of their time and potential feeling “less than.” Something as silly as weight is holding women back from so much in life.

When a woman isn’t giving her power over to an externa plan...
SHE BECOMES UNSTOPPABLE, BITCHES!@susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/NYm1P3Tdz7

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

​And we have come to Hyatt’s raison d’etre: freeing up the part of women’s minds that they waste on societal messaging so that they can apply themselves more fully to whatever it is that THEY want to do.

1. How much time do you spend every day thinking about your appearance in a negative way?@susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/65DPMRx5HB

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

​In our BARE notebooks, we had to think about & write down about how much time and energy we devote each day to thinking about looking bad: our weight, our attractiveness, even what we wear. The time we essentially waste on worrying that we aren’t good enough on the outside.

What’s a goal you have for yourself right now? @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/AB07tZnLVZ

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

Next, she had us each write down a goal we have for ourselves - then share that goal with the person next to us. Each pair was to look into their partner’s eyes and reassure the sharer that she could do it, and that we believed in her. (This exercise was more powerful than I had expected!)​

Who knows about the extra mental workload women have - the extra part-time jobs we have on top of everything else? @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/4NVE33sukj

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

​We spoke about the “emotional workload” that so many women bear disproportionally in their homes.

You may be becoming awake to all the ways in which you are keeping your circus together - and when I asked you your goals, you may have had a reaction to that. @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/0DxRINzPZo

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

Societal beauty norms are not the only energy sucks, claiming our thoughts and limiting our potential - this mental workload of “keeping your circus together” ​is another large part of what holds many women back.

If you were able to take all that energy that you spend ruminating on why you’re not good enough, and turn that towards achieving your goal, what would happen? @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/ZmdNJLqGlA

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

​What could we do with that time, that energy, that potential, if we weren’t wasting it on things outside of us? What if, instead, we could RECLAIM that energy, and put it to work for us?​

Yes, I do have hired help now - but I also have freed up all that energy I used to spend worrying about myself and not being good enough, and that has actually made me a time CREATOR @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/tPLkmRxsBi

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

The idea of “you have as many hours in a day as Beyoncé” isn’t entirely accurate - she, like Hyatt, has all sorts of help - but another thing these women have in common is that they’ve chosen to bring their FULL selves to their OWN goals, to block out the distractions, and to virtually CREATE TIME by applying themselves to their own work.​

The power of this book is really a recognition of the power we take from ourselves @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/XSCgez4QMk

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

​This book is not about getting skinnier. This book is not about eschewing yummy food, or working out for hours every day. This book is about eschewing the limiting BS and working on your GOALS. On yourself.

I really am out to disrupt the diet industry’s battle cry that if you only had more willpower, you could have what you want @susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/ehOOtyOJBR

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

Women HAVE willpower. We just need to give ourselves permission to apply it fully in the service of our wildest dreams, and to ignore the messages that we are wrong or bad if we fail to live up to unrealistic societal ideas - of beauty, of body, of priorities.

A woman does not need more
WILLPOWER;
She needs more
PLEASURE@susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/YMD765lkkM

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

We need to serve the master of OURSELVES.​

One of Susan’s personal stories that has touched me the most is one she shared on Facebook a while back (and has likely shared elsewhere).​ She was not always this fabulous, sparkly, globe-trotting badass reigning atop a seven-figure business empire. 

She was once a blander, heavier, unsatisfied stereotypical suburban mom. 

One weekend, as she and her family packed up their minivan to head home from a trip to the lake, she broke down in tears. She had a life she really DID need a vacation from, and she couldn’t bear to go back to it.

While I am not quite in former-Susan’s shoes (I’ve already found some sparkle), this really does resonate with me as a mom of small children. I run a household and a business, and it feels like there’s just not enough of me - and contributes to that overall concept of, “Who am I to be fabulous?”. So I asked ​Susan to share, on video, those first steps she took to break out of that rut, to reclaim her life and steer it so firmly towards FABULOUS - and she generously obliged.

(And you KNOW your girl got a video...)@susanhyatt #letsgetbare pic.twitter.com/7bnhQi4LA4

— christine gritmon✨#ATOMICON19 #DigitalWomen (@cgritmon) March 2, 2019

Thank you, Susan and friends, for a glorious evening celebrating OURSELVES and our power. There was dancing, champagne, yummy food, a sequined photo booth - and, above all, a feeling of HOPE. 

We all self-elected to be in that room. We are all up to the challenge of being our best selves, as defined by US. We are ready to rise above the bullshit, to BARE our insecurities, and to remove them, in the service of ourselves.​

Let’s do this, ladies.​