Marketing is Weird. Let's Talk.
How we’re hacking the system and making marketing more fun - all month long!
I’ve missssed you!
When I started this newsletter I gave myself a creative structure to work with - and sometimes that was really helpful - and then other times, it created a barrier.
Like right now.
I’ve been trapped by the barrier!
So today I’m reaching out because I freakin’ want to! No structures, no barriers, just you and me.
Talking about what we have to offer our world while it’s simultaneously crumbling…
It feels like showing up to a raging inferno with one delicately crafted artisanal ice cube.
I don’t know how many gifs of burning dumpster fires I can find, but holy hell…
How are you doing out there??
I’m choosing to view it all through the lens of absurdity — it’s one of the ways I’m managing my own nervous system.
But you’d have to be living under a rock not to see how the world is on fire — creatively, economically, existentially.
It’s easy to feel like your voice, your work, your unique creative magic is just another ice cube tossed into the flames.
In the spirit of transparency (always) here’s where I get overwhelmed:
I have SOOOO much I want to say to you…
I want to share all of the ways that I’m keeping myself sane.
I want to talk about what these world events are waking up inside all of us.
I want to talk to you about the rebellion we’re quietly building by choosing to nourish ourselves and manage our energy.
But as I shared above — I’ve created some barriers.
I don’t want to throw my ice cube into the fire unless I’m sure it’ll actually help.
This barrier is called perfectionism.
My desire to get it “right” is impacting my ability to show up messy and authentic, simply because I want to share.
Can you relate?
And to go FULL TEA, I never wanted this newsletter to be a form of, or feel like, marketing.
I thought that if I could make it feel valuable — feel like a dose of inspiration mixed with a warm hug from a friend — then it wouldn’t be “marketing”.
When did the word “Marketing” become so ICK?? And when is telling people what you have to offer that-could-rock-their-freakin’-world NOT valuable!?
What if we saw marketing as simply opening the door for the people who are looking for us?
Pssst — Do you see what it’s like inside of this coaching brain? Sometimes I just stick her in the basement so I can just watch my little shows and eat my little chips.
I will offer this to both of us:
We’re not just tossing ice cubes into the fire—we’re showing up. We’re adding something. We’re making it known that we’re here, we care, and we have something to contribute.
And when we do that, we make it easier for the right people to find us, support us, and build something with us.
Putting my money where my mouth is…
So many of my clients are struggling with Instagram right now. I mean, who isn’t!?
Many of them rely on it to market their business, or use it as the best way to connect with their communities, so understandably they’re feeling like they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I get that so hard.
But we get to decide how we want to feel about, relate to it, and how much time we want to invest.
What we’re often lacking in all of our marketing is a juicy mindset.
I just told you that I’m not a marketing genius — I need as much mindset and motivation work as the next person, so I want to find a way to hack the system and actually have some freaking fun and accountability with other people.
This is why Alisa and I are running a March Marketing Mischief Series inside of our free community of Creatives (Creative Connection Collective).
We’ll be running an event or workshop each week, leading us to a Marketing challenge that starts mid March.
Is this only for instagram? Heck no — some of you have already said buh bye to Zuck.
This applies to all kinds of marketing - social media (including Pintrest & Linkedin), direct outreach (email, in person, DMs, cold & warm leads), networking, guest speaking/podcasts, etc.
And I plan to do it with you!
March Marketing Mischief Itinerary:
Week 1 (Thursday March 6, 12pm EST): Marketing Mindset with Lauren
We’ll be discussing some of the roadblocks (ahem, perfectionism is one) that get in our way when it comes to all things Marketing, and how the heck do we help ourselves have more fun!?
Week 2 (Weds March 12, 12pm EST): Marketing Funnels with Alisa
What’s a funnel? Why does it sound icky? What is my funnel? Alisa will give us some clarity and help us identify our own.
Week 3 (Weds March 19, 12pm EST): Marketing Challenge Kick-Off! (with me)
I’ll lay out the game plan and how we’ll track/gamify
We’ll help each other form some very specific next steps so we know exactly what we’re doing.
Week 4 (Weds March 26th, 12pm EST): Community Connection Call
Get inspired and feel seen with the other amazing members of our community.
Week 5 (Weds April 2nd, 12pm EST ): Marketing Panel Discussion
I’ll be hosting some of our Community Members who are seeing success in various marketing modalities.
We’ll crowd source ‘the goods’ and find out what’s working for everyone.
There will be: Q&A time, community support & celebration, and accountability - all inside the CCC for free!
Can’t join live but want the community support? We got you! All events will be be recorded and live inside of the CCC Community Platform.
If you could benefit from an extra boost, come and join us in the CCC!
Any questions, please reach out.
Other updates/ What’s going on in my world these days:
Rest & Recovery
This season has been about slowing down, and I’ve been leaning into rest in all forms—physically, creatively, and even in how I structure my work. I’ve been trying to take a few cues from nature and allow myself to hibernate/incubate for a little minute.
The amount of snow here has been nuts-o.
I also had surgery, which has forced me to rest and recover (sometimes that enforcement is necessary), and I’ve been dog-sitting for my Mom while she escapes the snow.
I’ve been adding some fun creative things into the mix that have absolutely NOTHING to do with my work. I’ve been collaging, buying sparkly pens & markers, and I’m doing a rug hooking workshop on Saturday!
This Juicy Life
Aliyah and I decided to intentionally press pause on putting out new episodes of This Juicy Life at the moment, so that we can have space to create what’s coming next in the Juicy Life World. You can listen to us talk about that below.
If you didn’t know, we have 91 episodes(!) of juicy nuggs for you to soak up some inspiration, energy, and soul nourishment in the meantime.
You can peep the first look of our new branding designed by the fabulous Ari Farley!
What’s next for Juicy Life? What are currently juicing?
Aliyah and I are taking a Community Building Masterclass with Radha Agrawal who founded Daybreaker & co-founded Thinx with her sister Miki. We’re both huge Radha and Daybreaker fans - so this is a dream!
Fun Fact: Knowing I’m all about Community building, my brother actually gifted me Radha’s book Belong back in 2018, so this is feeling like a full circle moment!
Other things I am LOVING right now:
The Telepathy Tapes - is anyone listening!? We must chat!
I’m deep in the throws of learning about ADHD brains (through the coaching lens) and working on my certification. Looking for strategies? I got you!
Severence (2), White Lotus (3), & Love is Blind (obviously).
Egyptian Licorace Yogi Tea
Everything Colorful… because winter.
Okay, that’s all from me right now. Thanks for being here.
If you take away anything from this, I hope you see that it’s okay to be honest, (to “tell on yourself”) and admit to yourself what you need.
And when I say “need,” I mean “desire” — an intuitive need.
Do you need to rest? Do you need creativity for fun? Do you need to express yourself more? Do you need to tell people about what you have to offer? Do you need a community that both cheers you on and holds you accountable?
If you’re feeling that nudge to share your work more boldly, or if you want a little more fun and accountability, join us in CCC.
Let’s make marketing feel less like a chore and more like a creative playground - come make some Mischief with us!
I’m sending you all the love!