Upscld Digital

10/08/2022

People will be up in arms over the normalization of hustle culture in the US but actively buy into the cult of overwork.

“It’s not sustainable”

“It kills productivity”

“It’s inefficient”

They’ll criticize the issue while their actions continue to glorify the Protestant worth ethic that fuels it.

I, for one, don’t want to participate.

So, here’s a photo of me on a 4-day vacation in Glacier National Park, pretending to not have cell service.

Was it stressful to return home to a flood of work tasks and an inbox overflowing with emails?

Yes.

Though, I try to avoid internalizing work-induced stress by detaching my virtue from the functionality of the organization I operate.

Humans are not designed for the sole purpose of institutional optimization.

The companies they work for are designed to optimize the human experience.

Dismantling the paradigm of overwork and burnout starts with individual application:

➝ De-emphasize your professional identity
➝ Prioritize your well-being + that of others
➝ Rehumanize communication in the workplace
➝ Stop sending work emails during the weekend
➝ Support community social programs
➝ Track measurable well-being metrics
➝ Redefine success for yourself and your teams
➝ Set strong boundaries around work
➝ Get comfortable with slowing down
➝ Refrain from using language that idolizes hustle culture
➝ Stop justifying exhaustion for a glamorous payoff
➝ Reframe unhealthy beliefs about competition, power, and hierarchy
➝ Release feelings of guilt

In doing any of the above, you run the potential risk of disappointing others or even yourself.

But there is nothing wrong with that.

People get pi**ed.

People get over it.

People become inspired by your fervent pursuit of freedom and a life well-lived.

People follow your lead.

The collective narrative shifts.

I'm always learning, failing, and learning some more.

So tell me, what other tips should be on this list?

11/05/2022

Want to position yourself as a disruptive thought leader?

Take notes.

NEW YORK (AP) — Actor and activist James Cromwell has gone from “Succession’s” Uncle Ewan to real-life supergluin’ — pasting his hand to a midtown Manhattan Starbucks counter on Tuesday to protest the coffee chain’s extra charge for plant-based milk.

29/03/2022

Most marketers believe that they have to know their audience on an extremely intimate level for their evergreen funnel to work successfully.

What most marketers forget is that their audience must know the brand on an extremely intimate level in order for their evergreen funnel to work successfully.

An audience member becomes a loyal fan of brands they can easily understand, depend on, and believe in.

What are you doing to turn consumer data + feedback into values-driven messaging and insightful storytelling?

28/03/2022

If you’re sick of trying to persuade your audience of your product’s or service’s value, it’s time to create better offers.

You’ll never need to use unethical or “salesy” marketing tactics to sell an offer that was intentionally designed to uniquely solve a problem for a specific type of person.

21/03/2022

TLDR: ✨No ✨


https://imeanmarketing.com/blog/will-ai-replace-content-writers-and-copywriters/ -ai-replace-copywriters

What does the future hold for content and copywriters? Will AI replace human writers, or will it augment their work? In this article, industry leaders share their thoughts on this topic.

17/03/2022

I’m currently recharging my brain with a mid-work day cardio session and came across this interview recommended by YouTube.

Founder of The Financial Diet, Chelsea Fagan, sat down with Create & Cultivate CEO, Jaclyn Johnson, to discuss what “having it all” really means as a female CEO.

https://youtu.be/SBU7LK_vJY4

The comment section of this video is filled with TFD followers expressing their immense dissatisfaction with the interview. Many commenters shared feelings of antipathy for Jaclyn’s use of the term “self-funded” when describing her entrepreneurial success.

I’m of the strong belief that nobody is truly “self-funded”. With business growth, there is typically always at least one person outside of the organization who is supporting the entrepreneur with the investment of their time, energy, capital, or other resources.

Sure, companies can absolutely be considered “self-funded” when discussed exclusively within the context of financial affairs. Though, we don’t live in a vacuum where all nuance of privilege is disregarded.

This interview and the backlash it has received validates my favorite rule of thumb when it comes to publicly proclaiming your success:

Present privilege where privilege is present.

Self-awareness of the ways in which this world has given you a leg up where others struggle to find footing is vital to maintaining a steady sense of empathy through each level up. Verbal acknowledgment of your privilege does not undermine your efforts or impact. Rather, it exhibits the magnitude of your consciousness.

I encourage you to watch a bit of the interview. When you’ve heard enough, come back and share your thoughts.

Is the “self-funded CEO” an illusion?

Do the upset commenters simply hold a much different perspective? Or, are they valid in their opposition?

Chelsea talks with Jaclyn Johnson, founder and CEO of Create & Cultivate, about her journey from self-funding a business to becoming an investor in other fem...

10/06/2021

It’s absolutely baffling to know how many people still don’t utilize this Facebook Business Suite scheduling feature to plan out their story content months in advance.

Now more than ever, the the algorithm is burying feed posts unless...

1. you’re paying IG / FB to run ads
2. you’re producing high levels of engagement across all content formats (stories, reels, igtv, IG live, etc.)

Essentially, unless you’re making the platform that cash money hunny in some way, shape, or form, they don’t care to push your content to current or potential audiences.

With that being said, accounts with a high story engagement rate have proven to do very well in regards to reach and impressions.

The precursor to achieving a high story engagement rate = consistent quality content.

Your followers’ definition of quality will vary greatly from mine, so be sure to ask them how you can provide value to their daily lives every now and then (1x/month).

Since they only stay up for 24 hours, interacting via IG stories presents you with an alleviated sense of pressure in contrast to the expectation of well-crafted caption copy and a photo or graphic that lasts forever.

Although, there’s always going to be those days where you just cannot tap or scroll with authenticity for the life of you. We all have those days, homeslice.

If you’re not already, I highly recommend getting the most out of content batching and scheduling by incorporating story content into that process.

That way, you’ll be able to allow yourself grace and take ‘er easy on those off days without feeling burdened by the growing algorithm-anxiety!

26/05/2021

The other day, Jake responded to my jumbled rambling, saying:

“You sound like you’re on zoom with your philosophy club friends.”

It dawned on me that every sentence I formed was phrased as a question, fused with my perspective and whatever context I was informed of. I had begun verbalizing each string of words with a story birthed by personal experience, stitching it together with inspired theories to investigate, leaving the seams of the topic open in its entirety.

I was first exposed to this way of conversing by my late high school physics teacher.

He had many intriguing interests, ranging from soap making to building bird houses. He was also so passionate about teaching science that he wouldn’t let me pass his physics class until I actually understood the material.

I remember falling to my knees begging for a merciful passing grade. Instead of pityingly bumping my F to a D-, he taught me with questions.

He didn’t pass me the first, second, or the third time. He simply remained open, providing me with the space to explore solutions and possibilities.

Before he lost his battle to cancer, I had the honor of answering his questions to my questions with questions. I recall particularly enlightening conversations during which I inquired about his faith, his family, and his marriage to the art of science. Bouncing questions off one another was both frustrating & amusing in the most remarkable way.

I think this is when I fell in love with all things subjective, unknown, open to interpretation, ever-changing. This love speaks to my admiration of abstract art and the human gift to conceptualize and create beyond what’s always been. This love echoes the appreciation of philosophy that I hold so dearly. This love illustrates my definitions of beauty, power, and truth.

What if change became a thing of curious wonder, instead of fear and dismay?

What does change look like when it’s approached with compassion and understanding, instead of judgement?

How can change manifest around you, beyond your control and influence, without becoming the driving force behind your anxiety?

From here on out, cool people answer questions with questions.

❣️

27/03/2021

In my content repurposing process, I use this modality in harmony with a streamlined, multi-platform content repurposing system for social media.

This infographic lays out the variation potential of a single piece of content so beautifully!

01/02/2021

If you’re preparing to click “share” on your post supporting using the term “poc” or “bipoc” or “African-Americans”... I encourage you to make the swap for “Black” when addressing topics pertaining to Black people.

We don’t need to tip toe around subjects concerning with racial injustice, white supremacy, or systematic oppression & discrimination- all the information we may ever need has been presented to us by incredible Black people who have no obligation or responsibility to teach white people ANYTHING, but do so in an invigoratingly heart-centered and forgiving fashion.

Thank you to Marie Beecham for these beautiful graphics & your pioneering work in educating all on anti-racism and justice reform.

13/01/2021