Do It Afraid

1 Tip (For Growing Online)

Fear has been the single greatest barrier I’ve faced in building a personal brand online.

• Fear of success

• Fear of failure

• Fear of trolls (online ones, not the adorable fluffy-haired ones)

For example, I set up this newsletter on beehiiv in November 2022.

The first edition was 95% drafted by February 2023.

Yet, I didn’t hit publish until April 23rd, 2023.

That’s 5 months and 3 weeks of fear-based procrastination.

• Fear that no one would read it

• Fear that some would hate it and unsubscribe (1 did lol)

• Fear that it wouldn’t actually live up to the promise of bringing HUGE value that I made to my subscribers

That’s also:

20 weeks of letting my emotions dictate my actions.

140 days of missed copywriting practice and missed community-building opportunities.

For some reason, I’ve had it in my head that if I keep working hard, then someday the clouds will part and make way for the magical moment where…

I’m not afraid.

Finally, I will be able to navigate my day, run my business, and build my brand online with 100% confidence and 0% fear.

Just like so many others I admire.

The thing is, that moment is never coming. And all those people I admire and you admire?

They’re afraid too.

So, as you head into this week, take this 1 tip with you…

DO. IT. AFRAID.

Don’t wait for that moment of fearlessness, or you’ll be waiting forever.

Go towards the fear.

Welcome it. Acknowledge it. Thank it for trying to protect you.

Then, with a couple of deep breaths, send it on its way and hit send, press publish, or step out onto that stage.

Because fear has dictated your moves and held you back for far too long. Just as it’s done with me.

And you deserve the freedom that’s on the other side of facing the things that scare you.

2 Tools (To Help You Get Efficient)

At INTENTIONAL. our philosophy on daily content creation is three-fold:

1. keep it simple

2. post consistently

3. maximize efficiency w/ tech

These are a must if our small team is going to deliver high-quality results for our clients.

So, here are two of my favourites tech tools:

1) Otter.ai: an AI meeting assistant that records audio, writes notes, automatically captures slides, and generates summaries.

• How we use it: generate team + client meeting notes, upload audio files to generate transcripts, use transcripts to create audiogram timestamps

• Costs: Basic (free), Pro ($16.99 USD), Business ($30 USD)

2) Hemingway App: helps you write with power and clarity by highlighting adverbs, passive voice, and dull, complicated words. Available offline.

• How we use it: edit blog posts, client emails, newsletters, etc.

• Costs: Basic (free), Desktop App ($19.99 USD, one time)

Note: these are not sponsored or affiliate recommendations. Just tech we use and like.

3 Tweets (With Gems From Me & Others)

Here are some of my favourite tweets from this past week:

1) Erica Schneider: saying what others won’t, here.

2) Justin Welsh: reminding us that money is just a tool, here. The goal is freedom.

3) ME: reminding ya’ll that everyone is afraid, here. Even Wyclef.

That’s all! Keep pushing this week and remember…

you got this 💪 

See you next Sunday,

kristina, with a “k”

P.S.

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

#1: We just launched the INTENTIONAL AF. Podcast; another go-to resource to help you elevate your brand in Web3. Every Wednesday we’re dropping 30 minutes of brand + marketing reviews, tech tool recommendations, and 1 personal brand tip you can implement right away! Check it out on YouTube and, if it provides value, please give us a like and subscribe.

#2: 1:1 Coaching: I help 2-3 high-potential artists, creators, and founders build their online brands quicker with my 1:1 paid coaching service each month. If you think this is you, respond to this email for more details.

#3: Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn for even more tips, tools, and tweets to help you grow your bada*s brand.

P.P.S

• I’m Canadian. There may be extra “u”s, double “l”s, and more. This is not a mistake. It’s willful.

• I’m Queer. A mother, a wife, and an advocate for equity of all people, not just Queer folks. Openly, and without filter, sharing the journey of building my personal brands means being authentically me.

• I’m living with mental illness. I’ve been in psychiatric care for depression since I was 12 (I’m now 39). My experiences with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia, panic attacks, and ADHD shape my perspective.

If any of the above isn’t for you, please unsubscribe.