It’s called Ready, Set, Pause, a social movement that encourages individuals to take an eight-minute ‘pause’ in their daily lives. Did you know that by taking a daily pause, you lower stress as well as increase productivity, creativity, and overall well-being?
The pause reminded me of my “Flowista” unplugging practices and Digital Sisterhood Unplugged Weekends. So I tried it and discovered it does in fact work. I have also recommended the practice to my coaching and yoga clients. Click here to watch Martin discuss the movement and mindful self-care practice.
Are you under a lot of stress each day while using your digital devices?
Are looking for a way to take better care of yourself?
If you answered YES, I encourage you to try the Ready, Set, Pause. To learn more about the practice and movement, follow @ReadySetPause on Twitter and use the #readysetpause hashtag to share your experiences with the RSP community on social media sites.
Ananda, Dwana, and Pauline — Photo Credit: BlogHer
Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!
While I was co-hosting the BlogHer Multi Culti party with my digital sisters Pauline Campos and Dwana De La Cerna on July 26 at the Sheraton Chicago, I had so many wonderful conversations with the dynamic members of the BlogHer community. The conversations reminded me how diverse we are as bloggers with different ethnic backgrounds, family histories, gifts, life experiences, opinions, perspectives, and talents. Check out some of the event photos below. All photos are from BlogHer.com. Click here to see the entire collection.
Did you attend the Multi Culti Party? If so, what were some of your favorite moments?
Walrond’s book celebrates the concept that what makes us different makes us beautiful — and may even be the source of our superpowers. Her book personifies how I feel about the BlogHer community.
Our differences make BlogHer more beautiful and powerful. Together, we are able to tap into our superpowers as bloggers and give voice to what so many others may not have the access, courage, or right to say online and offline. And for that I am truly grateful!
What makes the BlogHer community beautiful and powerful to you?
Technology, the Internet, and social media are amazing. They have empowered people with information, a global space, and a portfolio of tools to communicate, to promote, and to debate their ideas and experiences. They have also presented challenges in how people communicate and engage with each other as they exercise their freedom of speech on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other sites in cyberspace. Some of these challenges include speech that causes fear or creates a threat of being the target of unwarranted abuse, harassment, or lies. Thanks to organizations like CiviliNation, an education and research nonprofit that focuses on advancing the full capability of individuals to communicate and to engage in cyberspace in a responsible and accountable way, work is being done to educate people about these challenges.
Shashi Bellamkonda, Andrea Weckerle, and Ananda Leeke at Weckerle’s March 2013 book signing – Photo Credit: Shashi Bellamkonda
I had a chance to reconnect with Weckerle during her March book reading for Civility in the Digital Age at Georgetown University in March. Her book educates readers in great detail about the depth of online hostility and reputational attacks against people and organizations. It also offers solutions on how to transform the current digital space into a place that honors and respects each person’s voice. It’s definitiely one of my favorite books of 2013!
CiviliNation recently launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to create the CiviliNation Academy for Online Conflict Management. The CiviliNation Academy plans to build a worldwide community and resource library that will become the go-to source for real-world information and expert advice people and organizations can use to cope with misunderstandings, clashes, and reputational hits in the digital space. Please support this campaign (ends on August 7). Any amount you can give will help! I gave $10.
John Leeke volunteering at Obama Phone Bank in PG County, MD, 2012
Happy Internet Tuesday!
Today, I am paying a special tribute to my father, Dr. John F. Leeke, an entrepreneur, organizational development consultant, social justice activist, over 70 cyber-citizen, husband, and father. I call him “J” for short.
J joined Facebook on the evening of January 20, 2009, the day President Barack H. Obama was sworn into his first term in office. Since 2009, J has used his digital presence on Facebook and Twitter to support President Obama. He has attended several D.C. social media events including the Blogalicious Weekend Conference in 2011. He also started live tweeting and Facebook posting while watching many of the political news programs on MSNBC and any late breaking news programs.
Dr. John: Change Agent l Change Advocate l Change Influencer blog
Last year, he launched his blog, Dr. John: Change Agent l Change Advocate l Change Influencer. Initially, his blog was dedicated to supporting President Obama’s re-election campaign. Earlier this year, he decided to devote his blog to sharing thoughts, opinions, and information, and raising questions about issues of race, diversity, and differences. As a cyber-citizen blogger, “J” hopes to serve as a motivator, stimulator, agitator, questioner, and hopefully an advocate for improving the quality of life for all regardless of who they are. One of his most recent blog posts discussed the Trayvon Martin case. Click here to read it. This week, he wrote a blog post that offers tips on how to have discussions about race in your local community. I encourage you to check it out. J knows what he’s talking about (yeah I am bit biased …. he’s my father, but he is the real deal when it comes to race and diversity work)!
Are your parents active online? What tools do they use the most?
This month is filled with social media and tech learning opportunities. On July 10, I’ll be attending the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council’s 11th Annual Access Capital and Telecom Policy Conference at the Embassy Suites Convention Center and Hotel in Washington, D.C. The theme is “Maximizing Innovation, Inclusion, and Entrepreneurship in a Digital Economy.” I am very excited about two panel discussions.
Media Experts Share Their Secrets to Success in a Multi-Platform World featuring Issa Rae of the Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl and ASPiRE TV’s new talk show “Exhale,” Paul Butler of ASPiRE TV, Karen Wishart of Sean Combs’ Revolt TV, William Crowder of Comcast Ventures, and Nathaniel Cotanch of RockthePost.com
Spurring Innovation: Tips for Tech Entrepreneurs Who Want to Turn an Idea into a Business featuring Bruce Lincoln of Urban Cyberspace Company, Clayton Banks of Ember Media, York Eggleston of Semantic Labs/YE Ventures, Eric Hamilton of Around the Way, and Lisa Jones Johnson of NextGen Media
For more information about the conference, click here to see the agenda.
The List (and how to get on it): If there is one question we hear from bloggers covering this image- and access-conscious industry, it’s “How do I get on *the* list?”. We’re bringing publishing, PR and brand perspectives to the table to give you an inside look at how it works. BlogHer editor-in-chief (and longtime women’s magazine leader) Stacy Morrison moderates the insightful advice from Adrianna Guilliani from Devries Public Relations, Cristy Turner from Digital Brand Architects, and Genevieve Ascencio from Factory PR.
Photo Credit: JusticeFergie.com
Before I attend the Style Mini Conference sessions, I plan to participate in “Justice Fergie” Stacey Ferguson’s Summer Brand-O-Rama, a FREE four-week email workshop that will provide critical tips on how to cultivate brand partnerships that begins on July 5. Click here to sign up. My goal is to learn how to build brand partnerships that support my blogs and the Digital Sisterhood Network.
Stacey Ferguson a/k/a Justice Fergie and Ananda at BlogHer 12 Brunchalicious Event – Photo Credit ‘ BlogHer.com
Stacey is the queen of branding and empire building in my book! She is one of my virtual and IRL “Empirista” mentors.
BlogHer.com
If you are planning to attend BlogHer 13, check out the questions below.
What are your top three to five conference goals?
What sessions are you planning to attend? And why?
What are you doing to prepare for BlogHer 13?
BlogHer.comBlogHer.com
PS: I will be speaking about social media leadership on July 26 (10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.) and July 27 (11:30 a.m. – 12 noon), and co-hosting the Multi-Culti party on July 26 with two amazing digital sisters, Pauline Campos and Dwana De La Cerna. I hope you will be able to join us at the conference and the Multi-Culti party. Click here to register.
Guess what I did last weekend? I participated in the Digital Sisterhood Unplugged Weekend (#DSUnplugged).
Ananda’s Flowista Manifesto collage dedicating to unplugging
Guess what happened?
I really had a great time unplugging. I was able to chill out, relax, practice yoga, run, sleep in, read some of my favorite magazines like More and Fast Company, attend a fantastic gallery opening (will talk about on my Creativity Thursday blog), complete some of the edits for my Digital Sisterhood book, write my “Unplug” Manifesto as a Flowista (a woman who unplugs from her to-do list and digital life sand practices self-care on a regular basis) with a collage illustration, and reflect on the women in social who have become my virtual mentors. That’s a lot, right?
While reading the July issue of More, I discovered an article in the Second Acts section that featured a profile about two of my virtual mentors, Stefania Pomponi and Cat Lincoln, co-founders of the Clever Girls Collective, a social media agency.
Photo Credit: Stefania Pomponi
Photo Credit: Cat Lincoln
The More article discussed how Stefania and Cat came together as friends to create the Clever Girls Collective and took a road trip to the BlogHer 2009 conference in Chicago, Illinois. I first discovered Stefania at the BlogHer conference and later learned about Cat and the Clever Girls Collective. They impressed the you know what out of me! I loved their community building efforts, commitment to empowering women bloggers, energy, and business savvy. I started following them online and watching them make moves to build their Clever Girls empire and thriving community of bloggers. I also made sure to hear them speak at the various social media conferences I have attended over the years.
Photo Credit: The Clever Girls Collective
They lead and teach by example. They share insights and lessons learned in their online activities. When they speak in public at conferences, they drop “serious knowledge.” That’s why they are two of my virtual mentors.
PS: Virtual mentors are women and men in the digital space who have influenced, informed, and inspired me through their blog, books/e-books, businesses, creative expression, community building efforts, e-books, lessons learned, social good activities, social media engagement, TEDx Talks, thought leadership, videos, webisodes, webinars, and web sites. Many of my virtual mentors are people I have never met online or face-to-face. They may not even be aware of how much they have influenced me. Some are folks I have connected with online and had conversations with via social media. There are others who I have met in person. And then there are a few I have come to know as friends in real life (IRL). All of them add great value to my life!
This year, I started subscribing to the RailsGirls DC Twitter account and blog. That’s how I learned about the June 13th workshop on how to build apps and other programs with Ruby on Rails. I applied to participate and explained how I wanted to create apps to support the Digital Sisterhood Network.
My new Samsung laptop all ready for Rails Girls DC June workshop
After my application was approved, I made plans to attend the June 10th installation workshop and meet up at Living Social. Nervous is probably the best word to describe how I felt walking into the meet up. I calmed down a few minutes after I settled into my chair, opened my brand new Samsung laptop, and began chatting with other women who like me were embarking on their very first coding journey. Things got much better when I received one-on-one coaching support from volunteers who work during the day as developers. Each person who helped me was friendly, smart, kind, patient, and passionate about helping women learn and understand the world of coding. I left the meet up with more confidence, a better grasp of how to navigate Windows 8 on my new laptop, and a basic understanding of how to access my app on http://localhost:3000, open my terminal and start my app, Heroku.com, and SublimeText.com (the digital space where you can edit code files).
My RailsGirls DC digital sisters Geraldine, Ananda, and Niyati
The June 13th workshop began on a positive note. The first person I met was my Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority sister Geraldine Gooding (@STEMWoman). We connected and introduced ourselves as we entered the Silver Spring Civic Center. Our first conversation was about my bright royal blue and yellow Sigma bag. I’m so glad I carried my laptop in it! It turned out to be a great networking tool!
My RailsGirls DC digital sister Emily and I
When we picked up our registration materials, we learned we were assigned to the same team. I sat down next to Emily Summers, founder of MarketTorque.com. Emily and I chatted about her MarketTorque business and dspire project, and our reasons for attending the workshop. Geraldine sat down next to my yoga digital sister Niyati (@awakenvision). What a reunion!
My RailsGirls DC digital sisters
The other ladies at my table were friendly, fun, and filled with passion and positive energy. The best things about working with them were the support we provided to each other and the conversations we had during the coding exercises.
My RailsGirlsDC coach Greg KenenitzMy RailsGirlsDC coach Melanie Gilman and I
Our group coaches Greg Kenenitz and Melanie Gilman were AMAZING! They really held our hands, encouraged us to figure out challenges, and made sure we learned.
I really liked seeing the diversity among workshop participants (women of African and Asian descent were represented) and how the workshop organizers stayed on track with the agenda. It included a well-balanced mix of short presentations on Terminal, Ruby, and Rails, working sessions that allowed teams to complete coding exercises, question and answer periods with the coaches, lunch period with networking time (healthy vegetarian food included), yummy snacks (chocolate, Jolly Ranchers, and salsa and chips), and lightening talks (ten minute talks) on lean start up methodology, becoming your own chief technology officer, grit/perseverance/achievement, and becoming a developer.
Special shout out to the June workshop organizer Emily Williamson and the sponsors RubyNation, Living Social, Custom Link, SAIC, AT&T, Mod Cloth, Mobile Commons, Social Driver, Vox, Spree, Inferno Red Technology, and General Assembly.
RailsGirlsDC Workshop coaches, participants, and organizers – photo by Emily Williamson
The women I meet online are some of the most brilliant, creative, entrepreneurial, and generous people in the universe. Alli Worthington is one of these women. Alli is the founder of Blissfully Domestic, a women’s e-zine, that helped spark the creativity she used to launch and co-found BlissDom and BlissDom Canada with Barbara Jones, CEO/Founder of Blissful Media Group and One2One Network in 2008. She is also a business consultant, coach, speaker, and strategist who has worked with and advised Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, from tech companies to your favorite household brands.
Photo Credit: AlliWorthington.com
I first discovered her online presence and BlissDom during a conversation I had with women bloggers at the BlogHer conference in 2009. After the conference, I started following her on Twitter and reading about BlissDom. Her tweets introduced me to her brilliance, community building efforts, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and generosity. She quickly became one of my digital sister diva sheroes.
Photo Credit: BlissDom.com
I met Alli in person while attending and speaking at the BlissDom 2012 Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Her positive energy and spirit were the first things I noticed and felt. She was in fact blissful from the inside out. Her commitment to sharing the best ideas, information, and inspiration with the BlissDom community was readily apparent.
Photo Credit: AlliWorthington.com
Recently, Alli relaunched her web site AlliWorthington.com and changed the focus of her business so that it helps individuals realize they have what it takes to build their own business. Through her web site, she is offering several resources (see below).
I am a huge fan of these resources. The articles and VIP Newsletter rock my world with information, insights, and inspiration. My favorites articles are listed below.
As a part of my research and writing journey for my upcoming book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online, I read MacNeil’s She Takes on the World. It was a quick and energizing read filled with soulful affirmations and mantras, brilliant and bold ideas, wisdom, authentic conversations with women entrepreneurs who shared their lessons learned, and a heavy dose of inspiration that moved me to adopt and use the “I AM ready” affirmation discussed in Chapter Three on a daily basis. Here it is: “I am ready. I am open to guidance and I am ready to achieve greatness. I AM ready.” This affirmation appealed to my new thought spiritual practices and use of similar affirmations. It is helping me move past my fear of finishing my memoir this summer.
The Lessons and Confessions session in each chapter that features insights and wisdom from female entrepreneurs was PRICELESS. When I read their words, I could hear their voices. They spoke directly from their hearts about their challenges and successes. RareFunk.ca founder Tamara Minns’ lessons learned was soul medicine: “Keep your mind focused on your dreams, follow your gut, and keep those who truly believe in you close by for encouraging reminders that one doesn’t need everyone’s approval to move forward.”
Chapter Four offered me a better understanding of my personal brand and how it should reflect who I am from the inside out. My takeaway was about valuing and telling my own story. Here’s what MacNeil had to say: “People buy into a person, a story, an idea – not merely a trinket. A story is better than any mission statement you could craft for your brand. Your story is social currency. What do I mean by that? I mean that people like to talk, and if you give them something entertaining to talk about, they will unconsciously perceive it as valuable. That’s currency. Give your customers that currency, and they will buy from over and over again.” I love the phrase social currency. It reminded me of my feminine currency phrase I use to describe Digital Sisterhood.
Chapter Five’s gold nugget was wrapped in a five-step mantra for achieving goals and tasks: “Today I get five steps closer to reaching my goal.” The practice of focusing only on five goals per day helped me take a deep breath of release and ease into the final stages of writing my book.
Chapter Nine’s branding and marketing advice and resources were invaluable. They helped me develop a plan to strengthen my online presence. That’s exactly what I need as I move forward with my book PR and marketing efforts.
To learn more about MacNeil and her amazing work, click here to watch her video. And if you are a revolutionary woman, join She Takes on the World. Go on and do it. I did!
The pause reminded me of my “Flowista” unplugging practices and Digital Sisterhood Unplugged Weekends. So I tried it and discovered it does in fact work. I have also recommended the practice to my coaching and yoga clients. Click here to watch Martin discuss the movement and mindful self-care practice.
Ananda Leeke 