Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!
Guess what I did last weekend? I participated in the Digital Sisterhood Unplugged Weekend (#DSUnplugged).
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.
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.
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!
Ananda Leeke 