I turned down a job offer 🙅🏻‍♀️

A few months ago, I wrote to all of you to tell you that I was struggling. Clients were having to tighten their budgets and pull back on social media management and marketing. To quote Carrie Bradshaw: "This is not a good economy in which to be whipped cream."

But, as I said then and will re-iterate now: Optimism is a non-negotiable. I have to keep things moving forward.

And so, I started looking for full-time jobs.

Some of you might remember that I started Golden Poppy Digital after a YEAR of corporate job hunting, during which time I submitted over 400 job applications and received exactly ZERO job offers. I started this business with an Instagram account and a dream, and named it after a flower that represents joy, hope, and resilience — all things we desperately need in today’s world and digital landscape.

All that to say: While I am job hunting, I am not abandoning Golden Poppy Digital or my values.

I was elated to get a job offer last week from a mission-driven government organization. The pay? Solid. The benefits? Incredible. The schedule? A problem.

Listen. I'm aware that organizations are moving back to in-office work post-COVID. I know there is value in being in an office with your colleagues, building those relationships in person, and getting the information you need to do your job in a more hands-on, experiential format.

HOWEVER. I also believe that time is our only non-renewable resource, and one of the reasons I started my own business in the first place was to give myself the flexibility to live the life I wanted: Spending time outside with my dog in the middle of the day. Being able to attend my kids' school events. Even taking a lil nappy-nap on occasion 😴

This job wanted me in the office all day, every day. 40 hours a week. Plus the commute. Strict hours that would mean I wouldn't be able to take my kids to school or be home in time for dinner. And when I asked for flexibility — just an hour a day of telework to make sure I was home in time to feed my kids and help them with homework — they told me "no."

I wish I could say "I don't need a job badly enough to put up with that," but the reality is, I do need the work. BADLY. But the point of getting a full-time job was to reduce my existing financial stressors, NOT add additional logistic stressors (not to mention the dreaded Mom Guilt™️) to my life.

So I didn't take the job. I couldn't make the schedule work for my kids, my pets, or my nervous system. I'm still on the hunt for something that will give me the financial stability I need while honoring my humanity. And in the meantime, Golden Poppy Digital is still here, still serving clients, and still open to new business, if and when you're ready 😉

💎 Threads is testing its new Gems program, which highlights and recommends specific posts on a daily basis. As an active Threads user, I've also noticed that they are now including "Priority" notifications which both intrigues me, and also makes me mad that Meta continues to not just give us the chronological timeline of posts everyone is asking for across platforms 🙃

⚾ I don't usually report on X, because fuck Elon Musk, but as a baseball fan, I couldn't ignore that they added the MLB to their Gametime feature right in the middle of playoffs. With that said, I repeat: Fuck Elon Musk. Given the misogynistic tech bro culture he's built on The Artist Formerly Known as Twitter since taking it over in 2022, I can only imagine how toxic their sports fandom is. I'll stick with my @girlsattheballpark live chats on Threads, thanks ✌🏻

📽️ Meta is testing a Reels-first experience on both Instagram and Facebook. At least on Instagram, it looks like users will have the option to move to the new TikTok-style home page (aka. videos first, SOUND ON, which is my worst nightmare), or stay with the existing home feed with the current ability to swipe over to Reels.

📱 Instagram is expanding its School Partnership Program to "help teens stay informed" which makes me more grateful than ever that my kids go to schools that DON'T DO THIS SHIT. Because wym you want "the time teens spend on our apps [to be] meaningful" when your executives won't even let their own kids use them because they know how toxic they are to kids' mental health??

Let's take the question mark out of "what to post" with a Content Lightning Round! These virtual sessions can be 30 or 60 minutes, and give us time to brainstorm tangible content ideas for your socials.

What you'll get:​
⚡ A list of actionable content ideas
⚡ A strategy on how to implement them
⚡ A recording of our session that you can come back to again and again

Plus: When you book a Content Lightning Round through the end of October, 10% of proceeds will go to No Hate in WA State, a campaign fighting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Washington state that will be on the ballot this November. (And if you're in Washington, ballots go out THIS WEEK! Remember to vote no on I-001, I-638, and I-645!)

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​
OTHER WAYS TO WORK WITH ME 👇🏻

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PICK YOUR PACKAGE

🍀 I accompanied my youngest on an overnight Girl Scouts trip to the Olympic Peninsula. Everyone in her troop are 3rd and 4th graders, and many of them have never slept away from home before, so we try to do these "sleepovers" occasionally to get them used to being away from their parents (with other trusted adults, obviously). The trip was a great success, many s'mores were eaten, and the kids in my car were delighted that I let them listen to the ORIGINAL (not clean) version of Olivia Rodrigo's "Vampire."​

🎨 My oldest kiddo, an aspiring artist, has launched their very own website and is taking requests for pet portrait commissions! If you would like a digital drawing of your dog or cat (or bird, or fish, etc.) that low-key looks like a dragon, fill out the form on their website!​

🎃 Halloween is coming and I still don't have a costume. My 8-year-old is going as Brittany Apgar (obviously), while my 12-year-old has decided to dress up as not just *A* black cat, but specifically *OUR* black cat. So if you have suggestions for a costume for me, I'd love to hear them! I'm currently waffling between being an umpire (to pair with Brittany Apgar), our tuxedo cat (to pair with our black cat), or reprising my role as Kamala Harris for the third year in a row (because I already have the wig and clothes).