It's okay to let people help you, actually 🧡

I'M FINALLY HOME.

(Wait. What does that mean??)

WELL. If you've been following along on Instagram / Threads, you know that I spent most of the last two weeks in the hospital with my Big Kid, who had to have multiple surgeries! They don't want me to disclose what kind of surgeries, but what I will say is that they are doing SO much better, we are FINALLY home, and I am really grateful we finally have some answers and — hopefully 🤞🏻 — a solution.

BUT. That's not the point of this newsletter.

The point of this newsletter is that while we were in the hospital, our community showed up for us in a BIG way.

My kids' dad was away on a camping trip across the state and couldn't get back to be with Little Kid while Big Kid and I were in the ER overnight, so she stayed with her best friend's family until he came home and could pick her up.

My neighbor from across the street who is one of Ramona's favorite humans in the entire world popped over to walk and feed her and the cats until my usual pet-sitter — who was willing to sleep on my couch so my animals could have consistent care even though it was FINALS WEEK — could tap in.

My dad FLEW UP from California to take over pet care while my pet-sitter focused on finals, as well as to be a de facto delivery boy for books, toiletries, and Starbucks petite vanilla scones (the only thing I could get Big Kid to eat while hospitalized).

And then there were the texts. I posted to my Instagram Stories about being in the ER and a nurse bringing me a cup of much-needed coffee ... and suddenly the text messages started pouring in.

"What's going on?"

"Are you / the kids okay?"

"How can I help?"

People sent gift cards for food delivery so we could eat something besides hospital food. They helped my Little Kid pack for her Girl Scout camping trip. They tapped in to coach her softball team in my absence.

In short, people stepped the fuck up!

And it's wild, because after literal decades of society telling me I need to do things on my own, I am slowly realizing that I do not have to do it all. I can ask for help. And people will show up for me, and for my kids — just like I would for them.

So that's the point of this newsletter: To remind you that you do not have to do it all by yourself. It's okay, and even expected, to ask for support. How we show up for each other, both in times of crisis and when things are calm, is what community is all about. Lean in to that support 🧡

💸 Instagram Plus officially launched last week, and while I won't be using it because Meta must be joking if they think I'm going to pay THEM to steal my data, some of the features do sound kind of cool.​

🎵 Threads has added music to posts, which I find baffling because this platform is for people whose favorite subject in school was Silent Reading.

Happy Pride! 🌈 To celebrate Pride Month, I'm donating 10% of all proceeds for Content Lightning Rounds booked in June to No Hate in WA State. This campaign is fighting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Washington state that targets LGBTQ+ youth, and will adversely impact cisgender and heterosexual youth, as well.

Content Lightning Rounds are 30- or 60-minute Zoom sessions give us time to brainstorm tangible content ideas for your socials to help you take the question mark out of “what to post.”

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

Book your Content Lightning Round ⚡️

If you live in Washington state and will be voting in our November election, learn more about the two ballot measures they're fighting and share with your friends! We can defeat these measures and protect our kids if we work together 🧡
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OTHER WAYS TO WORK WITH ME 👇🏻

🌱 For the small business owner who doesn't want to deal with socials AT ALL, my Bloom package is full-service done-for-you social media management that includes content strategy, creation, scheduling, and community engagement!

🌿 If you like personally responding to comments and DMs but don't have time for all the content creation and scheduling, my Sprout package offers social media support to take the content component off your plate!

🌼 If you just need help getting photos and videos off your camera roll and turning them into content that converts, my Seed package is for you!

Pick your package!

🥎 Softball season is officially over and I am lowkey sad about it! My Little Kid's team absolutely dominated this season (💪🏻), but most importantly, this motley crew of 6-8 year-old girls was an absolute DELIGHT to get to spend time with, they all made new friends, learned new skills, and showed incredible growth. I'm not sure if I'll be up for coaching next year (Little Kid will be moving up to AA Softball and that's probably more intense than I'm prepared to manage 😅), but I am so grateful for this experience and am excited to support her future teams however I can!

🎵 I was not a Hilary Duff Millennial as a kid, but apparently I'm a Hilary Duff Millennial as an adult, because her latest album is a certified banger, AND she just released an EP of her re-recorded hits (à la Taylor) from the aughts that I've been absolutely rocking out to.

📚 I started reading Everything for Everyone for the Brighter Futures Book Club, and while I didn't make it to book club to discuss the book (because before I spent a week with my kid in the hospital, I was also very sick with the Cold from Hell™️), this book has absolutely blown my mind with the way it accurately predicts the current geopolitical landscape. History really does rhyme 🫠