Read
This book has been in my TBR pile for months – ever since it came out last August! I finally decided to start an Audible subscription and listen to nonfiction and memoir audiobooks while on my commute, and WorkParty was my first choice. Everything I’ve learned about how to navigate your career and succeed in business, I learned through books like this one. (I’m kind of a self-help/personal development/career book junkie.) I was hesitant to start this particular book because it focuses on entrepreneurship, and honestly, I never saw that for me. I like working on a team. And there’s a lot of aspects of business I never would want to deal with, ex. billing, hiring/firing, etc. I just want to create stuff! HOWEVER, this book was a great listen and extremely motivating. It tackles the misconception that you need an MBA to start your own business. The book has tons of interviews with women entrepreneurs that literally started with an idea and a laptop, and figured it out along the way. I think it’s an important message for everyone to hear: START BY STARTING!
I also really enjoyed hearing Jaclyn’s story about how she started her first business (an influencer marketing agency before influencers were really known as influencers) and how she started the wildly popular Create & Cultivate conference. I’m hoping they come to Charlotte soon so I can attend!
I attended the How to Skimm Your Life Night Out in Charlotte, and I feel so lucky that The Skimm co-founders Carly and Danielle decided to make a stop in my city ✨Their talk was moderated by Brooklyn Decker and I still can’t get over how relatable all three of these women are. It felt like a candid conversation with friends and made me realize that if you have an idea, you need to just START. (I’m noticing a pattern here…)
While discussing the purpose of their new book, How to Skimm Your Life, they said that knowledge is power, and their goal is to provide women with the information they need to make informed decisions and have options. And to that, I say HELL YEA.
I skipped ahead to their chapter on managing stress 😬 Getting my stress under control was one of my New Year’s Resolutions, but the year is halfway over and I still don’t have a method or routine nailed down. According to The Skimm, managing stress all starts with getting a good night’s sleep. And for me, that means actually leaving work on time so I can get home and get to bed on time. So I am making that a priority this summer 🤞🏻
The book also covers travel, business and finances – consider it your guidebook to life. I’m still working my way through it, but in my opinion, it should be required reading for all high school and college graduates 👩🎓👨🎓
Watch
This show surprised me and instantly became my favorite music competition television show OF ALL TIME. Each week, an artist comes on the show looking for a new single or track. So far, they have featured: Aloe Blacc, Meghan Trainor, The Jonas Brothers, Kelsea Ballerini, will.i.am and John Legend. Four song writers perform original songs for the artist to record. The artist then picks the top three, who work with powerhouse songwriters and producers Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean, and Shane McAnally to tweak the song for the artist. My favorite part is when these three producers workshop the song in real time – they are musical geniuses. And the best part? The artist really records the song and it drops right after the episode airs each week! It’s an NBC summer show that’s on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (also on Hulu). It’s currently on a break until August 14 (I’m devastated, obviously) but that gives you plenty of time to catch up 🎵
This is my new 30-minute unwind-from-work show. I was vaguely aware of it from back when TBS first launched it, but kind of forgot about it since we haven’t had cable in ~5 years. However, the first three seasons were recently added to Hulu, which we binged over the past month. It’s a strange mashup of comedy and action/suspense. Recommend if you’re a fan of Schitt’s Creek 🤣
Listen
New Found Glory – From the Screen to Your Stereo 3
NFG was the first band I got into back in middle school – Sticks and Stones is still one of the greatest pop-punk albums of all time – but I finally saw them live for the first time last month! 😲 The tour was to promote their new album, From the Screen to Your Stereo 3, but they also played all the hits, and I was giddy. The cover album is also great – I mean, it includes a pop-punk cover of Let It Go! And they put on a great show, including costume changes for each movie track. 📽🍿
We also got to see The Early November on this tour – such a blast from the past! P.S. Ace Enders is jacked now 👀
Caitlin Ryan, APR 