Things we talked about:The trials and tribulations of being a “goat doula”Her new book Earthed, and its journey from concept, through to the transformation it underwent while she was writing, due to pressures from within (mental health) and without (a pandemic)How she actually managed to get it written, with all this going onThe challenges and joys of writing autobiographicallyWe dug into the need to be honest with ourselves about how we want our lives to look… and to recognise the good stuff in there, even if reality doesn’t match the fantasyAnd about lessons learned about life in pandemic times: acknowledge the difficult stuff, but don’t give up on your dreamsWe talked about the process of being diagnosed with ADHD (both of us), and how those diagnoses changed our lives – in many cases for the betterThe fear of not being taken seriously by your GPThe way the lifestyles we choose can be – subconsciously – self-medicationRebecca talked about following the things that interested her, even if that meant changing careers, and finding herself subconsciously being drawn to a life that fed what she neededAnd (this is a big one, I think), we talked about loving your brain! Loving the way it works, and the things it can do, regardless of whether or not it conforms with the way society says “all” brains should workThe importance of nature – and simple connections with animals – in keeping us grounded and helping us both give and receive unconditional loveWhere to find Rebecca online:Rebecca’s book Earthed, which came out in May this yearHer website: www.rebeccaschiller.co.ukFind Rebecca on Instagram: @rebecca.schillerWhere to find Sara:Sara’s website: meandorla.co.ukSara on Instagram: @me_and_orla

Hashtag Authentic - for small businesses, bloggers and online creatives

A life that feeds what you need, with Rebecca Schiller

The Insta Retreat– My tell-all, best-selling course for Instagram creatives and business owners.

The Insta Retreat Live Coaching Calls

Things we talked about:Why so many of us feel suspicious about new technologies, and how we can change the narrativeThe way artificial intelligence (AI) reads and interprets our interests and activities in order to deliver content to us… and the impact that content can have on usApproaching social media mindfully, by noticing the impact certain content has on our moods and behaviours, and carefully curating what we choose to consumeThe difference between active and passive behaviour on social mediaTechnologies (other than social media) that Becca is loving… and thinking outside the box for ways in which technologies can improve our livesThe often-fraught topic of addictions, in relation to using our devices and social mediaThoughts about influencers and unhealthy comparisonsBecca shared her top tips for healthy ways to live with technologyAnd finally, I asked Becca to share what she would like the landscape of technology to look like in 10 yearsThe Insta Retreat - My tell all, best selling course for Instagram creatives and business owners.Where to find Becca online: Becca’s new book, Screen Time (https://www.waterstones.com/book/screen-time/becca-caddy/9781788704212)Becca’s website: beccacaddy.comBecca on Twitter: @beccacaddy (https://twitter.com/beccacaddy)Becca on Instagram: @beccacaddy (https://www.instagram.com/beccacaddy/) Where to find Sara:Sara’s website: meandorla.co.ukSara on Instagram: @me_and_orla

Finding your ‘techquilibrium’ with Becca Caddy

Things we talked about:Allowing ourselves to feel good when things actually go wellThe synchronicity of things happening when they’re supposed to (and when you’re ready)Defining success for ourselves (and it’s not always what we assume it might be)How lockdown taught Katherine to create her own “sense of safety” following the success of her book, by creating courses to shore up her incomeFinding ways to own your own story, message and brandHow Katherine’s approach to Instagram evolved from “sharing pictures” to “telling stories”Katherine’s experience of coming back from “an anxious pattern of behaviour” around social mediaThe quiet activism in the premise of Katherine’s book, Wintering, which is all about periods of life in which we feel cut off from the rest of the worldNot always having to be “on” and “up.” As Katherine says, “The vision of us being always up discounts useful wonderful things like thinking, reflecting…”How we’ve all learned things about ourselves during lockdown, and the way our priorities (and what we are willing to accept) have changedBeing diagnosed as autistic, quite late in life, allowed Katherine to make the personal changes she needed: “How to meet my own needs, rather than how to solve me”The experience of living life as a neurodivergent personFinding your right people online (if you lose followers after sharing your true self, then you’ve lost the right followers - you don’t want them)And this piece of wisdom from Katherine, for anyone who identifies with our “neurodivergent” conversation: "Your identification is yours. It doesn’t need the approval of a doctor or your mum.”The Insta Retreat - My tell all, best selling course for Instagram creatives and business owners.Where to find Katherine online:Katherine’s website, katherine-may.com [https://katherine-may.co.uk] where you will also find her booksKatherine on Twitter: @_katherine_may_ [https://twitter.com/_katherine_may_]Katherine on Instagram: @katherinemay_ [https://www.instagram.com/katherinemay_/]Katherine’s podcast, The Wintering Sessions [https://katherine-may.co.uk/winteringsessions]The True Stories Writing School [https://www.truestorieswritingschool.com], home of Katherine’s online coursesBooks we mention in this episode:Wintering: the power of rest and retreat in difficult times [https://bookshop.org/books/wintering-the-power-of-rest-and-retreat-in-difficult-times/9780593189481]Electricity of Every Living Thing: a woman’s walk in the wild to find her way home [https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-electricity-of-every-living-thing-a-woman-s-walk-in-the-wild-to-find-her-way-home/9781409172512]The 52 Seductions [https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-52-seductions/9780755362530]Where to find Sarameandorla.co.ukInstagram - @me_and_orlaMy website designer - stories studio

“On the human spectrum” with Katherine May

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT Anna and I discuss the difference between the business of writing, and the writing of writingThe fear that so many of us feel of showing up, and putting ourselves out there or “being seen to try”. Anna says this is “straight-up embarrassment,” and we feel this way whenever we step outside the norm (even if we are embarrassed for positive reasons, like receiving a compliment)But in addition to this, she says that what holds us back, post-pandemic, is “very low emotional reserves.” All of us have a lower baseline of resilience which makes pitching scarier, and rejection harder to takeRecognising when you’re in burnout (and remembering that you don’t have to have all the answers before you’re allowed to help anyone else!)Defining freelancing and the many roles that freelancers need to play. Learning to be both boss and employee, and knowing when to shift between these modesSeeking a balance between working ON the business versus IN the business. Anna says she spends 20 percent of her time actually writing… but she’s working on increasing this!The bonkers (Anna’s word but I wholeheartedly agree!) system that rewards creative people for doing a good job by making them managers - a completely different skill-set and a role that a lot of creative people don’t actually aspire to take onWorking with people in your business from a place of collaboration, rather than managementGetting comfortable with sales (and moving on from the door-to-door salesman stereotype)“Dirty capitalism” versus “clean capitalism” (in other words, the conflict-that-shouldn’t-be-a-conflict of doing the right thing while also making money) LINKS WE MENTIONEDAnna’s book, “You’re the Business: How to Build a Successful Career When You Strike Out Alone”My first chat with Anna, on “Life Lessons for Freelancers” -The book Anna mentions, “A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload” by Cal NewportThe quote I was trying to remember is attributed to Ellevest co-founder and former Citigroup CFO Sallie Krawcheck, who said, “About the most powerful thing you can do to help a society and economy is get more money in the hands of women.” Hear hear! WHERE TO FIND ANNA ONLINE Anna’s podcast, Is this working?  Which she co-hosts with Tiffany PhilippouAnna on Twitter (she’s @annacod)

Being a multi-hatted freelancer, with Anna Codrea-Rado

Sally is joining me for weekly bonus coaching calls in my upcoming Insta Retreat class. Enrol now at meandorla.co.ukSally’s free program, “stop people pleasing in 5 days”Sally's WebsiteThe Life Coach SchoolSally's Instagram @sallyhardie_coachMy Instagram

The Dangers of People Pleasing, with Sally Hardie

If you want to know more about my tell all Instagram class The Insta Retreat follow this linkTo read my companion blog post 'What the F is up with Instagram Hashtags?' follow this link  

What the F is up with Instagram Hashtags?

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT* The often-underestimated importance of being “politely persistent”* Starting a blog and Instagram before you become an expert (practising in public), as a way to find clients after you graduate* The way Kimberly used Instagram not only as a photography portfolio but also as a way to train her writing voice ahead of writing her book, alongside her blog writing* The value of receiving immediate feedback on Instagram to hone our marketing skills: we immediately learn what works and what doesn’t, based on people’s responses* A burgeoning shift of women taking up space and creating businesses, that is reshaping our ideas of what it is to be a leader, what a CEO is, and what “sales and marketing” should look like* The historic under-valuing of creativity in the mainstream, and particularly in business (creativity is not perceived as productivity, and productivity is how we measure our worth), and how creative people (often women) are forging important changes to that attitude* Kimberly’s fabulous words, like a rallying cry, which someone needs to put on Pinterest! “Creativity is joy. Creativity is being alive.”* The highs and lows of pitching a book to publishers and agents (and recovering from rejection)* Using our public platforms to hold ourself accountable to pursuing our creative dreams* The awful summer of 2020, and Kimberly’s personal and professional turning point after reading the rather grim statistics around the number of women of colour who get book deals, and what they get paid…* The importance of investing in ourselves (even to putting our money where our mouths are!)* The nuts and bolts of self-publishing… beautifully (and being the CEO of your book)* Kimberly’s advice for anyone who is seeking the courage to follow their dreams LINKSMy Instagram class The Insta Retreat* Kimberly’s Instagram, @thelittleplantation * Her book, Creative Food Photography * Her podcast, Eat, Capture, Share * Kimberly’s blog, with lots of resources on self publishing and food photography * Sara’s podcast interview with Fiona Humberstone * For self-publishers, Kimberly recommends The Book Launch Show podcast with Tim Grahl* More about Clubhouse, a live, audio social media app, currently invitation only 

Investing in yourself with Kimberly Espinel

Links mentioned in this episode:Ida on TikTok Ida on Instagram Ida on YoutubeIda’s lumberjack TikTok Clubhouse My Instagram Class, The Insta Retreat Me on Instagram – @me_and_orlaTimes for our Clubhouse chat16:00 GMT11:00 AM EST08:00 AM PST04:00 AM Sydney    

Tiktok, Reels and 4 million views in a year With Ida @toeverymom

Things We Talk About In This Episode:Multi-layered, multi-hyphenated careers and what to call yourself if you’re asked at a partyBeing led by curiosity, the value of deep-dive research, and the joy of starting something newMel’s early career in the not-for-profit charity sector, and the turning point she reached that led her to galvanise a group of volunteers and ultimately, to co-create Freedom Acts, a not-for-profit group aimed at ending modern slaveryHow pregnancy can be an impetus for both creativity and personal rebellionDoing something new, how to “be a learner at every stage,” and how to get things done despite feeling totally unqualifiedPivoting careers, self-doubt and self-worth wobbles when it comes to moving from charitable work to for-profit work, the desire to “do good,” and the realisation that roles, and work, can be “both-and” rather than “either-or”Finding your ‘ideal community’ on Instagram, and building space to make that community part of your offline lifeStarting an “accidental business”Allowing your values to drive your business, or the work you do in the worldThe inner work that goes into making peace with charging for your services, skills and timeThat women need to have more stakes and autonomy in economics, finance and making money… and that we are to be trustedNavigating the world of online influenceThe concept of being influential as an improvement (what it means to be “improvingly influential”)Mel’s research into what people consistently find “influential” in both social and personal contexts (three core pillars of intuition, integrity, and impact)The value of finding and maintaining our own personal boundaries when sharing onlineThe very human desire to “be seen” - and giving ourselves permission to admit this and pursue itLinks mentioned in this episode:Mel’s websiteMel’s business, AssemblyMel on Instagram, @melwigginsFreedom ActsSara’s podcast episode “Using Instagram for Charity Fundraising, with Creating for Good”Sara’s story in Stylist magazine: “How becoming the breadwinner changed my relationship with my husband”Tara Mohr (coach and author)

Following your curiosity, with Mel Wiggins

Things I Talk About In This Episode:The evolving trends of InstagramHow our fears and doubts stay the same, no matter how the platform evolvesThe risks and costs of buying too heavily into one trendWhy I'm always wary of one-size-fits-all solutions onlineThe importance of staying connected to your own creative vision and voiceHow to use trends for growth without getting blown off-pathThe importance of building meaningful connections with your audience/customersLinks mentioned in this episode:My InstagramMy Insta Retreat ClassAn example of my window photosMy Vodafone Business Story My upcoming Lunch N Learn session in growing your Instagram, with Vodafone Business UK and Enterprise Nation

Understanding Instagram Trends (And how to use them for growth)

Things We Talk About In This Episode:The world changed between the time Skye wrote this book and when it was published. We talk about how she faced the challenge of publishing a book about feeding the people you love, when you’re not allowed to be with them. (Spoiler alert: being apart from the people we love makes us value those times we do have together, even more)The creative ways we have responded to lockdown, finding unique (safe) ways to gather, and cooking with limited ingredientsHow lockdown is impacting our children, but not necessarily in the same way that it is affecting usThe positive ways in which lockdown encourages us to pause for meals and enjoy eating togetherReady-chopped onions!The difference between simply cooking to one recipe, versus pulling an entire meal togetherHow truly universal food can be (“everyone eats - if we don’t, we die!”) and the myriad cultural, historical and aspirational elements we bring to our cooking that make it so very personalHow to set up two kitchens in two different countriesOur guilty food confessionsAnd the market for someone to invent a ready-made choux pastry!Links mentioned in this episode:Skye’s new book, A Table for FriendsSkye’s first book, A Table in VeniceHive online (where Skye suggests you can buy her book - and others - while supporting independent sellers)Skye on Instagram: @skyemcalpineSkye’s range of tableware for AnthropologieMe on Instagram - @me_and_orla 

Food from the heart, with Skye McAlpine

Things We Talk About In This Episode:The business idea that grew out of Maressa’s own creative slumpHow important it is to value creativity (Maressa says it’s the uniqueness that makes us human) even if the people around us - and society in general - don’t recognise the valueThe challenge of finding the balance on Instagram (and elsewhere) between “what I want to share” and “what people want”Developing an Instagram account that creates space for you to be a whole person, and that can evolve alongside your interestsHow talking to camera on video became a way for Maressa to make her content more accessible to people with visual and hearing disabilitiesThe way in which Maressa uses her platform to talk about anti-racism, in a way that started out from a need to share and evolved into a process of very personal and vulnerable educationTalking to our children about racism (“we need to see colour in order to see privilege”)Maressa’s Patreon space: why she started it, how she structures it, and how creating a paid space enabled Maressa to start valuing herself, and helped members of her community likewise value themselvesThe difference between consciously selling, versus sharing with genuine excitement about what we are doingParenting and creativity, and how Maressa models the creative life to her childrenLinks mentioned in this episode:Maressa on Instagram: @maressamadeMareesa’s Patreon communityMaressa's Maker Affirmations seriesSome of Maressa's Anti Racism videos: here, here and hereNova Reid's HA podcast episode “Anti-Racism Work for Well-Meaning Liberals”Nova Reid's InstagramThe Insta Retreat

Connecting to Your Creative Courage, with Maressa Fernandez

Things We Talk About In This Episode:Why you don't need a huge audience online to be successfulHow to get organic reach on Instagram without having to pay for adsPhotography for Instagram, and how it differs from conventional photographyPivoting your business, and why it pays to put yourself at the heart of your brandThe difference between being a freelancer and an entrepreneur/business ownerPromoting a book during lockdown, and the unexpected benefits of “marketing for introverts” when almost everything has to happen onlineHow the workplace might look on the other side of COVIDCaring for your mental health as a freelancer, and recognising that mental health goes beyond mindsetRelaxing the idea of rigid timetables, and embracing routines that work for our health and happinessThe value of having a person outside our situation, such as a coach, help us recognise and overcome our limiting beliefsManaging your finances, including building a financial buffer, pricing yourself, planning for holidays, and avoiding the limitations of exchanging time for moneyFiona’s experience delivering a donation-based course, giving away content, and the balance of making support and content accessible to all, while still running a profitable businessLinks mentioned in this episode:Tickets to Fiona's virtual Book Launch with me, October 1st 2020Fiona's podcast, "Out of Office"Her book “Out of Office” on AmazonHer Instagram: @fionalikestoblogFiona's website, fionalikestoblog.com Her Twitter profile, @fionalikesOur first podcast episode together, here on Hashtag AuthenticMy Instagram Class, The Insta Retreat 

Finally going freelance, with Fiona Thomas

Things I Talk About In This Episode:Why we get tempted to make something new instead of doubling down on selling what we've already createdWhat to do when you think you've run out of marketing ideasWhy our brains like to keep us from doing things that are newThe benefits of creating and selling a long-term productLessons learned from maintaining a bestselling online class for 4+ yearsThe difference between when your product is the problem vs when it's your marketing or offerLinks mentioned in this episode:My Insta Retreat ClassMy InstagramMy Twitter 

Keep Selling Your Wonderful Thing

Want to find an audience online for your creative work? Hashtag Authentic is a weekly podcast exploring the secrets to online success for dreamers, makers and creatives. With practical tips and inspiring stories, Sara Tasker of 'Me & Orla' (Instagram: @me_and_orla) guides you through the lessons and strategies she used to grow her 300k+ audience and six-figure business online. Tune in every Wednesday for analysis and interviews with trailblazing creatives, for an insider's view of all things Instagram, blogging, social media and beyond. Hashtag Authentic will equip you for the online world, dose you up on inspiration & information, and help you find your online tribe.

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Hashtag Authentic - for small businesses, bloggers and onlin...

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