Permission to do things differently.

Break out of default ways and GET CREATIVE.

Just because you write a book about something, doesn’t always make you a master of it. Sometimes you really need to take your own advice.

Last year promoting my book felt unexpectedly draining, quite frankly at times disappointing. Zooming out I can see how I was following how others may do it, and did things I thought I should do. All was not lost, and I gained good experience, met some great people, got practice talking about my book. But something about it all felt draining and not particularly fun. Resentment built (around my book, the way the internet “works,” and more.)

Fast forward to last month, and something has completely shifted. Without even trying, I started doing things that started to feel more aligned, and true to me. It doesn’t feel like work, and it feels fun and easy to me.

The irony is not lost on me that on page 188 of OVERRIDE! the first permission I wrote was PERMISSION TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY. The second one was PERMISSION TO DO THINGS ON YOUR OWN TIME.

What happened wasn’t anything I planned to happen. It was the unexpected spontaneity that revealed a new pathway. It was a post from a then stranger that came into my Instagram feed that I commented on. There was no ulterior motive. It lead to mutual follows. And exchange that we should chat. (There’s something about being an other that bonds you!). And soon followed a crazy idea.

A month later I found myself co-hosting an author meet up in London with Lauren Currie (who I’d never heard of two months prior). The irony was that neither of live in the UK, but when I saw that she was going to be there for work, and I had a train ticket I needed to change, I realized I could pop over for the day.

I love asking WHAT IF (see OVERRIDE! Chapter: What if…? Page 111.). And the next what if was, what if we invite all the awesome authors we know (and don’t know). And see what happens.

We both put together posts to attempt to capture what happened when we brought our simple idea to life. We both kept saying how proud we were of doing this. (It was seriously low lift, max joy!). We did NOT do this with the intention to get new followers and more online visibility, we did it because we wanted to meet. But something about how we did this helped open up possibilities for others too. (It felt like a cue from OVERRIDE! Chapter: Other ways. Page 201.)

My post (you may need to click into IG to see all the carousel slides):

Lauren’s post (you can even see screenshots about how it unfolded):

It was THE BEST day trip. We picked a time, and place. It was not lost on me how grateful the locals were to us for doing this. In theory they could do this any time, but instead it took two outsiders trying something new. (All the authors are tagged in the IG post!) It’s true sometimes you need a fresh perspective to break away from “how things are done.” We didn’t even coordinate or strategize with our posts. We just shared what felt true to us, in the process celebrating each other, and all the authors who joined.

When you’re having fun and enjoying what you’re doing things just flow.

Just being in Lauren’s orbit has shown me so much about not waiting for permission and just going for it, and having fun with it! (I mean she wore a sandwich board to launch her book!). Her book BE UPFRONT is an invitation to build that confidence. (As I read it, I can’t help but feel like it’s a sister to OVERRIDE! - so many parallel, supporting ideas shared through our own lenses.) She also self-published a children’s book called Taylor Meets the Trick, which explores how we’ve all been tricked to believe certain things are true. It’s a brilliant and creative perspective for exploring these outdated rules we live by.

This nothing fancy, no cost, low lift, fun for us gathering has been the reminder to me that there are so many ways to do things. And everything in life does not need to be strategic. Experiments are often the best—especially the ones where there’s no time to overthink it. (Anne-Laure Le Cunff of Tiny Experiments was able to join us too!)

Staying open can unlock some of the most magical experiences. It’s a reminder to return to my mantra (that I got from my grandfather): THIS SHOULD BE FUN.

This meet up has become a domino for how I’m approaching everything these days. If you’re in Paris, I hope you’ll join me and writer Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson for our twist on a book party. Inspired by the fact that her book is about the designer who added pockets to women’s clothing, and my book is a pocket playbook designed to fit in most pockets, Elizabeth (who will be visiting Paris the day her paperback edition comes out) and I are hosting a POCKET PARTY! in appreciation of pockets :) We’ll be hosting it at Treize, a charming pocket of Paris, across from the Luxembourg gardens.

Books tend to get attention when they first come out, and authors tend to burn out quickly with all of the promotion. For me, I always knew I wanted to play the long game with OVERRIDE! Teaming up with Elizabeth is such a joy (I know her from my Baltimore days.) Her book Clare McCardell: The designer who set women free, has already received so many accolades, including gracing the cover of the NYTimes Book Review and being named book of the year by TIME and NPR.

Tell your Paris friends to come to the Pocket Party! You can share the Instagram post, event listing, or share the post on my Biz Blog.

If you’re looking for your own permission to GET CREATIVE check out Mapping Your Path: UNCHARTED. It’s an invitation to change your mindset, and maybe even make a change. You don’t have to have anything figured out to start. You just need to take the first step! There’s something extra powerful about doing this in community.

The fun kicks off June 5th! 🚀