A Conversation with Ella Dawson: Burnout, Boundaries, & Being a Person Online

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A Conversation with Ella Dawson: Burnout, Boundaries, & Being a Person Online

This post is a continuation of the “A Conversation With” series, where I interview smart humans about their experiences in social media and content creation. You can read past features here.

This month, I interviewed Ella Dawson, an author, digital strategist, and sex & culture critic who has an abundance of experience in social media, both personally and professionally. In this blog post, we explore personal brand, the evolving social media landscape, burnout, boundaries, and how to make money and be a person online. 

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11 Tips for Effective Social Media Management During a Crisis

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11 Tips for Effective Social Media Management During a Crisis

Crisis communication skills are becoming increasingly essential in many roles, whether you’re a business leader or a marketing and communications professional. In 2024, it’s critical that social media managers know how to navigate a crisis on social media when one inevitably begins to unfold. So what exactly constitutes a crisis and how do you do a good job handling one on social media? Today I’m sharing 11 of my best tips for social media managers to handle a crisis online. 

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A Conversation with Dr. Fran: Educating the Public & Combating Medical Misinformation via TikTok

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A Conversation with Dr. Fran: Educating the Public & Combating Medical Misinformation via TikTok

This post is a continuation of the “A Conversation With” series, where I interview smart humans about their experiences in social media and content creation. You can read past features here.

This month, I interviewed Dr. Fran Haydanek, an OBGYN and content creator who has grown a large following on TikTok. In this blog post, we explore how to decide what to share, why it’s worthwhile for physicians to show up online, navigating and combating medical misinformation, and more. 

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How I Took 3 Months of Maternity Leave as a Freelancer

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How I Took 3 Months of Maternity Leave as a Freelancer

There’s no universal guide for self-employment, so it can be tricky to navigate personal, emotion-packed situations like taking bereavement time or maternity leave as a freelancer. When I found out I was pregnant last fall, I almost immediately started planning my maternity leave in my head. How would this work? How much time should I take? Would my clients be upset? Would they replace me while I was out? How much income would I lose? 

There were a lot of concerns and logistics to work through, but I knew I needed to give myself time to recover from childbirth and acclimate to parenthood. I wanted to take at least eight weeks of leave. Today on the blog, I’m sharing how I planned for maternity leave, how my leave actually played out, and more. I hope it’s helpful for any self-employed, soon-to-be parents out there who are navigating this too!

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Celebrating 5 Years of Serve Me the Sky Digital

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Celebrating 5 Years of Serve Me the Sky Digital

This month marks a huge milestone for Serve Me the Sky Digital: we’ve officially been in business for five whole years! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years. I’m so grateful to be among the 50% that are still standing, especially after social and economic turmoil and personal life changes too. 

In the past five years of growing my business, I’ve met some amazing people, taught engaging workshops, worked on massive global brands and tiny startups, and learned a lot about what it takes to run your own business. I’m thankful for all the opportunities that have come my way, often via my awesome network of supporters and wonderful clients. 

Five years ago, it was hard to picture what the future of Serve Me the Sky Digital would look like. I only had a couple of clients, at rather low rates, and didn’t know what to expect. I took a bet on myself and made the leap. I’m so glad I did. I hope to have many more happy years of self-employment ahead, full of great projects with people and organizations I love working with!

Without further ado, let’s dive into some projects and opportunities I’ve enjoyed this year, lessons learned, and a look to the future. 

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You Have My Permission to Leave Twitter (or rather, X)

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You Have My Permission to Leave Twitter (or rather, X)

I quit Twitter in the summer of 2021. My mom had just died, I was starting a demanding new job on an interim basis, and had experienced some hostile interactions on the platform. I thought a break would be liberating, so I resolved to step away from Twitter for three months. No announcing my departure as some folks are apt to do, I just walked away.

And I never came back.

I’ve been somewhat of an evangelist for quitting Twitter for a few years now. Once Elon Musk bought Twitter in October 2022, I became even more convinced that the platform would no longer be a viable place for meaningful conversations to thrive. Musk has implemented numerous changes in his reign so far, many of which are generally agreed to be poor choices that negatively affect user experience.

So what does this mean for you or your business? If you’ve been hanging on to Twitter (or rather, X, as Musk rebranded it in July 2023), in the hopes that it still has some kind of value, this is your sign that it’s okay to walk away. 

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How to Write a Great TikTok Bio

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How to Write a Great TikTok Bio

Writing a bio for any social media profile can be challenging. How do you express the essence of who you are and what you want to be known for when you have a limited character count and need to match the vibe of the social platform? It’s tricky, and even more so with TikTok! A TikTok bio is a whole different beast than an Instagram bio. I love sharing my knowledge about all things TikTok, so today I’m sharing everything you need to know about writing a great TikTok bio.

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What I've Learned from Posting Twice a Day on TikTok for 2 Years

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What I've Learned from Posting Twice a Day on TikTok for 2 Years

For the past 2 years, I’ve posted twice a day on TikTok, once in the morning and once in the evening. It was a long and fascinating journey that helped me learn a lot about this unique, ever-evolving platform. Looking to enhance your own TikTok strategy? Here are 5 things I learned from posting on TikTok twice a day for 2 years. 

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My 23 Favorite Books of 2023

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My 23 Favorite Books of 2023

I always enjoy writing my annual ‘Year in Books’ blog post (check out my roundups for 2022, 2021, and 2020 if you missed them!). Reading is the hobby that’s been there for me consistently, year after year, regardless of whatever changes may be happening in my life. 

2023 has been busy! In January, my husband Tim left his day job in engineering to pursue murals and design work full-time under his business Tenderchomps Art. I helped him run a community art event for elementary schoolers at a local library, ghost wrote blog posts for his website, started running his social media, and offered guidance based on my own experience as a business owner. 

In May, I celebrated four years of running Serve Me the Sky Digital! And in August, I dove into a new endeavor: teaching a social media course for undergraduates at Nazareth University. It’s been a year full of learning, new experiences, changes, and great books! At the time of writing, I’ve read 163 books so far this year. 

Let’s get into it! Here are my 23 favorite books of 2023, organized by genre. 

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