Here's what I've been up to lately...

Have you heard of a "Ta Da" List? Instead of a "To Do" List, you write what you've accomplished, after the fact. (I must be honest--I've been known to make both lists!) Well this week, I wanted to share with you a list that is somewhere between "To Do" and "Ta Da." It's a "What I'm Up To" List, but that doesn't quite have the same ring to it. 

I want to start by sharing this gorgeous illustration that Abby Hogle created to publish in our #notetoself✒️ collaboration series on Instagram. I've been partnering up with artists who've put their own unique interpretation on quotations from my writing. The illustration below originates from this blog post. I absolutely love what Abby and the other incredibly talented artists have created! Check out the whole series and connect with me on Instagram! 

Illustration by Abby Hogle

• I'm finishing up my first 90 days as content marketing consultant at McKinley Marketing Partners. I’ve gotten to do a ton of research and writing on all things careers and I'm having a blast. A few of my favorite pieces I've worked on are 6 Habits Every Telecommuter Should Implement to Build Rapport, 5 Best Kept Secrets to Get a Recruiter's Attention on LinkedIn, and 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Marketing to Generation Z.
   
• I'm in the homestretch of my fourth year teaching social media and communication classes at SNHU and it's been the best year yet. SNHU was recently named most innovative university in the north for the third time!
   
• I’ve got a brand new book proposal that is undergoing the finishing touches and will soon be going out to publishers. 
   
• This month we published the Social Media Audit Checklist! (You can download that bad boy right now!)
   
• Nikki and I have been prepping for the first epic Favorite Things-esque Giveaway on my blog. We’ve aggregated items from several different shops that I'm very excited about. I wish I could enter the contest! The list of the goodies and the giveaway will go live in mid-November! Keep an eye out for it.
   
• I'm preparing for my talk on actor side hustles at the Virginia Theatre Conference next week. I took a trip down memory lane as I was working on the talk and found this photo from when I went to VTA back in college. I think this was taken on a disposable camera!

• And I've been doing a lot of research as I'm preparing to share work/life balance tips with the Young Professionals of Central Virginia on November 6. Did you know young professionals are the most likely age group to not use all their vacation days? And they are much more likely to feel ashamed for taking or planning a vacation than older workers. Check out the whole Project: Time Off study here. 

On a personal note my husband and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this weekend and I cannot believe how time truly flies. It's been the best, best, best five years.