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Hi! Welcome to issue #6 of my newsletter - I'm Glad You Asked. Below you'll find a bunch of stuff you didn't ask for, but will hopefully enjoy.
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It's been a little bit longer than I would have liked since my last issue. But I'm back with a ton of new stuff for ya!
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We'll start with some WordPress news and stuff you should add to your calendar. I'll list out some of my favorite resources and reads from the past few weeks. Following that, the newest stuff I've been up to and we'll wrap up with a mindset challenge.
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This is awesome news. Because WebP images can be high quality while being smaller than other file formats, this means better looking and better performing sites at the same time!
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WordPress is 18! This feels significant because in the West we ascribe a meaning to the age of 18 for some reason. Still - it's impressive to look back at the beginnings of the software and what it's accomplished in that time.
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Yesterday my friend Jill Binder hosted a convo in Slack re: Diversity initiatives. Use the link above to review the archives of the conversation to see how you can help support more diversity in WordPress.
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🔗 My Favorite Links
Here are some of my favorite links from the past few weeks. Some is WordPress related, some isn't. But hopefully there's something cool in here you can use!
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Happy Pride Month! Here is a whale in some bisexual flag lighting. (source)
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👩🏾💻 Newest From Me
This section is a little longer than usual, but I've been busy! I hope you don't mind me sharing all this stuff with you.
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Podcasts Galore - One of my focuses this year is to spend time doing creative things that make me happy. Fun things that don't have the weight of clients or payments attached to them. One of them launched recently! The Open Source Economist podcast is hosted and created by my friend Christie Chirinos... and edited by me! If you work in or are interested in the open source ecosystem (in WordPress and beyond) this podcast is for you.
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Working with Automattic - When I first started in WordPress, I remember one of my goals being to eventually work at Automattic. That goal has shifted, but I actually accomplished it in a small capacity recently by writing a blog post for WordPress.com!
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Changes to Underrepresented in Tech - For the past 12 weeks I've hosted a vlog series with my friend Michelle Frechette. We have decided to flip that vlog into a full podcast! Same content, new easier format. Simply search "Underrepresented in Tech" in your fave podcast player. (PS - we are looking for sponsors!)
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Black Speakers Workshop - I have been lucky enough to assist Jill Binder with a new workshop designed specifically to encourage and uplift Black people in WordPress! Sponsored by WP Engine, this workshop empowers and coaches Black WP professionals toward the goal of speaking publicly.
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Things I've been enjoying:
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📺 Falcon and the Winter Solider
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🎶 Lord of the Rings Music/Ambiance
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🫖 Made the switch from coffee to black tea
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Enjoying this newsletter? Help me fuel it by supporting my caffeine addition - uhh, habit. No, no, requirement. Interest?
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💌 A Challenge
So this is the part of the newsletter where I provide a mindset challenge for you to focus on until my next issue. This is something I am currently working on myself.
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The world has changed, and so have you.
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One of the things I have acknowledged during the pandemic is that, while I am strong and smart and hard-working, I'm not a "girl boss" and I don't subscribe to the "you can do anything you put your mind to" mentality anymore. I can do the things I can do, and that's it.
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I've spent a lot of my life thinking I have to be exceptional and go above and beyond expectations. Or thinking I need to meet expectations set forth by society. But the pandemic taught me that I have limits. And doing the best I can within those limits is better than burning myself out by trying to exceed them.
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One result of this - I've started taking Wednesdays off working. It's 10% laziness, 90% realizing that I can do better work in 4 weekdays than I can do in 5.
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Today I challenge you to be honest with yourself about your limits, even if they are lower or less impressive than you like. Really, truly, and genuinely take care of yourself first. I'm not saying don't push yourself or don't try hard things. But give yourself grace and forgiveness to be less than impressive sometimes.
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So that's your challenge! I'm glad you asked!
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