⚡Taking big swings, the power of women's joy, wisdom from zombie tweens, & more
Ideas to chew on from the week that was
Hi! Last week I tried something new, writing a weekend post that was a digest of ideas I’d shared on LinkedIn over the previous week. I asked for your feedback, and many of you said, “Yes, please! More of this!” So I’m back with this week’s digest, albeit later in the weekend than planned, because I’m moving next week and things. are. cray. As a reminder, follow me and Mighty Forces on LinkedIn for fresh content and inspiration every weekday all week long.
Without further ado, let’s get to it!
1. Taking big swings
I met Amy Poehler backstage at the Del Close Improv Festival back in the early aughts. In the following years, my admiration of her has grown and grown (and grown) — it’s not her comedy chops (though I admire them deeply), it’s her guts and wisdom. I truly can’t shake the feeling that we’re meant to be friends. Last weekend, ahead of seeing her and Tina Fey live, I was able to track down her publicist’s email address through my network of amazing mom friends. I crafted my email, hit send — and then didn’t hear back until after the show, when I received a very polite and kind “no thank you.” I share this story even though I didn’t get what I wanted (sob) because I’m proud of myself for trying. It’s important to normalize talking about the effort we put into things, even when we don’t get bright, shiny results. And it’s important to share the big swings we take, regardless of their outcomes. What’s a big swing you’ve taken? I would love to share some of your stories here in this newsletter (they can be anonymous if you like!). Let’s inspire each other!
P.S. Never underestimate what moms can do for each other — never, ever.
Tina Fey & Amy Poehler - Restless Leg Tour - with photos of Poehler and Fey smiling
2. The power of women having fun
As women, we have a lot to be serious about. A new UN report says that literally 90% of people are biased against us. We're underdogs, especially women who aren't white. And we speak passionately, intelligently, and thoughtfully about the barriers we face. We carefully connect the dots between all the social and economic ramifications of the ways in which we're disenfranchised. And it's all just terribly, terribly angering and depressing, sometimes in ways that are galvanizing, other times in ways that leave a person catatonic. Especially when you realize that, wait, 90% of people means a WHOLE lot of women are biased against themselves.
Enter Amy Poehler and Tina Fey’s aforementioned show last weekend, part of their “Restless Leg” tour.
To see two intelligent, creative women on stage in front of hundreds of people having fun together — it felt radical. It felt like oxygen and electricity. It felt like, "This is missing from what we're doing: The joy we feel when we create things together. The joy of self-expression and sisterhood and PLAY."
There was magic in that theater. We were transported, and connected, and it was a gift. And I am inspired to bring more of this feeling into the work I do with Mighty Forces — into the PLAY of expressing ourselves. There is so much joy to be had —and in that joy, there is so. much. power.
IT WAS SO AWESOME label on top of a photo of a woman holding an "Amy & Tina" tote bag and smiling in front of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
3. Wisdom in unexpected packages
As many of you know, I'm deeply passionate about how stories shape our lives. My early days working with documentary filmmakers at PBS sparked this passion, and my years helping nonprofits, indie media organizations, and, most recently, women leaders, tell powerful stories on purpose, has kindled it.
So imagine my delight when my daughter showed me a Disney movie series for tweens that served up a powerful message about radical acceptance and inclusivity, all in a candy-colored wrapper with a killer beat (also, my god, those kids can dance — but I digress).
The series in question: Zombies (I know, it doesn't exactly scream "find wisdom here," but never judge a book by its cover — or a movie by its name, apparently). In my favorite moment, which comes in the third movie, the lead character of Zed, a zombie, sings the following to a college admissions rep who is scared of zombies (link to watch/listen in the comments, below):
🎵 🎵 🎵
I know that I may be different
Who that's exceptional isn't
We have a spark that can change things
It's not a curse, it's amazing
[Chorus]
I'm Exceptional Zed
And so are my family and friends
We're artists, athletes and activists
Who always give it our best
We don't need to pretend
'Cause we won't ever fit in
And we're not just awesome in spite of that
We take pride in that instead
🎵 🎵 🎵
This is just the latest in a stream of content created for kids my daughter's age that promotes values absent from my own media experiences growing up. And I am so, so grateful, and filled with hope about how this will shape our collective futures.
The cast of the DIsney movie series, Zombies
4. Why senior leaders need to be engaged on LinkedIn
It's a dangerous myth that managing an organization or person's social media is a junior role. Sure, junior folks can offer fresh, creative ideas and help to alleviate the burden of execution. But even the most senior leaders should be prioritizing time to engage here on LinkedIn, in particular.
Here's just one example of why (and I have many, many others):
My client Suzanne Ehlers, executive director and CEO) of USA for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, pictured below, actively engages and shares thought leadership on LinkedIn (check her profile for an article she shared earlier today, about the link between curiosity and hope). She recently told me that this year alone, her presence on the platform has helped cultivate at least three new lucrative partnerships for the organization, while also increasing engagement with major donors.
In the case of the partnerships, leaders from companies across sectors — who had no or little prior relationship to either her or the organization — reached out to her, you guessed it, right here on LinkedIn.
The moral of this story: Don't outsource your LinkedIn presence entirely — instead, learn how to strategically and impactfully leverage this platform to raise your voice and support the work that matters to you most.
A selfie of a smiling woman with long brown hair, with trees behind her
Tell me what you think!
I'd like to begin capturing some of the foundational ideas I share with clients in the form of online courses, and I'm doing a little informal market research to help me pick the topic for my first course. Help a sister out? And feel to hit reply and tell me about a different option you’d prefer.
You are a mighty force!
Amanda
P.S. Because of my move, I’m giving myself next weekend off (“off” meaning, I’ll be unpacking and trying not to injure my aging bod), so look for another one of these digests the first weekend in July :).