Issue #083: Ask for Help
People want to give it.
Hi Rebels —
This week, my TikTok has been full of content about asking for help. Perhaps it’s because I, myself, am going through an intense time. My magazine is open for submission, my startup is a finalist for a UNICEF grant, and I travel to NYC next week so I need to get two week’s work done in one.
All good things, as my brother said. Yes, I replied, but even the weight of good things can be crushing.
“Isn’t it interesting that we praise women and girls for handling everything, until they fall apart?” said creator Tarra Stevenson, creator of Girls School and Heavy Meta. “They’re praised for being self-sufficient, responsible, composed. They learn early the one that can handle it earns love, approval, safety. But also silence…”
Yet, Simon Sinek (yes, I see the irony of quoting a man here), says, “We don’t build trust by offering help, we build trust by asking for it.”
As if to underscore this, my friend took me aside a few months ago. He said, “Please call me. You say you’re too stressed to be around, but I want to be around you then. I want to help you. Don’t deny me that opportunity to be your friend.”
Today’s newsletter is very much a reflection of myself, feeling panic (and time blindness) over my workload, and reminding myself that I have an incredible community who want to help. You do, too. Thanks for being part of it.
The Rebel’s Toolkit
🎥 Watch Tarra’s full video about women and burnout on TikTok.
🎙️ I was interviewed on Token For Your Thoughts this week about my startup and the gender data gap in medicine. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s time to have a listen.
📝 Serious question: if AI replaces us in science, do we become fact checkers? Reading this article has me totally weirded out about humanity’s role in its own future. Are we the horses about to become obselete thanks to the horseless carriage? I’m working on an essay specific to this question — share your thoughts in the comments below.
🛠️ I’m a supporter of no-code options (always provided drag and drop themes for my WordPress clients back in the day). This one has me gagged, though. ShareTribe is a no-code solution for ecommerce shops. I figured the results would look like Shopify — and was seriously impressed instead.
🛠️ By the way, if you want to open a shop but haven’t tried Printify, maybe it’s time. I use it to publish swag for my magazine and startup. The selection and quality is solid, the platform easy to use.
🛠️ I used to use Skype as my company’s landline phone number. Today I maintain a Google Voice number to access U.S. phones. What I don’t have is a number in the UK. That’s what peaked my interest in AirLandLine as an expat— and the pricing is less than a mobile number.