❤️Get Free: Love your Guilty Pleasures

Hey GFFs,

This one’s coming in hot, so let me jump to it.

Confession time: I’m travelling for work this week and right now I’m writing this week’s newsletter while indulging in my guilty pleasure - dating shows. The trash show du jour is Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark (watch it, let’s talk after.) It. Is. TERRIBLE. Like, really bad. Here’s the deal: a bunch of singles are in a motel (cheap production, y’all - no tropical islands or elaborate “pods”) and then (THEN!) a sneaky link/homie hook up/situationship from the past checks into the motel and hormones rage and chaos ensues. All of this is under the premise of finding true love and leaving the sneaky link ways behind. Like, c’mon! These producers are a hot mess and every episode so far has been more drama than a theater summer camp full of teenagers. And still, I watch…

AND THIS RELATES TO GETTING FREE HOW?

Well, I’m spending time at a professional conference this week, presenting on industry trends and catching up with colleagues I’ve only seen on Zoom or last connected with in person 12 months ago. We’re all in work and boss mode, a week of wearing shoes with a heel, putting on makeup, shaking hands (are we really back to that, post COVID?!) and sliding on pants with a structured waist (even a belt!) We OUTSIDE!

At work we all have our ways, or personas. We smile, but maybe not with our whole faces. We keep the language clean (well, maybe.) We have our uniforms - even working remotely I have “work tops”, but of course the bottoms always have some kind of stretch (c’mon, now!) And we generally just keep it cute and demure. 

But: there has been something about THIS conference where folks have just let loose and exhaled. Conversations have ranged from world news and politics to family matters, menopause and the mental health of loved ones. It’s been different. Dinner dates have been full of genuine laughs, real talk and a lot of getting free has been happening. It’s like everyone is done with putting on a front that everything is OK and remaining self contained. We all realized that even within the confines of work - or ESPECIALLY within the confines of work - we need each other. We also need to be US - turning up as whole people with thoughts, opinions and random quirks. Being all buttoned up and corporate ain’t it, it’s not the way to go.

I LOVE BAD SHOWS AND I CAN NOT LIE…

While it’s not a huge thing, I found myself talking about my dating show obsession as part of my presentation (the topic had nothing to do with dating. I don’t work for Tinder, y’all) - and people laughed. I didn’t share for comedy effect, but it’s part of who I am. I can be corporate and cuss a little, make boss moves and be goofy, all business, but kinda basic in my viewing habits. 

Getting free doesn’t have to be about making sweeping changes and grand gestures. It can be in the small things. So I’ll continue to watch my bad shows with pride! OK your turn! We don’t gatekeep here, please share your show recommendations and other guilty pleasures! We’ll get into it in another post.

Ok, gotta run to the airport. Drink your water!

🚀Get Your Life: Things to read, listen to, enjoy🚀

📚What I’m reading: No reading this week, it’s been Sneaky Links all the way (unless subtitles count, in which case, I read a lot!)

🎵 Soundtrack for the week: Some mellow Afrobeats vibes - Suru by Asake feat. Stormzy - great travelling music!

✨ If you’ve got a recommendation drop me a line. ✨

THANKS FOR READING!

If you got something out of this issue of The Get Free Guide, give us a follow or a shout out on Instagram and share the love with a friend. We don’t gatekeep around here!

See you next Friday!