Real Talk…

In an online world full of highlight reels, let’s get real and dive into the authentic, unfiltered realities of entrepreneurship and being a founder. Here are some behind-the-scenes musings and reflections from my past week… ⬇️

You may have seen that I went “public” with my career / business pivot this past week. While I spent eight months processing, reflecting, grieving, and planning my next steps — actually posting about it online brought on a wave of emotions I was not expecting. Sooo let’s talk about it!

Vulnerability = Price of Admission for Connection

Vulnerability is a beautiful thing. At the end of the day, it is the admission price for connection. If we don’t share our struggles and the things that truly matter, how can our relationships grow stronger?

However, that doesn’t mean you need to “overshare” — rather have intentional boundaries with vulnerability. Otherwise, it can start to feel “unhinged” for you.

Vulnerability With Boundaries

3 aspects of vulnerability are within your control and can help you feel safer when sharing. Personally, it’s what I share, who I share it with, and when I share. Let’s break that down.

• What You Share: You don’t have to share everything — especially not active conflicts or other people’s problems. Be selective and listen to what feels safe and supportive for you.

• Who You Share It With: You do not have to share everything with everyone. You don’t need to share anything with someone you don’t trust. You also don’t have to share if you don’t think someone has the emotional capacity for a mature and deep conversation. If you have 2 - 3 people that you can go to for most things, consider yourself lucky! If you don’t have that, develop and foster these connections. Don’t forget that you can (and probably should) seek professional help in the form of therapy and counselling too.

• When You Share It: I feel most comfortable sharing once I’ve processed and healed. However, a mentor of mine recently challenged this belief, suggesting it can be powerful to share while I’m still going through it, much like I’m doing now with my career pivot so that I can truly feel supported. However, the key is sharing when you are ready to talk and engage in discussion about it.

Back to Last Week…

I was ready to share my transformation this past week because I had gotten through to the other side and knew it could help others. But after creating my YouTube video and Instagram Reel, the thought of pushing it live kinddd of made me want to throw up 🤢 

Thoughts raced through my mind:

• What are people going to say?

• What if so-and-so sees this?

• What will my clients think?

But my mentor reminded me that I didn’t have to explain everything upfront. I could post my new content, loop people in later, and folks would understand. Alternatively, I could see this as an opportunity to help others and myself — and honoring this new era by celebrating it publicly.

It reminded me of an HSR affirmation from Maggie Sellers: “I don’t create for my critics, I do it for my community” So with all of that and a lot of encouragement from my close friends (love you y’all!), I posted it.

And spoiler alert: the response was so heartwarming. Everyone was so understanding, supportive, and I got so many beautiful messages… 🥹

When we show up vulnerably and do it with intention, we create connections — the very thing missing on social media today. I felt so seen, heard, and supported by my community that I cried. It felt like we were stepping into this new era together, and it reinvigorated me to show up more and better than ever 🤍 

Some Food for Thought

• How can you show up more vulnerably and authentically in your personal life?

• How can you show up more vulnerably and intentionally online?

To conclude this section, thank you for being here. I’m honored you’re coming along this journey and I cannot wait to go through this together!

Real Growth…

To be the best founder possible, continuous learning and growth are essential. Don’t let yourself become the bottleneck in your business! Here are some self-development resources I found valuable this past week... ⬇️

YouTube Video: In case you missed it, this is the full video I made detailing my career pivot. I talk about how I concluded that I needed to make a change and how I got the courage to do it.

Book: Quit by Annie Duke had such a profound impact on my career pivot. As a society, we don’t talk about quitting enough so I highly recommend you read it!

Real Self-Care…

Sustainable success can only happen if you take care of yourself. Self-care is not selfish — it’s necessary. Here are some self-care tools to recharge and stay balanced this week... ⬇️

Self-Care Challenge: Go for a walk in nature by yourself. Extra challenge: don’t listen to music or a podcast — be alone with your thoughts and take in your surroundings.

Take an IG story completing this self-care challenge and tag me @selinajho to keep each other accountable!

Journal Prompt: How can I show up more vulnerably and authentically in my personal life?

Quote: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” — Brene Brown

Real Feedback…

Andddd last but not least, let me know what content you want to see from me!

Here’s what I’m thinking:

• YouTube: Expect in-depth strategy, tutorials, and vlogs

• Instagram: Bite-sized strategies and tutorials, daily BTS on Stories, and Q&As. I’d also love to chat with you so DM me

• This Newsletter: In-depth coverage with more behind-the-scenes insights, personal reflections, business analyses, self-development resources, and self-care tips

If you have any requests or suggestions, I’m all ears. Feel free to reply to this email!