I have had this topic on my chest for about a week, so I exercised some activation energy and decided to open up a can. I’d love for you to check out the video on LinkedIn and leave your thoughts. Feel free to discuss more in depth here if any more interest personal reflections come up. Basically, I have recently noticed an uptick in posts, comments and closed-door spaces that talk down on or downright condemn sales and anything they perceive to be sales. This includes categorizing ANY type of DM activity with innocuous networking small-talk as a prelude to a pitch which quite simply isn’t always the case. But even in some cases if it is, and it’s not a random person that clearly has not read your profile… So what? As I move into launch season for the R.I.S.E. Changemaker’s Academy, the topic of empowered, being-based sales for impact founders is top of mind for me. It is becoming certifiably more risky, although incredibly rewarding, to go solo or start a business. It’s a given that sales of some sort have to be part of the equation—which means that there has to be congruence in what we are offering and who we are offering it to. No’s are part of life—but exclusion and biased behaviors towards independent business owners shouldn’t be. Building a network you can sell to without fear of judgement is tedious but rewarding work, and none of us can (nor should) be doing it alone or at the expense of our mental health. That’s where everyone else comes in. So that’s the call-to reflection here. It’s time to de-stigmatize sales, and that starts with practicing receiving other people’s asks with more grace, compassion, and transparency. What are your thoughts about having some conversations on this topic?

For today’s Reflection Friday, I’d love for you to use this week’s theme for the REPLENISH program currently running in the Identity & Belonging Lab to reflect on the following: What does it mean to embrace and integrate lived experiences—even the difficult ones—so that we can learn, grow and evolve from them? What is your process for then using these newly-integrated pieces to catalyze impact? I’ve been reflecting a lot about the cyclical nature of personal growth in contrast to the linear aspect of time, so I wanted to bring this prompt to you today. No wrong answers; just individuals taking a moment to ideate out loud in hopes of putting words to the unvoiced thoughts we’re sitting with during these heavy times. I hope everyone has a great weekend—August calendar announcements coming up, so stay tuned. 🫶🏾 Image source: Worry Lines on Instagram

I am part of a DEI people in job transition support group. We have weekly meetings on Thursdays at 1. I have gone to 3 now its always full of laugher, grieving and support. Half of the meeting we talk, laugh grieve, and the second half is a presenter who was scheduled. Here is more about it from the linkedin post and its' creator. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michael-streffery_calling-all-dei-csr-and-social-impact-activity-7336589203280941056-rAr1?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAFiBorABaTmUWONP8wXDo6J9z3DGCO0Hn-g ETA: I see that it does overlap with Erin's office hours Let me know if this isn't allowed, I always check the community guidelines but still getting used to skool