Will it, won’t it? Should I, COULD I? Will I, won’t I? What if this, what if that? Where do I do it? What if I don’t? What if you DO?

A theme has been circulating in my life lately, and it’s paralyzing. Whether I’m subconsciously applying it to things or it’s external, and that theme is the lack of clarity and distinct choice.

Why am I writing this, will anyone read it, where should I write it? Substack, Substack Subscription, LinkedIn, Instagram?! Should I be posting this publicly?! It’s not 2008 anymore, where blogs can get by being a stream of consciousness.

Pretty much Oct - end of Feb/early March were foggy. I had enough to get on with and would touch in with certain upcoming projects but wasn’t psychologically ready to take on the pace I was in 2022 - and I don’t think I want to. Many of those months were too much mentally. Too much work on at once, too much stress, anger and out-of-controllness at home, too much loss in my personal life.

The world going through another tech bubble crash - which, bluntly, probably needed to happen at some point - that has affected the workforce globally. This has impacted work pipelines for many businesses, many friends have lost their jobs, many are struggling to find new ones and VCs have taken a massive step back. Should I be worried about my career? Am I too worried about my career? Am I not worried enough?

ChatGPT launched and AI became everything overnight (or so it felt). This has not been put through ChatGPT, though I was tempted. Dear ChatGPT, is the person who wrote this insane? JOKES.

Will my work evolve? Will a client sign on the dotted line? When will they email me back? When should I move on?

I do miss my musings in blog format. I miss writing for me. I write a blog post a year saying that exact thing - and maybe I’ll actually start doing it again regularly. I want to write my other substack project, which I’ve put off due to work & home life for years.

I want consistency & control - even if for just a little bit.

I want to know each day won’t be meltdown city at home. I want to know I can exercise without guilt multiple times a week. I want to know I’ll get a full night’s sleep. I want to know we’ll be able to achieve things in a weekend, I want to know the job is definitely kicking off today. I want to know where I can flex, what I should prioratise and where to put which thoughts down on paper.

I want to know that my expectations of others aren’t unrealistic.

What do you get from a control freak and perfectionist?

A failed, out-of-control perfectionist 😉🤪😅

Five children under the age of 10 and $100 in their name. One-bedroom rental in a poorer part of Houston.

That is how my parents started their lives together. My sister slept in a closet.

If you know me, my family and where I grew up in Houston, you would not associate the above with my life. In honesty, I don’t have the right to associate the above in many ways, I didn’t suffer in the ways my siblings & parents did - but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t massively formed a part of who I am today.

And I want to give that more airtime. That no matter what we have all been through in our lives (and there have been extreme lows) that we made it, they made it, through hard work and never giving up.

My father started college then left for Vietnam, two of my brothers joined the military - one Navy, one Army - so in many ways, we were a military family. One of my sisters is still serving and has helped to drive forward many elements regarding women in the military. Will she make the history books, maybe not, but often it’s the people putting in a lot of the hard work that don’t get the credit they deserve.

While my parents didn’t immediately finish college, they busted their asses setting up their own business, creating a place for people to work that was fair, equal & diverse by the nature of the work and being Houston. Often working multiple jobs to pay the bills, my mother also went to night school to learn about computers and technology and keeping her brain going. My father often worked a 15/hr day, 7 day week - heading back into work at 9:15 on a Sunday morning after church. This was our normal.

I was the only one of my siblings to go straight to university from high school, thanks to my parents being able to pay and the privilege of growing up during the life stage that I did in their journeys.

My sister began college and studied for years while simultaneously working in the Air Force and then going on to one of the top universities and graduating with her degree (and then even later went on to get her Master’s).

My mother graduated from university with a degree in British Literature at the age of 65, which was not without its stresses (including being bullied by younger students and not supported by professors) and following that completed a Shakespeare course at Oxford. To say we were proud is an understatement.

What is the point of all of this? Why am I sharing it? Well to be honest I got a talking-to from a friend recently that I needed to stop apologising for finding things hard because I’m privileged (my words) and it really made me stop and think again about the topic and my place in it.

Should I? Or should I delete all my social because I’m privileged and take up space? Or, just maybe, my parents worked their skin to the bones to get themselves to where they are today (up and down several times as things shifted in their market), they almost went bankrupt, they had multiple loans, they had people relying on them - employees, us kids, bills (and other family members as well…)

ALL of the above could not have happened without the fundamental drive to work hard, desire to continue to learn, and the want to help others succeed - be it employees or family.

Should I not give that the space and credit it deserves? Should I not say that my parents have the strongest work ethic, integrity in their business and relationships and the constant desire to keep learning has, consciously or not, seeped into my veins and has been a driving force for who I am. It’s why I’m successful. It’s why I am an entrepreneur at heart. It’s why I have a strong work ethic (and it’s not bc I’m American…) It’s why I respect integrity over everything else in my professional and personal relationships.

The drive and grit my parents survived and ultimately thrived professionally is the background to what makes me the successful and ambitious woman I am today.

We often focus on the negatives of our lives and the trauma, which yes, is super important to acknowledge and address (that’s a different post - or book!), but it’s healthy to remember the positive driver too.

Yes, I grew up with food, a big house, a nice neighborhood, a swimming pool and I’m white. In many/most ways, I was and am privileged. But apart from being white (and my dad being male), my parents were not, and they have had a massive part to play in who I am, and how I have taken those attributes to progress and succeed - it’s more than just being privileged that got me to where I am and I always want to hold on to that - and pass those same attributes down to my children.

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As “Mental Health Awareness Week” came to an end recently, this is a reminder that it’s so much more than one week, and to try and be empathetic to others all year round, you never know what’s happened or is happening in someone’s life...

Emotional Intelligence was the focus and now it’s Psychological Safety - which to me makes so much sense. I’ve had the term emotional intelligence used against me by managers in gaslighting ways. I fundamentally believe in it, but I don’t believe it’s there as a buzzword just to try and keep someone down.

Psychological Safety is “being able to show and employ one's self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status or career. It can be defined as a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. In psychologically safe teams, team members feel accepted and respected.”

This should be the norm, and I will 100% do my part to make sure it’s brought into any organisation, project or team I work with.

*shared on LinkedIn March 2021*

One of the things IG and Tik Tok etc brings to the forefront for me is that I miss creating SO much.

At University my degree covered photography, design and advertising - so, years of creating. As an early internet adopter I had been blogging (high five live journal and IRC peeps!) early on and my writing was my creating.

Partially this has to do with having kids & crazy working hours, sure, but another part of it is that my ability to focus for more than a few minutes is probably the worst it’s ever been. I remember when Twitter came out and I was like: “well there goes long-form thoughts” and would reduce my big thoughts and observations to 140 characters, and I think it stuck.

Maybe by sharing this urge I’m looking for accountability.

I recently shared a book idea with a group of friends - and while it’s not there yet, I do believe I have it in me and I WANT to do it.

The frustrations of not being able to devote the quality time to Tik Tok, Reels & the like disappoints - as I would have been all over them if this was 2010! But things evolve and I guess I have to accept that I can’t play at the forefront of everything 🤣

Here’s to us learning how to ...be... again, to focus, to not give up on our dreams or passions.

Well the reason I wrote the Code Breakers is I think that's the most important policy and moral question of our time of the next 10 or 15 years, which is to what extent are we going to use gene editing to change the human species and to change our children and all of our descendants.

-Walter Isaacson on the Armchair Expert podcast (highly recommend!)

I see the amazing things that can happen with this, but it’s also insanely terrifying and worrying on what could be done. Thoughts?

I have been back and forth in my mind for a few weeks now, trying to figure out what the right solution is. What is the process I can set up to create assets that are multi-people focused, don’t hone in only on the privileged? That provide a visual representation of my words while showcasing equality across the board.

Are pictures enough? No, of course not. But as a company of one, that is an area I can deliver on now, show people I am open to all and support all, proactively.

What they looked like:

What they are now and ongoing:

Feel free to take a closer look and have a read if you fancy a nosy about what I actually do!

These also feel more me… and I hope that shows.

Many of you probably are already and the people referenced in those books/articles/podcasts are superhumans or dropping the ball in some other area of their lives that they don't show.

Maybe they have never needed more than 5 hours of sleep, their kids are all grown up, they don't have kids, they're young, their partners manage the life admin and are happy to take a supportive back seat, maybe they lack empathy to how their lives affect people around them, maybe they don't have depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, a bad knee or health problems.

This isn't an attack, but an acknowledgment that we don't have to constantly work to achieve operating in the top 1%, be the CEO, at the gym at 5am, millionaire that apps like Clubhouse would have you believe are what success is.

You can have flaws, need 10hrs sleep, forget things, accidentally delete files, spill coffee, have food in your hair, exercise only sometimes and still be high performing.

There is a mindset shift that needs to change so we're kinder to ourselves and help to get out of the perfectionist state (perfection does not exist) and build confidence. There can always be improvements, but YOUR way may just be the way that works best for you!

Life admin. Newborn. Non-sleeping toddler. Illnesses. Work. Depression. Anxiety. Imposter syndrome. More work. Wedding. Toddler. Newborn & toddler.

These are just some of the reasons I’ve not written a single blog post in 618 days. I’m those 618 days I have put my son into nursery, started back at work, planned a wedding, got married, been pregnant again and have had another baby (not including all the work happening parallel to this!) So why am I bothering now? Well I pay for the hosting for one... but in all seriousness, because I miss it. I miss how cathartic it used to be for me. I miss how much it showed the real me and all I’ve been through. I’ve been listening to podcasts recently - for pretty much the first time properly - mainly Fearne Cotton’s The Happy Place and Happy Baby, Happy Mum, and particularly with guests Paloma Faith, Matt Haig, Fearne and Sarah Turner aka "The Unmumsy Mum". They made me realise just how much I missed this, miss writing, miss being creative and and miss showing the real me. Something that has been a part of what I am since the 90’s with Live Journal and is a big reason I’ve ended up where I am today career wise - so why let it go?! Even if I’m the only one who reads it, it’s done something good for me.

Of course I’m into social media and have been on the forefront of it most of the time, early adopter and what have you - it’s my job - but as microblogging/sharing platforms came about, blogging tailed back massively. I could share my thoughts in a 140 characters (then!) on Twitter and have a real-time discussion, what wasn’t to love?! As an insecure person, this was a great next platform to share my thoughts, experiences, learnings etc - without having to share my physical self and I could still edit before hitting send.

While I have a degree in photography and have studied video editing a number of times, the capacity for dedicated time in my life to keep on these things as personal hobbies (mainly due to partying, working too much and hangovers no doubt - and now children!) never really worked out. I never got big into visual content creation in the film realm. Then snapchat became big while J was a baby, but if anyone of you have had a non-sleeping baby, you know that anything you need to watch with sound to engage with, well it probably isn’t going to happen! Along comes Instagram Stories and the same problem. From the watching and filming front to be honest - come on Instagram - integrated automatic subtitles!)

On top of technology bypassing my skill levels (and the lack of time to ‘level up’ - I’m a hopeless perfectionist.) it also bypassed my comfort zone.

In the industry I work in, I spend time around various types and ages of people, as well as work with ‘influencers’, brands etc and am very, very aware of how some people judge others quite ruthlessly and without a second thought. This on top of already existing anxiety and depression, whilst striving to be a successful career woman, good mum and living with the career/mum guilt have piled on insecurities that would be most commonly recognised in a young high school girl as opposed to a 37 year old adult. So I rarely talk to the camera. I do post the selfie here and there, but try to show the reality of my life more than the “Instaperfect” side - and to be honest? If you know me - it’s pretty hard for an imperfect perfectionist to have an Instaperfect feed! Especially when I can’t use my real camera because my toddler steals it (and tries to break it) and I don’t have a more recent phone.

Social media and Instagram especially are funny (for lack of a better word) in how they can have such an impact on how you feel about your own life. I am always so thankful when someone who seems to have it all together shares a bit of insight into the other side of their life/their reality. It says more about my insecurity than their lives, but if it helps me, it must help others. The struggle is real, let's not hide it!

Then there are the topics I feel very strongly about - personally or work wise. Do I put them in writing, will it effect my career, friendships, reputation either directly or indirectly? Am I giving some sort of secrets away I didn't realise were secrets? Did I overstep an invisible boundary I wasn't aware of? Obviously, if really in doubt, don’t, but if it’s just mild insecurities and self-doubt holding me back, then that’s another story.

So here I am now - on the back foot? I don’t know. I see mummy bloggers etc document their days and to be honest, if I try to get something with my children/while with them it usually goes tits up (as one might say). I break my phone screen (again), they break their bodies or something that no doubt can’t be replaced. I’m not sure that’s me or ever will be. Not to mention the husband would not be impressed if I put tantrum pictures up!

My goal for this post is to get me going again, get me back feeling confident in my comfort zone, not worried what others might think and just being true to myself, both here and across my social platforms. Perhaps by spelling it out and having it visible for public consumption, I’ll be held to it. I’ve already got my girl gang on call to keep me in check and powering forward. Newborn & toddler permitting! So here we go again...

Secret social media almost sounds like an oxymoron these days. You may be thinking of that small (but growing) percentage that have a locked Instagram account, but the area I'm delving into is the area of dark social that encompasses closed and secret groups, societies, clubs if you will. These reside mainly on Facebook (for the general non-techie public), though they branch out from there, and these groups have the ability to strongly affect a brand.

Oh and another thing - they are behind closed doors, so no access to the data, no matter how good your agency's data team is.

Having been in this industry and this field for so long, I have to admit, I was a bit shocked by what felt was like underground activity taking place when I finally entered into this space. The truth is I wasn't interested. Forums hadn't been my thing for a long time, I found all the arguing, trolling and lack of spelling properly just too frustrating and I have stayed away. So with groups, apart from a few close friend ones, I've approached them as an evolution of forums and just passed them by.

Now though, now I'm addicted and on them daily.

Over the past year of maternity leave, I have had a million topics running through my mind to post about, but haven't had the time/brainpower (and to be 100% honest, I wrote most of this in early September!) From all of these topics, I decided to take a look at the private groups on Facebook where recommendations are taking place. The nuances and the rich data abyss.

For some reason, once I found out I was pregnant, this world opened up to me. There are the obvious reasons that I've mentioned before, with places like mumsnet where you are getting support from others in the same situation, but then there were these other groups I was invited/added to, that weren't just pregnancy focused, and with the most surprising one was actually locally focused. Once I saw all the people I know who were there and the back-dated conversations I felt like I had been totally out of the loop!

I'll focus on one national and one local group, outlining their benefits and dangers to brands (on and offline, big and small).

1. Can I Breastfeed In It? UK the closed FB group for Can I Breastfeed In It - 30k+ members

You may find it hard to believe but finding decent maternity clothes and clothes that you can breastfeed in, especially for specific occasions, can be VERY difficult - and don't get me started on bras! This group enables its thousands of members to provide advice, tips, deals they find, support and - you've guesses it - the perfect clothes to breastfeed in! And not just the clothes, but reviews, any alterations needed, are they true to size etc. And always a link so others can benefit to.

But who benefits the most? The brands. Well, actually, finally finding the right dress for a wedding or birthday bash that you can feed in is a pretty big win, but the money goes to the brands.

When I first entered this group I was bombarded with the posts and then I started to notice how quickly items would sell out when a link was shared. SELL OUT. One post on this group to an item and it sells out!

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From my experience, this is where the brand (including but not limited to ASOS, Lipsy, Lindy Bop, Primark, Closet London) will see significant amounts of Facebook traffic and conversions (if everything is set up properly) however will be missing the fact that they are being driven by a hidden group of influencers and data that drives traffic to their brands. I know what you may be thinking now, they can just pair maternity/breastfeeding clothing over Facebook conversions, but just because the items are recommended on a breastfeeding group doesn't mean they are maternity/bf specific clothes. A big black hole of key data that these brands could apply to their ad buying/targeting, their new lines and understanding who their audience really is.

2. Edinburgh Gossip Girls (aka EGG) - 6.1k members

One of the many things you'll see across social at the moment is the rise of girl gangs. Not like Crips and Bloods, but more the outspoken support of one another, rather than the mom-shaming/slut-shaming/talking behind each other’s backs that happen far too often. Instead, it's celebrating that we are all in this together and we're each doing the best job we can, so let's help each other out. EGG is a great example of this.

This smaller, local group, is invite-only through a current member of the group (shows how cool I am since it took me ages to get invited!). The group became so successful with the selling/giving/trading posts that there has been a spin-off specifically dedicated to those activities.

What is brilliant about EGG, is it (and to the admin's sometimes annoyance) is a great replacement for Google. You get proper, local recommendations, from real people, and most of the time recommendations are backed up by other members who have experienced the same and/or have had different experiences. Sometimes people you haven't seen/spoken to in ages even pop out of the woodworks to answer your questions/help you out, adding that additional layer of trust and faith in your decision.

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While this is a local group, it covers all sorts of areas. For me personally I've used to to find: A painter, a plumber, a wedding photographer, a wedding caterer, where to buy the best name labels for kids stuff, how to get in shape after having a baby (was introduced to Edinburgh Buggy Boot Camp <-- Highly recommend it for new mums!) For others it's questions about which airline to use, where to go on holiday, the best hotel in London, hidden secret spots of NYC, house extensions, kids sleep issues and it goes on AND ON.

For local tradesmen, companies and independent shops this group provides a space for members to share their experiences with 6k local people who may want to/be able use their services. Don't deliver what you promised, provided a bad service (particularly if it's been more than once), overpriced, shoddy work or just being plain rude will put you on the 'never use' list of members. On the flip side, I've been told by some service providers that once they are mentioned or recommended on this group, they sell out/get fully booked for months. And unlike Groupon, the group doesn't take most of their earnings!

There are quite a few business owners who are part of the group, as well as people who have clients where the group can be use to their advantage. This is fine and welcomed as long as it's genuinely something of use to the members and adds a that genuine personal touch when you engage with someone that works for the brand directly. They don't push their product, but are actively engaged in the group and when an opportunity presents itself, lets members know they can be of service. Several companies have caught on and are now working with the admin of the group to provide special offers, deals, competitions, parties and then some.

Apart from being female, using technology and living in Edinburgh, the group doesn't conform to any other specific demographic groups. Members range from probably 16 - 70, all types of income, all types of languages, all types of family/relationships statuses, from all post codes. From eyelash extensions to solicitors, Soma Osteopathy in Leith to Louis Vuitton on Bond Street - no question or recommendation is off the table.

This is where it's key for brands to have their ear to the ground and to engage with their consumers. You don't have to be a large organisation that tracks as much data as possible and hires specialists (this obviously wouldn't help you here anyhow as it's behind locked walls), but by just asking your clients/customers where they heard about you can provide

some very key insight into how your business is performing and where you could/should be focusing your efforts or where you could make a some simple, but effective changes.

Groups are nothing new and neither are recommendations from people you know. Getting 50 - 60 responses in minutes is maybe a bit newer though! What is important here is that brands need to find other ways to get data and vital information they are missing out on and finding out where their business is actually coming from. On the flip side, maybe why there isn't more of it. What do people really think about your service, their sentiment and what can you do to make it better.

I suppose the last learning here is a simple one: Always provide the best service possible and treat people in the best way possible, because you never know where and whom they can be sharing their experience with. Customer service 101.

In honour of it not only being Mother's day (in the UK), but additionally my first Mother's Day as a new Mother, I thought I would take the opportunity to write about my experience of pregnancy and after with regards to the tools, apps and sites I used to get this far (and am still using!)

I'll break this down into four sections:

• Conception

• Pregnancy

• Labour

• Newborn

Conception There are many apps out there to help a person or couple track their cycles and habits whilst trying for a baby. After some research I decided on the Ovia Fertility App, which allowed me to track my monthly cycles, symptoms and variables that may affect conception, such as the amount of sleep, caffeine, alcohol and exercise a person is getting. The app is really straightforward and easy to use, it provides tips and supportive messaging throughout and, well, we have a baby, so it worked for us!

Pregnancy This is the space that I suppose up to this point I spent most of my time in so far! Prior to being pregnant and working in the agency world, particularly with bloggers and forums etc, sometimes you can get put off of sites and platforms - such as Mumsnet - which I thought I would leave for other people. However, from the minute a woman finds out she's pregnant, her entire life has to change then & there (well, depending on her lifestyle and mine definitely had to change! No more boozy client dinners and award ceremonies, more sitting on the couch and trying to stay sane, and awake!) So I did what a lot of first-time pregnant women do: I Googled*.

As I sat on the couch with my water and thought how much longer nights felt without a glass of wine, I came across a group on Mumsnet that were all due in January 2016, as I was, so I did what any sensible person would do - started stalking them. This group was an amazing resource from day 1. If I was going through a weird symptom and would start freaking out, wouldn't you know, a handful of other people were people having the same symptoms and my mind was put at ease.

Then it happened: Mumsnet got hacked! And then hacked again! And again! Needless to say this ordeal freaked out a lot of the people using the site on a regular basis, as well as password issues there were bugs to the mobile app and many members of the group couldn't access the site for days and days.

Interestingly, from a digital perspective, this has been an amazing insight into how other non-pure digital folks use sites, forums, technology and social media - but that's for another post.

The hacks eventually moved the group to decide that they would move to a secret Facebook group - but this posed a problem (that I won't go in too deeply as per my previous comment - for another post!) - people had to be open about who they actually were! There was something quite liberating about posting under a handle and Facebook meant people knowing who you really were, and the fear of a post accidentally going out publicly - especially in the first three months when most people are keeping it a secret. My issue - I had to out myself and go from being a very grateful stalker to an engaged member of the group.

The Facebook group has ended up being 58 women, 20 - 40+, first time to five-time mums, from the UK and even one from Australia! It has been a lifesaver for me and others and a genuine place to ask advice, vent, share and real friendships have been formed.

If I could give any advice to a newly pregnant woman - don't shy away from groups like these. Not only do you form bonds, but you receive support that you'll struggle to find elsewhere from people going through exactly what you are going through and as supportive as your partner, family and friends are, it's just not the same. Plus you have a ready made group of people to chat with when you're up half the night! Mumsnet have launched an updated app that is pretty slick and easy to use.

With regards to apps during the pregnancy, there were two I used. I decided since the Ovia conception app was so good, I would use the Ovia Pregnancy Tracker. Again, the app was very user friendly and consistent with it's sibling. Each week you received a message telling you what fruit/vegetable size your baby was (though sometimes it seemed a bit confused), tips for a healthy pregnancy, what you should be doing, expecting etc. It provided a way to track notes, milestones, pictures, anything really. It does use US terminology which some people might struggle with, due to different approaches to pregnancies in different countries (gynecologists versus midwives/NHS, foods you "can" eat depending on country etc).

Farther along into my pregnancy I was alerted to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Tracker, which I have to say has a very nice user interface and I added it to check in addition to the Ovia app. It also ties back into conversations on Mumsnet quite nicely.

Two other apps that I didn't use all the time, but worth a mention are: CineMama: this is an app where you can take a picture every day/week/as often as you want of your pregnancy and create a video at the end. There are other features you can use as well. Would be worth one of the pregnancy tracker apps just combining this app into their platform.

Tiny Beats: this is an app, that allows you to hear and record your baby's heart beat! It's actually truly amazing that we have gotten to this point in technology that you can use your mobile phone to listen to your baby's heart beat. Bear in mind that it really only starts working around 30 weeks, so don't freak out if you don't hear anything before then, if you do, it's just a bonus. I can't actually find a link to it any longer, so I'm not sure it's still available in the app store - it links out to the NHS Pregnancy+ app.

Labour We only used one app after doing some research and that is an app called Full Term, which allows you to time your contractions (it's also a kick counter, but I never counted kicks, so haven't used that feature). Trust me, after labouring 12 hours home alone, this app was invaluable. You could easily press the button when they started & stopped and it does all the hard work for you. The data you can get is, of course, exciting, but also it meant that we knew the average of how often my contractions were coming, how long they were lasting as well as their average over various amounts of time - very useful information when you are speaking to the hospital or trying to decide what stage you are at etc.

Newborn Which brings us to now! Our little one is currently 5 weeks old and I am now using two apps: Sprout Baby: I use this app all day and night, every day and night. People often think I'm a bit over the top, but as this is my first child and I'm breastfeeding, I find the tracking extremely useful. I currently use the app to track feed times, duration and which side, nappy changes - how often and what type, sleeping times, days I bath him, and pumping tracker. Just the ability to find out which side you last pumped on is actually very useful when you are running on a few hours of sleep!

The data helps me through the long nights (love the data collected in this app!) I am able to look back as far as I've been tracking and see if there is any consistency to what he's doing yet (not REALLY at 5 weeks, but sometimes...) and on those occasions where it seems like he was up a similar time the two nights before, I can make an educated guess on how much sleep I might get before he needs to feed again - and that helps calm me.

You're other half can also download the app and you can connect the app so you can both track all the activities - useful if you're sharing lots of the doing.

The one downside to this app for me is that it drains my battery. I have it installed on an iPhone 6, with the most recent version and iOS version, but I still have to charge my phone twice a day. It uses 51% of my batter (whereas, for example, Facebook uses 14% and Instagram 12%...) I hope this is something they look into improving in a release soon, as I'm sure just saying that will put quite a few people off.

The Wonder Weeks: This app is used by many parents and you'll probably find out about it when you hear someone mentioning their baby/child going through a 'Leap'. This app uses your child's due date to calculate when they'll be going through various developmental stages during the first 18 months of so of their lives.

The app includes a chart letting you know when you can expect your child to be in a really bad/grumpy/upset mood and when they'll most likely be a delight. Not that all children are the same, however it does give you a bit of reassurance if you can't figure out why your baby's behaviour has changed, and you read that they are going through a stormy phase, as their brain is growing. Then you also know there will be an end to it and you can repeat the first time mum mantra - this too shall pass, this will get better!

*I should probably point out that by far, above and beyond any of these apps and sites, Google has received the majority of my attention. Dr. Google as it gets affectionately called in the forums. The trick is to learn when to Google something and when to let it drop, as it may cause you more mental harm than good - and use Google image Search during pregnancy & new baby months at your own risk!

Overall, I must say that I have found the use of technology, apps, social networks and the like to be an invaluable part of my pre-during-post pregnancy and will continue to engage in the Facebook Group and will probably add to the app collection throughout the years of our child's life. While I know people have been having babies for thousands of years without such tools, the millennial, digital, tech loving me has been not found them incredibly useful, but they've also helped maintain my sanity.

Any questions, feel free to get in touch and ask - I'm sure I have an opinion on how to be pregnant and/or a new mum - it seems to be a birthright that comes with having a baby!

ps - sleep while you can, and don't worry, because it's all worth it...

Beautifully done by Adam & Eve DDB and in support of Age UK where you can read more about and donate here.

Barbie helping to move thinking in the right direction. This ad brought tears to my eyes. Not only because it probably resonates with my life as a child through to the constant battle to be equal, but also the hope for little girls now and in the future.

Skeletons Hug, Kiss, And Dance Before A Crowd. When They Step Out From The Screen? Brought tears to my eyes, and love to my heart.

"I'm not an A+ student. I have definitely struggled with school, [But] having this business, I realized that book smart isn't the same as entrepreneurial smart. I've tried to channel the business to give me more confidence in school."

- Noa Mintz, 15, founder of Nannies by Noa

Full story on Mashable

An inspiring and entertaining Ted talk by Shawn Achor on the effect of positivity on our working lives, with several actional bits of advice.

Click on the image or here for the video on Ted.com.

Stripe makes digital appointments to deliver on big ambition

STRIPE Communications has today (15th January 2015) announced a further strengthening of its digital team as it gears up for its most ambitious year yet.

The senior appointment of digital director, Darcie Tanner, supports the agency’s strategic growth plan to further develop and invest in its digital proposition to match client demand. Forty per cent of Stripe’s client accounts are now primarily digital communications.

Darcie joins the Stripe Management Board with responsibility for strategic business development, digital delivery and revenue growth.

Coming from Lost Boys (part of the DigitasLBi network), where she most recently held the position of head of Social Operations, Darcie has wide-ranging experience in Scottish and global markets working on campaigns for clients in the FMCG, automotive, sports, online retail, travel & hospitality, finance, food & drink, technology, telecoms, insurance and beauty sectors.

Also joining the Stripe team as digital account manager is Kris Robb, who was also previously with Lost Boys as community manager. Having worked on a range of global brands, Kris brings expertise and insight in social media management and cross digital projects to Stripe where he will focus on boosting clients’ digital presence.

Texan-born Darcie and Kris, a Business Information Systems graduate of Edinburgh’s Napier University, will support the wider agency team on digital and social consultancy, content generation and delivery.

Managing director of Stripe Communications, Juliet Simpson, said: “2015 is gearing up to be our most ambitious year yet and digital is undoubtedly a key strategic area for us with client activity continuing to grow. Both Darcie and Kris are hugely experienced and talented digital players who will help us take our clients to the next level.”

For further information please contact Jackie Shuttleworth at Stripe Communications, 07825149342

About Stripe Communications

Stripe helps some of the best brands in Scotland, across the UK and internationally think and act differently, delivering PR & communications campaigns for clients including: A.G. Barr, IRN-BRU, G&V, John Lewis, Maxxium, Nairn’s, ScottishPower, ‘see me’, The Kitchin, The Scottish Government, MTV EMA Awards, VELUX, The Mountain Bike World Cup and Young Scot.

Our teams are competent in delivering a range of integrated services including strategic planning, media relations, digital & social media relations, consumer brand marketing, promotions, partnerships, sponsorships, stakeholder engagement, crisis and issues management, internal comms and events.

We are part of Cello Group PLC, one of the UK’s largest marketing and research groups, which also includes The Leith Agency in Edinburgh and UK digital agency Blonde.

And we are proud to be the 2014 CIPR Excellence Awards Outstanding PR Consultancy of the Year.

Originally posted by All Media Scotland.

Finally having the time to sort through a lot of my open tabs and read later items and I thought I would share a few that stood out to me to help kick start the year.

New year, new you:

• An Almost Foolproof Way to Achieve Every Goal You Set

• Recommended reading from Turner Hopkins who ran the last of our TRC Media Special Edition sessions. Puts this list to shame!

Trend watch:

• The Tech Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2015

• Is Your Agency Ready for 2015? Four Trends to Jump On

Psychology:

• The emotional involvement behind social media interactions

Industry:

• Women 'belittled, under-appreciated and underpaid' in tech industry

• The Startup Revolution Is About To Surge Again

• Startup Best Practices #9: Structuring One On Ones To Maximize Your Team's Success

• Talent shortage to hit creative and digital industries in 2015, Hyper Island warns

• A Teenager’s View on Social Media

And just because I love book and am reading at least two or three at a time, here are some recommendations currently on my Kindle or that I've read in the past:

Books (tried not to link out to Amazon where I could!): Industry

• The First 90 Days

• Think Like a Freak

• Rework

• Remote

• Impulse

Fiction

• The Rosie Project

• One Day

• Jpod

• Microserfs

• Girlfriend In A Coma

Previous Posts:

• The Role of Social Tools

• What is Social Operations

• Linguistic and Perception Changes Through The Increase In Messaging

• The New Community Manager: Fan Boys

There is a perception that social tools, like Hootsuite, Sprinklr and Percolate, are just something that is nice to have. They should be free, they are only relevant for large corporations or they are too complex for the service they provide. In reality, a social tool is anything but a nice to have and provides a value return on investment in data alone.

Read the full piece here: Why Social Tools Aren't Just For Christmas

The social world is full of made up job titles and confusion with how new roles sit and are defined within the traditional advertising and digital world. Is Social Operations just another title we use to try to confuse people that we know what we’re doing, ala Guru, Ninja and Prophet?

Well, no, actually far from it. When you really look at it, the role has been there, just lacking a name and we were surprised it hadn’t been labelled earlier. As social is finally starting to come out of its birth and into its teenage years, brands are needing to pause for a moment, take a step back and review what’s been done to date.

This is where Social Ops comes into play. It’s time to clean up, organise and ensure things are done properly. Social operations covers tools, new technologies, structures, governance and guidelines, community management, process and implementation tactics and support for activity. This provides the opportunity to create consistency across activities, locally or globally, through deliverables such as playbooks and toolkits, but to also efficiencies and streamline activities around implementation and tools, resulting in better value for your budget.

Read the rest on the Lost Boys blog...

You’ve probably seen that Facebook recently launched its take on SnapChat in the form of Sling Shot.

Sling Shot is a standalone app without Facebook branding, that lets contacts share images with one another that are only viewable for a short length of time.

Unlike SnapChat, which lets users view images they’ve been sent immediately, Sling Shot requires users to first send an image over to the person that’s sent them something.

Having tried, enjoyed but grown out of SnapChat quickly, I was keen to see what the Sling Shot experience was like, and quickly found it to be rather poor.

After quickly adding a friend known for his early adoption of new apps, I received a notification that he’d sent me an image. Not in the mood to be ‘a creator, not just a spectator’, I felt the pressure the app’s launch blog post said would be no more.

Sending an image back to my friend so I could unlock what he’d sent me, rather than being one of ‘the little things in life’ that ‘can turn into awesome shared experiences’, became an unwelcomed burden.

I looked around my room, took a quick dull snap of my desk lamp and finally got to see what I’d been sent; a quick snap of his own boring, pinewood Ikea desk.

Whilst SnapChat often encourages and generates mundane and non-entertaining content, it can sometimes provide genuine fun and surprise, such is the spontaneity and immediacy of it. Sling Shot however, is time consuming and makes users work when they might not want to

It reminded me of having to visit my local sorting office for a piece of post I’d been sent by a distant Aunt who hadn't put enough stamps on it. I had to go out of my way for something that if I’m honest, I didn’t get much out of (a brief postcard from the sea side if you’re wondering).

Why Facebook bothered to spend time and money on Sling Shot at all is beyond me. The whole thing seems like a classic example of people high up seeing some headlines about something outside of their company getting lots of attention, and rushing to do something along the same lines to get a piece of the pie, totally skipping the part where you come up with something people might be interested in.

I’d be very surprised if Sling Shot becomes popular and finds itself with a big active user base, especially in light of everybody knowing Facebook’s behind it, despite there being no big blue square and white F logo. Facebook’s not been cool, new and exciting for some time amongst youngsters (though they’re not quitting it as occasionally reported) and Sling Shot’s not going to change this.

A better idea for the corporation would be to put its gigantic finance and resource behind something useful; perhaps apps and tools that can support the non-for-profit sector. At the least, they’d help its busy press office in light of one privacy news story after another.