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Diary of a Social Gal Part 5

 

People think that I must lead a glorious life.  Blogger, Writer, Girl Boss, Cheerleading Coach, and so forth. Oh yes,  it’s glorious. (Add Sarcasm)

Let me preface this story with a wild little fact:  Doing all the above as your full-time job is actually really hard work! When I tell people what I do, they often laugh and say something like,  “Must be nice getting paid to sit in your PJs all day.”  Clearly, there is some confusion about what I do all day, so I’m here to spill the beans-

First thing I do each day is work out.
Then it’s time for coffee and mapping out my day.
I do have to then check emails, social media platforms for me and my clients.

Next thing on my list is to see what I can get done quickly.  ( I will go into this later on)

Writing, blogging, researching topics for my books, for social media posts, and also checking the updates to what each social media platform is doing in regards to the algorithm.   Now I can either post live or schedule some posts to go off later on.

Of course then I have to now switch gears and watch cheerleading routines – you should see my collection of DVDs – I also check out Pinterest and Youtube.  Then of course I have to make sure things that I would like my team to do are within the rules.

Workout 2 begins- Dance

Then well, I guess I should take a break.  So it’s probably lunchtime by now and if I don’t have any meetings or phone calls I can at least give myself an hour to do nothing.  (Now, when I have my radio show, I usually during lunchtime am setting up what I am going to be talking about and reviewing what I should talk about)

When that hour is over I now turn my attention in looking into some of my other ideas, create something, work on something, and I am either back online or responding to emails and messages.

Practice time

Home and I am done for the day. Although sometimes I do answer more emails at this time but I now give myself time to recoup from the day, watch sports, and go to sleep.

Check out the video on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest and stay tuned for videos coming entitled:

behind the scene

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Diary Of A Social Gal ( Part 1)

(Photos Courtesy of Click Images Inc. )

What comes to mind when I think about building an empire?  First and foremost, hard freaking work! Being a #girlboss has it’s ups and downs. Seeing so many young girls thinking that it’s “so easy” to build a brand, build presence, and build your company, always makes me laugh and roll my eyes.

I started SassyGirlPR in 2008.  At first it wasn’t SassyGirlPR it was just me, Stephanie being a freelancer. I wrote for many blogs, many websites, and even did some ghost writing for celebrities and others.  Then of course I started to write my own stuff and have a voice.  My goal when I write, is not to have others know MY opinion, but to THINK about the other side of the story.  Then of course I wrote my first book, “A Bird’s Eye View”  which was a nonfiction book and talked about many topics.  Once I got my feet wet, I guess you can say the rest is history!  I got offered to write for many other sites, one being Blogher. Not only did I write for Blogher and have one of my pieces go viral,
“This Woman Does Not Support The Women’s March” but I was a third-party consultant for them and this is where I got my start with #SocialMediaMarketing –

I did campaigns for JcPenney, American Idol, AT&T, just to name a few.  And I instantly fell in love with the concept and the idea.

Now I started to learn and teach myself all about social media and how to use it to market businesses, books, blogs, etc.  And I have to say, I had very good success at it – I mean, my books and blogs were being read in other countries and it was just amazing on how I connected with so many people.  This by the way, is the purpose of social media: to connect with others on a positive note, not like it is used today to spread hate and misinformation.

In the meantime while all this was going on, I was teaching Preschool, Pre-K and writing toddler programs for schools.  I presented at the NAEYC in 2000 and loved teaching the little ones.  We’ll get into this at another time, but I built my business Sassy Productions Inc,  as a side job, and let me tell you, I tried to incorporate a lot of other businesses, but those failed.  Those failures are what helped me grow, helped me understand business, and helped me become who I am today.  I learned so much from the failed business attempts that is why I took eight years of building SassyGirlPR – now known as Sassy Productions.  I wanted it to work.  I wanted to be my own boss and play by my own rules.

Timing is everything in life, as is having patience.  Life is process for that matter. We learn as we progress.  So today, I not only run a social media marketing company, handle PR relations as well, write blogs, write books, and help other businesses, I did it all on my own terms.

2016 I became an Auntie.  That was the perfect time to step away from teaching and focus on myself and my nephew.  And things have just taken off from there.

So you see, life doesn’t always work out the way you think it will. There will be turns, stops, obstacles, at every corner, but with patience, perseverance and never stopping enthusiasm, you can start to build your own empire- one piece at a time.

Find The Diary of A Social Gal Parts 2 and 3 here:( Friday and Saturday)

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Girls In Their 20s vs Women In Their 40s

When I check social media every day, it’s amazing how these 20 -something girls think that are such “hot stuff.” I really don’t make that much about it until they start messing with me – then I have to put them in their place. First off, this whole thing that women are “supposed” to support other women “just because” we’re women is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of- you don’t see men supporting other men “Just because” you see men competing against other men and rightfully so.

So what does a 40 year old woman have that a 20 year old girl doesn’t? Well for starters, experience thank you.

1- Girls in their twenties don’t know how to fully love themselves- every inch of their bodies. I would have avoided many of the decisions that I made in my life if I truly just accepted who I was when I was twenty. Most girls want that “perfect” body. There is NO such thing as to having the perfect body, no matter what Victoria’s Secret or Vogue may tell you. You should embrace who you are inside and out.

2- Girls in their twenties are far from being authentic. It’s all about fitting in, instead of standing out. Stop comparing your life to someone’s else life you see on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter… etc. Be real. Be you. You are worth it – just like everyone else you see. Don’t let what others are doing online, bring you down or your self-worth. No one gets to tell you what your value is- You know your worth when you stop giving discounts.

3- Sex. Sorry girls, but forty year old women have been “around the block” so to say. First all of, older women don’t just “hook up” with guys like girls in their twenties who are hooking up left and right these days. When we do “hook up” we do that because we feel close to the guy we are with. 40 year old women can completely let them self go physically- we don’t care about anything else and are more prone to trying new things since we are already secure with our bodies and not insecure like 20 year old girls are. We also know what we like, how to orgasm, and how to satisfy our partners, where as a twenty year old has no clue. ( https://amzn.to/2I6xN8c) – Chapter 13 FYI

4- Learn to live in the moment. If you master this when you are young, you will appreciate life much more through every single stage of it. Also, It’s not your job to make everyone else happy. And even if you do so, that doesn’t mean you’ll be happy. Life is short. Women in their forties know this. We don’t give a flying F- if you aren’t happy with our choices. We do what we know is going to make us happy- not others.

5-Life is not like football. Stop trying to “score points” with every opportunity. To win in life is to overcome every obstacle that life throws at you. No one dies counting how many “touchdowns” they scored and compares that to someone else’s “score total” – In the end that doesn’t matter.

6- Life is not like baseball. Don’t give people 3 times to hurt you, they lie to you once, that should be it. They are showing you who they are, and that is a person who doesn’t respect you enough to tell you the truth. Twenty-somethings give people way too many chances.

7- You don’t DESERVE things you EARN things. Stop thinking that everyone “owes” you something! Excuse me girl, but no one owes you a damn thing! You want that guy- go get him. You want that job- work for it. You want that car- buy it…. And so forth. Skip half the parties you go to, if you work, at something, you will become better at it.

8- Stick to the original plan. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it. What ever you choose to be; be. Just because someone else has an “idea” of what you should do with your life, doesn’t mean you have to follow “their” plan. It’s your life, so live it and to the best of your ability. Stop blaming everyone else for your problems and giving excuses as to why you can’t do something or why something didn’t work out. Stop asking for permission. Forty year old women KNOW this.

9- Twenty year old girls don’t know how to have an ACTUAL conversation! Put down your damn phone! Forty year old women have such better social skills than you simply because we weren’t born with cell phones, social media and that has taken the skill of communication to an entire new level. Learn how to talk to others in person. Get off dating apps, social media apps, and get into the real world and start talking to others. Not only are you going to find out more about others, you will also find out more about yourself. And in the business world, you are going to have to talk to others face to face. A screen isn’t going to do.

10- Finally, alcohol is like cancer for your body. Twenty-somethings always feel the need to “get drunk” or “get high” at parties, when things are tough, etc. Forty year old women know that if we need to get high – we get high on life. Yes, we have an occasional drink from time to time, but we don’t rely on alcohol, basically because we don’t have time to stay in bed with a hangover or frankly want one. (Let the beer vs wine debate begin)

Age will happen whether you’re afraid of it or not, so get living! I don’t believe in age, I believe in energy. Stop telling older women that they are “too old” – remember, one day, the roles will reverse. Karma has a way of sneaking up on you.

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Yes, You Can Lose Weight Eating This!

If you have been on Facebook lately, you may have come across an article that claims that if you eat chocolate cake, you can lose weight. Usually, every time you see stuff like this on Facebook, it’s not true.   According to a scientific study done by the University of Tel Aviv, eating chocolate cake could actually help you on your weight loss quest, so long as you don’t to go over the 600 calories portion and you remember to balance this with carbohydrates and proteins.

I saw this and I was curious to see if this could actually work.  According to the study, our metabolism is much more active in the morning, which is why our body is more able to burn calories early in the day. Best of all, by eating chocolate cake as part of your breakfast, you will avoid having cravings all day long.  It sounds too good to be true.

On August 1st, I decided to start my experiment by just eating a normal size portion of chocolate cake.  Now, you can pretty much eat chocolate cupcakes, chocolate whoopie pies, donuts, or cake. You can make your own or but store bought. The only thing I did when I bought store made cake was check the calories, fat, sugar and carb content so I chose the ones with the least in each category.

I ate my cake either at 6:30am before I worked out by 10am each morning. The ONLY thing I had for breakfast was my usual cup of coffee, a glass of water after I worked out and my piece of cake.   Now, you HAVE to work out…. there’s no way around this. I usually work out by doing my cheerleading warm ups, yoga stretching, and, stairs, walking 2 miles.  I do this at least 5 days a week.   I would then eat a healthy snack later on in the morning if I got hungry, but for the most part, I was full all the way until lunch. I also drank water, so that is also making my stomach believe it’s full.

Today it’s August 22nd and I am happy to report that I lost 5 pounds and about 1 inch on my waistline.

This is NOT considered a diet. This was just a happy study to use as an experiment.A serious diet contains much more.  But I will say, instead of doing those shake diets to lose 5 pounds, I would consider doing this instead. As always with every diet, it involves exercise. Please always be careful with what exercise program you participate in and always do your research before trying any type of diet.

If you would like my chocolate cake recipe, please follow my page, Clever Cakes, and look for my upcoming recipe book, “Love at First Bite,” being released this September.

cake1

Love at First cover revised 3-12-19

 

 

 

 

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With My Birthday Approaching, Here are 3 Things I Have Learned This Past Year

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Welcome to April, or as I like to call it; the best month ever! Okay, so I am bias to this because my birthday is in this month and it is about 4 days from today. Yippee!

And with my birthday approaching, I started to think about this past year; where I was and where I am heading. If you never read any of my books, then you don’t know that I have had experiences in my life that have been life-changing. Some experiences broke my heart while others just made me stronger and wiser. That’s the thing though, about life- every opportunity, every experience either makes you or breaks you if you let it. And in this past year of my life I have learned some major lessons that I would like to pass on and share with you.

1- There is almost always more than one way to accomplish something. There are always those folks that go for the traditional way, but there are usually multiple alternatives. The alternatives aren’t always better, but some folks don’t even want to know that they exist. You don’t have to do it the way everyone else does. That’s where out of the box thinking comes into play. Some people may be threatened by doing things a different way, but your life shouldn’t be determined by what other people think.

2- Make peace with money. Money doesn’t change people, it unmasks them. There are folks that only care about getting their share of it at whatever the cost. They don’t care about people, they only care about money. I’ve always said that money is evil because it makes people do things that they shouldn’t do just for a piece of it. By all means, make your money, but create your own definition of success when it comes to money. Don’t let it rule your life!

3- Love the process. Everything in life is a process. Everything that you do should largely be about the process, not the outcome. Memories are made because we see every moment of life as a gift. Not everything is going to happen for you overnight. Clients of mine sometimes drive me crazy with this one because they think social media is going to get them success overnight and it NEVER does! Same can be said for relationships. People rush the process of getting to know someone. They focus on that “happy ever after” instead of the “once upon a time.” Every friendship, every romance, every business relationship is a process. When getting started, just get started. Enjoy the process.

Life isn’t perfect and sometimes things will happen that are horrible, but if you remember that everything happens for a reason, it’ll give you a sense of hope. And there’s always hope. To be hopeful is to look on the future positively, to see opportunity in challenges. It’s looking at life as the glass half full rather than the glass half empty. Life is hard and will kick you in the butt if you let it. But hope gives you the strength to keep going. Hope is that voice inside that says, “Yes, you can.” And when you believe that, anything truly is possible.

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How Your Data Is Being Used

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So, if you are like anyone else on Facebook, you probably did the 10 year challenge without even blinking an eye.  It’s for fun, right?  Well, if you are like me, you would think that the 10 year challenge is a way for Facebook, scammers, police enforcement and just about any other company to collect data using facial recognition algorithms on age progression and age recognition.

Now only that, but half of the stuff that folks do on social media can be seen as a way of marketing schemes to collect data on it’s audience to best determine how to get you to buy or use their product/service.   When you click an ad on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you give that platform very important information.  You might not even know this, but when you pass a billboard on the highway, that billboard is collecting data of you through your smartphone.

For people to even complain about Facebook selling data or data breaches, for that matter, is ridiculous, simply because you are giving Facebook the data in the first place! No one is telling you that you need to give your date of birth, your most recent photos, check-in to places, and so forth.  No one is forcing you to tell Twitter what you think about this, or post that picture of you eating sushi for the first time on Instagram.  The only person doing all of this is YOU!

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all public forums.  Yes, you can have your account as “private,” but the platform is still collecting your data whether your profile is public or private.   What it comes down to is not giving out so much information.  These sites won’t know what they know if you don’t tell them!

Be careful what you post.  Be careful about what you say. It can always come back to bite you later on.

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25 Random Things About Me

So, I was thinking…. maybe it would be cool for readers to get to know who I am and not just “read” my blog posts.  Then it hit me…. how about a list of 25 Random Things About Me? Well… here it is in really no order.

  1. Coffee runs through my veins
  2. I enjoy crafting, sewing,and art projects
  3. Baking is a passion
  4. I still love reading an actual paperback
  5. I love my sports teams ( Jets, Rangers, Yankees, and Knicks- NY teams)
  6. Daisies are my favorite flower
  7. My favorite holidays are my birthday, Halloween and Christmas
  8. I started dancing at age 7, was a cheerleader, coached cheerleading and was a choreographer.
  9. My love for writing started in 5th grade
  10. I coached basketball including an AAU team
  11. I won the school spirit award in High School
  12. I hate scary movies
  13. I love all kinds of music but I am not too fond of heavy metal
  14. I was in my local newspaper twice- once when I was 3 and interviewed once when the Knicks fired their head coach
  15. I was also interviewed my the Wall Street Journal
  16. I feed the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks in my backyard every morning. If I don’t they knock on my door. ( Not kidding!)
  17. I still wish on the stars at night
  18. I believe in the magic of Christmas and miracles
  19. Never ask me for directions, you’ll get lost.
  20. I collect tea cups and elephant statues
  21. I was not made for winter
  22. The only insects I like are butterflies and lady bugs
  23. I love giving things and sending cards to people for particular no reason than to make them smile or inspire them
  24. I have written toddler programs for schools
  25. I started my social media career in 2008

Now, I was thinking… I’m tired of all the hate and politics on social media. How about we take social media back for the fun it should be about and the positivity?

Take the #Random25Challenge and post 25 Random things about you. Use the hashtag when posting.

PS: So, there ya go. Now you know a little bitty more about me. Who are you?

 

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Why Is It Important To Support My Brand?

When a consumer supports their local business owners, they enjoy the
benefits they can’t possibly get from shopping at national chains.

When you personally know the people behind the business where you’re buying
local products and services, you enjoy a connection you would not
otherwise have. You celebrate their ups and also encourage their downs.
This personal investment isn’t present with a big corporation or chain
store. Local businesses give a community its flavor. My brand is
different from any chain or corporation out there. I know the products
you buy or the services you request on a regular basis and can tailor
those services to make your experience even better.

Being a female entrepreneur, and being passionate about what I do, makes
me want to reach my brand, ideas and products outward to a bigger
audience. I put myself into my work and create something that’s
enjoyable on multiple levels. I want to create a connection with my
audience not only through my podcast, but through my books, my social
media services and the products I will sell. Sassy Productions is owned
and operated by your neighbor! I care about and invest in the
well-being of my community and its future. Local businesses are more
accountable to their local communities and donate more money to
non-profits. Besides having my company and brand donate to local
charities, I also want to be able to reach a greater audience and help
in any way I can through having my brand supported with your help.

This is why this kickstarter is so important to me. It’s more than just
having a dream fulfilled. It’s also being able to reach out and knowing
that small businesses do not always stay small – hence why corporations
are developed through the priceless support of local and small
businesses. We need to make sure we publicize and highlight the
successes of female entrepreneurs. Role models are a motivators and many
women who own a small business, are seeked out by young girls and offer
them mentorship and investment in their ideas. Nothing would make me
happier than to help other women reach their potential too.

Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

Just The Dirt: My Story

I am an author, blogger and private consultant in Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing. She is the Founder and CEO of Sassy Productions, Inc. a Rockland County Online Social Media, Book writing/publishing and Blogging agency, since 2006. My book, “Hello Love, Where’s Cupid? 2nd Edition was a nominee for Book of the Year, for Writer’s Digest and for The Library Association of Rockland. The book discusses online dating ( the first social media sites) and the downfalls social media has brought to relationships.

I have over 8 years client Digital Marketing and Blogging experience in helping corporations such as JcPenney, American Idol, and AT&T, and countless others use the web to drive online visibility and generate leads that have resulted in new business online. I manage the Social Media Repuation and Digital Marketing Strategy for top clientele of Rockland County businesses. I also have blogged for numerous webistes. I am part of SheKnows Media and part of BNI.

As a Digital Marketing Expert, I have developed and delivered workshops  in the areas of Social Media Marketing through use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, and Youtube. I also have given bloggers tips of the trade and has worked with bloggers overseas.

With that inside information as to who I am, I am running a Kickstarter to get backers and supportive pledges to back my brand so I can expand it.

In 2008, my brand, which was named back then, SassygirlPR, was formed. I worked on developing it and molding it for the past nine years.

Today my brand is called, Sassy Productions Inc., and it has expanded and has grown 500%. That’s due to my hard work, perseverance, determination and my ability to grasp creative ideas to turn them into actual products.

This project is a two-fold and it’s one of my best ones to date. To develop a talk show/podcast, where I can take my blogging to a higher level, and also use it to promote other businesses, besides mine, is the ultimate challenge. The second part, besides being able to not only produce another book and be able to have a book tour with the book, tie it in the show, is as awesome as it can get.

To use the rewards I have listed here as a demo as to how my brand can expand is also an additional bonus.

By having you support this project, you support my brand. By you supporting my brand, you help me expand it and have a dream fulfilled. How can it get better than that?

You are the bread and butter of my brand, and that from my very core, I thank you.

You can check out the kickstarter and pledge here: Just The Dirt