when was I working with Pam?
When did i start using openAI?
It’s crazy to think how much has happened since I last made an addition to this site.
My last post was April 2023:
I finished my YC application the second week of april but didn’t end up applying.
(I’m glad I didn’t).
May 2023:
My and Julius’ first date was on May 11, 2023.
Laura mommy and I went to anguilla for her 70th.
I finished the first version of Real Good on my birthday (5/20/2023), after teaching myself php, wordpress, and leveraging HivePress.
At launch, coaches were able to join and list their digital products and services that could be purchased and booked by users.
I turned 31 and celebrated both my birthday and the launch of the site with friends at Steve’s on Sunday.
Now that the website was launched, I had to get coaches and consumers on it.
I thought the best marketing strategy was to film long-form content via an video/audio podcast, and chop it up into shorter form content for TT, shorts, reels. Each episode would feature me interviewing a coach about their area of expertise and offerings, and they would be bookable via Real Good’s website.
In June 2023, working out of Sam Harris’ midtown wework,
I taught myself:
how to be an interviewer*
how to record and edit video and audio content, and how to use platforms like Riverside, CapCut, Spotify, iMovie, and more in the process.
*barely
I launched the one and only Real Good (the podcast) episode to Spotify, in which I speak to Cole Yaverbaum, a finance coach for women.
While editing the second episode with Michaela d'Artois (sex and intimacy coach), I realized that this process was taking way too long to be my early GTM strategy. I was also focusing a lot of energy on fixing a stripe API issue that was preventing me from sending anyone to the site. I spent hourssssss talking to stripe, woocommerce, wp to no avail. (It turns out that we’re not allowed to do business in Afghanistan and it was a location option via the google map API).
So I thought a lot about
In addition to creating content on social platforms, coaches were also marketing themselves and making some money through hosting IRL and URL events.
I decided to pivot my marketing strategy, especially because despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get the stripe API to work on the website. I spent hours talking to stripe, woocommerce, wp to no avail. (It turns out that we’re not allowed to do business in Afghanistan and it was a location option via the google map API).
I also spent the month of June thinking about about (the lack of) “third spaces” through the lens of where I could host in-person events in New York.
I explored IRL/URL social clubs (summit, Hermanas, 57 grand, lightening society, the well, the norwood club, neuehouse, etc), while working out of Sam Harris’ WeWork. I realized that the coaches I was trying to build for often market themselves through hosting events. This led me to identify the growing amount of “people led events.” I thought that maybe events could be thrown:
people who attend similar interests (events) would probably get along.
this event survey in which 108 people responded.
**maybe I should ask myfriend in brooklyn if we can host events there
Real Good and Sister Sister were two different, yet connected brands.
Real Good would be a way to find out about different experts,
everyone learned from a subject matter expert, or the coaches that also needed the exposure and IRL opportunity. while working out of Sam Harris’ WeWork. 2 and half years after the pandemic and people were craving IRL communities more than ever.
I also at this point had recognized the power in building community.
I experimented with building digital communities:
In late June 2023, I launched a community on Geneva (AQRD by Bumble Inc. in Oct’ 2024) for solopreneurs. It was growing organically, and I learned the difficulty of having to manage a community in its early days.
In August, I asked coach Chloe to co-host an event on my Bergen Rooftop using Partiful, which I had joined early in 2022.
I sent out these google questions.
I changed the website from being able to book time with coaches, to focusing on publicizing New York coaches and their IRL/URL events.
and I studied communication apps that were doubling as community building ones:
WhatsApp
I joined every Hermanas WhatsApp group intuiting that one day they would (and should) put their community behind a paywall
Discord
Slack
Telegram
July - August, I worked on the stripe issue (working out of Sam Harris’ office), researched the events market in New York, and hosted/attended a few of my own.
hosted the first on my room on 8/1/23
I was too TikTok shy at that point to want to further promote Cole or the podcast.
August first I had flowbychlo, a coach I had met through a friend, on the Bergen St rooftop for an IRL event.
I had her join the
I was also working with Pam in August, former Head of Sales (and my friend) at Getty turned career coach. I learned I’m an Enneagram
The second half of August I spent researching URLs (what happens when you share them, how can you better store them), going down a rabbit hole as they relate to the affiliate model. https://mymind.com/
August 28th I started interview with Emcee, and by Sept 19th I was told I didnt get it because I dominated too many of the conversations.
Sept 19th - Started interviewing with Emcee.
Sept 21 - I takled to komi founder, Lewis. Sent him this deck.
I spent Sept and Oct prepping for and going through the extensive interview process with XXX. (I ended up not getting the job because I “dominated a few of the meetings.)
No code app with Darren $2,500 —> link the Miro board
It was my last chance at income before I was entirely out of money.
I moved into Julius’ small east village apartment, both of us believing it would only be for a week before I headed to Colorado to live with Laura. But it turned out we liked living together and have lived together since.
In Nov, I changed the website and renamed it to Disco Weekly, which would feature both IRl/URL events led by coaches in New York.
I launched a substack to eventually market it with on Nov 23
I started working for Jay early nov 2023
I left to spend December in Colorado with Laura, helping with unvieling Woven Care’s new branding and to enjoy the holidays with our extended family.
I also was in the final stages of an interview process with Hebbia AI. I presented a case study both right before christmas and again right before new years only to find out that I didn’t get the job.
When I came back to New York in January, I was met with the cold harsh reality that I had to make money. I spent the cold gray hours at home in our small apartment applying to jobs and perusing craigslist for wonky jobs. I end up getting a wonky job first — helping Jay, the owner of a small business for 25 years that helped other alcoholics like him get sober and find god (or whatever they perceived him to be). Jay was a classic Brooklyn italian guy in his 50s who spoke with a deep gruff voice but is one of the nicest humans I’ve ever met. Jay wanted to launch a podcast to help more New Yorkers discover Choices Books and Gifts, so we did. I would say I would have done it for free (which is true), but I needed the $25/hr.
An advisor to Hebbia, Alexandra McMurray, who I had interviewed with during the interview process reached out in the middle of Feb to let me know about another company she was working with — Valence, another AI startup. I came to learn that Valence’s CEO is actually Alex’s husband, Parker, and that Alex rejoined as the Head of Commercial.
I spent all of February interviewing with Valence. I interviewed again with Alex, did a live case study with the cofounder and CTO, Levi, and enventually I got to the final round — an interview with Parker, the CEO. The team had told me the job was essentially mine, but that Parker had to sign off on everyone. Parker did not sign off on me. It was a strange and bizarre 30min conversation where he didn’t believe that I was CoS at Getty.
I found out that I didn’t get the job on Mar 7th.
I was so exhausted mentally and emotionally by the process that I spent the entire next day on the couch. In the past, I would have spent a week, but I have now learned how to feel deeply and then quickly recover.
While I had justified Hebbia and Valence as interesting prospects because of their focus on AI, I vowed that I wouldn’t let another non-creator economy company steal that much of my energy and focus (esp with no return) again.
March 25th was my first meeting with Rob Silver at Popcall, one of two cofounders who were building a startup around net-new tech used in a novel way for creators. I really like Rob and I really like Scott, the other cofounder and CTO.
Julius and I flew to Germany for the first time together so I could meet his parents in person, during which:
I became close friends with Julius’ mother, Petra
We found out I was (accidentally) pregnant (for the first time ever). We decided that we would make a decision once we were back in New York. I didn’t tell anyone except Petra and Oluchi, especially because Laura and Jonathan’s wedding was in 2 weeks in Houston, on April 26th 2023.
Made and presented a case study for Popcall
When we got back to New York, I had an abortion. 3 days of bad cramps and bleeding and then it was over.
The following week I flew home for the wedding.
Rob and Scott flew into Houston to meet me in person.
In May (and in order):
I started working at Popcall as Head of Creator Partnerships
We found out that Julius would be losing his job at the end of the year (12/31/2024)
I turned 32
and I had to get a second, follow up abortion. It was hell.
June 17th I accepted an offer to work at Palette, a digital-creator management firm started by 2 friends from college.
Friday, June 21, 2024 was my last day at Popcall after I resigned. It was also the day that Julius and I got married in the New York downtown courthouse. It was incredibly hot and I had to run .4 miles from the Beekman hotel in order to make it. We fought within the first few hours of being married, a la us (and me) being way too drunk. We kissed and made up, had a nice dinner and lots and lots of sex :)
<<<picture>>>>>
In July we traveled to Portugal (one of my favorite trips to date), and then I moved us into our new west village apartment, where we continue to reside, over July 4th weekend.
August was a blur. On August 19, Julius wrote me at a letter addressing the fact that all of the toxic things I had been saying to him over the summer+ have impacted him severely — are impacting him. He’s internalized them (can’t hang, liar, poser, dud, loser, etc.,), and are affecting how he feels about him. He ends the letter asking for us to be happy, to be in love, to feel supported by me.
*when did i start taking SSRIs?
Early september we traveled to Italy and attended Lara and Patrick’s wedding.
I tell him at dinner that he has to be financially successful. He’s the man and has to provide.
I also tell him I want a divorce. And mean it.
That we don’t laugh together, don’t talk about anything.
I see that he’s the only friend not in Patrick’s wedding party out of the boys. I get too drunk and tell him that he has no close friends. (it’s not not true).
In October:
Julius mother and close friend came to New York for 10 days.
Julius turned 33.
We were uninvited to Thanksgiving in Houston.
Oluchi visited the first weekend of November. My heart was incredibly full. Julius was in a bad mood 90% of the team.
We spent Thanksgiving with Anna and her family.
December:
Julius gets his green card almost 6 months to the day we got married.
My mom comes to New York. Julius cooks dinner on Christmas eve at our place, and Laura and Jonathan host christmas day at theirs. It’s so nice living a few blocks away from them.
I started talking with Alex/Satadru @dobby,
January 2025: Met Gurpreet and team building an AI search engine with a voice avatar. I passed because
February 2025:
Julius and I thought about investing $50k into searchbubble. Ultim
The problem with Geneva though is that there were too many homes you could discover and join. It was great for community managers and builders, but ultimately that there are too many homes you can search for and join. And then you’re in too many.
