She Does Better

Emilie Burke

Making this space mine again

// Blogging

Reading Time: 1 minute

If you’ve been around these parts for a bit, you might have noticed an evolution of the site. It went from a thing I did to a thing there was a right way to do to a thing I was frustrated with myself for not being able to do the best way.

And then earlier this year I wrote about Consolidating Responsibilities. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the first step towards me being ready to remove the things in my life I was continuing to do because I had always been doing them. Somewhere along the way: Just because I used to make money with this blog doesn’t mean I still had to. Some weeks ago, I made the decision that I was ready to close that door as a possibility.

I canceled my email management software. I got rid of the big fancy layout. I have deleted every sponsored post (I think). I deleted the press page. And today, I deleted the Twitter and Facebook accounts. (Instagram has long been gone!) I’ve been trying to delete the analytics, but according to Ghostery it’s still here somewhere, and I just can’t figure out where it’s installed on the site.

This feels like a step in the right direction. I don’t know what comes next, but I feel good about where this is heading.

Saturday Morning Tea // May 2019

// Blogging

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Continuing to soul search…

I feel like sometimes I say the same thing every time I’m writing here

What do I want this space to be?

-me, every time I write here

Twice this calendar year I’ve come very very close to just shutting the whole thing down. Other thoughts include locking it up behind a password and calling it done, the virtual version of closing shop without the data loss (FOMO).

And then I tell myself I won’t do it out of obligation- I’ll only do it when I want to. Then the middle of the month rolls around, it’s time to post about my iPhone Home Screen, and I’m not interested in writing it or its not the priority.

That’s the magic reality that I’m only just now coming to terms with: this is not the priority. There was a point in time where that was not true. There was a point in time in my life not all that long ago where writing and publishing was something I’d wake up early, stay up late, or readjust my priorities for the day for. That is no longer the case.

It has been hard for me to come to terms with this, but my priorities have shifted and She Does Better is no longer it. I think I’ve been slowly coming around to this. I removed the “Work with me” page some time ago (when I decided that I was no longer interested in working with brands). I removed the “Press” page more recently (when I decided I was no longer going to seek those sorts of opportunities and they didn’t add any value to the site). Most recently, I rerouted the about link to my website because I thought the about page was too salesy (selling what? selling myself?) but I don’t have the time to rewrite it rewriting it isn’t a priority.

I was recently promoted at work and I’m really excited for the opportunity, but also know that I need to step it up (with, I think a #SummerofCode, but jury is still out). C’s next deployment is approaching more quickly than I’d like. I’m going to back to school in the fall (should I do this? another question for another time). I’m finally losing weight and getting strong again, and I want to keep moving in that direction. These are my actual priorities.

Given, then, that this space is not a priority to me and I’m not emotionally ready to just delete, what do I do?

I don’t know, but I welcome thoughts.

Saturday Morning Tea // April 2019 + READER SURVEY

// Blogging

Reading Time: 1 minute

Hey y’all! Happy Saturday Morning. I expect it to be a frantic weekend here as impending travel adventures weigh on me.

Below is a reader survey. It will only take you a couple of minutes but will help me shape me in the work I’m doing for this here site!

powered by Typeform

If you have any questions, please do reach out!

Introducing… She Does Better

// Blogging

Reading Time: 4 minutes

FINALLY!

I have been working on rebranding Burke Does to She Does Better in very specific ways since December 2017. For the last three months (more than, but who is counting?), I have been working on this new website diligently. Day by day, I spent time tweaking details, copy, and images. This is been such a passion project, but I’m so glad it’s here!

Let me walk you through the site!

The Home Page

The home page, at SheDoesBetter.com, is definitely meant for new friends. Repeat visitors to the site have tended to visit specific blog posts. I spent a lot of time deliberating the role of the home page for the site, and I stand firmly that it’s for the new folks to orient themselves to me, what I do, what I write about, and how I can help.

That is exactly what the home page does! I tell you about who I am and what I’m trying to do and highlight the places I’ve written for or been quoted in, as a way to establish credibility with new visitors.

The middle of the page points you to the meat of the site- the blog. In addition to highlighting the most recent blog post, I also have a search feature for when you have the post in mind that you’re looking for, but don’t want to go sifting through the archives. As I’ve dug in more to the three pillars of my writing- physical, financial, and professional fitness- these three categories are front and center on the home page.

Since, in addition to the content, this space is also how I can present myself to organizations I work with, I’ve also made it really easy for them to see other organizations I’ve partnered with and different ways to partner with me!

Of course, there’s all the regular legal mumbo jumbo at the bottom of the page. Copyright, Terms, blah blah blah.

Bookshelf

This is one of my favorite new features of the site! Y’all know I love to read, and I know from looking at the post analytics AND from the affiliate sales (thank you x10000) that you too love when I talk about what I’m reading. For that reason, I’ve launched the bookshelf here on my site where you can see exactly what I’ve been reading and what I recommend. The books have categories, the highlights of which are Personal Finance, Women Authors, and Faves,  making it super easy for you to find exactly what you’re looking for. The shelf currently features over 50 books that I personally have read and would recommend.

If you want to know what I’m reading, you can always check out #shedoesbetterreads on Instagram!

Press

The more I’ve been writing outside of this space, I’ve been struggling to take figure out how to collect all that writing. Well, now I have it! This press page allows me to clearly collect all the articles or podcasts I’ve written in, been quoted in, or recorded. I’ve been lucky enough to have tons of opportunities and I’m so glad to be able to present this in an easy-to-access way!

At the top of the page, you can see some sites where I am a regular contributor. For example, did you know that for over a year, I’ve been contributing to the Clearpoint Blog? I’m also a regular contributor on Military by Owner. I have a new post on a new site coming out really soon that I’m excited to share soon too!

On this press page, you can also see specific articles I’ve been quoted in, articles I’ve written for other sites, or interviews I’ve done, some in podcast-form, some in written-form.

Blog Posts

This is the real crux of the site. The vast majority of site traffic comes directly to a specific blog post, either through an RSS Feed Reader, Pinterest, or a direct link. I wanted to spend a lot of time making sure that reading a blog post on mobile (which about 50% of you do!) was a really optimal experience. With that in mind, I got rid of the sidebar. In my strongly held opinion, sidebars always look like they are an after-thought on mobile. Well, they’re not an afterthought here. In order for there to be the most optimal mobile experience, I wanted to make it as easy as humanly possible to enjoy just blog posts on mobile- no distractions.

I think it’s a much better reader experience than it used to be.

You’ll notice the sidebar is not gone everywhere. I had to make use of the space I had in the most efficient way possible. We expect a sidebar on the web, and I wanted to present some information above the fold. Where it matters most, on blog posts, there is no more sidebar.

All the Feels

There are other pages on this site, I’d encourage you to visit.

This blog has been in the making for some time. I feel like the visual identity is exactly what I’ve been looking for- forward movement but not overly feminine. It’s serious but playful. I’m not at the front and center, the message is. These things were really important to me because I wanted the visual identity to match what I’m trying to say.

Here’s the thing I’ve realized- I can have it all, but “all” needs to be a carefully defined list that I am constantly curating. My mission to do better doesn’t mean doing everything; it means identifying what’s important to me and living that out. She Does Better, this new branding and visual identity, has helped me hone in on that.

Thank you so much for being part of this with me. I’m so, so, so grateful for you. More than anything, whenever I sit here and put out information, you keep coming back. At the end of the day, I do this all for you.

Prepping for Conferences

// Blogging

Reading Time: 4 minutesAs I’ve mentioned repeatedly, I’m on a bit of a whirlwind series of trips right now that include three conferences: MilspoCON (formerly EMBARK), Milblogging (also known as the Military Influencer Conference), and FinCon! As you may know, I attended FinCon last year and found it to be an absolutely transformative experience, which is why when the opportunity to attend additional conferences came up, I absolutely jumped on them.

A couple of conference newbies, though, have reached out to me because they’re unsure of how to best prepare for these or other conferences. I thought I’d collect my thoughts on the subjects so that the next time one of those questions pops into my inbox, I can point him or her right to this post. Transparency, friends, transparency.

Business Cards

Any “how to prepare for a conference” will tell you to bring business cards. Last year, in preparation for FinCon, I bought waaaaayyy too many business cards, so this isn’t something I’m worries about. I had my dear friend Caroline Hatfield design my Burke Does business cards back then and I still absolutely love them. Even though, my branding has changed slightly since then, I’ve decided to use these cards because my brand messaging is still the same. Plus, I’ve already gotten tons of them, and I’m not buying new ones because of a new logo (#frugalityisalifestyle).

So, yes, business cards are a must, but don’t go crazy about them. I strongly suggest including your picture on them because people are much more likely to match your conversation to the card in their hand when you do that.

Also, a tip that I learned from my sorority advisor: after you’ve gotten a business card and ended the conversation, discreetly write on the card where and how you met the person, as well as what you talked about. This will allow you to write a more personable follow-up email.

Clothes

Lay out your clothes ahead of time. Do not pack like you’re going on vacation! Pack like you won’t have time to decide what to wear!

Do Your Homework

This is what I think really separates the cream of the crop from the rest of the conference attendees. You can’t just go to a conference and then figure it out. Before you go, you should scope out which sessions you’d like to attend. This will also allow you to be strategic about which sessions you’re comfortable skipping in exchange for meetings or the opportunity to talk to someone new. Things will absolutely come up, but planning is an invaluable strategic step that can make the difference for you as you go through the conference.

For Keynote Speakers, you should absolutely read their books (if relevant) or otherwise familiarize yourself with them. Know who they are, what they do, and why they’re relevant to you and your work. You should come prepared with 2-3 questions per speaker that you’ll be able to adjust based on the talk they give. Be attentive, take notes, and engage the speaker with your attention. In the same way that their speech can be memorable to you, your attention as a member of the audiences can be memorable to them.

As I mentioned on Instagram, I just finished reading David Bach’s Smart Couples Finish Rich. I’m hoping to bring my copy to ask him to sign. I’m also going to bring my copy of The Broke and Beautiful Life to ask Stefanie O’Connell to sign.

Heading into what I’m going to start calling conference season, I also plan on reading Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. I’ve heard it’s a must for these circumstances.

Scope out who else will be attending

You’ll want to identify individuals and organizations who are attending beforehand if they’re someone you want to talk to. For example, one of my biggest freelance writing clients came from FinCon last September. Over a year later, I’m still writing for them on a monthly basis!

Get Involved

From volunteering at check-in to helping someone carry their bags upstairs to giving a talk, there will be lots of opportunities to participate at whatever conference you’re going to, so dive in head-first! You have nothing to lose (except for maybe a session or two) but everything to gain in meaningful connections.

Break out of your Bubble

Having gone to Fincon before, there is a certain collective of bloggers who took me under their wing last year that I can’t wait to see. MilspoCON and Milblogging, though, will be new experiences for me. Rather than spot the one or two familiar faces in the room and be, instead, make the effort to break out of your familiarity bubble and meet new people. If you wanted to talk to people you already know, why did you go to the conference in the first place? You should have just invited your friends over to your house.

Embrace Who You Are, Stop Pretending To Be Who You Think You Should Be

I mean this incredibly personally- when I went to Fincon last year, I felt embarrassed to admit that I was a lifestyle blogger. Well, I’M A LIFESTYLE BLOGGER FOLKS AND THAT IS THAT. With a tagline like Inspiring Millennial Women to Live Financially, Physically, and Professionally Fit Lives, how could I ever be anything else?

Embrace it! I am a lifestyle blogger. I’m never going to niche into just investing or just debt pay down or just retirement or just Crossfit or just any one of those things. The fact of the matter is that I’ve always cared way more about the well-roundedness of it all, so that’s what this space reflects. If you’re embarrassed by the work you’re doing, you need to reevaluate it!

Most importantly…

Have Fun!

There’s going to be tons of opportunities to take all the phenomenal lessons you’ve learned at the conference. Don’t stress about implementing it all right away! Enjoy the conference. When you get home, there will be plenty of time to create an action plan (which I’d suggest you do as project on [Todoist](todoist.com)). Focus on the conference. Be present on the joy there. There will be time to work- and sleep- when you get home!