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Alexandra Franzen is a writer, consultant, and entrepreneur based in Portland, Oregon. Her writing about creativity, productivity, goal-setting, handling adversity, disappointment, and fear, and how we can all use our gifts to create a positive ripple in the world has been featured in places like Time, Forbes, Newsweek, The Huffington Post, and Lifehacker.
Her newest book is called You’re Going to Survive. It’s a book about how to deal with stressful, discouraging times in your career, including dealing with negative online reviews. (Alex helped her partner Brandon open a restaurant, and dealing with online trolls and 1-star Yelp reviews is something she’s had some personal experience with!)
While Alexandra has a significant online following of her articles and email newsletter, she no longer uses any form of social media. We talk about what led her to make that choice and how she runs a thriving business without being on social media. We also talk about scheduling “life” first, the importance and joy of tiny projects, and how to say “no” in a thoughtful, helpful way that can leave the other person better off.
Find Alexandra Franzen online:
- website - AlexandraFranzen.com
- Alex’s book - You're Going to Survive: True stories about adversity, rejection, defeat, terrible bosses, online trolls, 1-star Yelp reviews, and other soul-crushing experiences— and how to get through it
- Alex’s book - 50 Ways to Say You’re Awesome
Other people & resources mentioned in this episode:
- I was introduced to Alexandra's work by Monique Malcolm, who was my guest on Episode 29.
- Alexandra hosts amazing writing retreats in Hawaii.
- I referenced "Givers GET", a quote from Bob Negen of the Retail Mastery System.
- Alexandra is currently listening to a lot of world music, and she regularly shares her Spotify playlists with her newsletter subscribers.
- She’s also a fan of Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations Podcast, 2 Dope Queens, and the Thirst Aid Kit podcast.
- Her pick for someone doing badass things was magician David Blaine, and she can’t live without her Bose bluetooth headphones.
This episode is brought to you by:
The Power of Pinterest - this 50-minute class on Skillshare offers an overview of how Pinterest can be used to drive massive traffic to your website, blog, or online shop.
The Badass Creatives Shop - purchase Badass Creatives t-shirts and tote bags via Etsy.
This episode was edited by Mo Calderon of Mo Explores Media.
*Note: some product links mentioned above may be affiliate links, which means if you click and buy the product, I make a small commission. It doesn't cost you anything extra, and I only recommend these products because they are the ones I have used. When you click and purchase, it helps support me making more episodes of this free podcast.
Special thanks to:
Eric Laws + Morella & The Wheels Of If for composing the show's theme music
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