The Permission to Kick Ass Blog
Misadventures to Make You Feel Good About Life
I believe in eating your own cooking… most of what I’ve learned about how to live a “fearless life” (in quotes because there’s no such thing – people only THINK I’m fearless) comes from making choices (some of them pretty dumb) and taking action. And I’m sharing what I learned (plus any adventures I have along the way) in my blog.
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Subtitled: “My nuts are poppin’ today!” “dessert near me” A few words typed into Google Maps and that’s how I happened upon Beale Sweets Sugar Shack. I’d just wrapped up lunch and had a hankering for something sweet, so might as well find something in walking distance, right? I look for local places, wherever possible – so this one, not…
Read More ...I was talking a friend of mine recently who was working on a new client proposal. She was trying to work out what to offer and kept getting stuck, so she reached out and asked me what the difference was between copyediting, copy coaching, and copy chiefing. I answered her privately and she was able to send off her proposal……
Read More ...I was hanging out in a copywriting group the other day (what, doesn’t everyone nerd out over advertising? Just me? Shut up)… and got into an interesting discussion with a newer copywriter. This person was tasked with writing a “generic” ad that could be “reskinned” and used for multiple businesses, with different owners, in multiple geographical areas, in the same…
Read More ...I have a confession to make: I get easily overwhelmed. If you haven’t met me, hi my name is Angie and this is awkward. If you know me, you’re probably looking at your computer a little like this: Especially since hi, I specialize in really complex marketing plans involving multiple channels of communication, upwards of half a dozen different audiences,…
Read More ...“Another one for the hook…” I’m paraphrasing the punch line of a great story told by Stephen King in his book, On Writing. Back in the day, he’d work his day job and submit stories and book ideas on the side. And he’d get letter after letter back – no. So he hung a hook on the wall. And every…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… This weekend I kicked my own ass. Long story short, on Friday I was roped into helping my aunt move to a little town in the Texas hill country, about 4 hours away from where I currently live. And I was actually happy to do it – because I’d been so sucked into being…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… I think I slept the weekend away. Part of me regrets being so lazy – and the other part of me remembers I work my ass off and when that laziness comes over me, it’s usually my body telling me I need rest. I’m working on this thing lately, where I listen to what…
Read More ...“I just don’t think it’s smart to put fertilizer on the front cover when we’re in the middle of a drought!” I said, frustrated. I was getting pretty close to losing my temper at that point. There were about 10 of us crammed together in a conference room – all the company’s VPs, the merchandisers from the plumbing and garden…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Lately it’s been hard to come up with ideas and make myself sit still… I’m in the middle of a big transition in my professional life, where I’m slowly disconnecting from things I’ve outgrown into new and exciting arenas I’m pumped to start exploring. And of course with big changes comes big freak outs… That…
Read More ...In my house, we have a game. I call it, “Where will I find X today?” X could be a spoon, a dish towel, a spare roll of TP, maybe a light bulb. No matter where it is, it will definitely NOT be in the last place I saw it. And I am actually neither the creator of this game,…
Read More ...What if, instead of freaking out whenever problems pop up (as if we’ll ever solve ALL the problems)… We focused on creating good problems? It’s a different way to look at the same challenge, but it’s a critical distinction. Rather than focus on lack or overwhelm, often a shift to opportunities created can open your eyes to a new way…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… I’m feeling pretty low energy this week. If you’re not in a hurricane prone area, the stress of watching a storm coming in for weeks is probably not something you’re familiar with. (trust me – that’s a GOOD thing) It’s… sucky. In a word. Because the forecasters never know where it’s going – it’s all…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… This week I find myself balancing precariously on the limb as everyone around me loses their GAHT DAMN MINDS in advance of the tropical storms heading this way. I live in Houston – and if you don’t live here you probably don’t see the 24/7 hurricane coverage and the repeated shots of grocery store…
Read More ...I grew up with a single mom, as one of three kids. And one of the things my mom was REALLY good at was stretching every dollar well beyond its breaking point. That meant a lot of buying in bulk, grabbing the clearance meat and throwing it in the freezer, and a LOT of easy throw-it-in-the-slow-cooker type meals. Which ALSO…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… This is one of those days where I wish I had some sort of genius, inspired intro for you… and the brain is just not cooperating.There will be days like that for you, in business and in life. The best thing you can do is give yourself grace, do your best, and get up…
Read More ...John had THE big idea. He invented the Facebook for golf lovers, and he just KNOWS he’s on track to rake in millions of dollars in the next couple years. All he needs are some investors and some beta users and a little buzz/word of mouth, right? It sells itself. So he starts on the next step – logo, of…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Waffles are a straight-up miracle, yo.(If you hate waffles, what is wrong with you?)I had a waffle last week that changed my life, no joke. I was gonna post a picture for you but my email service provider is being a bit of a butt right now. Suffice it to say… this waffle could…
Read More ...Last week I did something fun… I launched (more like softball lobbed, but eh… ) my first ever product. Like a lot of people in marketing and sales… I know how to sell a product. Give me a product (that’s not snake oil or absolute garbage), and I am confident I can sell the ever-loving shit out of it. If…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… It’s funny sometimes, the ideas we get in our heads about “the way things are”. I put that last bit in quotes because I’m fond of another, related quote: your reality isn’t real. Have you ever thought about the different choices and experiences someone might have had to go through in order to get…
Read More ...So there I was, laying on a table with my face mask on… Eyes glued shut, Ride of the Valkyries playing in the background. It’s been a long time since I felt quite that silly, but damn… I really wanted to jump on a motorcycle and go rescue some people. That song is so EPIC. OK… I’m getting a little…
Read More ...I’ve got a problem… one that I think is pretty common, and one that you might recognize. I overcomplicate the SHIT out of EVERYDAMNTHING. Somewhere in my life, I became convinced that “it can’t possibly be that easy”… and ever since, the name of the game has been “how elaborate can I make this plan?” Maybe it stems from trying…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Today I went for a walk. I know… it’s a monumental revelation. I don’t know where the brass band went… I definitely hired one to celebrate/announce/glorify the fact that I went outside to do something OTHER than water my COVID garden or take out the trash. But it’s getting to the point that something had…
Read More ...I’m currently in the middle of taking a podcast workshop from Seth Godin. For years now, especially after I’d speak on stage at events, people would come up to me and tell me I needed to podcast. But I never knew what I’d talk about, at least until I started writing my book. It’s called Permission to Kick Ass and…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… It’s been a real struggle lately, mentally. I’ve not been sleeping well, which led to sleep studies to diagnose sleep apnea. I don’t know if you’ve ever been through an overnight sleep study but lemme tell ya… that’s some of the least restful sleep EVER. I had wires coming out of my hair, taped…
Read More ...Here’s an observation – especially in today’s world of frayed nerves and insta-snark kneejerk replies at anyone who’s even perceived at being “out of line”. What if the person reaching out to you didn’t intend it the way you interpreted it? We’d all go a lot farther by giving folks grace and assuming positive intent. An example from my personal…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… How in the hell is it already almost July? And how have the last few months managed to drag out until eternity and also pass in the blink of an eye. (I’m sure it has nothing to do with me watching every show in my Netflix and Hulu queues from start to finish.) That…
Read More ...I have a confession to make: Tech and I don’t get along. Unless it’s super intuitive and gettable-at-a-glance, I tend to give all technological solutions a wide berth. That’s not to say I’m a luddite – my smartphone is practically glued into my hand some days (an unhealthy habit, that’s for damn sure). And being able to access Shazam (the…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately… Could be the weather (hot, humid, and stormy… thanks Houston). Could be the sleep study I did last week that threw off my schedule for days. Whatever the reason… I had a hell of a time thinking up something to write about today. How am…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… When the world was ending in March/April and we were mostly stuck at home juggling partners, kids, work, and too much time with nowhere to go… That’s when I decided I’d grow some plants. Just try my hand at being farmer Angie. I’ve always been interested in homesteading in that way, but this persistent…
Read More ...Do you ever go through your own sales or marketing process? I mean, as if you were a customer? Do you make it a point to periodically sign up for something and go through the whole shabang to see what (if anything) breaks? There’s tremendous value in experiencing what your customers experience, from time to time. That much became clear…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Last week I spoke on a friend’s call (Kevin Rogers – Chief Chat), and he invited me to share something I’d learned about what I call my “not-so-secret superpower”… empathy. So… I’m not actually a naturally empathetic person. I’m a naturally judgy person, usually ready with a snarky comeback within 0.2 seconds of anything you can…
Read More ...Today I had an ambitious up-and-coming copywriter reach out to me via private message. Normally I would leave this kind of convo unread and not engage – life is much saner for me that way. But his approach caught my attention and I felt inspired to try and help him out by sharing some advice that once helped me out.…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… I’m not the first to say this, and I’m sure I won’t be the last… I’m over 2020. It feels like we’ve had a whole decade pass us by in the last few months – it’s hard to even know how to react anymore. Continents on fire, plagues, murder hornets… And actual murder. Like…
Read More ...This week I got a question: When you’re writing copy, how do you find the balance between being true to the company’s voice but also bringing your own ideas/slant? Had this challenge before when I was hired based on very ‘me’ samples specifically written for that company, but when it actually came to writing a campaign they basically wanted exactly…
Read More ...I’m here to talk about names and taglines. Short writing is probably THE hardest, most time consuming writing there is. How are you gonna compress a complex idea into just three words? By writing a LOT of other words and doing a LOT of cutting until you arrive at the right ones. So today I’m going to share a few…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Welcome to another Tuesday edition of Kick Monday’s Ass. I didn’t forget my days of the week this time, but I did do something I haven’t done in SIX WEEKS… I took a day off. I didn’t open my laptop ONCE yesterday. Hell, I even tried to stay off my phone. I read. I…
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The best piece of advice I got before going freelance, I’d already heard. I just didn’t understand it. And there’s this interesting thing that happens in your brain when you get a piece of advice you don’t understand – you resist. The piece of advice I got? It was to trust the process. And that goes hand in hand with my…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Last week I talked about how I kinda-sorta planted a garden. I know NOTHING about gardening other than… plants? How do they work? MAGIC?! So this was the grand adventure for me, as someone who’s never ever had a garden but has some interest in growing food. Guess what?? The bravest of my children…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… This weekend I planted a garden. Kinda. I mean, I put some plants in pots and set them on my back patio… so it’s not exactly the same thing as hoeing up rows (LOL… yeah, I’m immature). I’ve been interested in learning more about gardening since the pandemic began, but I kept finding ways…
Read More ...Today I’m sharing some of the email questions I’ve been asked by consulting clients and coaching students… in case you’ve been wondering some of these same things as you’re working on your email marketing: #1) I’m afraid of mailing too much… I don’t want to seem desperate or pushy. Operate from the assumption that people are super busy and miss…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… So hey… it’s actually Tuesday. I could make a ton of jokes about how the days are all running together. Oh hey, look at that: The truth is (and I realize how blessed I am to be able to say this)… I’ve been working for about a month straight and I legit forgot what day…
Read More ...One time, I was on a freaking gorgeous hike through a redwood forest, on my way to see my first real in-person waterfall. This was in Northern California, and after years of drought, the rains had finally come. The falls promised to be roaring and spectacular, well worth the 12-ish miles out and back. Somewhere around mile 6, just shy…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… I hear a lot about “working up the courage” to do something. Or waiting for inspiration. Especially last week as my big client wrapped up his launch – one of the biggest objections we saw to starting an online business? “I just need to work up the courage to put myself out there.” Let…
Read More ...I sat down to write today, because that’s what I normally do. And with everything that’s going on, my brain is like, “nah. Let’s not.” So instead of any kind of brilliant marketing insight or pithy analysis, I have my latest boredom beater. Earlier this week, a friend figured out “coronavirus” has 5 syllables and went on a haiku bender.…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… I’m in the middle of a launch for my big client. Yes, even in this environment, high-ticket items are selling. It’s about adjusting your messaging and meeting people where they’re at… not hunkering down and avoiding selling, nor continuing on blithely as if nothing is happening. The world doesn’t stop when there’s a global…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Your mindset is your money. If you’re not taking care of your brain, your thoughts, your moods… I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see if that has a monetary impact. I don’t say that to fear monger – but it’s important to remember. Because it’s a lot easier to have bad days “on…
Read More ...PSA: Now is a great time to start sprucing up your ads so you can catch that first wave when things settle. I get asked to review ads and copy a lot. No really… here’s a picture a friend took of me on stage, reviewing ads and copy in front of about 1,000 people (feels like a totally different reality…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Last week I had a couple minor meltdowns where I was pretty much useless for entire days at a time. That’s bad news because my income depends on me being able to show up and do the work, whether I feel like it or not. I imagine you might be in a similar boat,…
Read More ...I’ve always been good at what I call “zoom in, zoom out”. What I mean by that is… I can see both the 50,000-ft view and the detailed, up-close view, and zoom in and out to see how the pieces connect. And as a result of that ability, early in my career I became the dreaded “office harbinger of doom”.…
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It’s time to kick Monday’s ass… Day 3429856 (I mean 10) of self quarantine and the natives are getting restless. I strolled into my office this morning to this war of the whiteboard notes: But in typical Angie style, I ain’t mad. I’m channeling that feistiness into something productive. I made you a video about creativity in a time of…
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