Somewhere Between Success and Self-Care

Hey honeys and hustlers,

I’ve had a few people ask me what I believe it means to “hustle responsibly.” So this is my attempt at defining what I think it means to “hustle,” and by extension, why I hope you see yourself represented in this community.

The concept of "hustling" often conjures images of relentless work, sleepless nights, and a never-ending grind (often resulting in a predictable and unwanted burnout). However, for me, it's about channeling your passion and creativity to build something that you're proud of while making a tangible impact in your community. Juvenile agrees with me so I can't be too far off, right? (It’s okay if you danced a little bit.) Balancing passion with practicality, success with self-care, and creativity with compassion. Yeah, that's hard work. But it's hard work that you don't have to do alone. Your goals aren't too big when you consider your community as collaborators, motivators, and encouragers. I'm not here to tell you to set "realistic goals" or that your dreams are too big – I'm here to tell you that

• you can and should take care of yourself in pursuit of those dreams

• you don't have to and shouldn't achieve your dreams at the expense of your community

• hustling should have an element of fun (just like the moniker, please drink responsibly implies)

So here's to playfulness in the pursuit of happiness. I'm happy you're here, I hope you tell your creative friends about us, and hope you join us in the chat. Introduce yourself, tell us where you live, what you're working on, and how we can help!

Join me at the Empowered Podcast Conference!

The above comment was shared on Linkedin after seeing me on the Empowered Podcast Conference speaker list. Honestly, it made my day. And I want to share that positive energy with you all. I have 3 tickets to give away to the Empowered Podcast Conference! First come, first serve! Comment below or email me and one can be yours. Can’t wait to meet some of you in person in Charlotte! If you’re a podcaster, you won’t want to miss this event!

In Readworthy News

DJs can now play music on Twitch

If you’ve ever tried to include your favorite song in a YouTube video, you’re probably familiar with the copyright note you’ll receive for doing so. While YouTube and TikTok are coming up short, Twitch is hoping to create a permanent home for creators who want to use popular music in their livestreams. They’ve struck licensing deals with all major record labels and the roll out will begin later this year.

Kai Cenat breaks Twitch record

Kai Cenat teams up with Kevin Hart and Druski, who’ve previously appeared on his channel, to break the record for most concurrent viewers of a live stream. Reaching 712.6K concurrent viewers, he tops the previous record of 644.8K concurrent viewers which included an appearance from Drake. I’m not on Twitch so I can’t imagine livestreaming for 11.5 hours 🤯 but kudos to Kai Cenat for creating a format that entertains his audience that also topped the total unique viewers record in half the time. As if 11.5 hours wasn’t enough, the previous record was made in a live stream that lasted 22.5 hours. Live streaming anyone?

Mythical Entertainment hires ex-Hartbeat VP

North Carolina’s very own Rhett and Link are expanding their venture capital portfolio under Mythical Entertainment. The $5M Mythical Ventures fund invests in creator-owned and led media companies. They’ve tapped Jawhara Tariq to be senior VP of strategy, corporate development & investments. She was previously the VP of strategy and chief of staff at Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat. I’ve never seen venture capital applied to creator and media businesses so I’m watching this space.

Hot Ones, Chicken Shop Date, and Good Mythical Morning are Emmy nominees

Speaking of Good Mythical Morning, Rhett and Link were previously unsuccessful in petitioning the Emmys to include their show in the award competition. Maybe it was the wings, but Hot Ones host Sean Evans has successfully petitioned to have his show included, opening the door for GMM, Chicken Shop Date, and hopefully more in the coming years. For YouTubers to be included in this space feels right to me, and I’m glad that they fought for inclusion on this heralded stage (even though the prestige of award shows seems to be waning in the court of public opinion). Read about their categories and more below.

Things are getting spicy so please, hustle responsibly,

🤙🏾✨

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