When I first got the idea of Media Magic, not everyone understood my vision
For example, a lot of people questioned why I didn't start doing retreats more locally and then build up to hosting them internationally. Others wondered why I was creating a live experience, full stop, when I could just create a course or coach virtually
All of which, had me majorly discouraged and second-guessing myself at times
Fast forward to now and…
As I sat across from my good sis, Eunice, I felt defeated, like a failure, and that all the plans I had put in place had come to nothing
The other thing I felt was embarrassed (lol) because all these feelings were causing me to cry in public
Eunice and I had met up (as we normally do every month) at a restaurant and, what was supposed to be a fabulous girls' night out, had dissolved into this cry-fest that I was trying to hide by at least not crying loudly and attempting to wipe away all evidence of
But of course, the tears just kept coming and at a certain point, I just gave up and let them flow
You might be wondering why I was feeling this way. Well…
This moment was back in early 2023 when I first attempted to launch Media Magic
My retreat for business women, experts, coaches and authors who want to uncover a quick and systemised process to pitch the media so that they can get onto more top platforms, be seen as industry experts, and start raking in larger paydays
I first had the idea in 2022, but as you can guess from the scene I painted for you in the middle of that African restaurant, the first launch didn’t go well
Looking back now, and hindsight being 20/20, I can see that I hadn’t done everything correctly during that first attempt. But at the time, sitting across from Eunice in that African restaurant, I believed that I had done all that I could- making my poor results all the more painful
Flash forward to now and, not only did I successfully get Media Magic off the ground (in Tulum, Mexico last July), I’m currently planning my second one
(which will take place in Mykonos, Greece in October)
But the Nina of 2023, didn’t know this would happen. She wanted to throw in the towel, crawl into bed and not get out, to be honest
And, truthfully, I did do that for a while…
But then I eventually got myself back up
You may be wondering why I’m sharing this with you, sis
I’m sharing this story and the lessons learned because I know there will be people who will come across this post who have goals but are too afraid to say their goals out loud let alone commit to them
Why?
Because they're scared of ending up like the Nina of 2023 instead of asking, like Steve Mackey, “What if I become my wildest dreams?” (like the Nina of 2024 did)
Perhaps you’re one of them?
If you’ve been rocking with me for a while, you’ll know that I don’t buy in to new year hype but even I can admit that it has several benefits
Like a clean slate that gives us renewed energy to try again or try something completely new
And try as we may to run away from it, resolutions just hit different at the top of a new 365 days
Don’t you agree?
While we all have good intentions when we set our resolutions, statistics show that most people give up on them by February
I know, that’s crazy, right?! Especially when you think about the fact that, that’s typically a month after setting them
I know what you’re thinking, sis: What makes us give up so soon?
If you’ve been rocking with me for a while, you’ll know that I love to travel. As someone who gets lost easily
(even in her home city lol)
the one nerve-wracking thing about exploring new places is figuring out how to get to where I'm trying to go
That's why I spend time planning my routes before I have to navigate them
Knowing exactly where you’re going and having a plan in place to help you get there isn’t only important for sightseeing or visiting landmarks. It’s also crucial for your goals (PR or otherwise)
Because...
I'm so totally honoured to share that I spoke at The Rise to Millions Conference in Paris and received a Legendary Woman of Impact Award there recently 🥳🥳🥳
It was the last weekend of October to be exact
As I stood in front of the crowd, trying to find the words to express how honoured I was, I ended my speech by saying something like: “Well, this wasn’t on my bingo card, but it’s real, and it’s happening because I chose to follow my dreams...literally"
Here's what I meant by that 👇🏾
In September, I found myself asking myself a series of questions
I know you’re thinking “Such as?”
Well…
Like: "What is it that makes me the most happy, and how can I incorporate that into my life on more of a daily basis?"
But that was very much at the beginning of the month
I think that anybody who knows me well, knows that I love traveling
Yes, it's because I get to experience different cultures and spend time with the people that I love and eat delicious food and all of that sort of jazz
But I also realise that part of what I love about holidays and traveling, is also the person that I am when I'm on holiday
I know what I'm going to wear on each day, and I'm hyped to wear those things. I know what I'm going to do, I know who I'm going to see
So, not only am I more relaxed, but actually, I am more organised
With this in mind…
In line with that, one of the things that I started to ask myself every day in September (after this realisation) was:
What kind of birthday celebrant are you?
Are you the sort of person who:
A) Is very low-key (as in “I don't celebrate at all” or “if I do, it's just on the day?”)
B) Is more of the mindset that the whole month is your birthday?
I'm the latter, as in:
I always say “October is my birthday” even though it’s only technically today
(October 3rd, on the day of sending this email)
This whole idea of October being my birthday is not just this self-centred wish to make it all about me, though
Believe it or not…
It has always been a celebration of life and an acknowledgement that there but by the grace of God go I
