Give Yourself Permission To Try

Featuring Jasely Molina, brand strategist and journalist

I had the pleasure of attending the Tech.Emotion conference in Milan recently (shoutout to Lucid for bringing me along) and met many interesting folks including a father (also a tech founder) who shared his young daughter leads a portion of his pitch meetings.

We agreed that the beauty of adolescence is the absence of fear, since much of what we actually fear is rooted in the social constructs we’re exposed to later in life (the joys of adulthood, sigh…). I told him he was a good father and that I was confident his daughter would grow up to be bold in her pursuits with this kind of experience so early in life—regardless of the professional path she chooses to take.

It got me reflective about the child version of myself. The one who was eager and unafraid to try new things—like claim my spot in the big kid pool knowing damn well I had never taken off my floaties (I learned to swim that day). I’d really like to lean more into this energy in this chapter of life. In many ways I have; in other ways, not so much.

Which is why Jasely Molina’s presence on LinkedIn is so inspiring.

Jasely Molina

“Give yourself permission to try,” Jasely writes in one of her latest LinkedIn posts. She’s successfully created a platform for unfiltered, thoughtful discourse, opening up about her bold career journey: from turning down unpaid edit tests to navigating the quiet costs of speaking up (she’s been passed up for job opportunities due to her LinkedIn commentary). Rather than shy away, she’s doubled down. “There’s more than enough people on LinkedIn playing it safe,” Jasely tells me. “That won’t be me.”

It helps that she’s academically trained in journalism—the foundation is there. But early training combined with a unique voice is her secret sauce. The latter is what people often lack.

Too often, we treat titles like proof of worth, failing to lean into our unique skills and experiences that paint a much fuller picture. Jasely may not have a title (yet) that perfectly encompasses all that she does (among which is a highly effective pitching guide), but she does have the receipts, plus proof of impact and demonstrative testimonies.

LOL

Her path is experimental. Nonlinear. Brave. Her title is flowing, but you better believe her delivery is fixed.

And like the many hats she wears, she dons her name proudly, respectfully imploring people to get this title right, if anything. Like the two-steps-ahead strategist she is—the audio pronunciation is on her website for easy reference.

Stay In The Groove

Upcoming events for your calendar:

• Trauma Unit Retreat (June 5-9, Jamaica)

• Black Food & Wine Experience (June 7, Oakland)

• The She Is Experience (June 14, Ontario)

• Wine and Culture Fest (July 17-20, Washington, D.C.)

• The Black Ballad Weekender (August 1-2, London)

• The Family Reunion (August 14-17, Virginia)

• RomanceCon (September 5-6, Milwaukee)

• Black Travel Summit (November 13-16, Rio de Janeiro)

Some job opportunities I’m seeing:

• Canva is looking for a Senior Art Director & Senior Producer

• Marie Claire US is seeking a Deputy Director

• Vogue Business launched the fourth edition of its annual writing competition

• The Independent has an opening for a Voices Editor

• The Guardian is hiring Senior Editor, US Newsletters

• Apartment Therapy has open roles including Editorial Interns, an Editor, Style, and an Editor, Cleaning & Organizing

• Girls Write Now is looking for a Community Manager

• Black Information Network is seeking a Social Media Assistant

• Hearst needs a new Senior Manager of Newsletters, Lifestyle

• More to Her Story is seeking pitches centered on women and girls worldwide

• Black Ballad seeks pitches from Black women, transwomen and non-binary people

I loved speaking with Kira West for Business Insider about what she’s learned and experienced since moving from Chicago to London.

I loved this Teen Vogue piece from Kaitlyn McNab who spoke to Forever stars Michael Cooper Jr. and Lovie Simone as well as creator Mara Brock Akil, reflecting on the truly outstanding show and looking ahead to season 2. I can say it definitely helped cure me of my season 1 hangover.