Well this is messy...

Well this is messy…

This email is long but it will explain a lot about the direction of this business, this newsletter, and me.

While I’d like to tell you I know everything that’s going to happen in my life ahead of time, the truth of the matter is that I don’t.

It’s embarrassing to admit this but I’m giving up trying to be a coach.

If you’ve been on my email list for some time you’ll know that this is like my 3rd or 4th pivot.

You may be thinking, “Wow this girl has no clue what she wants or what she’s doing.” & that would be partially true.

The honest truth is, I’ve spent the last 7 years of my life trying to figure out who I am.

You see, I was a “Good Girl” my whole life.

I’ve been striving since I was 4 or 5 years old to please everyone around me, especially my parents. I never wanted to disappoint them.

I did everything they asked really without breaking any rules. Never thinking about the fact that I was setting my life into a prison almost & that one day, I would need to break free from it.

Now, at 31 years old, I am finally doing what I want but it is uncomfortably messy. I feel like a baby bird trying to break free from the nest or a new born deer trying to walk for the first time ( if you’ve never seen how awkward that can be just take a look here and here)

There were points in my life where I could’ve challenge my parents before now & started living my life how I wanted but that would require me fighting them & I wasn’t ready then:

The first time I was a junior in high school wanting to be a performer on Broadway. I had done research on theatre and other art programsI told them my idea for after graduation & they quickly shut it down. I had to pick a backup plan. Defeated, I went back to the drawing board & settled on psychology.

I never looked back even though I should've at least looked at other ways to express my creativity.

The second point was when I worked at an art camp as a camp counselor my sophomore year of college. The guest artist for the week, asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I answered, “Well I’m in school for Psychology.”

He said, “No, I mean what do YOU WANT TO DO?”

I immediately said, “ Being a performer on Broadway.” I told him how my parents wanted me to have a backup plan.

He looked me right in my eyes and said, “ Backup plans are usually not just backups. They’re what you safely choose to do when you’re afraid to take chances. Living a life that makes you happy every day is worth taking chances on. My parents tried to get me to do the same thing, but I ignored them & I am happy I did. I may not be the wealthiest artist but I am happy every day. You won’t regret trying the thing you love but you will regret never trying. “

I was young & dumb and didn’t realize how life changing that advice actually was. I just figured he didn’t know my life well enough to tell me that & that my parents knew better.

Well I was wrong lol.

Those were opportunities to change the trajectory of my life. To not play safe. To take risks but I was too scared of not having their support so I chose to stay comfortable.

I spent the next 5 years after that following the plan I set with my parents but half way through Grad school I woke up & realized I didn’t want this to be my life.

I’ve been on a journey the last 7 years to rediscover my purpose, what I want to do with my life & how I want to earn income.

This has lead me through quite a few private and public pivots. Some that went well & some that flopped badly.

Which brings me to the main point of this email (sorry for the wordiness).

I am building a BIG business.

Anxious But Blessed is my love child business that I started last year. ABB is centered around helping women, especially women of color, self-master their mental & emotional health.

I believe that:

✅ understanding one's history

✅learning healthy coping strategies

✅ and practicing self-awareness are all key to achieving mental and emotional well-being.

It will have 3 divisions:

➡️ Media (This newsletter & social media content)

I am hoping to bring awareness to different mental health & wellness topics with raw honesty, relatability, and humor that doesn’t happen with a lot of mental health platforms.

➡️ Production

I hoping to bring you educational & relatable video content & podcasts to bring fresh perspectives taboo mental health & wellness topics.

➡️ Products

I also hope to offer a variety of digital resources & community support through our platform.

Lastly, I hope to relaunch our line of stylish & empowering clothing that will help you feel confident and ready to tackle any challenge that comes your way.

This a plan that will likely take 3-5 years to fully make a reality but I am in this for the long haul.

I hope you’ll be here with me.

Starting next week,

I’ll be writing newsletters Monday-Friday. Testing out which frequency I can keep up with and what you guys like.

Please interact with me.

Respond to these emails and let me know what you like or don’t like.

This will help me tailor the content to what you guys want to see.

My Long Term Goal With This Newsletter

is to monetize it.

➡️ Partially through ads from vetted & relatable mental health & wellness driven businesses that support our values.

➡️ Partially through a low cost monthly subscription ($9.99/month). This will come in the future & people who opt into it will get special features the free list will not.

➡️ Partially through the resources we sell. I’ve started creating courses & digital programs that you can purchase to help with certain mental health issues. The goal is to try to keep these resources between $99-997. Depending on level of additional weekly management to support people through these issues.

If you have questions regarding this at any time please let me know.

Okay I think that’s everything I needed to tell you.

I am excited to show up and serve you weekly. I hope that you will be excited to be here.

If not, I won’t feel bad if you unsubscribe now. If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter— Feel free to forward them our emails. Eventually, I’ll have a reward system for referrals.

Okay for-real this time

Ericka Ige