36th edition: Finding comfort outside of your comfort zone

What living abroad can teach us about learning new skills

Happy Wednesday, I hope you’re having a wonder-full week.

I booked a one-way ticket to London in 2014. I had two suitcases and three goals: find a job, find an apartment—and meet new people. I had dreamt of living in the UK since I was a kid, so when one door closed unexpectedly, I decided to open an even bolder one. The journey beyond was a rollercoaster.

One minute, I was “living large” at glamorous events like The British Fashion Awards, Royal Ascot, or high-tea at Harrods. The next, I was struggling to make ends meet, dealing with a flooded apartment, or trying to adapt to the constant turnover of people coming and going in a bustling city. But I wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

Trooping The Colour—a ceremony performed every year at Buckingham Palace

Discovering how to live in London taught me how to find comfort outside of my comfort zone. Once I acknowledged, “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing—but I’m figuring it out,” I was more exhilarated by my freedom and less judgmental of myself.

I met people from all over the world. I visited historical landmarks like Stonehenge and Pompeii. Most importantly, I learned how to rely on myself, and to ask others for guidance along the way. 

Wise words a friend shared recently

Now, whenever I’m learning something new, I draw on my London adventure as inspiration. Keep reading to find out how that led to my first podcast appearance—in which I shared my top tips on course marketing.

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📹 My 1st podcast appearance (sharing my top tips on course marketing)

A recent consult with course creator, Daren Smith, ended with an invitation to be on his podcast. I had never been on one so I was a bit nervous—but I did it anyway. Despite some amateur audio issues and some rambling here and there, a lot of great gems came out of our conversation.

You can watch it here to get tips on course marketing (pro tip: you can 2X the speed):

I had two realizations doing the podcast:

1. The podcast realm is extremely male-dominated. If I want to change that, I need to be part of the solution—not just an advocate for it.

2. Podcasts that feel like conversations (as opposed to interviews), are great content generators because they unleash insights from both the guest and the host.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to start a podcast. It won’t have fancy equipment—but it’ll have substance. Even better, it’ll focus on highlighting powerhouse women in the online learning space.

STAY TUNED: Episode 1 is coming next week featuring one of my favourite people, Katherine Roan.

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💊 Speaking to pharmacists

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to a LinkedIn notification that over 150 people had liked an article of mine that someone had translated to Arabic. I was blown away—and deeply touched. Yesterday, brought similar magic.

Another LinkedIn connection curated another article of mine for her pharmacist colleagues seeking new career opportunities. You can read her post here:

It’s rewarding to see my ideas resonate with people in unexpected ways. The lesson here is to keep sharing—you never know who you might inspire.

CHALLENGE: Think about how you can attract career opportunities you’re tired of searching for (read the full article here for tips).

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⚜️ Local creator & entrepreneur meetup

Last Friday, a group of creators and entrepreneurs met up at Café Olimpico in the Mile End. It was the first of what I hope will be many events to support each other as a local community.

GET INVOLVED: To keep up to date with future events, join the meet up group.

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Thanks for reading. I appreciate you being one of my first 176 subscribers. If you have any feedback or suggestions for future editions, hit reply. I would love to hear from you.

Have a wonder-full week,

Alexandra

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