WPMotivate

Kathy and Michelle explore the importance of taking action over merely worrying, from handling unexpected house repairs to making home improvements. They reflect on privilege, the burden of responsibility, and ways to alleviate stress through proactive approaches.00:00 Catching Up on a Short Week 00:44 Working from Home Challenges 01:33 Getting Out of the House 02:42 Photography Adventures 05:50 H...

In previous episodes, Kathy and Michelle have discussed the concept of Swedish death cleaning, the process of helping older adults pare down their decades of possessions. As our lives have become more digital, the process of decluttering and deleting old data on computers, hard drives, and even our cloud services is needed, too. This leads us to wonder how much of our own lives are being stored as...

Having been online for two decades (or more), Kathy and Michelle have gone through numerous tech stacks to help them do their jobs and publish online. From a review of old BlogSpot blogs to our evolution of web development, photo retouching, and video editing, we've used a number of tools. We go over today's favorites and the tools we use to keep ourselves organized and focused. From note taking t...

Does giving make you more susceptible to malicious activity? Once a week, Michelle shares a list of known job openings in the WordPress space, and nearly every week, someone reaches out, asking her to find them a job. Recently, someone got a bit manipulative and even started using her as a reference. With the recent news of social security numbers breached, Kathy gives some advice for everyone to...

Anger gets a bad rap. But it can inspire action, set clear boundaries, and even… cause you to break into song? Yes, indeed. In this episode, Michelle and Kathy get vulnerable about some day-to-day events that have sparked anger. They share coping mechanisms for moving beyond challenging emotions and transmuting the negative into positives.

With many meteor showers coming in the upcoming weeks, Kathy and Michelle consider wishes on those shooting stars. We’ve all got various things we’d wish for, and sometimes we make wishes for others. As we've got WordCamp US a few weeks away, we talk a little about our preparations as well as influence and reputation in a community space.

When you find success in a new field or venture, it can typically be traced back to some kind of learning or expanded perception. Our entire reality is inviting us to continually open up to a new way of perceiving things, or a new paradigm of understanding. It’s usually our own limiting beliefs and viewpoints that get in the way of an entirely different reality. In this episode, Kathy and Michelle...

Whenever there are challenges, there are people looking to help. Whether it's a neighbor who goes out of their way to help or a friend lending a hand, be open to receiving assistance. Sometimes that assistance might even come in inexplicable ways.  These "angels" may not have wings or halos, but rather could be everyday individuals who bring light into the world through their actions. Michelle and...

In this episode, Michelle and Kathy talk about numerous things, as they often do. But they explore something dear to their heart: community. Michelle shares a story of a community that sprung up around a mysterious pantry organizer and how the guesses of its purpose brought people together. They share cautionary tales of businesses that try to bolster a community by force and how those inauthentic...

When building a brand or reputation, many might consider creating a specific persona that meets the need of their market. Unfortunately, doing so means building something that isn't true to yourself, and it can create exhaustion trying to keep up the appearance of the facade. In this episode, Kathy and Michelle talk about the critical role of authenticity in personal branding and reputation develo...

Michelle and Kathy discuss Michelle’s trip to WordCamp Europe and some of the experiences. Though Michelle received the worst departing gift ever, she encountered incredible kindness along the way. Her experiences have lessons for all of us. As she gave gifts to flight crews and others along the journey, it was apparent how powerful kindness is. The more we give, the more we’re given, and the more...

Kathy and Michelle talk about interesting synchronicities and multidimensional experiences they’ve had throughout their lifetimes. From synchronistic dreams and strange repeating numbers, they share thoughts about being spiritual beings having a human experience.

Or, the episode where Kathy brings her chainsaw. Michelle got to visit Niagara Falls with Nyasha Green to see the forces of water at work, while Kathy gets a visit from the winds of spring storms in Texas. This leads Michelle and Kathy to get philosophical about humanity’s place in nature and what interacting with the forces of nature can do for our greater understanding of ourselves.

The world is not always a kind place. People are distracted, worried, and often too disconnected to be present enough to realize what kindness can do. As such, cultivating kindness can create an impression. In this episode, Kathy and Michelle talk about how kindness to strangers is quite memorable. And when you encounter the unkind, it’s best to just let them be who they are and be kind anyway. An...

Facebook's memories feature shows us things we've written or where we've been tagged in previous years on a particular day. Sometimes, however, there are days and memories that should just stay in the vault, never to be spoken of again. In this episode, Michelle and Kathy recount some past memories that are both cringe-worthy and comedic. They also talk about how the past and the future aren't eve...

Inspired by James Lipton’s rapid-fire questions on Inside the Actor’s Studio, Michelle and Kathy answer those need-to-know questions no one else will ever ask you. They also recount some plot lines to famous 70s TV shows and ask important questions of God. They also talk about balance, professions they'd like to attempt, and obscure words no one ever uses.

Inspired by Carole Olinger’s talk at WCEU 2023, Michelle and Kathy discuss all the feelings that come up when you cannot attend an event. Michelle, who chose not to attend WordCamp Buffalo even though she was an organizer this year, experienced both joy and sadness of missing out on this year’s event. Kathy recalled events in which others had traveled very far to attend, causing much FOMO, but als...

In an era when so many appear to live flawless lives, showcasing only perfection on social media; honesty and vulnerability have become rare. Kathy and Michelle talk through recent situations where they’ve shared vulnerable experiences so that others can learn from them and how vulnerability can actually be a strength. Social media seems to be a sea of flawless photos and whitewashed posts that fe...

Sometimes our conversations take us down meandering paths, and we're not sure how we ended up where we did. Did we take a fork in the road? Did Michelle see a squirrel and lose her train of thought? Did Kathy pick up the threads of one conversation and take it down a different path? Sometimes good conversations start somewhere end end up somewhere else entirely. And sometimes that's exactly where...

Michelle and Kathy discuss how to create healthier habits that support self care. Kathy has been on a roll developing new habits for more strength and dealing with some metabolic issues, which inspired a blog post and inspired Michelle to adopt some healthy habits, too. They also discuss how hard it is to make self care a priority when so many other demands exist on their energy, and how adopting...

Sometimes we wear masks pretending to be something that we’re not in order to be more in alignment with what we think will make us happier or more successful. But when we align with who we authentically are, we express our uniqueness. That uniqueness has no competition and cannot fail. In an old sales book called Go for No, the message was that the “yes” you’re looking for was on the other side of...

Is it the eclipses? Or is something else going on? We’re noticing negative emotions and heavy energy in our community, so Kathy and Michelle discuss what’s happening. Often, when we desire to express our emotions, sadness or harder emotions come out first. But as we explore the “negative” emotions, we can access other, more positive emotions, too. Keeping sadness down is exhausting, and we end up...

In this episode of WPMotivate, Michelle gives us an overview of what's quickly becoming one of the world's most attended WordPress events. From amazing food to incredible speakers and a well-oiled machine of an organizing team, WordCamp Asia did not disappoint.

Kathy and Michelle discuss Michelle's upcoming trip to WordCamp Asia where she's speaking, her recent promotion to Executive Director of Post Status, and Kathy's nighttime hacking alter ego.

How do we best  overcome self-doubt and start living the life we all deserve? Tune in and see if you see yourself in these situations. Awareness of self-sabotage is the first step towards healing.