This Author and Entrepreneur Researches Digital Community and Belonging
I'm Carrie Melissa Jones, an author, entrepreneur, and researcher of digital community and belonging. I create online communities and have worked with leading brands like Airbnb, Discord, Google, and Microsoft. I co-wrote the book "Building Brand Communities" with Charles Vogl, which won the 2020 Axiom Business Books Awards. I hold a B.A. in English and Mass Communication from UCLA and an M.A. in Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where I researched digital leadership and online communities.
How do you push through your worst times? What are some tips on how we can motivate ourselves when we’re not really feeling it?
I am a huge proponent of feeling your feelings instead of pushing ourselves to work harder and ignore them. Our emotions have something to teach us if we take the time to feel and process them.
It's crucial that we try to get into good relationship with our own feelings and emotions before trying to serve others with our work. How we treat ourselves and our feelings has ripple effects on everyone around us. So if you're not really feeling it, take a break. Journal. Go for a walk. Listen to a podcast you love (I highly recommend "Dolly's America"). Then ask yourself what you've learned.
How did you get your mentor? Why did you choose them to be your mentor? What are some tips for people who are looking for mentors, but don’t really have them yet?
My top tip for finding a mentor is to remain curious and stay up-to-date with the latest conversations happening in your field. I've found mentors by listening to podcasts and reaching out to the guest speakers or by reading a book and emailing the authors. I understand that it can be daunting to approach such accomplished individuals, especially in the early stages of your career. However, it's important to remember that they are just like you and me - human beings who are often happy to give back and help others who are trying to make their way in the field. So, don't hesitate to reach out and try. You never know where it might lead you!
When did you consider yourself a success? Did you ever have to deal with the imposter syndrome? How do you overcome the imposter syndrome?
Success is an elusive concept for me. It's a moving target that's always changing as I grow and learn new things. When I published a book, I felt I had achieved a level of success I'd only dreamed of. That's the proudest I've ever felt about my work. But my standards can be really high, and I know I'm not alone in feeling like a bit of an imposter sometimes. It's easy to think that maybe I'm not really as successful as I want to be, or that I've only gotten where I am because of my privilege or luck. There is truth to that, and I try to remind myself that I've worked hard to get here. In 2019, I did extensive work with Tanya Giesler, a coach whose work focuses on overcoming the imposter complex, and that helped me to become aware of how the imposter complex was showing up for me. I highly recommend working with someone like Tanya to diagnose your own particular flavor of the imposter syndrome and work to heal from it so you can get back to serving the world by being your fabulous self!
Connect with Carrie Melissa Jones on Instagram at instagram.com/carriemelissajones and learn more on carriemelissajones.com
