I did a thing.

saneparenting.com

I started a business. Sane Parenting with Dr. Michelann Quimby Yup. I realized I’ve been informally coaching people about some big issues for a while - specifically queer kids and understanding gender and what it is (and isn’t), diet culture and how NOT to pass it to the next generation, and all the pearl-clutching around kids online, gaming, social media, etc. FFS, I did my dissertation on online aggression. I’ve read a ton of literature and I know some shit. And I’ve been teaching child and adolescent development, parent-child relationships, and gender and sexuality for like six years. We’ll see if there’s a market. I know there is, but will that market want to pay me?

I ran a business in the mid-2000s and struggled with some stuff. Some of it was just a lack of confidence - I knew that a good chunk of OD (organizational development) work is based on watered-down sociology and psychology, but I had imposter syndrome really bad. I did some good work but never really got it off the ground.

This feels different. I know my shit and have been teaching and talking about this stuff for years. I could totally teach a workshop tomorrow, or do a talk. I have at least one book in me. I have a ton of stuff I can build from (including much of my writing from here). Teaching is my favorite thing ever; part of that is the performance of it all, but the other part is mentoring and getting that email from a student from three or five years ago telling me how I helped them and how they think about what we learned together—seeing them grow into themselves and embark on really cool careers. I think I could grow this business into something that scratches that itch. I don’t have imposter syndrome; I know I have more than enough experience and expertise to offer valuable services. Now I have to get it going.

I am also building my brand from a much more authentic place. In my 30s, I wanted to be adulting so hard. I masked and mainstreamed and never quite felt like myself. My 50s have been about wanting to be myself as hard as possible. It doesn’t mean I’m going to show up to a gig in my bike shorts, but I’m also not going to tone down my personality or positions on the issues I’ll be addressing. That’s the whole point. I know the science really well, so I don’t feel the need to mask my personality. That feels like a huge breath of relief.

I’ll still post here, but if it’s related to my biz, I’ll also cross-post it there. I’m also planning on starting a podcast as soon as I figure out how the fuck to do that, and I’ll post about it here as well. Yes, I will be Another White Lady With A Podcast. But it will be interesting and fun.

Send me good juju, prayers, or whatever positive energies you can spare. This is a scary but exciting new adventure and I’m ready to get going.