Hello, world! My SMU marketing course is now online!
We've made it even easier to Brand and Market Your Business - with me!
When the pandemic hit, I was so reticent to change. I lived in a small world, where things were done a certain way, as it has always been. The abrupt stops and sudden changes of the pandemic, met with what felt like an onslaught of new technologies as the solutions, what a lot for my nervous system. Some where thriving, but I was not.
I was set in how I wanted to do things. and I was frustrated. I had been thrilled to have the opportunity to teach a new course at SMU that 2020 summer, a mix of crafting and leadership conversations for high school-aged “Emerging Leaders.” As we drew closer to the date, it became obvious we were going to have to move the course online for it to be possible in these times. I felt more than frustrated, more like the ugliest word I could think of - pissed - and betrayed by fate, who handed me and opportunity and then f-cked it to hell like this. I could not think of how our circle group, with the intimacy of shared space and supplies, would move online. There was no way.
“Creativity begins in acceptance,” someone I admired told me. And I tried, and tried, to apply that idea to my daily decisions and see what happened. I stared listing everything we would need out, dividing it all into kits in banker’s boxes. A classroom with a circle of chairs could have demanded everyone’s attention more, but I watched, over two different week-long sessions, how the students opened up on Zoom, thinking deeply and it seemed more open to sharing when they could chime in from the o comfort of their own bed. We started craft time together online with a playlist on, and showed final results the next day. In the end, there was even an open air meet up of local students, tying the whole journey together.
Since then, I have loved teaching and learning more and more online. It’s amazing to me to access an expert in a part of the world I might not have ever come across even 10 years ago. When SMU wanted to bring my course, Brand and Market your Business, online for the fall 2025 I was so excited and energized by the opportunity. Our spring group in Dallas Hall was so intimate and fun, and I can’t wait to see who is able to join the room now that we’ve widened the access to so many more.
Classes begin September 16, after all the sparkle of summer and Labor Day Weekend is behind us and we can jump in to investing in ourselves. I am loving hearing from our first students and seeing what they are doing now!
If you have questions about the class, you can email me at any time! I’m really looking forward to working with you!