Kevin O'Connell
My 2021 Goal: Mental Health - My Story of ...

Because the last several months have been some of the most difficult for me. I truly would describe it as surviving instead of thriving.

My main goal for 2021 isn’t to train for some brand new Ironman race or achieve some lofty professional or financial goal. While I have set some fitness and financial goals for myself, they are the top of the priority list.

To get it out there in the open my main goal and top priority next to being a husband and father: my mental health.

Right before the holidays I was officially diagnosed with depression with a side of anxiety and mounting, overwhelming life stressors.

Just how bad was it?

My 2021 Goal: Mental Health - My Story of Depression and Anxiety 
Kevin O'Connell, small business, Entrepreneurship, life advice
Kevin O'Connell
Goodbye 2020: My Year of Changes, Transitions, ...

As we take time to reflect on this past year, with all its ups and downs, we want to thank you for continuing to support us and for showing up for your community. Because of you, we were able to fund our first ever scholarship program, and we awarded four Black Creative Students scholarships to students from all over the country. This year, we were also able to publish 26 new blog posts, had 10,400 page views, added and featured 4 new contributing editors, hired and on-boarded a super creative new social media, Greer Blount, and offered our first writing internship to Maggie Barbour who created and published 10 posts in less than 12 weeks.

It's been an eventful year for out team, and to close it all off, TNM founder Kevin O'Connell is sharing his thoughts on 2020, dealing with change and transitions as a new dad and entrepreneur, and finding new approaches for 2021. Keep reading for Kevin’s end-of-the-year message!

Goodbye 2020: My Year of Changes, Transitions, and Identity
Entrepreneurship, Jaylene Perez, Kevin O'Connell, Maggie Barbour, small business, career advice
Maggie Barbour
Best Tools and Resources for New Freelancers

Working freelance may sound glamorous at first, but those who've been doing it for a while know it takes hard work. Getting your business off the ground isn't easy and sometimes it means juggling various projects all at once, but it also has it's benefits - I mean you are your own boss after all!


This week, writing intern Maggie Barbour asks The Niche Movement's Editor-in-Chief Jaylene Perez and founder Kevin O'Connell, both of whom have experience in freelancing, what it really takes to make it work.

Read on for Jaylene and Kevin's best practices when it comes to finding clients, marketing your services, settings rates, and more!

Best Tools and Resources for New Freelancers
career advice, Maggie Barbour, Kevin O'Connell
Maggie Barbour
Top Skills Every Creative Needs

For all those in pursuit of professional development, this week we're taking a look at which skills you'll want to brush up on depending on your specific industry. Whether you're a freelancer, marketer, entrepreneur, or work in another creative role, you'll want to read up on what will make you and your work really shine.

Tap below for the full post!

Top Skills Every Creative Needs
Maggie Barbour, Greer Blount
Maggie Barbour
How to Job Search During a Pandemic

Job searching is a tough task on its own, and job searching during a pandemic... well we know it's not easy. You'll have to be flexible, know how to network and market yourself, and really hone in on what it is your looking for as you search for the right fit.

To find out what can help you land your dream job, keep reading!

How to Job Search During a Pandemic

careeradvice

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How to Learn from a Bad Work Experience

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How to Learn from a Bad Work Experience

Rising to a challenge isn’t easy. It requires you to buckle down, do the hard work, and persevere. And at the end of it all? You end up growing exponentially because you stretched the limits of your ability. We all have times in our lives where we encounter something new—sometimes expected, other times blindsiding you. What matters is how you tackle the challenge. This week, we’re looking at how Carmen Vernon persevered through a tough internship. She wanted to quit many times along the way, but she stuck it out and learned a thing or two along the way.

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Turning Down a Job Offer: Finding the Best Fit for You Post-College

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Turning Down a Job Offer: Finding the Best Fit for You Post-College

Turning down a new job offer seems counterintuitive, right? Wrong!

There are many factors that determine if a job is a good fit, including salary, culture, commute, benefits, coworkers, supervisors, and the actual role itself. Sometimes . . . there are more cons than pros when thinking through these factors. And if that's the case, you need to move on to find a job that will better for your workplace happiness.

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3 Red Flags to Look for Before You Take the Job

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3 Red Flags to Look for Before You Take the Job

All jobs are not created equal. Some are good while others are bad. Bad for your professional growth, bad for your mental health, bad for your financial stability, or bad for your work-life balance. The list goes on and on.

To prevent yourself from jumping from one job and rushing to take a job that will make you even more miserable, it’s critical to treat any interview you enter as if you’re also interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you.

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4 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Summer Internship

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4 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Summer Internship

Summer internships provide relevant experience and professional relationships that will set you up for success post-college. They’re critical to understanding the layout of the professional world, so use your summer internship to do more than the job description. Follow these four tips, and you’ll automatically impress the colleagues around you.

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How to Land a Job at HBO | Fireside Chat with Mary Johnson

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On September 27, 2017 our founder Kevin O'Connell sat down and interviewed Mary Johnson, Associate Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at HBO (#HBOinspires) to find out how she landed a job she loves, how one actually lands a job at HBO, and what exactly corporate social responsibility is.

Mary has been with HBO since 2012 after graduating from Rutgers University. We interviewed Mary to hear about the inspiring work she has done with HBO including working with Chris Gethard around mental health awareness, supporting the American Black Film festival, and other philanthropic initiatives tied to HBO programming.

Mary hails from the Jersey Shore and loves going to the beach any chance she can get. She has worked at HBO for five years in the Corporate Social Responsibility / Corporate Affairs Department. In her spare time, Mary enjoys performing improv and sketch comedy at The People’s Improv Theater in NYC. She also claimed to closely identify with Cookie Monster.

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