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

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5 Steps to Put Yourself on the Right Career Path

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5 Steps to Put Yourself on the Right Career Path

Niche Movement community member, Kalie Sabajo, wrote in to answer the Niche Movement’s latest community question: How did you use a moment of stagnation as inspiration to propel yourself forward? There’s nothing worse than going to work and feeling utterly stuck. You could be stuck in a toxic work environment, stuck in an unfulfilling position, or stuck in a rut. The Niche Movement seeks to help people escape that rut to find work that they love. Read Kalie’s story to find some inspiration of your own.

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10 Questions Every Young Professional Should Ask

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10 Questions Every Young Professional Should Ask

The stretch of time known as our twenties is a chapter of self-discovering, goal-setting, and experience-seeking moments. This decade is commonly dubbed as the foundation for the rest of adulthood. The pressure many young professionals feel is rather potent, and the need to plot everything out becomes very real. - Rachael Tulipano

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I Love My Job: Kristen Walker

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I Love My Job: Kristen Walker

We spoke to Kristen Walker this week about everything from career, free time, and passions. Kristen is the co-founder of Clarity on Fire, a website and career coaching service that helps people discover the right job for them. Check out her story!

Apply Kristen's experiences and advice in both your professional and personal life. Take an inventory of what is and isn't working in your career and try to pinpoint the reason. Do you have enough free time? Are you utilizing a skill that you are particularly good at? Are you exploring your curiosity? Be honest with yourself, make the appropriate changes, and career happiness could be just around the corner. 

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Post-grad syllabus: 10 resources for finding your niche

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Post-grad syllabus: 10 resources for finding your niche

It's that time of year - back to school time. It's strange post-graduation when you feel the fall coming on but don't have the anticipation of new classes, won't receive a syllabus that serves as your roadmap for the next few months. But just because you're not in college, doesn't mean there aren't plenty of things to learn or engage your brain with. Here are my favorite resources for ah-ha moments! 

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See What Sticks: 3-Ingredient Success Stories

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See What Sticks: 3-Ingredient Success Stories

In my former, gluten-eating life, I loved to bake. The feeling of putting ingredients together, knowing just how they'd behave, and eagerly anticipating the end result as it rose in the oven is an unforgettable and addictive feeling. (I should note: it can still be enjoyable when I do it now, when I get it right, but it's honestly more chemistry than cooking...but I digress.)

Even with the ample practice I got baking for friends and family, there would be moments where I'd miss an ingredient. A loaf would be in the oven for a few minutes before I'd realize "I forgot the salt!" or "Did I add baking powder?" or, once, "Wait, I don't remember using sugar..." The end result never felt quite right, no matter how gracious those who tasted the failed product tried to be.