We recently connected with Anna Skates and have shared our conversation below.
Anna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?
My entrepreneurial journey started about 5 years ago when I left a steady job to start a non-profit with a friend. The vision was beautiful but after a couple of years, my own dreams and life’s mission grew beyond the bounds of that organization. Even though I loved that work, I knew it was time to go. I learned in that process to follow my own intuition, even if it meant leaving good things behind. I decided to trust the idea that no one was going to build my life FOR me; that instead, I was in charge of creating the life I wanted and my dreams for my life weren’t just going to magically manifest themselves. The takeaway: trust your gut and take ownership of your life.
Anna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have worked with kids my whole life. I’ve been a nanny, a preschool teacher, a children’s pastor, and a children’s librarian. If I’m at dinner with friends who have kids, you’ll find me at the “kid’s table” every time. Kids are just…my people. I want more than anything to help society to see them as full human beings, deserving of the same respect and consideration as anyone else. Kids MATTER in this world. They aren’t just our future, they are a very real and vital part of our present.
That mindset shift starts at home.
That being the case, one of the ways I can have the biggest impact on a child’s life is to connect with and support their parents/caregivers. Last year, I began officially coaching parents through a conscious parenting framework. What I love about that work is that every day, I see lightbulbs go off for parents who had previously felt stuck in a state of frustration and at a loss of what to do. Sitting with parents as they begin to see their child differently, see *themselves* differently, is such a humbling experience. That shift brings so many new solutions and so much more ease and flow and I love knowing that on the other end of that flow is a child feeling safe and seen by the people they love most.
I also have a kid-centric company called Otterly through which I create all sorts of media and resources for kids and families. Most of my content there is focused on social and emotional education and development.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
My instagram account started out as just a personal account like most folks. And shifting that to a business account took both time and consistency. A few things I did:
– I removed followers (yes you can do that) who weren’t relevant to my niche, who were bots, or who I knew wouldn’t be interested in what I had to say re: parenting.
– I got really clear about my message and talked about it every day, all day.
– I spend a TON of time engaging with other creators in the conscious parenting space – commenting/liking/replying to stories.
– I created a schedule for myself that I could maintain (batch filming on Mondays and posting those once a day throughout the week).
Really what it came down to was this: I finally decided to just. start. showing. up. I stopped comparing, I stopped assuming that what I had to say wasn’t important enough or original enough. I just…did it. I showed up as my authentic self and said the things I wanted to say and people started to listen.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
“You Are A Badass” by Jen Sincero “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday
“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield
Contact Info:
- Website: annaskates.co
- Instagram: instagram.com/anna_skates
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/anna-skates-a8a136165/
- Twitter: twitter.com/anna_skates
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@otterlykids
- Other: www.otter.ly www.everylittlestep.co
Image Credits
Josh Hailey, Nathan Johns