Reader,
Last year around this time, I purchased everything I needed to make sourdough bread. The jar for my starter, banneton baskets, a lame, that cool metal thing to section the dough with... etc.
And it sat on top of my fridge all winter.
Taunting me.
You see—baking has never really been my thing.
I was never a cupcake mom. Or a cookie mom, for that matter.
A couple of weeks ago, my sister sent me a photo of a sourdough loaf she had baked.
And I mentioned to her how I had bought everything I needed to make my own but never really got around to doing it.
The combination of being a terrible baker and commitment issues had me procrastinating on the sourdough and brushing my husband off every time he said, "So... are you ever going to make that sourdough?"
It felt insurmountable.
Though, I did have it in the back of my mind that I might give it a try after Daphne moved to university.
But all plans were interrupted by a call from the nursing home three weeks ago letting me know that Mom had stopped eating and was being put on comfort measures.
I spent the following week at the care home sitting with mom as she was dying.
My sister flew in to sit with us, and when she arrived, she pulled a plastic container out of her bag and said,
"I brought you starter."
I could feel myself resisting. Do I have the capacity for this right now?
She went on, "You have to name it."
(oh great, now I can't refuse the offer can I?)
So, I took the starter home and got out my fancy starter jar, and I fed it some flour and water.
Then, all week as I sat with my mom, I immersed myself in "sourdough TikTok."
Which didn't help to ease my worries about baking a loaf of bread.
Because I got super overwhelmed.
Until I landed on The Early Rise with Laila
After watching a few of her videos, I thought to myself, "I can do this."
And guess what?! I did it.
My first loaf was a huge success.
And I've even graduated to making bagels. 😳
It turns out... sourdough is a pretty forgiving art.
The magical mixture of a good starter, water, flour, and salt always makes something tasty if you commit to baking it no matter what happens in the mixing/fermenting process.
All I needed was someone to tell me not to sweat it so much.
You may be feeling similar about learning ANYTHING on social media these days.
There is SO MUCH NOISE and so many voices out there—many with conflicting advice.
And you may also be reluctant to contribute to the noise by creating your own content. I know I've really struggled to feel like I even WANT to wedge my voice into the cacophony of creators talking about online business strategy these days.
But then I realized I could be just like The Early Rise, but for online business owners.
And YOU could do the same in your niche.
What if we all created comforting, myth-busting, confidence-boosting content that calms the senses instead of contributing to the overwhelm?
Right now we need more Comfort Creators and fewer hot takes & false promises of success.
What do you say?
I've been challenging myself over the past week to share more "comfort" content. Head to my IG and check out what I've been sharing! I'd love to know your thoughts.
And just in case you were wondering, I named my starter "JoJo" after my mom who sadly passed on September 14th — 10 years after she was diagnosed with dementia. I'm sad and relieved and will miss her greatly.
✍🏻 lazy morning musings
✨ inspiration
"Good food is very often, even most often, simple food." –Anthony Bourdain
📓 journal prompts
What are you putting off because you're worried you won't be good at it or that it'll take too much time to do well?
How do you feel when you go on social media these days? Do you have any "comfort creators" that you admire? What do you like about them?
How can you become The Early Rise for your niche? What kind of content would be comforting and confidence-building for your audience?
🧑🏻🍳 sourdough bagel recipe
100 g starter
260 ml warm water
2 tbsp honey
500 g bread flour
8 g salt
Mix your dough & knead until smooth.
Bulk ferment on the counter for 8-ish hours.
(This is when I mixed in my inclusions & let it sit for another hour.)
Separate your dough into 8 pieces and make little mini round loaves with them.
Cover with a tea towel & let sit for 30 minutes.
Turn your dough balls into bagels & put them on squares of parchment.
I let these sit overnight, for 30 minutes, and for an hour, and they always work!
Heat oven to 425° + boil a large pot of water with 4 tbsp honey + ½ tsp baking soda. Boil your bagels for 30 seconds per side.
Brush with an egg wash & top with your favourite bagel toppings.
Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet with parchment (they stick to the pan!) for 20-25 minutes.
Enjoy!
📱 social media tips
Inside the Content Cocoon this month, we're experimenting with consistency in our Instagram stories. IG has said that overall reach can be improved if you're sharing in your stories consistently.
I gave the cocoon crew a list of 38 story ideas to pull from—here are a few ideas from that list for you to try next week:
Random poll Pick something fun to ask your audience about (what should I have for supper?, what top should I wear with these pants?, do you prefer coffee or tea?).
Poll about your work Ask your audience about something related to your work; this is a good client research question.
Before & After transformation Share any kind of before & after transformation. This could be a haircut or a client transformation. It could also be something you're working on.
Fix a problem What is a common problem your audience has that could be fixed easily (holding on to someone else's energy, worrying too much, forgetting to drink water, not knowing how to say no)? Share 3-5 slides with a combo of video and text, or just images & text, and walk them through step by step how to solve the problem.
Share an experience you're having Going to a concert, building something cool, grocery shopping, thrifting, going out for coffee, going for a walk. Take your audience along with you.
At the end of your story every day, share a link to your newsletter or invite engagement from your viewers and see what happens to your overall reach on Instagram.
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