Dear reader,
Cassie is one of the few social media strategists I follow on Instagram.
I absolutely love her sustainable approach to building and growing a business online and her mindful attitude towards social media.
So naturally, I had to invite Cassie onto my blog to share more about her well-being journey and how she stays sane when it comes to social media.
This is one of the most in-depth Q&As I have received so far and Cassie is so articulate in her words.
I hope you take something away from this post and are inspired by it in some way.
Enjoy,
♡ Thalia xx
About Cassie
Hi, I’m Cassie!
I’m a Social Media Strategist and I work with personal brands and business owners, helping them show up on social media in a sustainable and stress-free way by using the principles of digital minimalism.
More on my well-being journey
My wellness journey began around 18 months after starting my business.
Running a business is hard and constantly demands more. I found myself sitting at my desk for 10+ hours a day, 5/6 days a week. I even worked up until midnight the night before my wedding!
Working in social media took an extra toll mentally, with imposter syndrome, anxiety from feeling the need to be visible, and just exhaustion from constantly creating and consuming content.
I physically found my body ached more and I started to feel so much older than I was!
Mentally, the lack of fresh air, movement and all the stress and work of running a business and working in social media led to burnout.
I became totally disconnected from my business and I lacked enthusiasm for it.
To deal with this, I started logging off from social media more and more which was not ideal for a social media strategist!
So that was really the catalyst for me to make a change.
I knew my business would fail if I didn’t change something.
But I just couldn’t bear the thought of going back to how it was.
It wasn’t sustainable for me or for my well-being.
The journey to improve it looked like redesigning my services to firstly be less ‘on’ and reactive. I also allowed for more time in the day for movement and being outdoors.
I began to simplify my own social media strategy and learn more about the practice of digital minimalism. This allowed me to truly adopt the art of consuming less and having less technology around me.
I also created a seasonal business that allows for extensive travel in summer with my teacher husband. This has been one of the most beneficial things for me both mentally and physically.
Travel is my number 1 love (I guess along with my husband!)
To have that in my life while running a business has been incredible.
Crucially though I needed to do all the things, not just one, in order to benefit my well-being.
I knew I could very well end up working 14+ hour days in the lead up to my summer break had I not implemented the other two things. I needed my services and marketing to be simpler in order to prevent that.
So altogether, this change has been a big improvement on my health in just a couple of years.
Wellness Q&A with Cassie
What does a healthy work-life balance look like to you?
One without compartmentalizing work and life.
They blend seamlessly together in a healthy way because the work is your true passion, but so is your life outside of your work.
For me personally, I don’t aspire to work a 3-day week so that I can get my work done and enjoy a longer weekend.
My ideal work-life balance is a beautiful blend of a long walk outdoors in the morning, followed by an exciting few hours of passion projects, writing or being creative, followed by reading something work-related which I find fascinating, and learning. It all blends together.
I really can’t see myself having a healthy work-life balance if I compartmentalise days for work and then days for life.
I know that this is a luxury as a business owner with no kids. But given my situation, that’s the ideal scenario for me right now.
How do you make sure you are regularly prioritising your mental and physical well-being?
I have to schedule in that time, but I’m also kind to myself if those plans don’t always go to plan.
For example, Wednesday and Thursday mornings are entirely dedicated to being outdoors on a long country walk. They are scheduled each week so I can ensure no meetings get booked in that time and it’s saved exclusively for that.
But I’ve learnt that it can actually negatively affect my mental wellbeing if I schedule them in and they don’t happen.
Because I beat myself up about it.
So it’s about being kind to myself and my schedule too.
I once worked with a coach and we drew up a list of my top 5 priorities in life. This included work, relationships, health, etc. I now actively have them scheduled into my calendar each week to ensure they happen.
But again, being kind to myself if life happens and I can’t always live by my schedule.
Because life does happen, no matter what you do!
How do you show yourself self-love and self-care? Are there any particular activities you indulge in and what inner work do you do?
Giving myself permission to do nothing.
But to be honest, I still struggle with this. The idea of being productive and always doing more is a hard lifelong habit I am trying to change.
I want to change it because it often leads to consuming more. And it’s a goal of mine to consume less. It’s one that I know benefits my mental health.
So my act of self-care is going easy on myself and giving myself permission to do nothing.
Forgo productivity by putting that business book down and reading a novel instead. Or going for a silent walk instead of listening to a podcast to ensure I’m “making the most of my time”.
It’s a constant work in progress but I’m getting better.
What is your favourite productivity hack?
Certain days for certain things.
Coaching calls and discovery calls only happen on certain days. Internal meetings on another and creative, deep work on other days.
This way I ensure my brain isn’t fragmented and constantly jumping from one task to the next so I can give 100% to what I’m working on at that moment.
Which self-help or personal development book would you recommend and why?
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport is obviously high on my list as well as his A World Without Email.
Also Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman.
What would you say to your 21-year old self?
That all the different opportunities you have taken and will take, are building you.
They are not aimless. They are opportunities to develop skills, learn and build your character.
All of this will be so crucial to who you are and what you build in the future.
And lastly, what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
To ask yourself the question – how could this be more simple?
I try to ask this question to myself almost daily in every aspect of my work.
Not only does it help me practically but also mentally. I can see myself taking off the layers of fluff and complications from everything. Stripping it back to its core.
And for me, that’s quite liberating and calming.
Where to find Cassie
For tips on how to show up on social media with a sustainable approach, follow Cassie on Instagram at @cassiemwidders
And to learn more about how you can work with Cassie to build a sustainable social media strategy head to cassiewidders.co.uk
One last thing…
If you are a health and wellness entrepreneur and would like to collaborate with me on a guest Q&A and reflect on your well-being journey, then please get in touch via my contact form or email me at hello@notesbythalia.com
*Please note, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links then I will be rewarded at no extra cost to you. Any money earned through affiliates will be put towards running my blog and newsletter.
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