Back from the Dead

Updates from Leslie Barrett

Welcome to the next episode of The CMA Soulmate Newsletter where 1125 marketers get better at building Customer Marketing programs and strengthening relationships with customers in less than 5 minutes.

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Hello Hello! Sunday newsletter, who dis?

Happy New Year! Just kidding 😂 I know its March but I have been MIA since November. Apologies for that.

To get y’all up to speed, here is what happened to me:

1) I was laid off by a stranger from the company I was with for 5 years
2) Found out that I’m pregnant.
3) Job hunting
3) Turned down my first offer because they wanted me to travel 2X mo
4) Lost ALL motivation, spirit, passion
5) Pregnancy hormones slipped me into crippling anxiety
6) Turned down more jobs because well… “ew”.
7) All while having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and ADHD. (Can you imagine a brain that won’t STFU and a body that doesn’t want to do anything?!) Fun times.

We could drill into each of these but nah! Onward. Especially bc I have a little girl on the way. 🥳

I haven’t announced this publicly because who the fuck is going to hire me now?! NO ONE. I’m only telling you guys for now. So don’t tell. LOL

Sad times we live in but hey I’m determined to live the life I want.

what is that you ask?

1) I want to have a blast with work. Whether that be a corp job or doing my own thing.
2) I want my kids to be happy and thrive
3) I want to travel and see the world with my entire family
4) I REALLY want to find the cure or what works for me with this Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
5) I guess I just want TIME. Time to do all the things.

Hey thanks for letting me manifest all over you right now. 😂

What has been going on?

Lots of interviews. During one of my interviews the hiring manager asked me how I deal with strong personalities and can I stand my ground bc their CRO is an asshole. WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? What shit show am I about to walk into.

Dude, there is no way unless it’s the absolute BEST FIT that I can take another full time role.

Since turning 40, there has been a big shift with me. I will NOT do anything I don’t want to do. (Unless I have to play imaginary monster truck train with my 4 year old or tell my husband that his hair line looks great and not disappearing at all.)

I’m not going to the snow to freeze, I’m not going out if I don’t want to, I’m not eating the bagel that I just burnt, I’m wearing whatever I want, trying new things, saying no to clients I don’t want to work with.

Life is too short to hurt my hand squeezing the last drop out of the toothpaste. FUCK OFF Crest, I’m opening a new one.

Hope one day that gets to be a famous quote.

What I’ve been working on…

I have a new free course that I did with Testimonial Hero. Check it out here.

Also, I was able to get the cost down on my course, Measuring the ROI of Customer Marketing & Advocacy from $197 to $67 by switching hosting platforms! So take advantage of that.

I really want to release another course but expand my niche a bit more. I have created a personal brand so perhaps I can teach others how to do it. Thankfully, I have been able to stay afloat with gigs from my side hustle.

BTW, I highly recommend discovering a side hustle that works for you.

I’m currently coaching someone who desperately wants to get out of the 9-5 and focus on a digital marketing business that generates passive income. It’s not an overnight thing but I’m so proud of him for at least shifting his mindset that there could be path to replace his corporate income. I’ll share our findings in future episodes.

What can you expect next from me?

Honestly, not sure. I think you might hear about my wins and fails about creating CMA Soulmate, lots of AI short cuts, Podcasts or webinars around Customer Marketing, DEFINITELY job updates, Pregnancy updates. I’ll always keep it relevant and entertaining. 😘

Your CMA Soulmate,
Leslie

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More Digital Resources

1. Catch up on previous newsletters here.

2. Check out my video course Measuring the ROI of Customer Marketing & Advocacy if you want to showcase the ROI of your programs. Enjoy your 20% off!

3. A free resource to help you while you are interviewing or going through performance reviews and gunning for a promotion- CMA Career Framework.

4. My latest free book on Account Based Customer Marketing (ABCM) with 50+ pages of plays for Retention, Upsell, Executive Outreach, & Scrappy ABM. Unlock Growth with ABCM is available for download.