It’s not just you. Being on the internet feels really hard right now.
Perhaps you’re having a hard time talking about current events because you think you’ll get it “wrong.”
You might find yourself knowing what you want to say, but are terrified to cause more harm.
Maybe you get really defensive because you’re trying so hard and other people don’t see it.
You’re ready to stop unintentionally promoting stereotypes and dominant cultural “norms,”
but you have no idea how to do it.
Don’t worry; you’re in the right place…
Think of me as your enthusiastic neighbor,
ready to lend a helping hand.
I’m Samantha and I support you in sharing what aligns with your values while recognizing everyone’s humanity.
I am the person a lot of my friends come to when they are figuring out what to say and how to say it. From editing & ghostwriting Instagram stories and captions to how to talk to a friend going through a rough time and everything in between. I’m calling my services “sensitivity consulting”, which is a fancy way to say I want to support you in thinking about all of the things that could potentially be harmful to someone else or even just be easily misunderstood.
Alongside my own lived marginalized experiences, I’ve spent the better part of my life learning - and unlearning - about other people’s. You can read more about me, my values and what makes me “qualified” here. Neurodiversity, chronic illness, family structure, race, religion, class, gender, sexuality, culture, ethnicity, views on capitalism and community; identity is important and I want to respect everyone’s. I’ve also spent many years living into my core and supplementary values, navigating how to stay in integrity, even when it’s extremely uncomfortable or I can’t show up exactly how I’d want to. Combine that with my practical skills learned through years of reading, academics, project management and working in retail, government and non-profits?
I’ll help make sure what you share goes from
good intentions to supportive actions.
So here’s how it works:
First things first:
Let’s understand your values.
The very first thing I do with each and every client is create an initial “Values + Identity Reference Sheet”. We’ll work through what you consider your own identity, alongside your core + supplemental values. From there, we’ll talk about how you feel comfortable showing up online, as well as the ways you are - and aren’t - ready to be vocal about who you are and what you stand for. When we’re finished, I’ll share a document that will not only help me better understand for our work together but will be a way for you to move forward in your daily decisions on how to show up in the world.
starting at $250 for initial 90-minute call; one week of Voxer for follow-up; summary document
Then what?
Once we both understand your values & know it’s a good fit to keep working together,
there’s a number of pathways:
Become a Monthly Retainer Client
With a monthly retainer package, I’ll read up to 8 social media posts and two newsletters a month. You’ll also have Voxer access for quick questions and conversations about broad topics. ($500/mo, 3 month minimum)
Work on a Per-Project Basis
We’ll work together to come up with what you need for a specific project or a package of services you can use over a longer period. This is especially useful if you’re working on a launch or other project with other consultants and need someone on the team who can keep different perspectives at top of mind. (Starting at $50 for review of 5 social media posts)
Voxer-Only Support
You don’t need me to read anything you write, look at what you want to share or do any research, but you do want to be able to chat about what you’re thinking or reading, get some suggestions on topics and come to me when you’re not sure how to respond or what to do. Voxer is the perfect way to do that! (Starting at $50/day or $300/month)
I’m open to payment plans & professional trades when we can come to a mutual agreement.
Please note: These are test client prices; they will be raised once I’ve finalized services. Test clients will continue to receive a discounted price for a period of time, as thanks for helping me practice and refine.
Still not sure? I absolutely understand.
Here are some of the questions or thoughts I think you could be having which will hopefully help:
“Who do you work with?”
I’m excited to work with any individual who wants what they share with their audiences - and the broader world - to align with their inclusive values, but know they need extra support as they learn & unlearn dominant cultural norms that are often dehumanizing ourselves and others. Having said that, as a middle class cis White lady, that’s always going to be who I suggest would be the best fit to work with me, because I have lots of experience showing up as a middle class cis White lady and can help process the feelings that come with that and you can have space to really feel like it’s okay to make mistakes, especially while learning how to take uncomfortable feedback. If you don’t fit in that group and still want to work with me, I’ll be thrilled to discuss it and see if it’s a good fit for both of us. Past demographics, examples of professional roles that would be a good fit include authors, writers, artists, designers, entrepreneurs, freelancers, small (micro) business owners, influencers and content creators. I’m also excited to discuss working with copywriters, PR agencies and marketing teams as an “in-house consultant” to benefit your clients as part of your services, rather than them having to hire me individually.
“Okay, I’m still not quite sure what it is you actually do.”
For now, I’m referring to myself as a “sensitivity consultant”. You can consider me your “first line of defense” in considering if you are taking lots of perspectives into account and using inclusive and affirming language. It’s not just for clearly sensitive topics; I’m also supporting you in making sure your everyday content isn’t wildly problematic and/or potentially deeply offensive to folks who have been historically and intentionally marginalized and under-resourced. (If you want to say “offensive” things about bigoted White dudes, I’ll help you write that content for free.) Essentially, I know a little about a lot of things. This helps me read what you want to share, think about a lot of different pieces, fact-check where necessary and then help you understand why something may not be a good idea. From outdated and coded language to concepts that are actually just stereotypes, I want to make sure you are saying what you want to without accidentally making someone feel like you’re being discriminatory or prejudiced.
I’m also going to be completely transparent: while I’ve been doing this work with friends for free for years now, I’ve never done it professionally, so I’m figuring a lot of this out as we go. Because of that, my rates below are the “initial client” prices. I’m hoping to work with folks who will be willing to give me feedback about how it’s going, how I can improve and just generally work together to further define what these services will be.
“I don’t like getting involved in ‘politics’ though.”
The work I do isn’t about “politics”. You’ll never find me suggesting you should tell people who they should vote for or what policies to care about. (If YOU want to talk about that, great! I just wont be suggesting it.) The work I do is about supporting people to live their lives in integrity with their own values while recognizing basic human rights & dignity.
AND, yes: Everything is “political” because that’s how the dominant culture in the United States has made it, but talking about community while using critical thinking skills and respecting everyone around us isn’t something we should have to be afraid of. That’s the work I do - supporting you to be unafraid to share all of who you are and how you want to show up. That doesn’t mean becoming someone who instantly takes all of the risks or yells the loudest. It means defining how you can show up, the ways you want to and, if nothing else, helping you to avoid marginalizing someone else even more, if that’s all you can do right now. You don’t have to use any of the words that are under attack right now - just being cautious about using language that respects everyone can be enough.
“What if someone gets upset with me?”
This is not likely an “if” question. It’s a “when” question. I don’t - and can’t - know everything. No one can. And not just because I may not be a part of a specific marginalized group and lack lived experience.
No group is a monolith. What is respectful for one person could be totally not okay to someone else - part of what I do is help you understand why you’re making certain decisions so that you’re ready to have meaningful discussions and move forward knowing you’re in integrity with your values. Instead of being immediately defensive, you can be ready to discuss why you made a choice - and apply that choice to individuals moving forward, even if it doesn’t change your default approach.
A great example is that I capitalize the White when I’m talking about Whiteness, because I have thought a lot about it, read arguments on both sides and ultimately agree with the position Eve L. Ewing wrote about in this article. But when I meet a racialized person who tells me they don’t like it, I usually stop in my communication with them if they still feel that way after we’ve talked about it. But that doesn’t change the fact it’s my default when I’m writing.
And yes, that’s different than if I miss something and we’re both startled by comments. That will happen, too. Mistakes are an integral part of learning and no one can promise they’ll catch every single thing that could upset every person on Earth. It’s impossible. When it does happen, we can discuss ways to work together to process + move forward. Whether that’s additional consulting to discuss how you’re feeling and how to respond before you make the situation worse, or it’s supporting working to restore the relationship with the person you harmed by taking shared accountability and discussing next steps on how we change the decision making process in the future.
Still not sure yet?
Find me in the instagram DMs @enthusiasticsamantha or fill out this contact form!