Connection Corner - Emma Shergold

Would you like to join me in Connection Corner?

I know that the majority of people use social media for connecting and networking, but social media doesn’t work for everyone (including me) all of the time.

Similarly, different people prefer different types of in-person networking, from casual drinks to regular meetings, which further limits the amount of people that we can all stay in touch with.

For these reasons, I wanted to provide an alternative way of staying in touch with people and, because I do enjoy writing emails, I thought this was a good place to start!

A little bit about me

In case you like the idea of this but would like to know who I am or what I do, then here is a little bit about me:

My name is Emma and I run a few businesses – one as a Virtual Assistant and Business Support; one as an AuDHD Lifestyle Coach; and another as a Sports Therapist and Run Coach (EV Sports)
I love running – whether that is getting out and doing it myself, supporting others (especially my other half) in events, and watching it on TV
I live on the South Coast of Hampshire
I don’t have any children or pets, although I love dogs!
Over the last few years I have discovered that I am autistic, ADHD and an introvert – this combination plays a huge part in why social media and traditional networking don’t play to my strengths
The form of networking that works best for me is either ‘chatting’ via a messaging app (e.g. DMs or WhatsApp) or randomly at a running event.

What is Connection Corner?

I guess it is similar content to common social media posts but without me having to stress about word limits, engagement, hashtags, trolls, creating artwork, or taking photos and videos of myself.

Below is how I plan to set out future emails – I’d love to know what you think!

I will share with you the things that interest me, and how I go about my life so that the people that matter to me can learn more about who I am and the things that make me tick.

This may or may not be the content for every email, and I am very happy to have other suggestions of things that would interest you.

Initially I will plan to send Connection Corner emails out once a month, but will hopefully increase to weekly once I find my rhythm with it. In any case, it will not be any more than once a week and you can unsubscribe at any time.

A quote that has caught my attention along with my thoughts

“You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea, otherwise you’d be a mug”

This is a good reminder for me to be myself and not what other people want or expect from me. I thought it was an appropriate quote to share in this email because I have taken a step away from ‘the norm’ by focusing on building connections via email rather than social media.

A recent win for me personally or within my business

Well, a pretty big win for me personally has been the changes I’ve made to my approach to life, which has helped me to embrace my neurodivergence and make decisions that are right for me and my health.

Business wise, this means that I’ve been able to take on two new contracts in the last couple of months, which has been fantastic. One is an IT Consultancy where I am doing their bookkeeping. The other work is maternity cover for an Event Coordinator position over the summer – the elements to this are endless, but right up my street, especially as they organise running and triathlon events!

Something I am currently having difficulty with

Being sociable! For so many reasons, it takes me a while to feel comfortable around people, so when I have a very small window of opportunity to make a good first impression, I often get it wrong.

Well, wrong is probably not the right word to use because it’s not necessarily wrong for me, but when it comes to reassuring people that I am good at what I do, then me trying to talk about this in a flustered and overwhelmed state is definitely not the way to do it.

(This is one of the main reasons I wanted to do these emails because it will give me an opportunity to be myself with people who truly want to get to know the real me).

Tips and hacks that make my life easier or healthier

Part of the process of understanding my neurodivergence is to have things in place that not only work for me, but that also help me from becoming overwhelmed as I really don’t want to head back into another burnout.

So, this section will be things that I personally find useful as an autistic and ADHD person, but that help simplify life in general.

It will cover anything from creating a healthy relationship with my phone by implementing some pretty strict digital wellbeing habits, to cooking mashed potatoes with the skin on to save time and energy (as well as adding a bit more nutrition from the skins)!

What book(s) I’m currently reading

Aside from running related things, reading is something that’ve grown to love doing over the last few years. My go-to genre is a detective series, especially when there’s a murder or two to solve.

However, I usually have more than one book on the go at any one time:

An actual book – these tend to be my favourite series that I can devour one after another. I tend to read these in the evening, before bed and at weekends.
An audiobook – these can vary from the detective genre to help me get through more series, or to try something out, whether that is a new author or a book from a different genre. I tend to listen to these when doing housework, walking or other exercise.
An e-book – these follow a similar process to the audiobooks in terms of choice. These are reserved for when I’m away from home without an actual book, or while I’m eating and can’t hold a book at the same time!

I will use this section of the email to share what books I’m reading and my own thoughts on it, obviously without any spoilers.

“You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea, otherwise you’d be a mug”

Thank you!