Hi there Reader,

I just got back from the ASJA conference in New York City, and I have to say … it was something I didn’t realize I needed as a freelancer.

If you’ve been here a while, you know I’ve been freelancing off and on since 2009 and really went all-in these past few years while raising my three kids. I SERIOUSLY love working from home. I love the flexibility. I love creating in my stretchy pants with a candle burning, lo-fi music playing, and a cup of turmeric tea nearby. (Introverts, you get me, right?)

BUT … what I didn’t realize was how much I missed community.

I’ve been to journalism conferences. Marketing conferences. Business conferences. Podcasting conferences. And I’ve loved them all. But this was the first time I was in a room full of independent writers and content marketers who do what I do – straddle both the creative and entrepreneurial worlds. And the experience fed my soul in a big way.

I met some incredible people, learned from industry leaders, and even spoke on a podcasting panel at FIT (which was a first for me in NYC!). There’s so much I want to share, so I put together a full recap on my blog AND a new podcast episode breaking it all down. This webpage has the podcast, YouTube video, and blog at the bottom:

​https://talkfreelancetome.com/episode-37/​

And because I love sharing cool opportunities and resources, here are a couple of things that might interest you:

Bank of America x Cornell Women’s Entrepreneurship Program – Want to experience an Ivy League business education for free? The Bank of America Institute for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Cornell offers a 12-week online program covering essential business topics like finance, marketing, product development, legal considerations, and more. Students get to learn from Cornell professors and earn a certificate at the end. Click here to sign up for an info session.

Vox Fellowship (Deadline: March 16th) – If you’re passionate about explanatory journalism and want to cover underreported but high-impact global issues, this year-long, full-time, remote, paid fellowship could be a game-changer. Vox’s Future Perfect vertical focuses on topics like global poverty, public health, AI, catastrophic risks, factory farming, and effective altruism—essentially, the stories that will shape our world decades from now. Pay is $74,340. Apply here.

How to Create a Custom GPT with Your Knowledge Base - I'm an AI enthusiast (I just presented a training on AI for lawyers and judges) and have been experimenting with creating a private custom GPT for myself based on my expertise so that I can create content faster. I found this tutorial helpful.

Are you going to any conferences this year? Reply back and let me know.

To your success,
Ashley