Last week, I attended my second Mom 2.0 at the Langham in Pasadena, California and learned so much. For those who aren’t familiar, Mom 2.0 is a conference for content creators, many of whom are moms and parents. I don’t always talk about the conferences that I attend to network and sharpen skills, but I definitely wanted to share with friends who may be interested in some of the things that I learned.

While I’m still digesting the plethora of information and various content creation tactics, I wanted to share just a few of the key takeaways from the tenth anniversary of Mom 2.0.

I’ve clocked several years in the blogging world, so finding a conference that’s a good fit and a worthy investment for my business and requisite social media endeavors can be quite the feat. It’s truly a monetary and time investment to attend a conference, especially one that’s across the country. Thankfully, Mom 2.0 is such a comprehensive conference for our industry, and I came away with a good deal of information and motivation that I plan to employ ASAP.

Instagram Growth and Authenticity

Like all the other social media outlets, Instagram is always evolving. I’ll have more to share on the topic, but one of the things that I learned in the Instagram algorithm session is that everything you do on Instagram matters in terms of growth and engagement. Like, comment and interact with content on your niche.

Finding Your Growth Through Podcasting

According to this session, I learned that over 48 million people listen to podcasts at least once a week. I’m a relative newbie when it comes to religiously listening to podcasts. I’ve been listening to several podcasts over the past few months now, so it was great to sit in on the session that discussed podcasting. The most memorable quote from this session: What you can share in black and white with your writing, you can share in Technicolor with your voice. Those are some words to consider.

Organize with Content Editorial Calendars

In the mini sessions, I sat in on a chat about editorial calendars. As a former magazine editor, I’m no stranger to editorial calendars. As a freelancer and blogger, I’ve found that I can be my own worst enemy when it comes to staying organized and producing timely content. In this session, I learned different ways of categorizing and cataloguing content for your editorial calendar. There are apps, to help you stay organize and to hold yourself accountable.

DIY with Intent

I do a lot of DIY at home, but I don’t always create content to share about it. It’s weird, I’m a major DIYer, but I don’t always think to write about it. I sat in on this session about creating DIY content, and learned that it’s important to create strong content with branding that represents you. Hopefully, I can follow through with this and share more DIY tutorials and projects in line with The Next Kid Thing.

Sisterhood is Important

I have to admit, I’m at a very tricky phase in life at the moment. We have had some major life changes in 2018, much of which made me realize for my own health and sanity that it was important filter our relationships that made me question my self-worth—you know the ones. Spending so much time with like-minded creatives and business owners provided the reminders that as much as I need to cultivate and curate relationships, just like I would my content. These real, authentic relationships provide the foundation for a healthy outlook on professional endeavors.

Brené Brown is Awesome 

Based on some suggestions and what others have been saying, I fell hardcore for Brené Brown. She’s the writer and motivator that I needed to help inspire me through some adversities. I devoured her books on Audible, sometimes multiple times. So, when I heard that Brené was one of the keynote speakers, I knew that I made the right decision to attend Mom 2.0 for my second time. Arriving 35 minutes before her scheduled keynote, I snagged a seat right upfront so that I could take photos and absorb her talk. I loved learning that she has so a sweet connection to the conference and knows quite a few people who have been part of the community for a long time. 

As usual, Brené’s words spoke to me and lifted me even higher to a place that I desperately craved to find. I wrote so many notes and took a billion photos during her talk, but if I was to pinpoint just one idea that she shared, this would be it: 

Vulnerability is not about winning or losing, it’s about choosing to be seen when we have no control over the outcome.

Yes, yes, yes!

Did you make it to Mom 2.0 2018 in Pasadena? I’d love to hear your thoughts!