Join me, won’t you, in a big, joyous “WELCOME BACK!!!!” to Season 3 of The Call with Erica Williams Simon! It’s here!
Our first guest is none other than Franchesca Ramsey. Known ’round the internet as Chescaleigh, she’s the host of MTV’s Decoded and the author of the new book Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist.
In this episode, Franchesca and Erica Williams Simon go deep into the meaning of hard work and what it means to hustle with heart. Franchesca shares how she became an activist and internet presence while holding down her full-time day job, and how folks can find what manner of activism works for them.
“Everyone’s activism takes shape differently,” she says. “I think it’s really about using your voice, in whatever way that feels comfortable to you, to uplift important issues and causes that you think will help make the world a better place.”
Franchesca and Erica also talk self-care as it relates to social media: When does it makes sense to pull away and take a break? When does it makes sense to engage — especially when she disagrees with something? Franchesca says she’s constantly checking in with herself and asking what she wants to achieve by responding: “Why am I doing this? What am I getting out of this? Is this getting me closer to the goals that I’ve set for myself? Oftentimes the answer is no. I mean, I like to be petty like everybody else, but I’m trying to — I’m trying to be smarter about it.”
She also shares some amazing advice about not being too hard on yourself, which I am currently printing out and pasting on my wall:
“A lot of well-meaning, empathetic people are just really hard on themselves, about where they are in their journey, in their understanding, in their place in the world. And so I hope that people who know me and people that don’t know me can read my story and think, Huh, maybe I don’t need to be so hard on myself. Like, I can screw up. She can screw up and like, she got a book deal! …[M]aybe my screw-ups will not, like, end my whole world, you know? And I can recover from them and learn from them.“
Alllllllllssssooooooooooooo, get excited for The Call’s new segment, “Ask E,” where listeners call in with questions for Erica about how to find their calling, get that promotion at work, deal with a less-than-ideal coworker and whatever else is on their minds. If YOU have a question, call 702-670-CALL anytime day or night, rain or shine. Or leave a question in the comments below! Erica is ready and waiting for you.
Follow Franchesca Ramsey on Twitter and Instagram
Illustration by Anne Bentley.
