Your personal brand needs more than content (here's what)

Working in sports, media & entertainment means I've been to A LOT of gatherings.

Super Bowl parties. Film screenings. And endless conferences, meetups, and happy hours.

Some were forgettable. But others? Changed the entire trajectory of my career.

The difference isn't budget or guest list (trust me). It's something way more intentional.

And after FINALLY reading the book everyone's been pushing on me, I can actually explain WHY some gatherings create movements while others just... happen.

We're diving deep on this today, but first let's get into what the group chat's been buzzing about this week 👇

👀 The Group Chat

Content my creator friends and I are chatting/laughing about this week:

• 🎵 Director Marketing & Media at Rolling Loud shares her day in the life vlog at the world’s largest hip hop festival.

• 🐐 The GOAT herself, Simone Biles, is hiring a Chicago-based content creator.

• 💰 The social media industry needs to stop screaming and publicly posting that they're not responsible for sales or conversions. Keep reading.

• 🏆 Quinta Brunson’s acceptance speech for this award.

• 💼 The Intern. Thank me later.

Okay so a dozen people told me to read this book.

Friends. Advisors. Creators. Even one of our partners for Arena.

"Wait, you haven't read The Art of Gathering yet?!! You NEED to."

And then Vogue dropped this article: “Are community event leaders the new influencers?”

So I finally locked in and read The Art of Gathering (technically audiobooked it while running - shoutout Spotify).

And you know what? They were ALL right. This book is essential for anyone who gathers people - whether that's through your content, your community, or your calendar.

If you're a creator, founder, marketer, or community builder in sports, media, entertainment (or honestly any industry) - you already know this truth:

👉 Content ≠ community. 👉 Hosting an event ≠ connection.

But the real question is... what do we do instead?

Don't worry, I took SO many notes and I'm about to share the top learnings you NEED to know.

Why this matters RIGHT NOW

We're in a whole new chapter of community culture (actually we're already deep in it).

Audiences want wayyy more than just "engagement." They want to actually BELONG somewhere.

Harvard just dropped a study showing that 36% of Americans report feeling "serious loneliness" (and that jumps to 61% for young adults). That's a LOT of people craving real connection, not just more random content in their feed.

Which means we need to completely rethink how we post, plan, and show up.

At Arena, my co-founders and I have been hosting virtual/IRL events for sports, media & entertainment for almost a year now. In previous roles, I've helped brands launch content campaigns, speaker series, conferences, and activations that actually moved people.

And even after hosting dozens of events and building community through content for YEARS... this book completely flipped my entire approach.

Here's one of the biggest lessons sticking with me (and how I'm already using it) 👇

Close the Door (yup, REALLY)

"The strength of a gathering is decided by who it's for - and who it's not."

I used to think being inclusive meant inviting literally EVERYONE to everything.

But here's what I'm learning - powerful communities are curated, not crowdsourced.

Just like how…

Your content isn't for everyone in marketing - it's specifically for brand leads at culture-first companies who GET it.

Your event isn't for "anyone in media" - it's for mid-career women of color navigating those tricky front office dynamics. Or in our case for our last IRL event, for female founders and investors working at the intersection of tech and sports, media & entertainment.

We have to be brave enough to say: "This space isn't for everyone, and that's ok AND exactly what makes it powerful."

❗Try this - Before your next piece of content goes out (or your next invite), ask yourself:

"Who is this TRULY for? And how will they know it's for them?"

Need a system to actually design with that specific audience in mind? I broke it all down in Stop Overthinking Content.

🎧 You can grab The Art of Gathering on Amazon or listen on Spotify like I did.

And if you've already read it? DM me and tell me which chapter changed YOUR outlook on gatherings for good.

🔔 ICYMI

What I’ve been sharing online lately:

t'l’dr: here's what I know, at the end of the day we're all craving spaces that actually MATTER.

Not just yet another networking event where we exchange business cards/QR codes and get ghosted. Not just another community that's really just a broadcast channel.

Real spaces, convos, and connection.

And it starts with being brave enough to design for the people who GET IT (not everyone).

If this resonated, I'd love to know what kind of gathering YOU'RE designing - whether that's through your content, your community, or something else entirely. Hit reply and tell me what you're building.

Until next week, keep gathering with purpose friends (and send me an invite if you’d like - I can also share with people in my network 🫡).

You got this,

P.S. - Been thinking about hosting your first event? Trying to turn your online audience into an actual community? Or just need someone to help you figure out WHO your gathering is really for? I've got 1:1 coaching spots open this week (15-60 min calls, whatever you need). Come see why I've got 42 five-star reviews and zero unhappy clients 💫 Book here.