Kevin O'Connell
My 2021 Goal: Mental Health - My Story of ...

Because the last several months have been some of the most difficult for me. I truly would describe it as surviving instead of thriving.

My main goal for 2021 isn’t to train for some brand new Ironman race or achieve some lofty professional or financial goal. While I have set some fitness and financial goals for myself, they are the top of the priority list.

To get it out there in the open my main goal and top priority next to being a husband and father: my mental health.

Right before the holidays I was officially diagnosed with depression with a side of anxiety and mounting, overwhelming life stressors.

Just how bad was it?

My 2021 Goal: Mental Health - My Story of Depression and Anxiety 
Kevin O'Connell, small business, Entrepreneurship, life advice
Kevin O'Connell
Goodbye 2020: My Year of Changes, Transitions, ...

As we take time to reflect on this past year, with all its ups and downs, we want to thank you for continuing to support us and for showing up for your community. Because of you, we were able to fund our first ever scholarship program, and we awarded four Black Creative Students scholarships to students from all over the country. This year, we were also able to publish 26 new blog posts, had 10,400 page views, added and featured 4 new contributing editors, hired and on-boarded a super creative new social media, Greer Blount, and offered our first writing internship to Maggie Barbour who created and published 10 posts in less than 12 weeks.

It's been an eventful year for out team, and to close it all off, TNM founder Kevin O'Connell is sharing his thoughts on 2020, dealing with change and transitions as a new dad and entrepreneur, and finding new approaches for 2021. Keep reading for Kevin’s end-of-the-year message!

Goodbye 2020: My Year of Changes, Transitions, and Identity
Entrepreneurship, Jaylene Perez, Kevin O'Connell, Maggie Barbour, small business, career advice
Maggie Barbour
Best Tools and Resources for New Freelancers

Working freelance may sound glamorous at first, but those who've been doing it for a while know it takes hard work. Getting your business off the ground isn't easy and sometimes it means juggling various projects all at once, but it also has it's benefits - I mean you are your own boss after all!


This week, writing intern Maggie Barbour asks The Niche Movement's Editor-in-Chief Jaylene Perez and founder Kevin O'Connell, both of whom have experience in freelancing, what it really takes to make it work.

Read on for Jaylene and Kevin's best practices when it comes to finding clients, marketing your services, settings rates, and more!

Best Tools and Resources for New Freelancers
career advice, Maggie Barbour, Kevin O'Connell
Maggie Barbour
Top Skills Every Creative Needs

For all those in pursuit of professional development, this week we're taking a look at which skills you'll want to brush up on depending on your specific industry. Whether you're a freelancer, marketer, entrepreneur, or work in another creative role, you'll want to read up on what will make you and your work really shine.

Tap below for the full post!

Top Skills Every Creative Needs
Maggie Barbour, Greer Blount
Maggie Barbour
How to Job Search During a Pandemic

Job searching is a tough task on its own, and job searching during a pandemic... well we know it's not easy. You'll have to be flexible, know how to network and market yourself, and really hone in on what it is your looking for as you search for the right fit.

To find out what can help you land your dream job, keep reading!

How to Job Search During a Pandemic
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6 Steps to Land an Informational Interview

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6 Steps to Land an Informational Interview

Informational interviews are vital to forming professional connections outside your office and personal circle. It’s not enough to submit job applications. Unless you know someone at the company, it is unlikely that anyone is looking at your resume.

Our blog 6 Tips for a Successful Informational Interview prepares you with tactics to make your informational interview go off without a hitch. So in this blog, we’re getting down and dirty with the nitty gritty details of how to set that meeting up.

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6 Tips for a Successful Informational Interview

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6 Tips for a Successful Informational Interview

For college students, informational interviews are vital. Before you send 100s of email applications into the void spring semester senior year, make sure you develop a few key professional connections outside your internship supervisors.  Get some one on one time with professionals you admire by requesting a conversation over the phone or over coffee. Unlike a job interview, informational interviews allow for more of a dialogue.

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4 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Summer Internship

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4 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Summer Internship

Summer internships provide relevant experience and professional relationships that will set you up for success post-college. They’re critical to understanding the layout of the professional world, so use your summer internship to do more than the job description. Follow these four tips, and you’ll automatically impress the colleagues around you.

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4 Ways Introverts Can Grow at Work

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4 Ways Introverts Can Grow at Work

To get the most out of her current position, Carmen has learned she needs to make connections and advocate for herself to grow in her role. She only hurts herself when she goes to the office, works all day, and neglects to seek out conversation and connection. In this blog, she provides some steps to break this habit and seek new opportunities. Her number one piece of advice to her fellow introverts: “Get out from behind your desk.”

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5 Questions for Your Job Search

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5 Questions for Your Job Search

The Niche Movement Founder Kevin O’Connell shared the hard truth about hearing the word “no” in our blog How to Handle Rejection in Business. Now, we present you with our Go or No-Go? Job Search Checklist. Rather than listening to rejection, this checklist flips the script and grants you the power to say “no” to a new job opportunity--giving you the tools to push forward in the right direction on your professional journey.