There are two kinds of decision-makers in the world, apparently: maximizers and satisficers.
The former want to make the best decision by researching and reading reviews, weighing the pros and cons of each option, and otherwise gathering intel to make an informed decision.
The latter want to make decisions quickly, opting out of doing research or gathering data and instead going with their gut or the first option that’s “good enough.”
I nearly always lean towards satisficing, which is why…
I cherish recommendations.
Hearing “I loved this—you should try it” or “I think you’d really like this” is such a gift! It makes my satisficer heart sing to get the scoop from someone I trust, saving me time deliberating and/or sheepishly putting off researching a decision I want to make.
Perhaps it’s why I love giving recommendations too—I know how great they make me feel, and I want to make people feel great as well. Which brings me to some of my absolute favorite resources over the past two years:
- Relationships: Relating better to yourself + others
- Networking: 5-mins per day for consistent referrals, reliable leads and meaningful connections
- Taxes: headache-free, plus warm financial advice
- Gifts: meaningful (and easy!) gift boxes from Black creators
- News: the most objective news source I’ve ever met
- Admin: customized virtual assistance
From courses to gifts to news (yes, I found a news source I truly admire), I am excited to share these six recommendations. Click to the one that strikes your fancy above, or keep scrolling for an overview of them all, including pricing. Enjoy! And I hope you find them as useful as I have.
A Satisficer and Thought Leader Advisor’s Recommendations:
1. Relating better to yourself and others: Yours Truly™, $480
Become your most trustworthy self.
I enrolled in Yours Truly™ while expecting my first child because I wanted to hone my skills at relating to other people, but more importantly to myself in the presence of other people.
There were un-had conversations I’d been avoiding, and I would find myself getting defensive, feeling resentful, or otherwise not being my “best self” around others. I wanted to invest in my own courage and ability to stay with myself when uncomfortable topics came up. Having had the privilege of Jay Moon Fields as a client for several years (you can read about her experience working with me if you want), I knew she was the perfect person to learn from—she’s a somatic educator as well as highly-sensitive and introverted, like me.
During Yours Truly™ I had two of the conversations I’ve been hiding from: one with a friend of twenty years, another with my parents. They were hard, but not as hard as I’d been expecting and I felt relieved and proud of myself once I had them.
From Jay’s website: “Yours Truly™ is a comprehensive online program that will give you the tools and understanding necessary to not just know better, but to do better.
It’s designed to help you move from cerebral to embodied living, from conditioning to realness, from self-sufficiency to sufficient self, and from untrustworthy to yourself to trustworthy to yourself.
You’ll have everything you need to have a life where you have the conviction, courage, and competence to be true to yourself and your values in your relationships and in the world.“
For a taste of Jay’s work, you can start with her free Overthinking Archetype quiz (bonus: she uses the word “bejeebers” in the quiz, and if you scroll to the end I share my own Archetype!). I also highly recommend her email list—Jay is a terrific writer.
PSST! Use the code yt-friend and you’ll get 15% off Yours Truly™!
2. Growing your network strategically and sustainably: Networking That Pays, $497
The always awkward-free, 5 minute a day path to consistent referrals, reliable leads and meaningful connections.
You could say this is an “underground” program. Founder Michelle Warner doesn’t run launches for it and created it almost as a favor to colleagues and clients who needed it. I learned of it via word-of-mouth (thanks, Carol Cox!) which is pretty much the only way to hear of it. And thank goodness I did—it’s extremely valuable and I highly recommend it.
Michelle teaches a methodical, flexible, intuitive system to intentionally and strategically grow your network. You know how relationships are everything, but it’s difficult to figure out who you need to meet at in-person networking events and you can only have so many “virtual coffees” ? Me too. Enter Networking That Pays.
I enrolled in 2024 when business was slow and I wanted a sustainable system to get things moving again. I love this program and how widely applicable the approach is. Plus, Michelle hosts monthly Q&A calls which are a great place to drop in and get focused feedback from her on any sticky networking points.
From the website: “Networking That Pays is the science-backed system that I created for myself 10 years ago, and it’s how I’ve created those relationships for myself (and why in 10 years I’ve never managed to get around to having to do all those other things everyone says you have to do).”
2. Headache free taxes and financial advice: Exceptional Tax Services, $2000+
Your Business Deserves A Strong Financial Foundation
Led by Nacondra Moran, Exceptional Tax Services provides tax and bookkeeping support to small business owners in the United States. I love working with Nacondra because her combination of warmth and deep knowledge makes me feel comfortable asking questions, but also ignoring the complex tax stuff I don’t understand because I know she understands it for me.
Beyond nuts-and-bolts support during tax season, Nacondra has advised and supported me on changing my business entity, moving states, buying a home, putting away money for my child, and more. I highly HIGHLY recommend Nacondra and her team for tax support. I remember the immediate relief and delight I felt when I started working with her. Stacey Gordon, thank you for the rec!
4. Meaningful gifts that amplify Black businesses: Bifties, ~$30+
Giving B(l)ack Made Easy
I LOVE sending gifts to clients (and, well, lots of people) and I also love buying from small, independent, historically underestimated business owners. Enter Bifties, which makes buying Black effortless, meaningful and gorgeous.
I’ve worked with owner Constance for years, reaching out when it’s time to create gift boxes for clients, and she’s helped me put together really special combinations: for example one year she helped me source gifts from women business owners in Arizona (where I lived at the time). Here’s feedback from a client for that gift box:
“I gotta say, you are knocking it out of the park in my book this week…
My brother and his wife and son are visiting us this week and we’re having a really good time. We were just saying yesterday that we should have mimosas because we had champagne, but that we were going to have to buy orange juice. And then yesterday morning I went to light my favorite orange blossom candle in the kitchen and it had finally died. We went for a hike and came back to find a package from you–with a WONDERFUL orange grove candle and fun mimosa cubes–just add champagne.
I mean, really.
My brother and his wife were quite impressed by how spot on you were with exactly what we needed to round out our experience. And my sister in law is all about Bifties now!”
And, a note from another client after she sent me a lovely gift: “You had such a good influence on me; I searched for a day or two to find women-led or minority-led small businesses to find this one”! Talk about the ripple effect!
I’ve also sent Bifties to loved ones, and they’re always surprised and delighted by its beautiful presentation, the information in the box, and the way Constance and her team create thematic gifts for special occasions. You’re welcome for literally never having to stress about what to give someone ever again.
5. News you can trust (because it doesn’t favor a political party): Tangle, $ free+
Every day, we tackle one big debate in American politics, then summarize the best arguments we can find from the right, left, and center on that debate.
Raise your hand if you find understanding politics and global events with a shred of clarity impossible.
Me too. Which is why I am so impressed with and ardently support Tangle (I recently became a paid subscriber). From their website: “Tangle is an independent, non-partisan, subscriber-supported newsletter, read by over 135,000 people in 55+ countries across the world. Our audience is made up of conservatives, liberals, independents, and those who don’t identify with any political tribe.”
Each email I get is a deep dive into a topic that I (usually) barely understand, going over how different politically-minded people view the topic. And then my favorite part: founder and journalist Isaac Saul gives “his take” as someone who describes himself thus here: “I generally distrust authority, government agencies, and politicians, but I do believe it’s wise to consult expert opinions and advice.”
His take is simply his take (and he frequently reminds readers of this face, by doing plenty of what he calls “throat clearing” and I call “caveating”) but I find it refreshing and helpful to read a perspective that isn’t mired in liberal or conservative worldviews.
6. Virtual administrative support: Team Delegate, $ varies
We’re the answer to your administrative overwhelm.
I met Tonya Thomas (CEO of Team Delegate) in a coaching program and I liked her right away. Her deliberate approach and experience (close to 20 years in business, I believe!?) make her easy to talk and listen to. I’ve not hired administrative support through Team Delegate myself, but I have referred her to clients and heard glowing reviews. When I’m ready for more admin help, Team Delegate is the first place I’ll go.
What do you recommend?
Whether you’re a maximizer or satisficer, recommendations feel good to give and receive, and I am so thankful for a) the many clients who have recommended Medusa over the years, and b) the many services that help Medusa (and me) run.
If you try one of these resources, or have one you’d like to share with a glowing recommendation, send me a note at evaj at medusamediagroup dot com!
Bonuses
- Do ‘maximisers’ or ‘satisficers’ make better decisions?
- More recommendations: 4 Things I Learned in the Past Year by Dolly Chugh. My own recommendations were partly inspired by this list from Dolly’s Dear Good People newsletter (sign up here—it’s once a month and it’s great), and not only because I was honored to be among Dolly’s recommendations!
- Eva’s Overthinking Archetype: I’m an Analyzer! What about you?
