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Amanda Nelson
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Amanda Nelson, with over 20 years of experience in hospitality, business administration, and virtual assistance, has established herself as a versatile professional with a proven track record of delivering exceptional customer service both internally and externally. Her expertise in logistics, catering sales, social media management, and event planning has been instrumental in successfully growing and developing businesses that she's worked with. Amanda has a degree in English Language and Literature from Harrisburg Area Community College and has previously worked with renowned organizations such as Marriott Hotels, Bonefish Grill, and Apple. Amanda currently operates as a virtual assistant and content creator under the brand The Intuitive Steno.
Highlights
Side Note: I wrote this and shared it originally on my personal Facebook page. Why am I sharing this here? It was just a strange few hours at the end of my day that I felt compelled to share. Routine plays a large part in my day to day, so the unexpectedness of all of this, was... interesting.
As I spend the time outside, and encountered the lady further down in the story, it made me think about the strangers we encounter, too. We never truly know the intentions & motivations of others. Or, of ourselves really. I'm sure after a bout of introspection, we can apply this to our working relationships, somehow.
Also, this isn't my best writing. Rather, it's a stream of consciousness relation of an event. I could have pored over this, tweaking the grammar, syntax, and even manipulating the words so that they'd flow better... prettily, and even lyrically.
Clearly, I didn't do that. Why? Because in these realest moments, the story isn't always artfully stylized. This? While imperfect, it's authentic. Sometimes that's more important.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Encounters of a Strange Kind...
Last night, on my way home from work, I am racing to get to Walmart. They were about to close. It was 10:45.
(As I type this, FB is trying to autocorrect the wrong version of 'to' and it's driving me nuts. WTF? I know that bad grammar is endemic, but it doesn't need to be in the code, too.)
As I am on Gunbarrel, in front of Smoky Bones, at the light, I quite nearly, spectacularly, rear end a PARKED Chrysler. I'm shocked, scared, and thankful for the ABS system on my little Hyundai.
As I am cursing in my fright, at the near miss, I pull around, briefly wondering if help is needed.
As it happens, it's one of my friends & coworkers of all people. She'd previously had an accident, and had been released despite her car having been beat all to hell in the former accident. Unbeknownst to her, the radiator had taken a beating. Hence her current predicament. So, I stayed. We waited, her boyfriend showed up, and we waited some more.
Jake from State Farm was being a dick, so the tow was taking longer than needed.
As we waited, a little Saturn pulled up beside us, asking if we needed help. As it happened, she needed help. And, gas. Her car, which is/was her place of residence, was empty. I gave her $20. I was able to, and didn't mind. She'd tearfully, thankfully, told me her son was coming for her tomorrow, and how she'd fallen down the stairs somewhere, and showed me her injuries, too. So, I gave her my Aleve.
I really hope that this lady gets what and where she needs to go. I really also hope that she wasn't putting me on. I hate how the nature of a few bad people has made me cynical against those who genuinely need grace in their times of trial.
By the time I got home, it was 12:30.
I didn't make it to Walmart.
I needed butter and cat food. Now, I'll be adding Aleve to the list.
#people #compassion #moments #life
I was bullied on Instagram today.
On my personal page.
It’s probably the first time, in recent memory, that anyone has pointedly said something nasty to me.
Except for the time my misogynistic (former) boss questioned my sexuality in front of other coworkers by referencing an until then unknown to me tidbit about Subarus.
Hats off to Subaru by the way… that was some clever, direct to consumer marketing back in the day. Saved their company & made a host of otherwise unheard people felt seen & heard.
Anyhow, someone called me “ugly” on Instagram. And, I don’t like it.
Sure, I know - a random, anonymous keyboard warrior undoubtedly created or posted by either a spambot or someone paid to spend their online life trolling others, or someone deeply unhappy with themselves. Or a 12 year old boy… or… the possibilities of who and why this person chose to comment on some of my own silliness is endless. It is also beyond me.
It shouldn’t bother me. I shouldn’t let it.
But, it does.
How it made me feel matters. How I chose to react matters.
I’d made a reel that questioned why I’m single. Like I said, exceptional silliness.
I’d just spent the last few hours tidying my space. My hair was piled on my head, no make up, wearing my glasses. I looked like I am all of 15 in the clip. (I’m 43 yay filters!)
So, no, I wasn’t looking camera ready or supermodel glam. I rarely am either of those things.
Here’s the thing, I got defensive. I got mad. I was sad. Crestfallen that some jerk thinks I’m ugly.
I’m not.
My response was a trauma response. Which is a completely different kettle of fish. Barrels of fish actually that will require reflection and probable therapy.
Then I remembered, I’m not for everyone. This person has probably already said that to 500 other people before they got to me. I won’t be the last person they say mean things to either.
That is also a problem I don’t know how to solve.
I wound up just deleting their comment.
Moral of the story? Don’t be a dick. Use your powers of online presence for good… to create… to build bridges and to spread your uniqueness. Or your mad skills of professional domination… or cute cat & dog photos…
Whatever you decide to do, think even briefly of how you will affect others.
Like I said, it matters. More than you know.
Have a great Monday, friends!
#instagram #people #comment #react #digitalcontent #trolls #onlinebullying #socialemedia
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.