In the midst of the pandemic, Diary of a Social Gal’s Jennifer Campbell disappeared without a trace. She was very active at the beginning of the pandemic, we all looked forward to her IG LIVES, as it was one of the few wholesome forms of entertainment we had on social media. And then, one day, she was gone and comes back with a new outlook on life, business, and relationships. Here’s what Jennifer Campbell has to say, in her very own words.
Interview with Jennifer Campbell
Petrona: Jenn, I’ve been following you on social media for years, and at the beginning of the pandemic you were very active. I remember tuning into your Instagram Lives, and really enjoying the conversations, or product discoveries, they kept me entertained, then pouf! You were gone! Everyone thought you quit SM for good. You shared a bit of what you were going through, can you tell our readers what that was?
Jennifer: Ahhh, my friend! So hard to sum it all up, this wild journey we’re on called life lol! While I definitely went into more detail with the current series, I’ll attempt to give you an adequate reply here (though, of course, brevity has never been my strong suit lol!)
Here goes everything …
As we’re all learning, the surreal experience of a global pandemic has hit us all hard, changing and challenging each of us in immeasurable and individual ways, often exposing parts of ourselves, aspects of our personality, life patterns, that we weren’t as familiar/comfortable with beforehand, so caught up were we always on the go-go-go.
In my case, I didn’t realize it until my precious fur baby Presley had his stroke in May – and it catapulted me into a much-needed step away from it all and I mean ALL lol!! – forcing the realization/epiphany that I’d been going on autopilot for years, without even knowing it.
Heck, once the events and social scene had come to a halt (the focus of my professional life and brand), I continued the frenetic pace without even realizing it, posting on social media platforms at a ridiculous rate, making ‘more is more’ my continued motto, as you astutely noticed!
Though I wish to G-d the catalysts hadn’t been a worldwide pandemic and my beautiful pooch’s health challenge, I was clearly long overdue for a break; to exhale, reprioritize, and fundamentally realize that this journey is about quality, not quantity, real relationships not digital “followers” and “friends,”, that the world won’t end if my phone isn’t at my side 24/7, the most formidable of addictions.
To be honest, I needed the gift of time and digital distance to just be, to disconnect, to decompress, to become reacquainted with the real me, to dream again, to find peace. Does that make sense? Of course, it’s all still a work in progress …. As we all are.
Petrona: How did you come up with your online series? I love the name and think that so many people need this kind of content right now, while we’re all faced with dealing with our own selves.
Jennifer: Awww, love that!! So glad you’re enjoying it. Means the world that amazing, bright, and inspiring professionals and humans like yourself are tuning in. While I’ve always loved word-crafting, especially when it involves alliteration, this baby came to me one day during a chat with a girlfriend about how the pandemic was hyper-accentuating who our true blues are. In a moment of uh clarity (wink) the term “Covid Clarity” popped into my head and then I couldn’t stop using it.
It also seemed to catch on among friends and family, becoming a rather useful descriptive for so many of the ‘AHA’ moments I – and they – were experiencing. Eventually, it only made sense to package all these experiences (aka lessons as I’ve dubbed them) into a series under the CC umbrella. I still marvel at how much I’ve learned about myself and the journey during this period (one of those silver linings) but I wish to heck it hadn’t taken a global pandemic to get me here …
Petrona: What’s on the horizon for your magazine, Diary of a Social Gal?
Jennifer: Wow, you must be prescient lol! While in reflective zone for many months, tossing around a plethora of ideas for life AC (after covid), I took my mind and imagination (imajennation?!) on several grand adventures, envisioning all kinds of fresh challenges and quests (hello Australia!) even taking the time to work on long
backburnered passion projects (dream territory that’s still very much on the ajennda lol, convinced am I that the world will soon see what I’ve been working on, fingers crossed, pray for me!).
That said, I did give serious thought to the fate of the magazine, which, truth be told, has never been just a magazine, or professional undertaking, but a deeply creative and passionate endeavor, each annual tome representing another “book baby” that I hope people not only get something out of (some solid infotainment as we call it in world Diary!) but keep around; a keepsake if you will, table topper, living room accessory lol! It’s truly been an extraordinary part of my life, crazy as it was to launch a print book on a planet gone digital close to a decade ago!!
Which brings us up to now, the April 2021 cliff-hanger: is it time to say goodbye Diary … Or is it time to roll out one of our most thoughtful and ground-breaking book? babies to date, replete with a launch party that will have guests talking about it well into 2031 ….?!!! Guess you and your readers will have to stay tuned for the reveal!!!
Petrona: What advice would you give anyone reading this, and feeling hopeless during this time?
Jennifer: I would say, first off, they’re not alone. While the lessons have been there, silver linings, etc, this remains one of the most surreal, scary, devastating, lonely periods we’ve ever encountered in our lifetimes, curtailing our precious freedoms in unprecedented unfathomable ways, causing immeasurable suffering and loss to
humanity.
To not periodically feel hopeless and heartbroken while living through this would be abnormal, superhuman.
Still, despite continued bumps on the rocky road ahead, there is some major hope to hold onto, namely the rolling out of vaccines! Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine and technology, we now have a major defense mechanism against this insidious and cruel foe, one that will hopefully see us through to the other side,
protecting us and our loved ones, inevitably restoring some much-needed freedom and normalcy back to our lives.
In addition to holding onto that, it also helps in my humble to practice some or all of the following:
1) Incorporating some physical activity into the day, preferably outside, where nature has a spectacular way of inspiring the exhales and reducing pent-up stress.
2) Making sure to slot some quality spells into the week (or even better on the daily) with the real deal people in our lives, via zoom or whatever. That special camaraderie and connectivity is often better than any meds!
3) Remembering to spend some time doing the things we’ve always loved (biking, cooking, whatever) the joy sparking activities that will not only release the right calming hormones (so necessary now) but also lend a semblance of normalcy to our uprooted lives.
I think that does it for now, Petrona! Thanks so much for reaching out. It’s been an honor and pleasure to be interviewed by fabulous you.
Follow Jennifer’s Covid Clarity: https://www.instagram.com/diaryofasocialgal/
