If you’ve ever looked at a website and thought “How did I live without you?,” this issue is for you.
The things that make our lives better can’t be contained to our group chats. More than a dozen women contributed to the list below of services and sites they wish others knew about. Have something you’d add? Tell me on Twitter.
500 Women Scientists — This platform connects journalists to vetted female scientists who can serve as subject matter experts for stories.
Amazon Subscribe & Save — This Amazon Prime feature allows you to set up recurring orders delivered at a discount to save time on store runs.
And Co — This software offers a ton of great services for freelancers like invoices, payments, expense tracking, time tracking, proposals and contracts.
Boomerang for Gmail — This service allows you to schedule when emails are sent and sends them back to you if you need to follow up.
Clearbit Connect — This plugin for Gmail or Outlook helps you find email addresses for basically anyone.
Cohort Office Hours — More than 50 alumni of the Poynter and ONA leadership academies for women have committed to providing free coaching for women in journalism.
(P.S. We’ve added an FAQ page and a way to donate to keep this volunteer-run project afloat. More than a dozen new coaches have signed on since launch, and there’s a new batch coming soon.)
Diverse Sources — This searchable database provides underrepresented experts in science, health and the environment.
Fairygodboss — This website has a lot: reviews of companies by their female employees, guides on maternity leave policies for major employers and a week-by-week pregnancy leave and return-to-work newsletter.
Fancy Hands — This service is a team of U.S.-based assistants ready to take care of things like booking hair appointments and fighting with airlines.
Freelancers Union — This organization, boasting more than 375,000 members, is free to join and includes benefits like health insurance and discounts on tools and services.
Hunter.io — This browser service and Chrome plug-in help you find the email address of any professional.
Journo Salary Sharer — This 2015 project by Julia Haslanger is designed to help journalists navigate salary conversations by digging into the data of self-reported salaries from across the country.
Klok — This iPhone app gives you a time zone converter widget you can quickly glance at, even if your phone is locked.
Mamava — Download the app to locate and unlock Mamava pods and more than 2,000 other pumping and breastfeeding locations; especially useful in stadiums, airports, etc.
Media Moms — This Facebook group for working mothers in journalism has more than 350 members.
Milkstork — This service makes it easy to get your breast milk home when you’re away on business. (And you should ask your company to cover it!)
Mixmax — This service lets you see if your email has been read, allows you to schedule emails to be sent later and create go-to email templates.
Moms Pump Here — This site is a lactation and nursing room locator, which guides for places like airports, hospitals, parks, government buildings and more. (It looks like their site is under construction, but you can check out their iOS app in the meantime.)
oTranscribe — This web app helps you transcribe by putting the audio/video file and your typing all in one place.
PowerToFly — Founded by a former Washington Post digital director, this site has job listings for companies that welcome remote and flexible work arrangements.
SheSource — Run by the Women’s Media Center, this database is full of media-experience women experts who can be sources for stories on a lot of topics.
Spark — This email client helps you prioritize what’s important.
Toby — This browser extension helps you manage your tabs.
Toggl — You can use this service to track your time on desktop, mobile and inside productivity apps.
Trint — This transcription service uses AI to give you searchable, editable transcripts within minutes.
Ulysses — This app for Mac, iPad and iPhone gives you a focused writing experience and document management.
Wave — This service delivers financial services like payments, payroll and invoicing to small and micro-businesses.
Who Pays Writers? — This is an anonymous, crowd-sourced list of which publications pay freelance writers and how much.
Women Also Know Stuff — This database features more than 1,700 experts in political science who identify as women.
Things worth reading
- I love this advice to intentionally regroup in between jobs to cultivate positive energy
- 66 ways to show up for the people who matter to you
- Why women’s empathy is a strength in the workplace
- Lara Hogan on how to identify your leadership style and add others to your toolbox
- Why women need mid-career mentors
- “We need to find ways to help our audiences leave their foxholes and consider new ideas.” The Solutions Journalism Network challenges us to complicate the narrative
- Ten things that steal our motivation and how to get it back
- CNN is having a baby boom: At least eight high-profile journalists are expecting or have given birth recently
Do your homework
A few weeks ago, I wanted to get serious about working out again. One of my group chats — five women in three cities — was into supporting me. We downloaded the HabitShare app and log every time we work out. When I get a push alert that a friend has worked out, I know I need to get my butt moving. What’s the thing you need a little extra motivation for? Find a partner to keep you accountable and do the damn thing.
Focus on the work
Last fall, Hearst Television launched Stitch, a video channel on a mission to produce heartwarming stories that bring people together. The channel lives on Facebook and on Hearst’s station sites, publishing three to five new videos every day. Stephanie Backus, the national editorial manager, said the goal is to learn about the positive things happening across the country.
“I'm proud of it because we are bringing people together and we're telling great stories,” she said. “Everywhere we have families who are divided, not speaking, angry and this is a way to bring a smile to people's faces. We spend a lot of time reporting news that doesn't do that, so I'm proud to be part of something that focuses on good news.”
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