Hey Friend,

Firstly, we want to give a huge thank you for the support and response to our last newsletter! We had so many positive replies.

We'd also like to welcome our new members. The team have been running some ads on Instagram, which has led to an influx of new followers and email subscribers.

Did you miss our previous email? You can read it here!

If you haven’t introduced yourself yet, we’d love to know more about you. Feel free to reply to this email and tell us a bit about yourself. We’re also looking for members to be featured in these emails, so let us know if you want to be considered.

Here is what we have coming up in this week’s FF Newsletter:

• Spotlight with personal trainer - Karim Djidel 🌟

• Last chance to join our 2023 Unwrapped session 🪞

• Register for our Manage Your Time & Achieve More This 2024 event ⏳

• Connect with us on our new Facebook Community Group 🆕

• 🗞️ News Worthy - The stories and things that have grabbed our attention this week

Freelance Friends Spotlight with Karim Djidel

In this week's Freelance Friends Spotlight, we're thrilled to introduce you to Karim Djidel, a personal trainer whose passion for fitness is as inspiring as his story.

Karim shares his transformative switch from a full-time waiter and psychology student to a successful entrepreneur in the fitness industry. His story is not just about fitness; it's about finding happiness, pursuing passion, and the power of resilience.

Let's get motivated with Karim!

Q: Hey Karim! Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Who are you, where do you come from, and what do you do?

I’m Karim, a guy passionate about training! Originally Franco-Algerian from Paris, I moved to London 5 years ago, where I now work as a personal trainer. So, I get to improve people's quality of life through my passion :)

Q: Can you recall a moment when you suddenly realised, ‘Yes, this is exactly what I should be doing’?

Yes, I can, I think it was 4 years ago. I was just sitting in the living room after getting back home from work. I used to work as a waiter full-time, while studying psychology full-time. I started journaling, then thought about the future and the past. I thought about what I want to do in life? This was a question that was very problematic for me. Because every time I was asked, whether at school or by my family, I had no clue.

I remember then asking myself, when was the last time I was happy? When was I really happy? It was when I used to go to the local gym as a teenager. The dots started connecting, then I realized that I’ve always trained. And always will, I thought I’d be happy teaching people something that’s helped me so much in my life. So, I jumped on a course, and here we are 4 years later with my own company, hahaha.

Q: What do you think your younger self would say about you now? How would they feel meeting you?

I think he’d feel pretty safe and happy meeting me now. They say you end up growing into the person that you needed as a child, and I feel that. He’d probably think I am cool as f and ask whether I’m a giant. To which I’ll reply yes, obviously.

Q: In five years, what’s your dream scenario for yourself and your work? What are you most excited about?

Keep doing what I’m doing, help more people and maybe one day open my own gym. I’d love that. I’ve also always wanted to make training more accessible in the future for everyone. Especially for kids, so maybe one day I hope I can go back to Paris and Algeria and give back to my communities.

Q: If you could sit down with someone just starting out on their own freelance or entrepreneurial path, what one piece of advice would you love to give them?

I'm still pretty new to this, but generally, you’ve got to be all in. Literally all in. Don’t be afraid of trying things; there’s no such thing as failure, just learning lessons. If you make 100 attempts, 1 will go through. Also, stay open-minded and keep on learning!

Q: Picture this: You’re stranded on a desert island, and you can only listen to one song forever. What song would you choose and why?

Victor Deme - Djon’maya (Spotify Link)

This song means a lot to me. Every time I went through a difficult moment, this song was there to calm me down and get me right back on track. The meaning of the song is beautiful, but also the beautiful voice of Victor. I love the fact that I found this song very randomly, and even when I didn’t understand the lyrics, it still meant a lot. It’s amazing what music does.

Lucky for us! Karim is offering a free personal training session for our Freelance Friend’s community. This will be an in-person session in East London before January. Get in touch with him over on his Instagram or email him here. There is limited availability, so get in fast!

For those outside of London, he is also offering 2 weeks of free online training. You can sign up here. Limited availability.

Events

It is less than a week until our final online event of the year. Don’t miss out; sign up now - it’s free!

2023 Unwrapped: Setting Intentions for 2024

Monday, December 18th 2023 - 7:00 pm

Hosted by: Lauren, Co-Founder of Freelance Friends

Reflect on your achievements from 2023, set goals for 2024, and connect with like-minded individuals in our thriving Freelance Friends community.

Led by Lauren, this workshop offers practical tips on work-life balance, motivation, and leveraging our community for support.

Whether you're a seasoned freelancer or just starting out, this free event is the perfect platform to turn your dreams into actionable plans.

Don't miss out on this exciting journey of growth and goal-setting.

Reserve your free spot now.

Manage Your Time & Achieve More This 2024

Monday, January 22nd 2024 - 7:00 pm

Hosted by Essi, Author of Heartful

Join us for an exciting online event where you'll learn valuable tips and proven strategies to manage your time effectively and achieve more in the upcoming year.

Led by experienced speaker Essi Auguste Virtanen, this workshop is perfect for students, professionals, and anyone looking to enhance productivity. Gain practical techniques to optimise time management skills and reach your goals.

Don't miss this incredible opportunity to boost productivity and well-being.

Register now to join Essi and Freelance Friends in mastering the art of time management for success in 2024.

Join Our New Facebook Community

Sharing Resources and Support

In times like these, sharing knowledge and resources is crucial. We encourage you to share strategies that work with our community. To facilitate this, we've created a Facebook page to share useful tips and resources.

Collaboration and Skill Sharing

Now more than ever, expanding your business through collaboration and skill-sharing can be a game-changer. Can you team up with another Freelance Friend to expand your network? Combining skills can open new doors and create mutual growth opportunities.

🗞️ News Worthy

Here are the top things we’ve been interested in this week.

We try to include a mix of items here - only click what interests you the most!

• ✏️ Apple launches Journal, a new app to reflect on everyday moments and life’s special events.

• 🎤 Taylor Swift is TIME’s Person of the Year. Sam Altman is the CEO of the Year.

• What Social Networks should you advertise on? Neil Patel crunches the numbers.

• MMM are on a mission to make websites fun again. new

• 📚 18 tips on how to read fast, read well, and read widely.

• 🎶 Spotify Wrapped is here! What have you been listening to the most this year?

• Sick of Chrome? Try Arc. This new app has changed Alex’s workflow and is a complete game changer. 🖥️

• 👅 The impacts of mouth breathing - Is mouth breathing making you uglier?

• RIP to Writer and poet - Benjamin Zephaniah  interview

• GTA VI was announced via a leaked trailer more than a decade after GTA V 🚔.

If you have a story to share, hit reply.

Refer a Freelance Friend

If you know someone who would find our community helpful, you can share FF with them by directing them to our website - www.freelancefriends.fun.

Want to advertise with us? Email Alex.

Have an idea or news to share with the community? Email Lauren.