Meet Madison!
If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have noticed by now that there is a new team member in the TDXO family! And while I've shared a few bits and pieces about her (and her sweet family), I wanted to make sure Madison had a formal introduction here! To be completely honest, MOST content creators have an assistant of some sort behind the scenes - but they're never forward facing. But in the TDXO family, you're going to know exactly who our team members are :) Before I get too far ahead of myself, we thought it would be fun to share our story from both perspectives, especially if there's anyone else out there contemplating grabbing an extra hand or figuring out when it's TIME to outsource.
I knew I needed an assistant for 18 months before I ever put out feelers to hire someone! Between taking care of a six year old and trying to keep a steady amount of content out for the TDXO community, I was barely getting by. Creating content, researching products and procedures, cross checking references, in-person beauty appointments and actually delivering the content is more than a full time job for anyone WITHOUT children! But I was determined to continue finding the best of the best for my community, that I consider my family!
I set an intention five years ago to help as many people as I could, and if that meant I had to stay up until 1AM and wake up at 5AM to work before and after Elizah was asleep, I would find a way to make it work! And that intention has NEVER taken a backseat to any obstacle that tried to slow me down. BECAUSE, I KNOW in my soul, that my life’s purpose is to serve my community. Expediting the path to better skin & makeup, inspiring my fellow tired AF moms, sprinkling in some mindset coaching, and helping each and every goddess see the inner beauty that is forever within.
At some point, I knew I would never be able to make the impact I wanted to make, without another set of hands. Stubbornly, I thought it was a point of pride that I was doing everything A-Z by myself. Yet, despite working around the clock on very little sleep, there are only so many hours in the day.
*wincing as I say this* I had plateaued. *insert defeated face here*
(actual footage of me IRL)
I was thinking, I hadn’t even BEGUN to reach the tip of the iceberg of what I knew was possible, How could I have ALREADY reached my end point? There had to be a secret. an insider hack for buying more time. I had the drive, the motivation, the knowledge, the skill, but I was OUT OF TIME. I started increasing my already intense time blocks to 12 minute increments instead of 15 to “buy” more time. so I was pushing myself to finish things in lighting time with no sleep and the ole physical body just wasn’t cooperating. The brain was getting foggier with every passing day. I was to the point that if I wasn't doing speed-style sprints up and down my stairs when I needed to get a drink or food, I thought I was letting everyone down.
That was 30 seconds of work I could be getting done, which in my mind meant, it COULD be preventing someone from being impacted positively and I couldn't live without doing my best for my community.
As it turns out, the only person I was letting down was me. I was in a vicious cycle of perfectionism, guilting myself for not doing enough, martyrdom, and sheer exhaustion. Looking back it’s so easy to see the signs now, but as we all know when you’re in the middle of it, very few can easily spot the self-sabotage.
I was listening to a Brendon Burchard podcast and in the particular episode I was listening to, he was referencing the exact cycle that I was in. Verbatim. I had never felt so attacked and so seen all at the same time. I got out of my car, I’ll never forget it, and I looked into the skyline right above the top of my house and something in me said “if you want different, you have to do different” and no lie, for eight weeks following that one paramount moment, that saying would repeat in my mind 200 times a day. If there was something I could do differently, I WAS DOING IT DIFFERENT.
I would hang up my clothes differently, take a different route to the park, workout at a different time, look at things differently that I had a set opinion on for 30 years, I started speaking to myself differently, and for the first time in my life I started surrendering to the thought of not being in hyper-control of everything. turns out this is a pretty scary thing for a human that used self-control as a way of feeling safe during a very not-safe childhood. consistently, this was the only variable I had, that made me feel like I wouldn’t be abandoned, neglected, or put in promiscuous situations. Letting go of this control was equivalent to a child throwing their favorite blanket or stuffed animal in the trash, willingly. It seems like the end of the world at first, then after the tears and tantrums you realize that it's better not to carry around tattered & torn pacifiers.
Feeling like a new person with my new attitude, I knew it was time to hire a second pair of hands to help with miscellaneous items so that I could work more on projects that required my full attention, that no one else could do. I was looking for just a basic virtual assistant to help with emails, organization and random tasks that didn’t need my front-facing attention. I had NO IDEA I would be finding MUCH more than that, in a matter of days!
I’m telling you, once you surrender to the ways of the universe, things happen much quicker AND easier.
I put out an ad for a virtual assistant.
Within 24 hours I had 200+ applicants. I popped open my computer and started scrolling through the customer questionnaire I knew would weed out many of the applicants. I start reading the answers and I’m *scrolling, scrolling, scrolling* And I swear, time slowed down when I came across this one set of answers.
MADISON EMANUELO.
I started reading her answers and I FELT her energy through the screen. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I knew I needed to listen to what my gut was telling me. I emailed her straight away and told her I loved her answers and very openly told her she stood out for some reason, and she sent me her resume. I opened it up and I'm not kidding, I heard angels singing and the heavens shined down a golden light that illuminated my laptop right on her adorable little picture.
Now, on an average day I would have thought “I shouldn’t get too excited, I need to go through each and every single resume with a fine tooth comb before I jump for joy” then that voice “if you want different, you have to do different” chimed in my head. I laughed out loud, shook my head, and shrugged my shoulders as if to give the universe the signal “OK WE DOING THIS!” so, I sent her an email and am super upfront about how much I loved her resume, and even expressed that I was probably unprofessional in my straightforward approach, but what did I have to lose?
She immediately responded with the WARMEST, bubbly, golden energy email that made me CRY. I KNEW she was the one. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she was the energy I had been waiting on to bring into my company, which is MY BABY. Excitedly, I tried to set up a Facetime ASAP and sure enough, she made it work. We talked on the phone for an hour and I knew two minutes in that I wanted to offer her. I waited a few hours until we got off the call to try and play it at least a little cool. Then I couldn’t stand being professional and sent her a text confessing my love to her. From what I could tell, she was IN.
There wasn’t a glimmer of doubt from either of us (at least this is how I felt, she could have thought I was straight up crazy :P) We wasted no time in getting the ball moving, and to make a long story short: she wasn’t JUST a virtual assistant, she was the single most qualified person to be my right hand man and face of TDXO + FEMFIERCE. In a few short months we had accomplished what most companies had tried to get done in a year's time. It's my greatest pleasure to know she is part of our family and is helping to streamline information to our community in a much more efficient way, helping make a much larger impact, much more quickly. and, we are JUST getting started!!! Look out world, we are coming in hot!!
Hello, from Madison!
Hey everyone! I’m Madison Emanuelo, Tiffany’s right hand lady, assistant, and brand manager.
Most days you’ll find me in our cozy apartment in Nashville, with a cup (or two) of coffee that could PROBABLY use about thirty seconds in the microwave.
When I’m not working on all things TDXO behind the scenes, you’ll probably find me hanging out with my wonderful husband, Michael, being mom to the cutest little boy on the entire planet, Max, or snuggling up with our two fur babies, Evie and Joey. I’m a sunshine enthusiast, and a lover of all things Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel, and I am a firm believer that a great donut can change your life.
I got my start in media and advertising for some pretty big entertainment and consumer brands, decided to flip the switch to work in a branding agency, and then started thinking that one day I would REALLY love to be my own boss. With the encouragement of my husband, I decided to go out on my own as a full-scale virtual assistant to creatives and never looked back!
Alrighty, now that you know a lil bit about me - let’s answer the question of: how the heck did you end up here?!
Well lemme tell ya: by sheer divine intervention, fate, the universe, or just incredible luck (for real). Because Tiffany came into my life like a bat outta hell, and brought me my spirit guide, soul sister, sprinkles to my donut, you get the picture.
After an extended maternity leave (thanks, pandemic), I saw Tiffany’s note on Instagram that she was starting the search for a virtual assistant and thought to myself: “well, she’s NEVER going to see this, but why the heck not?!” Well jokes on me, because in less than 30 minutes I had an email from Tiff wanting to chat and we hit it off right away!
BASICALLY....
When it comes to TDXO, Tiff is an incredible Manifestor full of creativity, inspiration, and ideas - a literal mad scientist, cooking up her next big idea in a laboratory of dreams and sunshine. I’m the Generator that captures all of that creativity and funnels it down the right channel to bring it to life. It’s a whole lot of controlled chaos and I love every. single. second. of it.
Bert put it one time: “wrangling Tiff, is like herding cats.”
But it’s ACTUALLY like herding cats and ducks - and they’re all doing a freakin’ conga line, lmao.
(We have so many ideas for merch here, y’all - you’re now IN on the inside joke ;)
But if you need a visual in the meantime..............
Behind the scenes here, you’ll find me managing content, the website, our schedules, branding, Tiff’s blood type, making sure she eats a snack, etc. etc. (kidding, kind of, lol). While she's constantly seeking out the best of the best, whether that's makeup products to step up your game, the latest and greatest in skincare, or life skills to help you be the best version of yourself - I'm working alongside her to mold all of that into some kickass content just for you! This girl has some big dreams and goals for this community, so buckle up. It's about to be a WILD ride.
This community is literally the bee’s knees and I’m so grateful to be a part of it! In the meantime, always feel free to say hello, ask questions, or let us know if you have any specific topics or requests for content.
When I’m not popping on Tiffany’s Instagram, you can follow my adventures @madisonemanuelo
