April 04, 2025

Reading Recap: What I Read for the 2025 Trans Rights Readathon

April 04, 2025/ Emily Hessney Lynch

Two years ago, I participated in the inaugural Trans Rights Readathon and wrote about it. I pointed out the significant and alarming increase in anti-trans rhetoric and legislation; sitting here in 2025, that almost seems quaint. The second Trump administration is actively trying to erase the existence of trans folks and spreading disinformation aggressively with the goal of making Americans fear and hate trans people.

Trans people have always existed and always will. Trans rights are human rights. Full stop.

December 30, 2024

24 Books I Loved in 2024

December 30, 2024/ Emily Hessney Lynch

2024 has been a whirlwind! I welcomed my first child in June, and while a baby isn’t typically conducive to hitting your reading goals, I was still able to read 125 books this year, and my little guy has gotten to enjoy many audiobooks with me during feedings. Pivoting to audio is one big change I’ve noticed in my reading habits this year. I’ve also found myself less drawn to dark and twisty books since having a baby (though they’re still in the mix!). Lighter and more entertaining fare is more appealing these days. If you’re curious about my reading habits in the past, you can take a peek at my roundups from 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020).

In addition to giving birth to a small human, I taught a crisis communication course at Nazareth University this spring, celebrated 5 years of Serve Me the Sky Digital in May, lost a major client upon returning from maternity leave, onboarded several new clients throughout the fall, interviewed two content creators I admire (Dr. Fran and Ella Dawson), and had one of my most profitable months ever in December. It’s been a year full of changes, joy, and challenges. It’s been exciting and exhausting. Reading was a good way to stay grounded while life was such an emotional roller coaster.

Without further ado, let’s dive into my 24 favorite books of 2024! I took a new approach this year and organized by mood.

September 17, 2024

How I Took 3 Months of Maternity Leave as a Freelancer

September 17, 2024/ Emily Hessney Lynch

There’s no universal guide for self-employment, so it can be tricky to navigate personal, emotion-packed situations like taking bereavement time or maternity leave as a freelancer. When I found out I was pregnant last fall, I almost immediately started planning my maternity leave in my head. How would this work? How much time should I take? Would my clients be upset? Would they replace me while I was out? How much income would I lose?

There were a lot of concerns and logistics to work through, but I knew I needed to give myself time to recover from childbirth and acclimate to parenthood. I wanted to take at least eight weeks of leave. Today on the blog, I’m sharing how I planned for maternity leave, how my leave actually played out, and more. I hope it’s helpful for any self-employed, soon-to-be parents out there who are navigating this too!

May 06, 2024

Celebrating 5 Years of Serve Me the Sky Digital

May 06, 2024/ Emily Hessney Lynch

This month marks a huge milestone for Serve Me the Sky Digital: we’ve officially been in business for five whole years! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years. I’m so grateful to be among the 50% that are still standing, especially after social and economic turmoil and personal life changes too.

In the past five years of growing my business, I’ve met some amazing people, taught engaging workshops, worked on massive global brands and tiny startups, and learned a lot about what it takes to run your own business. I’m thankful for all the opportunities that have come my way, often via my awesome network of supporters and wonderful clients.

Five years ago, it was hard to picture what the future of Serve Me the Sky Digital would look like. I only had a couple of clients, at rather low rates, and didn’t know what to expect. I took a bet on myself and made the leap. I’m so glad I did. I hope to have many more happy years of self-employment ahead, full of great projects with people and organizations I love working with!

Without further ado, let’s dive into some projects and opportunities I’ve enjoyed this year, lessons learned, and a look to the future.

December 13, 2023

My 23 Favorite Books of 2023

December 13, 2023/ Emily Hessney Lynch

I always enjoy writing my annual ‘Year in Books’ blog post (check out my roundups for 2022, 2021, and 2020 if you missed them!). Reading is the hobby that’s been there for me consistently, year after year, regardless of whatever changes may be happening in my life.

2023 has been busy! In January, my husband Tim left his day job in engineering to pursue murals and design work full-time under his business Tenderchomps Art. I helped him run a community art event for elementary schoolers at a local library, ghost wrote blog posts for his website, started running his social media, and offered guidance based on my own experience as a business owner.

In May, I celebrated four years of running Serve Me the Sky Digital! And in August, I dove into a new endeavor: teaching a social media course for undergraduates at Nazareth University. It’s been a year full of learning, new experiences, changes, and great books! At the time of writing, I’ve read 163 books so far this year.

Let’s get into it! Here are my 23 favorite books of 2023, organized by genre.

May 03, 2023

Celebrating 4 Years of Serve Me the Sky Digital

May 03, 2023/ Emily Hessney Lynch

This May marks four years of running my own business full-time. A four year anniversary may not be a big deal to some, but it feels important to me. Four years of successfully running my business, even through an unprecedented global pandemic and economic turmoil? It is a big deal!

As I said in my newsletter this week, running Serve Me the Sky Digital is the most satisfied I’ve ever felt in my work life. I spent four years in higher education and earned a master’s degree in educational administration, then pivoted to nonprofits and worked in marketing at a startup incubator. I learned a lot at those jobs, but both were not a great fit for me.

Since diving into self-employment full-time, I’ve had opportunities I never would’ve guessed would come my way and have been happier all around. Glowing testimonials from clients I love working with make me proud of how far I’ve come and thankful to be where I am in my career right now.

Let’s get into some of my favorite projects, lessons I’ve learned, and a glimpse ahead!

December 16, 2022

My 22 Favorite Books of 2022

December 16, 2022/ Emily Hessney Lynch

Like 2021 and 2020 before it, 2022 contained plenty of struggles and joys, all coexisting in this strange life. In May I celebrated three years of running my own business! I also received my New York State woman-owned business certification in November.

I also dove into the world of TikTok and blogged about it often, which included one of my most popular blog posts of 2022, where I shared what I learned by posting on TikTok 3 times per day for 3 months. Additionally, I wrote about non-marketing topics like how my ADHD affects me as a business owner and the joys of visiting all 31 libraries in Monroe County.

Libraries have been essential to my reading journey in 2022–they’ve often led me to pick up books I might not have encountered otherwise. Last year, I read over 120 books and shared 35 favorites on the blog. In 2020, I read 86 books and shared my top 25. This year, I’ve narrowed it down even more! I’ve read 155 books this year and I’m sharing 22 of my absolute favorites.

September 26, 2022

Reflections on Instagram: Its Evolution & Mine

September 26, 2022/ Emily Hessney Lynch

There’s no denying that Instagram has been through quite an evolution. All apps need to adapt to keep up with what consumers want, but as a social media professional, I fear that Instagram is losing sight of itself in its efforts to keep up with competitors. Today on the blog, I’m sharing reflections on the changes we’ve seen with Instagram so far and how I’m shifting my approach to the platform.

March 16, 2022

I Visited All 31 Libraries in the Monroe County Library System. Here's What I Learned.

March 16, 2022/ Emily Hessney Lynch

Last September, I joined the Board of Trustees for the Monroe County Library System (MCLS).

What is the Monroe County Library System? The MCLS is an association of independent public libraries. MCLS members receive many benefits, like a shared catalog, shipping and delivery services so patrons can borrow materials from any library in the system, outreach services, admin and technical support, and more. Central Library in downtown Rochester is the operational hub of the MCLS; the Rochester Public Library is comprised of Central Library and 10 city library branches, all part of the MCLS.

As an obsessive reader and someone who’s always down for an adventure, I decided to visit every library in the system. That’s 31 libraries! I began in late September and finished in early March. In October, my client Celebrate City Living did a theme called “Celebrate: Libraries” on our Instagram, so I visited all 11 city library locations in just one month!

It’s been a fascinating journey to explore all these beautiful libraries that are so vital to our communities. Every library has its own personality and quirks. It was a joy to see the amazing work library staff are doing across Monroe County! I shared my journey on Instagram using #EmilyExploresMCLS, but thought it would be valuable to recap the experience in one convenient blog post.

I’ll be sharing my library experiences in the order in which I visited. My husband joined me for as many of the visits as his schedule allowed, so if I say “we,” that’s who I’m referring to. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

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