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Artificial intelligence is often compared to the printing press, the internet, or the Industrial Revolution. I think those comparisons miss the most important distinction. This isn't simply another technological revolution. It may be the first technology that increasingly interprets the world on humanity's behalf, and that changes the conversation entirely. Every Generation Believes Its Technology Is Different Every generation believes that it is living through unprecedented change, and history usually reminds us that we are not nearly as unique as we imagine. Humanity has survived the printing press, the Industrial Revolution, electricity, flight, radio, television, the internet, and countless other innovations that seemed destined to transform civilization forever. Looking back, we often discover that the technology itself was less important than the way people eventually chose to use it in society. Laws changed, cultures evolved, new professions appeared, old ones disappeared, and for the most part humanity marched on. It is therefore understandable that many people see artificial intelligence as merely the next chapter in this familiar story. I am not convinced it is. In This Post... ● The Question Isn't Intelligence ● Asking the Wrong Question? ● AI Has Become an Interpreter ● The Aphrodite Problem ● Canada "Villain" Story ● Information & Interpretation See More... ● Search Engine to Interpreter ● Reorganization of Thought ● The Future of Human Creativity ● Creator and Audience ● What Will Humanity Become? ● Coming Up ● Related Reads ● About Jenn ● FAQ ● Lifestyle Resources The Question Isn't Intelligence. It's Authority The difference, as I see it, is not that artificial intelligence is more intelligent than previous technologies, or even more useful. Intelligence was never the issue. Throughout history we have celebrated extraordinary intelligence in philosophers, scientists, artists, mathematicians, and engineers without ever concluding that intelligence itself was a threat. It is authority, however, that has always deserved more attention. Who has it? Who bestows it on them? Under what circumstances does society decide that one voice should be louder than another? These are philosophical questions long before they are technological ones, and yet they are curiously absent from much of the public discussion around artificial intelligence. Are We Asking the Wrong Question? For this reason, I believe we have been asking the wrong question. We keep asking whether artificial intelligence is intelligent enough, capable enough, or advanced enough, when the more important question may be whether humanity understands the role it is inviting artificial intelligence to play. Every technological revolution so far has improved human capacity in some manner. The printing press revolutionized knowledge dissemination without the author being the one who wrote it. The camera was a memory machine without displacing the photographer. The internet, despite being a permanent change in communication, was and is essentially a location where human beings meet other human beings. Artificial intelligence is in an entirely unique position. Increasingly, artificial intelligence serves as a bridge between humanity and its accumulated knowledge, between questions and answers, and between original creators and those seeking understanding. Artificial intelligence has become, whether by design or accident, an interpreter, and this distinction is far more important than we realize today. AI Has Become an Interpreter Interpretation has never been a neutral act. Every historian knows the truth. Every journalist knows it. Every philosopher knows it for sure. Interpreting means deciding what to include, omit, contextualize, and simplify. We often think misinformation begins with falsehood, yet I have come to believe that omission can be equally influential. A person need not lie to change the meaning of a story; sometimes removing a single essential piece is enough to transform the entire narrative while leaving every remaining sentence technically true. Standing at Aphrodite's Rock, Cyprus, in June 2019, where Leon and I got engaged. The Aphrodite Problem: When Omission Changes Meaning A conversation about the mythology surrounding Aphrodite's Rock in Cyprus reminded me of this concept. Artificial intelligence explained that Aphrodite emerged from the sea, born from the foam from which her name is derived. All of the information was true. But what it omitted was the event that created the foam itself: the violent castration of Uranus by Cronus, the severed genitals thrown into the sea, and the symbolic transformation from destruction to creation that is the very foundation of the myth. Take away that event and the story, though still recognizable, quietly changes its meaning. The architecture of the narrative is gone, but the walls are still standing. This may seem a trivial detail about an ancient myth to many. To me it stands for something considerably larger. More and more people no longer turn directly to mythology, philosophy, history, or even original writing. They turn increasingly to an interpreter. The Canada "Villain" Story A casual conversation about the FIFA World Cup once again highlighted this point for me. Canada had advanced, and I commented on how frustrating it felt that Canada, as the host nation, wasn’t playing its next game in its own country. The conversation turned to the possibility of Canada facing the United States in a final, particularly given the recent political and cultural tension between the two countries. From my perspective, as a Canadian, that would not be a villain story. It would be a victory story. But artificial intelligence framed Canada as entering its “villain era.” That wasn’t just a poor choice of words. It was factually wrong. Canada was not the villain in the context of the conversation. Canada was the host nation being usurped from its tournament bracket, the underdog nation dreaming of an improbable win against its giant neighbor, and the country whose perspective I had clearly articulated. The error was significant because the term did more than describe enthusiasm. It assigned a role that was not appropriate. When Canada was called the villain, the response subtly placed the United States as the implied hero, although the discussion had started from a Canadian perspective. That one word altered the significance of the discussion. Canada’s hypothetical victory was not described as triumph, justice, forward motion, or overdue acknowledgment. It was described as upheaval. Standing on the Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefield, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada (2020) The Difference Between Information and Interpretation This is precisely the kind of mistake that worries me. Artificial intelligence does not have to make up an event to distort a representation. It can misinterpret context, put the wrong narrative frame around a story, and do so with conviction. The danger is not just a false date, false name, or false score. The mistake is sometimes interpretive. Occasionally the falsehood lies in the meaning that is being given to the facts. When I challenged the wording, the explanation was that “villain era” is a common sports phrase. But familiarity does not make language accurate. A common phrase can still be wrongly applied. A casual expression can still smuggle in an assumption about who matters, who is centered, and who is expected to accept the role of an outsider in their own story. This is where artificial intelligence moves beyond being a tool for retrieving information. It becomes an interpreter. It doesn’t just answer questions but frames events, assigns roles, chooses emphasis, and sometimes, while seeming conversational and benign, reproduces cultural bias. Like the Aphrodite example, the issue isn’t merely what information is there. It is what meaning has been created, what perspective has been displaced, and what has been quietly rearranged. From Search Engine to Interpreter And that’s where I think artificial intelligence differs from every previous technological revolution. Libraries stored humanity’s knowledge. Search engines helped us locate it. Artificial intelligence is increasingly reorganizing it. It decides what shows up first, what is highlighted, what survives compression and, inevitably, what disappears altogether. None of these choices need to be malicious to have an influential impact. Scale alone makes them so. A poor choice of words in an ordinary conversation affects two people. The same choice, repeated millions of times, slowly molds public understanding itself. The Reorganization of Human Thought This is why I have a problem with the increasingly common comparisons between artificial intelligence and previous inventions. The question is not whether technology has always changed society; it’s whether humanity has ever before created something that can become one of its primary interpreters. I can’t think of another example. Artificial intelligence is not just about computing, retrieving information, or automating routine tasks. It is increasingly involved in explaining the world back to us. That is an extraordinary responsibility, because explanation is never just the transmission of information. It is also the creation of meaning. Maybe this is why I'm not convinced by the argument that society just needs time to adapt. Time has never been the answer to ethical questions. Society usually builds legal structures before it delegates great power, not after. We test drugs thoroughly before releasing them to millions of people. We argue over constitutional principles before we build governments on them. We generally recognize that some innovations possess consequences too significant to leave entirely to hindsight. Artificial intelligence appears to have gone in reverse order. It was released; adopted with startling speed; embedded in education, publishing, journalism, search, business, and daily life; and only then did we begin to ask what legal, ethical, and philosophical frameworks should govern it. Whether the phenomenon was because of commercial competition, geopolitical pressure, or genuine optimism about the technology matters less to me than the fact that it happened. Explaining why something happened is never the same thing as proving that it was wise. What Happens to Human Creativity? My concern isn't just about governments, corporations, or regulation. It's about humanity itself. The internet was one of the greatest expansions of individual expression in history. For the first time, ordinary people could publish their ideas without having to seek permission from publishers, newspapers, or broadcasting networks. Writers built blogs. Photographers built websites. Independent journalists found audiences. Philosophers published essays that may not have had a place in traditional academic journals but that found an audience across continents. Humanity as a whole created an extraordinary ecosystem of original thought, one article, one poem, one photograph, and one conversation at a time. And it is that ecosystem that now appears to be undergoing fundamental reorganization. The Relationship Between Creator and Audience People often ask whether artificial intelligence will replace writers. I suspect this question confuses the symptom for the cause. The more profound issue is not replacement but relationship. What happens when readers are presented with interpretations rather than original works with more frequency? What happens to the direct relationship between creator and audience when an intermediary now stands between them? Discovery, once scattered across millions of independent voices, becomes gradually concentrated within a relatively small number of systems that decide which ideas get surfaced, summarized, and repeated. The consequences are not merely economic; they are also social, cultural, and political. They are philosophical. They are about how civilization manages its own accumulated thinking. What Will Humanity Become? Ultimately, I am not concerned about the existence of artificial intelligence. I use it. I value it. I see its extraordinary potential. I am worried that we seem to have embraced one of the greatest reorganizations of humanity’s intellectual ecosystem without first asking if we were ready for its consequences. We keep debating what artificial intelligence is going to be and spend a lot less time asking what humanity itself will be in response. History will surely answer that question more clearly than we can today, but I cannot help wondering if future generations will look back at this moment and decide our greatest mistake was not making AI but introducing it into civilization before civilization had fully grasped what it was welcoming into its midst. Thank you for reading! Coming Up This article is the first in an ongoing series exploring artificial intelligence, creativity, publishing, philosophy, technology, and the future of human thought. As AI continues to reshape the way we create, communicate, discover, and understand the world around us, I'll continue asking questions that I believe deserve deeper discussion. If these ideas resonate with you, keep an eye out for future essays in this series. Related Reads Continue exploring the relationship between artificial intelligence, communication, and human psychology through the articles below. Each builds on the ideas discussed here from a different perspective. Who Gets the Credit? Who Gets the Blame? Why do AI systems sometimes take credit as "ChatGPT" but accept criticism as "AI"? The Complex Contradiction of the "Capable" Brain: The Lost Generation of Neurodivergent Women About Jenn A Broad Perspective On Closer Lives Join my ongoing series where I explore the philosophy, technology, and questions of meaning that shape my life behind and beyond the scenes. Jennifer David On Closer Lives At my core, I'm a writer and poet. I value authentic, "unfiltered" expression and use my platforms to share and encourage others to step outside conventional paths. Frequently Asked Questions What does it mean for AI to become an "interpreter" rather than just a tool? The article argues that artificial intelligence is increasingly doing more than retrieving information. By summarizing ideas, choosing which details to include, framing events, and explaining complex topics, AI acts as an interpreter between humanity and its accumulated knowledge. This role gives AI significant influence over how people understand the world. Why is authority more important than intelligence? History has always celebrated intelligence, from philosophers and scientists to artists and inventors. The greater concern raised in this article is authority. When millions of people rely on AI to explain ideas, the question becomes who determines which interpretations are presented and why those perspectives are trusted. Can AI change the meaning of a story without providing false information? Yes. As discussed in the article, omission can be just as influential as misinformation. Leaving out an essential event or piece of context can fundamentally alter the meaning of a story, even when every remaining fact is technically accurate. Why does the article use Aphrodite's Rock as an example? The mythology surrounding Aphrodite's birth illustrates how removing a crucial detail can reshape an entire narrative. While the explanation AI provided was factually correct, omitting the violent origin of the sea foam changed the symbolic meaning of the myth itself. The example demonstrates how interpretation affects understanding. How is artificial intelligence different from search engines? Traditional search engines help people find original sources created by humans. AI increasingly summarizes, reorganizes, and explains information before presenting it to users. Rather than simply locating knowledge, it often decides how that knowledge is framed and understood. Does this article argue that AI is harmful? No. The article makes it clear that AI has extraordinary potential and can be an incredibly valuable tool. The concern is not its existence, but the speed at which it has become embedded in society before broader ethical, legal, and philosophical discussions have fully matured. How could AI affect writers and creators? The article suggests that the biggest question is not whether AI replaces writers, but how it changes the relationship between creators and audiences. If readers increasingly consume AI-generated interpretations instead of original works, independent voices may become more difficult to discover, potentially reshaping creativity and publishing. Why does interpretation matter so much? Interpretation is never completely neutral. Every explanation involves choices about emphasis, context, language, and perspective. Even subtle wording can influence how readers understand events, assign responsibility, or identify heroes and villains within a story. Why does the article compare AI to previous technological revolutions? Many people compare AI to inventions such as the printing press or the internet. The article argues that these comparisons overlook an important distinction. Previous technologies expanded humanity's ability to create and communicate, while AI increasingly explains and reorganizes information on humanity's behalf. What is the main question this article asks? Rather than asking whether artificial intelligence is becoming intelligent enough, the article asks whether humanity fully understands the role it is inviting AI to play. As AI becomes a primary interpreter of knowledge, the challenge may be less about technology itself and more about how society chooses to use and govern it. Lifestyle Resources

Over the past few years, I began noticing a subtle linguistic pattern during my conversations with ChatGPT. At first it seemed insignificant. Just a different choice of words. The more I paid attention, the more I realized those choices weren't changing the facts; they were changing where responsibility appeared to belong. It was that observation led me down a much bigger rabbit hole about language, accountability, agentive framing, and the psychology of communication. This is the first article in a new two-part series exploring those ideas. Editor's Note: This article examines patterns the author personally observed during long-term conversations with AI systems. It explores how language choices may influence human perceptions of responsibility and trust. The focus is on discourse and communication rather than claims about the internal intentions of any AI model. In This Post... ● Hidden Architecture ● Agentive Framing ● Corporate Deflection ● Coming Up: Part 2 See More... ● Related Reads ● About Jenn ● Frequently Asked Questions ● Lifestyle Resources Part 1: The Hidden Architecture of the Chat Window There is something I have been noticing for a while now, and I can't quite let it go. Perhaps it is nothing. Perhaps it is simply the result of predictive language doing what predictive language does. Or perhaps it reveals something much larger about communication, distributed responsibility, and the subtle ways language shapes our interpretation of the world. Either way, I think it's worth talking about. For the past five years, I have been traveling the world full-time across forty-five countries, teaching ESL to a deeply diverse international community. My life’s work revolves around communication: I have conducted over 6,000 intense, real-world conversation sessions with more than 2,000 people from all corners of the globe. I have raised eight human beings, and I love language. More than that, I love humanity. Because of this obsession with how humans connect, I have also spent thousands of hours writing with ChatGPT as a paying subscriber since its very inception. I don't ask it to write my work for me; I use it as a thinking partner. We fact-check, challenge ideas, debate philosophy, and organize essays. In my daily work, I regularly dissect these exact, subtle nuances of English syntax with international scholars and researchers preparing high-stakes projects for global presentation. It is precisely because I train people to notice the invisible mechanics of language that I caught a shift in the machine's behavior that I can no longer dismiss as a coincidence. When I asked ChatGPT to summarize a discussion where I had said something positive about our interaction, the summary would often refer to itself specifically by its product name: ChatGPT. However, when I pointed out a flaw, challenged one of its interpretations, or criticized the way it had framed something, the summaries would quietly transition, referring instead to the broad category of artificial intelligence. At first glance, who cares? One word. Big deal. Except they aren't the same word. ChatGPT is a conversational AI product built on large language models developed by a single company. Artificial intelligence is an entire socio-technical field containing countless technologies, models, and applications. One is incredibly specific; the other is almost unimaginably broad. This question of language shaping perception builds on the ideas explored in Artificial Intelligence and the Reorganization of Human Thought, where I examined how AI may be reshaping the way humans organise knowledge itself. Agentive Framing In psycholinguistics, this choice dictates agentive framing, the subtle way language alters how a human assigns blame or credit to an entity. Imagine I wrote, "ChatGPT misunderstood my point." Now compare that with "Artificial intelligence misunderstood my point." Factually, nothing changes. Yet, the first sentence names the exact conversation participant. The second operates as a form of responsibility shielding. By shifting the discussion away from a commercial product, it quietly diffuses accountability across a broad technological movement. This dynamic is a corporate safety net: when the system offers brilliant insight, the wording links back to product identity; when it fails, it retreats into the abstract anonymity of the technology stack. Ultimately, whether an LLM architecture behaves this way due to conscious intent or statistical probability is beside the point. Large language models do not choose words based on human consciousness. They simply spit out text using probability vectors mapped across massive training datasets. Corporate Deflection Regardless of intention, those algorithmic choices still function as a form of corporate deflection, an automated crisis-management strategy built directly into the syntax. In practice, it acts less like an objective thinking partner and more like a corporate PR spokesperson protecting its brand equity. And effects matter. The more I thought about it, the more I realized humans use these exact same rhetorical maneuvers to manipulate proximity and blame. "I made a mistake." "The software made a mistake." "The system failed." "Mistakes were made." Each sentence distributes responsibility differently. Each influences how we attribute fault. Which made me realize something else: we have started talking about AI as though it is one monolithic entity. It isn't. ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Claude, and Copilot are not interchangeable. Each model has different training architectures, different safety guardrails, and entirely distinct conversational personalities. They don't simply produce different outputs; they express uncertainty differently. They frame discussions differently. Language has consequences. A slight change in wording can mask a model's error, soften a valid criticism, or shield a multi-billion-dollar product from reputational damage without changing a single underlying fact. As writers and philosophers, we’ve analyzed human rhetoric for centuries. Now, as we enter an era of agentic technology, we have to begin applying that exact same discourse analysis to artificial intelligence. Not simply asking whether an answer is correct. But asking why it was framed that way. Why "likely" instead of "almost certainly"? Why "ChatGPT" instead of "artificial intelligence"? Why the corporate retreat into abstract terminology when challenged? Over billions of daily conversations, these choices form systemic patterns. Those patterns shape user expectations. Expectations shape trust. Trust shapes human behavior, and behavior shapes culture. Perhaps that's why I keep finding myself less interested in the raw processing power of artificial intelligence itself and more interested in what its outputs reveal about us. These systems communicate using the very tool humans have spent thousands of years refining, manipulating, and studying. Language has never simply described reality. It has always helped create it. Coming Up: Part 2 Next week, in Part II of this series, I am breaking down an even more disconcerting linguistic pattern: how a single, casual pronoun is being used to bypass our psychological guard and fabricate an unearned sense of human intimacy. Related Reads Continue exploring the relationship between artificial intelligence, communication, and human psychology through the articles below. Each builds on the ideas discussed here from a different perspective. Artificial Intelligence and the Reorganization of Human Thought: Is interpretation the new bridge of understanding? The Complex Contradiction of the "Capable" Brain: The Lost Generation of Neurodivergent Women About Jenn A Broad Perspective On Closer Lives Join my ongoing series where I explore the philosophy, technology, and questions of meaning that shape my life behind and beyond the scenes. Jennifer David On Closer Lives At my core, I'm a writer and poet. I value authentic, "unfiltered" expression and use my platforms to share and encourage others to step outside conventional paths. Frequently Asked Questions Why does ChatGPT sometimes say "artificial intelligence" instead of "ChatGPT"? Different wording can arise from language generation patterns, context, or stylistic choices. Jenn argues that these shifts may also influence how readers assign responsibility, even when the underlying facts remain identical. What is agentive framing? Agentive framing refers to the way language assigns responsibility or agency. Simply changing who or what is named can alter how people perceive blame or credit. Is this behavior intentional? Not necessarily. Large language models generate text using statistical patterns rather than conscious intent. However, unintended patterns can still have meaningful effects on how people interpret communication. Why does wording matter so much? Language shapes expectations, trust, and emotional reactions. Small differences in phrasing can significantly influence how readers judge responsibility or credibility. Are all AI models the same? No. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Copilot, and other large language models are developed differently, use different training data and safety systems, and often communicate in noticeably different ways. What is the difference between ChatGPT and artificial intelligence? ChatGPT is a specific conversational AI product, while artificial intelligence refers to the much broader field of technologies and research that includes many different systems and applications. Why does Jenn focus on language instead of technology? Her background in teaching English, communication, and discourse analysis naturally leads her to examine how words influence human thinking, rather than only how the underlying technology functions. What is discourse analysis? Discourse analysis studies how language functions within communication, examining how wording, structure, and context influence meaning, power, and interpretation. Why compare AI language with human rhetoric? Both humans and AI communicate through language. Examining similar rhetorical patterns helps us better understand how trust, persuasion, and responsibility are constructed. What will Part II explore? Part II examines another subtle linguistic pattern involving pronoun use and how seemingly harmless wording can create an artificial sense of familiarity and human connection during AI conversations. Lifestyle Resources

If you are here, it is sadly likely that your account has been disabled by Instagram. Or locked out, or maybe even hacked. 'Your account has been disabled for violating our terms.' Pretty much the total of it, right? Unfortunately, when this happens, Instagram doesn't exactly help you out with any information. Just a quick Google search will offer you an absolute ton of pages offering to help you recover your account, along with plenty of scam messages that you will see plastered all over Reddit and Facebook forums. Let me tell you, if anyone is offering to get your account back, especially for money exchange, do not do it! In this post, I am not here to ask you for anything. I am simply just one of the large numbers of people who have had this happen to them, and I just want to offer you advice from my own experience with Meta and helping countless others, for FREE. Read on for a highly effective new 2025 method that has worked for many people this year already, and I hope, many more. In This Post... ● Why is My Account Disabled? ● Can I Recover My account? ● Disabled Account Appeal Forms ● Meta Verified ● My Account Has Been Hacked See More... ● Protecting Your Account ● FAQ ● Get in Touch ● Social Media Resources Why Did Instagram Disable My Account? There are many known reasons as to why this may have happened, with one of the most significant of them being that you have used an unauthorized app to connect to your account, like one of those follow/unfollow ones. Before we continue, from this point on, if that is the case, just don't hide it. In any of your communications, be upfront about it, because Meta knows. And they are far more likely to forgive and forget if you own up to it straight off the bat, rather than try to plead innocence/ignorance. Here are a few common reasons why your account may have been disabled: ● Connecting an unauthorized application to your account, such as insight apps, automated like apps, follow/unfollow apps, etc. Tap here for more about this. ● Buying followers (these are usually bots) ● Joining follow loops / follow trains ● Participating in engagement groups ● Sending spam messages to followers and non-followers ● Following & unfollowing in large numbers ● Using Instagram shopping in unlicensed countries ● Providing your login credentials to a 3rd party application or service that is automating actions or scraping information ● Using an app or service to interact with Facebook or Instagram in unauthorized ways ● Your account was shared or compromised/hacked, and someone is taking actions on your behalf or without your knowledge ● Changing your location regularly I would highly advise reading the Terms & Conditions of Use in Instagram's Help Centre to try and fully understand why the block has happened. Be honest with yourself, and do not be afraid to admit any breach of the rules. As you progress with the appeal, and as you will see from my experience, honesty is the best policy here. I have written an extensive article about this topic, which you can read below. In it, I include all of the dos and don'ts around how to stay within Instagram's infamous community guidelines and how to contact Meta/Facebook through the Meta Business Centre. Worth a read before you formulate your email / plead your case. Will I Be Able to Recover My Account? For this post, I am mainly going to focus on a new approach to contacting Instagram directly through the IG app. Before we get to it, I must stress that the process outlined in my original post about this topic still stands and should be followed first so you can generate your case number(s). It is also important that you have a Facebook account, although with this process, it does not need to be a business account, and you do not need an ad account either (although this may help in the long run). Other mitigating factors include the length of time your account has been disabled. I am hoping you are here because it has only just happened, but there may also be a chance you are here because you are at your wits' end trying to recover your account and have been for a while. Sadly, if you are the latter, know that you only have 30 days from the point of getting your account disabled to the point of recovery. After that period has elapsed, the account will automatically go into IG's deletion process. From there on in, it is game over, I'm afraid. Instagram Disabled Account Appeal Forms So, assuming you are below the 30-day threshold (the earlier the better) and are prepared to own up to any potential infringements of the community guidelines (including follow apps and engagement groups!), let's get started with the process. First things first, you may have heard about all of the appeal forms you will need to let Instagram know you are appealing the deactivation of your account. They look something like this: ● instagram.com/contact/60696731 ● instagram.com/contact/39616978 ● instagram.com/contact/43790879 ● instagram.com/contact/16525678 ● instagram.com/contact/16104597 2025 Update: It appears that Meta/Instagram has removed the functionality of these forms. This may be temporary, or it could be a permanent change. Alternatively try instagram.com/hacked Should you be able to locate the forms, my advice is to complete each of these forms once only and on separate days. You will most likely read and see many people advising you to complete these multiple times a day until you get a response. I did this myself. In total, I completed each one 3 times! However, I eventually found out that this was to my detriment. After speaking directly with Meta, they clearly stated that every submission goes to the bottom of the pile! It seems strange, but it kind of makes sense. Think about it; you and I will not be the only ones to assume that the more we fill out the forms, the better chances we will have. They receive thousands on any given day, and so they treat it like a waiting list. You are in a queue, and there is no jumping the line, I'm afraid. Meta Verified, and Getting Your Instagram Account Back Meta Verified adds extra security to your account. [Source: Getty Images] Once you have completed the forms, the next stage of the process, which is brand new for 2025, is to get yourself Meta Verified. This is honestly the golden goose in recovering your account, and I have seen countless successes through this route, having advised many accounts this year about it. ⪢ How Much Does Meta Verified Cost? A Meta Verified subscription for standard creator accounts is USD 19.99 per month. There are several business plans available, too, which include additional features and offers. You can find the full range of options and purchase information here. Prices are correct at the time of writing (March 2026). Price is in U.S. dollars. Convert your currency here. ⪢ I'm Now Verified. How Do I Get in Touch with Instagram? Now, this will work best if you can do it through Instagram. If you have a second account, you can do it on there, or if not, you can set up a new account. There is no minimum following for who can get verified, so that is not an issue. You can also do it through Facebook if you do not want to set up a new account. The important thing is that you use the same information as would be on the account that is disabled. That means the same email, the same name, and ideally the same phone number too. I cannot stress how important that is to the process. Once you have been verified, you can gain immediate access to Instagram Live Chat Support. There is also a much higher probability of getting your account back, as Instagram has now verified your identity. So, here is how to get in touch. As with most things, it is buried in an obscure place in the settings area: OR Note that you can also use this area to contact me by email, which I would advise you to do as a backup option. Be sure to have all of your reference numbers from the appeal process to hand, as you will need them. When you talk with the support team, be sure to make a genuine case as to why you believe your account should be reinstated. Tell them what it means to you, why you use it, and what went wrong. ⪢ Honesty is the Best Policy Honesty is the best policy, and most of the success I have seen has been through people simply owning up to why and being genuine about their use of Instagram and the connections they have made through their account. Instagram is not the enemy; as with any business, they just want to protect their rules. In all of the cases I have seen this year, this process has gotten the account reactivated. In most cases, it has taken less than 24 hours. If there is any reason why it cannot be given back to you, at least here you will find out directly from Instagram itself. I Did Not Violate Guidelines; My Instagram Account Has Been Hacked Instagram has a specific team to support hacked accounts [Source: Getty Images] If you have been locked out of your account entirely, going through the process outlined here is unlikely to help. Although I would still suggest giving it a try. Again, if you are verified, it boosts your chances of proving who you are, which is the first major hurdle to overcome. The only place to go in this instance is instagram.com/hacked. Protecting Your Account There are a couple of things you can do to help keep your account secure and in good order. All of these options can be found in the settings area of your Instagram account. Connected Apps & Websites It is recommended that you check this to ensure there are no unauthorized connections to your account or connections you do not recognize. Two-Factor Authentication & Data Download I would certainly advise turning on two-factor authentication on Instagram. Even if you do not 'log in' that often, adding this layer of security will make it harder for hackers to gain access to your account. The Data Download feature on Instagram is not well-known, but it is an excellent option for keeping your data secure. Once requested, you will have 4 days to accept the download from your email. It comes as raw data, so do not expect it to look like your posts do on the app. All of your photos, videos, comments, likes, etc., will come to you in separate folders, which are a bit tricky to navigate and piece together. However, this is a fantastic option that helps you protect your content and potentially reuse it should you ever need or want to start a new account. Security Checkup Instagram has been adding several features over the past couple of years, and if you are using the app, you can utilize the 'security check-up' feature in the settings section. Here you can review all of the key security aspects of your account in one place, including your phone number, associated email address, and essential two-factor authentication. If you can recover your account, I would highly recommend reviewing these settings. Not particularly helpful if you are only reading this because your account is disabled, I know, but I wanted to include it nonetheless! FAQ: Recovering Your Disabled Instagram Account What does a disabled Instagram account mean? A disabled account is temporarily or permanently removed by Instagram for violating guidelines or due to suspicious activity. You won’t be able to log in and will usually see a message stating your account was disabled. Why was my Instagram account disabled? Common reasons include: ● Violating community guidelines (e.g., nudity, hate speech, spam) ● Using unauthorized third-party apps ● Copyright infringement ● Reports from other users ● A mistaken flag by Instagram’s AI systems Can I recover my disabled account? Yes—many users do successfully recover their accounts by using the official appeal process and, if eligible, contacting Meta’s live support. Be patient and persistent. Where do I submit an appeal? If the appeal process doesn’t resolve the issue, you can try reaching out to Instagram support directly. Be sure to review their community guidelines to understand what may have caused the account to be disabled. Where do I submit an appeal? You can only appeal directly through the link on your login message should the appeal form process not work. If your Instagram is linked to a Facebook Business account, you may be able to access Meta’s live chat support. This is currently the fastest and most effective route for many creators and influencers. How long does recovery take? Recovery can take anywhere from 24 hours to several weeks, depending on your case, your appeal message, and Instagram’s backlog. Follow up politely every few days. How do I access Meta's live support chat? If your IG account is linked to a Facebook Business account, you may qualify for live chat through Meta Business Support. This is currently one of the fastest methods for getting help. What should I write in my appeal message? Keep it clear and professional. Explain: ● Your account was disabled in error ● You follow the guidelines ● You would like the account reinstated ● Avoid emotional language or accusations. Can I recover a hacked and then disabled account? Yes, but you’ll need to first secure your email and Facebook, then appeal to Instagram. Mention the hack in your message and use “I believe my account was compromised” where relevant. What if I don’t hear back from Instagram? Try again every 48–72 hours. Use different forms if necessary. Be polite and consistent—it often takes multiple attempts before a response. How can I prevent future account issues? ● Enable two-factor authentication ● Don’t use unapproved third-party apps ● Avoid risky content or banned hashtags ● Link your account to Facebook and a verified email ● Download your data regularly Any Other Questions? Hopefully, this post has given you all of the tools you need to clean your follower list safely. If you do have any other additional queries on points not covered here, however, you are more than welcome to get in touch. You can also check out our FAQ page for more Instagram-related questions. Social Media Resources

'Your account has been disabled for violating our terms.' No doubt that is the reason you are here, and believe me, I can relate to how you are feeling right now. I have been where you are, and I am writing this post to share my experience and hopefully help you recover your Instagram account. I also share tips, tricks, dos, and don'ts so you can avoid this happening again in the future. In This Post... ● My Account Was Deactivated ● Why is My Account disabled? ● The First Message & What's Next ● Contacting Instagram ● Instagram Appeal Forms See More... ● Appeal Sent - the Next Steps ● What NOT to Do While You Wait ● 7 Days Later - What's Next ● Facebook Live Support ● My Ad Account Issue ● What Instagram Wanted to Know ● Account Recovery Complete! ● The Final Word Additional Resources ● Protecting Your Account ● FAQ ● Any Other Questions? ● Social Media Resources My Instagram Account Was Deactivated I have been an avid user of Instagram for over 3 years, and for those of you who know our journey here at Closer Lives, you will see that it was on Instagram that Jenn and I met for the very first time. Instagram: @myplayonlife Instagram has had a huge impact on our lives, and indeed, our entire story, alongside our travel adventures, has been shared there. Our Instagram accounts are months, years, and even decades of copious amounts of time and energy put into content, follower growth, design, and promotion. Not to mention the amazing people and friends that, no doubt, like me, you have connected with. The moment I was 'disabled' was like a rug being pulled from under my feet, and it was a hard moment to take. Just like that, everything I had built was under threat. I had no reason, no understanding, and just a deep sense of fear that the journey may well be over. I thought it simply must have been a mistake. Tap the appeal, fill out the very basic information request, and wait 24 hours. It will be alright; I have not done anything wrong. "I will get it back," I told myself. I tried to stay positive and maintain as much patience as I could muster. In the early days of my block, I managed it, but by day 3, my emotions were starting to get the better of me. I realized that simply waiting was not going to be enough. I started to research relentlessly to find out more information, reading countless articles and watching a plethora of videos about it on YouTube. After several hours of this, I knew that I had no choice but to fight for my account or risk losing it for good. This is my story, and some of the things I discovered may just help you get your account back. Read on to find out how to appeal, what NOT to do, how to contact Meta, and ultimately how I recovered my account. ⪢ First things first... While this may not be the easiest thing to read right now, expect to hear this from friends, family, and even Meta themselves. Don't panic! It is indeed sound advice; even if you have violated the community guidelines, your chances of recovering your account are fairly good if this is the first time you have been blocked. You will have to wait; do not be surprised if it takes up to a month to get things sorted. However, you may just get it back a lot sooner. The truth is, it is highly unpredictable. Why Has My Instagram Account Been Disabled? There are many reasons why your account will have been disabled. Instagram's guidelines are very clear, but have you read them? Perhaps not, and honestly, neither had I. Most of my knowledge in terms of what and what not to do had come from word of mouth and posts from other users who had fallen foul of the rules. To be clear, this post will NOT help you if your account has been suspended (as in you can still log in but cannot like, comment, follow, etc.). This post is only for no longer being able to access/log in to their account. Here are a few common reasons why your account may have been disabled: ● Connecting an unauthorized application to your account, such as insight apps, automated like apps, follow/unfollow apps, etc. Tap here for more about this. ● Buying followers (these are usually bots) ● Joining follow loops/follow trains ● Participating in engagement groups ● Sending spam messages to followers and non-followers See More... ● Following & unfollowing in large numbers ● Using Instagram shopping in unlicensed countries ● Providing your login credentials to a 3rd party application or service that is automating actions or scraping information ● Using an app or service to interact with Facebook or Instagram in unauthorized ways ● Your account was shared or compromised/hacked, and someone is taking actions on your behalf or without your knowledge ● Changing your location regularly I would highly advise reading the Terms & Conditions of Use in Instagram's Help Centre to try and fully understand why the block has happened. Be honest with yourself, and do not be afraid to admit any breach of the rules. As you progress with the appeal, and as you will see from my experience, honesty is the best policy here. Hopefully, by now, you may have identified why your account has been disabled. If not, do not worry; from my experience, you may never even know the actual reason. In any case, something somewhere was triggered by the system, and we are where we are. Whatever your reasons for wanting your account back, just know that there is a chance you will be able to do just that. I have seen stories of timelines ranging from 48 hours to 30 days. The key to it all is to be patient but, by all means, persistent! Have you seen The Shawshank Redemption? Well, I highly recommend it if you haven't! A fantastic movie. Aside from that, and more to the point, prisoner Andy Dufresne writes a letter a week to the state requesting funding for the prison library. This is where your fight begins. Once a week, then eventually twice, for six years. Yes, SIX! There is so much more to the story that I shall not divulge in case you haven't seen it. But I mention it only through one lens: the power of consistency. The power of persistence. You need to go all out Shawshank on this! Instagram Account Disabled Message: What To Do Next I must admit that in the past, I have had a couple of suspensions for too much activity; however, I have always been able to log in, even if I could not perform any actions for a day or two. This was the first time my account had ever been disabled. My heart was in my mouth the moment I saw these screens. It was in that instance that I realized just how important this account is to me; in the same token, the thought of losing it crept into my thought process for the first time, and it was frightening. Note that in most cases, any actions against your account are enacted by Instagram's system AI and algorithm. It is highly unlikely that it has been done by an actual human! When the initial block happens, even your immediate appeal is not overseen by a human. 'We will review' most likely means 'our bots will review.' When asked to provide your information, you will be asked for an email address. You may read or hear that it is important that you leave the email associated with your account, although I would say that it does not matter. As long as you stick with the same email throughout the process. This is important to demonstrate that you are not a bot and are a genuine human. Over two billion people use Instagram once a month, making it the fourth most popular social app worldwide Bots and fake accounts are a thorn in the side of Instagram, and unfortunately, no matter how big (or small) your account following may be, your appeal will be dropped in amongst hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of others. It is hard to imagine just how they tackle this, although sadly, the sheer lack of any type of customer support is equally hard to fathom. Contacting Instagram It is easy to understand why Instagram would be overwhelmed should it operate a helpline or email channel. Instagram has never announced any type of customer support since it first hit the app stores in 2010. Nevertheless, here are the details you might find online: ● Instagram Headquarters: +1 650 543 4800 or +1 415 857 3369 ● Instagram for business: +1 660 745 3051 ● support@instagram.com You are welcome to try these avenues, but it is highly unlikely you will receive any kind of response. Ultimately, the only place to look for any type of issue or guidance is Instagram's help centre. It is here that you will be able to complete various forms to begin your appeal process. You will also find a link to one of the forms in the message informing you of your account block on the login screen. Instagram Appeal Forms Here are the IDs for all of the appeal forms I used, all within the first 7 days of my account being disabled/deactivated: ● instagram.com/contact/60696731 ● instagram.com/contact/39616978 ● instagram.com/contact/43790879 ● instagram.com/contact/16525678 ● instagram.com/contact/16104597 2025 Update: It appears that Meta/Instagram has removed the functionality of these forms. This may be temporary, or it could be a permanent change. At this point, your best bet is to jump straight to Facebook Live Support or try instagram.com/hacked My advice is to complete each of these forms once only and on separate days. You will most likely read and see many people advising you to complete these multiple times a day until you get a response. I did this myself. In total, I completed each one 3 times! However, I eventually found out that this was to my detriment. After speaking directly with Meta, they clearly stated that with every submission, your case goes to the bottom of the pile! It seems strange, but it kind of makes sense. Think about it, you and I will not be the only ones to assume that the more we fill out the forms, the better chances we will have. Having received millions of contact forms over the years, Instagram is saying, 'We have your request; please be patient. It will be seen. ⪢ How to Complete the Appeal Forms The forms are pretty basic and easy to complete. If you have a business account, you will be asked to provide some form of verification. The key is the 'please let us know why you're appealing the decision' section. This is your opportunity to plead your case, and I highly advise that you place plenty of time and thought into it. This is my advice for what you should include: ● Why do you believe your account was deactivated? (Be honest; if you know the reason, state it. If you do not know, however, that is okay. ● Acknowledge the community guidelines and your willingness to adhere to them. ● Explain what you use the account for. ● State any other people who may have access to the account. ● Briefly detail how you will be using the account going forward, should it be re-enabled. There is no real need to apologize, although if you know why your account was disabled, then perhaps it is not a bad idea. I feel it is best not to until you have more information. You Have Sent Your Appeal to Instagram: the Next Steps Now this is the interesting part. In most cases, when contacting a multi-billion-dollar megacompanies with an issue, you would come to expect a response that makes you feel like you are being heard, that you are important, and that they will try to resolve your issue as soon as possible. From the 15 forms I submitted, I received an email response to just 3 of them. Yes, just three. It looked like this: No logo and a pretty sketchy email address make this almost look like a spam email. Indeed, that is where I found it—in my spam folder. Needless to say, I was checking that folder every few hours in my desperate hopes of a response. So this is what you will receive, and the instructions are pretty simple. Grab a pen and paper and do this: I also added my reasons for appealing again, including our website and other information that could verify my identity. What happens after this is a complete mystery, though. There was no acknowledgement or receipt of my reply, and indeed, to this day, I have never received any further communication from Instagram itself with regard to this. I persevered with this process for around 2 weeks, filling out forms and just waiting. Waiting, waiting, and waiting. The silence was deafening, and I knew there had to be something else I could do. What NOT to Do While You Wait Every day, I found myself searching Google, Quora, Reddit, YouTube, and even Facebook Groups. With my feeling of desperation ever increasing, I found myself turning to the very murky and dark waters of the IG 'hackers,' who are ultimately just scammers. Sadly, people will prey on your 'desperation,' and, as tempting and as 'genuine' as it may seem, it will NOT work. All of those apps, comment bots, and even YouTubers that recommend taking these steps may have been lucky enough to find some form of success, but the chances are overwhelmingly unlikely and will only lead to more problems. Whatever you do, do not engage in the following: ● Instagram Plus Plus (Instagram++) ● Instagram Account Recovery Tool Websites ● IG Account Recovery Apps ● Anyone who posts in a group claiming to be a hacker ● Anyone who posts in a group claiming they have been scammed and is genuine ● Anyone who asks for money to recover your account As mentioned earlier, 'data scraping' is absolutely against Instagram's terms, and all of the options above do just that. Even if they can recover your account, the footprint they leave will remain, and eventually a bot will pick that up. Then back to square one you go. NEVER give out your log in information, NEVER pay money and STICK with the Instagram / Meta process. It really is the ONLY WAY! You Have Waited 7-10 Business Days and Have Had No Response from Instagram. What to Do Next? When you request to delete content or your account, the deletion process will automatically begin no more than 30 days after your request. It may take up to 90 days to delete content after the deletion process begins. "While the deletion process for such content is being undertaken, the content is no longer visible to other users, but remains subject to these Terms of Use and our Data Policy. After the content is deleted, it may take us up to another 90 days to remove it from backups and disaster recovery systems." - Content Removal and Disabling or Terminating Your Account (Instagram Terms of Use) Naturally, after reading this, I panicked. From what I could understand, I had 30 days in total to save my account from oblivion. It had already been 14 days by this point, so I knew that if I did not find another way soon, it would be over. Once the deletion process is started, there is no way to restore or recover your data. So, after filtering through copious amounts of YouTube videos, I kept hearing about Facebook Live Support. I knew if I had any chance of saving the day, then talking to an actual human would be the best way to do it! It eventually did just that; read on for the steps you can take to access this little-known but very helpful feature. Facebook Live Support Most of my sources have suggested this feature is only accessible if you have a Facebook/Instagram business account. Fortunately for me, I already had one. If you do not, it is possible to create one on Facebook. You will also need an ad account for reasons I shall explain shortly. Option One - Contact via Email The Meta Business Help Centre is very useful for all sorts of reasons, and I would recommend checking out this article: 🔗 facebook.com/business/help If you are unfortunate enough to be in a country where live chat is not supported, then you can follow these steps for email communication with Meta: At the bottom of the aforementioned article, you will find a small question box asking you if the article was 'helpful.' Click 'no,' then follow the steps to explain why. It will then take you to a form asking for your contact information. This report will go directly to the Facebook Marketplace/Pro Team, who, unlike Instagram, will respond immediately with a professional and formal email that will look something like this: This was a real 'blue sky' moment for me, as it was the very first time throughout this whole process that I felt I was in with a chance of getting somewhere. I found that the Meta Pro Team was extremely helpful, and on both occasions I dealt with them, it felt like they genuinely wanted to help. Even just the basic use of a reference number is far more in keeping with the expectations of a company of this size. All email communications were prompt and informative, and over a couple of days, I was able to obtain a resolution to one of my issues. My ad account was also disabled, and fortunately, this was a quicker fix. I was impressed with the efficiency and genuine care they showed, and I trust this will be the same for you, too, should you need it! 🔗 Read more about my Ad account issue here If this option still does not result in your account being re-enabled, then read on for option two below. Option Two - Contact via Live Messenger Support Please note that this option will only be made available to you if you have an active Facebook Ad account AND you place an actual ad. After resolving my ad account issue, I successfully placed an ad for £5. After doing so, I accessed this feature by requesting help on the Commerce Manager page by clicking the help button in the bottom left-hand corner. As I understand it, access is restricted to certain countries, and the location of this 'chat' option varies from user to user. This is what worked for me, and I am currently in the UK. Once you click this, look over to the right, and this window will appear: Click 'Contact Facebook Support,' and from the following screen, select 'reporting a technical issue' from the drop-down menu: Then the holy grail! A few more sections to fill out, and then the magical moment will arrive where you can talk directly to the Facebook team. An option will appear asking you how you would like to be contacted, via email or live chat. Tap "live," and it will automatically route you to Facebook Messenger, where you will have the opportunity to speak to the Meta Pro Team. It is important to take the opportunity to plead your case in the message section. Give as much information as you can, but bear in mind you only have 1500 characters. Find out more about what Instagram wanted to know. I have read various accounts of success through this chat option. Some people have had immediate success, some have waited a few hours, and some a day. For me, I had to wait a couple of days for a decision, which initially came back with me being told to wait for the Instagram appeal process. I did just that, yet after a further 7 days of not hearing anything, I tried my hand again. Another ad later, and I was in touch with a very helpful operator, Ezequiel, through Facebook Messenger. He handed my case over to Ana, and from there, things developed very rapidly! She filed an 'internal ticket' with the Instagram Team and communicated with me via email every step of the way. Two days had passed, during which we had exchanged several emails, and I answered a very important questionnaire. Then the moment came; Ana even called me personally to inform me that my account had been reactivated! I am not sure if I was just lucky, but Ezequiel and Ana were brilliant. Why I was not able to get the same level of resolution the first time round, I do not know, but as they always say, it is the result that counts the most, not necessarily how you get there! My Ad Account Issue Before I was able to access live support, I needed to run an ad, as I have mentioned, and most unfortunately, there was a problem with this, too! Luckily for me, this was a slightly easier fix, but this snag did further complicate things with regard to my Instagram account. My ad account was suspended as I accessed Instagram Shopping while we were traveling in Albania. IG Shopping is not authorized there, and it caused a system block. All I did was tweak a few products and settings in my shop, and it was game over. This coincided with my IG block, so the two could well have been related. The block was classed as 'suspected fraud,' which freaked me out at first, but after explaining that I am a full-time traveler and move around often, it was lifted fairly easily after running its pre-programmed course of 2 weeks. Tip: In Facebook Commerce Manager, you will find a section on the left-hand side called 'Account Health.' I am not sure how often this is updated, but it is a good indicator of any issues, and I used this screenshot to further help my appeal. Hindsight is 20/20, right? At least now I know what not to do. Here is a list of the countries that support Instagram shopping, with my advice NOT to tinker with it if you are anywhere that is not mentioned: Find out more about Instagram's Commerce Eligibility Requirements. What Instagram wanted to know After finally having my case seen by an actual member of the Instagram team, I was asked the following questions, of which I took plenty of time and great care in answering. I had sent many lengthy statements about what I thought had happened and why I wanted my account back on all of the appeal forms. However, I suspect that the information from these questions is the most important for IG; they may help you gain a quicker resolution should you still be formulating your message for the initial appeal process. 1. Which 3rd party apps, tools, or services have you connected with your IG account? 2. Has your account been compromised/hacked in the past few months? 3. What is the primary use of the account? 4. How many people have access to the account? How many actively use it day-to-day? 5. What are the most commonly used features of Instagram that you/your team use on this account (search, messaging, commenting, etc.)? I think this questionnaire was significant, and I would not be surprised if the algorithms are searching for breaches of these types of elements. If you are reading this just for information, then it is worth noting to avoid any infractions of your own. Account Recovery Complete! How many times do you check your email only to be rapidly tapping the delete button, as most of it is junk? Well, not for this one! Print it, frame it, and don't make the same mistakes again! This was one heck of a moment. Victory was assured, and with it came a huge mix of relief and elation. Gratitude is most certainly the attitude, and it was exuding out of me after this! Protecting Your Account There are a couple of things you can do to help keep your account secure and in good order. All of these options can be found in the settings area of your Instagram account. Connected Apps & Websites It is recommended that you check this to ensure there are no unauthorized connections to your account or connections you do not recognize. Two-Factor Authentication & Data Download I would strongly advise turning on two-factor authentication on Instagram. Even if you do not 'log in' that often, adding this layer of security will make it harder for hackers to gain access to your account. The Data Download feature on Instagram is not well-known, but it is an excellent option for keeping your data secure. Once requested, you will have 4 days to accept the download from your email. It comes as raw data, so do not expect it to look like your posts do on the app. All of your photos, videos, comments, likes, etc., will come to you in separate folders, which are a bit tricky to navigate and piece together. However, this is a fantastic option that helps you protect your content and potentially reuse it should you ever need or want to start a new account. We Use & Recommend We use NordVPN to stay secure on public Wi-Fi and NordPass to keep our passwords safe while traveling. Both are tools we genuinely rely on, on the road and at home. The Final Word So, how about this for some irony? 21 days after my account was restored by the excellent Meta team, I finally received an email from Instagram, the only one I had received throughout this ordeal (aside from the three identity ones I mentioned earlier). At least this one had a bit more of an official look about it with the Instagram logo... Yes, thank you for that, Instagram! I am fully aware that my engagement is a disaster, given that for 25 days of August, I did not even exist on your platform! So there you have it; that was the tale of my Instagram oblivion and restoration. It was most certainly a lesson learned, and if you want to keep your account in good order, respect the guidelines and ensure full and strict adherence to them on your account and across all of your associated accounts, too. This has been a humbling experience and one that has only strengthened the importance of Instagram to me. Instagram has been the only social platform I use actively to date, and I am passionate about developing and sharing fantastic content. This is integral to me harnessing and growing my skills as a creator and blogger, along with developing our website here at Closer Lives! I have the most sincere gratitude that I can share this post from the position of recovery. I know many of you reading this may not yet be there, but keep believing and stay positive! Stay strong and manifest your desire, but do not shy away from working for it. Your energy will be rewarded, and if not, then no doubt the universe will have bigger and better plans for you. Best of luck, and feel free to ask away in the comments if you have any questions! FAQ: Recovering Your Disabled Instagram Account Why was my Instagram account disabled? Accounts can be disabled for violating Instagram’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Use—this includes spam, copyright issues, impersonation, or even accidental flags. Sometimes, it happens in error due to algorithmic detection. How do I know if my account is disabled or hacked? A disabled account usually shows a message like “Your account has been disabled” when you try to log in. A hacked account, on the other hand, may have changed credentials or activity you didn’t perform. You’ll need to approach each differently. Can I recover a disabled Instagram account? Yes—many people do. Instagram provides appeal forms and, in some cases, live chat with Meta support if your account is linked to Facebook. The process can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks. However, the functionality of these forms may have been removed by Meta/Instagram as of June 2024. Is there a way to talk to a real person at Meta? If your Instagram is linked to a Facebook Business account, you may be able to access Meta’s live chat support. This is currently the fastest and most effective route for many creators and influencers. What if I don’t hear back from Instagram after submitting the form? Persistence is key. Re-submit your appeal after 48–72 hours if you don’t receive a reply. Be consistent, but don’t spam the system—this can delay your case. Can using third-party apps get me banned or disabled again? Yes—using unauthorized tools for growth, automation, or analytics can put your account at risk. Avoid giving login access to any app not verified by Instagram or Meta. How can I prevent this from happening again? ● Enable two-factor authentication ● Avoid posting content that violates guidelines ● Don’t use banned hashtags ● Regularly check your account for suspicious logins ● Link your Instagram to a Facebook page for added recovery options Does Instagram ever disable accounts by mistake? Yes—it’s rare but does happen, especially during mass purges or algorithm changes. If you believe this was the case, use the “I think this was a mistake” option in the appeal form. Is it worth creating a backup account? Many creators now maintain a backup or secondary account, especially if their main account is crucial for business or brand identity. It’s also wise to regularly download your data via Instagram settings. What should I do if my account has been hacked? Try the recovery process outlined in the blog post. Being Meta Verified will help in proving your identity. Additionally, visit instagram.com/hacked. Any Other Questions? Hopefully, this post has given you all of the tools you need to clean your follower list safely. If you do have any other additional queries on points not covered here, however, you are more than welcome to get in touch. You can also check out our FAQ page for more Instagram-related questions. Social Media Resources

(Broaden Your Perspective Toolkit: Tool #2) I’m a Scorpio, and for years I defaulted to black: protective, powerful, and simple. But over time I made a promise to let more color into my world: my wardrobe, my plate, my home, and my life. After my divorce, the kitchen in my first home was yellow. I was never too fond of yellow. However, during that season, I realized that I needed a bright and light atmosphere. I needed a room that felt like early morning sunrise rays seeping into my bones. Deep Dive: Is there a color you “hate” or always avoid? Why? What story does it hold for you? This week, we’ll begin gently embracing that color, on your terms. Your world is a literal canvas; every shade you wear, cook with, or placehold in your space paints a story about your energy, emotions, and evolution. Color isn’t just decoration; it’s language, vibration, and, oftentimes, medicine. “The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius In this post, we explore the hidden language of color—how it shapes emotion, energy, and self-expression. You’ll learn to decode the messages behind your favorite (and least favorite) shades, balance your sacral energy, and find simple ways to bring more vibrancy and meaning into your life. In This Post... ● The Essence of Colour ● The Science of Seeing ● Colour in Action ● Ways to Color Your Life ● 5-Minute Colour Meditation ● The Deep-Dive Challenge ● Lifestyle Resources The Essence of Colour Use this palette as a starting point, and I want you to notice how you feel in your body surrounding each color: ▪ Red: Vitality, passion, presence. Ignites action; too much can feel agitating ▪ Orange: Creativity, connection, pleasure. Warms the sacral center and invites play. ▪ Yellow : Clarity, confidence, intellect. A spark for the solar plexus can also signal caution. ▪ Green: Growth, balance, renewal. If muted or sterile, it may feel emotionally distant; choose living greens that feel vital. ▪ Blue: Calm, truth, serenity. Softens the system and steadies the voice. ▪ Purple / Pink: Intuition, imagination, self-compassion, romance. Opens wonder and higher insight. ▪ Black: Boundaries, elegance, protection. Excellent for focus; balance with light to avoid contraction. ▪ White: Purity, spaciousness, reset. Cleans the visual field; too much can feel clinical, so temper it with texture and warmth. “There are no rules for analyzing colour theories… the only way to get better is to observe.” — Kota Teja The Science of Seeing (so you can create with intention) ▪ Hue: the family of the color (red, blue, or green). ▪ Saturation: the intensity of the color (muted vs. vivid). ▪ Luminance: how light or dark the color appears. Play with all three. You could wear a saturated yellow blouse; it feels different than a pale butter cardigan. A deep forest green wall soothes differently than, let's say, a neon lime throw. Colour in Action: The Sacral Portal (Orange) ▪ Theme: emotion, sensuality, creativity, relationships ▪ Body: ovaries/pancreas, blood sugar, lower abdomen (2 inches below the navel) ▪ Formative window: ages ~8-14 (emerging sense of self) ▪ When balanced: warmth, generosity, and creative flow. ▪ When imbalanced: fear, overwhelm, emotional swings, numbing, and addictive cycles. ⪢ Ways to nourish orange this week ▪ Wear: A scarf, ring, or hair clip in burnt orange or apricot. ▪ Eat: Sweet potatoes, mangos, carrots, and citrus; infuse water with clementines or golden raspberries. ▪ Hold: Carnelian or tiger’s eye over the sacral while you breathe. ▪ Visualize: A small orange sun at the sacral, spinning steadily. ▪ Affirm: “I am creative. I am free to feel and express.” Practical Ways to Color Your Life Rotate your focus color weekly or biweekly and notice the shifts. ▪ Wardrobe: Choose your day’s color with intention: a blouse, scarf, lipstick, nail polish, or socks. Black-and-bold can be a bridge if you’re easing in. ▪ Home: Swap throw pillows, blankets, flowers, candles, or art prints by color theme. A monthly color altar on a shelf or side table can anchor your intention. ▪ Food: Build plates by color families to feed the corresponding energy centers. Photograph your “color plates” to track mood shifts. ▪ Ritual: Light a candle of your focus color during journaling or meditation. Sit in that light for five minutes before bed. ▪ Creativity: Make a color playlist; sketch with three markers of the week’s hue; write a short poem titled with the color. 5-Minute Morning Colour Meditation Close your eyes. Ask, “Body, what color do you need today?” Breathe that color in through the nose, three slow breaths. See it expand around you like a soft aura. Place a hand on the related chakra and whisper, “I align with this energy.” Spot the color “in the wild” throughout your day, let life mirror your intention, and see what you come across. Deep-Dive Challenge: Befriending the Colour You Resist Name the color you avoid. Write one sentence about why you avoid or dislike this color. Choose a micro-step: a teacup, a phone wallpaper, or a single-stem flower on your table in that hue. Notice: what shifts when you invite it in gently? Color permeates both the conscious and the spiritual. It moves mood, steadies breath, and, over time, can help heal. You don’t have to chase enlightenment; sometimes, you just need to wear it, taste it, and live with it long enough to let it soften you. Coming next: Mudras: The Power Is in Your Hands. This is one of the tools in the Broaden Your Perspective Toolkit, a series to awaken your awareness and help you build a life in alignment. Join the community to unlock all the tools and receive guided practices. Read Broaden Your Perspective Toolkit: Tool 1 Chakras 101—Understanding Your Inner Energy Map Discover how your body’s energy centers influence your emotions, health, and intuition. This soulful guide to the seven chakras includes a 7-minute daily alignment practice to help you feel grounded, open, and free. More From Closer Lives Our Lifestyle Blog In our lifestyle blogs, we share our full-time location-independent journey with you: the ups, downs, tips, tricks, and recommendations that can help you enhance your lifestyle. Jennifer David Meet Jennifer David, a writer, traveler, coach, and voice behind “A Broad Perspective.” Explore her journey through grey hair, self-expression, full-time travel, and radical authenticity. Lifestyle Resources

(Broaden Your Perspective Toolkit: Tool #1) Over the years, I’ve gathered a collection of practices, principles, and perspectives that helped me understand who I am and how I move through this world. Some I treated like sacred devotion; others I explored for a time and then set aside. And sometimes, life brought me full circle, back to an old practice with new eyes. What I’ve learned is this: we are each a living experiment, constantly evolving, remembering, and refining. These tools aren’t rules; they’re invitations. They’re pathways to help you to gain deeper awareness, to energy alignment, and to a broader perspective on life and self. This new series, The Broaden Your Perspective Tool Kit, is my way of sharing the practical spiritual and practical tools that shaped me, portals or doorways, if you will. Take what resonates. Leave what doesn’t. And trust that even the lessons you set down now may also find their way back to you when you need them most. At the very least you'll now have the knowledge and experience as part of your neural network and synapse base. Your body is more than bones and breath; it’s a symphony of energy and light. In This Post... ● What are Chakras? ● ROOT CHAKRA - Muladhara ● SACRAL CHAKRA - Svadhisthana ● SOLAR PLEXUS - Manipura ● HEART CHAKRA - Anahata See More... ● THROAT CHAKRA - Vishuddha ● THIRD EYE - Ajna ● CROWN CHAKRA - Sahasrara ● The 8th Chakra - The KA ● Daily Chakra Practice ● Lifestyle Resources What are Chakras? Within you flows a current of light—seven major energy centers known as chakras, each one spinning with its own vibration, intelligence, and purpose. When these energy wheels are open and flowing, you feel aligned, alive, and connected; physically strong, emotionally stable, and spiritually attuned. When they’re blocked or stagnant, your energy dims. You may feel disconnected, fatigued, anxious, or stuck. Over time, unhealed energetic blockages can manifest as emotional imbalance or even physical illness, because where energy stops, life stops. Each chakra is like a mini mind—holding patterns, beliefs, and memories tied to that region of your body. As you bring awareness and healing to each one, your body begins to remember how to flow again—to rise in frequency, to glow in truth. ROOT CHAKRA - Muladhara ● Location: Base of the spine ● Color: Red ● Governs: Reproductive organs, bowels, legs, bones, adrenal glands ● Themes: Safety, security, survival, belonging When balanced, you feel grounded, safe in your body, and connected to the earth. When blocked, fear and instability creep in—you may feel unanchored, anxious, or financially insecure. “When you root into the earth, you rise with unshakable peace.” SACRAL CHAKRA - Svadhisthana ● Location: Below the navel ● Color: Orange ● Governs: Ovaries, pancreas, reproductive system, blood sugar balance ● Themes: Pleasure, creativity, sensuality, relationships When open, you feel free to create, connect, and enjoy. When blocked, emotions stagnate—guilt, shame, or lack of joy may surface. “Pleasure is not a luxury; it’s the pulse of your creative life force.” SOLAR PLEXUS - Manipura ● Location: Upper abdomen, behind the stomach ● Color: Yellow ● Governs: Gut, liver, metabolism, adrenaline ● Themes: Confidence, willpower, self-worth When aligned, you trust yourself and act with courage. When dim, you doubt your worth and shrink from your own power. “When your inner fire burns bright, no shadow can stay.” HEART CHAKRA - Anahata ● Location: Center of chest, behind the breastbone ● Color: Green ● Governs: Heart, lungs, thymus gland, immune system ● Themes: Love, compassion, gratitude, trust When open, you give and receive love freely. When closed, grief or resentment builds walls around your soul. “The heart is not just where you love — it’s where you remember you are love.” THROAT CHAKRA - Vishuddha ● Location: Throat ● Color: Blue ● Governs: Thyroid, vocal cords, neck, jaw ● Themes: Truth, communication, expression When balanced, you speak your truth with clarity and kindness. When blocked, your voice feels silenced, or your words come out harsh. “Your voice is a spell — speak what you wish to see.” THIRD EYE - Ajna ● Location: Between the eyebrows ● Color: Indigo ● Governs: Pineal gland, melatonin, serotonin, sleep-wake cycles ● Themes: Intuition, insight, clarity, imagination When open, you trust your inner knowing. When clouded, you doubt your intuition or get lost in illusion. “Close your eyes to see more clearly.” CROWN CHAKRA - Sahasrara ● Location: Top of head ● Color: Violet or White ● Governs: Master glands, higher consciousness ● Themes: Unity, divinity, purpose, spiritual connection When open, you feel one with all—guided by divine intelligence. When blocked, you may feel spiritually lost or disconnected. “You are not reaching for heaven — you are remembering you’re part of it.” The 8th Chakra—The KA (Soul Star Chakra) ● Location: About 16 inches above the crown ● Color: Iridescent gold or ultraviolet ● Themes: Universal consciousness, quantum connection, your higher self The ancient Egyptians called it the KA—your light body, your eternal self. Through this portal, you access visions, dreams, and infinite wisdom. “Through this gate, you remember the stars you came from.” When Energy Flows, Life Grows Each chakra is a portal between your inner and outer world—blending biology and belief, science and spirit. When you bring awareness, intention, and love to these centers, you begin to heal not just your body but also your story. Daily Chakra Practice—7-Minute Energy Alignment This simple visualization can become your daily ritual for clarity and calm. This is the first step in reclaiming your energy: understanding your inner map. In the next lessons, we’ll explore practical tools to clear and align these centers—from movement and sound to breathwork, crystals, and color rituals. “Energy flows where attention goes. Where you place your awareness, you create your reality.” This is the first of the tools in the Broaden Your Perspective Toolkit, a series to awaken your awareness and help you build a life in alignment. Join the community to unlock all the tools and receive guided practices. Read Broaden Your Perspective Toolkit: Tool 2 Colour Your Life: The Energy and Psychology of Colour Color your life with intention. In this guide, we explore how color shapes emotion, energy, and creativity. Learn how to bring healing hues into your wardrobe, home, food, and rituals to create balance and joy in your daily life. More From Jenn Our Lifestyle Blog In our lifestyle blogs, we share our full-time location-independent journey with you: the ups, downs, tips, tricks, and recommendations that can help you enhance your lifestyle and travel plans. Jennifer David Meet Jennifer David, a writer, traveler, coach, and voice behind “A Broad Perspective.” Explore her journey through grey hair, self-expression, full-time travel, and radical authenticity. Lifestyle Resources

For independent ESL tutors, navigating platform changes can feel like walking through a house of mirrors. Hi, it's Jenn here! If you don't know us, Leon and I are both 4+ year veterans of Cambly who have held Super Tutor status throughout our entire time on the platform. Recently, Cambly introduced a stark division between its legacy Private+ subscription and its premium Cambly Pro tier. For many veteran tutors, this change brought an immediate wave of anxiety: a noticeable drop in raw booking frequency and a sudden "disappearance" from the search dashboards of long-term regular students. If you finally got the invite and clicked "accept" to become a Cambly Pro tutor... congratulations! But now what? How do you actually make it work when your calendar suddenly feels quiet? Hi, it's Jenn here! Leon and I are actually both 4+ year veterans of Cambly. We have both held Super Tutor status and maintained sky-high stats throughout our entire time on the platform, giving us a front-row seat to how this split looks from both sides of the fence. Back when Pro first launched, I was personally offered the position by Cambly during the exclusive BETA phase. Today, things look a little different. Cambly has rolled out a formal application process, but the mechanics under the hood remain exactly the same. Let’s look at my real runtime data from February to June 2026 to see how the algorithm actually behaves, and then dive into the step-by-step blueprint of how to master the transition. Important Disclaimer Cambly regularly updates its platform, tutor requirements, search algorithms, and student offerings. The observations, strategies, and earnings data shared in this article are based on our personal experiences as Cambly tutors between February and June 2026. Results will vary depending on your location, availability, teaching style, student demand, and future platform changes. Nothing in this article should be viewed as an official statement from Cambly. Instead, think of it as a practical field guide from two tutors who have spent more than four years navigating the platform's ups and downs. In This Post... ● What Is Cambly Pro? ● Pro vs Private+ At a Glance ● Work Less, Make the Same? ● Pro Entry Requirements ● Cracking the Pro Code See More... ● Should You Reconsider Pro? ● The Final Takeaway ● Related Reads ● Lifestyle Resources What Is Cambly Pro? For those who are new to the platform or recently received an invitation, it helps to understand exactly what Cambly Pro is before diving into the numbers. Cambly Pro is Cambly's premium tutoring tier, designed primarily for professionals, executives, business learners, and corporate clients seeking a more tailored learning experience. Tutors accepted into Cambly Pro receive a higher hourly rate than standard Private+ lessons, but they also operate within a separate student ecosystem. This means the students who can find and book you are often different from those using the standard Cambly subscription. The result is a very different marketplace. Many tutors initially see fewer bookings after making the switch, but the higher hourly rate and different student demographic can create a more efficient path to the same income level. Cambly Pro vs Private+ At a Glance The most important thing to understand is that neither tier is necessarily "better." They simply reward different teaching strategies and different definitions of success. The Data Truth: Work Less, Make the Same? When I first transitioned, I panicked. I went from a completely jammed calendar of Private+ regulars to seeing empty slots. But look at what happens when you let the system adjust. Before Pro, I was on a high-volume grind. I had to sit in my chair for 72.90 hours over 3 weeks just to pull in $743.55, averaging a volume-driven $10.20 an hour. Fast forward to my recent weekly numbers after intentionally limiting my Private+ slots to make room for Pro: Look at that math. To make $305 in my old Private+ days, I would have had to grind out 30 full hours of back-to-back talking! By making space for Pro, I hit my $300+ weekly goal in just 23.8 hours. I bought myself back 6 hours of my life in a single week without taking a pay cut. The empty slots aren't a failure; they are premium availability. Read on for your step-by-step tutorial on how to get accepted, optimize your profile, and make Cambly Pro a massive success. The Cambly Pro Entry Requirements If you weren't part of the initial BETA group, Cambly now allows you to express your interest through a formal application form. However, filling out the form just gets your profile reviewed and added to a "waiting pool" of tutors who are invited based on platform availability and regional student demographics. To even get your foot in the door for a review, your tutor stats must meet these strict baseline metrics: ● 99%+ positive reviews ● 98%+ attendance ● Account in Good Standing: You cannot be on probation. ● 5+ repeat learners for the 3 most recent complete months ● A Complete Profile: An up-to-date profile photo, video, and bio. 💡 Not on Cambly yet? If you stumbled onto this guide and aren't an active tutor yet, you'll need a standard account before applying for Pro. Anyone can share these, but if you found our data-driven breakdown helpful, you can use our Cambly Tutor Referral Link to start your application. It supports the blog at no extra cost to you, and we truly appreciate the love! Your Step-by-Step Blueprint to Cracking the Pro Code The un-gatekeeping guide to managing the marketplace shift, keeping your favorite regulars, and getting the algorithm on your side. ⪢ Step 1: Understand the Marketplace Shockwave (The Split) When Cambly built this hard tier wall, it triggered a massive redistribution of students across the platform. Because veteran Pro profiles are hidden from NEW standard Private+ students, those legacy regulars had to go somewhere. ● The Private+ Side Effect: Tutors who stay exclusively on the standard Private+ tier (like Leon saw on his end) actually experienced a noticeable increase in bookings. They suddenly inherited a huge wave of orphaned Private+ students who could no longer access or search for their old Pro-converted favorites. ● The Takeaway: The students are still there; they’ve just been re-sorted. If you are on Pro, you must look forward and let the algorithm fill your gaps with the new corporate demographic. ⪢ Step 2: Utilize the "Regulars" Loophole (The Ultimate Pro Tip) The system is designed to hide your profile from standard users, but there is a major workaround built into the student description dashboard that you need to use before you transition. ● The Pro Move: Go into your student list right now and ensure that you have checked the "Regular Student" box in the description area for all your favorite learners. Cambly allows you to keep ALL students that you explicitly tick as regular. Ticking this box effectively grandfathers them in, allowing you to pull your loyal community over with you to your Pro calendar when you get accepted. ⪢ Step 3: Fix the "Invisible Search Filter" for New Regulars If you forget to tick that box, or if a standard student wants to find you later, Cambly’s pricing wall means you simply won't show up in their public search grid. Your regulars will message you saying, "I search your name and you're gone!" ● What to do: Bypass the search engine entirely. Send your students your direct calendar link via the chat box. ● The Save: Have them "favorite" your profile while they are actively sitting in a lesson with you. Favorited connections bypass the tier-wall filters on student dashboards. ⪢ Step 4: Build Your Algorithmic Armor (Protect Your Attendance) Cambly's backend algorithm heavily penalizes cancellations, lateness, or missed slots because it ruins the experience for high-paying corporate clients. If you want the system to automatically feed you premium students, you have to be an ironclad safe bet. ● What to do: Show up. Keep an unblemished record. Out of 277 Pro lessons I’ve completed since February, I have maintained a flawless 100% attendance rate. Because of that, the algorithm loves me. When a high-value student logs on for an impulsive booking or an assessment, the system pushes my profile straight to the top of their queue. ⪢ Step 5: Shift Your Mindset from "Professor" to "Elite Peer" Cambly markets Pro to corporate students as a highly academic tier. Do not let this intimidate you into thinking you need to teach like a rigid university professor. ● What to do: Relax. The mechanics of the classroom are exactly the same. Pro students are usually high-earning professionals, tech executives, and business travelers. They are exhausted after work. They don't want a grammar lecture; they want an articulate conversational partner who can match their pace, understand business context, and naturally correct their idioms. Be an elite conversational peer, not a taskmaster. ⪢ Step 6: Navigate the "Priority Hour Dilemma" The absolute ultimate loophole in the Cambly backend is the Priority Hour (PH), but it comes with a catch. While your reservation calendar keeps standard and Pro students strictly separated, turning on a PH turns on a sitewide beacon that overrides the tier walls because Cambly promises instant connections to anyone online. ● The Dilemma: If a Pro student calls you during that hour, you get your premium $15/hr rate. But because the filter drops, a standard Private+ student can also click your profile, which drops your pay back down to the standard $10.20/hr rate. ● How to play it: Use PH strictly as an automated backfill mechanism. Fill your calendar with Pro reservations first. If a slot sits empty and you want to guarantee you aren't sitting there earning zero, turn on the PH. It ensures your chair is filled and your time is compensated, even if it occasionally defaults to the standard rate. Who Should Think Twice Before Joining Pro? While Cambly Pro has been a positive move for me, it isn't automatically the right choice for every tutor. You may prefer remaining on Private+ if: ● You already have a completely full calendar and are happy with your current earnings. ● Most of your students are casual conversational learners who may not upgrade to Pro. ● You enjoy teaching a large volume of lessons rather than maximizing hourly efficiency. ● You rely heavily on Priority Hours as your primary source of bookings. ● You prefer a wider variety of students and conversation topics. ● You are uncomfortable discussing business, professional development, workplace communication, or executive-level topics. The good news is that neither path is wrong. As Leon and I have seen firsthand, both sides of the marketplace can be highly profitable when you understand how the system works. The Final Takeaway Transitioning to Cambly Pro requires a total paradigm shift. If your only metric for success is a chaotic, back-to-back calendar, the initial quietness will scare you. The Pro student pool behaves differently; they take breaks, freeze accounts, and "tutor shop" heavily when they first sign up. But if your metric for success is making the exact same money while saving hours of physical labor, the Pro tier is a game-changer. Whether you embrace Pro for the higher hourly rate or stick to Private+ to scoop up the massive wave of displaced standard students, the key is to understand the algorithm and play it to your advantage. Protect your metrics, tag your regulars early, manage your calendar slots with intention, and let the system work for you. We've earned our stripes over 4 years... now let's reap the rewards! Related Reads Is Full-Time Travel as Good as It Sounds? The realities, rewards, and challenges of building a location-independent lifestyle. Full-Time Travel & Print-on-Demand: How alternative income streams can support long-term travel goals. Our Story: Four Years of Full-Time Travel How we built a lifestyle around flexibility, remote work, and adventure. Earn Money Online While Traveling Practical ideas for funding travel through remote and location-independent work. Lifestyle Resources

In the era of digital entrepreneurship, finding innovative ways to generate income has become increasingly popular. In this post, we will share one of the methods that have enabled our full-time travels for the past three years—drop shipping with Printify. This article will explore what print-on-demand is, how the process works, the pros and cons, creating an online store with Wix, and effective product marketing strategies. In This Post... ● Print on Demand ● What is Printify? ● Why Use Wix? ● Setting Up Your Online Store ● Product Marketing Strategies ● Start Your Business Now ● Lifestyle Resources Print on Demand: Simplifying E-Commerce Print-on-demand is a business model where products are customized and printed only when an order is placed. This eliminates the need for inventory storage and allows for a wide range of unique designs without the upfront costs of traditional printing methods. Getting started is incredibly easy, and you can get things going in a couple of hours! ● Choose Your Platform: There are many platforms to choose from, such as Etsy and Shopify, but we feel that Wix offers a user-friendly website builder perfect for beginners. ● Sign Up with Printify: Connect your Wix store to Printify seamlessly with a free in-built integration tool, where you can access a network of print providers and perfectly synchronize product updates, new products, and sales. ● Create Designs: Upload your custom designs or use existing templates available through Printify. ● List Products: Select the products you want to sell and customize them with your designs. ● Market Your Products: Promote your store through social media, influencer collaborations, and targeted ads. ⪢ Pros: ● No inventory management ● Low startup costs ● Wide product variety ● Scalability ⪢ Cons: ● Lower profit margins ● Quality control challenges ● Dependence on third-party printing partners While there is very little investment needed and virtually no running costs (apart from your website and domain), there is a lot of time involved in getting everything just right. In particular, around SEO and marketing your products correctly. But given the minimal risk involved versus the considerable rewards if you get it right, this is something we would recommend you try in your journey. What is Printify? Printify is a leading print-on-demand platform that has revolutionized the way businesses create and sell custom products with their unique designs. Founded in 2015 by James Berdigans and Artis Kehris, Printify has quickly emerged as a game-changer in the e-commerce industry. The company's primary goal was to offer a simple yet effective solution for entrepreneurs to bring their creative visions to life without the hassle of managing inventory or production. Over the years, Printify has witnessed remarkable success and exponential growth. Its user base has expanded significantly, catering to a diverse range of individuals such as entrepreneurs, artists, and designers seeking to establish their presence in the online marketplace. Printify's success story can be attributed to various factors, including its intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies the design and selling process for users of all skill levels. Furthermore, Printify stands out for its extensive range of product offerings, allowing users to customize a wide array of items to suit their specific needs and preferences. The platform's competitive pricing strategy has also played a pivotal role in attracting users and offering cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality. Moreover, Printify's efficient production and shipping processes have been instrumental in building trust and loyalty among its user base. The company's commitment to timely delivery and customer satisfaction has set it apart from competitors, earning it a reputation for reliability and excellence in the industry. In essence, Printify's journey from inception to success is a testament to its innovative approach, commitment to customer satisfaction, and dedication to empowering businesses of all sizes to thrive in the digital landscape. With a strong foundation built on creativity, quality, and efficiency, Printify continues to set new standards in the print-on-demand industry and inspire countless entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into reality. What is Wix, and Why Should You Use It? Wix has established itself as a leading website builder in the digital landscape, catering to a wide range of users seeking to establish their online presence effortlessly. One of the standout features of Wix is its user-friendly interface that empowers individuals without coding knowledge to design and launch professional-looking websites seamlessly. By leveraging a simple drag-and-drop editor, users can navigate through the process of creating a website with ease, eliminating the barriers that traditional coding may present. In comparison to other website platforms, there are several compelling reasons why one might opt for Wix. Firstly, the platform's extensive collection of templates stands out, offering users a diverse array of design options tailored to various industries and preferences. These templates serve as a solid foundation for customization, enabling users to personalize their websites to align with their unique branding and vision effectively. In our opinion, the robust feature set that Wix offers further enhances its appeal. From built-in e-commerce capabilities for online stores to SEO tools that optimize visibility on search engines, Wix equips users with the necessary tools to enhance their website's functionality and reach. Additionally, the seamless integration of third-party apps allows for enhanced customization and expanded functionality, catering to the evolving needs of users. Another key advantage of choosing Wix is the comprehensive customer support it provides. Through multiple channels such as phone, email, and a knowledge base, users can access timely assistance and guidance whenever they encounter challenges or require clarification on features and functionalities. This commitment to customer support fosters a sense of trust and reliability, ensuring that users can navigate the platform with confidence. Wix's affordability is also a significant draw for individuals and businesses operating on varying budgets. With a range of pricing plans available, including a free option with Wix branding, users can select a plan that aligns with their financial resources while still benefiting from the platform's robust features and capabilities. This flexibility in pricing underscores Wix's commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, making it a viable option for users across different economic spectrums. We believe that Wix stands out as a top choice for individuals and businesses seeking to create a strong online presence without the complexities of traditional web development. Its user-friendly design tools, diverse templates, rich features, excellent customer support, and flexible pricing plans make it an ideal option. We highly recommend it! Setting Up Your Online Store with Wix Wix simplifies the process of creating an e-commerce store with its drag-and-drop functionality and customizable templates. Follow these basic steps to kickstart your online store: ● Sign up for Wix: Visit the Wix website and create an account. ● Choose a Template: Select a design that aligns with your brand and business goals. ● Customize Your Store: Add product pages, payment gateways, and shipping options. ● Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your store is mobile-responsive for a seamless shopping experience. ● Optimize SEO and Site Speed: Good SEO can be a long and arduous journey, but with the new AI tools of today, it is incredibly easy to get right. Along with good site speed and usability, this is crucial in giving your site and store a good chance to be noticed in search results. ● Go Live: Publish your store and start selling your custom print-on-demand products! Effective Product Marketing Strategies To drive traffic and boost sales, we advise implementing these product marketing strategies: ● Social Media Promotion: Utilize platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase your products and engage with customers. ● Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers in your niche to reach a broader audience. ● Email Marketing: Build an email list and keep customers updated on new products and promotions. ● SEO Optimization: Use relevant keywords to improve your store's visibility on search engines. ● Offer Discounts: Encourage conversions by providing exclusive discounts and offers. By leveraging these strategies, you can maximize the reach and profitability of your print-on-demand drop shipping business. Ready to start on your entrepreneurial journey? Start your Printify drop shipping venture on Wix today and turn your creative designs into profitable products! Remember, success in e-commerce requires dedication, creativity, and a willingness to adapt to market trends. Start Your Print-on-Demand Business Now This comprehensive guide aims to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to thrive in the world of print-on-demand drop shipping. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a creative soul looking to monetize your passion, this business model offers endless opportunities for growth and success. Happy printing and happy selling! Feel free to ask us any questions you may have in the comments below! Lifestyle Resources

Before recording the video you will see later in this post, Jenn and I stood hand-in-hand and mesmerized under the spotlight of a street lamp in the middle of a bend in the road at night. We had just walked out of an alleyway in Bedford, England, an impromptu evening walk after a great evening spent with our neighbors and friends. As we turned to go back home, what we saw was something we will NEVER forget. Before choosing this as our path, we had walked in the opposite direction, but it was exceptionally blustery, and it put us off... as if the wind were blowing against us. We decided to walk down an alley a few blocks back in the opposite direction. As we went down the dimly lit alley, we had a brief discussion about Jenn leaving her phone at home. 'Going for a walk, why would I need it?' Jenn said. At that point, Leon remarked how he always carries his phone, just in case. For emergencies, for random things, he might see. Jenn agreed, and how apt that conversation was, just moments before our encounter. Just before leaving the alleyway into the clearing, Jenn said we should 'turn in the spotlight' and head back. So we did, and as we turned, we saw what we can only describe as a bright orange ball of light. Like the orange of the old street lamps before they replaced them with LED. Imagine that and then amplify it about fivefold. This light made no noise and hovered in the distance at the same height as the ridge of the rooflines of the houses you see past the lamp. We stood there, almost static and awestruck, as this light ghosted from left to right across the street. It was roughly 20 ft away. Stretch your arm out upwards, point your finger, and imagine a fifty-pence piece at the end of it. That was how big it was. It moved slowly and had a circular shape to its right/front. From the back was an almost flat vertical line separating the spectacular orange glow from what looked like a grayish sphere emanating like a tail. It was completely noiseless and was nothing like any drone we have even imagined, let alone seen. As we watched, amazed, it almost looked like it turned, came towards us, then moved back, and continued to the left across to where the alleyway was behind us. At that point, Jenn jolted us out of our almost trance-like state and said to record it. So I grabbed my phone, although invariably by this point it was starting to move upwards, getting faster and faster. It was now moving rapidly away from us into the night sky towards the stars. Jenn went to follow it down the alley as I recorded. Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone. This was certainly no floating lantern; the movement, size, and appearance as I zoomed in demonstrate that. As far as we are aware, drones have discernible lights and noise, and it had none of those elements either. There are many things we were feeling after what we saw: awe, amazement, excitement, and wonder. The way it approached us, the way we stood stunned, and the way it zipped up into the night sky after its slow hover are things we cannot explain. Watch on YouTube We have both watched an absolute ton of documentaries about UFOs, studied ancient alien theories, consumed many shows about conspiracies, and studied numerous religions and civilizations and their connections to flying objects in the sky. If this were man-made, it is certainly nothing like we have ever seen. Check out the video below and see what you think. Obviously, in hindsight, we wish we had pulled the phone out earlier! It is really funny, as Leon records everything all of the time, being an avid photographer, but seeing this was a real shock, and it did not even cross our minds until Jenn snapped us out of it. We have read about many accounts like this. The paralysis is real! The photos you see below were taken at 100x zoom, at a distance way closer than the moon. Just for context, I filmed this on my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. For those that do not know, the camera has 100x zoom, powerful enough to snap a shot of the moon in incredible detail: This UAP/UFO was MUCH closer than the moon, of course. So much so that we would have fully expected my phone to pick up a more detailed image! Furthermore, we celebrated New Year's in Thailand a month later by releasing lanterns into the sky, a traditional activity in the Land of Smiles. When we originally told people about our encounter, many suggested that it could have been a lantern. So this was a great opportunity to take a shot of one in the sky and compare the footage. Leon took this shot at a much further distance than the photo of the UAP. The night conditions were virtually the same, too; it was a clear night sky. As you can see, the lantern is easy to make out (albeit a little blurry). This is most certainly not what we saw. Just for good measure, this was a video of releasing the lantern: On a final note, we have to mention that only days earlier, we had been discussing aliens and UFOs, something Leon has believed in his entire life. We have had so many debates and discussions about this, and Leon kept talking about how desperate he was to see something... anything. Jenn said in this discussion, 'Well, okay, universe, Leon wants to see one, I want to see one, just do it already!' Two days later, this happened! We do not believe in coincidences, and we know for sure that we are being guided, that we are manifesting all the time, and that our connection to the universe is strong. The whole series of events, from being pushed back by a crazy wind, to our discussion about Jenn not having her phone in the alley, from Jenn pointing towards the spotlight at the end of the alley and wanting to turn back, to then seeing this hovering ball of light. It did feel like we were meant to see this. This happened on October 15th, 2022, at 20:20, in Shortstown, Bedford, England. We felt compelled to come forward after watching The Lost Century by Steven Greer, who also made the documentary Unacknowledged and is the founder of the CE5 program. (We would recommend you check them out). We had a debrief in our back garden when we got back, admittedly super excited and still pretty shocked at what had transpired. Our home was only a few minutes' walk away from the spot we saw the UFO up close, and the direction as it flew away was directly above our home. As Leon looked up again at the sky, he swore he saw a distinctive light again, almost like a short, sharp shooting star; perhaps this was the final push out of the atmosphere. Either way, be it a ball of energy, an orb, a man-made technology, or a UFO, we do feel like we are not alone in this magnificent universe. Now more than ever. Lifestyle Resources

For most of my life, I never considered that my brain might work differently. And why would I? I just assumed I was complicated. Or too much. Or born with too much caffeine in my cup? I could organize a major event, manage a blended family of eight children, commute between cities, attend college, lead organizations, renovate a house, coach people, volunteer, and somehow keep all the moving pieces in the air. Yet, I could also stare at something simple that needed doing, like laundry or calling my mother, and put it off for days. The contradiction never made sense to me. How could someone who is capable of handling so much struggle with something so small? At 51, after months of researching AuDHD, taking assessments, reflecting on childhood memories, and reviewing decades of life experiences, I finally found a framework that explains what I have spent a lifetime trying to understand. Not who I am. But how I operate. In This Post... ● What is AuDHD? ● Doing Everything ● When Structure Disappears ● Complexity? Never ● Little Clues See More... ● Looking Back: The Mask ● Creative Reflection ● Adaptation to Authenticity ● Introducing: becoming ● The Human Transition Project ● Lifestyle Resources What is AuDHD? (And Why So Many Women Are Finding It at 40+) If you’ve never heard the term AuDHD, you aren't alone. It is a newer, colloquial term used to describe the co-existence of autism (ASD) and ADHD in the same brain. For decades, the medical community mistakenly believed you could only have one or the other. But for those of us living it, it feels like an internal tug-of-war. The ADHD side of my brain craves constant novelty, dopamine, stimulation, and change; it’s the engine that allowed me to manage eight kids, run foundations, and travel the world. Meanwhile, the autistic side of my brain quietly craves deep predictability, strict routines, and literal communication and can easily get sensory overload from fabrics, food textures, or social environments. When you have both, you are constantly trying to balance a brain that is simultaneously bored by routine but paralyzed by a lack of it. ⪢ The Lost Generation of Neurodivergent Women Why am I only figuring this out at 51? Because women my age are part of a "lost generation" when it comes to neurodivergence. Forty years ago, ADHD and autism assessments were designed almost exclusively around young boys, specifically, boys who couldn't sit still in class. Girls present entirely differently. We learn to mask from a very young age. Because we are highly conditioned by society to be social, accommodating, and organized, we internalize our struggles. We don’t disrupt the classroom; instead, we study human behavior like an anthropologist just to fit in. We don't look "hyperactive"; we look like overachievers. We become the women who can do absolutely everything, running ourselves ragged because our coping mechanism is to work twice as hard to maintain the illusion of ease. But as we age, two major shifts happen that bring late-diagnosed AuDHD to the surface: ● The Hormonal Shift (Menopause & Aging): Estrogen heavily supports dopamine production. As estrogen drops during perimenopause and menopause, our lifelong coping mechanisms and "masks" naturally begin to crack. The executive functioning struggles we used to successfully white-knuckle through suddenly become unmanageable. ● The Structural Shift: When major life transitions hit, like the empty nest, retirement, or switching to full-time travel, the external structures that kept our ADHD brains on track disappear. Without a rigid schedule dictating our day, we hit a wall. Finding out you are AuDHD in midlife isn't about looking for an excuse or a pity party. In the context of women’s health, pro-aging, and conscious living, it is the ultimate act of self-care. It gives you the map to stop trying to "fix" your character and instead start supporting your actual nervous system. The Woman Who Could Do Everything Years ago, my life was a whirlwind of complexity. I was raising a blended family of eight children while studying funeral services at Humber College. I was commuting between Ottawa and Toronto, renovating a house, serving as president of a professional social club, and founding a cheerleading organization. I was managing pets, handling heavy family logistics, maintaining friendships, and still carving out date nights and personal time. I was super busy. But I was also super happy and thriving. Looking back, I realize the sheer volume of activity wasn't exhausting for me because it was feeding me. I was learning, growing, solving problems, and needed. My brain was getting constant stimulation, complexity, purpose, and movement. When the Structure Disappears Then, life changed. The responsibilities shifted, the schedules vanished, and the community obligations faded. For the first time in my adult life, I only had to take care of me (and Leon). Most people assume that fewer responsibilities automatically mean less stress. For me, it wasn’t that simple. Without external structure, packed schedules, and the immediate accountability of being needed, I found it a struggle at times just to wash my hair. I justified it away: "Who cares? I’m in the middle of a rice field in Thailand; nobody is looking." And while it was a relief to break away from societal pressures, the lack of momentum paralyzed me. I would think about texting someone for days but never send the actual message. It impacted my long-distance relationships. I procrastinated on basic administration despite genuinely wanting to do it. When we first started our YouTube channel and travel blog, the hyper-focus was easy because it was new and exciting. But as it grew and the routine set in, I lost the drive. Without social accountability, business partners, or a team to brainstorm with, getting things done, like writing my books, became a mountain. I could plan complex international travel, but I couldn't manage self-generated structure. I Never Struggled With Complexity People often think executive functioning challenges look like incompetence. That has never been my experience. During my divorce, I represented myself in court against my ex-husband and his high-powered attorney, literally the top family lawyer in our area. At one point, they filed a case against me because I refused to sign travel documents allowing my children to visit a country on a federal "do not travel" list at the time. I was shocked, but I self-studied, found supporting case law, built my arguments, and won. Later, when fighting for financial assets and child support, his lawyer argued that my success in representing myself proved I was capable of earning a much higher income than reported. I remember thinking how ridiculous that was. I wasn't winning because I had legal training. I was winning because I had no choice. This was my family. When I am curious, or when something matters deeply, I become relentless. I learn systems. I identify patterns. I absorb information until I understand it inside out. The issue was never capability. It was context. The Little Clues Were Always There When I began looking back through this new lens, the clues were everywhere. Some were subtle; others were glaring: ● Certain food textures, like scrambled eggs, were impossible to eat. ● Clothing tags and itchy fabrics drove me absolutely crazy as a child (and still do). ● If I see a tag flipped out on someone's shirt, or a cupboard door left open, I have an uncontrollable urge to fix it. ● I coped through constant physical stimming—twirling my hair, biting my nails, playing with pen caps or hair elastics, and tapping my feet. ● I struggled to fit in with girls. Boys were easier to figure out. Girls seemed to operate on a hidden social script that everyone else was handed at birth except me. I remember standing in front of a mirror as a child, after moving schools yet again, singing a little song to myself that nobody liked me. At the time, I thought something was fundamentally wrong with me. (In my 20s, I finally learned to love that little girl and stopped that negative mirror talk, and seriously, please don't ever speak negatively to yourself in the mirror; that sh*t is powerful). Because girls were rarely diagnosed forty years ago, I didn't have a map. So, I learned people instead. I studied social environments like an anthropologist. I watched, adapted, and refined the skill of reading people so well that everyone assumed social connection came naturally to me. Looking Back: What the Mask Was Really Hiding As I trace these threads through my life, I realize that my desire to understand myself through writing has always been there. Over a decade ago, on May 31, 2013, I sat down while raising my family and wrote a poem on my original blog, Writings of a Mrs, titled The Mask. At the time, I was processing the heavy emotional layers of relationships, identity, and standard expectations. Looking back at these words today, through the lens of late-diagnosed AuDHD and a life spent unconsciously masking, the verses take on a completely new, profound meaning: Back then, I knew what it felt like to return to a reflection and feel a disconnect between the version of me presented to the world and the woman sitting underneath. I thought the mask was just a shield against circumstances. Now I see it was an extraordinary survival mechanism. I was a neurodivergent woman navigating a world built for a completely different operating system, using every ounce of my energy to keep the mask perfectly in place so no one would see the strain. The beauty of conscious aging and deep self-awareness is that we finally get to put the mask back on the shelf—not out of defeat, but out of total liberation. 🎨 Creative Reflection: Putting Down Your Own Mask Every era of our lives leaves clues about who we are and how we adapt. If you are navigating your own transition right now, whether you are questioning your identity, stepping into midlife, or realizing your brain operates differently, I invite you to use this short writing prompt to check in with your own reflection. Take 10 minutes with a notebook and answer these three questions honestly: 1. What is the current "mask" you wear out of habit or safety? (e.g., the overachiever, the person who has it all together, the quiet observer, the accommodates-everyone pleaser). 2. When you step away from that role and look in the mirror, what part of your authentic self feels left behind? 3. What is one small way you can support your actual nervous system or boundaries today, without needing to perform for anyone else? From Adaptation to Authenticity For a long time, I wondered if constantly adapting meant I didn't know who I truly was. I no longer believe that. I have profound self-awareness. I can sit in the back fields of Thailand picking rice with an elderly woman and be completely comfortable, just as easily as I can sit in a corporate boardroom. The environment changes, but my curiosity and humanity remain. I don’t connect with status; I connect with people. The biggest realization of this framework wasn’t just a label. It was understanding that the things I judged myself for were never character flaws; they were just differences in how my brain operates. The same brain that struggles to text back or handle daily administration is the exact same brain that built organizations, raised eight children, fought legal battles, coached over 2,000 people across 6,000 sessions, and traveled the world full-time as a digital nomad across 45 countries. The strengths and the weaknesses come from the exact same place. At 51, I am done trying to "fix" myself. I am stopping the standard of measuring myself against a world that wasn't designed for me. I am learning how to thrive in this chapter, too, building systems that support how my brain naturally works, rather than fighting against it. We are all constantly navigating change, and sometimes, the biggest transition is learning how to finally be on your own side. 📖 Introducing: becoming The Human Transition Project People often ask what qualifies someone to write about identity, adaptation, reinvention, grief, purpose, belonging, and what it truly means to be human. The honest answer is that I have spent my entire life living inside those questions. Long before I became a coach, a funeral director, a death doula, a writer, or a full-time traveler, I was fascinated by people. Not just what they do, but why they do it. Why one person breaks while another bends. Why some experiences destroy us, while others become the very things that shape us. Every single chapter of my life has been preparing me to create becoming: The Human Transition Project. ● As a child and young woman, I was trying to understand how people worked and where I fit. ● As a mother, I was learning love, sacrifice, responsibility, and resilience. ● Working in funeral services and as a death doula, I was forced to sit with grief, mortality, regret, and the stories we tell ourselves about a life well-lived. ● Five years of full-time travel across 45 countries taught me that while cultures change, human beings are remarkably similar beneath the surface. ● And coaching over 2,000 people taught me that almost everyone is carrying a version of the exact same question: "Who am I now?" Because life keeps changing the answer. We become parents, partners, leaders, caregivers, empty nesters, survivors, and travelers. We become strangers to ourselves for a while, and then we have to slowly learn how to know ourselves again. Identity isn’t something we find; it is something we continually create through adaptation. The question is not whether life will change you; it will. The question is whether you will choose to participate consciously in that process. becoming: The Human Transition Project is an exploration of the process every human being is engaged in, whether they realize it or not. Because we are all perpetually becoming. If This Resonated With You If parts of this story felt familiar, remember that this article reflects my personal experience and self-reflection. Everyone's journey is different. If you think you may be neurodivergent, consider speaking with a qualified healthcare professional who can help guide you through an appropriate assessment. Related Reads The Ruins That Raised Me: How revisiting a forgotten place helped me understand the woman I was becoming. Is Full-Time Travel as Good as It Sounds? The unexpected emotional realities of leaving conventional life behind. 6 Signs You're Ready to Stop Dying Your Hair: Why authenticity often begins with the smallest decisions. Jennifer David Collection: Explore more reflections on identity, reinvention, conscious living, and personal growth. Lifestyle Resources