I am in love with the serendipities of life.

Maybe I trust in them a bit too hard, or maybe I’ve created a life where things work out better than I’d hoped because I simply believe they will. ¿Porqué no los dos?

This week was full of serendipities, specifically when it comes to our return to the island of St. Croix. Since this will be the first year we are bringing more comics with us on this journey, there is a lot more to organize - more housing, more shows, more thoughtful excursions (I mean, we gotta show the girls a good time). Sorry/not sorry that I force adventure on people. 😇 😈 We WILL be jet-skiing. I will be driving. Fast.

While looking for hotels on St. Croix last week, I noticed this beautiful, brand new boutique hotel on the island: The Cove St. Croix. I read up about their story - a couple from Minnesota who left their jobs to start a whole new life on the island. But it was this little blurb about their hotel that caught my attention:

“We are committed to supporting female entrepreneurs worldwide, with handcrafted decor and art sourced from talented women artists, including those from Bulgaria, California, France, Lithuania, and locally here on the island.”

The Cove had no availability during our stay, but regardless, I got in contact with them on socials and told them how in love with their story I was. The owner, Martha, and I had a phone call. We related to both having lived in Minneapolis at one point, living a life of adventure and constant change, and supporting female entrepreneurs.

They made space for us to close out the last two days of our stay on the island 😀 …and I wasn’t even expecting this! I can’t wait to share more about the property while there!

The following day I started looking at AirBnB’s to house us during the brunt of the festival. One of the homes I looked at, I noticed the host was based in Chicago. I messaged him and told him about my annual comedy shows in STX, and bringing more comedians this time. He said “No Way. My office in River North (Chicago) is actually hosting Don’t Tell Comedy this Friday!” I told him I often headline the Don’t Tells, and play them all over the world. Jake and I ended up going by the show Friday, meeting the AirBnB host, and learning of many of his passions, including a new artist collective and residency he’s building in the heart of River North to be called “Art Temple.”

We booked the AirBnB. It’s going to be for sale soon, currently off market. I just might buy it. 😉

It’s impossible to ignore all the signs around, and how things just align when you’re a genuine person happening upon genuine people. No force, just ease.

The Hustle

I often get asked how I garner hotel partnerships. I’ll tell you exactly how.

Starting around 2017-2018, I was headlining more. Sometimes clubs would provide accommodations, but in the rare event they did, they weren’t good. Like, not at all. 😂 Living in my future millionaire mindset, I just couldn’t accept Motel 6’s into my life. Nobody should have to move a comforter and hear it crunch due to years of un-washing.

I wanted to build relationships with some hotel brands that fit my aesthetic, were open to unique partnership offerings, and willing to give me a complimentary stay in exchange for X. I focused on trendy, edgy, boutique brands rather than ultra luxe, and that served me well. 😎

Here is where I will tell you, get out of the “influencer mindset” if you want to actually build hotel partnerships. When have you ever booked a hotel room off of a post someone made? The offerings for hotels have to be captivating, and offer them more than a simple tag on socials.

Here is a step by step of how I’ve built long, lasting hotel and travel partners, and how I continue to utilize partnerships like these on tours domestically and overseas:

1. Take a moment to sit down and write out what you have to offer. The amount of followers you have means nothing, and I only had 15-20k on IG when I started my first partnerships. Are you a great photographer with a solid camera? Are you skilled at videography with your iPhone? Do you have a podcast or blog or newsletter you can incorporate soft mentions into?

   During my first partnership, I offered to record an episode of my podcast live from one of their suites, I tagged them in stories during my stay to give an organic feel of the experience, and I took about 30-40 photos of the hotel for them which I gifted to them for full content usage after my stay.

2. Create a deck. I make decks for everything. People like visuals, and brands need something tangible to gain management approval. A deck shows you’re legit, even if it’s basic as fuck. If you don’t have photos from other partnerships, pop to a hotel near where you live and just take some. Put examples and links to the type of content you can do into a simple media kit that you can immediately send upon reaching out.

3. When you connect with a hospitality brand, always make sure to note that this is a partnership, and that you’re looking to make this mutually beneficial. Share the value you add to their brand, and that you can customize to their needs. Nobody likes someone who’s begging for a handout. You want a week free stay on their property? Think of how much money you’re saving ($300/night, $500/night x number of days), and offer them a package that would normally cost them a lot more. Make it a no-brainer deal.

4. Once you are approved for a partnership, set up a time while on property to meet with the person who approved you. I have met with every single person, in person, that has accepted me as a partner. Now, I have had relationships with these people for six or seven years, and now when I’m in town in certain cities, I’m always comp’d, even when they are near capacity, and they barely even ask anything of me anymore - maybe a story mention or two.

5. Overdeliver. When you leave the property, send more than what you promised - I usually would drop content with a dropbox link. Toss a few extra in there, like options for reels and clips for the social media team to use, and you’ll have a partner for life.

Hotel partnerships made the upfront costs of touring less stressful for many years. If you’re an up-and-coming comedian, traveling artist or entrepreneur, I highly recommend crafting genuine partnerships like these with a few select brands that you can carry with you throughout your career.

The Chill

I saw a caption on a someone’s Instagram post recently that said “Please take me seriously!” Funny thing is, they were actually doing something pretty badass already.

I couldn’t help but think, well if you have to beg, who’s going to comply?

I recall many a night back at the Comedy Store in LA. I’d be having a great chat with another comedian, and they’d be looking over my shoulder the whole time to see who was walking into the room. It wasn’t uncommon to get ditched mid-conversation for someone bee-lining to a huge manager, producer, or celebrity. It also wasn’t uncommon to say hi to someone and suddenly be getting pitched all that they are up to.

The same thing often happens at entrepreneur events - founders jumping away to go talk with VC’s - pitch pitch pitch. I’m not hating here, but rather starting the process of a shift in thought.

Over-explaining your worth, constantly feeling the need to prove yourself, or waiting for validation from someone else to be “taken seriously” is not only exhausting, but it’s literally creating an energetic block to keep you from the things you desire.

The harsh truth: If you’re trying too hard to be validated, you’re signaling that you don’t believe in yourself yet. The people who get taken seriously aren’t waiting to be chosen—they already are the thing they claim to be.

When you are someone to be “taken seriously,” people just… do. When you command attention, you do not have to ask for it. You don’t have to beg. You don’t have to convince. It’s just yours. Confidence is a quiet certainty. The most magnetic people are the ones who aren’t obsessed with proving themselves. They show up, do their thing, and let their presence speak for itself.

I’m encouraging everyone out there to walk in the antithesis of “pick me” energy this week. Don’t ask if you’re ready for something, but assume you are, and carry that feeling with you. Make decisions from a place of knowing and not hoping.

You are valuable without having to prove it. You become limitless when you believe it.

I can’t believe we are two weeks out from our next tour in St. Croix. This island is everything, and the community of friends and comedy lovers I’ve gotten to build there is something I’m so excited to share with comedians I love so much.

Shows on the island are going to sell out this week, so be sure to grab tix ASAP if you’re on St. Croix.

Upcoming Things

This weekend I’m playing a private event in the suburbs…

Next week I’ll be in San Fransisco meeting with my co-founder and speaking to her class at CCA (She’s not only a rockstar professor of art and entrepreneurship, but she’s also lead designer at Meta…). I won’t have time for shows on this trip, but SF is in the works for tour this year!

THEN we are off to St. Croix!!! Shows April 9, 10, 11, 12: www.nphcomedy.com/stx2025

Love you all and cheers to the hustle + chill. Everything we want just, finds us.

xx NPH