Bonjour! What it is I Do & What this Blog is About!
Bonjour, Ciao, Halló, Zdravstvuyte, Salut, Hej, Olá, Halò, Konnichiwa, Hallo, Nǐ hǎo, Hola, Yia sas, Jambo, Salam, Kumusta, Cześć, Dia dhuit, Aloha!
Howdy! No matter how you say hello, I’m glad you’re here and that you found me!
Since you’re here I’m assuming you love history just as much as I do! I believe history helps us understand not only the past but also the present. It can be a tool to understanding the world, and ourselves. I hope to show women how to be inspired by those of the past to deal with their battles in the present. But to get to know me more keep reading!
Welcome to History’s It Girls! I’m Krista Everson, host and creator of History’s It Girls. I’m so excited that you found this blog and I can’t wait to share with you why I’m starting it!
To begin, I often get this question: “so what exactly do you do?”
Inevitably when I tell people I am a history Ph.D. student who also owns my own personal branding and ghostwriting company called ALLU, and someone who started a blog on history they respond with tons of questions.
You see, most people don’t really understand what it means to be a Ph.D. student or a ghostwriter. They know that someone with a PhD is called “doctor,” but they rarely understand the process behind the title. Nor do they understand what a ghostwriter is.
So what do I do?
First and foremost, I am a Ph.D. student. Yes, this surprises people because my income is from my full-time job as a ghostwriter and founder of ALLU. However, what people don’t know is that without my history degree, ALLU wouldn’t be here today. You see, as a ghostwriter, meaning I write articles/books/social blurbs/social designs, and more as the client (think of it like method acting), I rely on my history degrees at all times.
History taught me many important lessons.
Drop Yourself: In order to be a historian you must first admit and acknowledge that you are biased towards EVERYTHING. You must understand that your opinions are shaped by your own experiences, the culture you live in, and today’s beliefs. This means you must drop that and leave a blank unopinionated view when studying the past. I must realize that I can’t hold an individual, such as Cleopatra, to the same standards of today’s time. Why should I expect her to act as if she believed or even knew the viewpoint on female agency and power as I do in the 21st century? We lived thousands of years apart! So I must understand her view of female power in terms of her own time, her own cultural values and beliefs, and so on. This of course comes in handy when writing as if I was someone else. I can offer suggestions or ideas to my clients, but I can not write experiences or views taken from my own life. I must use their views and experiences.
Do the Research: Most of the time the famous people you write a paper on in history have thousands of articles or books on them. It’s the historian’s job to not merely create another biography of Queen Victoria. We don’t just create more noise. We contribute and expand the conversation. If you have nothing new to add or are merely reporting on someone else’s work as if it were you’re own, you will fail as a historian. It’s your job to add to the discussion, even if it’s just another small point or fact you found in the primary research. Doing the research means knowing what others have said before you, knowing the primary material, and then drawing conclusions of your own. Though many people believe that there are no new ideas, I believe there are new points of view to consider. This comes in handy when writing for clients because I don’t allow them to just restate someone else’s opinion, instead they must take a stance and create thought leadership that showcases not only their view but their own personal experiences. Someone may have the same idea as you, but they will never have the exact same experience as you because there is and always will be only ONE of you; just like there is only ever one of the people from the past.
Now that it’s understood how I use my history in my career of choice, let’s answer then what a Ph.D. student is.
First, contrary to assumptions, Ph.D. students are more than students. Though we must finish and complete a certain number of classes, and research hours, depending on your university, Ph.D. students are also expected to utilize their degree in either teaching, lecturing, or writing.
It’s important to know that the average history doctorate takes 6 to 8 years (Yes, that long! I am in my 7th year, in case you were wondering.). This is because we are expected to produce, and ultimately publish, a book at the end of the process. In order to write a book, we spend years researching in the archives (that’s why I have spent time in England and Scotland and plan to go to England winter of 2024 for more).
In the process of researching we become an expert in our particular subject (mostly because it is so obscure that no one else has ever studied it!), and as an expert you are expected to present your findings at professional conferences and publish articles in academic journals.
I think many people assume when they hear I am a student they think that I go to classes a couple of times a week and study a lot. Though this is mostly true (I no longer have classes because I am in the dissertation writing phase now and meet bi-weekly on my research), there is a lot more to it than that. I’m also working on applying history to my own business, I must plan and fund my travel to complete my dissertation and I also am working to be a historian who seeks to change today’s world and the viewpoints we still hold. (Some historians only want to report historical findings, but I wish to inform society on why we must shift our gaze). It can be incredibly overwhelming, but I love it!
Sometimes I joke and tell people I am a professional student (I do hold the belief we should all be lifetime learners), or make up a job to avoid all of the questions! But being in school for so long has made me an expert student and I am planning on sharing some of the skills I have learned over the years with you. This brings me to my next final point of this initial post.
Why a blog and podcast?
The main reason I am starting my blog and future podcast is because teaching and telling people about history has been a lifetime thrill of mine. There’s nothing like getting up and talking about the subjects I’m most passionate about. I have heart for combining history and connecting it to the present day. I truly do believe history can inspire and inform us.
In my research papers and speeches I do give the historic background without bias. I try my best to present all the facts and let my listeners make their own conclusions. So know, that in each of the blogs that I do give my opinion and in the podcast where I do use past women to inspire and encourage women today, I fully acknowledge that some of that will be biased. However, I WILL tell you when I am doing so! I also will encourage you to give your views and draw your own conclusions. I love having students, readers, followers, fans bring their own unique views and experiences.
My hope for the blog is this: It informs you and educates you on the past.
For the podcast, my hope is this:
The podcast differs from the blog. Instead of just giving historical stories, like most history podcasts, I apply history to the current day. What I mean when I say this, is that I will report on some of my own personal challenges, heartaches, or dilemmas and highlight how a woman of the past has given me inspiration, hope, and strength to CARRY ON!
I believe heroes are not just people we admire around us, but people who have also come before us.
We have, whether or not we like to admit it, strong connections to the past. It’s the past that brought us to today.
And people are people. Though they lived in different times with different perspectives and events happening around them, they were still people with emotions and feelings.
Note: I will never claim to know a person, nor believe I KNOW how they felt to a T. I barely know what my best friend feels sometimes. We are all unique and have our own feelings, however, I do believe we can draw strength by women of the past who went through similar traumas that we are encountering. And if we can draw strength, dust our boots off and go out into the world to make a difference because of the inspiration these women have given us, then I see that as a success.
So each week I will dwell on a struggle or challenge I am facing or have faced and share a story from a women we can point to, in order to be inspired to stay strong and know that we are not alone.
Become a Patron:
Finally, the last reason I am starting this is because I am hoping to collect some patrons to donate to my studies and to fund this blog. There is a donate button on the website. You should know that when you donate it is always a one-time donation. If you wish to sign up for a monthly donation please email me. I would like to personally thank you for becoming a monthly patron and tell you of exclusive content you will get that others will not receive, exclusive webinars, and shoutouts on the podcast. Also, be aware that if you become a monthly patron I will randomly choose one patron who donates 50 or more a month to do a feature on and one meet and greet with.
All patrons should know that any and all funds are going towards expanding the blog and podcast, research materials for the blog and my dissertation, and the big one which would be to fund the travel needs I am hoping to receive in order to do my archival studies in the UK this upcoming 2024. If you would like to make a special contribution to that you will receive exclusive blogs, travel diaries, and videos from my UK studies. I will also do a live webinar from the UK that highlights what I have found for my dissertation as well as webinars featuring the history of Stonehenge, Medieval Torture, Tower Stories, Bath’s Healing Waters, Traveling Hampton Court Through the 6 Wives, Queen Victoria’s Kensington Upbringing, and lastly an exclusive webinar from Scotland where I will discuss the history of the Stuarts. But stay tuned for more information and fundraising updates to come!
Overall though, THAT WAS A LOT TO UNPACK, but there will be more articles to come explaining it all! I thank you for your time and patience with this first article! Please reach out with any questions, ideas, or thoughts! I’d love to hear from you!
XO Krista
