YATM | Misfits Always Win. The World Just Takes Time To Catch Up
You Are The Media
from Mark Masters
You Are The Media (YATM) is the home for marketing misfits. It started in 2013 at the seaside, in England 🌊 The community is built around creativity, interdependence, visibility, experimentation and co-learning.
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Today's YATM newsletter is brought to you by...
Our software friends at Yammayap (they're partners for Creator Day)
As a neuroleadership-trained coach (currently in my second year of transpersonal psychotherapy training), I help founders design the life and business they truly want, then ensure their teams are skilled to deliver it.
Having run my own business, I understand the complexities of leadership and love helping others navigate them.
When I’m not working, I’m walking on the beach with my dog or diving into self-development. I recently read James Hollis’s A Life of Meaning. It's a thought-provoking book on moving beyond expectations to create a more fulfilling life. Highly recommend!
Trying to fit in is a slow act of self deletion. It’s helped today by the tools that encourage conformity.
When you trade your real self for a version that other people find acceptable, you engage in a losing battle.
You can follow every rule, meet everyone's expectations, mirror what your industry dictates and you can still feel out of place.
Belonging isn’t about playing along, it’s about being recognised and appreciated for who you truly are.
The moment you stop trying to fit in, is the moment you start to stand out.
What if fitting in isn’t the goal? What if belonging, the feeling of being seen, valued and accepted for who you are, with your quirks at the front, is what really matters. That is what being a misfit represents.
AI Is Assisting Everyone Fit In. Why You Should Resist It
AI helps us create an infinite loop of recycled wisdom.
2025 is the year to churn out polished, but empty posts at scale that we have never seen before.
When you scroll, you see it for yourself, identical insights that blend in.
Content copying has always existed, but now it’s happening at an astonishing speed, making it harder to tell who knows their subject and who’s good at prompting!
Here is the truth. The real misfits aren’t getting lost, they’re standing out because they are doing what AI can’t.
Misfits don’t rely on formulas, trends, or algorithms to shape their work. They create from experience, from scars, from lived moments. They build things that don’t fit neatly into any template.
While this approach can be difficult and may involve years of being overlooked, it ultimately leads to creating work with meaning.
To share work that AI can’t replicate, real expertise, real failures, real ideas that come from actually doing the work, not just summarising what other people have said.
Fitting in means letting AI influence your voice. Belonging means making something so raw and genuine, that no machine could ever replicate it.
The future doesn’t belong to the ones who fit in. It belongs to the misfits who create something real.
Not Fitting In Is Hard
You will never know who it is
Fitting in is about compliance.
For many years, I have struggled. The reason I wanted to fit in stemmed from a need for self-worth, but it ultimately did not bring me happiness.
Here are some examples to share with you, where everything from YATM has never been about fitting in, but championing the unconventional.
1) I have always struggled with networking, I still do.
The YATM Lunch Club started as way to meet people who lived locally to me, who subscribed to the weekly newsletter. It was a way for people to get to know each other better, it wasn’t about bringing people to a room to sell to each other and then move on.
Connections over time, become friendships and that is powerful.
When we started as each year passed, we became more at ease with each other, so we did things such as crowd surfing.
Jake goes crowdsurfing
2) I don’t want people walking into a room thinking they have to wear the work persona that they cling to.
I want people stepping into every event feeling like themselves and not being awkward with it.
This is why we have challenges at out events. It’s a way for everyone to let their guard down and know they are stepping into a space where we are cheering for those who are willing to break a world record or go head to head.
Cheering is communal, it’s what we do to feel in the moment and should be joyful. For many people this is seen as childish and doesn’t conform to what a business event should be. This has been commented to me, I am happy with that.
3) Creator Day is centred on people getting to know each other better.
It’s about forging lasting connections and friendships from a central place. A conference dedicated to continuous presentations and passive learning does not work.
The latter part of the day is where we bring people together into their own teams to either create something together, or to connect better.
I’ve been figuring this out since 2022 and now getting to a place where these moments of togetherness are what people cherish. It’s the day that connects people, let’s find ways to amplify that. This is why we have an after party in May and then close in the sea with our regular sea dip.
4) Events don’t have to be spearheaded by the owner, originator or the CEO, other people can have the opportunity to lead.
This is about seeing the strengths in people rather than catering solely to one person's ego.
When people feel a part of a larger initiative they can be rewarded by being seen at the front. At a YATM event, you'll notice a diverse group of people sharing the spotlight.
This approach contrasts with the industry norm, where typically, the person in charge calls the shots rather than promoting a collaborative effort.
This is where the difference is, to create the space for people who want to belong, not fit in.
YATM is for people who want to be true to themselves and surround themselves with those who accept them as they are.
It’s about embracing your uniqueness rather than hiding from it. The shyness, bursts of energy, flaws, insecurities, joy, and love, these are what truly matter.
Fitting in = ceasing the things that make you different
Belonging = doing more of the things with the people who accept you as you are
It’s the moment you feel comfortable with the people you truly want to be with, rather than worrying about adjusting yourself to fit someone else's expectations.
I am happier being a misfit, I hope you are too?
Misfits Always Win, Eventually
At first, being a misfit feels like a curse.
You challenge norms, question everything, and don’t quite fit into the neat categories the world has created.
This can lead to rejection, loneliness, and doubt. It hurts when people walked out of events, or didn’t show up. But over time, the very things that made you an outsider become the things that set you apart.
Belonging to something greater means taking a path that many may avoid. For instance, the easy routes for events is to gather people to learn about an industry topic, such as SEO or email.
There is comfort in sameness. We engage in networking, attend conferences, write, record, and post, building entire systems based on compliance designed to maintain predictability instead of being courageous and taking risks.
This is why embracing your misfit identity takes courage. It means stepping outside the accepted norms and risking judgment. It means daring to say, “This is who I am,” and being willing to face the consequences.
The Strength Of The Misfit
Embracing your misfit identity is not about being contrarian for the sake of it.
It’s about standing firm in what you believe, creating from a place of realness, and refusing to let the world dictate who you should be. It’s about being with the right people who see you as you are.
It’s this type of self-acceptance that cannot be taught in education. You won’t find it in a strategy plan or a workshop setting.
It needs to be experienced and nurtured. It has to be protected. And ultimately, it has to be put out into the world, risking ridicule, criticism, and facing doubt. That’s the hardest part.
However, the misfit doesn’t flinch. The misfit knows that playing it safe is not the way to make something real. The misfit understands that every great action comes from someone who refused to fit in.
The Home Of Misfits
The best news? You’re not alone.
There are more misfits out there than you think, and they are striving for connection just like you are.
Finding your place isn’t about waiting for approval, it’s about seeking out the spaces where you can progress.
😉 Look for people who think differently and push each other. Join communities that value questioning, creativity, and value new perspectives.
😉 Be willing to create your own path. If you don’t see a space where you belong, build one.
😉 Accept that it won’t always be easy. Choosing not to fit in comes with challenges. But the rewards are worth it.
😉 Own your quirks. The things that make you different are your greatest strengths.
Let’s Round-Up
Misfits come in many forms. Some challenge authority, some innovate quietly and slowly, some create work that changes minds, and some simply refuse to live a life on someone else’s terms.
We need more misfits, whilst other people play the same game, follow the rules or swallowed by polished souless content.
The journey might not be easy, but the reward is living a life that’s truly yours, bold, significant, and unapologe
Time Wasting
Ever wondered how many small pizzas make a big pizza? No...here you go.
If you can’t find the space you need, create it for yourself.
When you trade in money for time and figuring things out, you can build a space, for people to gather.
If you can see a space that isn’t currently served, but you know it aligns with your values and beliefs, the last thing you should do is ignore it.
Can you bring people together to support one another over time? Can you create a collective effort?
YATM Club Supports Misfits
This is your place to bring yourself and your work.
It's like having your own board of allies who have your back. No egos, just ideas, support, and a shared mission to help you grow and make things happen.
Choose a time next week, so I can show you before you join.
"In the past I've struggled with fitting in or having to conform in my work life, so I'm grateful to have found You Are The Media. It’s a comfortable and safe group where I can be me.
There's no judgement, misunderstanding, unrealistic expectations or competition.
Instead this is a community which thrives on being welcoming, supportive, open-minded, collaborative and creative.
It's a positive place to float thoughts and ideas for your business, learn or get advice and help if you're faced with a challenge.
Being in YATM has been worthwhile for my business. It's like working with friends."
You Are The Media (YATM) is the home for marketing misfits. It started in 2013 at the seaside, in England 🌊 The community is built around creativity, interdependence, visibility, experimentation and co-learning.
