Contents
Chapter 32
Overview
Natalie, facing a funding cut from Doug, enrolls in Tammy Lane’s pricey social media course to monetize Yesteryear Ranch’s Instagram. In faith-tinged sessions and a breakout led by Cassidy, peers label Natalie unrelatable and her smile fake. Afterward, Natalie practices likability and coaches Clementine to smile. A two-year jump reveals another birth, a new pregnancy, and Abigail’s divorce.
Summary
Natalie joins a $1,500, six-week Instagram marketing course run by influencer Tammy Lane, who opens and closes Zoom sessions with prayers and sells the idea of the Divine Christian Feminine. Natalie realizes the cohort largely mirrors conservative, Christian farm mothers, not the peers she expected.
Tammy delivers motivational platitudes with little concrete instruction, while Natalie longs for practical tactics. The timing follows a critical call from Doug, who halves their annual support ahead of his presidential run, pushing Natalie to find new income. Meanwhile, her account has about a thousand mostly disengaged followers.
A two-year jump reveals Natalie has given birth to Stetson and is pregnant again with a girl. Abigail finalizes her divorce after birthing her fifth child, Kaitlyn, and moves in with their mother, working bagging groceries. Natalie and Abigail are not speaking.
In breakout rooms led by Tammy’s niece, Cassidy, the women critique each other’s feeds. They praise authenticity and warn against off-putting content, then tell Natalie her brand feels stiff and her smile looks pained, making her seem unrelatable. Cassidy advises practicing smiling in a mirror to appear authentically warm.
That night, after the call, Natalie practices in front of a mirror. When Clementine wanders in, Natalie instructs her daughter on smiling so others feel safe and loved, internalizing the course’s demand for marketable likability.
Who Appears
- Natalie Heller MillsProtagonist; enrolls in an influencer course after funding is cut, receives harsh feedback, practices likability, and teaches Clementine to smile.
- Tammy LaneInfluencer course leader; offers faith-infused motivation with minimal specifics, embodying the profitable promise of online success.
- CassidyBreakout mentor and Tammy’s niece; leads critiques and tells Natalie to practice smiling to seem relatable.
- ClementineNatalie’s daughter; observes her mother practicing and is coached to smile to make others feel safe.
- DougFamily benefactor; halves annual support ahead of a presidential run, triggering Natalie’s push to monetize Instagram.
- AbigailNatalie’s sister; finalizes divorce, has fifth child Kaitlyn, moves in with their mother, works bagging groceries.
- Ashley AnnPeer in breakout; says Natalie seems unrelatable and her smile looks forced.
- RobinPeer rancher; participates in mutual critiques, noting Natalie’s grimacing smile.
- CalebNatalie’s husband; appears in content and works in the barn during the late-night practice scene.