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In the latest episode, we had the pleasure of chatting with Christine Michele Carter, a global marketing strategist and national speaker. She shared her personal experiences and offered valuable advice on personal and professional development. One of the key takeaways from the interview was the importance of knowing your worth in the workplace. Carter emphasized that as a woman or person of color, it can be easy to underestimate your value and charge less than competitors. However, she advises researching competitors' pay rates and seeking advice from financial advisors to determine fair pricing for one's services. Carter's personal experience of charging less than other agencies and going above and beyond for clients is relatable to many of us. However, she eventually realized the need to raise her prices to increase profits. She highlights the value of independent agencies and the creativity and innovation they bring to the table. Another important aspect of personal development highlighted by Carter is understanding one's values and being confident in charging for work. She encourages listeners to not let negative self-talk or comparisons to competitors hold them back. She shares her own "why" in life, which is to tell the story of a generation, gender, and race, and to make a positive impact through her writing and professional insights. Carter's advice on embracing change and gaining experience in global strategy is also noteworthy. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the internal and external landscape and thinking creatively while also being grounded in emerging patterns and trends. Just like training at the gym, she suggests regularly training oneself in strategy by reading news articles and researching data to stay informed and think big picture. Knowing your worth and being confident in charging for your work is crucial in the workplace. Carter's personal experiences and advice serve as a reminder to not underestimate ourselves and to strive for fair pricing.

5 Career Lessons You Can Learn From Lauren McGoodwin, Founder of Career Contessa Are you looking for ways to advance and develop your skills? Look no further than Lauren McGoodwin, founder and CEO of Career Contessa, a career site built exclusively for women. On the Switch, Pivot, or Quit podcast Lauren shared her experience as a recruiter and how it led her to create a platform focused on talent development and career advancement. Here are 5 career lessons you can learn from Lauren: Develop your skills: Lauren emphasizes the importance of investing in your personal and professional development. Whether it's through online courses, networking events, or mentorship, taking the time to develop your skills can help you advance in your career. Be a good manager: As a former recruiter and now CEO, Lauren understands the challenges of being a manager. She stresses the importance of being a good listener, setting clear expectations, and providing regular feedback to your employees. Retain valuable employees: Lauren understands the value of retaining good employees. She points out that it's often more cost-effective to retain employees than to constantly hire and train new ones. Providing opportunities for growth and development can help keep employees engaged and motivated. Be resilient: As an entrepreneur, Lauren knows that success doesn't come easy. She emphasizes the importance of resilience and rolling with the punches. Don't be afraid to pivot or change direction if something isn't working out. Define success on your own terms: Lauren defines success as feeling fulfilled in what she's doing and having a little balance in her life. It's important to define success on your own terms and not let societal expectations dictate what it should look like. Lauren is a great example of someone who has used her experience and expertise to create a platform that helps women advance in their careers.

Are you feeling stuck in your current role and wondering how to make your way up the ladder? Look no further than Tanika Cabral, a Vice President at The Coca-Cola Company. On the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast she shared her insights on how to take charge of your career and succeed in your current role. First and foremost, Tanika emphasizes the importance of self-awareness. She talks about what skills and experiences you need to move into your desired position and create a development plan with measurable goals and accountability partners. Don't wait for opportunities to come to you; be proactive in your career progression. Another crucial aspect of career success is managing your manager. Get to know your manager well and customize the way you work with them based on what resonates with them. In this chat the popular problem of micromanagement surfaces and Tanika suggests facing it head-on by having a conversation with your manager and proactively giving them the information they need. When transitioning to a leadership role, Tanika advises being receptive to feedback and using it as an opportunity to grow. She highlights that we should focus on learning and growing in year one, making an impact in year two, and leaving a legacy in year three. Overall, Tanika's approach to career progression is actionable and adaptable. So what are you waiting for? Take charge of your career and start making strides towards your goals today!

On this episode of the SPQ Chat, we revisit the eight habits. Ahyiana did a breakdown of the 8 habits of highly productive people back in 2019 but in this episode, she'll review the habits from then and add updates from now. Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. *Please note, the below transcript has been uploaded without the eye of a human editor so please expect some typos! This is a Mayzie Media production. During the Switch Pivot or Quit chats we talked to women who have successfully navigated through some of the plot twist years of life and are eager to share their stories and what they've learned in the hopes of inspiring, teaching or making even the slightest impact by candidly owning their truth. Hey girl, hey, and thanks for dropping into the Switch Pivot or Quit podcast, candid convo for the girl needing a lifestyle plot twist. When she's deciding if it's time to Switch, Pivot or Quit. I'm a Ahyiana Angel a former sports entertainment publicist in New York city, turned traditionally published author with Simon and Schuster, who quit my old life to write a book, live in London for a bit and explore my dreams to find my happiness and fulfillment. I'm here to help encourage and guide you through your plot twist years as your chief encourager and host of this podcast, Switch, Pivot, or Quit. Our community is continuously growing. So welcome to all the new listeners and thank you all for those who are returning. If you love what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast, and wanna show your love, head over to iTunes and leave us a review. A review just helps more people know about the podcast and it helps to continue to amplify our voices as women in the space. Now, if you just can't get enough, come hang out with us on Instagram by following me at Ahyiana dot Angel, and that's A H Y I A N A dot A N G E L, or drop by our website, SwitchPivotorQuit.com Now let's get this conversation started. Hello, good people. Hello, good people. It's your host Ahyiana Angel here and today we are going to do something a little different, that I haven't done before. So, I recorded an episode about the eight habits of highly productive people back in 2019 and now we're at the beginning of 2021 who knew that the end of 2019, that 2020 would shape up the way that it did, but it is what it is and we are where we are. Right. So I thought it'd be fun this week to revisit these habits, as well as clue you in and catch up a little bit on what's going on with me while we talk about these habits. So what we'll do is first, we will listen to the habit that was shared from 2019. And then I will chime in with my updates and my thoughts on the habit in terms of where I stand right now. So let's get into it. First habit, don't make yourself too accessible. Ooh. This one is very, very tricky for me I feel like, because I know y'all y'all know me, but I do know that there are also some people who try to cross certain lines. Let's just say, for example, everybody knows that, or if you don't know now, you know, I do pick my brain sessions. A part of the reason that I do pick my brain sessions is for this specific reason, accessibility, not everybody deserves to be able to tap into your knowledge in a way that benefits them without having to pay some type of cost. If this is not your best girlfriend, homegirl that you've been talking to and rocking with since y'all were yay high, then these people don't necessarily deserve access to you, your time and your knowledge. So for me, I created pick my brain sessions as a way for people that I don't really know like that, but we're cool enough, you know, online to be able to tap into what I know. Because I'm also not in the business of being an information hoarder, but I have to respect myself and my time and my knowledge that I've acquired so that other people will respect it. And the way that I do that and set up a boundary, if you will, is by a pick my brain session. But then it never fails. There will be people who will slide into my DM's asking me specific questions about them and their situation or what they're trying to do and achieve or what their next steps should be. Now, mind you, I have absolutely no problem of key-keying in the DM's with my peeps, y'all, because that's what we do. But where you cross the line is when you ask me a question that you. You should be paying for my time for me to answer. And so that begs the question of how accessible should you be. And the, the reason I think that this is one of the habits of productive people is because when you make yourself too accessible to other people, they will drain you. They will be a time suck. They will not respect your time and they will cause you to not get the things done that you need to get done. So let's work on more of not making ourselves too accessible in the way that is detrimental to us. I'm gonna be working on this as well, yes. That was a good one. And it's so funny. Let's do the check in now. Okay. Why is it funny to me? It's funny because I was speaking about pick my brain sessions and guess what? I no longer do pick my brain sessions. So in that episode, at the end of 2019, I guess I was preparing myself for what was to come next. Now you may be wondering, oh, why doesn't she do pick my brain sessions anymore? Part of it is boundaries, but that's not the first and foremost reason. The first and foremost reason is bandwidth. I don't have the bandwidth to do them anymore. Also because I used to make it to where certain days people could pop up on my schedule. And there was, you know, within hours it had to be like, you know, a certain amount of hours notice, but people could basically book at their own free will. And my schedule, the way that it's set up right now is just not set up for that. It doesn't lend itself to that. So what have I been working on? I've been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes production work, and sometimes that means I'm recording really early in the morning. Sometimes that means I'm working on cutting an episode together late into the evening. It just means that sometimes. I just wouldn't have the time. And I did not want to be unfair and allow people to get on my schedule and not have the time and the real dedication required to be able to show up for them. So, one of the things that I've been working on, I guess this is kind of the update part is there is a new podcast being released on Friday. February 26th and it is called A Word With Jason Johnson by Slate. And so I am a producer for Slate now. I have been working on this podcast. I think we've been working on it for months now. And the first episode finally drops on Friday. So that's exciting. So that's just one of the things that's on my plate, which causes me to have different up and down schedules and makes it harder for me to book people in for pick my brain sessions. And then when we're talking about not making yourself too accessible, it's funny because I mentioned the word boundaries in my first take of this episode and wouldn't, you know, it, my therapist and I talked about boundaries a few weeks ago and that's been something we've been consistently having an awareness of in our conversations. And so she sent me this worksheet and I thought, I'd just share a couple of these tips and some of the information with you guys, cuz it might be helpful. It's basically saying healthy boundaries are important for your own mental health. If you don't have healthy boundaries, it'll affect your relationships with other people and also how you feel about yourself. So some of the important boundaries to consider that are listed in this worksheet, time. And they're basically saying you have the right to define how and with whom you wanna spend your time. Emotions, you have the right to be self protective of your emotions and remove yourself from people or situations that repeatedly and intentionally cause you emotional distress. Values, you have the right to define your most important values and be shown respect for your beliefs. Especially with regard to time. What do you value? You give that some time and you make sure that you make the space for it. Right? And then space, you have the right to define your physical and emotional space and to control and manage your own body. And so this is a worksheet that was provided via my therapist via Better Help. So I'm not sure if this is Better Helps content but I'm guessing that it is. So this is a resource that they provide when you're talking through different things, you know, something for you to be able to sort of like follow up post conversation with yourself, follow up with yourself and kind of assess and think through what you guys discussed. Habit number two is set timelines so that you optimize every minute, every single minute. I know there's some people who are really diligent about planning out their day. And then there are others who are just more go with the flow. The benefit that I do see to being productive when it comes to mapping out the timing of your day is you can sort of see where you may be wasting time and you also can not give yourself very much room to waste time or to do things that aren't going to net you the types of results that you're potentially looking for. So setting up a schedule for yourself, if you're a person who is not really the schedule type of person. Maybe something that you could do is start small, like start with planning your morning first versus your whole entire day. Or start with planning certain days of the week. But for a lot of you, I'm sure that your days are kind of mapped out already in the sense that you have to get up and go and report somewhere to do something. With that you may be thinking, well, gosh, my days are already, like every minute is already accounted for. What about the times and the moments that you have to yourself? How are you gonna use those wisely? Especially if you're somebody who is looking to make some type of transition. Maybe your nights and weekends, you map those out so that you can be taking that class that you really want us to take. That's gonna help you to get the certification that you need to get in order to move into this other field within your industry. So just really paying attention to the ways that you can maximize your moment. That is a true productive people type of way of thinking. And I would say it's also a total hack because then it helps you to not waste time. And then it also probably ties back into that not making yourself so accessible thing cuz if you don't have time to be accessible, then boop there you go. Okay. This one is super quick for me in terms of updates. I am not necessarily creating timelines, but I am managing my time more closely because I have more demands on my plate in this season, I need to be more aware of when I'm available versus when I'm not available. And so I write every single thing down on my calendar, but then I also make sure it's in my phone calendar as well, just so that I kind of know what type of free time I'm working with. So that's sort of where I'm at right now with setting timelines and that's in the day to day grand scheme of things. Yeah. I'm not much better at some big ultra timeline. I don't know. Just, I'm not really into it. But you have to do what works for you. Okay, habit, number three, outsource, delegate, and automate everything that you can. If you are someone who works for yourself, this applies even more heavily because you probably have a lot of hats that you're trying to wear. So finding the things that you can get someone else to do because they probably do it better than you winner! Delegating the things that don't actually require your hands to be on it, amazing thing. And then automating things. There are so many ways to automate things now so that you don't actually have to touch them continuously. So I'm still a work in progress on this one too, but I have made some great strides. I have created job postings for the positions that I would need available to me in the immediate future I've had conversations and I even have gotten close in conversation with a few people in terms of next steps for bringing somebody on, to help with some of the things that you know, would make some of my days easier. But then I did some restructuring and decided to put a pin in that, but I'm happy to say that there is progress being made. Habit number four, give yourself 15-minute refresh breaks when you need them. Perfect way to do that is go for a quick walk. Sometimes we are staring at our computers for so long all day, trying to be our most productive that we hit a wall and we don't even realize we hit a wall. You you're just staring there at your screen. Like how many times have you guys done that? You're trying to work on something you're staring at your screen because you don't know what to do next, but you wouldn't dare get up and stop because you feel compelled to finish. We put so much pressure on ourselves. Sometimes you just have to breathe. Get up, walk around, breathe for a second. And it doesn't mean that you have to go outside. If you're not in a position where you can just run outside real quick and get some fresh air, maybe it's walk to the bathroom. Maybe it's walk to the the snack counter in your place of business or wherever you work, maybe it's walk to the vending machine. Maybe it's walk to the I don't know, the mail room wherever you feel like you can get a quick little break in to kind of reset and refresh, all about it. Totally works. My, my, how things have changed. Right? So many of us are working from home now. I was someone who was already working from home. So it wasn't a huge adjustment for me, but I know a lot of you hadn't been working from home so your schedules have changed. Your 15-minute breaks might look a little bit different now. You might be dealing with homeschooling you the lunch ladies. So that's your 15-minute break. But I know, these times have been hectic in all seriousness and I just wanna take a moment to say I commend you. I see you. I see your efforts. Keep going, because it's all about what you're striving for. Keep that in your mind. It may feel heavy. It may feel like a burden. It may feel overwhelming to be in some of the spaces that a lot of us have been put in right now, but just remember why you're doing this and who you're doing it for. You got this, you got this. This episode of the switch pivot or quit podcast is brought to you by Charman. Those who use Charman really enjoy the go Sharman has a variety of products to satisfy your, to go needs. Now we are talking about our bathroom experience, right? That is one thing that we all have in common. All of us the need to go. So why not enjoy the go with Charon? Softness matters at home and in the bathroom. And Charon has a variety of products that makes your two go experience that much better. There's Charon, ultra soft, which has irresistible cushiony softness. Charon ultra strong for superior strength and absorbency, or try Charon, flushable wipes and get the freshest clean Charon has. And don't forget Charon's long-lasting mega rolls Charon aims to give you a better bathroom experience. At Charon, they believe that won't happen. If you finish it all off with the wrong toilet paper, which is why they make a toilet paper, that's just right for everybody. So try Charon and enjoy a better bathroom experience. Habit number five, don't get distracted by things that have nothing to do with you or your goals. I love this one. I talk about this in my live Quit Playing Small talk, how to quit playing small, get what you want. So there are some telltale things that help you to identify and know if you are playing small and allowing yourself to be distracted by the drama, the gossip, all these other things like that. That is an easy way to know that you're playing small. So I love habit number five, because it is so tempting for us to engage. right. Especially if you have those friends who don't respect your ambition. They see it and they kind of get it, but they're like, it's okay, girl, you can chat for a minute, but you're like, nah, I really can't. Cuz like I really have things that I'm trying to do. And so just be strong. I would say be strong, figure out who those people are in your life and try and make a plan to cut them off at the pass. Maybe tap into habit number one and not make yourself so accessible to them. But think of ways that you can do it to where it doesn't feel like you're blowing them off. So let's say one of these people, she will regularly like maybe text you first and then you guys are texting, texting, and then she calls you. And then this turns into like a 45-minute conversation, 30-minute conversation, 15 minutes, whatever time that you didn't have to spare or that you didn't plan on chatting with. And, you know, it's gonna be a distraction to you. So what I would suggest doing is when she sends that first text message, don't respond, don't respond until you're in a position to respond. And then chances are by the time you respond, she might be caught up doing her own thing. And so then that engagement that potentially was gonna play out and turn into a 45-minute distraction is no longer a distraction. Now I would also say don't read the message because then if you read the message, you're gonna be tempted to respond, or you're gonna forget to respond altogether because now the message is marked red, but just little things like that can make a difference or be straight up with people. If you know that the person can handle it. And let's say they call you, or somebody walks over to your desk, one of your colleagues, you could just say like, hey, I'm super busy right now. I really wanna chat, but I'm gonna come and find you later and just kind of say it in a way that says, I'm not trying to blow you off because I don't want to engage with you. I'm just trying to get something done. Make it like, there's a sense of urgency even if there is no sense of urgency people don't have any malicious intent. They just don't realize how sometimes your timing is not their timing. It may be a bad time for you to be distracted because you are really trying to accomplish something. And maybe it's the time where they're taking their 15-minute refresh break. So it's just having an awareness of how your people around you move. So then you can try and cut off some of these engagements before they turn into a situation that's actually distracting for you. Just be, just be aware of your people. Okay. Be aware of your people. Okay. Jumping in with a quick little hack that I have since learned and it's called Voxer. So it sort of acts like a walkie-talkie. The reason that my friends and I love it is because it feels like we're talking in real-time, but the person has the freedom to listen to the message whenever they want. They can listen to it in real-time. As you're talking. Or they can close out of the app and listen to it later when they have a moment and then they can respond whenever they have a moment. So it just feels like you're connected and you're still having good back-and-forth dialogue, but sort of like on your own time. So that may be a good little hack. That'll help some of you stay connected and not feel like you're dissing your friends or your people, but you're also managing your time better and taking some of your power back. Habit number six, surround yourself with people that are more knowledgeable than you in specific areas. Ugh. This one is a game-changer. You have to know what you don't know. And when you know that you don't know something, if you make an effort to have people around you, or to at least be able to tap into somebody in your network in your space, who is knowledgeable in that area that you know is not your strength. That can be the difference between Mo money Mo money Mo no, that could be the difference between you excelling and plateauing. That could be the difference between you getting a contract and not getting a contract. That could be the difference between you reaching your goals and you not reaching your goals, like just being around people that are more knowledgeable than you in specific areas that you know will be beneficial to you is just a win. I don't know how else to say it. It is just a win, but be mindful that this person may be clued into the fact that they're more knowledgeable than you in this specific area. Nobody wants to feel used. So don't. Engage with them in a way that feels like I'm tapping into your knowledge. I want you around for your knowledge. Engage with them in a way that says, I appreciate your knowledge. I value your knowledge. I am so glad to know you in general. Not because of your knowledge. I'm so glad to know you, period. When people feel appreciated when people feel like it's their idea, too, to be able to share something with you that they're knowledgeable about, they are prideful in helping you. There's not this sense of like, ugh, here you go you're trying to drain me of what I know again. It's like this air of enthusiasm and excitement to be able to share with you, to help you to be better and to grow in different ways. So pay attention to how you engage with people who are knowledgeable around you. I must tell you, it is really funny and fun doing this episode, listening back to some of what these, you know, habits were and the things that I said and how so much has changed and how some things have come full circle. And maybe in this episode, I spoke some things into existence. I mentioned before that I am a producer now on a slate podcast. And guess what? I am learning a ton. Okay. The woman who is the executive producer, who I'm working under, she comes from NPR and she comes from years of audio experience, production experience. I'm learning everything from lingo from her, script writing. The way that you sort of write the script in a certain type of style, as well as shorthand that she uses. I'm learning how to listen to interviews different so that I can edit them and chop them and cut them up in a way that's digestible for a listener. I'm learning so much. And that is a part of the reason why I wanted this opportunity and said yes to it because I knew that I was gonna learn a lot. And I also, side note, wanted to work back in an environment that felt like a team again. If I'm honest with myself, I had those thoughts. So I was thinking, you know, I wanna be surrounded by a team, but I also wanna have my flexibility still. And who knew when you speak things, sometimes you truly do manifest them because that's exactly the situation I'm in. I still work on other projects and do my own stuff, but working with the slate team has been really, really refreshing because we have weekly meetings with the producers, producers who produce other shows as well. I am working with my executive producer and another producer and the talent and just it's, it's just great to be able to, bounce ideas off of people to learn from other people, to be able to share and feel like you're in a team environment, having not felt like I was exactly in that type of environment for so long now, since my, you know, days of working at the NBA. So it's really, really interesting, and I love that I'm learning so much and I love that that came up in this episode and now I can share that, hey, that's exactly where I'm at right now is I'm in a space of learning. And it's funny because when I was listening, I said, you know, make sure you don't feel like, or the person doesn't feel like you are taking advantage of them and, you know, using them for their information. And I didn't give an example of what that could look like, but this is an exact example of what that could look like. I am playing a role and doing a service, but at the same time, I'm learning from the person that's more senior than me. And so it's a, win-win on both sides. Hope that helps. And maybe sparks some ideas for you guys. Habit number seven, wake up early. This is one that I have admittedly always had a hard time with because I am a night person. But over the years, I have really tried to have an awareness of self and how that being a night person doesn't always work out in my favor because I really truly do recognize and realize how waking up early for me allows me to incorporate things that I probably can't incorporate if I just take more of a passive approach to how I wanna start my day. I have said this before, and I will say it again when I was on somebody else's time schedule. And I had to be in the office by like nine o'clock. I really did not wanna get up any earlier than I needed to. But when I wanted to achieve a goal and for me, it was writing my first book, I decided that I needed to wake up earlier then was required of me to be able to make it in the office on time if I wanted to really make some headway on achieving this goal. So what did I do? I committed to, and I sacrificed to wake up early. And what happened as a result of that? I got it done. Got the book written. And got it done in a timely manner too. It didn't take me years and it did take me months. But the point is when you wake up early, you are able to be productive because you're able to get ahead of the game. You're able to get ahead of your day. And then as a result, you're not chasing your day. You're managing your day. Once again, full circle. When I recorded this episode, sometimes I would get up early in the morning and sometimes I wouldn't, I had that flexibility. Now I'm like I said, working with that team. So their east coast base, which means that I am doing what I gotta do. And sometimes it's 6:30 AM. Sometimes it's 6 45, sometimes it's seven, but these are our regular times now. So that has changed my schedule dramatically and my sleeping pattern in hours, but it's all good because, you know, I was saying forever that I needed to start waking up earlier and just kind of commit to that and maybe the powers that be the good old universe knew that it was gonna be harder for a girl to do it on her own. So put me in a situation where I have no choice. All right, there you go. Now we doing it. We here. So I'm not mad at it. You know, I, I still never really wanna get up, but Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, right. To be the best version of yourself, cuz that's what we're going after. Woo. All right, let's get it. Habit number eight. Keep going, no matter what never give up on yourself, that one is something that is ingrained in me. And I don't know how, and I don't know where it's from. I kind of think it's the spirit of my dad. I kind of think it's the spirit of my dad, my father, who, some of you who don't know my biological father who is deceased. From everything that I know about him, he was a real independent, go-getter make it happen type of person. And I think that is where that probably comes from within me, because I know that a lot of people have to find their motivation from somewhere. A lot of people, you know, really will give up if things aren't going their way. But for me, I always just pivot. I don't give up. I don't give up. I don't find myself feeling defeated all the time, super easy. There's something in me that I'm extremely grateful to have in me that makes me keep going. And if you don't have that in you, I would say, find some people that have that in them and let some of that rub off on you. Let some of their fire. Let some of their push rub off on you because we all need that in order to really achieve greatness in this life. If we give up every time something comes our way, that seems a little hard, a little challenging. We won't accomplish anything. So I challenge you to really look at this list, figure out the habits that are working for you or that you're already doing, and the ones that you could be doing and , make a commitment to yourself, say to yourself, self I'm gonna get in here, I'm gonna be my most productive version of myself, and I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna keep going no matter what. I'm gonna wake up early so I can be productive. I'm gonna surround myself with the people that are more knowledgeable than me. I will not allow the devil to distract me, AKA my homegirls who want a gossip I will give myself moments to refresh when I need it and honor my body and my mind when they need a break. I will outsource, delegate and automate the things that are possible for me to not touch. I will set timelines for myself so I can know where I'm going, how I'm going and why I'm going there and I will not make myself too accessible. Why? Because I wanna be productive and I wanna win. Yes. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit

This week, Charity Bailey a host on RightThisMinute, a Nationally syndicated news and entertainment TV show shares what life was like when she was knocked down so many times getting up seemed impossible. This is a story of resilience and grit that will surely inspire you! Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFhUke8YO1Ug8WVLicRgSrg Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. *Please note, the below transcript has been uploaded without the eye of a human editor so please expect some typos! [00:00:00] This is a Mayzie Media production. [00:00:02] During the Switch Pivot or Quit chats we talked to women who have successfully navigated through some of the plot twist years of life and are eager to share their stories and what they've learned in the hopes of inspiring, teaching or making even the slightest impact by candidly owning their truth. Hey girl, hey and thanks for dropping into the Switch Pivot or Quit podcast, candid convo for the girl needing a lifestyle plot twist when she's deciding if it's time to Switch, Pivot or Quit. I'm a Ahyiana Angel a former sports entertainment publicist in New York city, turned traditionally published author with Simon and Schuster. Who quit my old life to write a book, live in London for a bit and explore my dreams to find my happiness and fulfillment. I'm here to help encourage and guide you through your plot twist years as your chief encourager and host of this podcast, Switch, Pivot, or Quit. [00:01:01] Our community is continuously growing. So welcome to all the new listeners, and thank you all for those who are returning. If you love what you hear on the switch, pivotal quit podcast, and wanna show your love, head over to iTunes and leave us a review. A review just helps more people know about the podcast and it helps to continue to amplify our voices as women in the space. [00:01:27] Now, if you just can't get enough. Come hang out with us on Instagram by following me at Ahyiana.Angel. And that's A H Y I A N A dot A N G E L, or drop by our website, SwitchPivotorQuit.com. Now let's get this conversation started. On today's show we have something good for you, and extra special, because I wanna introduce you to one of my longtime friends, Charity Bailey. [00:01:57] I wanted to share her story because her career story is one of encouragement and inspiration. And just that feeling of never give up. Keep going Charity is actually a television host media personality, and a seasoned journalist who currently hosts or co-hosts Write This Minute, a nationally syndicated news and entertainment TV show. [00:02:22] Now her career began as a public relations intern for organizations like the LA Clippers, Fox Sports Network. And this was all while she was studying journalism and public relations at Cal State University Long Beach, which is where we met. [00:02:37] Charity has honed her craft working as a sideline reporter and host for H CTV 22. And then as a feature reporter at the CBS NBC affiliates in Chico, California, while working in newsrooms for good day Sacramento and Fox 46 in Charlotte. Her desire to tell stories that matter and give a voice to the voiceless began to grow. with her work, Charity's goal is to bring humanity back to television and entertainment and spread a message of hope. [00:03:13] Let's dive into Charity's story. Now, now let's get started with you telling us a little bit about your very first job. What was the job and what were you doing? [00:03:23] My very first job in television that is, uh, was with H CTV 22. It was a cable station mm-hmm and I was in on air sports reporter, sideline reporter, and that was where I got my feet wet. I started as a production assistant, you know, for K CVS and KK nine. And then I got my first opportunity to create a reel. And that led me to my first official, official job with like actual call letters. That was in K V and in Chico, California. And I was a feature reporter there and my career has been all over the place. [00:04:07] Yeah. So talk to us, talk to us a little bit about that because people probably will see you on TV, now you're a host, a co-ho, on Right This Minute, and they're probably like, oh my gosh, her life is amazing. Um, this, this is where I wanna be, but not knowing what it took for you to get to this place, to sit in this seat and to be able to be the host that you are today. So tell us a little bit about what it took for you to get here? [00:04:35] A whole lot of grit and grind. Cause we were preparing for this interview, you know, I've thought about it. And I'm like, I've had to switch a lot. I've had to pivot a lot. Mm. But I ain't never quit. Huh. And that's why I'm here. Um, and you're correct, people see you know this space and they don't understand the work that it's taken to get here. Yeah, even, you know, sometimes with interns, they're like, oh, can I come in and sit with you in hair and makeup? And I'm like, sure, but where you're going, there's no hair and makeup. So I mentioned that I started, you know, in cable television and I started as a production assistant and intern. [00:05:11] I started on the very bottom level learning all of the inner workings of a newsroom. I worked pulling scripts and I worked on the assignment desk. And back in the day we had tapes, you know, now everything is a server. I learned the newsroom. I learned the business of my business because I understand what it takes to get to the finished product. [00:05:29] What made you start to learn the business of the business? Was it by choice or was it by function of what you were tasked with doing in this role? [00:05:40] A little bit of both actually. Okay. Uh, some of it is you get thrown into the fire and you need to know how to move on the fly. And then also I'm just a curious person, right. And so clearly, you know, you go into these newsrooms as a young journalist or really a young intern or production assistant with high hopes of becoming, you know, and you talk to your pat Harvey's and your Dave Clark. You need to know what it takes to get here. Not just sitting in front of the camera, you know, so many people want to be on TV. [00:06:09] Right. But as a journalist, we tell people stories, um, and we shine a light on the good, bad and the ugly mm-hmm . And it's not just about being on TV. It's about providing a service to your community. Mm-hmm that said. There's so much that goes into the production before you get on TV, before the lights come on and the prompters starts to roll and you start to, you know, tell these stories. And so all of that made me a better journalist because even as a, as a production assistant, I sat on the assignment desk and on the assignment desk, it was my job to fact find and to research stories so that when the reporters came in, we could give them keys to a van, assign them with a photographer and get them out the door with as much information as possible. Now their job is to get on the ground and do the groundwork, but we've done all of the, the, the prework or as much of it as we could do. And someone once told me that mm-hmm I know that you think that this is not reporting, but this, this is all a part of it. Yeah. And I'm like, oh, okay. And so I took that with me when I went onto my other jobs, you know, mm-hmm and became a reporter. So by the time I landed my job in Chico, which is a small market with very little pay, my salary was $21,000 a year so talk about a grind. Right, right. But when I got there, I understood how the newsroom worked and everybody's function and how I fit into it. Have you ever faced any huge setbacks in your career that made you question continuing to move forward, girl? Yes. Yes. And yes. So in Chico, I was 28 years old. I was the most popular reporter. On air at the time, because I was a feature reporter. [00:07:58] So I'm lollipops and fairy tales. You know, when there's a new coffee shop, mm-hmm, the latest dance team, you know, any event I'm there and I'm promoting it and I'm, you know, the face of fun in the city. So that comes with the perks of being everybody's favorite, cuz they know when you come, the fund is coming in, you're also gonna drive business to their event or to their business, you know? [00:08:21] Wow. Well, there was a general manager who did not believe that I should have been there based on who I am as a black woman. I laugh too loud. You know, I speak language, uh, all of the things, anyhow, mm-hmm he didn't expect me to be received so well in that community because that community at the time was not very diverse. [00:08:43] Mm. And so my news director at the time loved me. She told me, I actually set up a meeting with her because I was air quotes in town, in town, meaning in Sacramento an hour and a half away from Chico. But I messaged her. I said, Hey, I'll be in town. Can I stop by? I sent her my real, she accepted. I stopped by mm-hmm [00:09:02] She heard my laugh in the hallway. And when I went into her office, cause I thought I was there to have a conversation about her sports job that was open. And she said, I have a feature reporter job that's open. And I want you to. I'm from the bay area and the bay area is diverse and the world is diverse and I'm new here and I'm changing the newsroom. [00:09:23] And I think you would be perfect. She said, I heard your laugh down the hallway and it captivated me. Wow. And the competition already has a hard new show. So we're going to bring fun and entertainment to our morning program. Mm-hmm and I think you're the per I think you're the perfect fit for the team I'm building. [00:09:41] Mm, great. What I didn't know is. She knew that that general manager was not going to take a liking to this plus size black woman that he was, that she was bringing on the air who was out of this cookie cutter anchor reporter. Blonde bob box. Wow. Mm-hmm so she sent my information to the consultant who sent it to the owner of the broadcasting group who sent it to the general manager. [00:10:07] So basically his hand was forced and he was like, don't worry about it. These people will run her out of here before she can unpack her bags. Well, that didn't happen. Mm. So come that may of 2008. I was called in the office and I was laid off, but I'm the most popular. And there were other interns that were hired in my place. [00:10:29] What, so an, so you were laid off and an intern was hired in your place to do your job. He had hired two interns. Wow. And who were really good friends of mine who were both like, how did we get. Jobs and you got laid off. Yeah. And I said, well, you do the math on that. Yeah. You know what I mean? I went two years of being laid off. [00:10:49] I mean, my credit fell in the toilet. My life was falling apart. Mm. I mean, it got to a point where my mentor told me, he said, kid, I almost fear answering the phone when you call me, because there's, it's always something else. And it's something outta your control. So many times he told me, he said, young people, they call you. [00:11:06] And you're like, well, you caused that. You caused that. Yeah. You caused that. He's like every time you call. He said, I don't know what you're gonna become, but you gotta be the next Oprah with everything that's falling around, falling down around you. Mm. I don't understand it. And I was like, I don't understand it either. [00:11:20] I was on unemployment. I had to stop. And my mom convinced me to go apply for food stamps. She was like, you have to go tuck your pride away. My mom worked in social work and she worked for the county of Sacramento. And she's like, there's so many people like you daughter. Yeah. Who've done the right thing who, you know, are in their careers. [00:11:36] And she said, I see them every day. In consoling them. I tell them about you. And now I need to tell you about some of them. Mm. You need to go get help. So Ahyiana when I tell you I got laid off. Yeah. I was on unemployment. I was on the extended unemployment, the house I was living in the woman wasn't paying the, the mortgage. [00:11:52] So we got a notice on the door. I mean, everything was just falling apart around me, coupled with the personal stuff. I couldn't find a job. I think the word overqualified needs to be kicked out of the dictionary, you know, and our vocabulary because they looked at it and they saw that. I worked for the Clippers in PR that I had a public relations degree, that I was a reporter in anchor that I had covered sports and won these awards and done all these things. [00:12:16] And they're like, well, we. No, what do you want from us? And I'm like, A job. Yeah, I will file file things. I will, whatever I need to do that. Yeah. Anyway, that I ended up going to work for United healthcare as a customer service representative. And that was also very humbling because people on the phone would hear my voice or laugh and go. [00:12:37] Where do I know you from yeah. No, they would. Yes. Yeah. Um, people on that campus, you know, it's local, so they all knew. Yeah. Yeah. And they'd see me and they'd go, oh my gosh, Charity bailey. Why are you my training class? Can I have your autograph? That kind of thing, you know? Oh, wow. It really, really hurts. [00:12:56] But I will tell you this, what I learned in the process. Mm-hmm so none of this journey. Has been in vain because what it did is as it all came back together, it made me a better woman. It made me a better sister, a better friend. It made me a better storyteller, a better journalist, because what happens is sometimes we get so caught in our bubble, whether it's corporate or entertainment or whatever, whatever feels we're in mm-hmm once you enter that field, you know, those are your people. [00:13:25] That's what you do. Yeah. So these setbacks were really set ups for what was to come. It also brought me new friends from different walks of life. Right. Mm-hmm it also taught me when I'm telling these stories. Like I have been to your shoes. I have lost everything. Yeah. I have been laid off, you know, I'm, I'm a hood kid, so I I'm, you know, The underdog. [00:13:48] I understand. Mm-hmm but then you hit a point where, you know, there's a disconnect because you've been in this new world for so long. Well, it sent me back into the real world, if you will. Mm. And like, I felt humiliated. I felt embarrassed. I felt like I had let my family down in my community down. Mm-hmm , you know, because I'm one of those who I represent all of you, because all of you raised me and put all of this love and care and support into me so that I could go out to the world and represent you well, and now I failed you. [00:14:15] I felt like a failure is what I felt like. Mm. Because I mean, it was bad. My sister would write me, checks my baby sisters also I'm the oldest. And I pride myself on taking care of them and all that. Right. My sisters would send me money. It, it was, it was the lowest of the low at the time. And I felt like there was no. [00:14:34] Getting out of it, because again, we were in the middle of a recession mm-hmm and I have this public relations degree and I have all of this experience and all of these wonderful places that people dream of being in. And now I'm on the bottom floor and I can't get a call back. Right. Yeah. That's a, that's a tough place to be in. [00:14:51] So what do you do on the personal side to build yourself back up during these times, like, you know, we talk about personal development work, but it's like, I feel like that in a time like that in a season like that, where I've been there as well, not quite as many layers, but you know, when I first moved to New York, I got laid off like, four months after being there. [00:15:13] And everybody was like, are you gonna move back home? Are you gonna move back home? Are you gonna move back to California? And I was like, no, like I just got here, I'm just starting this journey. But it was really, really hard. And it was a lot of days of not knowing where money was gonna come from, because unemployment just wasn't cutting it and all those types of things. [00:15:30] So I feel like. These are the times where it's, it's like you use the word personal development, but it's like, that don't even feel deep enough. So what were you doing for yourself? If anything, during that time to help you keep pushing forward, what were you tapping into? Like what was making you continue to go on? [00:15:51] I was tapping into my faith, my family, and at one point I can't even lie to you. I was like, listen. This ain't fair. I've done everything I was supposed to do. When I worked in the NBA, I wasn't running around with players. I wasn't cutting up. You know, I went above and beyond. I've been the perfect example of what I thought was the perfect example of, you know, a good Christian girl. [00:16:15] You know what I mean? Like all of these things and I'm like, Lord, this just is not fair because everybody else is excelling. These are some of these people don't even put in as much work as I do. I would go to work at three 4:00 AM and not leave till three, 4:00 AM. You know, I'm over here working twice as hard and I'm still getting the shaft. [00:16:32] Like I went from being sad to angry, to hopeless, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. One day I was talking to my really good girlfriend, Amber, and I was like, you take hope away from people and they have nothing. And for the first time in my. The first time in my life, like I grew up in a neighborhood called that they coined the deepest part of hell and I still never felt hopeless. [00:16:55] I still felt like if I do all of these things. If I follow these paths, I can make it on the other side of the fence. Mm. And to the other side of the tracks, I can, you know, excel in my career. I never felt hopeless for the first time in my life. Every door was slam shut. Every single door was slam shut, and that weekend of the all star, I decided to go and I met some people and decided I was moving to Oakland. And my daddy said, have you lost your mind? You gonna move to one of the most expensive cities in the United States, right. With all this going on, all this going on. And I said, daddy, I had a plan. I worked my plan and it fell apart. [00:17:35] I am already at rock bottom. I have nowhere else to go and I'm losing hope. And I feel like my spirit is dying. I had never felt before, like I was going to die in this place. If I didn't at least try to make a move. Now, when I tell you I moved to Oakland, I moved to Oakland, uh, working for a staffing agency for $14.25. Again, all of this is crazy, but I was like, Lord, I'm gonna throw this up to you and you gonna have to. Cause I don't have nothing else. Let's see what happens. Let's see what happens. I'm gonna throw it, throw it at the wall. If it's sick, it's sick. If it don't, I tried, but I can't die in this place. [00:18:10] In this, this place it cannot be the end for Charity Bailey. I don't know a whole lot, but I just knew that in my soul. And I was like, at least I gave it a try. If it doesn't work, at least I tried. How did things start to take shape in a positive direction? Once you got. So I met other women and, you know, and other black women who were like, oh, we'll help you do this. [00:18:33] We'll help you do that. I started a blog at the time. Mm-hmm , uh, called Bailey's Blast, cause I just needed to be doing something that felt familiar to me. So it was a sports blog mm-hmm and um, I got a job at Verizon mm-hmm in, in, uh, retail. So selling the phones on the front line and that turned into, because again, I'm not just gonna go into an organization. [00:18:53] Without a plan. Right. I was like, and I let them know when I got there. Listen, I have sales experience. I could sell water to a whale what you trying to do? I told them I have marketing and PR experience because they also looked at my resume and said, why do you wanna be in sales and said, I don't. I want to get into your marketing department. [00:19:11] And they're like, you don't wanna be a journalist anymore. Mm-hmm . I do, but that's not working anymore. So now I have to make a decision and I need to switch careers. And they were like, okay, good. Let's go. And so I, I worked in retail sales for eight months and then a position came open and it was a, you know, one of, one of the hybrid positions because someone was on maternity leave and that ended up being a year about. [00:19:39] And then I got a call out of nowhere from a former producer that I met and she called me and said, hey, are you still doing Good Day Sacramento? And I said, yeah, only on weekends, cuz that also came about in the folds as I was working in marketing, I got that call to come do Good day Sacramento as a freelancer. [00:19:56] So now I'm working seven days a week, five in marketing for the region. And two days on air driving back and forth an hour and a half, I'm telling you it's been a grind, right? Yeah. Yeah. And then I got this call on April 1st. I thought she was playing me Ayanna because she said she messaged me on Facebook. [00:20:11] And that's back when my Facebook personal Facebook page was actually Charity Bailey and it was April 1st were lunch and the Samsung five and it was storming cats and dogs. So I have all of this is going on and she messages me and I said, I don't have time to play games. Are you April fooling me? And she said, no. Uh, this station in Charlotte is starting a new program. [00:20:30] And they hired me as the executive producer. They hired my husband as a sports director. And we thought we had a person and we realized that we needed somebody else with a different vibe. And I know we only met for a little bit, but I've worked with some of your other friends as well, and everybody speaks really highly of you. [00:20:45] And I think you're the person for the job. So if you're interested. I'd love to set up an interview. Wow. And I was like, oh, so after five years of being off air, I went back to working freelance with good day Sacramento and then got another job because of a phone call. You, you ask what it takes to get here a whole lot of hard work, dedication, and. [00:21:09] Boundedness right. just being able to go, you know what, I'm going to go for it. And I know it sounds cliche when people say, just jump mm-hmm because it's not that carefree and, and, and irresponsible, you don't just go jump off the ledge. Right? You measure the ledge. Mm-hmm , uh, I'm not a risk taker in. Mm, but people laugh because they say to me, you're not a risk taker yet. [00:21:37] Your job is one of the riskiest. right. Mm-hmm you live contract to contract, right? This minute is the longest contract I've ever been on everything else. Since it been a layoff, a let go a one year or two year and it's on to the next mm-hmm , that's the industry and that's the industry, but it's a calculated risk. [00:21:55] And so when I moved to Oakland, that was a calculated risk. When I moved to Charlotte. I, I made sure that I had somebody in my apartment in case I needed to come home. Mm-hmm and I did that for a year and it was not what I expected. And so, you know, that was, I had to switch careers and then I switched back and then I pivoted and went to Charlotte and I was about to quit. [00:22:17] Ahyiana, I was up at 3:00 AM sending resumes, because again, I have a PR background, so I can go back to PR and marketing at any time. Right. But I was like, this is not, it I'm far away from home. This is not what they promised me. This is for the birds. I'm not being treated well. We've had six different managers, like it's, this is bad. [00:22:35] I need to go. Mm-hmm . So I started applying for PR jobs in Atlanta. I told my family, I might be coming home. And one of the hosts from Right This Minute, who I had been in contact with had told me that she, or I heard that she was leaving. So I reached out to her, you know, her mom had term had a terminal illness. [00:22:52] And so I was like, oh, wow. Okay. Ooh. Well, that's sticky because also I feel like in our industry, sometimes people don't really care about you. They care about what you could do for them. Yeah. Yep. So I wasn't gonna be like, so your job's open, you know, that's, that's not me. Mm-hmm . So I talked to her about the personal side of what she was going through and later I said, you know what, I'm gonna reach out. How far are they into the search for your position? And she said, I think they're pretty far in, but it wouldn't hurt. And so I did Ahyiana at 3:00 AM. I messaged one of the executive producers, Phil Alvidrez.. I messaged him on LinkedIn and said, hey, I heard you have a position open. [00:23:32] Mm. And here's my link. And he messaged me back the next day. Mm. And he said, he said, uh, well, Are pretty far along in our search, but, uh, I'll look at your tape. And then he messaged me right back and he goes, well, I have a few questions for you. Do you have an agent? And, are you under contract? I said, I am a free agent in every sense of the word I have no actual agent cause agents wouldn't take me. [00:23:57] Agents wouldn't take me. They said I wasn't what they were looking for. Wow. Um, you know, we're going in a harder news direction. There's not much open for you. Like when I tell you doors close, close, close, close, close. I was like, all right, God, we gonna see what this does, cuz again, at least I tried. Yeah. [00:24:14] Mm-hmm mm-hmm at least I tried and he messaged me back and said that and I messaged him and said, I'm a free agent in every sense of the word. He said, well, I'd still like to talk to you, even though we're further along in the search. Mm. I still like to talk to you. So can you talk to me at two 30? Your time. [00:24:31] I said, absolutely. I was in a meeting. I closed on my binder, went home and showered and got on Skype. Right. and we had to, we had an hour long conversation and he says, you're gonna be in California. Right. And I said, yeah, he goes, how about if you skip over to Arizona before you head back to Charlotte, I said, you tell me where to be and when to be there mm-hmm [00:24:50] And, um, I had less experience than the other people they had in the pipeline. And they were like, you know what? We like you, if we hire you and this doesn't. They're gonna say, I told you, so because you have blessed market experience, that is because the other people had, you know, they were in LA and New York and I was in Sacramento and Charlotte, which is mm-hmm , you know, it's just the market size experience. [00:25:11] Right. He said, if we hire you and it works, we're gonna look like geniuses. If we hire unit bills are gonna say, I told you, so I said, well, then let's be geniuses. And here, five years later. [00:25:22] Looking like geniuses. [00:25:24] Looking like geniuses. [00:25:30] What would you say if you had to pinpoint one characteristic of yours, that's brought you to this point where you are now, what would you say that characteristic is? It's got to be my grit and I got that from my daddy. My daddy used to say, uh, nine yards at a time. So the thing is, you know, my dad passed in 2018. [00:25:51] Mm-hmm uh, but our thing was football and boxing. So, so many of my life lessons came to me in football metaphors. Mm. So he he'd always say, Hey, Hey, Hey, as long as you got time on the clock, you can win . And that has stuck with me my entire life. I, because think about it in this journey, even as long as there's time on the clock, you can win SIS. [00:26:15] Yeah. Like as long as you breathing, you have the breath in your lungs, you know, the altitude in your body. Mm-hmm , you know, your mind is, is working. You can still win. It's not over until you underground. Mm-hmm like, seriously, mm-hmm , it's not ever over until it's over. And that nine yards at a time, you know, it's it's nine yards. [00:26:39] So first down we keep moving the chains. We get hit. Boom. We get back up. Mm-hmm . My dad used to say, make 'em know that you were there. As long as I'm on this planet, you are going to know that I'm here. He would say hit 'em and knock fire from they chest . And my dad was old school from Mississippi and he cut no corners. [00:26:58] Like you were a Bailey get up and get out there and, and, and do it moving. And clearly that served you. throughout your journey, because that, that sounds like everything that you continue to embody and do through all these ups and downs and challenges that were thrown your way. So it served you words, right? [00:27:17] Yeah, definitely. Mm-hmm and so it's even served me beyond, you know, what I've done for other production companies, right. Because over the last year I launched my own show called girl, we need to talk mm-hmm and it's all. My grief and the grieving process. And it's another step in my grief. It's honoring my dad's legacy, but also just opening up the conversation that it's okay to stop and process your grief. [00:27:46] Because also when we think about grief, we, we typically talk about it in the sense of life and death, but you don't realize I was grieving when I got laid off, I was upset. Right. You know? There was a loss. There was a loss mm-hmm . And when I moved to Oakland, I started seeing a therapist because I told her, I said, you know what? [00:28:08] I'm in a winning season right now. But I went through over two years of a losing season where I was doggy, paddling, just trying to survive. And now I'm actually swimming, but I'm looking over my shoulder and I realized that I needed to go to therapy. Mm-hmm so I needed to process that. Well then you, because if you don't stop to process, what's happened, it's gonna come up somewhere. [00:28:32] Right, right, right. yep. Yep. Yeah. And so even with losing my father and starting this show, I'm learning about all of the different things and spaces that we expectations of career and family and as women, and, you know, there is. Loss of life and love mm-hmm . And we talk about all of that on girl. We need to talk, but had it not been for those other experiences, I wouldn't be on a national television show serving as a host. [00:29:07] I wouldn't have created my own web series called girl. We need to talk, opening up a space for other women to come and just breathe and leave mm-hmm and to say, you know what? We are high performing high functioning, smart. Badass women, but you know, what's this, I need a break. I need to talk. Yeah. yeah, yeah. [00:29:28] Yep. Yep. What types of things do you find yourself doing to actively expand your comfort zone? Cause it, it, I mean, like it, it would appear that somebody like you who has a big personality, who's on TV, you're fearless and you show up in all spaces and do all things, but are there times where you feel like you need to expand your comfort? [00:29:50] Oh grow. Yes. And I'm been doing it now. I turned 40 in January. Mm-hmm I've had a very big year mm-hmm um, you know, grow. We need to talk. The timing of it was, was perfect in the most imperfect way because of the pandemic. So we were all grieving and mourning and trying to find our sense of normalcy, right. [00:30:08] And balance in a space. But as a result of watching my father die from a stroke, Mm. And as a result of me being, you know, I'm a plus size woman. Mm. I love being plus size, but my body has started to turn on me over the last few years. Mm. And my hormones were out of control and, you know, I was just experiencing a whole lot of things that even my OB GYN couldn't figure out. [00:30:35] And it was just a lot. So my body has been through a lot when my dad passed, I didn't eat for three days and gained 10 pounds. I'm like, what is going on? Yeah. You know, and so. Just, it was a lot. So I opted to have the gastric sleeve surgery. So that was the first thing that was outside of my comfort zone because mm-hmm duh, I'm scared. [00:30:53] Yeah. People don't know that I'm scared. That's the thing. Right? Mm-hmm and to your points, because I do have a big personality and I present as a very confident woman. People didn't know that I was not comfortable in my body. Mm. I couldn't do certain things. And so it came across as me being this snay snappy. [00:31:11] I'm not doing that, but really. I'm not doing that. Do do do. I'm scared that I might be over the weight limit. Wow. Do do, do, I don't want you guys to see me fail at it. I often say I was hiding in plain sight and nobody knew mm. Because that's I take pic. It is. It is because I take pictures. Right. I know angles mm-hmm and my job is to know my angles and to know my lighting. [00:31:36] And I know how to stand behind you this way, and I know how to do all of that. Mm. You had conditioned yourself to do all those things. I have, I had conditioned myself to do all of that and now I'm unpacking. Mm. Right. Mm-hmm mm-hmm and unpacking is another part of stepping outside of your comfort zone because during the pandemic I'm in here by myself, I. [00:31:56] Nothing and nobody except my little cute little fluffy dog, Lacey , but I had to sit in my silence and unpack and use the work to heal, to heal past trauma, to process the things that my therapist and I had talked about to process, you know, the loss of life and losing a parent mm-hmm to get ready for surgery and then process. [00:32:17] See because people see me on social media. Mm-hmm they see the before and after pictures, but this transformation, this is deeper than what you see in pictures. Right? Mm-hmm I am now unpacking the weight that was on my heart. Mm-hmm mm-hmm and the weight and the baggage that was on my heart showed up on the scale, showed up in my dress side. [00:32:45] Showed up in the way I responded to things and the things I did and didn't do and would, and wouldn't try. So now I've lost about 118 pounds. Mm. I go here, girl. Hey, I turned 40 in January and I'm like for the first time I'm actually living my best life. I've tried. I've tried kayak. and I've tried, you know, I've gone, we went to the grand canyon, but I can actually walk around and like, yeah. [00:33:13] Not be in pain. Mm. And, you know, I tried ATVing and I realized that, wait a minute, all of this stuff, like I can actually enjoy living. in my body because mm-hmm , my body is now my own. It's not being weighed down. Mm-hmm I weight. Yeah. You don't have to say no to everything by default. You can now like, realize that there's things that you can say yes to, instead of that default that you were in of just no, no, no. [00:33:45] Which is also protective mode. I would imagine as well. It. That's so goods so good. It is protective mode. And so now I'm just like, listen, I, you know, I told my guy lately, I said, listen, there's a whole bunch of things I wanna try. Mm-hmm and he said, well, I'll take the picture. you like? OK. OK. When you ready to come outta your comfort zone, I'll be here. [00:34:06] I'll be here. Well, I'll probably on the ground, cause I done jumped down and stuff, but I'll be here. Wait for you to jump. Right. But it's, it's the same mentality that I've, that I had to take on with my career. And it's also about learning that I don't always have to fight. Mm. Right. Because I've been conditioned. [00:34:27] When I was a little girl, my dad sat me down and he said, listen, you black and you a girl. And ain't nobody gonna give you sh. And I was like, oh, oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. That's a harsh reality daddy. Okay. Yeah, but he just always gave it straight and you know, my mom is a mom of faith and she's like, she's a woman of faith and I'm, you know, if I could be half of what she is in temperament, that'll be great. [00:34:50] But I have the other half of me, which is my father and they both served me, I guess, is what I'm saying. Right. Um, My dad taught me to square up and fight. And my mom taught me to fight in the spirit room and pray and to tap into my, so my sources, my family, my faith, my friends. Yeah. And so now at, in this space, in my life, I'm realizing I don't have to fight everybody's everybody else's battles and I can pick and choose how I fight my own battles. [00:35:20] Mm-hmm and I've learned that there's a strategy in the fight, cuz I'm never gonna absolutely completely stop fighting. It's just that my strategy has changed. I don't have to fight anymore. I don't have to fight my body. I don't have to fight, you know, with people and things in spaces that don't serve me, you know, I can continue to fight for other women and other people of color and other causes, but I don't have to, you know, Ram through the door with my shoulder anymore. [00:35:48] My tools have changed. Mm-hmm mm-hmm what would you say to someone? That's dealing with trying to find their happy. Ooh, wow. That one hit me hard. Hmm. It's real because there's so many people that you think that they're happy. Right? Mm-hmm . and there may be moments of happiness that they exemplify, but you know, somebody introduced the thought of like the difference between happiness and joy to me too. [00:36:20] And, and it's like, you know, some people present happy, but they, they are not joyful. They don't have joy. Yes. You know? And so I think it's like, I, I ask that question because I think it's like so many of us, we know that we present happy. But that's really not what we feel all the time. And I think in the conversation of trying to get to a better version of yourself or be the best version of yourself, that's worth thinking about like, how do I get to a place of a space of finding my happiness? [00:36:50] You know? Well, I will say that happiest fleeting, the joy is unha, right? Mm-hmm I found happiness in other people. And other things. And what I'm learning in this space is that this is a uist cause he can come and he can go. Yeah. But if your happiness is attached to a man, a job, a car, anything outside of you because all of those things, they not for certain. [00:37:30] Yeah. Yeah. You know, I love my car, but guess what? The man that I love was in an accident in the car. Mm. I don't hear no more. Mm-hmm right. Mm-hmm he is here. He is. Okay. There's more to life than that car. Mm-hmm right. Mm-hmm but you learn that. I'm also starting to understand why my mom and some of the other women in my life seemed so UN shaken. [00:37:58] Mm. But it's that, you know, my daddy used to say, Hey, just keep on living. And, and that's the thing is that you start to put things into perspective. My dad was in the hospital lying on what would become his deathbed. And I remember a girl hit me. She rear ended me, excuse me, mm-hmm . And she got out and she was shaking and she was, I mean, it wasn't bad either. [00:38:19] Like, I didn't even see a dent on my car. So I got out mm-hmm and I look, and I'm like, I'm annoyed. It is gonna make me late, blah, blah, blah. Right. Whatever. The car is not ding, but I noticed she's like shaking. Like her entire body is shaking. And I walked up to her and I take her by the hands and I said, are you okay? [00:38:37] Of course this is pre COVID everybody. right. And she goes, no, my entire family was in a car accident and they're all in the ICU. Oh. And I said, how old are you? She said I'm 17. Oh gosh. Now perspective. Yeah. I said, you know what, perhaps we were meant to bump into each other. My dad is also in the hospital dying, but I hit your car, da, da, da, da. [00:39:01] This car is gonna be okay. Hm mm-hmm do you wanna pray now in that moment, I don't know what came over me because I'm telling you any other time. I would've been like you hit me girl, cuz you know, but life has taught me that these moments are fleeting. Mm. And there's a bigger picture. Mm-hmm and so perhaps today we needed to. [00:39:26] Right. And this is how God the universe, whatever you believe in decided to bring us together. Mm. But guess what? I've been unemployed. I've had a credit score of like 400 and something. Mm I've. Been on food stamps. I've been in spaces where I had to borrow money for my sisters and my friends to pay the rent. [00:39:46] Mm-hmm I have been high and low and somewhere in between. and when you start to look at the big picture, what really matters. Hmm. So when you ask, how do you find your happiness? I say you stop and think of what's really important. Right? I have my health and strength. I have my family. I am loved mm-hmm , you know, and I'm genuinely loved not this, you know, fake love on social media. [00:40:20] Yeah. Yeah. But also re understand that what you see on TV and what you see on social media, there's Instagram and there's reality folks, you know, you mentioned it earlier, seeing people smiling and it hit me so hard, which is why it's so important for me to be transparent now mm-hmm on social media. It's so important for me to be transparent on girl. [00:40:40] We need to talk. Because I had a person who's really close to me, say to me, do you know that if I didn't know your dad died, like I forgot for a minute that your dad, that your dad died. Mm. Cause you're so happy on TV every day. Mm mm-hmm but what people fail to realize what people didn't see is that. I would drive to work crying every day. [00:41:01] Right. I would go into my EPS office and cry my face off in her office. And then I would go into hair makeup and cry my face off in hair makeup. Mm. And there were days where my co-host would come in and hold me. Mm. And there were days where my co-host would hold my hand under the table so that I could just make it through that pitch. [00:41:16] There were days I would go to my co-host homes after work and cry it out there. or my girlfriends would come over. There were days I texted my girlfriends and said, I'm not okay. I don't have it. There were days that I flashed on people because I was exploding with rage and grief and angered, and didn't know what to do because grief is such a roller coaster. [00:41:35] Right. Mm-hmm mm-hmm. Hmm but what you saw on social with me smiling, and what you saw on TV is me laughing, but that's edited. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so how do I find my happy? I get real with myself first. Mm-hmm . I own my feelings. It's okay. Mm-hmm , you're not where you want to be. It's okay. What are the tools in your toolbox that you were going to use for this fight? [00:42:02] You are still alive and you are above ground, which means you still have time on the clock and you can still win. Yeah, there it is. Absolutely. You got that time on the clock. Daddy, come through, come through with the right. Come through the guidance. and when all us fell, don't be afraid to put up a hail Mary. [00:42:22] Yeah. Like I remember asking my dad, what does that even mean? Daddy? Why did they call it a Hail Mary? He said, well, cause the time is running down on the clock. and we ain't got nothing else left. You put it up there. Hope God. And put it in the hands of your wide receiver. and it's true. But, and I was like, oh my gosh. [00:42:43] And so I used to joke and I'm just gonna Hail Marry this one. Yeah. I kid you not, anytime I Hail married it. And I took the rock and I threw it up. I was like, I got you because you had enough faith to trust me. You have enough faith in yourself. You trust yourself. That's another big thing, you know, we wanna find. [00:43:00] I want you to find peace. Mm. I want you to find joy and I want you to learn and trust yourself. Mm mm-hmm what does success mean or look like for you? Well, in the past, I would've told you that it was money mm-hmm , you know, mm-hmm that it was houses and this and that. Now let's be very clear. You need money to live, to live and to have the type of life that you want. [00:43:26] Right. Mm-hmm. I used to think that it was a dream job. I used to think that it was the amount of money that it was the things, the cars, the homes, but success. Really my pastor in long beach when we were in college, same was Pastor McDaniel. He used to say, don't be a public success and a private failure. [00:43:44] Mm. Success is to me, the people in my life who vouch for my character and my integrity. Mm. it's the fact that who you see on TV is who I am at home mm-hmm mm it's. Would my cousins say, man, I'll be watching your show. I feel like we're in the living room. I'll begetting that I ain't seen you in several months. [00:44:05] Cause that means I'm showing up as myself and I fought to be myself. Mm. I have been told that I was too black, that I was too fat. That I laughed too loud that I didn't speak proper English. And now finna is finna be in a dictionary. success. Showing up unapologetically me as Charity Bailey success is making my family proud. [00:44:27] Success is making my community proud. Success is looking in the mirror and knowing that I didn't betray myself or them to get what I wanted success is knowing that I build other women up and I ride for who I ride for. And then I stepped on nobody to get to where I'm going and that I didn't compromise me to get to where I'm going. [00:44:45] See, because yes, my laugh is loud and I'm boisterous and I'm outside of the box. But guess what? Bible says that your gifts will make way for you. And before, when they were trying to put me in the box, I was trying to, you know, situate myself in that box and it wasn't working. Right. Right. And then when I got the call to go back to your day Sacramento, you know what, the first feedback the, uh, Bri gave me was the very first day. [00:45:08] What happened to that girl I met? That was laughing loud and just went for it. That's what people want. And I said, well, wait a minute. I used to get in trouble for that. Bri. He said, charity, it is 2013. YouTube and social media has changed the game. People do not want the box. They want, yeah. The cookie cutter mm-hmm [00:45:26] And I was like, wow. And then when I came to write this minute, same thing. We hired you because you argue because you bring a different take because you represent people who have a different thought process than what we've ever heard of. They're at home going. Yes, girl, that, that, that mm-hmm mm-hmm because you do laugh loud. [00:45:43] I get paid to be myself. That is success. Mm-hmm . Viewers hear my laugh in a movie theater and go, is that Charity Bailey that's that's success. The fact that my nieces see me on TV and they know that they can do what I am doing. See, because there weren't black women on television. Mm-hmm when I was coming along. [00:46:01] When, when we were coming along, we had Oprah and maybe one or two black anchors. And if you got a black female anchor, you were winning. Right? Right. My grandmother told me that women weren't on television when she came. Mm, that's why she pushed me and talked to me about being a journalist, which I didn't want to become. [00:46:20] That's a whole nother story. however, the fact that my grandmother didn't see women on TV and I don't mean black women, I just mean women, women, period. Yeah. Yeah. And the fact that I didn't see many black women on TV and my nieces go, oh yeah, that's my auntie. That's her show. Mm mm-hmm . That is success is that my nieces can look to us and go. [00:46:42] Okay. See, cause I'm the first one carving this path. Mm-hmm but now they have a trail. Yeah. They, they, they told me girl, Steve, you YouTube like us now. [00:46:57] I love it. I love the way they frame that. Yes. You have your TV show then, but we have our reading corner on YouTube. That's our show. But mommy said that you now have a, a TV show on YouTube, like us like us. I love it. That is too cute. Yes. I have a show on YouTube like you, so you have J's reading corner. I have girl, we need to talk, but do, do you, that is success that makes. [00:47:22] My heart smile. So good. Thank you so much, charity for sharing your journey with us, all the ups and downs and being yourself and completely transparent with it because some people, they don't know what it takes to really get out there and. Be the shining star that you are, they don't know what really goes on behind the scenes. [00:47:42] So thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. And if people want to continue to follow your journey or reach out to you and connect with you, what's the best way for them to follow you and keep up with you. I am miss charity Bailey on every platform, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, all of it. [00:48:00] I'm still figuring out TikTok child. I don't really know about all that, but, uh, you can find me at Miss Charity Bailey and Girl We Need To Talk season one is in the books. We've talked grief. We talked mental health, we talked self care. We talked battling our bodies. We talked taking care of ourselves and genuinely living our best lives. [00:48:21] Mm-hmm . And so season one is up. You can watch it. You can share it, uh, and subscribe to the channel. Cuz season two will be coming next. Or at the end of this year, food chat's 2021. We almost March is almost outta here. I know it is. It is. It really is. And that's on YouTube, right? It it's on YouTube grow. We need to talk is on YouTube and you can find it under miss Charity Bailey, awesomeness. Thank you so much charity for spending time with us and as always, you guys be good. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit

In this Cracking Corporate conversation we chat with Veronica Salcedo, the Senior Director of Integrated Marketing within NBCUniversal's Entertainment & Lifestyle Group, where she leads a team of marketers ideating and executing brand campaigns across NBCU’s cable portfolio. We touch on the lack of diversity behind the scenes and how that has impacted her career, finding her voice in her career, how to gain the trust of senior leadership and so much more! Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. *Please note, the below transcript has been uploaded without the eye of a human editor so please expect some typos! [00:00:00] This is a Mayzie Media production. [00:00:02] During the Switch Pivot or Quit chats we talked to women who have successfully navigated through some of the plot twist years of life and are eager to share their stories and what they've learned in the hopes of inspiring, teaching or making even the slightest impact by candidly owning their truth. Hey girl, hey and thanks for dropping into the Switch Pivot or Quit podcast, candid convo for the girl needing a lifestyle plot twist when she's deciding if it's time to Switch, Pivot or Quit. I'm a Ahyiana Angel a former sports entertainment publicist in New York city, turned traditionally published author with Simon and Schuster. Who quit my old life to write a book, live in London for a bit and explore my dreams to find my happiness and fulfillment. I'm here to help encourage and guide you through your plot twist years as your chief encourager and host of this podcast, Switch, Pivot, or Quit. [00:01:01] Our community is continuously growing. So welcome to all the new listeners, and thank you all for those who are returning. If you love what you hear on the switch, pivotal quit podcast, and wanna show your love, head over to iTunes and leave us a review. A review just helps more people know about the podcast and it helps to continue to amplify our voices as women in the space. [00:01:27] Now, if you just can't get enough. Come hang out with us on Instagram by following me at Ahyiana.Angel. And that's A H Y I A N A dot A N G E L, or drop by our website, SwitchPivotorQuit.com. [00:01:44] And today we're chatting with Veronica Salcedo. She is a Senior Director for NBC Universal's entertainment and lifestyle group. Veronica leads integrated marketing for NBC Universal's suite of pop culture, reality programs across cable, including the Real Housewives franchise, Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Chrisley Knows Best. [00:02:06] Veronica has led campaigns anchored on E!'s Live From The Red Carpet at the Grammy's and Academy Awards, as well as Sci-Fi's live from San Diego ComicCon. She's been in the industry for more than a decade, working within the content in integrated marketing fields, as well as within communications and public relations. [00:02:27] She's also been recognized by industry organizations, including PR Week as a champion of PR and marketing. Let's dive into this conversation with Veronica. Oh, but wait, before we do just a little disclaimer, please remember that many of the cracking corporate conversations you will hear were recorded in 2019, they were previously recorded in anticipation of a cracking corporate podcast that never came to life because guess what COVID happened? [00:02:57] And I just felt like it was a little insensitive to release episodes regarding corporate climbing when so many people were finding themselves unemployed. So some of these conversations may not reflect exactly what the person is responsible for in their role right now. But overall, I felt it was really important to get these conversations out because the gist of them is about how to grow in your career and that never gets old. [00:03:27] Alrighty, Veronica welcome to the show. Very excited for this conversation. How are you? I'm doing great. Ahyiana. How are you? I'm doing well. Thank you. Thank you. So to get us started, let's talk a little bit about your background and tell us how you got into your field and what you're presently doing? [00:03:48] Sure. Thank you so much. So I'm originally from California. I went to school up there. I went to USC for public relations. And when I graduated, I worked for a really small multicultural agency out in downtown LA. Before I made the big move out here to New York. And when I made the move out here, I actually landed a very, very large public relations agency as well. [00:04:09] Worked there for a couple years, did a lot of multicultural PR for Unilever, Pepsi, Microsoft, the like and after a couple years I started getting a little bit antsy on the corporate agency side so I made the big jump to join media companies originally working for a pretty large Spanish language network called Univision, and five years ago made the jump over to NBC Universal. And I was actually asked to work initially on a channel called E! We did campaigns with fashion week, the Oscars, the Grammys, and, and about three years ago, I made the move over to the cable side of the business. And now I'm working on USA, Sci-fi and CNBC, and my main role really in the integrated marketing team is to help the brands that we all know and love, bring them into the culture conversation that NBC as a media company is having and helping tell their brand story through the lens of, of our networks. So it's a lot of fun. I basically get to like watch TV and be creative for a living. [00:05:03] But you know what I also get to do because of the position that I'm in. I'm also able and very lucky to help other women of color, particularly Latinas who, you know, are interested in the same field that I'm in. So really trying to break barriers in the marketing and advertising industry. So obviously representation in front of the camera is important, but that's not gonna start until we have that representation behind the camera as well. So, absolutely. That's really what I'm working on at the moment. [00:05:29] I love it. Yes. So in terms of representation, we've we've touched on this topic a bit on this podcast, and I know that being a woman of color, sometimes coming into corporate spaces, you don't see a lot of you, a lot of people that you can automatically connect with and gravitate to. How has that played a role in your career, if at all? [00:05:55] It's honestly been one of the driving and determining factors in my career that I've really used to propel and used it as a catalyst. Mm. In me really pursuing more opportunities. I, I started my career actually in the multicultural side of the business. [00:06:12] So at the beginning it was, you know, I did see a ton of people that did look like me, the same culture backgrounds as me, but as I started progressing in my career and the higher end rank that I got, those started diminishing and when, especially when I moved over to New York and I started getting more involved in the entertainment marketing side of the business and entertainment advertising side of the business, it was slim to none. [00:06:32] And there's a really big hole in gaping hole that we really need to address because. We have a ton of great talent at the entry level you know, coming into the workforce outta college, right. Who are so eager to learn about this, but aren't really sure that this is the, the industry that they wanna come in. [00:06:49] And so again, because of the position that I'm in and, and, and my particular interest I've been. Very vocal, not only in my company, but in the industry at large, to make sure that we are paving the ways and just it's about access and information. Mm-hmm a lot of people just are unaware of the businesses that are available to them. [00:07:06] Mm-hmm so, you know, I, I, I'm not only working on that. You know, in, in my day to day job, whether it's making sure that our advertising and marketing campaigns are breath full of, of diverse individuals, not just in race and religion, but things you can't see, right. The diversity of the human experience. [00:07:22] Is it perspective, is it a veteran? Is it disability? Is it, you know, you come from a different world of view that is diversity as well. So my job is really just to make sure that we are representing those individuals and the campaigns that I'm executing for my brands. how, or when did you find your voice in your career? [00:07:40] Oh my gosh. I think my inflection point was, honestly, maybe about five years ago. Mm-hmm I had an experience with a supervisor at the time that you know, he, in so many words told me I was too much and you know, I would come to work with my red lipstick, my hoops, my really loud dresses and skirts. [00:08:00] And he told me that he literally said that I you're just too much, Veronica. You need to tone it down a little bit. And I gotta be honest with you, Ahyiana, I, I did. And I started wearing more muted clothes. I started not doing my makeup a certain way. And there was a point in time where I felt really dirty. I felt like, oh my God, this isn't me. [00:08:20] This is not who I grew up to be. My mom would not be proud of this woman. And I, it was, it was a real reckoning for me because. I took the advice of someone who I respected and thought that that would get me further in my career. And I kind of flipped it on its head because here's the thing that it took me a long time to realize. [00:08:39] I was at a, I, I was at a conference a couple of years ago and I came across a piece of advice. It was essentially, you have to play the game, then you have to win the game and then you have to change the game. You gotta play ball mm-hmm right. You gotta play by the rules. You have to come, you have to suit up and you. [00:08:53] Do it, like they want it master that and then you're able to really change it. Right. So what I started to do was, you know, what, I, I will be that way, but I'll be the best that I can be and then I'll be able to change and flip this script on its head. Mm-hmm . So after a couple, as I mentioned, you know, a couple of, of weeks, months of reckoning, I was like, this is not okay. [00:09:14] So I, I started to reintroduce those bold colors and those bold characteristics that make that make me, me mm-hmm , you know, I think getting a seat at the table is important, but what you say when you get there, I think arguably is more important because people are gonna help you. Get there mm-hmm right. [00:09:33] But once you're there, it, it's up to you to make sure that you are suiting up and delivering the right information. So yeah, it happened about five years ago, but I'm so happy that it did because it really made me look at myself as an individual and made me remember what I stood for and what my values were. [00:09:51] And I haven't lost it then. Mm. I love that. You know, this just makes me think of when you're in these moments where it's a little. Challenging for you. And you're trying to decide which way do I go? Do you reach out to anybody? Did you speak with anybody? Did you have any mentors or just people maybe that were your colleagues or just colleagues in the business world where you're like, Hey, have you experienced something like this? [00:10:18] I guess what I'm really getting at is what are our options when we are in those difficult situations at work where you have to make a decision, but you don't really know what the right decision is because maybe you've never encountered this before. Right. And the one thing I would say, Ahyiana is that there might not be one right decision. [00:10:41] Mm. And I think every person has to struggle with that. The right decision for me might not be the right decision for you. Right. But I think you need to you know, it's funny, I, I, you need to surround yourself with your own board of directors. Right. Like you have mentors in your life, but you need people who will call you out on your, on, on your BS. [00:11:00] You, you need people in life who are gonna, when you're down, help bring you up. You need people in life who, when your ego is high are gonna help bring you back to reality. you know what I mean? You can't just surround yourself with with yes, men, you need to be able to surround yourself with people who, who are invested in your growth, but sometimes that also means tough conversations. And sometimes it means conversations that you don't wanna hear. So you will be faced with these difficult encounters and scenarios in your life. And, and again, you gotta tap into your board of directors and, and take a pulse of what the industry is saying what, because they know you outside of your perspective. [00:11:39] So I think your board of directors will definitely give you really valuable insight that others potentially might. and, and, and then really the onus is, is on you because you're the one who's gonna have to sleep with that decision. But again, I don't think there is always going to be one right path mm-hmm you know, our journeys are jagged our journeys. [00:11:57] There's tons of U-turns pivots detours and that's okay. Because at the end of the day, if we would've never taken those, they would never have led us to where we end up. How did you land your first big promotion into management, cuz as we're talking about growing, and as you said, as you continued to excel in your career, you started to see maybe less representation. [00:12:17] What was that like your first big promotion into management and how did that sort of like come about for you or, and was it a strategic move for you? My, my big promotion into management was something that I, I, I made them move over to a division where I don't particularly had a passion for. Mm. And I did that because I wanted to be uncomfortable. [00:12:38] And I knew the only way that I was going to grow into the manager I wanted to be, was to do something that I potentially didn't have an easy knack for. You know, originally in my career, it was very, very pop culture driven. It was very red carpet driven and that's very much my, my style and, and kind of what I love and, and, and see, and that, that industry sparks joy for me. [00:13:00] And when I made the move into management, I went to a division that needed the help to grow and needed someone who potentially had a little bit more pizzaz than they were used to and a little bit more bold and, and, and sassiness mm-hmm to help kinda revive it. And I. When you take these big promotions, they always come with a little bit of uncertainty and uncertainty, not in yourself, but in, in, in, in the future. [00:13:28] And I think that's, that's key. You have to be able to take these stretch assignments and really use them to your advantage. Like, I mean, All star of the line. You just continually get promoted in the best job that you love. But typically that's not people's trajectory. Right. They're gonna, as I mentioned before, pivot U-turn detour everything. [00:13:47] So I, I, I, I always recommend people that I'm talking, whether it's, you know, a mentor or a student. Take the uncomfortable jobs. Don't just look for the jobs that you think are qualified for pitch it. You know, I think we, as leaders and as managers, we always try to make sure that we're hiring for the person and the potential of what could be. [00:14:08] We know you can do the job, but in the next X month, whether it's six months to 12, 18, how will you grow to be that and develop into that manager? And I think, you know, luckily I had a boss who saw that in me and took that step and in myself, Albeit it did come with again, those uncertainties and, and, you know, it's scary, but. [00:14:28] You guys just gotta bite the bullet, suck it up, woman it up. Mm-hmm and and, and just keep, keep walking. Yeah. Yeah. We had an audience question and I wanna throw a couple of these your way. The first one was, how do I build the trust and confidence of the leadership team? Honestly, it's it's with action. [00:14:47] Especially in a, in a corporate division. Like I come from, I, I, I work for NBC universal, which is a very, very large media conglomerate global at this point. And, and there's a lot of talk, right. But I think that the leaders who succeed follow with action also, Listen, you'd be surprised at you know, my level unconsidered mid-management as a director, mm-hmm, , you'd be surprised with entry level and mid-management and talent, how much talking they do and how little listening they do, because I think the first great characteristic in any leader is that listening characteristic mm-hmm so you gotta make sure you do that. [00:15:28] And, and also. Empathy. I feel that's a huge component in, in any in any, you know, individual trying to rise to the top that is recognized in leadership because you can kind of teach people anything. I can teach you how to do a really great, you know, marketing strategy or whatever it may be. But. To have empathy and the, the human emotion and human connection is something that I think we all have innately, but we forget. [00:15:53] So to stay in tune with that and never lose it is something that's gonna be very valuable in the long run. Mm-hmm there's another listener question. And this listener's background is a little bit common, I guess you could say in that. You start somewhere and you wanna grow to another level, but sometimes you feel pigeonholed or maybe even stagnant in your career because of where you started. [00:16:21] Have you ever been in a place like that? And if you haven't, do you have any thoughts about how to sort of move out of that place of, let's say this person starts off just trying to get their foot into the drawer, right. As an executive. Or just a department assistant or something like that, you know, they're coming in, you know how it is at these big name companies. [00:16:41] You're just trying to get your way in there. Right. But then people start to know you in that capacity. That can be a little bit frustrating, right? When you think to yourself, I have more to offer than this. I really wanna grow out of this, but you start to feel a little stagnant or maybe pigeonholed where you are. [00:16:59] Has that happened to you, or if it hasn't happened to you, do you have any thoughts or ideas about how someone may go about navigating this type of situation? Yeah, absolutely. It has happened to me. And it, it was actually when I changed disciplines from publicity and PR over to marketing and, you know, a, a lot of people who aren't in the industry believe they're the same thing, but they're actually quite different, right. [00:17:22] They are part of the school, the same school, but they're actually very, very, quite different disciplines. And I did just that. And it was because of the connections that I had made and the groundwork that I had laid. Years in advance that, that you're able to do it. And I know these decisions, you know, they're not just overnight, you, you start having an inkling of something that interests you or, you know, you might kind of be stagnant or start plateauing off in your, in your current industry. [00:17:51] That is. When you start feeling that that's the time to start laying that groundwork, whether it's coffee with someone or introducing yourself here and there I am a huge proponent of networking. I have never gotten any single job by just cold calling or applying on a website. I it's always been through someone I knew or a friend of a friend that has connected me with the next hiring manager. [00:18:13] Mm-hmm and. I truly believe any opportunities and opportunity to network. I go to the grocery store and I network there. like, you need to make sure it's so true. You, you need to advocate for yourself and throughout my entire career, I've lived and breathed by the one piece of advice, which is never forget the brand. [00:18:31] That is you. I don't wanna be known as Veronica with NBC Universal. I want people to know me as Veronica at like full stop mm-hmm and. You need to start that work very early on in your career, because it's very unlikely, especially with the new generation coming up, that you're gonna stay in one co one job your entire life, right? [00:18:52] So you need to be able to create equity for yourself and in the discipline that you're at independent of the job. That you have. So again, meeting people and, and never, never losing that, you know, making connections with individuals, not for a purpose, just because they interest you or just because they're at a, at a, at a company that they interest you is, is key because you. [00:19:17] You don't forget that, you know, you always get these notes from people that say I'm very, just in a position and your team would love to connect. That's that's awesome. But this really special ones reach out to you when there's no positions on your team. Or if you're mentioned in the news or something, you know, you work on a great campaign, they comment about it. [00:19:35] Like those are the real special ones that you can see really care about what you're doing. And I think those are the really successful ones because they really know how to work the room. And it's, it's really quality, not quantity. Like if you can go to a networking event and really, really connect with two to three people versus exchange business cards, if those still even exist with 15 people, it's, it's a lot more Fruitful for, for, for yourself in, in, and again, maintaining the quality of the relationships versus just, you know, the amount of people that, you know. [00:20:15] Do you think that there's a double standard when it comes to promoting men and women? And if so, how can companies address this double standard? [00:20:27] And, and maybe if, if you don't wanna answer the question of how companies can address it, mm-hmm, maybe it's how can an individual do work that goes in their favor and, and having that double standard in the back of their. Yeah. I actually come from a discipline where there's a ton of, of women representation. [00:20:48] I think there's really great representation at the female level of, of marketing and especially in entertainment. And so what we try to do is, is make sure that we definitely have a lot more male representation too. but in terms of, in terms of making sure that you are representing a diverse group of individuals, it's, it's a really fine line, you know, and as I mentioned before, diversity for me is not just what I see diversity is, you know, a diverse of the human experience where you grew up in the different perspective that you can bring to me is an indicator of how successful I will be. And, and to be quite frank, you know, a lot of people in Corporate America start to hire people that look like them, people that come from the same backgrounds as them. And they're almost like little robots. Mm-hmm, just continue with the mm-hmm and it, diversity is good for business point is like plain and simple. It is good for business. And if we start to hire, if we start to hire individuals that compliment our opportunities in white spaces, mm-hmm , that is where the. [00:21:58] Actually makes good business sense to be able to hire diversely, you know, I know there's some stats out there that actually like there's actual business impact that, that, that companies have seen with ensuring that their workforce is diverse. mm-hmm yeah, there's a lot of different studies and, and, and I'm glad that you pointed out the fact that people tend to hire people that look like them because that's a comfort zone that we all find ourselves in. [00:22:24] It's just, it's the same thing. Like when they say people are dating and they tend to date people who look like them on some level. Yeah. Like it could be related or something it's that people stay. We, we tend to gravitate to comfort zones. And so that's. I guess the nature of it, but being aware of those comfort zones and then trying to reach outside of that is beneficial for everybody. [00:22:45] Absolutely. Is there anything that you do to maybe routinely try and push yourself outside of your comfort zone? You know, I, I love taking stretch assignments. And as I mentioned before, that that never stops in your career. I took a stress assign. You know, initially when I made the pivot over to PRN marketing, I was like, Hey, this is pretty cool. [00:23:05] I could maybe make a career outta this. Right. But I continually like to raise my hand for things that people might not know me for, because you never know. I, I may wanna change disciplines again. I've been in, I've been in this industry for you know, over 10 years now and there's gonna come in time where I'm gonna hit an inflection point. [00:23:25] I'm gonna be like, What do I wanna do with my life now? Yeah. So I always like to ask for such assignments and not just professionally, I'm a part of several nonprofit boards independent of, of the job that I do with NBC Universal. So even with them, you know, I, I wanna make sure that I'm continually working on things that I'm not the best at. [00:23:44] And I wanna sharpen those skills because you never know, I might do something that I thought I hated and I have a knack for it, and I find passionate in it. So mm-hmm, I, I continually like doing that because again, the only way that I'm gonna grow as an individual, a professional, a manager, a person is by. [00:24:01] Stepping outside of my comfort zone and, and making sure I'm growing and growing that way. Mm-hmm you talked a little bit earlier about personal brand and establishing that so that people know who you are by your name and not necessarily by your name associated with any brand name or company name. [00:24:17] Do you have a personal elevator pitch? Ooh, I don't actually, I, I usually I start with the California bit because if you actually saw me, I don't fully look like I'm from orange county, California. , I'm kinda like, you know, one of these CRAs isn't look like the other, so that's really an elevator could be an icebreaker. [00:24:41] I also throw in that I was part of the band in college because not many people again, would think that I'm part of the band. And I think the elevator pitch is always so professional and I just love breaking the ice a little bit, getting people out of their, you know, professional, stiff, like right. [00:24:57] Conversation mode and just, just connecting with someone on a human level, because they've gotten millions of elevator pitches. How can I make them laugh? How can I make them remember me? That's not just on my resume paper. Like what's one thing that I can throw out there that they're gonna be like, oh my God. [00:25:12] Yeah, that's the girl. In the, the marching band they'll remember me that way. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. So I kind of rely on my personality and and charisma, quite frankly, because I'm, you know, they can read what I do professionally and my accolades, but mm-hmm, , what's not there. So. That's what I rely on. [00:25:32] Usually mm-hmm mm-hmm . When you think about leapfrog in your career, have you used any types of tactics or things that maybe you think back and you're just like, oh, I didn't realize that actually helped to propel me in a huge way. Have you used any leapfrog style tactics to aid you in your career? You know what I did pretty early on Ahyiana. [00:25:55] I mm-hmm , I, I, I, I, I made sure that I evangelize the soft skills that I learned versus the hard skills. Because as I mentioned before, anyone can do a budget. Anyone can do a creative deck, but what I started to use was the soft skills that I had learned, the time management, the project management, the problem, solving the team, building that I think. [00:26:18] What allowed me to not only pivot careers, but grow in my career, those soft skills are transferable to any discipline in any industry. I think those are things that not that they're not necessarily totally taught in school or in a professional setting. Mm-hmm those things come with practice. And what I was able to do was really hone on those. [00:26:42] And as I mentioned, evangelize those in conversations where people might have originally pigeonholed me but now, because I'm able to really showcase the skills that I can transfer across discipline might now think of me in a different way. And I, I truly think that helped me early in my career because people then looked at me and said, you know, maybe she would be great for the marketing team. [00:27:02] I had picked her for a publicist for X amount of years that, you know, she's really putting her marketing hat on and is able to really do a lot of the same things that my team does. Let's give her a chance. Mm-hmm and I think. Helped me be in charge of the conversation versus the other person. I was in charge of my own destiny because I was the one who was letting them know how I could help them based on the soft skills that I've learned throughout my, my, my career and apply those to the hard skills that I will eventually learn on their team or whatever it is. [00:27:35] If someone is listening and they're trying to make a transition into middle management, they are not quite in a management position or capacity yet, but that's a goal for them. Do you have any insights or things maybe that you've learned along the way that could help that transition and maybe make it a little easier, maybe something that they didn't know to look out for or didn't think of or something that you learned along the way? [00:28:03] Yeah, I think before you, before you get into any management position, you have to think about values. You have to identify what your north star is. Mm-hmm and. I for me, those are empathy, compassion, and understanding. And the reason why I say that is because as a manager, you're going to be put in situations where the rule book is gonna be thrown out the window. [00:28:29] Something inside of you to keep your cool help the person, whatever it is like there's gonna be, you're gonna be put in scenarios where it's uncomfortable and you're not gonna know what to do. Those values will continue you forward. And they'll be, as I mentioned, your north star in any difficult conversation scenario, whatever it may be. [00:28:48] Mm-hmm . So before you even become a manager, you really need to look inside yourself. What are the values that you can bring and, and help and impart on your team? And that's step number one. The second thing I think again is to, is, is, is to listen. It's such a, it's such a, you know, minor detail, but the best leaders, I believe, truly listen and understand where their team is coming from, where their peers are coming from, where their management is coming from and then helps to solve business problems. [00:29:18] You know, it's, it's interesting because a lot of people. Walk into conversations already, knowing what they wanna say. And they don't really listen to the other person. And then. You know, respond it's, it's more about who just getting your point across, right. And the best managers and leaders, again, really perfect. [00:29:37] The exercise of listening, because that's where you can really put yourself in someone else's shoes. Being a manager, a hundred percent honest is being a part-time therapist. Like half my job is, is actually what I do. Mm-hmm. But half my job is really just trying to block and tackle roadblocks that my team is having personally or professionally and right. I love it though, because my, you know, my legacy is not gonna be the great campaign that I did for you know, the, the next USA show. It's gonna be the impact that I leave and the, and the people that I have touched in terms of their lives. Mm. And I, I wanna be known for that. [00:30:18] I, and as I mentioned before, I live by it for me, it's, it's, it's quality, not quantity. Mm-hmm . I love to be able to personally affect a handful of people in my career versus, you know, tangentially or minimally impact 200 people in my career that is fulfilling and rewarding in and of itself for me. And it's really, you know, kind of kept me on my path. [00:30:40] You mentioned just briefly like, oh, the next great campaign for USA. And it made me think like, I wanna know a little bit about your marketing mind, how do you tap into creative ideas? Or do you have a process or it, what happens in your world when there's maybe a new show launching? And there's a creative campaign that needs to be thought of, and maybe you and your team are charged with some element of things, or maybe you are in your spearheading and you have to bring it back to the team. [00:31:13] What's your process look like? Or, or let us into your world a little bit. Like, what is it, what is this? Cuz it feels like a little bit of, of pressure right. To deliver because there's always something new happening in a corporate corporate environment. There's always a new launch. There's always something, you know, bubbling to the surface. So what does it look like for you sort of behind the scenes, in terms of how you sort of tackle creative things day to day or how you operate [00:31:38] Yeah, absolutely. There's always something going on. Right. You know, as I mentioned before, it's so invigorating to be able to do this stuff because it's, it's, it's content that I watch all the time on TV or whatever it is. [00:31:49] Yeah. Before I start anything, I like to do a little bit of homework and I always start with. Some type of human truth, right? Mm. I like in our, you know, conversation, I know you probably gleaned already that I'm big on connections. I'm big on energy. I'm big on human aura. I always wanna start with something that is true, but you could be a 70 year old person living in Alabama or a 15 year old here in, in New York city. [00:32:13] What is one human truth that we all. You know, an example could be like, we all love our moms, right. And that is something that is a driver in a marketing strategy. So you start with something that is innately human, that connects more, that crosses borders and connects individuals on a human level. And you use that as your north star and that really kind of helps to breathe where a marketing strategy would go or a guiding principle would go. I I'm, I'm really lucky because I get to work at an intersection of consumer brands. What, whether it may be, you know, major tech companies, major retail companies, and a major media company, NBC Universal. [00:32:54] And I get to tell stories that. Deliver what the brand is looking for from a messaging standpoint, but through the lens of our content. So if you could think about Mr. Robot, for example, is a big show on USN. If you could think about that show, how can we, how can we bring brands into the conversation and into the fold and tell their story through the lens of that world and that tone. [00:33:17] And that's where I come in. I help to craft the message that the brand will be able to anchor on independent of platform. Right? So we wanna tell a story, how can we tell that via. TikTok, how can we tell that on air? How can we tell that through our social campaigns? What I do is help create that like 30,000 foot strategic overview and what that nugget is that will be breathed into life. [00:33:42] And then I'll tap into the experts of those platforms, whether it's my content strategy team, whether it. My, you know, social editors, whether it's my producers or creative directors and they help bring their expertise into my conversation and say, all right, this is your north star. Here's what I can do. [00:34:00] So then it's almost like a puzzle, right? Then I, I have the template down. And then I start plugging the pieces of the puzzle to be able to tell one cohesive story. And sometimes it's, it's, it's per show. Sometimes it's a year long campaign. Sometimes the clients come in and ask for, Hey, I have this product launch coming in, you know, 18 months from now. [00:34:18] What can you tell me from then? Mm-hmm, , it's very exciting place to be. I, I get to read pilot scripts. I get to read stuff. That's coming down the pipe, you know, in two years from now. And it's cool thing because. As a entertainment junkie. Like I swear my best night is just to stay at home with watch TV and drink wine. [00:34:37] Like that is what we do. [00:34:43] Oh, my. [00:34:46] You know, liquor brand mm-hmm is so exciting because it, it never gets old. It, we always have new shows coming out. We always have new projects coming out. So this there's never a day where it's boring. Really mm-hmm and I'm I'm, I feel very lucky, you know it didn't just. Fall on my lap. I, I worked hard, but I I'm still thankful. [00:35:03] Every day I get to walk into the walls of 30 Rock and, and be like, oh my God, like I work here, like the trees outside right now. And I can see it light up and like people come around the world to see this building. So it's a very exciting place to be. Mm-hmm I feel the excitement. I love it. I love it. I think that's so amazing when you really enjoy what you do. [00:35:24] And I also think that it's very cool that the type of position you're in it's. This integrated marketing in a way that I think social media has really opened the doors for more of this and expanded the opportunities within a role like yours. I could be wrong cuz I don't do your job, but that's just what I think from the outside looking in. [00:35:44] Absolutely. Yeah. So how has, and, and I, I have to ask you this question. How has. Social media and influencer marketing and those types of elements. How has that impacted the work that you do day to day? It's honestly critical. And it's funny because I, you know, I graduated from school a little bit over 10 years ago. [00:36:04] Mm-hmm and had I known the. The impact that social media would've had on my job and just the community in our world. I would've definitely sunk my teeth into it earlier. Right. And I'm learning, I'm learning things every day. And social at, at its current point really, really helps us evangelize the messaging that we have. [00:36:27] And quite frankly, sometimes it's how people, you know, get to know us. I think what's really great about social. Every platform has its own use, right? Like Twitter, for example, on TV is a great tool for us because when people watch content, their reactions are there. So it's a great platform for us to continually engage with fans on a one to one basis in real time. [00:36:51] You know, Instagram is, is, is high, high visual, big impact, not so frequent and not so real time either. Right. So every, every platform has such a unique place to fill in our media mix and we have a great solid team that, that, that does all that, but it's such a critical tool to help us tell our story in even those two examples that I just gave mm-hmm It's it's really helped us evangelize things and set in such a big way. [00:37:17] And quite frankly, right now, globally, too, you know, I, I work for networks that are currently only available here in the us. Our content is distributed. Yes. But you know, the USA Network is only available here, but we're able to create and grow our fan base internationally via social win content that we were like, oh my gosh, like, look, we have this huge. [00:37:38] You know, fan base in Mexico, for example, that we would've never even known to tap into mm-hmm had we not known or engaged with them on social? So it's opened a ton of doors for us, not only from a marketing and an awareness standpoint, but also from a fan engagement standpoint. In your career, what turned out to be more challenging than you expected and what was easier than you expected? [00:38:00] I'll start with easier. Okay. Easier was, was making the move. Honestly, I, I, I moved cross country. I knew no one. I had no family here. I slept on an air mattress and I sub in an apartment from a French model in battery park city until I had enough money to buy a bed for a month. And I had this like, oh, oh my God, what did I do? [00:38:20] 10 years ago when I moved and. Blink of an eye, it's been a decade and I'm like, oh my God. Like, I, I wouldn't have done anything different. Mm-hmm that making that move was a lot easier than I expected. And I think what what's been the hardest thing, I think. Really has been finding connections with individuals that have similar mindsets that I do. [00:38:44] Mm-hmm and I think in the industry that we're in, there's a lot of like, let's just keep it real. There's a lot of fake people out there. Yeah. You know, and be able to. To truly connect with someone that's on your level and wants, and has the same values that you have and wants to achieve the same things that you do is really hard. [00:39:01] And especially when you move to a new city to find those people that you connect with. So, you know, purely is, is, is tough. But again, like I've been lucky that I've, I've met some really, really great people that have become friends, mentors throughout my career. And you gotta hang on to those. Knowing everything that you know, and having all of the experiences that you've had. [00:39:23] And you've shared a lot with us today, but we know there's a ton more to your story. If there was anything that you wanted to leave a listener with who was trying to grow in her career, what would, what would you wanna share with her? If, if there's anything that we haven't touched on yet [00:39:38] You will be rejected 100%, you will be rejected and that's okay. I think we come from a generation that thinks we can do anything. My mom told me I could do anything when I grew up. And you know, you need to be able to create those means for yourself to do just that. And when I got my first rejection, it was a huge pill ahead to swallow, but it turned out okay. [00:40:02] And I. The biggest thing that you have to be comfortable with is, is failure to be a hundred percent honest. Mm-hmm , that is the one for like sure thing in life. Is that not everything is gonna go the way you planned your journey will not be a straight arrow. You're going to have twists and turns and detours. [00:40:20] But again, that is the diversity of the human experience. You've gotta be able to bounce back and it's about resilient. It's about making sure that you're learning from your mistakes in a way that will propel. for the, the next best thing mm-hmm and it's a really, really tough industry out there. Like I'm not gonna lie. [00:40:39] It's really tough. And it's not for the faint of heart, but if you push through, it's so rewarding and fulfilling it's worth it. It really is. Mm-hmm mm-hmm my final question. What does success mean or look like for you? For me, quite frankly, is, is connecting with individuals. Be it via my campaigns or otherwise, and impacting them in a way. [00:41:06] I can help leave a legacy with them. I wanna make sure that I can leave this world with, with stronger women, again, particularly Latinas, because we're, we come from a culture that is very male dominant and ma very male driven. Absolutely. And for a Hispanic woman, to be able to walk into a room, be a boss, run a team of maybe men of maybe white men. [00:41:33] Is so powerful and that is something that we don't traditionally see growing up. Mm-hmm and I think being able to, again, leave this world with, with the next group of leaders, knowing that that is a possibility is, is, is critical for me. Ooh. I love that for Veronica. This was such a good conversation. [00:41:57] We touched on a ton of things that I'm sure will be really, really helpful for everyone. So thank you so much for sharing your time with us today. Thank you a, I really appreciate it. So, Veronica, do you want to share with us how people can maybe get in touch with you and contact you or just follow your journey? [00:42:14] Sure drop me a line on LinkedIn. I respond to all my messages. I think it's a great, great tool to stay connected with individuals in your professional life. And again, you know, I'm always open to having conversations with individuals who are more interested in the space that I'm in or, or what have you, so I'm available. [00:42:32] That does it for our episode this week. I hope you enjoyed. If you did make sure to head over to iTunes and leave your girl a review, I would greatly appreciate it. And as always take care and be good. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit

On this episode, we chat with Melanie Feldman, a career coach and co-founder of Going Places who has built a successful career by landing roles at her top choice companies (i.e. Twitter, Uber) without ever applying for a single job. She shares the strategies she’s learned with us! Website: https://www.youaregoingplaces.com/ Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. *Please note, the below transcript has been uploaded without the eye of a human editor so please expect some typos! [00:00:00] This is a Mayzie Media product. [00:00:02] This week's episode of the switch pivot or quit podcast is brought to you by Charon. Charon has long-lasting mega rolls that aim to give you a better bathroom experience. Those who use Charon really enjoy the go during the switch pivot or quit chats. We talked to women who have successfully navigated. [00:00:21] Through some of the plot twist years of life and are eager to share their stories and what they've learned in the hopes of inspiring teaching or making even the slightest impact by candidly owning their truth. Hey girl. Hey, and thanks for dropping into the switch pivot or quit podcast, candid convo for the girl needing a lifestyle plot twist. [00:00:44] When she's deciding if it's time to switch pivot or. I'm Ayana angel, a former sports entertainment publicist in New York City turn traditionally published author with Simon and Schuster who quit my old life to write a book live in London for a bit, and explore my dreams to find my happiness and fulfillment. [00:01:04] I'm here to help encourage and guide you through your plot twist years as your chief encourager and host of this podcast. Switch, pivot, or quit. Our community is continuously growing. So welcome to all the new listeners and thank you all for those who are return. If you love what you hear on the switch, pivot or quit podcast, and wanna show your love, head over to iTunes and leave us a review. [00:01:32] A review just helps more people know about the podcast and it helps to continue to amplify our voices as women in the space. Now if you just can't get enough, come hang out with us on Instagram by following me at Ahyiana dot angel. And that's A H Y I A N A dot A N G E L, or drop by our website, SwitchPivotorQuit.com. [00:01:58] Now let's get this conversation started. On today's show, we're chatting with Melanie Feldman. Melanie is a career coach and co-founder of Going Places. She's built a successful career by landing roles at her top choice companies without ever applying for a single job. After her first role, she authored Bold: Get Noticed, Get Hired. A book that provides both inspirational stories and the techniques of people who set themselves apart to land their dream jobs. It is now used in college curriculum courses at Lehigh University and Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to her work as a career coach, Melanie is also still climbing the corporate ladder at one of Silicon Valley's top tech companies. [00:02:45] You all know how I typically feel. The career coach conversation. I feel like I'm always talking about this and that's partially because I'm inundated with coaches and this conversation was different and unique for me. And I loved it because Melanie is coming from a completely different perspective. [00:03:07] She has a skill set that she's learned along the way of actually thriving in her career and being able to go from top company to top company and learning some really key takeaways as to how you can make these strategic moves and not actually apply for a job. So I think you're gonna enjoy this chat. [00:03:28] Let's get started with you telling us what your very first job was and what you were doing in that job? [00:03:35] Absolutely, so my first job was at a company called Undertone, an advertising network in New York City. And I was a media coordinator to be honest. I didn't even know advertising networks existed I just watched mad men. So, I thought that's where I was getting myself into. [00:03:52] Part of the reason that I wanted to chat with you I think you have an interesting story and journey because you are also a nine-to-five employee right now as well. And so share with us a little bit more about how you got into this career coaching space and how you're navigating your career right now? [00:04:13] You know, what's funny is I never woke up one day or, you know, through college was like, I'm gonna be a career coach, it's actually, yeah, it's actually kind of funny how that started and I'll take it back. I graduated from college, almost 10 years ago now, and I flew back to Hawaii where I'm from. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna work in New York City. I'm gonna crush it. You know, I just felt like on top of the world. [00:04:39] I was a finance and marketing major. I played a division one sport. I had three internships and I thought, okay, I have this in the bag. Mm-hmm. And I applied to a hundred jobs a day only to get automated responses saying, no, thank you. And I just remember these like pain points probably around three months in. [00:04:58] And I remember my mom just being like, how can I help you? Like, do you wanna go to Barnes and Noble and find a book or something? You know, it was like, yeah, I just, I realized like, did I ever learn how to apply for a job in college? [00:05:11] Like, I don't think so. And so I'm completely struggling. And four months in, at this point, I catch a webinar on LinkedIn by Louis House. He said I challenge you to reach out to someone you never think you can get in touch with. And I was like, okay, you know, I never really thought about this. [00:05:29] I've just been applying for a million jobs. And I ended up cold reaching out to a sportscaster at ESPN because I was like, okay, I wanna work at ESPN. I played a sport and I was a business major. So that's the only company I wanna work at, which who knows why I was thinking that now, but it's that mentality when you get outta college, you no clue what you wanna do. [00:05:50] And I sent that email off, put 25 different emails attached to it, and didn't think anything. Cuz I had no idea what his email was and I was like, okay, Neil dot Everett and Everett, like I just threw it out there. And nothing happened. And I was like, okay, I'll pause on that. [00:06:05] I didn't expect anything. But at the same time, I started just thinking, wow, maybe I should. I mean, I have to change something up at this point, applying online, isn't doing anything. And so I started just messaging so many people on LinkedIn, and through email and trying to leverage any part of my network I possibly could. [00:06:24] And the funny part, Ahyiana is I got every interview I ever wanted from every single job that I had on my list. I was like, oh my gosh, I was the same person, no one ever responded to any of the resumes I had sent out. And all of a sudden I'm getting responses, which was crazy. [00:06:41] Meanwhile, one month later, Neil Everett calls my phone and he's like, how did you get my email address? I was like, Neil, don't worry about it. But so the funny part was he got on a call with me and the next day I had an interview at ESPN. Was that interview a result of that phone call? [00:06:56] Yeah. So I said, Neil, I, we just, we hit it off on, on the phone. I was telling him, you know, I'm from Hawaii, you worked in Hawaii. And he was like, all right, what, what do you want from me? And I was like, all right, well, can I get an interview? And, and he called the HR department and he got me an interview the next day and everything after that changed for me, because, you know, I just realized it's all about human connection and no one teaches you that in college. [00:07:23] Long story short, I ended up getting a job in New York City. So I ended up cold emailing the CEO's assistant. She got me an interview. One week later, I'm flying from Hawaii to New York city, starting an advertising, knew nothing about the space or anything. [00:07:38] And, what really interest me was, did everyone else land their jobs like this? And I, I was so curious and so I ended up writing a book called Bold: Get Noticed, Get Hired, which was a complete interview series of like 30 people around the world who I thought did really cool things and I was interested how you landed your first job. [00:07:57] So mm-hmm, that, that was a really interesting start to just being in the space and, you know, naturally I was speaking a lot of colleges after I had launched my book and I would just get message after message from college students saying, can you help me with my job? Can you help me land a job? And I realized that gave me a ton of energy to help people navigate their careers. And so long story short somehow I fell into the space and it's something I just absolutely enjoy. [00:08:23] It seems like you were crafty with trying to figure out what Neil's email address was. Mm-hmm and you were also crafty with probably seeing that there was a job posting available at this advertising agency and then going after the assistant because they're usually the gatekeepers. [00:08:39] Is there something that typically comes up for you when you are recommending for people to take certain actions or certain steps when they're trying to get their foot in the door without a resume? [00:08:50] Absolutely. So I think there's a few things. One, in particular, is this mentality of asking people for things, you know, I don't know about you, but for me, it's like I get a lot of LinkedIn messages where people are just asking me to do things and I've never even met them before. [00:09:07] Yep. And it's one of those things where like, yes, you're gonna carve out time to help people, of course, but it's this weird offputing thing when someone's asking for something and you've never met them. I think the first thing that I try to train people on in terms of a mentality, especially from a young age, like, even in high school is don't ask people for things when you're creating a network and you're building a network from scratch, which, you know, is the core to getting referred into a company and, and getting your foot in the door. [00:09:35] It's about how can you do research on that person and add value. And the only real ask is can I have 20 minutes to talk about you and ask you some specific questions that I have because I find your background so interesting and so inspirational. And so I try to get people out of this mentality of, hi, can you refer me to this company? [00:09:56] you know, mm-hmm, it's like, it just feels a little off-putting and I don't think they get the results that you want. And so, yeah, that's the first thing I usually talk to people about is like, we're gonna build this from the ground up and mm-hmm you never are gonna ask people for things, even, if you wanna get introduced to someone, you're gonna write that introduction so all they have to do is press one button to send it off. [00:10:16] So tell us, how did you get your current position? We know that you are doing other work you're employed outside of the career coaching work that you do. How did you land this position? [00:10:29] Yeah, absolutely. So for one, all of the jobs that I've ever had in the advertising space, I've never actually applied online. I really believe like landing your first job is, is the toughest because it's, it's so competitive. [00:10:42] And so mm-hmm for me, it's really been about. Doing the best work I possibly can. And, creating a network around me and, and always having conversations with people and always asking about them and learning about them because ultimately that's how I've gotten every job. It's, you know, we started at one company, people left to other companies and they're like, oh, there's an open role at their company. [00:11:04] And they're like, oh wow. Melanie would be a really good fit for that because I, you know, I try to put my head down and, and show that I do quality work because. At the end of the day, your network is, is what you have. And, and so you want people to see you in the best light. So yeah, it was, it was through my network. [00:11:21] It was someone that I had worked with previously who reached out to me and said, Hey Melanie, are you interested in this role? I think it'd be a perfect fit. And I was like, all right. Yeah. [00:11:31] So in the book, Bold: Get Notice, Get Hired. What did you figure out? Was there a common theme that you were able to come up with or was there anything surprising that you figured out from speaking to the people that you spoke to for the book? [00:11:46] It was really interesting because I chose people with all different backgrounds. It was people who were engineers and in advertising. And, you know, I tried to really pick different industries and what I realized were two things. So one, not everyone is extroverted. A lot of people aren't extroverted and, and don't feel comfortable like reaching out and having tons of conversations. [00:12:08] One thing was everyone kind of figured out what their passion was and what gives them energy. And they honed in on that to then focus on that as they were getting creative with, with how they got discovered. And, and like, what I mean by that is. Some people coded websites. And so that was like, you know, they made these cool websites to put their resume on and like showcase it [00:12:29] One girl loved Legos. And so she created this amazing Lego of the logo of the company and shipped it over to them and was like, can I have a call? Like, will I get an interview? It was just interesting. It was like, you don't have to be good at one specific thing, but everyone's generally interested in something. And it's like, mm-hmm how can you turn that something into something that helps you stand out? And the other piece was, and this is something I speak about a lot and it's, it's the elimination of fear of rejection. All of these people when I talked to them and I heard their story you could easily have said, are you embarrassed to do what you did? Like there were guys standing with a, a desk on wall street and, and was handing out his resumes like a lemonade stand and, and everyone could have easily said, are you embarrassed to do these things? And no one would ever say that because they're all really successful now. [00:13:20] And so I, I realized they removed that fear of rejection and they just went with it and they didn't care what anyone else thought. And every single person I interviewed had that commonality. And so it made me really think a lot about that. And I was like, wow. If, if I wanna be successful, if anyone wants to be successful, you really have to, you know, come straight up with rejection and say, I'm okay with it. [00:13:43] Rejection is definitely a big thing. And I think it holds so many people back. Is there anything that you can think of that maybe somebody can do to get themselves more comfortable with rejection? [00:13:58] So one of my favorite quotes is you can ask a hundred people out on a date and if you get 99 nos, that means you have a date it's like, okay, you got 99 nos, but you have a date and you're excited, right. Cuz you have a date. And so I always say like, it's so easy to look back and say, oh, I'm so glad that didn't work out cuz I wouldn't be here or, you know, really think of rejection as redirection later on mm-hmm. But if you can, like in the moment, which is so hard to do, it's like I have to remind myself of this all the time, because life is just a series of rejections. [00:14:35] It starts really young. Right? And it's like everything it's like asking someone to prom, getting into college, getting in a friend group. You're just being rejected. One thing after another, and the sooner you can come to realize that the if the worst thing that's gonna happen is a no. And you're like, all right, well, I guess I'm okay with that. All of a sudden, it's like this weird lift off your chest and you're like, all right, what's stopping me? And I, I feel like so many people fall short of what they can do because they're so scared to fail. And, you know, I talk with a lot of parents of students in high school, and I say, be that support system for your kid while they're going through that, push them to fail. So they get used to it, you know, and I think the earlier we can start failing the better we're gonna be as we get older and grow into our careers. [00:15:26] Can you think back to a time where you had to make a difficult decision in your career and what was that? [00:15:33] So I worked at Twitter three companies ago now. Yeah. And I was you know, on the sales team and I had this just amazing job. And I loved who I worked with. And one of my clients actually, which was a small startup of probably around 20 people. I, I was working with them for over two years and they had finally come to me and said, do you wanna come over here and you know, kind of lead our brand sales? Mm. And I thought I have the most stable job. I absolutely love my company. I feel so secure. I have the best friend group here. Why would I ever leave that? Mm-hmm, I usually rely on my gut to make most decisions. In the sense of, I get that feeling and if I doubt myself, I usually just overthink it. [00:16:18] And so, okay. This one took a really long time because mm-hmm I had to think through it and I ended up. Making the jump. And I went to a startup which is funny. They actually, this year got acquired by Twitter. So it was almost this circle situation. But you know, I was completely out of my comfort zone. [00:16:35] I remember I just showed up the first day and there was just a box on my desk and it was the computer and they were like, Okay. Go. I'm like no big HR orientation, no big, no packet. But, you know, what, if I never made that move, I don't think I would be where I'm at today in my career or. [00:16:53] I think it's important to get outside your comfort zone and do things that might not always feel safe. Mm-hmm because that's how you grow and get better. And the exposure I had at that, that startup, which grew so quickly transformed my career. And I'm so thankful that I went with that and felt so uncomfortable in that situation to make that move [00:18:29] Has there ever been a time where you thought to yourself? I need to step it up. And if so, what did you then do? Yeah, that's a, that's a great question. I'm trying to think because it, it generally happens very often for me. I'm trying to think because you know, it's funny because you say like that, that generally happens very often for you, but I'm sure somebody listening to this is like, Oh, my gosh, she worked at Twitter, she worked in advertising. [00:18:54] She, you know what I mean, for somebody, your career trajectory is probably their dream, right? So when you are thinking about like telling yourself to step it up, like maybe it's not even about a specific instance, maybe it's just about how you approach life in your career. That keeps you jumping from one big gig if you will, to the next. [00:19:18] Yeah, no. And you know what, as you're saying that it really makes me think about things because, so like you said, right, you're like someone would see a Twitter on a resume, see these different companies and say, wow, that's my dream job. And I think for me like when I think about stepping it up like 10 years into my career, it becomes more about how could I do more things that give me energy and make me feel good in my day-to-day than less, you know? [00:19:43] So if I can feel 50% of that more than 50% of my day doing things that I enjoy and just, and usually those are the things that I check off my list first. Right. Because it's easy. I, I get it done. And then, you know, they have those items on the list that I never get done because I don't love them. And, and for me, like stepping it up really is in that sense, because it's how can I grow my career? How can I keep moving forward? So my life eventually is just made up of more and more of those things. And, and I just think it's funny that you cuz you were talking about dream job and I think it's so easy for people to think like. Oh, this name company, I need to do this. [00:20:20] It's gonna be my dream job. Mm-hmm and then you get there and you're like, wait, why did I think that again? no, it's just like, what, what about this? My dream job. Yeah. So, you know, I think for me, it's like, I enjoy helping people grow their careers. That's something that like, I, wake up outta bed and I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't wait to do that. [00:20:42] And you know, I incorporate that in my nine to five. I incorporate that in going places and it's like, you know, I know I love working with clients and, and doing those types of things. I, I usually challenge myself and like I, every so often, probably every six months, I, I put a list together of what's giving me energy now and what's draining me. [00:21:04] And then I try to focus on, on how do I do more of the energy piece. And it's, I think it's important for people to identify that every six months because your life changes so quickly and yeah. You know, what, what would be on my list 10 years ago is very different now. [00:21:20] Right? You just made me think of something in terms of the work that you do nine to five with relation to the work with going places. [00:21:31] How does the work that you do when you're nine to five impact or maybe how has it aligned with the work that you're doing with going places? It sounds like you work with clients on both sides. So is there any crossover, is there anything maybe in your nine to five that helped set you up for the work that you do with going places? [00:21:54] Yeah. So, and I might take this in a slightly different direction because I have this, this thought around it and it's, mm-hmm, in college, you can only think about what you wanna do, and then you get your feet wet and you're in the company and you start getting experience. [00:22:08] And I think the piece that I realize, which helps me quote, unquote, coach people through their careers and help them navigate and, and all that is. I actually realized how companies actually hire and what that process looks like. Mm-hmm and, and it was something that I think I did, I don't ever remember learning. [00:22:28] I didn't know. And you know, I've hired people at companies that I've worked at. I've been on that side of the, of the curtain and it, I think what's so interesting to me. And I don't know if you feel this way too, Ahyiana. But you're, you're led to believe when you're in college and when you're graduating, mm-hmm that if you get your four-year degree and you send your resume through, you know, online mm-hmm you have this fighting chance. Mm-hmm and there's a chance that someone's gonna see you. Yeah. And I only learned that it wasn't the case when I got jobs and when I was in the workforce and I was hiring people. And what I realized and this is something I try to educate people on. [00:23:06] This is why I feel like I really connect with people as I'm helping them navigate and inspiring them to, you know, hand the job that they want is actually it doesn't work like that. Mm-hmm and the way it works is there's an open rule that manager sends an email out to everyone and says, Hey, you know, do you have a great candidate for this role? [00:23:28] Send me referrals, send me referrals. Mm-hmm and everyone sends 'em through because. One, you know, you wanna send good people through, but two there's an incentive bonus for that. Every company does it, right? Yeah. You know, you, you make what you can make like $20,000 at some companies. I'm sure it's not like that everywhere, but you can make a lot of money if you get a candidate hired mm-hmm and then the, the manager gets this massive stack of resumes on their desk. [00:23:53] And then all of a sudden they're doing interviews. And then, you know, maybe a week later, the job's posted online. And, and so what I realized is there's this issue, right? So one, if you apply online, you're competing against thousands of people. And if you right happen to be seen, if your resume lands in front of someone, you're behind the ball, because you're competing against people who have had multiple interviews and they've been referred mm-hmm And so I think for me, what excites me outside of just like what I do in my, you know, in advertising and all that is. I wanna teach people that you're not just worthless because you're not hearing back. [00:24:33] You're actually never seen. And I think, you know, part of building a more diverse and inclusive workforce amongst all companies, it starts by creating that, that pool of candidates through referrals and. And I, and so I try to teach people, you know, if you wanna get your resume in front of someone, you need to build that network from scratch, develop rapport with people, to the point where they're incentivizing, they're gonna wanna refer you in. [00:25:01] Sometimes with referrals, it can create this environment where everyone's the same because they're all referring their friends and yeah. You know, and, and so that's, one of my missions is like, I want people to learn how to navigate this and know that this is how it works. Mm-hmm so then that way they can, they can start this early in college. You're starting to build that network because, you know, you need that golden ticket for someone to like, hand your resume over. [00:25:26] Has there been any advice or helpful business tips that you've received throughout your career that may be stuck with you? Yeah, there's a couple things. Actually, my old manager gave this to me when it comes to you're actually in the job. [00:25:40] And I, I just always remember this advice and she said if you ever want. You know, a promotion or a raise mm-hmm, package it up like a birthday gift and send it to your manager with a bow on it, you know, wrapped up and, and it, this, this advice kind of clicked for me because I realized when, when you're looking to do something like grow your career within your company and get a promotion or, or grow. [00:26:06] You know, your manager's working with so many different people and it's actually a lot of work to to help them get a promotion and, and to get a raise. And there's probably a lot of paperwork involved with that. And so one, you know, it made, it clicked for me when I was like, oh, okay. [00:26:19] Like, if I want this, I need to find out how they are submitting this and I need to basically submit it for them. And so it, it was interesting cuz I was like, oh, I've never asked the manager what the process was like, you know? Right. to get a raise, like what do you have to do? What's the heavy lifting mm-hmm and then the second piece to that advice was. [00:26:40] Have your manager work with you on the process six months before. So, most people go into a review and they're like, Hey, like, you know, I, I wanna raise and it's probably already been decided at that point. And I think it's important to have your manager be on your team and say, listen, this is what I'm trying to achieve. [00:26:58] How can I get there and then asking questions, like, what is the submission process on your end? Like how can I do some that heavy lifting? So it, it was an interesting, you know, just advice and I, I try to like teach people this as well as like, it's good to ask those questions early on to figure out what your manager has to do. Mm-hmm so you can do as much of that as possible. [00:27:18] Let's talk a little bit about negotiating a salary increase. Now you have the job. Everybody is working from home or let's say a lot of people are working from home and there is this connotation. I feel like with working from home, it's more lax. You have more free time. [00:27:38] Maybe you're not working as hard. And so there may be people out there think. Well, am I in a position to ask for a raise I've been working from home. I have all this flexibility that I didn't have before, so they might not feel like they have sort of like a leg to stand on, to be able to ask for a raise. What are your thoughts about that? And thoughts about negotiating a salary increase, especially in these times. [00:28:05] I never felt like I could negotiate. And this was so much of my career. I, I, and I, I realized this, talking to my coworkers that, you know, one day I, you know, you develop rapport with your coworkers. [00:28:16] And I had the, one of the guys was the same exact position with the same exact years of experience as me. And I asked him, you know, I was like, okay, let's just tell each other what we make. And he made $10,000 more than me. Oh. And I was, yeah. And I was like, how did you get that? And he's like, I, I asked, I asked mm-hmm I asked mm-hmm and I thought back and I go, I never even asked. [00:28:38] So I, I launched a course called get hired and, and one of the, the last chapter of my course is salary negotiation. And I, I built that program because I hate negotiating and I wanted to discover how to negotiate properly and how to get what you want, not even get what you want, get what you're worth, get, what your value is because mm-hmm, that that's a difference. [00:28:59] So, so my thoughts on negotiating, first of all, is you have to take the emotion out of it. And if you can remove emotion and it's all driven by research and almost like presenting a case, you're gonna be so much more successful. And this could be negotiating your salary, you know, to start a job or negotiating a raise mm-hmm it has nothing to do with what you want. [00:29:22] It has nothing to do with what you think, you know, this is what my coworkers are making or whatever. it's about presenting your case in, in a very, you know, quantitative form to show here's the value that I'm bringing. Here's the research that I've done in the market. So I think it's important. There's a lot of resources out there. [00:29:40] You know, you can look on Glassdoor and, and different places to figure out what are people making with my years of experience, in my location, in this industry. And I, and so I say, you know, do your research. Ask your peers who are similar years of experience and ask them to give you a range, you know, of like if they have a similar job or what they're doing. [00:30:03] And so have one piece of that is this is my value and here's, here's the research to back it up here, here are the numbers. And then I think there's this other piece. So when you're working at a company, it's, you know, it's so easy to lose track of the work that you're doing over a certain period of time. [00:30:22] you know, you, you might have a review session every year and you're mm-hmm. And so I always tell people, you know, keep a notepad on your computer that it's keeping track of your wins. But all in the form of, you know, what your manager cares about in terms of like, if you're on the sales side, how are you adding revenue to the company? [00:30:41] Like, what are you bringing in and, and really capturing that to show. So when you're building your case out, it's not about, you know, working from home, it's not about a pandemic. It's about, here's the value that I should be making based on my research. And here is everything I've brought to the table and here are all the numbers behind it. [00:31:00] Here you go hand, hand-delivered with a bow on it. And, and, you know, I think part of that too. So when you're working at a company, not only having that piece but like starting the conversation early is really important. Mm-hmm because there's a lot that goes into getting a raise outside of just having a conversation. [00:31:18] And, you know, sometimes your manager has to find the funds and that takes months, but the one piece for me is always taking the emotion out because I would go to the table and I. Be so nervous. And I would almost tear up when I was mm-hmm trying to ask for what I wanted. And and then when I started just using numbers and, and almost making it like a case study, it was like, oh, that was easy because it's not emotional. [00:31:41] So speaking of getting what you deserve and what you want, what does success mean or look like for you? [00:31:49] So two years ago I was doing a lot of career coaching. You know, consulting, you know, people would hire me by the hour and I would coach them and I have a partner for my business going places. [00:31:59] And, and she would do, the resumes and cover letters and everything. And I would do all everything else. Cause we, we have, different skill sets and we realized that we actually weren't getting energy from that because. We were helping only people of privilege, only people that could afford us, we couldn't scale. [00:32:13] So we reframed everything. That's why we launched our course was because we wanted to actually work with younger audiences, like very much emerging young professionals. Mm-hmm. Success is me getting to have conversations, get people aware of how companies hire and, and help them figure out a pathway to, landing their job. Every time I have a conversation with someone who's in college or trying to find their first job or navigating I always just get off the call and I feel like I, I just feel like my tank is full and, and I just feel amazing. [00:32:45] And, and what I've learned over the years is it's less about money for me. It's more about how can I do more of that because mm-hmm, it, you know, at a certain point it's like If I'm creating my day around things that give me energy and, and fill my tank. I'm so much happier and it has nothing to do with money. [00:33:06] And so the more I can do of that into my life, the the more successful I would deem myself and, yeah, that's what I would say to that. [00:33:14] Thank you so much, Melanie, for sharing some of your insights with us, you definitely gave me some light bulb moments. If everybody wants to look more into potentially working with you or follow your career or connect with you, maybe on LinkedIn, but not ask you for something how can they find you and keep up with you? [00:33:33] So our website is YouAreGoingPlaces.com and our handle on social, @asyougoplaces, I would say follow us on social media because we try to put tons of career trips out there. And then, yeah, we, you can contact us through our website and book coaching sessions and, and buy our course on there. [00:33:49] But thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure speaking with you and I I've followed this podcast very closely and absolutely enjoyed and, and, and very inspired by the yourself and the people that you, I. Thank you so much, Melanie, as always. You guys be good. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit

On this episode of the SPQ Chat we chat with Lauren Legette, a senior business leader at Facebook who has navigated her career across tech, media + entertainment, and the gig economy. Through many professional pivots, Lauren has uncovered the formula for professional success making career transitions without spending thousands of dollars going back to school. From leveraging professional relationships to stakeholder management, she shares so much of what she’s learned with us this week! We're talking about: Creating a life plan The importance of professional coaches How to navigate going after a new career with little experience Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. *Please note, the below transcript has been uploaded without the eye of a human editor so please expect some typos! This is a Mayzie Media production. During the Switch Pivot or Quit chats we talked to women who have successfully navigated through some of the plot twist years of life and are eager to share their stories and what they've learned in the hopes of inspiring, teaching or making even the slightest impact by candidly owning their truth. Hey girl, hey, and thanks for dropping into the Switch Pivot or Quit podcast, candid convo for the girl needing a lifestyle plot twist. When she's deciding if it's time to Switch, Pivot or Quit. I'm Ahyiana Angel a former sports entertainment publicist in New York City, turned traditionally published author with Simon and Schuster, who quit my old life to write a book, live in London for a bit, and explore my dreams to find my happiness and fulfillment. I'm here to help encourage and guide you through your plot twist years as your chief encourager and host of this podcast, Switch, Pivot, or Quit. Our community is continuously growing. So welcome to all the new listeners and thank you all for those who are returning. If you love what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast, and wanna show your love, head over to iTunes and leave us a review. A review just helps more people know about the podcast and it helps to continue to amplify our voices as women in the space. Now, if you just can't get enough, come hang out with us on Instagram by following me at Ahyiana dot Angel, and that's A H Y I A N A dot A N G E L, or drop by our website, SwitchPivotorQuit.com. Now let's get this conversation started. On today's show we're chatting with Lauren Legette. She's the business lead of business, product marketing at Facebook, Inc. Lauren is a senior business leader who's navigated her career across tech, media entertainment and the gig economy through many professional pivots. Lauren has uncovered the formula for professional success, making career transitions without spending thousands of dollars. Going back to school over the last decade. She shared her guidance with young professionals on how to reframe their experience and network in industries, where they have zero connections at Facebook. She leads strategy, business and management initiatives for the company's business product marketing, supporting 140 million-plus businesses. Throughout the community, Lauren's philanthropic duties include serving as Girl Scout Troop Leader to a third-grade troop in Northern California. And she serves as a chair on the executive board for her chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority incorporated. She also leads a career coaching circle for young professional women looking to get ahead in their careers. You're gonna enjoy this conversation. So let's just get into it. Lauren welcome to the show. How are you? I'm doing well. How are you? Thank you so much for having me. Yes. I'm so excited for this conversation. I wanna talk about your very first job. Let's dive in there. What was the job and what were you doing? Yes, you know, I loved my very first job. I was living in New York City, working at the Food Network in Chelsea market, and specifically, I was focused on the ad sales marketing department. And so my team was focused on making the commercials that everyone saw that kind of got you really excited about a show. One of my favorite shows on Food Network has always been chopped. And so an example of the type of work that I would do is working with, a food product company like Kellogg or the like who was interested in getting their products in front of viewers who watched the Food Network. They would reach out to us and we would work on what's called an interstitial, which would be a commercial that we would make that featured an advertiser that was sort of a mini version of a show that you might watch like chopped but featured the products from that advertiser. And so that was sort of my introduction into my professional career, but also into the world of monetization, which has sort of followed me throughout my journey. Ooh, I love that. It was a great first job. In addition to having, an opportunity to learn so much, I also had easy access to the Food Network kitchens, which was a special treat for your first job outta school. But yes, I learned a great deal in that first job and had, you know, fond memories of the opportunity to learn about, all the things that it takes to put on a network of shows and to work with so many different, key stakeholders, both within the company, but also production companies outside of the company. So I learned a great deal. As you know, on this podcast, we talk all about the switch pivot, or quit experience. And so I would love to dive more into your story. So tell us a little bit more about your S P Q experience, how you got started with it and how all of that came about. Absolutely. You know, I like to think about it in two ways. I would say the switch was sort of going from entertainment and kind of making that natural transition in a way that doesn't really make sense. But also I went from being a journalist to a marketer. And so, you know, starting with kind of the industry pivot or switch I, as I mentioned, was working in television as my sort of very first job and learned a lot was exposed to a lot and really just fell in love with the aspect of monetization and working with advertisers to get their products and services in front of their target audience. And wanted to really dive in and, and learn more. And so I actually transitioned from working at the Food Network to working in publishing at a company called Fast Company magazine. And so, you know, in addition to kind of diving into the marketing world and really understanding how to work with advertisers and to help them reach their business goals. I also learned a great deal about tech and innovation and just the buzz of everything Silicon Valley at the time. I was a consumer of the products and services that come out of Silicon Valley, but I would definitely not say I was a techie at the time. And so to be immersed in that content every single day I was just so inspired. I learned so much about the industry and just how booming the tech industry was at that time. And so. I'll say, you know, super transparently, I just kind of created a passion for wanting to kind of dive into that industry. And so had a very ambitious goal of becoming a techie for lack of a better description. And so, you know, I have this background in publishing and in entertainment and so the transition just at the time didn't seem like it would make sense. So I started by just sort of networking and meeting a lot of people who were in that industry and trying to understand all that I could. In addition to the content that we were talking about at Fast Company magazine, I wanted to really focus on relationship building. And that's actually one of the things that I, have learned over the years is this idea of there's power in partnership, there's power in relationships. I subscribe to this idea of having a personal board. And so what that means for me is, you know, I have coaches and mentors and advisors that all play a vital role in my growth and development, and they were instrumental into me making this unusual pivot into technology. You know, you just said this word coaches, I would love to hear your perspective. From my perspective, a lot of people who are in the coaching space and refer heavily to coaches, they're solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and let's just put it out here, you have a nine to five. You work for Facebook, we'll get into that in a little bit, but. I would think that it would be slightly different from your approach in terms of your relationship to coaches. So tell us more about that. Yeah, it's a great question. I think there's a couple of things. People that I consider coaches are, are not necessarily, someone who's an expert at being a business coach or a life coach or, or anything of the sort, but they're people that I admire the way that they think the way they make decisions the way they've climbed their professional ladder and really just am inspired by the way that they make moves. And so there's a lot of people. That I have consulted over the years when I think about, you know, taking various job opportunities, I've relocated countless times. And to relocate professionally, especially at a certain point in your life is a difficult decision to make. And so I lean on the expertise of others to get their advice. I've leaned on. What I consider coaches, which in many cases are just what I would say more seasoned friends to kind of just get their, their take on how to think about an opportunity that's placed before me. I think one thing that's really key and, and sort of the relationship that I have with my coaches would just be, you know, I have multiple, right. And the reason for that is because I want to balance their feedback. I look at a coach as someone who provides a data input, but they certainly aren't the deciding factor in, in any decision that I make. And so, you know, for me, I look at them as, as people that I consult with, but I, leverage a ton of different places and, and people to get information in order to make a decision. So your coaches that you look to and work with, are they paid coaches or are they more relationship-based coaches? Yeah, they're absolutely relationship-built coaches. I've worked with, professional coaches in the past. I think for me, the style that I resonate with and react to best are people who have been in situations that I've been in and, they're not necessarily, you know professional coaches, but they are people who've been in my shoes. And they can help me think through or evaluate opportunities. And so you know coaches could potentially be a, a, a formal terminology. So perhaps that is something that maybe I could further clarify, but, you know, I, I really think about them as friends in the business. Also, people who aren't in the same industry that I'm in, but people that I can consult when I'm faced with a challenge or a decision that needs to be made, and I want to get third-party advice. So when you made your Switch Pivot or Quit, what was at stake? How did you go about figuring out sort of how to navigate those two industries like that? I think what was at stake was, I was hungry to learn. I was hungry to have impact and you know, for me the pace of the industry that I was in at the beginning of my career, just wasn't kind of keeping up with that desire and that hunger to move fast and to react to the needs of consumers and to react to the needs of, of, you know, the global customer base. And so I was hungry to be a part of a company or an industry that was moving fast and was innovating constantly. And so I think that that was sort of what was at stake. I think how I made that change and how I made that move again, going back to the relationship piece. I think beyond that I recognized really early on that I had the transferable skills that would be necessary to be successful in those roles and it was about highlighting and identifying those aspects of my experience and creating opportunities for an interviewer to be able to see that as well. I think a lot of times, people think that if you're going to pivot, at a certain point in your career, you need to go back to school to do that. And that is absolutely something that works for some people. But I think, that's not the only option that you have. Everybody has, transferable skills, you have the ability to teach yourself. You have the ability to put yourself in situations where you can learn be it at conference or taking a class or any number of things. There's so many available resources out there. And I think for me, it was about figuring out what those opportunities were that could give me the tools to be successful in that pivot. Tell us a little bit more about what your role is now and what type of work you're doing specifically. So I am in product marketing now. And so, you'll recall that sort of early on in our conversation, I mentioned this idea of monetization and really understanding what that was at a at early stage. Certainly, you know, in my first job, we weren't referring to it as, as monetization, but that's frankly, really what it was and so I realized that that was sort of the central through line throughout my journey and my professional career. But in product marketing I work with the internal teams that are focused on, our product and engineering side to bring products to market. And so, you know, a lot of that same aspect of what I was doing very early on has followed me throughout my career. I think some of the transferable skills it's central around a couple of things. Number one, Stakeholder management. I think, you know, that's really central to every job that I've had and, and working with others, both internal and external is just critical to the work that I do. And so being able to have effective stakeholder management skills would, would be one of the transferable skills that I identified pretty early on. I'd say the next is sort of being able to help think through and to strategize ambiguous circumstances. A lot of times the roles that I find really energizing are opportunities to solve a problem that really doesn't have a blueprint. Right. We haven't figured out how we're going to tackle this. This problem may not have shown itself before in any other circumstances. And so how do we navigate those opportunities and see around corners to be able to predict what's coming up next? I noticed that in a lot of roles that I've had, that's been something that has been the core of what I do on a day to day. And so being able to identify that and package that as , a value add and a skill was also something that was really key to the pivot. And then the final thing that I'll say is, I also recognize that I'm driven by opportunities to work at a company where the products or their service can double as both entertainment and a utility. And so what I mean by that, you know, today, I, work at a company where, people leverage our products and services to engage and connect with each other, but they also use it to grow their business. And so I think that for me being able to be a part of something like that, where you there's two sides of it, where, you know, you can use it to be entertained. You can use it as a vital and critical growth opportunity for your business. That's really exciting. I, I would say, you know, it's a very similar thing. When you think about my experience at Uber, where, you know, you can certainly use it for the casual experience of connecting and going to meet people and to be with your friends and you know, go to a game or a concert and not have to worry about parking. But on the flip side of that, there are drivers across the world who use Uber as a utility as a means of earning a living. And for me, that intersection of the virality of the product is really exciting. And so being able to identify. What drives me and what my purpose is, was another key area that helped me identify, you know, how can I transfer all of these different commonalities, all of these different skills that I've had in previous roles to make me a strong candidate for a future opportunity. You know, it seems like you're really in tune with yourself and what your needs are and where you thrive. So that makes me think of personal development. So what does personal development mean to you and what role has it served in your life and in your career thus far? I am always and will always be learning. My professional and personal development is at the core of everything that I do. I carve out time every single year to have a dedicated week of learning. I just did it in September of late last year. And it's central to who I am. Any role that I'm in if I feel like I can do it with my eyes closed, it's not the right place for me. I'm the type of person that I need to be challenged. I need to constantly be in situations where I'm learning. I need to step away from my regular job and dedicate myself to some time for dedicated learning, whether that's you know, on the personal front or whether that's on the professional, skill development, front, whatever it might be. My, personal and professional development is immensely important to me and it's at the core of everything that I do, every decision that I make every job opportunity that I take, I need to really understand how will this help me. You know, when I think about my, my journey, you know, I've mapped out what I want my professional journey to look like between now and retirement. And so when I consider an opportunity, of course, that will change. Right. It changes regularly. Wow. That's impressive to me that you map this out. I think it's important. You know, I think a lot of us don't do enough of that. Right. And I think I think if you have that, it can serve as a blueprint when you consider job opportunities. You know, otherwise, you are blindly considering roles and opportunities and not really sure how it aligns with your assignment. You know, one time I attended a conference and the speaker said something to the effect of, there will always be really amazing opportunities. But is this opportunity really your assignment and what they meant by that is, you know, you can be so inspired and driven by incredible job opportunities. There's always going to be amazing, interesting, fun job opportunities. I think, you know, as someone who is trying to be in alignment with their purpose, it's very clear which roles align with your assignment, which roles align with your purpose, which roles align with the type of, professional aspirations that you have. And I think if you have that journey sort of mapped out, understanding that it will change. And I think like everything good hygiene requires that you take a look at it and, and refresh it as needed. But if you have a sketch or a plan for your professional journey when a job opportunity comes up, you can determine pretty quickly does this align with what I'm trying to do with my career and if not, politely pass on it. I think it's really important for everyone to be able to have that mapped out. And if you don't I definitely would recommend considering to do something like that. This, taking a week for learning and development, where did this come from? I'm very curious to know this. I would say a combination of things. So, a lot of the women in my family are educators. My dad is an engineer and I am in a field and in an industry that is completely different from a lot of people in my family. Pretty early on in my career, I remember very vividly my dad saying to me, you know, you're at a point in your professional journey where I don't even know if I can give you advice because your journey is so different than mine. I've always looked up to my parents and I still do, and I always will. But to be at that point where he felt like he couldn't really weigh in on some of my professional decisions, that was hard for me. And so I recognized that I needed to figure out who I can work with or learn from. To make sure that I'm consulting people appropriately. The idea of having a well-rounded, what I call personal board that came from one of my coaches and, and mentors. I learned that terminology and, and how to think about stacking your personal board. I learned it from him. And so I'm constantly learning and refining my approach to professional and personal growth. But I think at the very basic level, it started from kind of being in this industry where if I look at, the people closest to me, I'm sort of on an island and I'm in this industry where not many people in my family can relate to and so I needed to kind of find a village where if I have questions, I can kind of go to people who've been through this experience before. And so really it came from a, a very natural need and has evolved into just a, again, a, a very vital piece of my day-to-day and, and my yearly goals and yearly plans. What would've been useful for you to know before embarking on your current career path? Probably that there's magic in fear. You know, I think the, the buzzy terminology that everyone's talking about right now is imposter syndrome. And I like to think about that a little bit differently. I think, obviously imposter syndrome is incredibly difficult to navigate through. But I think what I've tried to train myself, to think about if I'm in a position where I feel like, I shouldn't be in that room or if I start to question my skills and my experience and the impact that I bring to the table, that's me checking myself to say, Hey, no, wait, if you're scared, you're in the right place. Because every time that I've been in a room or in a project or in a circumstance where I've been afraid, it has yielded results that I could not have imagined. And so I have found that there's magic in that fear. When you're scared, when you're nervous, when you don't think that you're in the right room that's when you know, that's where you're supposed to be. And I think for me, it's listening to inner voice of okay, you know, your heart might be being a little bit fast right now, but you're in the right place and this is going to level you up. This is going to, put you in a place that gets you a little bit closer to your goals. I mean, I really just have to kind of coach myself through it and coach myself through that fear or uncertainty. One of the people that I look up to from a professional perspective is Boza St. John. She demonstrates this ability to check your fear and your, your uncertainty at the door. Like don't allow, any external factors to make you question why you're in this seat. You've earned it and you need to own it. You need to own your fear. You need to own this opportunity and you need to kill it. And I think I try to embody a lot of that mentality and to leverage that fear as an opportunity to fuel me, turn that around and to something that just kind of drives me to say this is an opportunity for me to grow and stretch, and that fear is something that I can overcome. So, can you tell us more about how someone can reframe their experience and network in an industry where they have zero connections? You know, I think it starts at the very basic level, right. Your network is your net worth and I hate jargons and I hate things that sounds so cliche, but it's absolutely true. So you know, when you think about kind of jumping into a space where you don't know anyone the best thing to do is to put yourself in positions where you can meet people. And so I am the type of person that I'm constantly looking for conferences, I subscribe to opportunities to just make connections. I think we are also living in a time where things like clubhouse exist and that opportunity to kind of just drop yourself into a room and to hear from experts and get their tips and to, listen to podcasts such as these that provides you with a baseline where tips and tricks are easily shared in forums that if you're there and if you're in the right space, you'll be able to capture them. So that's number one. I'd say number two is about being super clear on what is it that you're trying to achieve. I think, unfortunately, so often people see a job as a nice, shiny new thing. And they think that they want that. But when you kind of peel back the layers, it's not super clear that they specifically want that job. It's like, oh, you know, I would love to work at that company. And I think that this job is really cool, but I don't know if it's really, truly what I want. And so I would say, do your research and really be clear about what it is that you're looking to do so that when you have conversations with people who are in that industry or at that company, or in that job, you're able to clearly state, you know, your why and, and sort of why you're making maybe this unconventional pivot into a role or trying to make this unconventional pivot, and you can be able to provide the clarity behind that. I think a lot of times people who are hiring managers are always open to diversifying and bringing diverse perspectives into the team and help them think differently. And I think if you can help articulate why, you know, your background is a little bit different, but, but why you can bring a certain uniqueness and unique set of skills and experience and perspectives to the role that that is incredibly vital. And then the third and final thing that I would offer up is, when you think about making this pivot, I think you want to be super clear on how this will propel you forward. I think one thing that I recall as I was making my pivot was having conversations with people who would say the tech industry is very different from the background that you've come from. And you've, you know, shared why you want to make this move now, but what does this mean for your future and how do you see this pivot really putting you on your path forward? And I don't know if that comes up a lot in interviews, but I think when you're making a pivot where your background is a little bit different, it does come up. And so being very clear about how this sets you down your path, and again, this idea of kind of planning your journey as I shared, I, I think it it's helpful. It sets you up for the appropriate checks and balances on your end as well. Of your strengths, which one, or which ones maybe do you think have helped you significantly to get to where you are today? I think the thing that I am most proud of is my high accountability. It is something that I take a lot of pride in. You know, if I say I'm going to do something, I make every effort to do it. I, I believe that, in the work in world, but also in my personal world the people around me can count on me to have high accountability. I'd say, maybe the second thing that I would offer up is I am the type of person that thrives in ambiguous situations. And so, being placed in front of a problem that is confusing and murky and, not super clear. I love that I'm the type of person who can navigate really complex and you know ambiguous situations. And so I actually really enjoy the opportunity to turn those into providing clarity and to create a plan around a solution. I feel like those two things have put me in positions to be able to tackle some of the toughest problems. And it's, it's something that drives me. It excites me. When I think about my future and, and the things that I want to continue to achieve , I continue to seek out the hardest problems. Thinking back, have you made any missteps that you later realized to be good learning lessons? Absolutely. Yes. You know, I think every success story has several missteps and there will probably be mistakes that I continue to make. But you know, one thing that I'll share pretty vividly , I remember I took a job opportunity that I think if I'm honest with myself I knew that it wasn't the right thing for me. And I sort of ignored my gut. And if there's one thing that I learned is when you ignore your gut, you'll live to regret it. I think it was important for my journey. It was an important lesson. And so I, I don't regret it from that standpoint, but I think, you know I have gotten really good at, at thinking about, you know, what is it that I want for my career? Being super clear on that. And, and listening to my gut. And then I, I would also say, you know, I have been in situations before where I was afraid or hesitated to ask the questions that I needed to know the answers to in order to do my job. And I sort of coached myself out of, you know, I can figure it out rather than asking the right questions. I was young and I was early in my career. I didn't wanna show any signs of weakness, but I think what I've learned you know on this side of my career is that, people who ask the right questions are, are the people who have a growth mindset. And they're getting people to think about things that frankly they had not considered before. And so actually asking the right questions , are the keys to being able to lead the team through challenging situations and circumstances. And so I've really. I would say revise my thinking around what I thought was a sign of weakness, which was asking questions and really have come to learn and understand that the most successful people ask the right questions. Is there anything that you do in your morning routine that you feel sets you up for a successful or positive day? Yes, I do virtual commuting. So although I'm not driving into the office right now I do dedicate 30 minutes every morning to listening to morning news. My favorite podcast, reading up on you know, news. I think it's important to just carve out time to to really just make sure that you remain informed. You know, certainly there's a lot going on in the world, but there's also a lot going on in the various industries that we all work in. And so just being able to stay informed and ahead of information I think for me is just a really great daily practice and daily routine. You know, sometimes I do it while I work out sometimes I do it while I make my smoothie but I just make sure that every single day that I carve out that 30 to 45 minutes to you know, stay informed and stay aware of what's happening around me, both in the world and in, in the industry that I work in. Lauren what does success mean or look like for you? I think success is constantly learning, putting myself in new opportunities to try something new and to learn and to explore. I think success also looks like having my own, I today am not, necessarily an entrepreneur, but I think I have an entrepreneurial spirit. And so, you know, I have aspirations of figuring out what that looks like for me down the line. I certainly have, you know, a lot of really creative ideas. And today I'm continuing to learn and leveling myself up for that day. But I think that there's an opportunity for me to take this passion and, and drive that I have for, the work that I do and creating an opportunity for me to create my own sort of legacy for what that looks like and, and kind of branch out and do my own thing. And you know, I'm excited for that day. Lauren, I enjoyed and loved so much of what you said. That's a wrap for our chat this week and as always be good. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit

This episode we chat with Mia Lawrence, the Director of Product Development at global beauty retailer, Sally Beauty. With 10 years of experience in innovation and new product development, Mia’s career has centered around one philosophy: If you’re not innovating, you’re not growing. She shares what she thinks it takes to be successful in her field, her thoughts on treating your manager as a coach as well as navigating difficult review conversations and a behind the scenes look at an influencer product launch with hair and beauty influencer Mo Knows Hair. Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit

We’re chatting with Dr. Tega Edwin, a career counselor and coach at Her Career Doctor who also uses her Ph.D. in Counselor Education as a professor to train future counselors in a large research university. We cover tips to job search with confidence, preparing for a career transition, five major keys for a fulfilling career, what you probably didn’t know about salary negotiation and so much more! Website: https://hercareerdoctor.com/ Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit

On this episode, we drop into another Cracking Corporate conversation with Elisa Segovia, Vice President, Programming and Brand Strategy at Univision. She chats with us about making a switch early in her career, navigating advancement within a single company, learning to manage and so much more! Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit

This episode features Alexandra Carter guiding us on how to negotiate better, solve conflict and ultimately achieve goals by learning a few guiding principles and tips. We hosted this conversation on Clubhouse (new audio-only social networking app) so we had some live Q&A as well at the end! Website: https://alexcarterasks.com/ Quit Playing Small Book - https://www.iquitplayingsmall.com/ Click here to give the SPQ podcast a quick review! LISTEN NOW! DON'T MISS AN EPISODE! Click here to subscribe on Apple iTunes Click here to follow on Spotify Click here to listen on Stitcher If you like what you hear on the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast be sure to leave a review! It helps to spread the word about the show as well as keep the show going. Click here to review the SPQ podcast. #podcasting #professionalgrowth #encouragement #inspirationpodcast #businesspodcast #personalgrowth #selfdevelopment #PersonalCaretips #switchpivotorquit