What if the thing that didn't work out was actually
working in your favor? In today's episode of
Life's Next Lesson Plan, we're diving into the
unexpected turns that lead us exactly where we're
meant to go. Whether you're early in your career,
shifting into a new one, or trying to figure
out what's next, this conversation is all about
showing up with value even when you feel unsure.
Today's guest shares her journey from disappointment
to leading national campaigns for household brands.
We talk about pivot points, imposter syndrome,
mentorship, and the power of saying yes before
you feel 100 % ready. There's wisdom in this
episode for anyone who's ever questioned their
path or standing at a crossroads wondering how
to make the next move. So if you've ever been
rejected from the thing you thought you wanted,
or if you're trying to build a meaningful career
that also feels like you, or maybe you just are
in the mood for an honest, encouraging, uplifting
conversation, this episode is for you. Thank
you for joining me for another episode of Life's
Next Lesson Plan. I'm Rachel and I started this
podcast during my 29th and last year as a high
school teacher. The goal of my work with Life's
Next Lesson Plan as well as my Live and Learn
Patreon is to create a connection where we are
all teachers. We all have lessons and stories
to share that can help others. I'm so fortunate
to be able to extend the four walls of my previous
classroom to an unlimited audience. where we
can all learn from each other. And my guests
are some of the most inspirational people with
the best stories and lessons I know, which is
why I want to share them with you. Their words
are something everyone should hear. It is my
hope that you are able to take away something
from each episode to apply to your own life,
whether that be a career search, path to a more
fulfilling life, or new ideas on current topics.
Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast
today. I have another fun former student story
tonight for you and so I'm happy to introduce
Sydney Benson. We were just talking before recording
because Sydney graduated from the University
of Minnesota and as many of my listeners know
my daughter is headed off to college and that
is where she was going and everybody keeps telling
me that once you lose your child to Minnesota
they never come back and Sydney is an example
of that so I had Sydney in high school as a journalism
student she was always a standout to me immediately
when I met her she and her colleagues in high
school were such powerhouses and produced such
fun work. And she's just continued on that path.
So I'm going to turn it over to her to let her
introduce herself a little bit. But I want to
make sure that I mentioned one thing that I do
know about her and she might be too humble to
mention it, but Sydney is a three time 32 under
32 nominee by the ad fed Minnesota. And she is
involved in some pretty cool projects, which
I'm sure we'll get into in this episode. But
she's just a go -getter like many of my other
alumni who you have heard speak on the podcast.
So I just wanted to make sure in case she doesn't,
you know, kind of pat herself on the back that
we're talking to a real standout here. So Sydney,
do you want to tell us a little bit about what
you've been up to since high school? Yeah, absolutely.
Well, thank you so much, Rachel. So happy to
be on all the way from Minnesota. Yeah. And yeah,
I am so excited to chat about my career and everything
I do. I am currently an account supervisor at
Carmichael Lynch Relate. We are a full service
creative PR agency headquartered in Minneapolis,
but we also have offices in Philadelphia, New
York. And then with the pandemic, you know, we've
got people everywhere from California to Texas
to DC. So it's really a really good diverse group
of people I get to work with. My job is pretty
much you know we have brands or you'll also hear
me use the word like clients and accounts kind
of interchangeably that come to us and need a
PR strategy or need a PR agency. We have a we
do have a new business team that like helps pitch
that business were involved and then you know,
we work for them and every client and scope of
work is different but It's crazy because I've
been at the same agency for a little over seven
years now but I feel like I've had five different
jobs in the span of one because I've gotten to
work in so many different industries from home
and design, food and bath, vegan beauty, health
and wellness, and even like wi -fi and internet.
So it's been such a wild ride but it's also just
been really rewarding, as you've said, with a
lot of the fun projects that I get to work on
and get awards for. But yeah, it keeps me kind
of sharp and challenging and I just feel like
I'm always evolving and growing, which is a lot
of fun. Yeah, that's so exciting. One name on
your list popped out to me, Bobby Burke from
Queer Eye. I just love that show. That's so fun.
Did you meet him in person? No, never in person,
but worked very, very closely with his team for
a client, Marvin, that we had. So we facilitated
all of the windows and doors in his personal
home. And that landed in some features in Arc
Digest and some social content. So really negotiating
and facilitating that partnership, which when
you're dealing with renovating an entire house
takes years. So yeah, me and Bobby's team. We've
worked together very closely for many years.
Oh my gosh, that's so fun. I just, I could watch
those episodes all day. It's so fun. I know,
and they make me cry. It's like the best happy
cry ever. Yes, feel good TV for sure. Okay, well
I remember, here's a memory that still sticks
out to me from high school because I'm gonna
ask you about a memory from high school as well.
But I remember, I think it was, After you graduated,
I think you came back and spoke to some current
journalists about your internship in Australia.
Wasn't that a PR? Was that one of your first
internships? It wasn't one of my first, but yeah,
that was definitely a highlight of my college
career, which I will definitely talk about. What
I actually was going to share in terms of like
a memorable moment for me in high school or college.
And I know you had also like, maybe it's funny.
It wasn't funny at the time, but when I look
back on my high school career and a really memorable
and pivotal moment, I would argue, is actually
not making the high school dance team. To give
you some context, I started dancing in more of
like a studio setting when I was four years old.
And I did ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop. I even
did Irish dance for a year. I mean, I did it
all. And it was such a huge part of my identity,
like as long as I can remember. I remember I
was entering my junior year of high school and
I wanted to get more involved in high school
and just kind of figure out what I'm good at,
what I want to do. For me, the first two years
of high school, freshman and sophomore year,
were kind of like, oh, this is fun. This feels
cool to be in high school. And then you're just
kind of getting your footing and getting used
to the pace and making new friends and all those
things. And then as I started to shift into junior
year, I then was in the mindset of, okay, how
am I going to set myself up for the rest of my
life, you know, in college and all of that? Cause
you start to think about getting your driver's
license and taking the ACT, applying to colleges,
you know, doing all of these things that are
starting to set yourself up. And I feel like
this is true at the college level, but even Back
then at the high school level, I was feeling
pressured to, you know, not just get straight
A's, but to have extracurriculars and, you know,
really kind of build my resume for applying to
colleges. So I thought I'm going to try out for
the dance team. It's a huge commitment. And,
you know, our, our high school homestead had
a really, really good dance team. So I was going
to try out and I tried out. I thought tryouts
went. Good like good but I didn't know for sure
and I remember heading home and That night they
said like when we were heading out. They said
okay We're gonna post you know, the names of
the people who made the team online And I don't
know if it was public or a private link, but
I remember getting out of my computer refreshing
my screening It popped up and I quickly scan
I don't see my name and I immediately think oh
that can't be right and I closed out of the tab,
you know, did it all again, scanned the names
again, and I realized like, wow, I did not make
it. And I think it was very memorable to me for
two reasons. I think one was I was definitely
embarrassed. Like all of my friends knew I had
danced for forever and I was friends with a lot
of them and it was embarrassing. Also, it felt
It was definitely an ego bruise that I think
I kind of needed. It's not that I didn't give
it my best effort because I did, but I kind of
thought I had it in the bag a little bit. Like
I was, you know, I was like, there's no way they're
not going to take me. I've been dancing for over
and... decade and there are girls who try out
who've been dancing for a year, you know, and,
and I danced competitively with my studio's company.
I danced in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.
Like I'm like, there's no way they're going to
turn someone down. Um, and it turns out there's
a way. And, um, you know, it kind of made me
really take a look in the mirror and think, okay,
what else am I? curious and passionate about.
And that's ultimately what led me to your pubs
class. And, you know, and that pubs class, I
absolutely fell in love because I loved creative
writing and I was excited about, you know, InDesign
and, you know, playing around with some magazine
design and all of that. And it just, it then
unfolded this whole other passion and skill set
and even friendships, you know, that I still
have to this day. And And then that changed the
way I looked at colleges that led me to the career
I have now. And I'm not saying that if I had
made dance team that I would be a professional
dancer now. I mean, heck no. But I do think it
made me really kind of pivot much earlier than
maybe I was planning to. And so when I look back,
like that really was such a pivotal moment that
I think really just propelled and cascaded into
my life today. That's so interesting. Listening
to that, because both Brittany and Blake, your
classmates who I've had on the podcast, both
talked about a time that was a disappointment.
And they were like, what am I going to do? My
path's going to change. But ultimately, it was
definitely for the better. And so I think that's
just an important lesson for everybody listening,
that sometimes the way Blake said it was that
when a door closes you have to find another door
to walk through and at the time especially in
high school it can feel so awful like your life
is over and you know all your hopes and dreams
are in that basket and then when you have the
wisdom of time and age right you look back and
you're like oh that maybe actually was the way
it was supposed to work out for me because it
put me on this new path so you alluded to it
little bit like planning what you were going
to do then after high school as a result of journalism.
When did you kind of start making those decisions
and like how did you know that's like did you
major in STRATCOM or journalism right away or
did that take a while? So heading into college
and when I was making decisions I definitely
had my sights set on journalism and editorial
job I think my dream job at the time was being
the editor -in -chief of like Cosmo like that
was you and Kelly Allen but so every college
I looked at I looked at their journalism schools
but I also knew that like my path could change
again right and so I didn't want to completely
pigeonhole myself into going to a single school
just for one education path. So I definitely
wanted to look at, okay, what other schools or
education paths would be available to me? I also
knew I wanted to have some fun in college, you
know? And so I really was gravitated toward,
you know, kind of that Big Ten experience with
sports and extracurriculars. But also, you know,
the University of Minnesota has a great business
school, you know, the Carlson School of Management.
So I knew if I want to transition into marketing,
they also have a good engineering school. Maybe
I'll pop a 180 engineering, you know, so I really
wanted to, I definitely had that lens, but I
also knew, okay, I, you know, my path could change,
right? So wanted to keep that open. So I picked
the University of Minnesota. I get on campus.
One of the first things I do is join a sorority
and An upperclassman in my sorority was writing
for this newspaper called Odyssey, which at the
time, and you'll get this from when I wrote in
pubs, but like it literally was a physical newspaper.
It was online too, but it was specifically for
people who were in the Greek system or like the
Greek community. So you had to be at a fraternity
or sorority at the University of Minnesota to
write for it. It also was at other college campuses
too in their Greek communities. going into the
University of Minnesota and in terms of like
the journalism school, I'm not sure how they
have it set out now. But at the time, they didn't
really do direct admissions. You obviously would
get into the College of Liberal Arts that the
journalism school was under. But you had to take
a couple 101 courses to then Apply and declare
a major. Well, I felt like thanks to your pubs
class. I was light years ahead of that and I
was like, okay I'm ready to write now like I'm
ready to go. So I started writing for Odyssey
and I really liked it. It kind of gave me that,
you know sense of community it kind of scratched
that itch that I had and then I Did that for
a few months and then just before second semester
of my freshman year the editor -in -chief at
the time approached me and said, hey, I'm about
to study abroad in Europe next semester and I
need someone to take on the editor -in -chief
role. And he said, you know, I'm not, I'm not
opening up an application. You know, I'm not
doing any of that. He goes, I wanted to go to
you first because I think that your experience
and even just like your wisdom is well beyond
your years. And I really Trust you to do this.
And I think you'd be great at it. So I obviously
thought about it, but said, yes. And so, you
know, I took on that role and the publication
changed so much over the course of the two years.
So the physical newspaper aspect went away, which
is, you know, no surprise, but also it opened
up so that any writer at the University of Minnesota
could be a part of Odyssey. You didn't have to
just be in the Greek system, which was a blessing
and a curse. It was a blessing because our talent
pool of writers expanded so much, right? I mean,
I think when you look at the numbers at the time,
the Greek system was a small percentage of the
whole school. So that was great. But then also,
I had a managing editor that I reported into
who was very, very focused on getting clicks,
page views, growth month over month. And it was
just, my job very much became about recruiting
and onboarding writers and editing. And I kind
of lost the ability to really enjoy writing on
my own. So. And also while all this is happening
over the course of my two years in that position,
I'm getting further in the journalism school
and I'm starting to take some of these strategic
communications courses and I'm really starting
to like them. What I liked about them is that
I really enjoyed kind of this challenge of You
know, we have a brand, how are we going to get
them news? And that's still something I face
day to day in my job. We have no news. So how
do we get news? Like, you know, how do we get
news when there's no news? It's kind of the million
dollar question we get all the time. I liked
that challenge and thinking about, okay, what
would get an editor's attention? And it felt
like I was pivoting, but not necessarily pressing
restart on everything I had done, because after
writing and being an editor position, I knew
what would catch my eye in an email, you know,
and I knew kind of how that what what made me
tick and what might make another editor tick.
So that's kind of when that shift really started
to happen. And then kind of full circle moment,
I'm then looking at studying abroad. And the
University of Minnesota has a phenomenal study
abroad program. But one of the programs that
they have that really caught my attention was
a study and intern program where you can go somewhere
abroad, you take classes and do credits, you
can also do a part time internship to get some,
you know, real world experience, if you will,
and I had had friends who had done the program
in Italy or, you know, Barcelona or some countries
where English was not the first language. And
I realized that can kind of limit the type of
internship you get. And I knew going into this,
like, this is my opportunity to get the best
internship I can get. Like, this is something
that can really make my resume stand out. So
when I look at English speaking, you know, countries
and opportunities, I have London or Sydney, Australia.
And I was like, I have to do Australia. I mean,
when are you ever going to get to go there? It's
so beautiful. And I ended up getting matched
with an internship at RideAgency, which is like
the most awarded PR agency in Sydney, Australia.
And Gosh, was that like such a pivotal moment
and just so incredible. I mean, I got to work
on Ben and Jerry's Heineken, Coca -Cola, Cadbury.
Amazon Web Services. And I mean, I'll be honest,
there were times where you probably would have
looked at me in the street and like gotten some
double wear prototypes a little bit like it was
a lot of getting coffees, running errands, putting
together quick turn PR packages. There was a
time where For Ben and Jerry's, it was free cone
day and my boss was texting with these influencers
and getting them like a mini cooler with cones
and some Ben and Jerry's ice cream that they
could use to create content in post. But I mean,
it's a million degrees in Australia. And these
coolers don't stay fresh forever. So she would
literally like text an influencer and say, Sydney,
pack up the cooler and go. And I was running
through the streets with this cooler and meeting
this influencer. I mean, it was, it was so all
over the place, but truly I got to see how a
creative agency worked, what the culture was
like. It really taught me the importance of having
a good attitude too, right? Like just, it's such
a career where you've got to earn your stripes.
And I was just so happy and excited and eager
to do whatever they wanted me to do. And it was
just, I mean, it was incredible. And it truly
was such a pivotal moment for me coming off of
that. So while I'm in Australia, I'm there for
the second semester of my junior year. So. while
this is going on, I'm like, okay, what am I going
to do in the summer? Like I'm on to the next
agency, right? Like, come on, Minneapolis. So
I'm applying to all these internships at agencies.
I don't get a single interview. And I'm like,
oh shoot, you know? And I, again, not that I
thought I had anything in the bag, but I'm like,
who else can say? They're interning at a PR agency
in Australia right now. Right. And I have since
learned that most advertisement and PR agencies
tend to only accept post -grad interns because
you're doing real work and they really want to
hire you on. So, but I'm also like, okay, I'm
not going to sit around and wait until next year.
So. I ended up applying for a research and communications
internship at Make -A -Wish Minnesota, which
again was such a unique experience. It was their
30th anniversary. So I was talking to kids who
are now adults who had wishes granted for them
during their childhood and hearing the impact
it made on their life. I mean, I get emotional
just thinking about it, but what an incredible
job and experience to get to have. Um, and then
also since that's a nonprofit, it was an unpaid
internship. So also I'm teaching kickboxing to
like make some money on the side. Um, and also
I'm like, okay, what can I do out of this to
like, you know, help develop my skillset? So
I was like, Hey, could I run your social media
and do your Instagram? Can I host a couple of
events? I have an idea for like this raffle to
get members involved. So I'm like constantly.
you know, going out there and getting experience.
And then my second semester of my senior year,
I did an internship with Rep Key Public Relations,
which was a super small PR firm, like eight people
or so in this neighborhood of Minneapolis. And
they had a lot of local clients. So now I'm heading
into post -grad applications. I'm ready to take
another swing of agencies. And now I already
have like three more jobs. Under my belt. So,
you know, I kind of took this mindset of like,
okay Do whatever you can to get some experience
and you know now I'm going into this with a small
PR firm a nonprofit a National award -winning
PR agency and then also some kickboxing on the
side, right? And like so I just kind of came
with this whole new set of resumes You know in
jobs and like just a year and yeah, I ended up
getting an internship with where I am now, Carmichael
and Tralate and yeah, the rest of history. And
of course they kept you, they... wanted you full
-time, right? Because, as I said, she's a go
-getter and she just showed you how that is the
case. You know, it was funny because I was talking,
I think it was my last episode, about how I landed
my job outside of education, which there was
never a job posting. I never even gave them a
resume. They just knew me and of my work at Homestead.
And this idea of like, That's how I got the job
when I was teaching journalism at Mount Mary
at night in the pandemic because they needed
someone really quick. And I don't know if you
remember Mrs. Barrington, who came in and helped
us with InDesign. She was my JEA mentor. She
was working at Mount Mary, but long story short,
she contacted me during the pandemic, kind of
in a panic like, hey, are you still in the area?
Could you teach college journalism for a while?
And exactly what you're saying is this idea of
like your work speaks speaks for itself and sort
of you have to kind of remember or approach your
work like everything you do is a job interview.
Because the people who are around you looking
at your work, looking at your work ethic, looking
at, like you said with Make -A -Wish, you went
to them and said, could I do this? Could I do
this? I see room for growth. And that's exactly
how I got my next job in yearbook and photography
is because they knew of me from our program at
Homestead and they were looking for someone with
skills and you are proof of you know everything
that you do although you're maybe not thinking
about it at the time you just want to be of value
that is going to help launch you into your next
step right and so yeah you're a living proof
of that I love that So so many highlights already
and I can I love seeing people's paths and how
one Experience leads to the next but I know there's
more to the story. So Do you want to talk about
further along a little bit in your journey additional
highlights that happen? Maybe not just professionally
Yeah Just being in Australia and doing that study
and intern program was, I think, a highlight
of my life, to be honest. Again, like not only
did it do what I hoped it would professionally,
but also personally, I mean, I... became really,
really close with my best friend, Paige. She
went to the University of Minnesota, too. We
kind of knew of each other, but we had never
really crossed paths. We were in the same study
abroad program, and we pretty much became inseparable.
And she was the maid of honor in my wedding this
summer. And then at the time, my new kind of
college boyfriend that I was seeing also was
going on the same program. And we decided to
Give it a shot and, and date. And yeah, now here
we are eight years later and he's my husband.
So I know it was just such an awesome time. And
yeah, I mean, especially too, with my husband
and I, it's like, we have our first Valentine's
day was like a dinner overlooking the Sydney
Harbor. Um, we got to go to Fiji on our spring
break. Um, it was not what you think it is. You
did the cheap college kid route with hostels
and, um, Yeah, all got some weird stomach bugs.
So we got to see more of each other than maybe
we planned within the first like six months of
dating. But yeah, just such a highlight for sure.
It's amazing when you think about what if I would
have signed up for London? Right? Right. Right.
Yes. Definitely would not have. I'm sure it would
have been incredible. But yeah, I definitely
wouldn't have seen nearly as cool of beaches.
So Jo, your husband was in Australia studying
abroad, also in the same field or? Same program,
yeah. So there was I think a group of about 25
of us from the University of Minnesota in this
program and then there was like a group of kids
from other colleges elsewhere. But yeah, we were
friends for a while before we started dating
and he had already kind of committed. We didn't
even really know the other had done it and it
just kind of... worked out, which is crazy. Oh
my gosh. And we booked our seats on the plane,
like together, both there and back next to each
other. So we're like, this could be really good
or really bad. This sounds like it could be a
movie. Like I'm going to see this on the Hallmark
channel or something. That's so fun. OK, so then.
after kind of walk us through, I know we want
to talk about two things we want to talk about.
Well, I guess you kind of talked about that all
of these internships helped you land the internship
at Carmichael Lynch. And then is that where you
met? I'm sure you met a lot of the mentors that
you that helped propel your career a little bit.
Yes, I kind of had to. mentors that stick out
to me, though I have to say it's one of the toughest
questions I think I've ever asked. So I feel
very fortunate to have so many incredible mentors,
especially in an agency setting. There's a lot
of turnover, you know, at times, not only with
clients and brands, but also internally too.
And again, I think it's like we kind of talked
about earlier at how you look at it. It's definitely
been hard to say goodbye to some mentors, but
it's also the longer I've stayed, the more just
like incredible people I've met. Right. So I've
got two. One is her name's Emma and she was the
PR intern the year before me. And so as I'm going
into my internship, she's now what we call an
account coordinator. It's kind of that entry
level, full time position at the agency. And
we also work together on the same brand. So I'm
working with her kind of day to day. And gosh,
she, she was just so incredible. She was so organized
and everything she did, I just like copied and
tried to do down to like how she would write
emails, not only to clients, but also just back
and forth, how she organized spreadsheets, because
we would have so many things from like media
coverage to influencer product donations and
all of that like just the way she kept track
of everything was amazing. She was such a good
role model and also just someone I could go to
you know it didn't feel like I was going to like
the boss to ask hey how do I like set up my out
of office on my email or you know just like little
things or like hey I got this weird response
back from this you know influencer what should
I say back you know like just little things like
that and I think so often, you know, when we
think about mentors, we usually think of people
who have decades of experience on us and are
way high up the food chain. But I think there's
a lot of credit to be given to some of those
people who are really like at close to our level,
have the job that we want within reach and are
kind of in the trenches with you every day. Right.
And really kind of are that model for the path
ahead. So. Emma was a really awesome mentor for
me. The other really impactful mentor is Alan.
He is an executive vice president at Carmichael
Lynch Relate. So he is that mentor we often think
of, right, who's got decades of experience on
us and is just whip smart and, you know, has
all the guidance. And I actually started working
directly with him at the agency a couple years
ago. when we got the Saputo brand as a client.
And they are like one of the largest dairy manufacturers
in the world. And we had several different cheese
brands underneath them that I had to build an
influencer strategy for from the ground up. And
he really taught me the importance of branding
my own ideas and how to set up an idea to help
it be sold in. I think a lot of times people
don't realize how many levels of approval an
idea has to have in order for it to come to life.
You know, I'll pitch something during a brainstorm
that then probably four other people at the agency
have to buy into, right? Or tweak slightly. Then
we present it to our client. And oftentimes our
client is just kind of one piece of a huge puzzle,
right? And then they, our client then needs the
tools to sell it in with their leadership and
all of that. So. He really taught me the importance
of like branding my own idea. I'll give you an
example of it and kind of a highlight of my work.
Um, was this 50 states, 50 influencers program
for treasure cave blue cheese, you know, going
into planning and brainstorming. we knew our
clients really wanted to grow the blue cheese
category and highlight very different usage occasions
for blue cheese. So it's kind of that what we
call, you know, kind of polarizing, you know,
people either love it or hate it, but they wanted
to show, hey, it's, it's got a little flavor,
but you don't need to be delicate with it. And
you can use it as more than a sauce to dip barbecuings
in, or, you know, a crumble to put on a salad.
And we also knew from our audience data and insights
and research that our audience really loves travel
and trying new and kind of eclectic new things.
So during brainstorming, I put forward this idea,
50 states, 50 influencers. We partner with an
influencer in almost every single state and have
them create a recipe using blue cheese that's
inspired by their state's cuisine. I mean, how
awesome is that, right? And yeah, we, we got
like for Minnesota, we got, um, what was it like
blue cheese tater tot hot dish. We got blue cheese,
lobster rolls and Maine. I mean, we got, we got
exactly what we wanted. And I think what's so
cool about it is it had this name and it was
so rooted in simplicity, right? Like we know
it's, it's very complex, right? Like we need,
that means we've got to vet not just 50, hundreds
of influencers. That also means 50 sets of negotiations,
50 different contracts, 50 different sets of
content review. Like it's a lot to manage, but
the idea itself and just that name and like brand
behind it was rooted in simplicity and it kind
of directly anyone who heard it knew, yep, this
is answering what we asked for. Right. And just
having something that like everyone can rally
around was really, really cool. So I have kind
of Alan to thank for that lesson. You know, oftentimes
you think, oh, we got to polish this, you know,
when it's at the client. But if you can do that
early on, it really only helps sell it in along
the way. That sounds so fun. And also I'm just
sitting here thinking like I'm remembering your
work in high school and I'm just thinking like...
There were so many times that I had to say to
people around the time that you were in high
school people were saying like why would kids
take journalism journalism is dead and Just that
idea of like print journalism or certain forms
of print journalism were dying off or changing
or evolving into magazines and websites But the
fact too that it like it can branch out into
this strategic communications or like you said,
you know, obviously you do PR, you could have
gone to marketing if you wanted to. Once you
learn those skills, and I would argue too, even
soft skills that journalism teaches like time
management and communication and I don't know,
writing, right? that I feel like you're so marketable
to other areas and that was such a hard message
and I think still is kind of a hard message to
sell because when you just say journalism, I
think in the past especially people thought newspapers.
So that's why it's so interesting to talk to
all of you and see you know how your jobs vary
because you were able to use the strong set of
skills and then obviously your own creativity
and you know your personality, your go -getter
and so the soft skills I think that journalism
teaches are sometimes even more important than
the actual skills. Definitely, especially at
Starting that in high school was huge. Like I
remember we did that cover story about Miley
Cyrus's performance of Robin Thicke and you were
like, you need to go to our like school head
of psychology and get his take on it. And I remember
feeling so nervous and almost having imposter
syndrome of like, how am I going to lead an interview
with this guy? Like this like head psychologist,
right? And I think it gets you feeling It kind
of makes you get comfortable asking questions,
engaging in conversations with real adults, you
know? Especially in high school, it just feels
like, wow, this is someone I would usually never
maybe say hi to in the hallway, but not engage
on a conversation that's this deep. And I think
having that skill really does. help you because
oftentimes, especially in an agency setting,
I can get put onto a new client on an industry
I've never worked in before. And I have to ask
all these questions and be okay with being what
feels like the dumbest person in the room at
times. And you gotta get smart on a topic really
quickly in marketing, advertising, PR. And I
think journalism and doing some of those skills
really does set you up for that. What I think
too is so different about that in high school
is that what you did there behind the scenes
with that interview and then obviously other
interviews ended up on the front page of the
school newspaper. And as we all know, people
read it and comment and they read the yearbook
and they comment and maybe even write a letter
to your house. Do you remember that? Oh my gosh.
Yeah. I mean, but that is oh my gosh that is
such a lesson and again all the nerves that you
have and then when you do it you're like oh that's
not so bad actually and the adults are usually
very nice and the interview goes really well
and you learn something and you get even more
excited and then you see it translate into this
amazing front page article. And just like you're
doing now, your work is everywhere, right? And
people don't see all the behind the scenes that
has to go into that. But it is, it's such a good
lesson, I think, just for anybody. And like you
said, had you had to pivot, you could have used
those skills in many different ways and still
could, right? Right. Yeah, that's awesome. So
what's new and exciting on the horizon for Sidney
Benson? Um, okay, professionally, I will say
I'm, and you actually did mention this in the
beginning, but I'm very excited for this 3 ,232
award ceremony in early June. Um, yeah, as you
said, I had been nominated. This is now my third
time, but I had never been selected. And I just
recently turned 29, so I'm not going to be under
32 forever. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping
that, you know, this is my year for that, which
would be fun. And of course, I can't share too
much about what I'm working on behind the scenes
in my job, but we've got lots of fun stuff on
the horizon. And yeah, that'll be a blast. I
have to say personally, So last year was a big
year for me. I mean, I got married and then I
had five other weddings. Two of them were destination
domestically, but in the US, so Vale and Nashville.
Another wedding was in Europe. So I got to go
to Italy and Greece and it was amazing. And honestly,
like, What I'm excited for is like having no
plans, just having a bit of a slower pace. And
I also, you know, I'm at this phase now, you
know, I just turned 29, like I said, and I feel
like in the next couple of years, you know, my
husband Joe and I are going to be thinking about
a house and kids and hopefully a golden retriever
pussy. And right now, you know, it's like we're
in our apartment. That's an awesome location.
And, you know, these are like the years I kind
of get to live selfishly a little bit and, you
know, like unwind after a day at the office and
cook dinner and, you know, watch summer houses,
you know, like just some of those like moments
that I I'm excited to continue to live because
I know life won't always be this way. So just
like the little moments, I'm kind of excited
for and grateful for. Yeah, a little bit of nesting
and just enjoying the everyday, like you said,
moments together before you take another big
transition in your life. Good for you. Always
such a mature, thoughtful planner, right? I try.
OK, I think we'll take a little break here. And
then when we come back, I think Sydney has a
lesson for us, right, and some homework takeaways.
So we will be right back. 100 % of men and women
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Visit hueandgrace .com to see how easy it is
to start making some healthy swaps on your way
to non -toxic living. To those of you who have
followed me for a while, you know that I value
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years and even been one myself. If you are looking
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journey, I would love to invite you to the wellness
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for the first month. Coach Megan is a busy mom
like me who works full -time, so I appreciate
her practicality mixed with some tough love to
keep me going. That's the bell, kids. So it's
time for Ask the Teacher Anything. First question
up, what? Am I most proud of about this transition
so far? Great question. I think my bravery. It
was not easy. It was a big risk. I am not typically
a risk taker. So I would say I'm most proud of
my ability to make the decision and stick with
it and just keep moving forward trusting. the
process. Easier said than done and I did it.
So I'm proud of my bravery. Second question,
how do I know which creative ideas to pursue
and which to let go of? Ah, that's good because
I'm typically like I want to try this and I want
to try this and I want to try that. Um, and so
I've tried to tell myself like pick one thing
and then do it really well, learn as much as
you can about it. Like with starting the podcast,
um, cause there's many things that I, many directions
that I think I could go from it. And it's like,
okay, just try this thing and, you know, do your
best and then move on from there. But I would
say to, um, I talked about this in two of my
past episodes, one in episode 33, where I talked
a lot about just identity and how to really drill
down to who you are at your core when you're
not an employee or a parent or a spouse or a
friend. Just like, who are you and what lights
you up? And we made a list also in episode 21
of things that fuel our energy and things that
drain our energy. In that episode we talked about
time management versus energy management and
I did some research and learned some things that
I didn't know about that. So I'd encourage you
to maybe go back to both of those episodes if
you haven't listened to them but also in episode
33 there's a link on my website life's next lesson
plan dot com slash freebies where you can download
a free journal and it kind of walks you through
like again pursuits that might be important to
you because of what your values are and you here
in this episode if you haven't already you will
Sydney kind of talk about like you should follow
your values and also you should share your values
with others and that's how creative ideas come
to you whether you have the ideas or people bring
the ideas to you and i've talked a lot about
that as well so. I guess to boil it down knowing
what you want this phase or chapter of your life
to look like and you know maybe something that
you've always wanted to do you're just gonna
finally go for it that's basically what I said
like if I don't try it now will I ever try it
like. You know, I've always wanted to not always
but for a long time I've thought about like what
would it be like to have a podcast and what would
it be like to not be a teacher and You know clocks
ticking years turn into more years and then I
didn't want to be at the end of my life and say
ah I wish I would have just tried it and That's
what this chapter is about. So great questions
I appreciate those and if you have more questions
for me, you can submit them on social media or
at our website We are back from break and this
is a rare occasion typically I have an idea of
what my guests are gonna share for their lesson
but I asked Sydney if she wanted me to know or
if I should be surprised and she's like let's
let's have a surprise so I'm gonna learn along
with you guys which is so so exciting so what
are you teaching us today Professor Sydney. So
I can take full credit for this lesson because
it's actually a lesson that my dad gave me. So
I'm going to take you back to it was like the
week before I started my internship at Carmichael
Lynch Relay. I'm sitting in my in my parents
kitchen with them and I'm telling them just how
nervous I feel about this internship. And both
of them were like Sydney why are you nervous,
like you have all this experience, you know,
you beat out all of these other candidates, not
to mention you had to do an interview and a writing
test to get this internship. You were in this
fair and square, like, aren't you excited? That
wasn't this also your top choice? Like they're
like, why aren't you excited? And I said, I am
excited, but this is why I'm nervous. One, I've
put this place on such a pedestal, you know,
I've talked to so many people. who have worked
here. I've heard nothing but great things. I
loved everyone that I interviewed with. What
if it's not all that it's cracked up to be? Or
also, what if I'm not all they think I'm cracked
up to be as their intern, right? And what if
this doesn't work out? I'm going to be so disappointed.
And not to mention, unemployed. You know, it's
not like I didn't take my other internships seriously
in college because I did, but I knew I had school
and you know, another part -time job to fall
back on. Now I'm graduated. Like this is my livelihood
now, right? It's like starting my career. And
so yeah, I'm, I'm nervous and I'll never forget
what my dad said. He just looked at me and he
said, I may not be the smartest guy in the room.
but no one will say I'm not the hardest worker.
And I have to say at first, I was confused because
my dad has, I mean, a law degree and he has been
at the same law firm for over 30 years and has
worked his way up from associate to partner.
So I'm like, how are you not the smartest guy
in the room by now? But I realized that wasn't
the point. The point is, is that I'm headed into
this agency. They didn't, they're not picking
me for my smarts, right? They're picking me because
they see potential in me. And what I can do is
show them how eager I am to learn how hard I'm,
how hard I'm willing to work. And I think that
that is a lesson that I think can carry you so
far in so many other fields. I think truly like
having just a good foundation of a work ethic
and a good attitude. can truly get you so far.
And even now, as I've worked my way up and I
make hiring decisions on my team, I would rather
have someone who knows nothing, but has the best
attitude, is willing to go the extra mile, you
know, isn't afraid to admit when they don't know
something or take ownership of a mistake than
someone who has all this experience and knows
a lot, but doesn't have a great attitude. isn't
willing to pitch in when it's needed you know
like it's just stuff like that and that was a
lesson again my dad gave me you know but a week
before I started and in our kitchen and it's
something I truly think about. Almost every day
in my career seven years later. Yeah, that's
yeah, that's so good and it almost kind of talks
about over the break We were just talking about
how soft skills like that are things you can't
teach You know, you can't instill that in someone
that you're hiring you either see their work
ethic or you know Or you don't and I'm sure when
that editor -in -chief who was going to study
abroad You were young Right? You were probably
one of the youngest staff writers on the Odyssey.
And I remember you saying, like, he picked me.
He came to me. And that is exactly what you're
talking about. What he saw in you was your potential.
And he knew you were reliable. He knew you were
talented. And yeah, you can't fail unless you
stop trying or you don't work hard. Right? And
I love that. That's so important. And it's hard
to instill that in people. They either have it
or they want to go for it or they don't. Yeah,
that's awesome. That's awesome. So are you going
to assign us homework or give us something to
take away that goes with this? Thanks, Dad. Thanks,
Mr. Benson. Yeah, I would say I think to bridge
off of that is I think a good takeaway or like
homework to do is find your core strengths and
values and focus on those, make them known, not
even internally, but also among your peers. So
for example, like I'm known as someone in my
workplace who is super organized and oftentimes
like I get pulled onto account and they're like,
Sydney, like. clean this up, like help us get
organized, give us some processes. And I feel
like, like they didn't just know that about me,
right? Again, like people can see things in you,
but when it comes down to like making yourself
indispensable and reliable and being known as,
you know, someone with a certain skillset, I
proactively kind of made this known, right? I
had my inbox super organized, like I have this
whole folder system in my Outlook. So when my
boss or someone on my team is like, can anyone
find that email chain where we talked about this?
I'm like, yeah, I'm the first one to find it.
Right. Or if someone is like, Hey, um, you know,
can I, like, we need a timeline for this campaign.
I off, yep, I'll do it. And I show everyone like
how I think, how I map things out. So just like,
finding your skill set, making it known, but
also there are going to be times where life is
going to throw unexpected obstacles at you and
you're going to get put in rooms of people or
situations that maybe feel foreign to you. You
might feel imposter syndrome or like you're not
good or smart enough. And if you just remember
your core assets and values and what you bring
to the table, rather than focusing on what you
don't bring, you'll be able to trust yourself
in saying, yep, okay, I may not know this industry,
but I know I'm smart enough to know the right
questions to ask to get us there. Or, hey, I
know I'm really organized. So I know I'm at least
going to take some really good notes and give
my team some good next steps. So we've got our
marching orders. So again, I think it's a world
where it's really easy to compare yourself or
focus on what you don't have. And I think, again,
if you just bring it back to those values of,
OK, I've got a great work ethic. I'm really organized.
I'm great at speaking up and communicating. Like,
even just those three things alone help you build
trust in yourself to confidently be able to move
to the next stage and continue to grow no matter
the situation you're in. Yeah, that's awesome.
So I think for the listeners, they can think
about, like, what value? That's exactly how I
approached my job search. You nailed it. What
values, you know, what value can I bring? to
a space that's not education. That was like the
question that I was asking myself. And the company
that I went to is actually my yearbook rep who
said, like, you have these skills. Here is a
company that I know of who could probably use
your skills. And when I went to them and I was
like, how could I help you? Here's what I could
do. They, again, knew me a little bit and knew
of my work. And they were like, yeah, you can
do those things that we already do. But there
are goals that we have had for years that we
haven't worked. because we needed someone who
had your exact skill set. And so without vocalizing
that to them, like, here's what I can bring,
exactly what you're saying, I can bring organization,
I can bring creativity. That's exactly, that's
exactly what I did. So perfect, that's awesome.
And you mentioned too, I mean, I've done multiple
episodes where we've talked about core values
and just your identity and having that confidence.
And again, not comparing like, I'm not trying
to be someone else who has different skills than
I have, or like you have mentioned is 10 years
ahead of me in this career. I can't fake that.
right? But I do know what I do have, and I'm
going to make that clear. That is such good,
I think at any age, that is such good advice.
Yeah, because that definitely applies to students
who are going into college and need to market
themselves, people who are leaving college and
need to market themselves in the job space, and
then people like me who are transitioning out
of one career and into another in midlife. needed
that exact advice. Very good, girl. She's so
good. And I think, too, you can flip that advice
on its head, too, and also take inventory of,
OK, what skills do I need to build? What do I
want more of? And also vocalizing that in your
workplace or with your mentor, whoever it is,
because also, people can't read your mind and
they also don't know what you're dying to get
your hands on either, right? So that's something
I've also practiced in my workplace and I've
been really fortunate to have an employer that
really values that. Like an example was I was
about two years into my career at Carmichael
Lynch Relate and I had worked pretty much solely
full -time on home and design accounts which
I actually really loved more than I thought I
would but I was like okay but we've also got
And we've got, you know, like all of these other
clients, we had Garden of Life, like we've got
people in Health and Wellness, like we've got
all these different brands. And I basically said
to them, look, I'm very happy with the work I'm
doing, however. I've been here for two and a
half years. I really want to dip my toes in another
industry. Here are a couple of accounts I would
love to work on, but I know these transitions
take time and you've got to do it right. But
I wanted to start planting that seed with you
because this is an opportunity and kind of what
I call like a muscle I want to flex, right? And
like get stronger at and learn. And they were
super, I think, appreciative of even just me.
raising my hand respectfully, proactively thinking
about my career and showing interest in wanting
to stay there. And so yeah, I mean, flash forward,
I did get transitioned onto Aveda and got this
whole other breadth of experience, right? It
feels like it's a whole other job. It's different
journalists, different influencers, different
clients, a different team. I mean, You know,
like I said, I feel like I've had five jobs in
one. So also doing that to vocalizing what you're
good at, but also if there are skills you want
to build, you never know what opportunities available
or even who someone can connect you with, right?
Like, oh, you want to get better at conversing
with clients. You should sit in on these meetings
and listen to this person, you know, run a status
call or brainstorm, you know, like just little
things like that can also go a really long way
too. Yeah, that's amazing. Well, I'm so happy.
It's so fulfilling as a former teacher to hear
that you've landed in a space that you're passionate
about and you love your work. And, you know,
it's just so fun for me to hear that. And thank
you so much for sharing all of your journey and
your advice and your lesson today. It's been
so wonderful to catch up with you. And I know
the listeners are going to enjoy all of your
stories and messages today. Wonderful. Well,
thank you so much for having me on, Rachel. This
was so much fun. Of course. So the next time
something doesn't go the way you planned, don't
panic. Pause. Look around. Maybe just maybe.
The universe isn't closing a door. It's giving
you a gentle or not so gentle nudge in a better
direction. Because as Sydney reminded us today,
You don't have to be the smartest person in the
room. You just have to show up, speak up, and
keep going. This isn't about having the perfect
plan. It's about paying attention to the detours,
because sometimes that's where your real story
begins. Until next time, stay curious, stay courageous,
and remember, your next lesson plan might just
be the one you never saw coming.