WEBVTT 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:09.679 What if the thing that didn't work out was actually 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.060 working in your favor? In today's episode of 00:00:13.060 --> 00:00:15.439 Life's Next Lesson Plan, we're diving into the 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.859 unexpected turns that lead us exactly where we're 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:22.339 meant to go. Whether you're early in your career, 00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:25.500 shifting into a new one, or trying to figure 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:29.160 out what's next, this conversation is all about 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:32.399 showing up with value even when you feel unsure. 00:00:33.360 --> 00:00:36.619 Today's guest shares her journey from disappointment 00:00:36.619 --> 00:00:40.679 to leading national campaigns for household brands. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:44.219 We talk about pivot points, imposter syndrome, 00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:47.939 mentorship, and the power of saying yes before 00:00:47.939 --> 00:00:51.659 you feel 100 % ready. There's wisdom in this 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:53.939 episode for anyone who's ever questioned their 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:57.119 path or standing at a crossroads wondering how 00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:00.240 to make the next move. So if you've ever been 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:02.299 rejected from the thing you thought you wanted, 00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:05.140 or if you're trying to build a meaningful career 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:08.780 that also feels like you, or maybe you just are 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:11.719 in the mood for an honest, encouraging, uplifting 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:18.209 conversation, this episode is for you. Thank 00:01:18.209 --> 00:01:20.489 you for joining me for another episode of Life's 00:01:20.489 --> 00:01:23.170 Next Lesson Plan. I'm Rachel and I started this 00:01:23.170 --> 00:01:26.329 podcast during my 29th and last year as a high 00:01:26.329 --> 00:01:29.069 school teacher. The goal of my work with Life's 00:01:29.069 --> 00:01:31.370 Next Lesson Plan as well as my Live and Learn 00:01:31.370 --> 00:01:34.290 Patreon is to create a connection where we are 00:01:34.290 --> 00:01:37.090 all teachers. We all have lessons and stories 00:01:37.090 --> 00:01:40.170 to share that can help others. I'm so fortunate 00:01:40.170 --> 00:01:42.769 to be able to extend the four walls of my previous 00:01:42.769 --> 00:01:46.560 classroom to an unlimited audience. where we 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:48.859 can all learn from each other. And my guests 00:01:48.859 --> 00:01:51.579 are some of the most inspirational people with 00:01:51.579 --> 00:01:54.379 the best stories and lessons I know, which is 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:57.379 why I want to share them with you. Their words 00:01:57.379 --> 00:02:00.040 are something everyone should hear. It is my 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:01.819 hope that you are able to take away something 00:02:01.819 --> 00:02:04.859 from each episode to apply to your own life, 00:02:05.180 --> 00:02:07.939 whether that be a career search, path to a more 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:11.599 fulfilling life, or new ideas on current topics. 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:16.000 Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:20.479 today. I have another fun former student story 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:24.840 tonight for you and so I'm happy to introduce 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:28.520 Sydney Benson. We were just talking before recording 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:31.620 because Sydney graduated from the University 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:35.159 of Minnesota and as many of my listeners know 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:37.699 my daughter is headed off to college and that 00:02:37.699 --> 00:02:41.080 is where she was going and everybody keeps telling 00:02:41.080 --> 00:02:44.379 me that once you lose your child to Minnesota 00:02:44.379 --> 00:02:48.319 they never come back and Sydney is an example 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:52.219 of that so I had Sydney in high school as a journalism 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:56.280 student she was always a standout to me immediately 00:02:56.280 --> 00:03:01.699 when I met her she and her colleagues in high 00:03:01.699 --> 00:03:05.099 school were such powerhouses and produced such 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:08.439 fun work. And she's just continued on that path. 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:11.860 So I'm going to turn it over to her to let her 00:03:11.860 --> 00:03:13.960 introduce herself a little bit. But I want to 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:16.979 make sure that I mentioned one thing that I do 00:03:16.979 --> 00:03:19.719 know about her and she might be too humble to 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:22.879 mention it, but Sydney is a three time 32 under 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:27.819 32 nominee by the ad fed Minnesota. And she is 00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:30.800 involved in some pretty cool projects, which 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:34.199 I'm sure we'll get into in this episode. But 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:38.020 she's just a go -getter like many of my other 00:03:38.020 --> 00:03:41.599 alumni who you have heard speak on the podcast. 00:03:41.719 --> 00:03:45.180 So I just wanted to make sure in case she doesn't, 00:03:45.180 --> 00:03:47.319 you know, kind of pat herself on the back that 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:52.060 we're talking to a real standout here. So Sydney, 00:03:52.180 --> 00:03:54.300 do you want to tell us a little bit about what 00:03:54.300 --> 00:03:58.409 you've been up to since high school? Yeah, absolutely. 00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:00.629 Well, thank you so much, Rachel. So happy to 00:04:00.629 --> 00:04:05.169 be on all the way from Minnesota. Yeah. And yeah, 00:04:05.210 --> 00:04:09.069 I am so excited to chat about my career and everything 00:04:09.069 --> 00:04:12.530 I do. I am currently an account supervisor at 00:04:12.530 --> 00:04:15.990 Carmichael Lynch Relate. We are a full service 00:04:15.990 --> 00:04:19.069 creative PR agency headquartered in Minneapolis, 00:04:19.069 --> 00:04:22.170 but we also have offices in Philadelphia, New 00:04:22.170 --> 00:04:24.750 York. And then with the pandemic, you know, we've 00:04:24.750 --> 00:04:27.800 got people everywhere from California to Texas 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:31.459 to DC. So it's really a really good diverse group 00:04:31.459 --> 00:04:35.199 of people I get to work with. My job is pretty 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:38.879 much you know we have brands or you'll also hear 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.160 me use the word like clients and accounts kind 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:44.779 of interchangeably that come to us and need a 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:49.230 PR strategy or need a PR agency. We have a we 00:04:49.230 --> 00:04:51.430 do have a new business team that like helps pitch 00:04:51.430 --> 00:04:54.689 that business were involved and then you know, 00:04:54.870 --> 00:04:57.629 we work for them and every client and scope of 00:04:57.629 --> 00:05:01.310 work is different but It's crazy because I've 00:05:01.310 --> 00:05:04.329 been at the same agency for a little over seven 00:05:04.329 --> 00:05:07.610 years now but I feel like I've had five different 00:05:07.610 --> 00:05:10.970 jobs in the span of one because I've gotten to 00:05:10.970 --> 00:05:14.560 work in so many different industries from home 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:18.939 and design, food and bath, vegan beauty, health 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:22.680 and wellness, and even like wi -fi and internet. 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:27.660 So it's been such a wild ride but it's also just 00:05:27.660 --> 00:05:31.120 been really rewarding, as you've said, with a 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:33.740 lot of the fun projects that I get to work on 00:05:33.740 --> 00:05:37.699 and get awards for. But yeah, it keeps me kind 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:40.019 of sharp and challenging and I just feel like 00:05:40.019 --> 00:05:42.240 I'm always evolving and growing, which is a lot 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:45.579 of fun. Yeah, that's so exciting. One name on 00:05:45.579 --> 00:05:48.879 your list popped out to me, Bobby Burke from 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:52.540 Queer Eye. I just love that show. That's so fun. 00:05:52.639 --> 00:05:56.170 Did you meet him in person? No, never in person, 00:05:56.610 --> 00:06:00.790 but worked very, very closely with his team for 00:06:00.790 --> 00:06:04.569 a client, Marvin, that we had. So we facilitated 00:06:04.569 --> 00:06:07.389 all of the windows and doors in his personal 00:06:07.389 --> 00:06:11.569 home. And that landed in some features in Arc 00:06:11.569 --> 00:06:15.269 Digest and some social content. So really negotiating 00:06:15.269 --> 00:06:18.370 and facilitating that partnership, which when 00:06:18.370 --> 00:06:20.449 you're dealing with renovating an entire house 00:06:20.449 --> 00:06:24.370 takes years. So yeah, me and Bobby's team. We've 00:06:24.370 --> 00:06:26.269 worked together very closely for many years. 00:06:26.490 --> 00:06:29.189 Oh my gosh, that's so fun. I just, I could watch 00:06:29.189 --> 00:06:31.769 those episodes all day. It's so fun. I know, 00:06:31.790 --> 00:06:36.290 and they make me cry. It's like the best happy 00:06:36.290 --> 00:06:40.769 cry ever. Yes, feel good TV for sure. Okay, well 00:06:40.769 --> 00:06:44.069 I remember, here's a memory that still sticks 00:06:44.069 --> 00:06:45.949 out to me from high school because I'm gonna 00:06:45.949 --> 00:06:49.350 ask you about a memory from high school as well. 00:06:49.509 --> 00:06:54.189 But I remember, I think it was, After you graduated, 00:06:54.649 --> 00:06:57.470 I think you came back and spoke to some current 00:06:57.470 --> 00:07:02.370 journalists about your internship in Australia. 00:07:02.550 --> 00:07:05.649 Wasn't that a PR? Was that one of your first 00:07:05.649 --> 00:07:10.509 internships? It wasn't one of my first, but yeah, 00:07:10.730 --> 00:07:14.889 that was definitely a highlight of my college 00:07:14.889 --> 00:07:19.509 career, which I will definitely talk about. What 00:07:19.509 --> 00:07:21.569 I actually was going to share in terms of like 00:07:21.569 --> 00:07:24.329 a memorable moment for me in high school or college. 00:07:25.430 --> 00:07:27.629 And I know you had also like, maybe it's funny. 00:07:27.750 --> 00:07:30.670 It wasn't funny at the time, but when I look 00:07:30.670 --> 00:07:35.420 back on my high school career and a really memorable 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:38.480 and pivotal moment, I would argue, is actually 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:42.339 not making the high school dance team. To give 00:07:42.339 --> 00:07:46.899 you some context, I started dancing in more of 00:07:46.899 --> 00:07:49.259 like a studio setting when I was four years old. 00:07:49.459 --> 00:07:54.420 And I did ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop. I even 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:57.199 did Irish dance for a year. I mean, I did it 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:00.240 all. And it was such a huge part of my identity, 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:04.670 like as long as I can remember. I remember I 00:08:04.670 --> 00:08:07.629 was entering my junior year of high school and 00:08:07.629 --> 00:08:10.550 I wanted to get more involved in high school 00:08:10.550 --> 00:08:13.730 and just kind of figure out what I'm good at, 00:08:13.750 --> 00:08:17.389 what I want to do. For me, the first two years 00:08:17.389 --> 00:08:19.490 of high school, freshman and sophomore year, 00:08:19.629 --> 00:08:22.750 were kind of like, oh, this is fun. This feels 00:08:22.750 --> 00:08:24.629 cool to be in high school. And then you're just 00:08:24.629 --> 00:08:27.129 kind of getting your footing and getting used 00:08:27.129 --> 00:08:30.009 to the pace and making new friends and all those 00:08:30.009 --> 00:08:32.690 things. And then as I started to shift into junior 00:08:32.690 --> 00:08:37.149 year, I then was in the mindset of, okay, how 00:08:37.149 --> 00:08:39.629 am I going to set myself up for the rest of my 00:08:39.629 --> 00:08:41.590 life, you know, in college and all of that? Cause 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:43.470 you start to think about getting your driver's 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:47.610 license and taking the ACT, applying to colleges, 00:08:47.769 --> 00:08:50.190 you know, doing all of these things that are 00:08:50.190 --> 00:08:53.169 starting to set yourself up. And I feel like 00:08:53.169 --> 00:08:55.539 this is true at the college level, but even Back 00:08:55.539 --> 00:08:57.220 then at the high school level, I was feeling 00:08:57.220 --> 00:08:59.200 pressured to, you know, not just get straight 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:01.500 A's, but to have extracurriculars and, you know, 00:09:01.620 --> 00:09:04.820 really kind of build my resume for applying to 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:07.960 colleges. So I thought I'm going to try out for 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:10.960 the dance team. It's a huge commitment. And, 00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:13.559 you know, our, our high school homestead had 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:16.580 a really, really good dance team. So I was going 00:09:16.580 --> 00:09:19.039 to try out and I tried out. I thought tryouts 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:23.750 went. Good like good but I didn't know for sure 00:09:23.750 --> 00:09:27.590 and I remember heading home and That night they 00:09:27.590 --> 00:09:29.570 said like when we were heading out. They said 00:09:29.570 --> 00:09:32.250 okay We're gonna post you know, the names of 00:09:32.250 --> 00:09:34.350 the people who made the team online And I don't 00:09:34.350 --> 00:09:36.529 know if it was public or a private link, but 00:09:36.529 --> 00:09:39.330 I remember getting out of my computer refreshing 00:09:39.330 --> 00:09:43.809 my screening It popped up and I quickly scan 00:09:43.809 --> 00:09:46.570 I don't see my name and I immediately think oh 00:09:46.570 --> 00:09:49.210 that can't be right and I closed out of the tab, 00:09:49.389 --> 00:09:52.330 you know, did it all again, scanned the names 00:09:52.330 --> 00:09:55.990 again, and I realized like, wow, I did not make 00:09:55.990 --> 00:09:59.529 it. And I think it was very memorable to me for 00:09:59.529 --> 00:10:02.789 two reasons. I think one was I was definitely 00:10:02.789 --> 00:10:05.309 embarrassed. Like all of my friends knew I had 00:10:05.309 --> 00:10:08.169 danced for forever and I was friends with a lot 00:10:08.169 --> 00:10:12.289 of them and it was embarrassing. Also, it felt 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:14.659 It was definitely an ego bruise that I think 00:10:14.659 --> 00:10:17.019 I kind of needed. It's not that I didn't give 00:10:17.019 --> 00:10:19.480 it my best effort because I did, but I kind of 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:21.799 thought I had it in the bag a little bit. Like 00:10:21.799 --> 00:10:24.360 I was, you know, I was like, there's no way they're 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:26.179 not going to take me. I've been dancing for over 00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:28.110 and... decade and there are girls who try out 00:10:28.110 --> 00:10:30.870 who've been dancing for a year, you know, and, 00:10:30.870 --> 00:10:34.289 and I danced competitively with my studio's company. 00:10:34.649 --> 00:10:37.309 I danced in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. 00:10:37.769 --> 00:10:39.370 Like I'm like, there's no way they're going to 00:10:39.370 --> 00:10:41.990 turn someone down. Um, and it turns out there's 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:46.289 a way. And, um, you know, it kind of made me 00:10:46.289 --> 00:10:49.129 really take a look in the mirror and think, okay, 00:10:49.309 --> 00:10:52.639 what else am I? curious and passionate about. 00:10:52.820 --> 00:10:55.740 And that's ultimately what led me to your pubs 00:10:55.740 --> 00:10:59.840 class. And, you know, and that pubs class, I 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:02.059 absolutely fell in love because I loved creative 00:11:02.059 --> 00:11:05.600 writing and I was excited about, you know, InDesign 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:07.419 and, you know, playing around with some magazine 00:11:07.419 --> 00:11:11.960 design and all of that. And it just, it then 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:15.200 unfolded this whole other passion and skill set 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:17.080 and even friendships, you know, that I still 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:21.299 have to this day. And And then that changed the 00:11:21.299 --> 00:11:23.860 way I looked at colleges that led me to the career 00:11:23.860 --> 00:11:26.840 I have now. And I'm not saying that if I had 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:28.960 made dance team that I would be a professional 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:32.940 dancer now. I mean, heck no. But I do think it 00:11:32.940 --> 00:11:36.200 made me really kind of pivot much earlier than 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:39.019 maybe I was planning to. And so when I look back, 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:43.240 like that really was such a pivotal moment that 00:11:43.240 --> 00:11:48.289 I think really just propelled and cascaded into 00:11:48.289 --> 00:11:51.649 my life today. That's so interesting. Listening 00:11:51.649 --> 00:11:56.370 to that, because both Brittany and Blake, your 00:11:56.370 --> 00:11:59.110 classmates who I've had on the podcast, both 00:11:59.110 --> 00:12:02.029 talked about a time that was a disappointment. 00:12:02.830 --> 00:12:04.649 And they were like, what am I going to do? My 00:12:04.649 --> 00:12:07.090 path's going to change. But ultimately, it was 00:12:07.090 --> 00:12:10.029 definitely for the better. And so I think that's 00:12:10.029 --> 00:12:13.210 just an important lesson for everybody listening, 00:12:13.450 --> 00:12:16.309 that sometimes the way Blake said it was that 00:12:16.309 --> 00:12:19.090 when a door closes you have to find another door 00:12:19.090 --> 00:12:22.009 to walk through and at the time especially in 00:12:22.009 --> 00:12:25.470 high school it can feel so awful like your life 00:12:25.470 --> 00:12:28.889 is over and you know all your hopes and dreams 00:12:28.889 --> 00:12:32.149 are in that basket and then when you have the 00:12:32.149 --> 00:12:35.090 wisdom of time and age right you look back and 00:12:35.090 --> 00:12:37.470 you're like oh that maybe actually was the way 00:12:37.470 --> 00:12:40.370 it was supposed to work out for me because it 00:12:40.370 --> 00:12:44.250 put me on this new path so you alluded to it 00:12:44.269 --> 00:12:47.110 little bit like planning what you were going 00:12:47.110 --> 00:12:51.190 to do then after high school as a result of journalism. 00:12:51.710 --> 00:12:54.590 When did you kind of start making those decisions 00:12:54.590 --> 00:12:57.149 and like how did you know that's like did you 00:12:57.149 --> 00:13:00.250 major in STRATCOM or journalism right away or 00:13:00.250 --> 00:13:04.490 did that take a while? So heading into college 00:13:04.490 --> 00:13:07.889 and when I was making decisions I definitely 00:13:07.889 --> 00:13:12.100 had my sights set on journalism and editorial 00:13:12.100 --> 00:13:14.820 job I think my dream job at the time was being 00:13:14.820 --> 00:13:17.879 the editor -in -chief of like Cosmo like that 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:26.980 was you and Kelly Allen but so every college 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:29.399 I looked at I looked at their journalism schools 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:32.899 but I also knew that like my path could change 00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:35.799 again right and so I didn't want to completely 00:13:35.799 --> 00:13:40.799 pigeonhole myself into going to a single school 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:43.820 just for one education path. So I definitely 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:47.840 wanted to look at, okay, what other schools or 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:50.299 education paths would be available to me? I also 00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:52.080 knew I wanted to have some fun in college, you 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:54.860 know? And so I really was gravitated toward, 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:57.639 you know, kind of that Big Ten experience with 00:13:57.639 --> 00:14:01.320 sports and extracurriculars. But also, you know, 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:03.879 the University of Minnesota has a great business 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:05.740 school, you know, the Carlson School of Management. 00:14:06.299 --> 00:14:08.559 So I knew if I want to transition into marketing, 00:14:08.740 --> 00:14:10.940 they also have a good engineering school. Maybe 00:14:10.940 --> 00:14:14.559 I'll pop a 180 engineering, you know, so I really 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:17.419 wanted to, I definitely had that lens, but I 00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:20.940 also knew, okay, I, you know, my path could change, 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:24.360 right? So wanted to keep that open. So I picked 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:26.679 the University of Minnesota. I get on campus. 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:30.340 One of the first things I do is join a sorority 00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:33.519 and An upperclassman in my sorority was writing 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:37.139 for this newspaper called Odyssey, which at the 00:14:37.139 --> 00:14:40.259 time, and you'll get this from when I wrote in 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:42.720 pubs, but like it literally was a physical newspaper. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:46.080 It was online too, but it was specifically for 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:48.899 people who were in the Greek system or like the 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:50.940 Greek community. So you had to be at a fraternity 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:52.940 or sorority at the University of Minnesota to 00:14:52.940 --> 00:14:55.879 write for it. It also was at other college campuses 00:14:55.879 --> 00:15:02.370 too in their Greek communities. going into the 00:15:02.370 --> 00:15:04.570 University of Minnesota and in terms of like 00:15:04.570 --> 00:15:06.809 the journalism school, I'm not sure how they 00:15:06.809 --> 00:15:09.750 have it set out now. But at the time, they didn't 00:15:09.750 --> 00:15:12.529 really do direct admissions. You obviously would 00:15:12.529 --> 00:15:15.169 get into the College of Liberal Arts that the 00:15:15.169 --> 00:15:18.409 journalism school was under. But you had to take 00:15:18.409 --> 00:15:22.929 a couple 101 courses to then Apply and declare 00:15:22.929 --> 00:15:25.909 a major. Well, I felt like thanks to your pubs 00:15:25.909 --> 00:15:27.629 class. I was light years ahead of that and I 00:15:27.629 --> 00:15:29.450 was like, okay I'm ready to write now like I'm 00:15:29.450 --> 00:15:33.509 ready to go. So I started writing for Odyssey 00:15:33.509 --> 00:15:36.210 and I really liked it. It kind of gave me that, 00:15:36.210 --> 00:15:38.330 you know sense of community it kind of scratched 00:15:38.330 --> 00:15:44.509 that itch that I had and then I Did that for 00:15:44.509 --> 00:15:48.110 a few months and then just before second semester 00:15:48.110 --> 00:15:51.320 of my freshman year the editor -in -chief at 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:54.779 the time approached me and said, hey, I'm about 00:15:54.779 --> 00:16:00.559 to study abroad in Europe next semester and I 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:03.240 need someone to take on the editor -in -chief 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:06.059 role. And he said, you know, I'm not, I'm not 00:16:06.059 --> 00:16:08.159 opening up an application. You know, I'm not 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:09.759 doing any of that. He goes, I wanted to go to 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:12.440 you first because I think that your experience 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:15.679 and even just like your wisdom is well beyond 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:18.669 your years. And I really Trust you to do this. 00:16:18.690 --> 00:16:21.909 And I think you'd be great at it. So I obviously 00:16:21.909 --> 00:16:25.909 thought about it, but said, yes. And so, you 00:16:25.909 --> 00:16:28.529 know, I took on that role and the publication 00:16:28.529 --> 00:16:32.149 changed so much over the course of the two years. 00:16:32.350 --> 00:16:34.850 So the physical newspaper aspect went away, which 00:16:34.850 --> 00:16:39.029 is, you know, no surprise, but also it opened 00:16:39.029 --> 00:16:42.629 up so that any writer at the University of Minnesota 00:16:42.629 --> 00:16:44.809 could be a part of Odyssey. You didn't have to 00:16:44.809 --> 00:16:48.409 just be in the Greek system, which was a blessing 00:16:48.409 --> 00:16:50.710 and a curse. It was a blessing because our talent 00:16:50.710 --> 00:16:53.889 pool of writers expanded so much, right? I mean, 00:16:53.929 --> 00:16:56.690 I think when you look at the numbers at the time, 00:16:56.730 --> 00:16:59.370 the Greek system was a small percentage of the 00:16:59.370 --> 00:17:02.070 whole school. So that was great. But then also, 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.519 I had a managing editor that I reported into 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:10.759 who was very, very focused on getting clicks, 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:14.059 page views, growth month over month. And it was 00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:18.920 just, my job very much became about recruiting 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:22.180 and onboarding writers and editing. And I kind 00:17:22.180 --> 00:17:25.180 of lost the ability to really enjoy writing on 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:29.569 my own. So. And also while all this is happening 00:17:29.569 --> 00:17:31.170 over the course of my two years in that position, 00:17:31.329 --> 00:17:33.109 I'm getting further in the journalism school 00:17:33.109 --> 00:17:35.589 and I'm starting to take some of these strategic 00:17:35.589 --> 00:17:37.670 communications courses and I'm really starting 00:17:37.670 --> 00:17:41.390 to like them. What I liked about them is that 00:17:41.390 --> 00:17:46.170 I really enjoyed kind of this challenge of You 00:17:46.170 --> 00:17:48.150 know, we have a brand, how are we going to get 00:17:48.150 --> 00:17:50.730 them news? And that's still something I face 00:17:50.730 --> 00:17:54.069 day to day in my job. We have no news. So how 00:17:54.069 --> 00:17:55.849 do we get news? Like, you know, how do we get 00:17:55.849 --> 00:17:57.650 news when there's no news? It's kind of the million 00:17:57.650 --> 00:18:00.359 dollar question we get all the time. I liked 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:02.720 that challenge and thinking about, okay, what 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.900 would get an editor's attention? And it felt 00:18:05.900 --> 00:18:08.839 like I was pivoting, but not necessarily pressing 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:12.500 restart on everything I had done, because after 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:15.339 writing and being an editor position, I knew 00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:17.859 what would catch my eye in an email, you know, 00:18:17.859 --> 00:18:21.539 and I knew kind of how that what what made me 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:23.380 tick and what might make another editor tick. 00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:26.960 So that's kind of when that shift really started 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:29.759 to happen. And then kind of full circle moment, 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:34.319 I'm then looking at studying abroad. And the 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:36.440 University of Minnesota has a phenomenal study 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:39.359 abroad program. But one of the programs that 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:41.740 they have that really caught my attention was 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:45.079 a study and intern program where you can go somewhere 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:47.799 abroad, you take classes and do credits, you 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:50.460 can also do a part time internship to get some, 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:52.819 you know, real world experience, if you will, 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:55.930 and I had had friends who had done the program 00:18:55.930 --> 00:19:00.829 in Italy or, you know, Barcelona or some countries 00:19:00.829 --> 00:19:03.670 where English was not the first language. And 00:19:03.670 --> 00:19:06.650 I realized that can kind of limit the type of 00:19:06.650 --> 00:19:08.869 internship you get. And I knew going into this, 00:19:09.009 --> 00:19:12.390 like, this is my opportunity to get the best 00:19:12.390 --> 00:19:14.549 internship I can get. Like, this is something 00:19:14.549 --> 00:19:18.589 that can really make my resume stand out. So 00:19:18.589 --> 00:19:22.269 when I look at English speaking, you know, countries 00:19:22.269 --> 00:19:25.490 and opportunities, I have London or Sydney, Australia. 00:19:26.829 --> 00:19:31.069 And I was like, I have to do Australia. I mean, 00:19:31.269 --> 00:19:33.009 when are you ever going to get to go there? It's 00:19:33.009 --> 00:19:37.250 so beautiful. And I ended up getting matched 00:19:37.250 --> 00:19:40.250 with an internship at RideAgency, which is like 00:19:40.250 --> 00:19:43.390 the most awarded PR agency in Sydney, Australia. 00:19:44.049 --> 00:19:47.650 And Gosh, was that like such a pivotal moment 00:19:47.650 --> 00:19:50.589 and just so incredible. I mean, I got to work 00:19:50.589 --> 00:19:55.089 on Ben and Jerry's Heineken, Coca -Cola, Cadbury. 00:19:55.710 --> 00:19:59.190 Amazon Web Services. And I mean, I'll be honest, 00:19:59.369 --> 00:20:02.410 there were times where you probably would have 00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:04.470 looked at me in the street and like gotten some 00:20:04.470 --> 00:20:07.329 double wear prototypes a little bit like it was 00:20:07.329 --> 00:20:10.630 a lot of getting coffees, running errands, putting 00:20:10.630 --> 00:20:14.309 together quick turn PR packages. There was a 00:20:14.309 --> 00:20:17.710 time where For Ben and Jerry's, it was free cone 00:20:17.710 --> 00:20:22.750 day and my boss was texting with these influencers 00:20:22.750 --> 00:20:27.410 and getting them like a mini cooler with cones 00:20:27.410 --> 00:20:29.109 and some Ben and Jerry's ice cream that they 00:20:29.109 --> 00:20:32.230 could use to create content in post. But I mean, 00:20:32.430 --> 00:20:35.359 it's a million degrees in Australia. And these 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:37.380 coolers don't stay fresh forever. So she would 00:20:37.380 --> 00:20:39.940 literally like text an influencer and say, Sydney, 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:43.039 pack up the cooler and go. And I was running 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:44.759 through the streets with this cooler and meeting 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:48.099 this influencer. I mean, it was, it was so all 00:20:48.099 --> 00:20:51.380 over the place, but truly I got to see how a 00:20:51.380 --> 00:20:53.819 creative agency worked, what the culture was 00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:56.440 like. It really taught me the importance of having 00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:59.180 a good attitude too, right? Like just, it's such 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:01.299 a career where you've got to earn your stripes. 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:04.640 And I was just so happy and excited and eager 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:07.859 to do whatever they wanted me to do. And it was 00:21:07.859 --> 00:21:10.200 just, I mean, it was incredible. And it truly 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:14.880 was such a pivotal moment for me coming off of 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:18.839 that. So while I'm in Australia, I'm there for 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:22.289 the second semester of my junior year. So. while 00:21:22.289 --> 00:21:23.710 this is going on, I'm like, okay, what am I going 00:21:23.710 --> 00:21:26.390 to do in the summer? Like I'm on to the next 00:21:26.390 --> 00:21:29.009 agency, right? Like, come on, Minneapolis. So 00:21:29.009 --> 00:21:32.190 I'm applying to all these internships at agencies. 00:21:32.589 --> 00:21:37.549 I don't get a single interview. And I'm like, 00:21:37.730 --> 00:21:41.490 oh shoot, you know? And I, again, not that I 00:21:41.490 --> 00:21:43.329 thought I had anything in the bag, but I'm like, 00:21:43.490 --> 00:21:47.079 who else can say? They're interning at a PR agency 00:21:47.079 --> 00:21:50.460 in Australia right now. Right. And I have since 00:21:50.460 --> 00:21:54.279 learned that most advertisement and PR agencies 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:59.299 tend to only accept post -grad interns because 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:01.839 you're doing real work and they really want to 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:04.460 hire you on. So, but I'm also like, okay, I'm 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:08.180 not going to sit around and wait until next year. 00:22:08.579 --> 00:22:11.940 So. I ended up applying for a research and communications 00:22:11.940 --> 00:22:15.000 internship at Make -A -Wish Minnesota, which 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:18.660 again was such a unique experience. It was their 00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:24.839 30th anniversary. So I was talking to kids who 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:28.039 are now adults who had wishes granted for them 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:30.839 during their childhood and hearing the impact 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:32.859 it made on their life. I mean, I get emotional 00:22:32.859 --> 00:22:35.920 just thinking about it, but what an incredible 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:39.880 job and experience to get to have. Um, and then 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:42.599 also since that's a nonprofit, it was an unpaid 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:45.579 internship. So also I'm teaching kickboxing to 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:48.799 like make some money on the side. Um, and also 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:51.380 I'm like, okay, what can I do out of this to 00:22:51.380 --> 00:22:54.559 like, you know, help develop my skillset? So 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:56.839 I was like, Hey, could I run your social media 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:58.900 and do your Instagram? Can I host a couple of 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:01.779 events? I have an idea for like this raffle to 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:04.539 get members involved. So I'm like constantly. 00:23:05.289 --> 00:23:07.769 you know, going out there and getting experience. 00:23:07.970 --> 00:23:10.849 And then my second semester of my senior year, 00:23:11.549 --> 00:23:15.150 I did an internship with Rep Key Public Relations, 00:23:15.210 --> 00:23:17.990 which was a super small PR firm, like eight people 00:23:17.990 --> 00:23:21.049 or so in this neighborhood of Minneapolis. And 00:23:21.049 --> 00:23:24.150 they had a lot of local clients. So now I'm heading 00:23:24.150 --> 00:23:26.750 into post -grad applications. I'm ready to take 00:23:26.750 --> 00:23:28.789 another swing of agencies. And now I already 00:23:28.789 --> 00:23:32.599 have like three more jobs. Under my belt. So, 00:23:32.660 --> 00:23:35.140 you know, I kind of took this mindset of like, 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:38.720 okay Do whatever you can to get some experience 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.640 and you know now I'm going into this with a small 00:23:41.640 --> 00:23:45.680 PR firm a nonprofit a National award -winning 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:48.619 PR agency and then also some kickboxing on the 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:51.200 side, right? And like so I just kind of came 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:54.000 with this whole new set of resumes You know in 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:57.240 jobs and like just a year and yeah, I ended up 00:23:57.240 --> 00:24:01.119 getting an internship with where I am now, Carmichael 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:04.559 and Tralate and yeah, the rest of history. And 00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:07.539 of course they kept you, they... wanted you full 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:10.740 -time, right? Because, as I said, she's a go 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:13.720 -getter and she just showed you how that is the 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:15.940 case. You know, it was funny because I was talking, 00:24:16.039 --> 00:24:19.279 I think it was my last episode, about how I landed 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:21.839 my job outside of education, which there was 00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:24.839 never a job posting. I never even gave them a 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:30.180 resume. They just knew me and of my work at Homestead. 00:24:30.519 --> 00:24:34.579 And this idea of like, That's how I got the job 00:24:34.579 --> 00:24:36.559 when I was teaching journalism at Mount Mary 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:38.640 at night in the pandemic because they needed 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:41.380 someone really quick. And I don't know if you 00:24:41.380 --> 00:24:43.960 remember Mrs. Barrington, who came in and helped 00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:47.880 us with InDesign. She was my JEA mentor. She 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:51.240 was working at Mount Mary, but long story short, 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:54.000 she contacted me during the pandemic, kind of 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.299 in a panic like, hey, are you still in the area? 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:59.220 Could you teach college journalism for a while? 00:24:59.619 --> 00:25:02.440 And exactly what you're saying is this idea of 00:25:02.349 --> 00:25:05.670 like your work speaks speaks for itself and sort 00:25:05.670 --> 00:25:08.910 of you have to kind of remember or approach your 00:25:08.910 --> 00:25:11.680 work like everything you do is a job interview. 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:15.240 Because the people who are around you looking 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:18.099 at your work, looking at your work ethic, looking 00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:21.140 at, like you said with Make -A -Wish, you went 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:23.319 to them and said, could I do this? Could I do 00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:26.660 this? I see room for growth. And that's exactly 00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:30.180 how I got my next job in yearbook and photography 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:35.980 is because they knew of me from our program at 00:25:35.980 --> 00:25:38.920 Homestead and they were looking for someone with 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:43.259 skills and you are proof of you know everything 00:25:43.259 --> 00:25:45.220 that you do although you're maybe not thinking 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:48.059 about it at the time you just want to be of value 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:51.220 that is going to help launch you into your next 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:54.799 step right and so yeah you're a living proof 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:59.380 of that I love that So so many highlights already 00:25:59.380 --> 00:26:02.640 and I can I love seeing people's paths and how 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:06.420 one Experience leads to the next but I know there's 00:26:06.420 --> 00:26:10.380 more to the story. So Do you want to talk about 00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:13.700 further along a little bit in your journey additional 00:26:13.700 --> 00:26:16.900 highlights that happen? Maybe not just professionally 00:26:16.900 --> 00:26:23.000 Yeah Just being in Australia and doing that study 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:26.099 and intern program was, I think, a highlight 00:26:26.099 --> 00:26:29.619 of my life, to be honest. Again, like not only 00:26:29.619 --> 00:26:33.059 did it do what I hoped it would professionally, 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:37.869 but also personally, I mean, I... became really, 00:26:37.869 --> 00:26:41.869 really close with my best friend, Paige. She 00:26:41.869 --> 00:26:43.710 went to the University of Minnesota, too. We 00:26:43.710 --> 00:26:45.569 kind of knew of each other, but we had never 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:48.970 really crossed paths. We were in the same study 00:26:48.970 --> 00:26:51.289 abroad program, and we pretty much became inseparable. 00:26:51.670 --> 00:26:53.829 And she was the maid of honor in my wedding this 00:26:53.829 --> 00:26:58.569 summer. And then at the time, my new kind of 00:26:58.569 --> 00:27:01.930 college boyfriend that I was seeing also was 00:27:01.930 --> 00:27:04.710 going on the same program. And we decided to 00:27:04.940 --> 00:27:08.640 Give it a shot and, and date. And yeah, now here 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:10.359 we are eight years later and he's my husband. 00:27:10.900 --> 00:27:16.700 So I know it was just such an awesome time. And 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:18.799 yeah, I mean, especially too, with my husband 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:21.480 and I, it's like, we have our first Valentine's 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:23.259 day was like a dinner overlooking the Sydney 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:27.480 Harbor. Um, we got to go to Fiji on our spring 00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:30.380 break. Um, it was not what you think it is. You 00:27:30.380 --> 00:27:32.720 did the cheap college kid route with hostels 00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:36.150 and, um, Yeah, all got some weird stomach bugs. 00:27:36.329 --> 00:27:38.910 So we got to see more of each other than maybe 00:27:38.910 --> 00:27:42.349 we planned within the first like six months of 00:27:42.349 --> 00:27:46.170 dating. But yeah, just such a highlight for sure. 00:27:46.430 --> 00:27:48.569 It's amazing when you think about what if I would 00:27:48.569 --> 00:27:52.930 have signed up for London? Right? Right. Right. 00:27:53.049 --> 00:27:56.210 Yes. Definitely would not have. I'm sure it would 00:27:56.210 --> 00:27:58.769 have been incredible. But yeah, I definitely 00:27:58.769 --> 00:28:01.450 wouldn't have seen nearly as cool of beaches. 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:06.259 So Jo, your husband was in Australia studying 00:28:06.259 --> 00:28:11.539 abroad, also in the same field or? Same program, 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:14.099 yeah. So there was I think a group of about 25 00:28:14.099 --> 00:28:16.240 of us from the University of Minnesota in this 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:18.140 program and then there was like a group of kids 00:28:18.140 --> 00:28:21.700 from other colleges elsewhere. But yeah, we were 00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:24.140 friends for a while before we started dating 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:26.759 and he had already kind of committed. We didn't 00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:30.019 even really know the other had done it and it 00:28:30.019 --> 00:28:34.160 just kind of... worked out, which is crazy. Oh 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:37.400 my gosh. And we booked our seats on the plane, 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:40.680 like together, both there and back next to each 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:42.740 other. So we're like, this could be really good 00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:45.079 or really bad. This sounds like it could be a 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:47.160 movie. Like I'm going to see this on the Hallmark 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:52.220 channel or something. That's so fun. OK, so then. 00:28:52.619 --> 00:28:56.099 after kind of walk us through, I know we want 00:28:56.099 --> 00:28:58.319 to talk about two things we want to talk about. 00:28:58.420 --> 00:29:00.759 Well, I guess you kind of talked about that all 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:04.839 of these internships helped you land the internship 00:29:04.839 --> 00:29:09.500 at Carmichael Lynch. And then is that where you 00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:13.079 met? I'm sure you met a lot of the mentors that 00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:17.279 you that helped propel your career a little bit. 00:29:18.299 --> 00:29:22.569 Yes, I kind of had to. mentors that stick out 00:29:22.569 --> 00:29:25.789 to me, though I have to say it's one of the toughest 00:29:25.789 --> 00:29:28.569 questions I think I've ever asked. So I feel 00:29:28.569 --> 00:29:32.369 very fortunate to have so many incredible mentors, 00:29:32.549 --> 00:29:34.609 especially in an agency setting. There's a lot 00:29:34.609 --> 00:29:38.289 of turnover, you know, at times, not only with 00:29:38.289 --> 00:29:41.970 clients and brands, but also internally too. 00:29:42.509 --> 00:29:44.609 And again, I think it's like we kind of talked 00:29:44.609 --> 00:29:47.539 about earlier at how you look at it. It's definitely 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:49.660 been hard to say goodbye to some mentors, but 00:29:49.660 --> 00:29:52.400 it's also the longer I've stayed, the more just 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:57.579 like incredible people I've met. Right. So I've 00:29:57.579 --> 00:30:03.039 got two. One is her name's Emma and she was the 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:06.220 PR intern the year before me. And so as I'm going 00:30:06.220 --> 00:30:09.799 into my internship, she's now what we call an 00:30:09.799 --> 00:30:11.359 account coordinator. It's kind of that entry 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:13.619 level, full time position at the agency. And 00:30:13.619 --> 00:30:18.079 we also work together on the same brand. So I'm 00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:21.180 working with her kind of day to day. And gosh, 00:30:21.539 --> 00:30:26.279 she, she was just so incredible. She was so organized 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:30.619 and everything she did, I just like copied and 00:30:30.619 --> 00:30:32.920 tried to do down to like how she would write 00:30:32.920 --> 00:30:35.579 emails, not only to clients, but also just back 00:30:35.579 --> 00:30:39.259 and forth, how she organized spreadsheets, because 00:30:39.259 --> 00:30:41.839 we would have so many things from like media 00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:45.529 coverage to influencer product donations and 00:30:45.529 --> 00:30:48.009 all of that like just the way she kept track 00:30:48.009 --> 00:30:51.930 of everything was amazing. She was such a good 00:30:51.930 --> 00:30:54.789 role model and also just someone I could go to 00:30:54.789 --> 00:30:56.849 you know it didn't feel like I was going to like 00:30:56.849 --> 00:31:00.569 the boss to ask hey how do I like set up my out 00:31:00.569 --> 00:31:03.309 of office on my email or you know just like little 00:31:03.309 --> 00:31:05.210 things or like hey I got this weird response 00:31:05.210 --> 00:31:07.549 back from this you know influencer what should 00:31:07.549 --> 00:31:10.269 I say back you know like just little things like 00:31:10.269 --> 00:31:15.009 that and I think so often, you know, when we 00:31:15.009 --> 00:31:17.150 think about mentors, we usually think of people 00:31:17.150 --> 00:31:20.289 who have decades of experience on us and are 00:31:20.289 --> 00:31:22.250 way high up the food chain. But I think there's 00:31:22.250 --> 00:31:25.130 a lot of credit to be given to some of those 00:31:25.130 --> 00:31:28.750 people who are really like at close to our level, 00:31:28.910 --> 00:31:31.210 have the job that we want within reach and are 00:31:31.210 --> 00:31:33.470 kind of in the trenches with you every day. Right. 00:31:33.509 --> 00:31:37.029 And really kind of are that model for the path 00:31:37.029 --> 00:31:41.349 ahead. So. Emma was a really awesome mentor for 00:31:41.349 --> 00:31:46.950 me. The other really impactful mentor is Alan. 00:31:47.230 --> 00:31:49.650 He is an executive vice president at Carmichael 00:31:49.650 --> 00:31:52.349 Lynch Relate. So he is that mentor we often think 00:31:52.349 --> 00:31:55.450 of, right, who's got decades of experience on 00:31:55.450 --> 00:31:59.230 us and is just whip smart and, you know, has 00:31:59.230 --> 00:32:02.049 all the guidance. And I actually started working 00:32:02.049 --> 00:32:04.809 directly with him at the agency a couple years 00:32:04.809 --> 00:32:09.480 ago. when we got the Saputo brand as a client. 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:12.599 And they are like one of the largest dairy manufacturers 00:32:12.599 --> 00:32:14.740 in the world. And we had several different cheese 00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:18.599 brands underneath them that I had to build an 00:32:18.599 --> 00:32:22.000 influencer strategy for from the ground up. And 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:25.200 he really taught me the importance of branding 00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:30.579 my own ideas and how to set up an idea to help 00:32:30.579 --> 00:32:33.059 it be sold in. I think a lot of times people 00:32:33.059 --> 00:32:36.799 don't realize how many levels of approval an 00:32:36.799 --> 00:32:40.039 idea has to have in order for it to come to life. 00:32:40.180 --> 00:32:42.519 You know, I'll pitch something during a brainstorm 00:32:42.519 --> 00:32:46.140 that then probably four other people at the agency 00:32:46.140 --> 00:32:49.980 have to buy into, right? Or tweak slightly. Then 00:32:49.980 --> 00:32:53.119 we present it to our client. And oftentimes our 00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:57.220 client is just kind of one piece of a huge puzzle, 00:32:57.220 --> 00:32:59.559 right? And then they, our client then needs the 00:32:59.559 --> 00:33:02.160 tools to sell it in with their leadership and 00:33:02.160 --> 00:33:05.309 all of that. So. He really taught me the importance 00:33:05.309 --> 00:33:09.210 of like branding my own idea. I'll give you an 00:33:09.210 --> 00:33:11.950 example of it and kind of a highlight of my work. 00:33:12.130 --> 00:33:17.210 Um, was this 50 states, 50 influencers program 00:33:17.210 --> 00:33:20.730 for treasure cave blue cheese, you know, going 00:33:20.730 --> 00:33:24.019 into planning and brainstorming. we knew our 00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:26.259 clients really wanted to grow the blue cheese 00:33:26.259 --> 00:33:29.660 category and highlight very different usage occasions 00:33:29.660 --> 00:33:32.660 for blue cheese. So it's kind of that what we 00:33:32.660 --> 00:33:35.279 call, you know, kind of polarizing, you know, 00:33:35.420 --> 00:33:37.359 people either love it or hate it, but they wanted 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:39.660 to show, hey, it's, it's got a little flavor, 00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:41.319 but you don't need to be delicate with it. And 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:45.579 you can use it as more than a sauce to dip barbecuings 00:33:45.579 --> 00:33:48.259 in, or, you know, a crumble to put on a salad. 00:33:48.759 --> 00:33:51.799 And we also knew from our audience data and insights 00:33:51.799 --> 00:33:57.380 and research that our audience really loves travel 00:33:57.380 --> 00:34:01.440 and trying new and kind of eclectic new things. 00:34:02.180 --> 00:34:05.779 So during brainstorming, I put forward this idea, 00:34:06.019 --> 00:34:08.739 50 states, 50 influencers. We partner with an 00:34:08.739 --> 00:34:12.019 influencer in almost every single state and have 00:34:12.019 --> 00:34:14.960 them create a recipe using blue cheese that's 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:18.309 inspired by their state's cuisine. I mean, how 00:34:18.309 --> 00:34:21.170 awesome is that, right? And yeah, we, we got 00:34:21.170 --> 00:34:25.289 like for Minnesota, we got, um, what was it like 00:34:25.289 --> 00:34:28.409 blue cheese tater tot hot dish. We got blue cheese, 00:34:28.449 --> 00:34:31.570 lobster rolls and Maine. I mean, we got, we got 00:34:31.570 --> 00:34:33.650 exactly what we wanted. And I think what's so 00:34:33.650 --> 00:34:38.150 cool about it is it had this name and it was 00:34:38.150 --> 00:34:41.389 so rooted in simplicity, right? Like we know 00:34:41.389 --> 00:34:44.650 it's, it's very complex, right? Like we need, 00:34:44.730 --> 00:34:47.840 that means we've got to vet not just 50, hundreds 00:34:47.840 --> 00:34:52.679 of influencers. That also means 50 sets of negotiations, 00:34:53.219 --> 00:34:55.840 50 different contracts, 50 different sets of 00:34:55.840 --> 00:34:59.380 content review. Like it's a lot to manage, but 00:34:59.380 --> 00:35:03.539 the idea itself and just that name and like brand 00:35:03.539 --> 00:35:07.039 behind it was rooted in simplicity and it kind 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:10.590 of directly anyone who heard it knew, yep, this 00:35:10.590 --> 00:35:12.949 is answering what we asked for. Right. And just 00:35:12.949 --> 00:35:14.969 having something that like everyone can rally 00:35:14.969 --> 00:35:18.150 around was really, really cool. So I have kind 00:35:18.150 --> 00:35:21.550 of Alan to thank for that lesson. You know, oftentimes 00:35:21.550 --> 00:35:24.150 you think, oh, we got to polish this, you know, 00:35:24.250 --> 00:35:26.030 when it's at the client. But if you can do that 00:35:26.030 --> 00:35:28.809 early on, it really only helps sell it in along 00:35:28.809 --> 00:35:34.320 the way. That sounds so fun. And also I'm just 00:35:34.320 --> 00:35:36.739 sitting here thinking like I'm remembering your 00:35:36.739 --> 00:35:41.139 work in high school and I'm just thinking like... 00:35:41.360 --> 00:35:44.159 There were so many times that I had to say to 00:35:44.159 --> 00:35:46.300 people around the time that you were in high 00:35:46.300 --> 00:35:48.280 school people were saying like why would kids 00:35:48.280 --> 00:35:51.699 take journalism journalism is dead and Just that 00:35:51.699 --> 00:35:54.800 idea of like print journalism or certain forms 00:35:54.800 --> 00:35:57.199 of print journalism were dying off or changing 00:35:57.199 --> 00:36:00.380 or evolving into magazines and websites But the 00:36:00.380 --> 00:36:03.480 fact too that it like it can branch out into 00:36:03.480 --> 00:36:06.630 this strategic communications or like you said, 00:36:06.809 --> 00:36:09.050 you know, obviously you do PR, you could have 00:36:09.050 --> 00:36:12.570 gone to marketing if you wanted to. Once you 00:36:12.570 --> 00:36:16.269 learn those skills, and I would argue too, even 00:36:16.269 --> 00:36:19.130 soft skills that journalism teaches like time 00:36:19.130 --> 00:36:21.710 management and communication and I don't know, 00:36:21.829 --> 00:36:25.980 writing, right? that I feel like you're so marketable 00:36:25.980 --> 00:36:29.059 to other areas and that was such a hard message 00:36:29.059 --> 00:36:32.280 and I think still is kind of a hard message to 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:35.480 sell because when you just say journalism, I 00:36:35.480 --> 00:36:39.099 think in the past especially people thought newspapers. 00:36:39.970 --> 00:36:42.630 So that's why it's so interesting to talk to 00:36:42.630 --> 00:36:45.849 all of you and see you know how your jobs vary 00:36:45.849 --> 00:36:49.070 because you were able to use the strong set of 00:36:49.070 --> 00:36:52.050 skills and then obviously your own creativity 00:36:52.050 --> 00:36:56.010 and you know your personality, your go -getter 00:36:56.010 --> 00:36:59.090 and so the soft skills I think that journalism 00:36:59.090 --> 00:37:03.090 teaches are sometimes even more important than 00:37:03.090 --> 00:37:06.929 the actual skills. Definitely, especially at 00:37:06.960 --> 00:37:09.940 Starting that in high school was huge. Like I 00:37:09.940 --> 00:37:13.380 remember we did that cover story about Miley 00:37:13.380 --> 00:37:16.239 Cyrus's performance of Robin Thicke and you were 00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:18.860 like, you need to go to our like school head 00:37:18.860 --> 00:37:21.679 of psychology and get his take on it. And I remember 00:37:21.679 --> 00:37:25.099 feeling so nervous and almost having imposter 00:37:25.099 --> 00:37:27.579 syndrome of like, how am I going to lead an interview 00:37:27.579 --> 00:37:30.920 with this guy? Like this like head psychologist, 00:37:30.920 --> 00:37:34.510 right? And I think it gets you feeling It kind 00:37:34.510 --> 00:37:37.690 of makes you get comfortable asking questions, 00:37:37.989 --> 00:37:41.150 engaging in conversations with real adults, you 00:37:41.150 --> 00:37:43.750 know? Especially in high school, it just feels 00:37:43.750 --> 00:37:46.289 like, wow, this is someone I would usually never 00:37:46.289 --> 00:37:49.329 maybe say hi to in the hallway, but not engage 00:37:49.329 --> 00:37:53.429 on a conversation that's this deep. And I think 00:37:53.429 --> 00:37:56.760 having that skill really does. help you because 00:37:56.760 --> 00:37:58.880 oftentimes, especially in an agency setting, 00:37:59.059 --> 00:38:02.679 I can get put onto a new client on an industry 00:38:02.679 --> 00:38:05.360 I've never worked in before. And I have to ask 00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:08.960 all these questions and be okay with being what 00:38:08.960 --> 00:38:11.039 feels like the dumbest person in the room at 00:38:11.039 --> 00:38:14.780 times. And you gotta get smart on a topic really 00:38:14.780 --> 00:38:18.820 quickly in marketing, advertising, PR. And I 00:38:18.820 --> 00:38:21.420 think journalism and doing some of those skills 00:38:21.420 --> 00:38:25.449 really does set you up for that. What I think 00:38:25.449 --> 00:38:28.170 too is so different about that in high school 00:38:28.170 --> 00:38:30.949 is that what you did there behind the scenes 00:38:30.949 --> 00:38:32.929 with that interview and then obviously other 00:38:32.929 --> 00:38:35.730 interviews ended up on the front page of the 00:38:35.730 --> 00:38:38.409 school newspaper. And as we all know, people 00:38:38.409 --> 00:38:41.769 read it and comment and they read the yearbook 00:38:41.769 --> 00:38:43.949 and they comment and maybe even write a letter 00:38:43.949 --> 00:38:50.050 to your house. Do you remember that? Oh my gosh. 00:38:50.210 --> 00:38:53.909 Yeah. I mean, but that is oh my gosh that is 00:38:53.909 --> 00:38:57.250 such a lesson and again all the nerves that you 00:38:57.250 --> 00:39:00.210 have and then when you do it you're like oh that's 00:39:00.210 --> 00:39:02.590 not so bad actually and the adults are usually 00:39:02.590 --> 00:39:05.030 very nice and the interview goes really well 00:39:05.030 --> 00:39:07.090 and you learn something and you get even more 00:39:07.090 --> 00:39:10.179 excited and then you see it translate into this 00:39:10.179 --> 00:39:13.320 amazing front page article. And just like you're 00:39:13.320 --> 00:39:16.199 doing now, your work is everywhere, right? And 00:39:16.199 --> 00:39:19.099 people don't see all the behind the scenes that 00:39:19.099 --> 00:39:23.179 has to go into that. But it is, it's such a good 00:39:23.179 --> 00:39:26.440 lesson, I think, just for anybody. And like you 00:39:26.440 --> 00:39:28.659 said, had you had to pivot, you could have used 00:39:28.659 --> 00:39:30.860 those skills in many different ways and still 00:39:30.860 --> 00:39:34.079 could, right? Right. Yeah, that's awesome. So 00:39:34.079 --> 00:39:37.579 what's new and exciting on the horizon for Sidney 00:39:37.579 --> 00:39:42.340 Benson? Um, okay, professionally, I will say 00:39:42.340 --> 00:39:45.019 I'm, and you actually did mention this in the 00:39:45.019 --> 00:39:48.719 beginning, but I'm very excited for this 3 ,232 00:39:48.719 --> 00:39:52.059 award ceremony in early June. Um, yeah, as you 00:39:52.059 --> 00:39:54.460 said, I had been nominated. This is now my third 00:39:54.460 --> 00:39:58.099 time, but I had never been selected. And I just 00:39:58.099 --> 00:40:00.340 recently turned 29, so I'm not going to be under 00:40:00.340 --> 00:40:04.940 32 forever. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping 00:40:04.940 --> 00:40:07.780 that, you know, this is my year for that, which 00:40:07.780 --> 00:40:10.940 would be fun. And of course, I can't share too 00:40:10.940 --> 00:40:13.159 much about what I'm working on behind the scenes 00:40:13.159 --> 00:40:15.880 in my job, but we've got lots of fun stuff on 00:40:15.880 --> 00:40:20.960 the horizon. And yeah, that'll be a blast. I 00:40:20.960 --> 00:40:24.429 have to say personally, So last year was a big 00:40:24.429 --> 00:40:27.849 year for me. I mean, I got married and then I 00:40:27.849 --> 00:40:31.190 had five other weddings. Two of them were destination 00:40:31.190 --> 00:40:34.050 domestically, but in the US, so Vale and Nashville. 00:40:34.829 --> 00:40:38.690 Another wedding was in Europe. So I got to go 00:40:38.690 --> 00:40:43.269 to Italy and Greece and it was amazing. And honestly, 00:40:43.630 --> 00:40:47.869 like, What I'm excited for is like having no 00:40:47.869 --> 00:40:51.750 plans, just having a bit of a slower pace. And 00:40:51.750 --> 00:40:54.809 I also, you know, I'm at this phase now, you 00:40:54.809 --> 00:40:57.849 know, I just turned 29, like I said, and I feel 00:40:57.849 --> 00:41:00.369 like in the next couple of years, you know, my 00:41:00.369 --> 00:41:02.750 husband Joe and I are going to be thinking about 00:41:02.750 --> 00:41:07.500 a house and kids and hopefully a golden retriever 00:41:07.500 --> 00:41:11.579 pussy. And right now, you know, it's like we're 00:41:11.579 --> 00:41:13.519 in our apartment. That's an awesome location. 00:41:14.380 --> 00:41:16.500 And, you know, these are like the years I kind 00:41:16.500 --> 00:41:19.019 of get to live selfishly a little bit and, you 00:41:19.019 --> 00:41:22.599 know, like unwind after a day at the office and 00:41:22.599 --> 00:41:25.559 cook dinner and, you know, watch summer houses, 00:41:25.559 --> 00:41:28.059 you know, like just some of those like moments 00:41:28.059 --> 00:41:32.260 that I I'm excited to continue to live because 00:41:32.260 --> 00:41:35.559 I know life won't always be this way. So just 00:41:35.559 --> 00:41:37.340 like the little moments, I'm kind of excited 00:41:37.340 --> 00:41:39.820 for and grateful for. Yeah, a little bit of nesting 00:41:39.820 --> 00:41:42.719 and just enjoying the everyday, like you said, 00:41:43.019 --> 00:41:45.940 moments together before you take another big 00:41:45.940 --> 00:41:49.460 transition in your life. Good for you. Always 00:41:49.460 --> 00:41:54.900 such a mature, thoughtful planner, right? I try. 00:41:55.860 --> 00:41:58.960 OK, I think we'll take a little break here. And 00:41:58.960 --> 00:42:02.099 then when we come back, I think Sydney has a 00:42:02.099 --> 00:42:05.659 lesson for us, right, and some homework takeaways. 00:42:05.800 --> 00:42:11.780 So we will be right back. 100 % of men and women 00:42:11.780 --> 00:42:14.559 have hormones. And with the increased presence 00:42:14.559 --> 00:42:17.280 of processed foods and environmental toxins, 00:42:17.800 --> 00:42:19.619 it's more important than ever to make mindful 00:42:19.619 --> 00:42:22.860 choices in the products we use every day. That's 00:42:22.860 --> 00:42:26.130 why I trust Q and Grace. high -performing clean 00:42:26.130 --> 00:42:29.530 products designed to support hormone health while 00:42:29.530 --> 00:42:33.110 reducing exposure to harmful chemicals. 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Live and learn with me as 00:44:54.480 --> 00:44:57.780 we focus on living fully and feeling our best. 00:44:58.059 --> 00:45:02.829 Visit hueandgrace .com to see how easy it is 00:45:02.829 --> 00:45:05.949 to start making some healthy swaps on your way 00:45:05.949 --> 00:45:09.710 to non -toxic living. To those of you who have 00:45:09.710 --> 00:45:12.449 followed me for a while, you know that I value 00:45:12.449 --> 00:45:15.309 mental and physical wellness. Personally, I've 00:45:15.309 --> 00:45:17.150 worked with a few different coaches over the 00:45:17.150 --> 00:45:20.340 years and even been one myself. If you are looking 00:45:20.340 --> 00:45:22.960 for education and support in your own wellness 00:45:22.960 --> 00:45:25.519 journey, I would love to invite you to the wellness 00:45:25.519 --> 00:45:28.380 community I am currently in that keeps me accountable 00:45:28.380 --> 00:45:31.559 daily with my nutrition and movement. If you 00:45:31.559 --> 00:45:34.000 are a Facebook user, you can search for our free 00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:38.599 group called Team MG. This group is led by my 00:45:38.599 --> 00:45:41.380 coach, Megan Grimord, who is a certified trainer 00:45:41.380 --> 00:45:44.619 and nutrition coach. She offers lots of education 00:45:44.619 --> 00:45:47.719 and support for your wellness journey. If you 00:45:47.719 --> 00:45:49.840 want to get to know Coach Megan Moore, you can 00:45:49.840 --> 00:45:53.119 follow her on Instagram at all lowercase, Megan, 00:45:53.119 --> 00:45:58.260 M -E -G -A -N, underscore, grimoire, G -R -I 00:45:58.260 --> 00:46:02.039 -M -O -R -D, or even listen to her on episode 00:46:02.039 --> 00:46:06.019 10 of the podcast. She has also created a discount 00:46:06.019 --> 00:46:08.619 code for my listeners. Just go to her website, 00:46:08.940 --> 00:46:16.110 www .team -mg .com. and enter code LESSONPLAN10 00:46:16.110 --> 00:46:19.869 to get $10 off any of her premium coaching packages 00:46:19.869 --> 00:46:23.349 for the first month. Coach Megan is a busy mom 00:46:23.349 --> 00:46:26.090 like me who works full -time, so I appreciate 00:46:26.090 --> 00:46:29.250 her practicality mixed with some tough love to 00:46:29.250 --> 00:46:34.750 keep me going. That's the bell, kids. So it's 00:46:34.750 --> 00:46:38.070 time for Ask the Teacher Anything. First question 00:46:38.070 --> 00:46:43.289 up, what? Am I most proud of about this transition 00:46:43.289 --> 00:46:52.829 so far? Great question. I think my bravery. It 00:46:52.829 --> 00:46:56.869 was not easy. It was a big risk. I am not typically 00:46:56.869 --> 00:47:01.429 a risk taker. So I would say I'm most proud of 00:47:01.429 --> 00:47:04.250 my ability to make the decision and stick with 00:47:04.250 --> 00:47:09.539 it and just keep moving forward trusting. the 00:47:09.539 --> 00:47:14.960 process. Easier said than done and I did it. 00:47:15.400 --> 00:47:18.800 So I'm proud of my bravery. Second question, 00:47:18.880 --> 00:47:22.420 how do I know which creative ideas to pursue 00:47:22.420 --> 00:47:26.599 and which to let go of? Ah, that's good because 00:47:26.599 --> 00:47:28.420 I'm typically like I want to try this and I want 00:47:28.420 --> 00:47:31.760 to try this and I want to try that. Um, and so 00:47:31.760 --> 00:47:34.440 I've tried to tell myself like pick one thing 00:47:34.440 --> 00:47:36.599 and then do it really well, learn as much as 00:47:36.599 --> 00:47:39.559 you can about it. Like with starting the podcast, 00:47:39.599 --> 00:47:44.739 um, cause there's many things that I, many directions 00:47:44.739 --> 00:47:47.199 that I think I could go from it. And it's like, 00:47:47.320 --> 00:47:49.900 okay, just try this thing and, you know, do your 00:47:49.900 --> 00:47:53.000 best and then move on from there. But I would 00:47:53.000 --> 00:47:56.579 say to, um, I talked about this in two of my 00:47:56.579 --> 00:48:01.400 past episodes, one in episode 33, where I talked 00:48:01.400 --> 00:48:05.420 a lot about just identity and how to really drill 00:48:05.420 --> 00:48:08.559 down to who you are at your core when you're 00:48:08.559 --> 00:48:12.019 not an employee or a parent or a spouse or a 00:48:12.019 --> 00:48:15.420 friend. Just like, who are you and what lights 00:48:15.420 --> 00:48:21.500 you up? And we made a list also in episode 21 00:48:21.500 --> 00:48:25.619 of things that fuel our energy and things that 00:48:25.619 --> 00:48:28.800 drain our energy. In that episode we talked about 00:48:28.800 --> 00:48:32.460 time management versus energy management and 00:48:32.460 --> 00:48:35.340 I did some research and learned some things that 00:48:35.340 --> 00:48:39.340 I didn't know about that. So I'd encourage you 00:48:39.340 --> 00:48:42.039 to maybe go back to both of those episodes if 00:48:42.039 --> 00:48:45.420 you haven't listened to them but also in episode 00:48:45.420 --> 00:48:50.210 33 there's a link on my website life's next lesson 00:48:50.210 --> 00:48:54.750 plan dot com slash freebies where you can download 00:48:54.750 --> 00:48:58.349 a free journal and it kind of walks you through 00:48:58.349 --> 00:49:02.510 like again pursuits that might be important to 00:49:02.510 --> 00:49:05.389 you because of what your values are and you here 00:49:05.389 --> 00:49:08.670 in this episode if you haven't already you will 00:49:09.210 --> 00:49:12.590 Sydney kind of talk about like you should follow 00:49:12.590 --> 00:49:15.670 your values and also you should share your values 00:49:15.670 --> 00:49:19.630 with others and that's how creative ideas come 00:49:19.630 --> 00:49:23.809 to you whether you have the ideas or people bring 00:49:23.809 --> 00:49:26.869 the ideas to you and i've talked a lot about 00:49:26.869 --> 00:49:32.260 that as well so. I guess to boil it down knowing 00:49:32.260 --> 00:49:36.360 what you want this phase or chapter of your life 00:49:36.360 --> 00:49:39.860 to look like and you know maybe something that 00:49:39.860 --> 00:49:42.179 you've always wanted to do you're just gonna 00:49:42.179 --> 00:49:45.239 finally go for it that's basically what I said 00:49:45.239 --> 00:49:48.420 like if I don't try it now will I ever try it 00:49:48.420 --> 00:49:50.989 like. You know, I've always wanted to not always 00:49:50.989 --> 00:49:52.849 but for a long time I've thought about like what 00:49:52.849 --> 00:49:54.809 would it be like to have a podcast and what would 00:49:54.809 --> 00:49:57.769 it be like to not be a teacher and You know clocks 00:49:57.769 --> 00:50:01.570 ticking years turn into more years and then I 00:50:01.570 --> 00:50:03.489 didn't want to be at the end of my life and say 00:50:03.489 --> 00:50:07.010 ah I wish I would have just tried it and That's 00:50:07.010 --> 00:50:10.789 what this chapter is about. So great questions 00:50:10.789 --> 00:50:13.849 I appreciate those and if you have more questions 00:50:13.849 --> 00:50:17.409 for me, you can submit them on social media or 00:50:17.409 --> 00:50:22.019 at our website We are back from break and this 00:50:22.019 --> 00:50:26.079 is a rare occasion typically I have an idea of 00:50:26.079 --> 00:50:28.039 what my guests are gonna share for their lesson 00:50:28.039 --> 00:50:31.360 but I asked Sydney if she wanted me to know or 00:50:31.360 --> 00:50:34.159 if I should be surprised and she's like let's 00:50:34.159 --> 00:50:36.840 let's have a surprise so I'm gonna learn along 00:50:36.840 --> 00:50:40.059 with you guys which is so so exciting so what 00:50:40.059 --> 00:50:44.650 are you teaching us today Professor Sydney. So 00:50:44.650 --> 00:50:47.150 I can take full credit for this lesson because 00:50:47.150 --> 00:50:50.750 it's actually a lesson that my dad gave me. So 00:50:50.750 --> 00:50:53.289 I'm going to take you back to it was like the 00:50:53.289 --> 00:50:55.969 week before I started my internship at Carmichael 00:50:55.969 --> 00:50:59.449 Lynch Relay. I'm sitting in my in my parents 00:50:59.449 --> 00:51:02.210 kitchen with them and I'm telling them just how 00:51:02.210 --> 00:51:06.550 nervous I feel about this internship. And both 00:51:06.550 --> 00:51:10.739 of them were like Sydney why are you nervous, 00:51:11.079 --> 00:51:13.280 like you have all this experience, you know, 00:51:13.300 --> 00:51:16.059 you beat out all of these other candidates, not 00:51:16.059 --> 00:51:18.239 to mention you had to do an interview and a writing 00:51:18.239 --> 00:51:21.159 test to get this internship. You were in this 00:51:21.159 --> 00:51:23.360 fair and square, like, aren't you excited? That 00:51:23.360 --> 00:51:25.139 wasn't this also your top choice? Like they're 00:51:25.139 --> 00:51:28.260 like, why aren't you excited? And I said, I am 00:51:28.260 --> 00:51:33.980 excited, but this is why I'm nervous. One, I've 00:51:33.980 --> 00:51:37.260 put this place on such a pedestal, you know, 00:51:37.260 --> 00:51:39.969 I've talked to so many people. who have worked 00:51:39.969 --> 00:51:42.449 here. I've heard nothing but great things. I 00:51:42.449 --> 00:51:45.409 loved everyone that I interviewed with. What 00:51:45.409 --> 00:51:49.510 if it's not all that it's cracked up to be? Or 00:51:49.510 --> 00:51:53.869 also, what if I'm not all they think I'm cracked 00:51:53.869 --> 00:51:56.710 up to be as their intern, right? And what if 00:51:56.710 --> 00:52:01.090 this doesn't work out? I'm going to be so disappointed. 00:52:01.349 --> 00:52:04.800 And not to mention, unemployed. You know, it's 00:52:04.800 --> 00:52:07.639 not like I didn't take my other internships seriously 00:52:07.639 --> 00:52:10.699 in college because I did, but I knew I had school 00:52:10.699 --> 00:52:12.639 and you know, another part -time job to fall 00:52:12.639 --> 00:52:17.340 back on. Now I'm graduated. Like this is my livelihood 00:52:17.340 --> 00:52:20.599 now, right? It's like starting my career. And 00:52:20.599 --> 00:52:25.179 so yeah, I'm, I'm nervous and I'll never forget 00:52:25.179 --> 00:52:28.519 what my dad said. He just looked at me and he 00:52:28.519 --> 00:52:31.340 said, I may not be the smartest guy in the room. 00:52:31.480 --> 00:52:33.860 but no one will say I'm not the hardest worker. 00:52:35.800 --> 00:52:39.760 And I have to say at first, I was confused because 00:52:39.760 --> 00:52:44.440 my dad has, I mean, a law degree and he has been 00:52:44.440 --> 00:52:47.019 at the same law firm for over 30 years and has 00:52:47.019 --> 00:52:49.199 worked his way up from associate to partner. 00:52:49.360 --> 00:52:51.260 So I'm like, how are you not the smartest guy 00:52:51.260 --> 00:52:54.219 in the room by now? But I realized that wasn't 00:52:54.219 --> 00:52:58.480 the point. The point is, is that I'm headed into 00:52:58.480 --> 00:53:00.829 this agency. They didn't, they're not picking 00:53:00.829 --> 00:53:04.150 me for my smarts, right? They're picking me because 00:53:04.150 --> 00:53:07.949 they see potential in me. And what I can do is 00:53:07.949 --> 00:53:11.849 show them how eager I am to learn how hard I'm, 00:53:11.849 --> 00:53:15.510 how hard I'm willing to work. And I think that 00:53:15.510 --> 00:53:20.110 that is a lesson that I think can carry you so 00:53:20.110 --> 00:53:23.269 far in so many other fields. I think truly like 00:53:23.269 --> 00:53:25.969 having just a good foundation of a work ethic 00:53:25.969 --> 00:53:29.769 and a good attitude. can truly get you so far. 00:53:30.329 --> 00:53:33.369 And even now, as I've worked my way up and I 00:53:33.369 --> 00:53:36.909 make hiring decisions on my team, I would rather 00:53:36.909 --> 00:53:40.530 have someone who knows nothing, but has the best 00:53:40.530 --> 00:53:43.630 attitude, is willing to go the extra mile, you 00:53:43.630 --> 00:53:45.489 know, isn't afraid to admit when they don't know 00:53:45.489 --> 00:53:48.690 something or take ownership of a mistake than 00:53:48.690 --> 00:53:51.650 someone who has all this experience and knows 00:53:51.650 --> 00:53:55.119 a lot, but doesn't have a great attitude. isn't 00:53:55.119 --> 00:53:57.179 willing to pitch in when it's needed you know 00:53:57.179 --> 00:54:00.360 like it's just stuff like that and that was a 00:54:00.360 --> 00:54:03.239 lesson again my dad gave me you know but a week 00:54:03.239 --> 00:54:06.820 before I started and in our kitchen and it's 00:54:06.820 --> 00:54:10.230 something I truly think about. Almost every day 00:54:10.230 --> 00:54:13.070 in my career seven years later. Yeah, that's 00:54:13.070 --> 00:54:16.750 yeah, that's so good and it almost kind of talks 00:54:16.750 --> 00:54:18.869 about over the break We were just talking about 00:54:18.869 --> 00:54:21.510 how soft skills like that are things you can't 00:54:21.510 --> 00:54:24.349 teach You know, you can't instill that in someone 00:54:24.349 --> 00:54:26.710 that you're hiring you either see their work 00:54:26.710 --> 00:54:29.710 ethic or you know Or you don't and I'm sure when 00:54:29.710 --> 00:54:32.150 that editor -in -chief who was going to study 00:54:32.150 --> 00:54:35.690 abroad You were young Right? You were probably 00:54:35.690 --> 00:54:38.690 one of the youngest staff writers on the Odyssey. 00:54:39.389 --> 00:54:42.210 And I remember you saying, like, he picked me. 00:54:42.210 --> 00:54:45.510 He came to me. And that is exactly what you're 00:54:45.510 --> 00:54:48.869 talking about. What he saw in you was your potential. 00:54:48.949 --> 00:54:51.289 And he knew you were reliable. He knew you were 00:54:51.289 --> 00:54:59.670 talented. And yeah, you can't fail unless you 00:54:59.670 --> 00:55:02.539 stop trying or you don't work hard. Right? And 00:55:02.539 --> 00:55:05.679 I love that. That's so important. And it's hard 00:55:05.679 --> 00:55:08.039 to instill that in people. They either have it 00:55:08.039 --> 00:55:12.480 or they want to go for it or they don't. Yeah, 00:55:12.480 --> 00:55:15.340 that's awesome. That's awesome. So are you going 00:55:15.340 --> 00:55:17.900 to assign us homework or give us something to 00:55:17.900 --> 00:55:21.239 take away that goes with this? Thanks, Dad. Thanks, 00:55:21.380 --> 00:55:27.300 Mr. Benson. Yeah, I would say I think to bridge 00:55:27.300 --> 00:55:31.159 off of that is I think a good takeaway or like 00:55:31.159 --> 00:55:35.380 homework to do is find your core strengths and 00:55:35.380 --> 00:55:40.460 values and focus on those, make them known, not 00:55:40.460 --> 00:55:44.480 even internally, but also among your peers. So 00:55:44.480 --> 00:55:47.079 for example, like I'm known as someone in my 00:55:47.079 --> 00:55:50.900 workplace who is super organized and oftentimes 00:55:50.900 --> 00:55:53.099 like I get pulled onto account and they're like, 00:55:53.159 --> 00:55:57.380 Sydney, like. clean this up, like help us get 00:55:57.380 --> 00:56:00.639 organized, give us some processes. And I feel 00:56:00.639 --> 00:56:03.119 like, like they didn't just know that about me, 00:56:03.280 --> 00:56:05.199 right? Again, like people can see things in you, 00:56:05.280 --> 00:56:07.900 but when it comes down to like making yourself 00:56:07.900 --> 00:56:12.280 indispensable and reliable and being known as, 00:56:12.300 --> 00:56:15.659 you know, someone with a certain skillset, I 00:56:15.659 --> 00:56:19.400 proactively kind of made this known, right? I 00:56:19.400 --> 00:56:21.800 had my inbox super organized, like I have this 00:56:21.800 --> 00:56:24.519 whole folder system in my Outlook. So when my 00:56:24.519 --> 00:56:26.739 boss or someone on my team is like, can anyone 00:56:26.739 --> 00:56:30.400 find that email chain where we talked about this? 00:56:30.440 --> 00:56:32.280 I'm like, yeah, I'm the first one to find it. 00:56:32.320 --> 00:56:37.679 Right. Or if someone is like, Hey, um, you know, 00:56:37.719 --> 00:56:41.800 can I, like, we need a timeline for this campaign. 00:56:41.940 --> 00:56:44.860 I off, yep, I'll do it. And I show everyone like 00:56:44.860 --> 00:56:47.519 how I think, how I map things out. So just like, 00:56:47.659 --> 00:56:51.019 finding your skill set, making it known, but 00:56:51.019 --> 00:56:54.219 also there are going to be times where life is 00:56:54.219 --> 00:56:58.900 going to throw unexpected obstacles at you and 00:56:58.900 --> 00:57:01.820 you're going to get put in rooms of people or 00:57:01.820 --> 00:57:05.800 situations that maybe feel foreign to you. You 00:57:05.800 --> 00:57:08.800 might feel imposter syndrome or like you're not 00:57:08.800 --> 00:57:11.579 good or smart enough. And if you just remember 00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:15.119 your core assets and values and what you bring 00:57:15.119 --> 00:57:17.639 to the table, rather than focusing on what you 00:57:17.639 --> 00:57:22.400 don't bring, you'll be able to trust yourself 00:57:22.400 --> 00:57:26.980 in saying, yep, okay, I may not know this industry, 00:57:27.059 --> 00:57:30.000 but I know I'm smart enough to know the right 00:57:30.000 --> 00:57:32.760 questions to ask to get us there. Or, hey, I 00:57:32.760 --> 00:57:35.519 know I'm really organized. So I know I'm at least 00:57:35.519 --> 00:57:37.460 going to take some really good notes and give 00:57:37.460 --> 00:57:39.559 my team some good next steps. So we've got our 00:57:39.559 --> 00:57:42.599 marching orders. So again, I think it's a world 00:57:42.599 --> 00:57:45.219 where it's really easy to compare yourself or 00:57:45.219 --> 00:57:48.380 focus on what you don't have. And I think, again, 00:57:48.400 --> 00:57:50.800 if you just bring it back to those values of, 00:57:51.000 --> 00:57:53.960 OK, I've got a great work ethic. I'm really organized. 00:57:54.500 --> 00:57:57.199 I'm great at speaking up and communicating. Like, 00:57:57.199 --> 00:58:00.460 even just those three things alone help you build 00:58:00.460 --> 00:58:03.420 trust in yourself to confidently be able to move 00:58:03.420 --> 00:58:06.579 to the next stage and continue to grow no matter 00:58:06.579 --> 00:58:09.860 the situation you're in. Yeah, that's awesome. 00:58:10.260 --> 00:58:12.559 So I think for the listeners, they can think 00:58:12.559 --> 00:58:16.869 about, like, what value? That's exactly how I 00:58:16.869 --> 00:58:20.010 approached my job search. You nailed it. What 00:58:20.010 --> 00:58:23.519 values, you know, what value can I bring? to 00:58:23.519 --> 00:58:25.920 a space that's not education. That was like the 00:58:25.920 --> 00:58:29.820 question that I was asking myself. And the company 00:58:29.820 --> 00:58:32.440 that I went to is actually my yearbook rep who 00:58:32.440 --> 00:58:35.480 said, like, you have these skills. Here is a 00:58:35.480 --> 00:58:37.880 company that I know of who could probably use 00:58:37.880 --> 00:58:40.199 your skills. And when I went to them and I was 00:58:40.199 --> 00:58:42.199 like, how could I help you? Here's what I could 00:58:42.199 --> 00:58:44.960 do. They, again, knew me a little bit and knew 00:58:44.960 --> 00:58:46.940 of my work. And they were like, yeah, you can 00:58:46.940 --> 00:58:49.880 do those things that we already do. But there 00:58:49.880 --> 00:58:51.980 are goals that we have had for years that we 00:58:51.980 --> 00:58:54.260 haven't worked. because we needed someone who 00:58:54.260 --> 00:58:58.480 had your exact skill set. And so without vocalizing 00:58:58.480 --> 00:59:00.719 that to them, like, here's what I can bring, 00:59:00.960 --> 00:59:03.280 exactly what you're saying, I can bring organization, 00:59:03.840 --> 00:59:08.280 I can bring creativity. That's exactly, that's 00:59:08.280 --> 00:59:11.260 exactly what I did. So perfect, that's awesome. 00:59:11.539 --> 00:59:15.079 And you mentioned too, I mean, I've done multiple 00:59:15.079 --> 00:59:17.619 episodes where we've talked about core values 00:59:17.619 --> 00:59:21.340 and just your identity and having that confidence. 00:59:21.360 --> 00:59:24.679 And again, not comparing like, I'm not trying 00:59:24.679 --> 00:59:27.659 to be someone else who has different skills than 00:59:27.659 --> 00:59:30.380 I have, or like you have mentioned is 10 years 00:59:30.380 --> 00:59:33.960 ahead of me in this career. I can't fake that. 00:59:34.059 --> 00:59:38.260 right? But I do know what I do have, and I'm 00:59:38.260 --> 00:59:40.239 going to make that clear. That is such good, 00:59:40.280 --> 00:59:43.860 I think at any age, that is such good advice. 00:59:44.360 --> 00:59:47.579 Yeah, because that definitely applies to students 00:59:47.579 --> 00:59:51.199 who are going into college and need to market 00:59:51.199 --> 00:59:53.980 themselves, people who are leaving college and 00:59:53.980 --> 00:59:57.079 need to market themselves in the job space, and 00:59:57.079 --> 00:59:59.699 then people like me who are transitioning out 00:59:59.699 --> 01:00:03.670 of one career and into another in midlife. needed 01:00:03.670 --> 01:00:08.090 that exact advice. Very good, girl. She's so 01:00:08.090 --> 01:00:11.570 good. And I think, too, you can flip that advice 01:00:11.570 --> 01:00:14.429 on its head, too, and also take inventory of, 01:00:14.510 --> 01:00:19.030 OK, what skills do I need to build? What do I 01:00:19.030 --> 01:00:23.010 want more of? And also vocalizing that in your 01:00:23.010 --> 01:00:26.289 workplace or with your mentor, whoever it is, 01:00:26.369 --> 01:00:29.230 because also, people can't read your mind and 01:00:29.230 --> 01:00:31.150 they also don't know what you're dying to get 01:00:31.150 --> 01:00:33.309 your hands on either, right? So that's something 01:00:33.309 --> 01:00:36.389 I've also practiced in my workplace and I've 01:00:36.389 --> 01:00:38.269 been really fortunate to have an employer that 01:00:38.269 --> 01:00:42.769 really values that. Like an example was I was 01:00:42.769 --> 01:00:45.530 about two years into my career at Carmichael 01:00:45.530 --> 01:00:47.630 Lynch Relate and I had worked pretty much solely 01:00:47.630 --> 01:00:50.050 full -time on home and design accounts which 01:00:50.050 --> 01:00:52.329 I actually really loved more than I thought I 01:00:52.329 --> 01:00:54.969 would but I was like okay but we've also got 01:00:56.309 --> 01:00:59.050 And we've got, you know, like all of these other 01:00:59.050 --> 01:01:01.690 clients, we had Garden of Life, like we've got 01:01:01.690 --> 01:01:03.969 people in Health and Wellness, like we've got 01:01:03.969 --> 01:01:06.090 all these different brands. And I basically said 01:01:06.090 --> 01:01:08.510 to them, look, I'm very happy with the work I'm 01:01:08.510 --> 01:01:10.889 doing, however. I've been here for two and a 01:01:10.889 --> 01:01:13.750 half years. I really want to dip my toes in another 01:01:13.750 --> 01:01:16.590 industry. Here are a couple of accounts I would 01:01:16.590 --> 01:01:18.630 love to work on, but I know these transitions 01:01:18.630 --> 01:01:21.130 take time and you've got to do it right. But 01:01:21.130 --> 01:01:23.210 I wanted to start planting that seed with you 01:01:23.210 --> 01:01:26.190 because this is an opportunity and kind of what 01:01:26.190 --> 01:01:28.869 I call like a muscle I want to flex, right? And 01:01:28.869 --> 01:01:32.309 like get stronger at and learn. And they were 01:01:32.309 --> 01:01:35.090 super, I think, appreciative of even just me. 01:01:35.360 --> 01:01:38.199 raising my hand respectfully, proactively thinking 01:01:38.199 --> 01:01:41.139 about my career and showing interest in wanting 01:01:41.139 --> 01:01:44.980 to stay there. And so yeah, I mean, flash forward, 01:01:45.219 --> 01:01:48.199 I did get transitioned onto Aveda and got this 01:01:48.199 --> 01:01:51.739 whole other breadth of experience, right? It 01:01:51.739 --> 01:01:54.019 feels like it's a whole other job. It's different 01:01:54.019 --> 01:01:56.559 journalists, different influencers, different 01:01:56.559 --> 01:01:59.110 clients, a different team. I mean, You know, 01:01:59.110 --> 01:02:01.230 like I said, I feel like I've had five jobs in 01:02:01.230 --> 01:02:03.809 one. So also doing that to vocalizing what you're 01:02:03.809 --> 01:02:05.849 good at, but also if there are skills you want 01:02:05.849 --> 01:02:09.389 to build, you never know what opportunities available 01:02:09.389 --> 01:02:12.489 or even who someone can connect you with, right? 01:02:12.530 --> 01:02:14.769 Like, oh, you want to get better at conversing 01:02:14.769 --> 01:02:17.309 with clients. You should sit in on these meetings 01:02:17.309 --> 01:02:19.929 and listen to this person, you know, run a status 01:02:19.929 --> 01:02:22.750 call or brainstorm, you know, like just little 01:02:22.750 --> 01:02:25.769 things like that can also go a really long way 01:02:25.769 --> 01:02:29.750 too. Yeah, that's amazing. Well, I'm so happy. 01:02:29.889 --> 01:02:32.909 It's so fulfilling as a former teacher to hear 01:02:32.909 --> 01:02:36.170 that you've landed in a space that you're passionate 01:02:36.170 --> 01:02:38.849 about and you love your work. And, you know, 01:02:38.909 --> 01:02:41.829 it's just so fun for me to hear that. And thank 01:02:41.829 --> 01:02:45.429 you so much for sharing all of your journey and 01:02:45.429 --> 01:02:48.590 your advice and your lesson today. It's been 01:02:48.590 --> 01:02:51.769 so wonderful to catch up with you. And I know 01:02:51.769 --> 01:02:54.530 the listeners are going to enjoy all of your 01:02:54.530 --> 01:02:57.909 stories and messages today. Wonderful. Well, 01:02:57.909 --> 01:02:59.929 thank you so much for having me on, Rachel. This 01:02:59.929 --> 01:03:07.329 was so much fun. Of course. So the next time 01:03:07.329 --> 01:03:10.090 something doesn't go the way you planned, don't 01:03:10.090 --> 01:03:15.550 panic. Pause. Look around. Maybe just maybe. 01:03:16.250 --> 01:03:18.949 The universe isn't closing a door. It's giving 01:03:18.949 --> 01:03:22.309 you a gentle or not so gentle nudge in a better 01:03:22.309 --> 01:03:26.110 direction. Because as Sydney reminded us today, 01:03:26.329 --> 01:03:28.469 You don't have to be the smartest person in the 01:03:28.469 --> 01:03:32.170 room. You just have to show up, speak up, and 01:03:32.170 --> 01:03:35.429 keep going. This isn't about having the perfect 01:03:35.429 --> 01:03:38.730 plan. It's about paying attention to the detours, 01:03:39.170 --> 01:03:42.530 because sometimes that's where your real story 01:03:42.530 --> 01:03:47.989 begins. Until next time, stay curious, stay courageous, 01:03:48.449 --> 01:03:51.909 and remember, your next lesson plan might just 01:03:51.909 --> 01:03:54.010 be the one you never saw coming.