Do you ever look back at situations and realise how pivotal they were?
When I asked a table of brilliant business women what was holding them back from showing up online, putting themselves forward for speaking opportunities and pitching to the media – their wide empty eyes startled me.
“We don’t have good photos,” a few said.
Now this was an issue I could solve.
A Photographer friend and I began hosting photo shoots. We solved the problem, or so I thought.
What I discovered was – the barriers went deeper.
While it is imperative to create content with your audience in mind, the stories, images and messages you share also need to align with your purpose.
They need to feel good.
After years in a corporate role, representing a company brand and it’s values, it can be a change of pace to look within and consider what is really important to you. I know, I’ve been there too.
I’ve negotiated millions of dollars worth of advertising for leading magazine brands like marie claire, Instyle and Who for global clients including Revlon, Fidelity Investments and Toyota.
I’ve also led change communications programs for Sydney Trains and Ausgrid, with Microsoft partner agency Avanade, generating buy-in from leadership and creating company-wide transformations, saving the organisations millions.
Today I lead content marketing and communications for companies from various industries.
I proudly step into their shoes and create content and campaigns on their behalf.
But, to stand out, promote yourself and elevate to the next level of your career, you must differentiate yourself.
You must become intentional about how you are perceived by taking control of your personal brand.
I’m a big believer in the power of setbacks, trauma and failure for epic transformations.
The child of school teachers, I was always encouraged to work hard and excel, but always by the rules, safely.
At 18, I busted out of my small town, and headed away to uni. I was drawn to the world of media and magazine publishing, securing my first job as a Travel Journalist at 21.
Heading off on travel junkets in Australia and internationally, writing for the Harvey World Travel magazine and sites like Yahoo Travel gave me the travel bug. I took off on a solo travel adventure across South East Asia (giving my poor parents a heart attack) before landing a role in the sales department of Better Homes and Gardens magazine – always thinking I’d transfer across to editorial..
I loved representing large magazine brands, and my burning desire to see more of the world took me across to the world of publishing in Toronto, Canada. There I worked with clients from Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia, managing advertising campaigns for travel, home interiors and financial industry mastheads, translating ad budgets into millions of dollars of revenue for my clients.
I was sent across the country and to New York City to meet clients for lunch on a number of occasions.
It was pretty fantastic. Until it wasn’t.
I became burnt out and fought debilitating depression. I couldn’t get out of bed for a year.
I’m now an advocate for mental health, because the depression wasn’t the end – it was the beginning. It showed me the power of resilience, and how life stops you in your tracks sometimes to show you a new way forward.
If you’ve had a life altering experience, or you’re just keen to elevate to the next stage of your career, it’s time to find your voice.
Understanding who you are, and how you can tap into what keeps your audience up at night is how you establish a winning connection.
That’s when sparks fly. It’s how you create the magic.
Can you relate? Let’s chat.
Change? How to embrace it like a boss.
Find out how Amped Up Marketing & Communications began here.
