Mo Hall: Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Name: Mo Hall

Age: 35

College & Majors/Minors: University of Puget Sound; Major: English w/ emphasis on Writing, Rhetoric & Composition; Minor: Business & Public Administration

Current Location: Long Island, NY

Current Form of Employment: Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I'm currently a Marketing writer and content coordinator at Michael C. Fina just outside New York City; my team is responsible for content creation and distribution, as well as lead generation.

I've always held Marketing/Communications jobs in the past, but this is the most writing-heavy position I've ever held. Our industry is small and niche, so our work is often picked up by leading publications, which not only serves our Marketing objectives, but is rewarding to see. 
In past jobs, I've mostly been responsible for updating and editing marketing collateral, as well as managing their production. It isn't particularly creative, especially when it comes to retirement and annuity products, where my previous background lies. Here, it's been a complete 180 and I'm happy with the contrast.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

When I first moved to NYC, I applied to anything and everything related to writing— I had no idea what I was doing. PR firms, ad agencies, you name it. Watching an episode of Mad Men once, I remember hearing one of the names of a rival ad agency and saying, "They called me up once just to berate me for having the nerve to apply for a job there." Granted, I had faxed them my lame excuse for a resume— that's how naive I was. Fortunately after 3-4 months (and I don't exactly remember how), I received a call from who would become my first manager.
I had two meetings— one with my hiring manager and the next with the rest of the team. It wasn't an ordeal by any stretch. No writing tests either. Honestly, I couldn't remember what skills my manager was looking for, because I had no experience! I'd love to see the resume I presented at that time. All I had was the piece of paper that confirmed I'd passed all of my required classes. I had no idea how big of an opportunity I'd been afforded— working in NYC at a Fortune 500 company and industry giant, making more money than I'd ever seen. I thought that people just graduated from college, got jobs and settled in for the next 30+ years.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

Besides my first and current job, the only other MarCom position I held was with another financial services industry. I had the same responsibilities, just more of them and with higher visibility. What I learned most from that job had nothing to do with skill or experience. It was that being a person came before being an employee. I worked with the best Marketing department. Our team's senior management made sure that everyone knew they were doing important work, it was noticed, and appreciated. Even while I was working on a difficult or boring project, knowing that I had management support gave me the motivation to step up and take on the challenge.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

I wish I could answer this question better— I didn't prepare very well for after college. I thought about it constantly and always wondered, "What am I going to do?" I never ACTUALLY answered the question, though (my move to New York was sudden and unexpected). My final semester, I got an internship for a class requirement and juggled my schedule so that I worked two 8-hour days a week. I was on the baseball team in college, and even missed practice on those days for that commitment. That probably gave me a small taste of what life would be like after graduation.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree? 

In no particular order...

1. Always remember is that an English degree is what I consider transparent. As long as you can write, you can work a number of jobs in a number of industries.
2. Read books and articles that inspire you to sharpen your writing and always get better. On the same note, write. Keep a journal. Write an op-ed on a current event news item. Write a mini biography on your favorite musician. Whether you share it or not, it's perfecting a craft— similar to hitting golf balls at the driving range or training for a race.
3. Work for/with someone who can't write a lick (it doesn't hurt to boost the ego a little bit); also, work for/with someone you consider brilliant (when it comes to writing, there's always room to learn).
4. When providing feedback on others' writing, always provide direct and honest suggestions. Holding back to preserve someone's feelings isn't productive for anyone, but allow room for the other person to completely disregard your notes. It's their writing, not yours.
5. This applies to anyone, but the most important factor in an ideal job isn't the best company, the most money, or even doing what you love. While all are important, no aspect matters more than a mentor and leader who appreciates what you do and gives you the motivation to succeed. So when interviewing for jobs, be annoying with tough questions. Find out about company culture and management styles; what makes employees want to stay or leave; are they treated as people or commodities? You'll find that interviewers will be refreshingly honest and admire that line of questioning. If not, it isn't a place you want to work anyway. (Full disclosure: coming from someone who's job has been a casualty of the recession, I understand the difficulties of those with financial hardships, and being selective isn't always an option. So once those opportunities present themselves, take full advantage.)

Connect with Mo on LinkedIn!

Christine Stoddard: Writer/Filmmaker, Co-owner & Creative Director of Quail Bell Press & Productions

Name: Christine Stoddard

Age: 25

College & Majors/Minors: Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts (VCUarts)—Film B.A., English/Creative Writing B.A., Product Innovation Certificate, and minors in French, Spanish, and European Studies.

Current Location: I go between Greater Washington and Richmond, VA, but I also travel frequently, depending on where work takes me.

Current Form of Employment: Writer/Filmmaker, Co-owner & Creative Director of Quail Bell Press & Productions

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I am very lucky to write and make films. Most recently, I co-wrote the book Images of America: Richmond Cemeteries (Arcadia Publishing) with Misty Thomas. The book has a companion documentary that I am directing called Richmond's Dead and Buried. Richmond's Dead and Buried centers on the stories of Richmond's cemeteries, including a developer's controversial proposal to build a baseball stadium over a slave burial ground. The documentary will be released later this year. 

Richmond's Dead and Buried - the documentary

Quail Bell: Issue 4—Fall/Winter 2013 print 'zine

Images of America: Richmond Cemeteries

Airborne: An Anthology of The Real by Quail Bell Magazine

Falling Hard

The Nest: An Anthology of The Unreal by Quail Bell Magazine

While at VCUarts, I studied under experimental filmmaker Mary Beth Reed, a student of Stan Brakhage, and have since become fascinated with the process of experimental stop-motion animation in particular. This spring, I will be showcasing some of my animations and experimental shorts at the New York Transit Museum in Manhattan and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond. Many of my writing and film projects fall under what I call the Quail Bell umbrella, after Quail Bell Press & Productions. That is the arts, communications, and media production firm I run with Kristen Rebelo, an illustrative graphic designer. We work directly with clients and also creative original projects. One such project is Quail Bell Magazine. That is our fairy punk magazine dedicated to the imaginary, the nostalgic, and the otherworldly. I am the editor and Kristen is the art director.

Previously, I have done work for the Smithsonian Latino Center, WashingtonPost.com, WETA-PBS of Greater Washington, Teatro de la Luna, Virginia Living Magazine, Maryland Women's Journal, Washington Life Magazine, and others. I am also a proud AmeriCorps alumna.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

I guess you could say that my first job was as a freelancer writer and collagist. I've been getting paid to do what I love for a while now, thanks to hard work and a network of great mentors. In high school, I wrote for different online clients, especially AssociatedContent.com. I also won poetry, playwriting, and essay-writing contests with cash prizes. Every once in a while, I made illustrative collages for 'zines and private clients, too. Those collages became the basis for the animation work I do now. I tutored regularly, as well: Spanish, French, and English composition. That tutoring experience became very handy later on when I applied for AmeriCorps and eventually a contract position at Writopia Lab. My first big break came when I was 16. Editor Betsy Franco selected my poem for publication in her book Falling Hard: Love Poems by Teenagers (Candlewick Press). And what do you know? The New York Times gave the book a positive review. These early opportunities and accomplishments formed the basis for a successful freelance career.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

Definitely anything I've done related to film and television production because it's helped inform my written stories. But also teaching. As an AmeriCorps volunteer, I served at a Title I elementary school my last year of college. Everyone—even the smallest of children—has stories, and these stories matter.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

I chose what I wanted and I pursued it. I knew that I wanted to keep writing and get into filmmaking, so I thought strategically about how I could achieve such things. I actively freelanced, interned, contributed to university media, and sniffed out undergraduate research and travel grants. The library, the student media center, and the editing studio were my on-campus havens. I also did an independent study two semesters in a row with the aforementioned Mary Beth Reed. That being said, I was also selective. I generally knew when to say no. I tried to participate in activities I knew would be genuinely worthwhile.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Take an academically rigorous workload, but balance those courses with professional experiences that will build your real-world skills. Read and read a lot—just don't end there. Start engaging with your campus and your community your freshman year. You'll regret waiting until the semester you graduate. Sometimes you'll have to make the hard choice of doing what you have to do versus what you want to do. Baking Club might be fun, but unless you want to become a food writer, your time might be better spent on the library committee or on staff at the school paper. 

If you have to work to pay for school (and the reality is that most students do), try to take work that will lead to the sort of opportunities you want after graduation. If you want to teach English in a foreign country, for instance, get teaching experience now. Tutor in the campus writing center or at the neighborhood elementary school. If you want to get into publishing, see if a faculty member or local author will pay for proofreading, clerical tasks, or social media promotion. Be resourceful and don't be afraid to ask your professors for guidance. Most of them want to help. You just have to take the initiative. You'll find that some of them won't let you give up! When you're taking 18 credits and wondering how you're going to pay your expenses one semester, that encouragement will fuel you. Treasure that encouragement because if you think school is hard, the real world is harder.

Christine's portfolio of work can be found online:

• quailbell.com

• quailbellmagazine.com

• worldofchristinestoddard.com

• wordsmithchristine.com

• rvadeadburied.com

• poerichmond.com

• forgetfairytales.com

Emily Williamson: Marketing Coordinator

Name: Emily Williamson

Age: 31

College & Majors/Minors: University of Central Arkansas, BA in Writing with a minor in Linguistics. Northwest University, Masters in International Community Development.

Current Location: Seattle, WA

Current Form of Employment: Marketing Coordinator for Rainier Health & Fitness

Where do you work and what is your current position?

Currently, I work for Rainier Health & Fitness, a gym in South Seattle’s diverse community that’s dedicated to providing high-quality fitness services at affordable prices. The gym is a program of Urban Impact, a non-profit focused on community development. In this role, I get to write everything from e-mail content to blog posts to brochures. I manage all of our social media channels (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google Plus), created a new website that I update regularly, attend networking events, establish relevant partnerships and manage the front desk two mornings each week.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different). 

My first full-time job as a writer was for zulily. I actually started working there as a temp in the studio because I had severely injured my back and didn’t think I was capable of a desk job. My second day there, I heard the company was hiring copywriters so I inquired about it and saw that they accommodated people who had injured backs with stand-up desks. I connected with the recruiter, emailed him my resume and completed a writing test. After that, I was called in for a three-segment interview that included an on-the-spot writing test. At zulily, they were looking for creativity and speed. I learned a lot about time management and cranking out massive amounts of copy while working there (the craziest was 500 product descriptions in 10 hours for a sale that went live the following day).

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

During my final semester of grad school, I began working for Lusso Bags as the Social Media Manager and Communications Director. Lusso Bags was a social business that sold travel bags made by women at Freeset who are able to leave the sex trade of Kolkota to work as seamstresses. I toured Freeset while in Kolkata doing fieldwork for Sari Bari (see below) and connected the Lusso Bags founder Nicole to their operation. Nicole then asked me to come on as their communications persona and manage the social media channels. I got a lot of hands-on experience with Twitter, Facebook, blogging, e-mail marketing and SEO from that experience. I learned that twitter could be a powerful networking tool and that websites can drive a lot of traffic to them through relevant blogging.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life? 

In grad school, I was in a very idealistic program (“international care and community development” was the full title— come on now!). Our program director encouraged us to do thesis projects that could be immediately useful to an organization. He steered me in the direction of social media, so I wrote my thesis as a handbook for non-profits and social enterprises on the topic. The handbook was built around research I did on the topic and a case study of Sari Bari where I had done my fieldwork. Sari Bari is a social enterprise located in Kolkata that enables trafficked women to leave the sex trade to work as seamstresses. They make beautiful blankets and bags from discarded saris and sell them through their website.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Figure out where you’d ideally like to work and what topics you’re interested, then volunteer to write them for free. Charlie Hoehn talks about this approach in “The New Way to Work” TEDTalk. Either you’ll prove your value to the company and they’ll choose to hire you, or you’ll round out your writing portfolio a bit more and have something to show the next relevant potential hire.

Leverage LinkedIn. One of our guest speakers in grad school who works in HR told us that many employers will disregard your resume if you’re not on LinkedIn. I’ve been active on LinkedIn ever since. It’s also where Alyssa and I first connected.

Start a blog and post consistently on it. Share it across social media platforms.

Check out Emily's blog A Community Entrepreneur to check out her weekly posts on social enterprise, community development and international development. You can also connect with Emily on LinkedIn. 

Kasey Lee Carter: Internal Communications Specialist

Name: Kasey Lee Carter

Age: 24

College & Majors/Minors: BA in Journalism, Minor in Writing

Current Location: Wilsonville, Oregon

Current Form of Employment: Internal Communications at Xerox Corporation

Where do you work and what is your current position? 

I currently work as the Internal Communications Specialist for the Channel Partners Organization at Xerox Corporation. My main responsibilities include coordinating, editing and writing a bi-monthly newsletter, managing internal social media as well as external social media marketing to end-user and through partner. I also write ad hoc communications sent to internal employees (about 1,400 employees). And I have to do all of this in the VERY SPECIFIC Xerox brand.

In the past, I’ve worked freelance for Sirius Digital Advertising, writing and editing website content and advising on website organization. I also did a little search engine optimization (SEO) work.

My last semester at George Fox University, I held an internship with The City of Newberg, Oregon as Public Information Officer. In this role, I researched, interviewed for and wrote a comprehensive, online and interactive document describing everything The City of Newberg does for the people of Newberg.

How did you find your first job?

I count my Xerox job as my first “big girl” job, and I found it completely by accident. I had been job-searching for about 7 months, and one morning before I went to work, at my in-between job at a spa, I got a call from a recruiter for a position I had applied for that same morning.

She said my resume jumped out at her and that I seemed just right for this internal communications job at Xerox. She did say that I needed to “beef up my resume a bit,” and by that she meant, add loads of text to it to display my writing ability. She said that employers looking to fill writing positions want to see resumes that display writing abilities.

This was so different from what I’d learned about resumes being only one page. So I rewrote my resume, was interviewed once over the phone and then in-person by three people. About two weeks after that initial call, I was putting in my two weeks with the spa and moving to Wilsonville, Oregon, to work for Xerox.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

My senior year (2011-2012), I was the Editor-In-Chief for the student-run newspaper, The Crescent. This position not only required writing and editing, but also leadership and management skills, which I valued learning as much as the writing and editing stuff.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

In college, I sought out as many writing opportunities as I could.

I was asked randomly, at the beginning of my sophomore year, if I would be willing to write an article for the student newspaper. Flattered, I accepted and started writing about one article per issue.

The next year I took on a Section Editor position with the student newspaper, and the year after that (my senior year) I was the Editor-In-Chief. My senior year, I also had an internship doing public relations for the City of Newberg, Oregon.

In addition to my work with the student newspaper and my internship with the city, I also became the resident editor wherever I lived in the dorms. Constantly, I offered my editing services to floor-mates and roommates and other students in class. They would always look at me funny, kind of like they didn’t believe me, and then be pleasantly surprised when I returned with thoughtful edits.

All of this extra writing and editing experience I chased after taught me the importance of versatility. It seems like employers and people in general want you to be able to do five things instead of one.

I also learned how to be hungry for more experience and knowledge, which is still a huge part of my life both professionally and personally.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Make sure your resume reflects the job you’re applying for. I had no idea a resume for a writing job needed to include so much text, I thought that’s what the cover letter was for. So research the resume type best suited to the job you’re applying for. Don’t forget to write and rewrite that sucker until you’ve crafted it just right, and for each position you apply for.

When it comes to quality over quantity, that’s true too. I applied for over 50 positions in 6 months, some of which were quality, but for some, I was just throwing my resume at a job listing. Oddly enough, my big-girl job came from one of the listings I just threw my resume at, which is, supposedly, not usually what happens. I received more responses from employers of positions I put more effort into the application.

Another piece of advice is to broaden and enhance your skill set. Before I got my big-girl job I was doing some freelance content writing with a new digital marketing business, and I asked to learn more about websites and search engine optimization.

When I started at Xerox, I was armed with writing, editing, communication and social media-type skills. Since I started, I’ve taught myself HTML, and learned to use new software programs (on my own). To learn more about marketing, I’ve been chasing down some of the more tenured employees.

I think it’s important to keep your options open and make yourself more versatile. Employers want to see that you’re willing to go above and beyond what’s asked. Nobody likes someone who just sticks to the status quo, or worse, a slacker.

Connect with Kasey on LinkedIn, and check out BloomsFlowerStudio.com, a website she created content for!

Alicia Cook: ​Associate Director of Admission & Communication Coordinator

Name: Alicia Cook

Age: 27

College & Majors/Minors: Undergrad: Georgian Court University, English Literature Major, Journalism Minor. Graduate: Saint Peter’s University, Masters in Business Administration

Current Location: New Jersey

Current Form of Employment: Associate Director of Admission & Communication Coordinator

Where do you work and what is your current position? 

I currently work at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ. I am of two Associate Directors in the Office of Admission. I am also the Communications Coordinator. I wear many different “hats” with this job, and I love that writing and editing is one of them. I take part in the writing, editing, and execution of all targeted electronic communication to prospective students in our office. It is definitely more technical and informational writing, but it’s writing and editing nonetheless.

Prior to being hired at Saint Peter’s, I was briefly employed with a nonprofit organization as their Program Director. In this capacity, I wrote their monthly newsletter and assisted in grant writing. I have occasionally freelanced for local newspapers as well, though news reporting is not a passion of mine.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job.

I applied to my first job at the nonprofit before I even graduated college. Applying for jobs in general is quite nerve-racking! So many qualified (and even overqualified) people are applying for the same position as you. An advantage someone with an English or writing background may hold over other applicants is their strong voice in their cover letter. As an English major I really learned how to write in a concise, engaging, and compelling way while avoiding the cliché statements found in every cover letter.

I had always known that I wanted to go on to graduate school. I love learning new things and broadening my knowledge base. A few months into my first job, an opportunity with Saint Peter’s presented itself and I knew they had graduate programs employees could enroll in with no outside cost to them. I was not looking to accrue debt, and higher education careers always interested me, so I thought this was a wonderful chance for me to move forward. One of the first things that were mentioned in my interview at Saint Peter’s was that I had an English background. They saw that as a “plus.”

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

Like I said, I write technical and informational pieces every day. However, my real passion is creative writing, though it is not paying the bills right now. So, another writing-related job that was important to me as a writer, but not to my current career per say, occurred in October of 2012. Superstorm Sandy had just devastated the Jersey Shore, where I am from. On the night of Halloween, I wrote “An Open Letter to the Shore Kids” and posted it to a blog site. My friends began “sharing” it with others. By the next day it had gone viral and major news, including USA Today and CNN, picked it up. I received hundreds of emails from people all over the tri-state area and beyond who felt the desire to share their memories of the shore. This was the first time my writing touched people on a major scale. It is a wonderful feeling and gave me the confidence to start posting more of my writing and poetry online.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Though I do believe writing is a natural talent instilled from the start, practice does make perfect. I joined anything in college that could help me hone my writing and find my voice. I joined the college paper as a staff writer. This helped me better adhere to deadlines and constructive criticism (there’s nothing like the first time you see your article two paragraphs shorter than it was when you submitted it!). I was also one of the editors and a contributor to the annual poetry magazine. And any time one of my peers asked if I could proofread their work, I did.

I also picked up a Journalism Minor. I did this because in my English classes I was constantly writing 10+ page papers. I felt like I needed the minor to learn how to say a lot in a much smaller space.

I went to a very small school so many of my English professors I had more than once. In one of them, Dr. Woznicki, I found my mentor. Whether he signed up for the mentor-role or not, he was mine! He pushed my writing and red-penned my work like no one had ever done, and I am a better writer for it. I can’t thank him enough.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree? 

If you want to study English, study English. Don’t let anyone tell you that any subject within the Liberal Arts will not translate in the job world. That’s not true at all. I have had plenty of job offers, all with writing being at least one component of the position. The job world has finally caught up with the fact that not everyone – no matter how skilled they are in other fields – can write well. And yet, every single job requires some level of writing. More and more hiring companies are looking for multi-faceted people. Some skills can be learned over time, but high quality writing is a rarity. If you have that skill, you are one hot commodity!

I would advise minoring in something else as well to make you a better rounded candidate. Or even double-major in something if you can. I went on and got my Masters in Business Administration because as I grew older I realized though I loved writing, I do also like the business world. And guess what? Most of my MBA program required writing!

If you can find a way to blend your passion with a livelihood, then you’re set. It is my opinion that if you love to write, then you love to write even when a paycheck isn’t attached. I post a lot of creative writing and poetry on my Instagram account to share with fellow self-proclaimed writers. If you never share any of your work, how are you ever going to get noticed? Write daily.

Visit Alicia on Instagram @thealiciacook and connect with her on LinkedIn!

Abi Humber: Non-Profit Communications Coordinator

Name: Abi Humber

Age: 22

College & Majors: Communication Arts (placed my own emphasis on writing)

Current Location: Chicago, IL

Current Form of Employment: Communications Coordinator at 826CHI (a creative writing non-profit)

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I work as the Communications Coordinator for 826CHI, a non-profit that brings totally-free creative writing programs to Chicago Public School students. I create content for the organization's web site, write our monthly e-newsletter, manage our Facebook and Twitter, and act as the Creative Director for the promotion of each of our signature events and fundraisers.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Well, for a really long time (like 7 years) I was a bi-weekly columnist for my hometown newspaper. I wrote about hiding in lockers from seniors, refusing to try cottage cheese, moving away from home, and Canadians. In college, I took a ton of expository writing classes, honing my ability to synthesize giant amounts of super-dense information and turn it into something readable. I thought I wanted to enter the world of journalism and felt really stuck when none of the news-related internship opportunities seemed interesting or inspiring to me. I stumbled upon 826CHI's web site one random afternoon and applied for an internship during the Fall of my senior year. I immediately fell in love with the organization and its mission—it was the perfect marriage of my love for written expression and inspiring/affirming the voice of young people. Thankfully, the love was mutual and I was hired into my current position about 2 months into my internship. I also spent a lot of time cat-and-plant sitting for my professors and trying to impress boys during dumb intramural sports tournaments. That last sentence very adeptly sums up my collegiate experience.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different). 

This is the part where I talk about how lucky I got. I was a Programming Intern at 826CHI in the Fall of 2012, working directly with our amazing students on a variety of writing projects. My supervisor sometimes had me work on copywriting or social media projects for the organization, because I understood its goofy, irreverent voice and worked quickly. At this point, I considered being on staff at 826CHI my "dream job." I planned on extending my internship into the spring semester, and was starting to look into entering the Americorpos VISTA program as a way to stick around even longer.

Then, out of nowhere, a staff member informed me that the organization's Communications Coordinator position was open and encouraged me to apply. Euphoric and frenzied (my quintessential self), I pulled together my resume, stumbled through a cover letter, and borrowed a blazer from my roommate. My interview was held in a busy coffee shop, where I sat surrounded by the organization's five other staffers who, just 10 minutes before, were my internship supervisors. They were mostly interested in my ability to work in a wildly collaborative environment, and the degree to which I understood and could convey the organization's culture and voice. The writing component of the interview involved writing a fake event listing and a few social media posts for a super quirky event...the rest is history, I guess, and now they let me make jokes on the internet all day.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree? 

You need real-world experience. I would suggest starting an internship—not matter how informal or infrequent—as early as your sophomore year. Some advice I got from a mentor: There is no such thing as a wasted internship. Even if your experience is miserable...well, now you know that's not something you want to pursue! Also, try not to be so focused on what you think you're looking for that you fail to recognize other opportunities as they arise. I found out about 826CHI via the "Chicago Artists Resource" blog when I was scouring the internet for journalism internships. I am so glad I clicked the link even though it initially seemed unrelated. Also! Find a mentor. Or two. Or three. Everyone who is currently a "real adult" or a "contributing member of society" was once just like us—wandering, unsure, scared. They didn't become their successful selves overnight, and it is really important to hear from people who have been where you are, but found ways to move forward.

Connect with Abi on LinkedIn.