Ep. 28; Finding a Job After “The Great Resignation” & Chasing Your Dreams

A hot topic on social media lately has been all about jobs. Whether it's people looking for a new job, being laid off, or overall job satisfaction. Morgan brought on two friends for different perspectives on the current job market. Paige Breedlove Fletcher is the Field Practice Group Vice President at Robert Half with over a decade of experience in hiring and understanding job markets. She shares what to do & not to do when looking for a job, how to handle a layoff, asking for a promotion, and when to explore new job opportunities. Then Staci Brucks shares her story of leaving her two-degree planned career path to chase a brand new passion, photography, in her late 20s. Her entrepreneurship mindset and drive has made her a known name in the wedding space, and she's just getting started. 

Follow Paige Breedlove Fletcher: @paigefletchr

Follow Staci Brucks: @stacibrucksphoto

Follow Morgan: @webgirlmorgan

Follow Take This Personally: @takethispersonally

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Personally with Ryngame Fieldsman.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
It's career Week on the podcast with two of my friends. First,
I'm bringing on Page, who has worked at Robert Half,
a management consulting company, for over a decade, and has
a wealth of knowledge at the many different levels she's
worked for them, from hiring to management.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
She's going to share with us what to do.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
And not to do to get a job, knowing when
to look for a new job, and advice on how
to get that very wanted promotion. Then I'm bringing on
my friend Stacy, who went from getting two degrees to
completely changing careers to photography in her late twenties. She's
showing us that it's never too late to change things
up and chase your dreams. This is all the talk

(01:03):
on social media right now. Is everybody talking about looking for.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Jobs, applying to jobs, not finding jobs. It is the
hottest topic I.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Think I've seen in the last few weeks. And that's
why I'm bringing on one of my really good friends, Page,
who is an expert in this field. When I say expert,
the expert of all experts, Page, how are.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
You, I'm so good, I'm so good. I'm so excited
to be here. And you're right, I am a little
bit of a subject matter expert in the career job
hunting space.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, so give it to the people because I know
all about what you do. But tell us your job,
how you got there, and kind of how you're the
expert in this particular topic.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
So I work for the one of the world's first
and largest specialized staffing firm, Robert Haff. So we're a
global company and we work in staffing, but we specialize
in particular areas of expertise. I actually specialize in marketing
and creative, but we have teams that specialize in technology, legal, administrative,

(02:02):
and finance. That's what we do. We staff on a
contract at full time. We also have a consulting arm
protivity and we also do retained search and we have
a lot of different things that we do, but we
specialize in a particular niche and that's what we staff in.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Okay, So basically, Paige, you just said a whole lot
of words and my brain just exploded.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
But all that to say, Page knows what she's talking about,
and that's why I'm bringing her on.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
Because she does.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
You hire people, You've been through the very many stages
of hiring, and now you're at the very top.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
You're one of the boss people because you've worked your
way in the top, so you can see it on
multiple levels.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yes, I have, yes, Yes, been with the organization for
ten years. But I'm so passionate about what I do
because I love it. We truly change people's lives. You know,
we're working with people's livelihood and that's not missed on.
So I feel really lucky with what I do because
not only is it a great career, but I'm also

(03:07):
helping people, which is so great and so rewarding at
the same time.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
What is I want to start with kind of like
a funny thing. What is like the.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Most ridiculous thing that you often see in these interviews
or like on resumes and you're like, guys, please stop
doing this.

Speaker 3 (03:22):
Girl, Well, legit, I've had someone show up to an
interview looking like Jack Sparrow, I mean, full blown eyeliner beads.
I mean. I don't recommend nothing against pirates. I'm sure
they're lovely people, but maybe you know business maybe frowned
on thievery, so maybe not the Jack Sparrow look. But

(03:45):
you know, something we've talked about in the past is
avoiding putting your headshot on your resume. This doesn't make
sense for everybody. If you're an entertainment what you do
broadcast or an actor a model makes sense. But when
it comes to like a corporate job or professional job,

(04:05):
avoid it. You already get judged so hard based off
of your experience and your skill set. Don't need it
to be on the way you look, so avoid putting
your headshot. It's also just awkward. Yeah, don't do that.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah. No, it definitely made sense for my field that
I was in, but it was strange for me even
putting it on there. I was like, do we really
need to put my headshot on there? And they're like yes, unfortunately. Yeah,
the thing for your particular job.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
Like your industry makes sense. Yeah, for what we do
or what I do and what I staff, probably not. Okay.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Now, what is something that you see on resumes or
seeing an interview?

Speaker 1 (04:42):
Like, yes, more of this?

Speaker 3 (04:43):
Ah? Yeah, so resumes. Tailoring your resume to the particular job.
It takes time, but having one resume and mass applying
does not work. So just like you would use keywords
to find a particular search on Google, you want to
do the same thing with your resume, tailoring it to

(05:04):
a job posting and even the company. Take it even further. Say,
if you are a web content coordinator and you're applying
for a web content coordinator job and you see that
that company site is built in word Press, you may
want to put WordPress all over your resume, so even
if it's not in the job description.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
So a little research goes a long way.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
Huge, huge, But yeah, I would absolutely do that. And
always you're never going to go wrong with business casual.
It's not that you always have to have a three
piece suit on, but putting your best foot forward always
makes a good impression, regardless of the company.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
Okay, now those are like our fun kind of easy questions.
Now we're getting into the hard hitting and stuff. Yeah, okay,
what do you think is happening right now?

Speaker 2 (05:48):
Because you see online there's all kinds of people who
are like, I cannot find jobs, nobody is hiring. What
is your kind of take on this step? What's going
on in the job market right now that you're seeing.

Speaker 3 (05:58):
It's really interesting because there's eight point one million jobs
on the market right now and the unemployment rates not bad.
It's around four point one four percent. It hasn't changed
much in the past year, so we haven't seen huge inflections.
So it's interesting because there's actually more of a demand
in the current market in the US than there is supply,

(06:22):
which is interesting. Let me digress. So I want to
start back from the pandemic because I feel like everything
still stems.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
From the pandemic naturally, because that was such a weird
time in our life.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
Yeah, well, you had all of these layoffs, and then
you move forward. PPP loans were granted, and so people
started to hire again, and everyone started to leave their
jobs to get better ones. It was called the Great Resignation.
People were offered these insane salaries. I'm talking like hundreds
of thousands more than they've made before. So of course,

(06:55):
no brainer, let's leave. And so now when these loans
have dried up, people realized, oh, I've got to pay
those back. Now we have layoffs happening. The tech industry
was hit really hard in that space, and then you're
coupled with some unsettling things in the market. You add
an election you're on top of that. Businesses aren't for

(07:16):
sure what legislation is going to impact their business, so
they hold their coins tight. To their chest. So it's
an interesting market. There are jobs out there. But the
reason why it's hard is that there's been a lot
of things that have happened over the past couple of years,
and I think people don't realize that all of the

(07:37):
time is there was so much change so fast. So
one of the things I always say is, if someone's
offering you an insane salary and it's too good to
be true, believe them. Take a look at organizations and
how they responded to the pandemic. If they were doing
a ton of layoffs, how did they respond to that.

(07:57):
Layoffs can be make business sense necessarily always a bad thing,
but how do they recoup from that? What does that
look like? What's their sustainability look like as an organization?
How long have they been in the game. All of
these things are really important when you're looking for a job.
I think I covered all.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah, Well, it's just crazy because when you look at
your say take an average person and I'm sitting here
in front of my computer, I'm like, let me put
together resume, okay, send this off, send this off, and
then when you're getting nothing in return, I understand that
that's frustrating.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
Oh, yeah, but having.

Speaker 2 (08:32):
The context of oh, this is why this is happening,
and it's not you taking away that focus of say,
you are doing all the things right that page mentioned,
especially at the beginning, you're dressing right, you're looking the part,
you're doing the research, you're actively applying, and.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
You're still not getting that, and then you hear this.
It at least gives some context to what's happening.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yeah, and it's not all bad, but I will say,
and I think it's really important if we're gonna have
common stations about finding a job, and you know, I
can give you tips all day long, but I think
it's a really vulnerable space to be in. If you
find yourself in a layoff. You know, your career is
how you feed your family, at your livelihood, protecting your

(09:17):
mental health throughout that process, and that could be any process.
It could mean like you were unexpectedly laid off, or
you're looking for another job because you're in a toxic
environment and you're desperate to get out. All of those
things can take a toll on your mental health. And
so I think if you are in this process, having
a support system is so critical. There's so many online

(09:42):
support systems, free resources that you can have, talk to
your friends. This is a journey. You don't have to
go in alone, and it's hard. It's a vulnerable space
to be in. One of my best friends recently just
went through this, wasn't expecting it. They just bought a house.
What happens.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
It's like, yeah, when all of the it's the when
it rains at poorest type situation.

Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yeah. So but you're never alone, and there's tools and things.
Contacting Robert have is a great resource. Shout out do it.
But I think it's important to like first make that
very clear that this is tough. It's not it's a
full time job to get a job, which is why
I'm in business.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah, you talk about the vulnerability of it, and you're
on the other side of it, what's that like for you?
Because you know that these people are coming in they
are in a vulnerable position.

Speaker 3 (10:34):
Most of the time, anybody who's looking for.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
A job is in a vulnerable position because they don't
have the security that they need to survive.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
Essentially, Yeah, and you're sitting there and.

Speaker 2 (10:43):
You have to have these hard conversations with them, like
on the other side, give me that perspective.

Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, it can be tough because you could have some
money that has thirty years of experience and they've accomplished
so much, but they never maintained and modernized their skill set,
their certifications, all of these things. So you have to

(11:08):
really come in and sometimes break some egos and it's
not fun to do and it's really hard to have
those conversations. On the other hand, sometimes I just like
get to hype people up and to help people realize
that they are so amazing at what they do and
that doesn't come across I have to bring that out
of them, like we have to build their confidence back
up because they felt like, oh, I was laid off

(11:29):
because I wasn't good enough, And so I think that
there's a lot of balance to that. You kind of
have to be a chameleon when you're working with so
many different people and so many different personalities. But I
think when you come in, especially if you're working with
a staffing firm or a recruiter, coming in with an
open mind is so critical, and that's throughout the entire

(11:51):
hiring process, whether you're working with a recruiter or not
keeping an open mind because and not putting all of
your eggs in one basket because I can't tell you
how many times how many times I have heard from
Canada that like, yeah, I've got a job. Oh it's coming,
and then the budget falls through. It happens all of
the time. So it's important to keep that pipeline up.

(12:13):
But it's also important to cap a level head, not
get too excited, but not get too defeated.

Speaker 1 (12:18):
Yeah, you gotta say right kind of on that middle ground,
if you will.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah, And it's easier said than done. We're human, right, well.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Yeah, especially again you're back to this vulnerable position and
kind of feels like everything's on the line on this
kind of other side, not on the layoff side of things. Yeah,
how do you feel in the space of people who.

Speaker 1 (12:38):
Really want to kind of keep working.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
Up a ladder, maybe not in their corporation, but bounce
around a bunch, Like do you have.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
A perfect timeline?

Speaker 2 (12:46):
I guess if you will, where it's like you should
at least stay at a job.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
For this amount of time and then start. Is there
any version of that or is it just kind of
open ended?

Speaker 3 (12:55):
You know, it's tough because I've been with my organization
for ten years.

Speaker 2 (12:59):
I've also been working for the radio for almost ten
years now with iHeartRadio, So I'm on that same side
as you.

Speaker 3 (13:05):
Yeah, there is absolute power with leaving an organization and
taking learning and experience as a gift. Learning from other
people and learning from other organizations can be really powerful.
Just make sure if you're going to leave, you've done
your research and you've taken all that you've gotten from

(13:26):
that job. I mean, if you've got an amazing mentor
if you still got more to learn from your current job,
then maybe say write it out. If you're getting paid, well,
if if everything's great, you know, always weiys of the
pros and cons. But if everything's great, why always leave?
The grass isn't always greener, But there is still so

(13:48):
much power that you can have. Like, for example, there's
certain industries like you should probably leave technology. Some tech
things can become obsolete, my space.

Speaker 4 (14:01):
There are things that have coming on.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
Yeah exactly. So if you're like, for example, tech talk
is going through a lot of turmoil.

Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, and they close their like offices I believe in
the US.

Speaker 3 (14:12):
I mean I'm gonna need them to come back.

Speaker 1 (14:16):
Yeah, like full time. I mean, we may have the app,
but we're not really sure what's happening there?

Speaker 3 (14:19):
Yeah, I don't. I deleted my app, which is a
page rookie move, okay, but I needed the space. I'm
a toddler and he takes maybe forty images on my
phone to day this space. I was like, well, I
can't scroll, so I'll delete it. But anyways, there's I mean,
tech changes, it modernizes. I mean, we can talk about

(14:43):
AI all day long, which is exciting. With that kind
of suse you, it's kind of imperative that you move.
So knowing your industry, knowing your organization, how adaptable your
organization is. I'm fortunate enough that my organization's infesting in AI.
They're investing in modernizing what we do. They're incredibly adaptable.

(15:06):
Since I love it, I'm paid well, I have had
no reason to leave, and I've been promoted with it.
They've do a really great job at retention. You know,
there's all types of other reasons to leave. Toxic management,
unfair wages, your organization seems like they're not innovative, like
maybe it's time to look so yeah, and I know

(15:28):
it's so different for everyone.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
And that's why I ask. Because you see some people
and of course everybody.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
Has their version of what perfect looks like, especially when
it comes to employment, and some people are like, Nope,
you should stand in a job for thirty years. Others
are like, no, I'm getting out after five months. Time
to try a new one. Everybody has this different version
of perfect. Oh yeah, so it's interesting to see from
your perspective. I think that's really great tools to have,
like really understanding your own environment and who you are

(15:55):
and what's happening within that.

Speaker 1 (15:57):
Now, I do want to talk about AI, because.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
You did just mention it.

Speaker 2 (16:01):
Okay, all right, So what is happening with AI in
the workspace? Like obviously we know AI is taking over
some jobs, but is it helping other jobs?

Speaker 1 (16:10):
Like what does it look like for you guys?

Speaker 3 (16:12):
So a couple of things. Everyone's so uncertain with AI
taking jobs and knowing what I know? Yeah, can It
can be a little scary because I'm interested in that
as just a side hobby. I love AI. I use
I use chat GPT every single day. My organization has
their own version of GPT. Internally. Yeah, it's fantastic. It

(16:37):
can be scary if you go down some rabbit holes.
But here's the problem is that the whole purpose of
AI is to make things processes easier, quicker, more efficient.
Here's the thing. When people are using it, they're spending
a lot of time in it to try to make
it more efficient, that it's actually doing the opposite. They're
spending more time in these platforms is not actually helping

(17:00):
with a lot of creative space, and they can use
AI to get ideas, but at the same time, it's
not as creative as a human actually is. So I
think that's been interesting. So right now we're in an
interesting space because it's supposed to help us, but it's
actually making things less sufficient because they're spending so much

(17:21):
time in it. So I think once we learn and
you're going to start to see pop up roles with
people who specialize in that space, that those jobs are
going to becoming more available. But right now people aren't
fully investing in it. Some people are, some people aren't.
We're kind of on a precipice. It's either going to

(17:41):
really take off or it's going to be kind of
the same, like something that helps us throughout our day,
but maybe not completely take away all the jobs and
then also create jobs.

Speaker 1 (17:52):
Yeah, it is interesting.

Speaker 2 (17:53):
I think we focus on the negative side of when
new technology comes in. But it's no different than you
take someone like me, for example, I was on the
beginning stages of what the heck a digital director is,
and half the people still don't even know what I do.
But I was at those beginning stages of monetizing social
media for business and understanding also that it's a kind

(18:14):
of mixed in job with marketing and PR and you're
kind of taking on a few different roles within the
digital space.

Speaker 1 (18:20):
And that was uncommon ten years ago. Now it's common everywhere.

Speaker 3 (18:24):
Oh yeah, it's one of those.

Speaker 2 (18:26):
And I feel like AI is one of these where
when it comes in, everybody's like, here we go again,
here's another new thing.

Speaker 3 (18:33):
But there's always good that comes of it.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
It's just waiting on it.

Speaker 2 (18:37):
And I do see the fear in that something obviously
automizing things would create the sense of no longer job security.

Speaker 1 (18:46):
Because it is a possibility that it takes away jobs.
But to your point, it also brings them in.

Speaker 2 (18:51):
So AI is a trending one where we could see
some jobs start opening up.

Speaker 3 (18:55):
Oh for sure. But I embrace AI. I think it's
smart too. It's made my not I wouldn't say easier,
but I have it has made it more efficient at
least writing emails. Me and my boss we call chatty
our teammate or another colleague because we use it that much.
It's great for creating ideas and it's great for content.

(19:19):
But at the end of the day, we still have
to put our own spin on it. We still have
to bring our voice to the table. It's still very
much so important, but we embrace it, We love it,
and I hope my hope is that most people will
do and realize it's more of an aid than something
that's going to completely take away your job.

Speaker 2 (19:36):
Listen, it's also just the thing too, that it's easier
to live in the fearful than trying to embrace the unknown.

Speaker 1 (19:43):
That's just normal, that's human nature to feel that way,
So I could see why. But I love hearing your
perspective on it.

Speaker 2 (19:50):
What other jobs might trend in that same way, because
you know what, you're a trendsetter in like all kinds
of different ways.

Speaker 1 (19:56):
But looking at the trends of jobs, as I imagine
that something you pay attention to AI is one that
because it's always a good thing to get.

Speaker 2 (20:04):
In on the ground floor of things, AI is going
to be one if you start teaching yourself AI and
really become a.

Speaker 1 (20:10):
Masterpiece on AI. What are some other jobs that you're
seeing that are kind of starting to trend? And that
might be a loaded question because there may not be any, but.

Speaker 3 (20:19):
Well, I think it's digital transformation has changed a lot
about what we do, how you buy products, how you
interact with the world, and so making sure that if
you're working in especially a professional job, that you understand
these tools and how to use them, because your competition
will and if you ever find yourself needing to find

(20:42):
a job, it makes more business sense to hire someone
who knows those things because you're not spending time training
somebody on that. I mean, that's at the end of
the day. And when I tell people about writing resumes
and all of these things are interview prep. So businesses
went three things. What they want is they want to
know how you're going to save them time, money, or

(21:05):
generate revenue. That's it. Every single role, that's what they're
looking for. And so if you can save an organization
time by knowing all of these skill sets or modernizing
for example, copywriter right now, you're probably going to want
to be able to use those AI tools and understand

(21:25):
how to optimize your copy. That's going to make you
more competitive versus someone who hasn't done that.

Speaker 4 (21:31):
M h.

Speaker 1 (21:32):
That totally makes sense.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
And it's just the way of the world where you
there's a phrase and of course it's not coming to
me right now, where it's like either get in or
get out kind of thing. Like adapt and go with
the times. And as everything's changing, you have to flow
with it because otherwise you're going to be a flowing
upstream when everybody else is going downstream.

Speaker 3 (21:52):
There's only one constant in business, and that's change.

Speaker 1 (21:55):
Yeah, and a good point.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
It's the only constant is that there's going to be
peaks and valleys to any business. But like Blockbuster, I
mean so I love.

Speaker 2 (22:05):
Hiking throwing these like random ones like for MySpace, Blockbuster
and TikTok has been thrown under the bus multiple times.

Speaker 3 (22:13):
But I think it's also like business is how you
get jobs, so so you have to adapt, you have
to stay relevant to stay competitive.

Speaker 2 (22:23):
Yeah, and it's funny if you look at a lot
of different businesses, like I look at Netflix when we're younger.
Netflix started as this thing that set out of the
Walgreens where you walked up and you pull the DVD
out and then.

Speaker 3 (22:34):
Returned in nostalgia.

Speaker 1 (22:37):
Yeah truly.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
But like you think of what Netflix started, and they
evolved and.

Speaker 1 (22:41):
Changed with the times. Instead of staying like, no, we
are going to be.

Speaker 2 (22:46):
The DVD business and be outside of these businesses. Instead
they said, okay, we should probably get rid of those.
Let's see what this other thing is. And they changed
and evolved with the times. It's a huge example of
a massive company that instead of doing what they could
have stayed with aka Blockbuster, they evolved and they found
another way and then they changed.

Speaker 3 (23:07):
The whole game or all of a cable, it's the whole.
Like innovation is so important. If you're a client and
you're looking to hire, you always want to have those innovators,
those people that think differently than you experience as a gift,
and it's not just an experience on your resume, but
it's also your life experience to hiring some A diverse

(23:30):
team brings all of those perspectives. That's how organizations can innovate.
And obviously it's important.

Speaker 1 (23:39):
Obviously innovation being prepared for change.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
Listen, just be like goo right now, Okay, and just
mold and shape as life changes, because that's.

Speaker 1 (23:48):
What we all need to do.

Speaker 2 (23:49):
It's probably like the most disgusting thing I could have
came up with for you to be like.

Speaker 3 (23:53):
But yeah, I mean, just be adaptable. You're going to
get thrones to curveballs in business. That's just fact of life,
So be adoptable.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
Yeah, I love that. Is there anything else you want
to make sure everybody knows? Here's something of a topic
that maybe I would have never asked a question on,
or something that just comes to mind for you.

Speaker 3 (24:13):
And I get a lot of questions about getting a
promotion within your job and ways to do that. If
I were to give a piece of advice, is you've
got to let it be known and not when it's
too late. Talk about it often with your superiors, like, hey,
I love this organization. It doesn't have to be coming
in with a pitchfork and demanding a promotion, but it

(24:36):
could be Hey, I know where I'm at now, I
love the organization. I really enjoy my job. I enjoy
the work that I do. Just know I plan on
getting into leadership one day. So planting those seeds incredibly important.
There was much more there too, as you said that
it's funny.

Speaker 2 (24:54):
There is something that a conversation I look back on
in my career. When I had first moved to Nashville,
remember meeting one of my big bosses that I have
currently with the job on the Bobby Bone Show, and
she had come into my office. Well, it actually started
with one of my other big bosses who had come
in and was like, what do you want to do?
And he was recognizing He was like, obviously you have

(25:14):
more talent than what's sitting right here and what you're doing.
And I was like, I think I'd want to work
for a bigger show one day. It sounds really cool
and I feel like I could be really good at that. Yeah,
And it was just kind of a planet. It was
a passing conversation. It wasn't anything that was a big deal.
A couple months later, he had brought his big boss in,
who's now one of my big bosses, and she was like, so,
what do you want to do?

Speaker 1 (25:34):
What's like your goal?

Speaker 2 (25:35):
And I planted the seed again and I was like,
this is something that I feel like i'd.

Speaker 1 (25:39):
Be really good at.

Speaker 2 (25:40):
I have a lot of expertise and it evolves from
this role and I'm still doing something similar and she
was like okay, And a couple months later they had
a hand in suggesting me for the job that I
have now.

Speaker 1 (25:53):
And those were passing conversations. Those were not planned meetings.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
Those were not like I'm sitting here asking for everything.
They were just little seeds that got planted in a conversation.
So you're so right that that has such a big role.

Speaker 1 (26:04):
And I've never thought about that until now.

Speaker 3 (26:06):
If you've studied psychology, and now, granted I've taken one class,
i am no expert. Like I've taken one class in college.

Speaker 1 (26:12):
Hey, you know one class is better than none.

Speaker 3 (26:13):
Yeah, but if you study it, you know that your
brain categorizes people and sometimes you don't see people in
a certain light unless you let it be known. For example,
my husband, I was never saw him in a romantic way.
He was my friend until one day rum was introduced
and someone told me like, oh, Ricky would make a

(26:34):
cute couple and turned my head to the side. I
was like, what is cute? So but you know again
that that seed was planted and I thought of them
in a different light, in different space. So it's incredibly
important to let it be known. But then once you
let it be known, you gotta start to add to
like a boss, and you gotta start building that brand.

(26:55):
And you've got to start building your brag book too,
you know, start to write down your successes.

Speaker 1 (27:01):
I love that. Also, I want to make a reference.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
His page is talking about her husband who was on
this podcast, Ricky Fletcher, and he was talking about their relationship,
which is an awesome episode if you want to.

Speaker 1 (27:10):
Go back for reference.

Speaker 3 (27:12):
So that's like a fun little easter.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
Egg into another podcast episode, like at that you were
planting a seed, but it was an easter egg.

Speaker 3 (27:18):
Oh my gosh, like a Mickey Mouse, like you know,
the hidden Mickeys.

Speaker 2 (27:20):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (27:21):
Yeah, but he's also having a mentor. He's actually one
of my mentors too in business, so he knows a
lot about a lot of things. I mean, I know,
I don't want to brag on him too much, but yeah,
he's really really strong. So I think it's also having
mentors and people that you can count on outside of
your organization too, to give you different perspectives on things

(27:44):
is also important. But when it comes to promotions, you
gotta let it be known. You gotta start building that
brag book. I learned that and it's not just oh,
I'm participating in this project or I'm doing this initiative,
but then I'm also what was the result, so that
at what revenue did that drive? Going back to those
three things, how did I save this organization time, money,

(28:06):
or generate revenue? You want those case studies so when
you're ready for that promotion, they tap on you. You
have a business case and you make it a no brainer.

Speaker 2 (28:16):
Yeah, that's a really good important tool because asking for
a promotion is hard. I'm asking for an increase in
salary or anything. I'm not also hard, negotiations are hard.

Speaker 1 (28:26):
There are things that they don't.

Speaker 2 (28:26):
Teach you in school. It's things that you have to experience.
And you know, I remember doing mine for the first time.
I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing, and then
I'd get scared. I'd like send off the email and
I'd be like my hands would be shaking, I'm sweating,
and I'm like I don't really want to send this email,
but like I deserve it, but also I'm uncomfortable.

Speaker 3 (28:44):
That's just how it is.

Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah, you know, until you do evolve and you're like, no,
I deserve this.

Speaker 1 (28:48):
This is what I want, I'm going to go for it.
There's steps to that. So all to Page's point that
you should let it be known.

Speaker 2 (28:55):
Majority of people, if you are working hard and you
are already recognized is like a great talent within your
company or within your organization, then they're going to want
to help you evolve and grow within their company. But
they can't do that if they don't know.

Speaker 3 (29:09):
Yeah, you've got to let it be known, and not
when it's too late, not when the positions open. You've
got to start planting those seeds that you want more
and you're asking for more, you want to do more.
Because also in the back of their head, what they're
going to think is I'm going to need to promote
this person to retain them if they're a good talent.

(29:29):
And that's when like, once you let it be known,
now don't fall off. This is not the time, but
start showing up the work late and showing up with
some sloppy hair.

Speaker 2 (29:38):
And no, this is instead the opposite of that, where
you really put in more, and.

Speaker 3 (29:41):
Then that's when you lean in and you start to
build your brand around like this is who I am.
So I think that's also really important that you're seeing
as a leader, So that's that's not the time to
not brush your teeth and show up late in all
of those things. That's really important.

Speaker 1 (30:02):
Thanks for being here, of course, Thanks for talking all
about jobs. You can tell also you're just passionate about
But it does feel a little.

Speaker 2 (30:09):
Weird for me talking to you about jobs because I'm
so used to our friendship being like pretty chaotic and
we go and have fun, but right now we're both
very professional talking about.

Speaker 3 (30:17):
I know, like you know, this is a little girl
with an advertising degree, like asked to be made big
decisions like who put this responsibility on me?

Speaker 2 (30:25):
I often think that, like, ha, who believe that this
was a good idea for me to be in this position?

Speaker 1 (30:30):
Sometimes?

Speaker 3 (30:31):
But yeah, I mean, imposter syndrome can be real, But
I think it's you've got to have confidence in what
you do and what you know. We didn't get here
by accident.

Speaker 2 (30:41):
No, most people who made it to the top. We're
not talking about the whole neo baby situation. Most people
who make it to the top have worked very hard.

Speaker 3 (30:50):
Fortunately, I am not blessed to be a neo baby.

Speaker 1 (30:54):
No, you know, I didn't have a single family member
that worked on the Bobby.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
Bunch say, I don't think that one happened, And same
for you, Like you said, you were going in advertising
and things just took a different turn. So I think
it's a cool all around conversation, but also just cool
to see what you're doing and how you've just taken
over a very boss bitch. I'm gonna say it roll

(31:19):
and it's been amazing.

Speaker 3 (31:20):
It has. But you know, I'm really lucky because I've
got such great support. I work on an executive team
that's made of over half women. Love that, which is
also great, and they're all mothers, so it's also just
great to have that support, that mentorship. I'm really lucky.

(31:41):
Not everyone has that, and so I think that it's
really important to have exposure and seeing yourself in other people.
So AnyWho, I love that for you. I'm happy for you.

Speaker 4 (31:57):
I'm proud of you.

Speaker 3 (31:58):
Thank you. I've more to accomplis, so there's more to accomplished.
There's so much to do, so you can't get rid
of me yet, Rubber Half. Yeah, it's a great place
to work, and you know, there's a reason why Fortune
named us the most admired company for twenty seven consecutive
years in a row.

Speaker 1 (32:13):
I believe that's because you're one of the boss babes
that's on there. I mean, that's where we're at. That's
what I feel, mostly because that's about all I know
about the company. So I'm rolling with it. It's all you.

Speaker 3 (32:21):
Well, I'm just gonna constantly draw plugs. See that's called
planting seeds, you guys, so many seeds.

Speaker 1 (32:28):
Okay, Page, thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 5 (32:31):
Also, thanks this week, I am joined with another one
of my friends. Stacy is a friend that I met
in high school and she's been killing it in her career.

Speaker 1 (32:48):
And this episode is all about careers.

Speaker 2 (32:51):
I had my other friend, Paigeon, who's an expert in
the hiring field than what that all looks like, but
Stacy has gone a completely different path than most people
go and she's created a career for herself that I
don't know that she ever saw coming. So, Stacey, I'm
gonna let you share where your story started in the
career field and how you kind of got to where

(33:11):
you are now.

Speaker 6 (33:12):
Okay, Well, first and foremost, Morgan, thank you so much
for having me. Okay, man, where do I even begin
so to kind of take it back. About five years ago,
I worked at one of our big medical centers here
in Kansas. My background is I had two degrees and
exercise science, worked as an exercise physiologist in cardiac rehab,

(33:34):
went to school for that. Always wanted a job that
I just was able to impact at least one person
a day that was And it as cliche as that is,
that's just truly what I wanted. And as like the
years ago went by, you know, I loved loved what
I did, loved what I do, but just knew that
there was something missing in the job. But I was like,
I don't know what that is. So honestly, you know,

(33:56):
I talked around to different people, friends and prayed on
it for a while, and I just my friends would
be like, so what do you what do you like?

Speaker 4 (34:03):
What are you good at?

Speaker 6 (34:03):
And I'm like, I don't know. I like exercise, you know,
getting out doing active things. But for like another hobby,
I just didn't have anything that really just stood out
to me. Again, just time kind of went by, and
you know how people ask you like, what is the
aha moment of you getting into something?

Speaker 4 (34:22):
I truly don't know how.

Speaker 6 (34:25):
I am a photographer, so like it still blows me
away when I'm like, I'm doing what for my job now?
But kind of had a lot of people that are
big inspiration people to me and just kind of started
asking me questions and it just kind of got the
wheels turning in my head, like what I don't know?
And I always liked capturing pictures and moments and everything,

(34:46):
but never thought, oh, let's make it a job. And
for me, I had no background in photography, taking zero classes,
and people.

Speaker 4 (34:54):
Were like, why not just buy a camera?

Speaker 6 (34:56):
And I'm like they're so expensive that I'm like that
is like that's a big thing to get involved with
when I have zero.

Speaker 1 (35:02):
Background and You're like, it's just a hobby. I don't
want to spend that money. What's happening here, right?

Speaker 6 (35:08):
But of course I'm like the most wild, crazy, insane, driven,
motivated kind of person. And a couple of my friends
are like, You're gonna look back and wish you would
have at least tried, and I'm like, okay, that's all
I need to then, just give me the motivation to
just try, and I do. Like, you know, I chat
with a lot of people about being you know, afraid
to fail and stuff like that. For me, I just

(35:30):
I'm not scared to be able to, you know, take
the jump off the cliff. So I started playing around
with it. Learned on YouTube, which is crazy, I mean
that's a lot of people's story, but basically told myself,
I will not stop until I learned how to take
a photo on manual and not on like the auto.
So started with my dog and then made my husband
get out in the yard and like, let me practice.

(35:53):
And then it just kind of started clicking and I posted,
you know, the photos of my dog on social media
and people started reaching out to me. And side note
on that, just living in this area and growing up,
I truly just have so many people surrounding me that
just have supported me from the get go.

Speaker 4 (36:10):
You know.

Speaker 6 (36:10):
It's like, hey, you have a camera, you take pretty pictures,
will you take a you know, some family photos? And
I'm like sure, And it's sort of saying like, hey,
what do you charge and all that sort of stuff,
and I'm googling.

Speaker 4 (36:21):
I'm like, how do you run a business? What do
I do?

Speaker 2 (36:24):
Like?

Speaker 6 (36:24):
I knew nothing, but just kind of kept going with
the flow and literally just a hobby and passion that
I never knew I had, so it's just kind of
cool that I lean into it. And then fast forward
a little bit, so the timeframe of me buying a
camera to stepping away from the hospital and going full
time with photography was very quick, just because I had

(36:46):
my husband to lean on with jobs and stuff like that.
But I go, I think I can do this, and
he was like, okay, you know sort of thing like
give it a good shot. And then we never saw
COVID coming cod hit and being outpatient at the hospital.
They let go of all those people anyways, So it's
just crazy how there was a plan for me all along,

(37:09):
knowing that things.

Speaker 4 (37:09):
Always work out.

Speaker 6 (37:10):
So yeah, COVID hit, and then some wedding photographers that
took weddings day and were saying, they're like, you know,
I'm not going to shoot weddings, And then I had
couples coming to me, hey will you shoot my wedding?
And I'm like, oh god, like I just learned how
to take some pictures, Like this is crazy, and so
just really lean into that and like the opportunities that
came my way and never look back. So it's just

(37:33):
it's crazy. It's crazy, and that's kind of like the
short snippet of the beginning, So just so grateful for
the random path that I just, you know, decided to
take a chance on.

Speaker 2 (37:44):
And this is why I have you on Stacy, because
I think your story is so cool, because it's really
easy to get a job when you're done with college
or get a job out of high school, and you
stay in it for twenty years and you never look
at other options, you never explore past what you think
you're supposed to be doing, and you went a complete
opposite direction and did something that was not even something

(38:05):
that was in your mind at the time of you
doing any.

Speaker 1 (38:09):
Version of college or studying.

Speaker 2 (38:11):
And now you have this entire career that you've built
out of it, and you have a following on Instagram,
and you're traveling the world to do something that you
didn't even know ten years ago was a possibility. And
that's inspiring in itself. And you mentioned this a little bit.
I want you to dive in a little bit more
to it where you finally took that jump and you said,

(38:32):
I'm going to quit my job and I think I'm
going to try this full time. What were those feelings
that you were having as that moment existed.

Speaker 6 (38:40):
I have always been the type of person that if
you put something in front of me, I'm going to
go after it. And it's like, get out of my
way because I'm gonna either, you know, succeed or fail
sort of thing. I just think again, I started just
thinking about you know, I love being able to impact
people at the hospital, patients like getting back on their feet.

(39:00):
But I just again was like going, there's just something,
some little piece of missing, and so it's always like
and I say a lot of like cliche things, but
I'm like, you're never gonna know if you don't try.
And yeah, that it was a little scary, but at
the same time, I go, I got this because if
but if I.

Speaker 4 (39:20):
Don't got this, I left the hospital on good terms.

Speaker 6 (39:23):
I can always go back and I always have an A,
B and C plan or I joke and say this,
but I go say, none.

Speaker 4 (39:30):
Of this works out for me.

Speaker 6 (39:31):
I like candles, so I can start making candles like
you always figure it out. But I think that that's
what's hard for a lot of people is just to
put that all to the side and just truly go
after and I know it's I mean, it's easier said,
than done with.

Speaker 4 (39:45):
A lot of things. But I just think the unknown is.

Speaker 6 (39:48):
Something special sometimes and I am a big believer in that,
just like, hey, just give it a shot. So it's
it's truly really cool. And I remember the conversation my
husband and I had. He was just kind of saying, hey,
like he supports everything and anything that I do, but
he was telling me, he was like, hey, just hang
on for a few more months, just for a steady

(40:10):
two week paycheck as you kind of like transition and everything.

Speaker 4 (40:13):
And I looked at him and I said, I love
you and respect to but I got this.

Speaker 6 (40:17):
I got this going back. I didn't know COVID was
going to happen, so it's just crazy. It's crazy to me.
And signed out on that too. Why he was like, hey,
let's hang out a little bit more so. He was
also starting his own business in insurance, and so then
two entrepreneurs and then COVID hit. It was a little scary,
but I mean just living in this area too, knowing

(40:39):
that we have great support around us that say things
don't work out, like we can go live in our parents'
basement again. As much as you know, we didn't want
to do that. Like, we'll figure it out. We'll figure
it out.

Speaker 4 (40:48):
And that's talking to my parents about this too. I was.

Speaker 6 (40:51):
I was asking him a couple months ago, I said,
what was your thought process on my husband and I
Sam and I both going full time as entrepreneurs. He goes, Yeah,
they'll figure it out, but it'll be interesting.

Speaker 4 (41:03):
For a little while. So I don't know. It's like
it's the what if and you just got to go
after it.

Speaker 2 (41:11):
Where do you feel like you've got this confidence inside
yourself to just do it regardless of what was going
to come? Because I hear that in you as you're
sharing this story where you just had this, I got this,
There's nothing is going to stop me.

Speaker 1 (41:26):
Where does that come from? Is that something that you
inherently had or you've grown into?

Speaker 6 (41:31):
So I think as I've learned myself as i've gotten older, too,
it is something you can't teach in people. You can't
teach drive, you can't teach motivation. You know, you can
listen to all these amazing things, but I think it
comes down to just how I am, and I've always
been a you gotta work hard, you gotta work hard
for what you want, Like things won't be handed to you.

(41:51):
And so I just think with that being said, like
putting yourself out there and opportunities and just knowing that
whatever happens happens. I think it's the mindset and that
I do a lot of mentor sessions with other photographers
and you know, some business owners, and I tell them,
I'm like, you have to tell yourself you can do it,
because when you start shifting and going, you know, that's

(42:13):
where it's very Your mind is so powerful. And so
I think that that's the cool thing about how I
can go on and on just and I know it's
so hard to openly say, like how proud you are
of like yourself and what you've accomplished.

Speaker 4 (42:26):
And everything, But I just think, I'm like, nothing's been
handed to me.

Speaker 6 (42:30):
I just again take opportunities where it is, and it
just I lean into that going.

Speaker 4 (42:35):
It might be.

Speaker 6 (42:35):
Embarrassing, it might be hard, it might be you know,
all the things, but like hard things is where you grow.

Speaker 4 (42:41):
As a person.

Speaker 6 (42:42):
And I just think it's it's a cool thing to
just tell yourself like, hey, you can do it and
on that. The difficult thing too, is for me it
was hard to step away from having two degrees in
something that I've studied hard for and then I wasn't
using anymore. But love my husband, he gives me a
lot of hard talks. He like pulled me aside and

(43:04):
he goes, hey, as simple as this, he goes, I
can't believe I'm in minting this. But he was like,
you have been away from the hospital for X amount
of months in time, he was like, take it off
of your Facebook bio and I'm like, yeah, but I
worked so hard for that. But then I also was
a little bit of like, you know, anyone could pick

(43:25):
up a camera and start taking pictures and being a photographer.
So I think for me, it was just the background
of like how hard you work. But at the same time,
none of that matters.

Speaker 4 (43:34):
And now that I.

Speaker 6 (43:35):
Am in the position I am, none of that matters.
Like the credibility is just do whatever makes you happy.
And I know I'm like on the other side of
things now, but truly knowing that nobody cares in a
good way.

Speaker 4 (43:48):
I always say, like, nobody cares as much as you do.

Speaker 6 (43:51):
And that's where, you know, I had to just get
over the fact of like being in front of the
camera or you know, doing silly reels and stuff on
Instagram like do.

Speaker 4 (44:02):
What makes you happy?

Speaker 6 (44:03):
And I know, again that's easier said than done, but
it's just it's cool when you let all of that
background noise go and you just tell yourself like, hey,
this makes me happy and I'm just going to go
after it. And like I said, I could preach on
this all day, but like mindset, mindset.

Speaker 4 (44:18):
Mindset is such a huge thing and a powerful thing.

Speaker 1 (44:21):
It is very powerful.

Speaker 2 (44:22):
What you say to yourself matters, and it does manifest
in different ways.

Speaker 1 (44:27):
You saying that, you're like, I know, I'm on the
other side of it, but you did put in.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
All of this work, and you took a leap of
faith and you trusted yourself. And that's not easy work.
And it's easy to look on now because hindsight is
always twenty twenty.

Speaker 1 (44:41):
But yes, sitting in those positions when.

Speaker 2 (44:43):
You were I'm sure there were moments and you're like,
I don't know what's going to happen, but I gotta
try this. Yes, And I think that tenacity is something
to be admired, and that's probably why so many people
are like, how are you doing this? Where is this happening?
And there there's this part of you that's built in.
But to your point, also, if you do change your mindset.
I think anybody is capable of anything if they're willing

(45:05):
to adapt their mindset.

Speaker 1 (45:07):
That's the key.

Speaker 4 (45:08):
Yes, yes, I know one thing too.

Speaker 6 (45:11):
To this day, like I wake up and I'm like,
thank you, thank you for this small little business, and
no matter where it takes me, keep me humble and
nice people and grateful. And I just think I've seen
so much again growth in myself. I feel like I
say this over and over and over, but I am
so stink and grateful for everything that has come in
my lap.

Speaker 4 (45:31):
And where life now.

Speaker 6 (45:34):
You know, looks like for me, some people can go
back going man, like I wish I would have started
this earlier. I wish I would have done this and
that and this. I really try not to think about
that because you know, I'm thirty two. I got into phtography,
I leaned into it when I was twenty eight. And
for me, I really noticed when I went to my

(45:54):
first workshop that people are going around the room saying
how long they've done it and how old they are,
And I'm sitting there going, oh man, all these people
are twenty two twenty three, I'm twenty eight. But really,
as I've looked back, I go, none, it doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter the age, it doesn't matter anything. And
I'm grateful though that I've found my career and passion
at thirty two. But everything that I've done before has

(46:19):
guided me and gotten me where I am today. So
that's why I just like, even though you know, thousands
of dollars in debt for two degrees whatever, but I
just again, I'm so grateful for everything that's landed in
my lap, and like the people that I get to
meet and just the things that I get to do,
And as so many people can say, just I still
and I joked about this earlier, but when I start

(46:40):
really talking to people about my passion and my business
and everything, I'm like, how do I get to do
this for my job? Because yes, there's a lot of
hard work that comes with it, but it's it's work
that I want to do. I go out to weddings
and shoot a beautiful wedding and then come back, but
I am so excited to sit down at my computer

(47:01):
see what I created, and I'm like, what the heck?

Speaker 4 (47:03):
Like I took that like it still blows me away.
It's crazy.

Speaker 2 (47:07):
You do have to be your own hype person too,
and that's a great part of this. When you become
someone who is chasing a dream or following a path
that not a lot of people have, or it looks
different in a different way because you didn't come out
of school shooting photography, you didn't take classes and you
took a different path to get to where you are,
or you took a new path that a lot of

(47:28):
people haven't done yet. There is this level of hyping
up you really have to do for yourself and convince
yourself that, yeah, I can do this, I can start
this trend.

Speaker 1 (47:38):
I can be the one who changes the game. And
you are.

Speaker 2 (47:41):
And when you have that belief and ability in yourself,
this is what happens, something like this, a career that
totally changes your life.

Speaker 4 (47:50):
I know, it's amazing though, and I just.

Speaker 6 (47:53):
Yeah, I never in a million years thought my life
would look like this, But I just so grateful.

Speaker 2 (47:59):
So what do you tell somebody who's maybe sitting there
and there. It's really easy to get miserable in a job.
You get stuck somewhere. And I commend people also because
there's a level here of survival and you got to
do what you gotta do to pay bills and take
care of your family. But there is also another level
where you deserve not to be miserable and you deserve
to do things that make you happy. So if you're

(48:22):
talking to someone who is just kind of sitting there, like,
I do not know what life has in store.

Speaker 1 (48:27):
For me, and this isn't it, But I don't know
where to start. What would you kind of tell them
if they were sitting in that position?

Speaker 4 (48:34):
A big question?

Speaker 1 (48:35):
But I know, but you were kind of in this
you had this moment.

Speaker 6 (48:39):
Yeah, I mean, I again, talk to a lot of
people about different we all are at different seasons of life.

Speaker 4 (48:45):
We're all at different places.

Speaker 6 (48:47):
For me, like, my life looks completely different in the
way that I've been able to do things because of.

Speaker 4 (48:51):
X, Y and Z.

Speaker 6 (48:53):
But I just think though that you don't have to
hard stop and go when you do things, but.

Speaker 4 (48:59):
Just start dabbling.

Speaker 6 (49:00):
Like again, it's all about where you put yourself in
the opportunities that I think that people should just you know,
if something comes up, or they meet someone or hey,
you know, let's full yet coffee or whatever. You just
never know what that can look like, or the conversations
to have with people, Like I personally get a lot
of messages about certain this and this and that from

(49:21):
random photographers that reach out to me, and I try
my very best to answer anyone and everyone just if
they have questions about life or man, you know, your
story inspired me because I truly think that, like because
of how I've told my story and it's impacted other people,
which is it's so cool to hear that. But just

(49:41):
knowing that, take a chance on yourself. You know, you
don't have to be like, oh, you know, I'm gonna
start in the next month two months, just kind of
slowly put yourself out there, have conversations with people.

Speaker 4 (49:52):
Ask questions.

Speaker 6 (49:53):
And that's the biggest thing is like, no question is
a dumb question. And that's why I always tell people
because it's like if the questions that you don't ask.

Speaker 4 (50:01):
Like you don't know. Personally.

Speaker 6 (50:02):
For me, I didn't know what I was going to
take pictures of. I didn't know what my life was
going to look like. But I started reaching out to
some people in the Witchha area, Hey, like can I
come hang out with you at your wedding or like
float your bags or just watch you and do whatever.
And I had so many people just be like, yeah,
come hang out, like bring your camera if you want to,

(50:23):
and you know, practice and I just think people taking
the chance on.

Speaker 4 (50:28):
Me, I like to reciprocate that on the other end
of like.

Speaker 6 (50:32):
That's why I just want to help people, because so
many people help me in the beginning start baby steps,
tiptoe into things you just never know. And I think that,
you know, when I talk to people about, oh I
do this, but I want to go full time. I
have a lot of those conversations with people. I'm like,
listen you just as a person, like you just need to.

Speaker 4 (50:55):
Hear you are better than what you think.

Speaker 6 (50:57):
And I think the positivity coming from who you surround
yourself with is huge. And people again going back to
like the mindset thing, like how do you I have
conversations today with a friend where she's like, how do
you keep yourself in this positive mindset? I'm like, trust me,
you know, life has its ups and downs. But again
it's just telling myself like I can do this and

(51:17):
it's all going to be okay and everything is going
to be okay, and just you gotta try, like you
just you got to go after things.

Speaker 2 (51:25):
Were there people at some point when you first started this,
not necessarily even close to you, but just were there
people who were doubting you and had you kind of
doubt yourself at all in a moment where you're just like,
maybe they're right, maybe this isn't going to work out?
What am I doing? Did you ever have that experience?

Speaker 6 (51:44):
Okay, so not really, because I am so good about
blocking out everything around me and.

Speaker 4 (51:56):
I just I in a good way. I just do
what I want.

Speaker 6 (52:00):
And so it's like people around me, know, my family,
my friends, it's like you have no choice than just
to support me because I will figure it out myself.
And you know, you can have conversations of asking like,
oh do you think I can do this? But like
nobody can tell you if you can do something, like
you've got to do it yourself, and that's the telling yourself.

Speaker 4 (52:19):
That you can do it. But no, I just I
never asked questions like that. I never asked for people's
opinions of oh, should I.

Speaker 6 (52:28):
Do this or not, like I'll figure it out, I'll
do it, And I think that that's the best thing
that you can do for any person, any job, anywhere
anything that you do, like do it yourself, like, don't
do it for anybody else. And that's what I truly
love about myself is like I'm doing this for me,
and I think just seeing everything come with it is

(52:48):
really cool cause it just it's it all just kind
of falls into place, And especially in twenty twenty four
was a big shift. Like I each year have just
grown and I look at myself the mirror and I'm like, sace,
be better than what you were yesterday. And I think
that that's the best thing you can do, especially in
a creative space or an industry that you're in a

(53:10):
sense like compare. You can compare yourself to so many people.
And I always say, I'm like, put your little blinders
on and focus on what's in front of you and
what makes you happy, and the rest will follow. Because
it's so easy to get wrapped up in oh man.
Like I remember having a little bit of those thoughts
where I'd see these insane photographers, I'm like, man, how

(53:34):
how But I think when you look at that big picture,
way way too too big and too much like that's
when you get overwhelmed with a bunch of stuff. So
just taking little steps and then looking back now at
like my journey, I'm like, WHOA. Because I blocked out
everything and just focused on what makes me happy and

(53:54):
like me posting the work, then everything else will just
come with it.

Speaker 2 (53:58):
That's also good advice too, because it is hard to
block things out, especially when you're chasing things that don't
look the same to everybody else. On the side of
being an entrepreneur, were there ever moments and there still
might be where you get a little afraid. You're like,
how is this going to support me? How is this
going to support my life? Because I know with an

(54:19):
entrepreneur and starting a new career, a lot of finances
come with that, and finances shift all across the board.

Speaker 1 (54:25):
You're not in a salary job.

Speaker 2 (54:28):
You're in a job that you're the one who's responsible
for your survival. So finances are hard for people to
talk about. So I feel like if you can shed
some light, that would be a good thing.

Speaker 6 (54:38):
So the good thing about me and where I am
in my space is there's so many different avenues that
you can go down. So starting out, you know, I
took newborn, I did families, I did couples, I did everything,
and then I niche down pretty fast. Again, it's all
based on everyone as a whole, but there's always something

(54:59):
you can go after. You just have to be proactive
about it. And that's where I'm always like, yeah, I'm
gonna give you Know. When I niche down and was
like I'm only doing couples and weddings, I knew that.

Speaker 4 (55:09):
I go okay.

Speaker 6 (55:10):
So if if let's say I can't get enough weddings
to support what I want or buying this and that
and this, I can take some family stuff.

Speaker 4 (55:19):
I can go do this.

Speaker 6 (55:20):
I think that that's the good thing about photography is
there's so many different things. And I always say, I'm like,
what if nothing eighty year old Grandma's birthday? Like people's expectations,
and again, I love being in the space because you know,
social media has took a huge turn in the past
four years. I would say four years of like people's
expectations are going up and up and up. And I

(55:42):
always say in the medical field, job security, but I go, man,
having a camera in my hand is pretty good job
security because people want those memories, people want those.

Speaker 4 (55:52):
Moments that I get to capture.

Speaker 6 (55:54):
So I think it's really special but kind of going
back to the financial thing is just know that it's
I know it's so scary, but for me, I was
thankful and grateful to have my husband to lean on a.

Speaker 4 (56:06):
Little bit, even though he was starting his own business.

Speaker 6 (56:09):
But again just taking opportunity where it lays and just
grabbing that and go. And I've had some conversations with
people in salary positions going. I had a girl say
she's like, I don't know how you do it, and
like the unknown of when are you.

Speaker 4 (56:23):
Gonna get paid? And I go, I this is where
I'm like, maybe I'm a little crazy.

Speaker 6 (56:28):
I like the excitement of well, who knows, who knows
what's gonna happen, and that's it takes. Like for me,
I'm just like, I gotta work hard again, nothing will be.

Speaker 4 (56:39):
Handed to me. I go out and get it.

Speaker 6 (56:41):
And the biggest thing I tell people when they want to,
especially like build up their business, is it's who you know,
getting your name out there, and it's just a domino
effect and keeping that consistency and drive and about how
like I run my business. I am so dank consistent
on all, you know, as many platforms as I can be,

(57:03):
especially Instagram because that's my main focus. But I always
joke and I'm like, man, my friends, I'm like, if
you follow me and I'm annoying, like just mute me,
like I don't care because you're not my client that
I'm going after.

Speaker 4 (57:14):
But I just think the consistency in business is huge, huge,
too huge.

Speaker 6 (57:19):
But yeah, the financial it's especially in an art job,
you don't know when it could end.

Speaker 4 (57:25):
You don't know when the next booking is going to be.

Speaker 6 (57:28):
To me. I just always try not to like focus
on the back end of oh, this is so much
I'm making like I'm always looking at the future and
the positive, just going like, hey, let's just keep tracking forward,
Like you can't think about the past.

Speaker 4 (57:39):
You can't think about you know.

Speaker 6 (57:40):
I can be like, oh cool, like look where I
was last year and look where I am today. But
I just tried not to look and like, oh, like
what you can't control and what you can't get.

Speaker 2 (57:50):
Finances too, for people, they're just a difficult topic because
we've also been taught not to talk about our finances
and share with people how things are. But it is
a very real side of the real world because that's
how people are going to survive, and that's what I
think stops a lot of people from chasing a dream
or going after a job is they're like, I can't
survive doing this and I can't start this.

Speaker 1 (58:11):
That's not gonna work.

Speaker 2 (58:12):
But hearing a story like yours, I think is impactful
because if it allows them to see that there is
a side that's successful to that, you just have to
be willing to work really hard to get it.

Speaker 6 (58:22):
Yes, yes, And I know, especially with being of chargper,
things are not cheap. And I remember conversations my husband
be like, oh, why do you need another camera? And
I'm like, well, if I'm going to be a wedding charker,
I have to have multiple and he's like, oh, why
you're not using those? I'm like, those are the one
hips and he's like I don't get that, and I'm like,
neither do I. But you gotta be you gotta be

(58:44):
safe and you know, rather than sorry sort of thing.
But yeah, it's just it's really hard. But just work
in consistency and just going after Oh what I was
going to say too is one tip I tell people
when I travel, especially for out of state weddings or
country I try because I like to maximize where I'm going.

Speaker 4 (59:06):
So I'm like, okay. So if I'm flying in.

Speaker 6 (59:08):
And I have like a day to kind of like
roam around the city or do whatever, I reach out
to at least like one to three couples and it's
kind of a mass message all over Instagram.

Speaker 4 (59:18):
You know.

Speaker 6 (59:19):
I just slide and I'm like, Hey, I'm Stacey. I'm
coming into your city. Do you want free photos? And
that is one of my big marketing tools that I
continue to use, is I meet up with a random couple,
take their photos, say.

Speaker 4 (59:32):
Hey, here you go, and then go on with my life.

Speaker 6 (59:35):
And then that's just how I kind of spread my
name in their little area with their friends. And it's
just crazy to me to see how many other weddings
I've gotten from free shoots that I've done, and having
these conversations with people you know and other people in
my industry, they're like, wait, so you just like you're hungry.
I'm like, right, And I think that that's where you

(59:56):
have to be as an entrepreneur is you have to
be hungry, Like you have to be willing to go
out and get it, and no matter when you get
to a point in your business or in a point
in life, Like you can't just be content and just
be like, oh now I'm here, things.

Speaker 4 (01:00:11):
Will just come to me.

Speaker 6 (01:00:12):
I'm just gonna sit back like I continue to be like,
all right, where's the next thing, Like, let's go get it.

Speaker 4 (01:00:18):
So I think that that's the biggest tip in.

Speaker 6 (01:00:20):
Knowing that you got to go out and get it
and like you have to work hard for what you want.

Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
So yeah, wow, I love that marketing tool. That's brilliant
and also just across the board, great idea.

Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
I love that you're doing that. I have two fun
questions for you before we jump.

Speaker 1 (01:00:35):
Out of here.

Speaker 2 (01:00:36):
Yes these are like related, but not have you at
this point you've shot so many weddings, You've worked with
so many couples.

Speaker 1 (01:00:44):
Do you have something.

Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
Where if you notice a particular something that happens at
a wedding or with a couple, you're like, I don't
think this is gonna work out.

Speaker 1 (01:00:55):
Have you picked up on that yet?

Speaker 6 (01:00:56):
The amount of times people outside of the industry have
as me that is actually funny.

Speaker 2 (01:01:02):
And so you know why I say this too, because
there's so many times where you talk to somebody in
a profession, like I went on a date to a
dancing class, right, we had a dance instructor, and the
dance instructor was like, I know how people work, and
I will know if they're going to work within that moment.
So I feel like weddings too, in particular. You just
get a different side of people, and I think that's

(01:01:24):
why people are so curious if you might start to
pick up on things, especially doing as many as you do.

Speaker 4 (01:01:29):
I know.

Speaker 6 (01:01:30):
I would say I'm a very aware person, which helps
me in this industry because I can read people pretty
well and like when to you know, back off, when
to enter sort of thing. I would say part of
me is like where I am now in my visinits
maybe in the beginning a little bit where I was
like growing, you know, the couples maybe didn't vibe as well,

(01:01:50):
you know, stuff like that. But I'm pretty solid on
the couples that come my way and I'm grateful for them,
so I don't I feel like I don't see a
lot of that anymore, but there is certain little things
where I'm like, oh, that might be a little thing
to work through in the first part of marriage because
of the way things are. But I don't know, maybe

(01:02:13):
maybe that's just being like, oh love, you know everything
is going to be fine and dandy.

Speaker 1 (01:02:18):
Well that's a good thing. If you're not spotting it,
that means that it's not happening. So this is progress.

Speaker 6 (01:02:22):
And you know, things that have happened for me personally
with you know, weddings and people.

Speaker 4 (01:02:29):
That book me.

Speaker 6 (01:02:30):
There has been a couple instances, like before entering into
the wedding that maybe they canceled their wedding or whatever.
So again that hasn't happened very often, but it's just
things like that happen. But on the wedding day, I
truly have not I don't know. I guess I haven't
had a couple where I'm like.

Speaker 4 (01:02:48):
Whoa, this is crazy.

Speaker 6 (01:02:50):
So that's a good thing face to be in where
I'm like I just and it's my energy also attracts
my certain clients and that's why I show myself so
much on social media too, because like I want people
to know that I'm like, this is who you're getting,
this is what it's going to be on your wedding day.
So maybe it's just I don't know, maybe a miracle

(01:03:11):
matchmaker marriage person.

Speaker 4 (01:03:13):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:03:14):
Well, maybe you're like the good luck check of weddings.

Speaker 4 (01:03:17):
But I don't want to say that.

Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
But that's that's like the good thing, you know, you
bring the good luck with you.

Speaker 2 (01:03:22):
That's the hope. Okay, the other fun one. Has anybody
ever asked you to take an interesting photo where you're like,
I haven't done that before?

Speaker 4 (01:03:31):
So there was a trend. This was two years ago,
so twenty twenty three.

Speaker 6 (01:03:38):
I think there's a trend going on TikTok that for
like at your wedding, so like before your photographer leaves
or later in the reception, like a spicy photo shoot.
And I know this is so take with a grain
of salt. It's more so like than two in the back,
you know, just like having fun and just fully you

(01:03:59):
know everything.

Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
But nods type situation.

Speaker 4 (01:04:02):
Got it? I don't know.

Speaker 6 (01:04:03):
I got that at three weddings, and the first one,
the girl was I was, you know, I was saying goodbye.

Speaker 4 (01:04:09):
You know, saying my things.

Speaker 6 (01:04:10):
I kind of give a little bit of time before
I'm like, hey, you know, do you want anything else
before I head out? And she was like oh, real quick,
like can he doesn't know, but like.

Speaker 4 (01:04:17):
Can you go take some pictures?

Speaker 6 (01:04:19):
You have some spicy pictures and I'm like, oh, and
then the coordinator that I was working, I was like, sure, yeah,
like I'm here for you. The coordinator she was telling me,
she goes, oh, by the way, it's like a trend on.

Speaker 4 (01:04:30):
TikTok, and I said.

Speaker 6 (01:04:31):
Oh, that makes sense that TikTok is is great, but
that I mean, really though, I don't think. I think
it's how I carry myself and just what situations that
I put myself in that Thankfully, I haven't had a
ton of crazy, crazy thing.

Speaker 4 (01:04:49):
But it's spicy photo shoot.

Speaker 2 (01:04:51):
But honestly leave it to TikTok, especially if it continues
to stay around, I think you might have some more
interesting requests because inspires the craziest of ideas. It's fun,
but it's definitely an interesting moment where you're like, I
haven't heard that before. Yeah, yep, absolutely, thank you for
coming on, thank you for sharing your story. It's super
inspiring of what you've done and what you've built your

(01:05:13):
career too, and I'm just excited to see what else
you keep.

Speaker 1 (01:05:16):
Doing, and I know you will.

Speaker 2 (01:05:18):
It'll be like shooting for the stars is what's going
to be watching you. You're like a little astronaut, but
in the photography world.

Speaker 4 (01:05:24):
Well right back at you too.

Speaker 6 (01:05:26):
So it's just really cool to see you growing and
where you were and just knowing you from high school
and where you are today too.

Speaker 4 (01:05:32):
So super cool.

Speaker 2 (01:05:34):
Oh, thank you. Look at us, just two people chase
in some fun dreams. That's the purpose.

Speaker 6 (01:05:38):
Yeah, yeah, thanks Stacy, Yes, thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (01:05:42):
Thanks for being here this week and every week. If
you ever resonate with an episode, please share on social
media with your friends. It's a huge help in continuing
to spread the message of this podcast, which is that
you're not alone, even when you really may feel like
it in those really hard struggles.

Speaker 1 (01:05:58):
You're not.

Speaker 2 (01:05:58):
And there's so many different episodes on many different topics,
and please while you're here, subscribe.

Speaker 3 (01:06:04):
It all helps.

Speaker 1 (01:06:05):
Okay, I'm tapping out for this weekend.

Speaker 3 (01:06:07):
Talk to you all next Monday.