June 11, 2024 • 20 mins
Welcome to another exciting episode of Midlife at the Mailbox! Hosts Amy Alexander and Denyse Rabbat share their inspiring journey from a chance meeting at a neighborhood mailbox to creating a thriving podcast and business. This episode is perfect for those tuning in for the first time, and we recommend starting from the beginning of Season 3 to fully benefit from our step-by-step guide to rediscovering your purpose and passions in midlife.
In this episode, we dive into Step Four of our midlife transformation roadmap. Now that you've completed the initial thinking and planning stages, it's time to take action. Learn how to update your resume, LinkedIn profile, personal website, and social media presence to reflect your new direction. Whether you're embarking on a career change, starting a business, or enhancing your personal brand, we've got you covered with practical tips and resources.
Join us as we break down the essential tasks to help you present your best self to the world. From getting professional headshots to leveraging platforms like Canva for design needs, we provide actionable insights to make this process easier. Tune in for a motivational boost and get ready to shout your new identity from the mountaintops. Don't forget to download our exclusive Maven Guide for additional details and support.
Thank you for listening, and we can't wait to wrap it all up in Step Five. Catch us live every Monday on Instagram at Midlife at the Mailbox for more midlife moments, and be sure to follow our show to never miss an episode. Leave us a rating and share our podcast with your midlife besties to help more people discover our show.
To assist you on this journey, we're sharing a valuable resource with our listeners - the Maven Guide. Download the Maven Guide to Accompany you as you listen or watch Season 3.
This guide simplifies the process of breaking down your life stories and charting the course toward becoming the master of your midlife. It's time to perfect the art of becoming a Maven in your Midlife.
Every Monday, catch us LIVE on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox, where we share our midlife moments. Be sure to follow our show and add us to your favorites so you never miss any of our content.
Before you go, please take a moment to leave us a rating wherever you get your podcasts, and consider sharing our show with your favorite midlife bestie. Positive ratings and shares help more people like you discover our show. Plus, check out our show notes for episode highlights and sign up for our email list to receive our exclusive Maven Guide!
We'd love to hear from you, our amazing Mailbox Listeners. Follow our show on Instagram or Facebook @midlifeatthemailbox, or send us a message in our DMs. You can also follow Amy @amplifybya2 and Denyse (that's Denyse with a Y, thanks Mom!) @DenyseRabbat. Your feedback is always appreciated.
See you at the Mailbox!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hi, thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Midlife at the Mailbox.
I'm Amy Alexander, and on the other mic is Denise Rabat.
Over nine years ago, during a chance meeting at our neighborhood mailbox,
two strangers met and a new friendship blossomed into something bigger.
Although we no longer share a mailbox, and while we may have many miles between
(00:22):
us, we're closer than ever in real life. This chance meeting in our neighborhood
mailbox inspired a friendship, a business relationship, and three seasons of a podcast.
Welcome, Midlife Maven. If this is your first episode tuning into our podcast,
we're so thrilled you found us.
(00:43):
And we highly recommend starting this journey with us at the very beginning of season three.
We have designed this season specifically to guide you step-by-step to rediscovering
your purpose and passions in order to fully blossom as a maven in midlife.
Therefore, we encourage you to pause right here and hop back on over to episode
one so you can follow the progressive roadmap we have created just for you over the coming shows.
(01:08):
Rest assured, the insights and aha moments in every episode will compound to
help you take ownership of writing your next chapter.
Simply search for Midlife at the Mailbox to start at our origin or click on
the very first episode of Season 3 under our podcast name.
Get ready to transform how you approach your midlife and beyond.
(01:28):
Welcome, welcome, welcome. We're here at step four. Can you believe it? We're making it.
For some of you, it might have taken four weeks, four months,
four years. You never know.
Hopefully not four years, but you know, this is, you know, you're here,
you're, you've done the thinking work or at least you've gotten,
you know, you've gotten through the steps that involve the thinking work.
(01:49):
And now is really where you think of the traditional work, right?
Which is some of the the things that we like to think that we need to do first, right?
Which are update our resume, update our LinkedIn, start a website or update
our website, update our personal brand or get our social media up and going.
But now we're here. Now you're at that step. This is the doing work.
(02:10):
This is if, you know, since you've done steps one through three,
this is the easy part. This is the execution. Is this the easy part though?
It can be with the help of you and me. Yes, definitely with the help of you and me.
But if you're doing it on your own, it may take you a little bit longer or you
can connect with an expert.
(02:31):
And, you know, stick with us today. This episode is meant to be a little bit
more didactic in terms of like, you know, where you can go and resources you can get.
Of course, this Maven Guide, if you've been following us, your Maven Guide has
a lot of these details as well about what you can get, you know,
where you can get it and where you should.
Focus your time as you're starting to get your docs together.
(02:54):
Or as Amy likes to say, get your shit together.
She wanted to name it that, but I was trying to.
I didn't want an E on our episodes, but we got an E on this one.
Explicit, if that's what you're looking for.
So before we continue, I just basically want to say that you're here.
(03:15):
We're going to teach you how to get organized. We're going to teach you how
to put your stuff together for whatever your new endeavor might be,
and we're ready to help you shout it from the mountaintop.
I am a blank. So I am a digital marketing expert, or I am a career coach,
(03:35):
or I am the master pickleball champion of the world.
Or I am an expert videographer and video editor as our handsome young friends
sitting in front of us. Do you know the pickleball champions in the United States
are a mother-daughter team?
Do you know that? No, I did not know that. Fun fact. Holderness Family Podcast.
(03:56):
I heard them. Oh, super interesting. I like Kim and Penn here.
But anyway, so taking a step back. Yes.
So now's the time when traditionally a lot of times clients do come to both
of us and and say, for me, I need my resume updated because I wanna change careers
or I'm unhappy, so it must be my job, right?
(04:16):
So steps one through three now have gotten you to this point where it's like,
hey, maybe you really are unhappy with your job and you weren't sure,
but you had an inkling that that's what it was.
Now's the time to update their resume, right? Or your LinkedIn profile.
Same thing with Amy. Or maybe they want to say, I want to start a business,
right? Or I want to elevate my...
Your personal brand. Yeah. Or you want to elevate your personal,
(04:38):
have your own personal website. Maybe you're a graphic designer and want to
showcase some of your art.
Maybe you're a videographer, right? And you want to start creating your own content.
And so, you know, this is the time, right?
And these, you know, we want to just tell you a bunch of different ways that
you can do this and some resources, right? So the first step is resume.
(04:58):
That's an easy one, actually.
Well, I mean, it's not easy for a lot of people, but it's easy to tell you how to get that done.
If you are going to embark on a job change, a career change,
or maybe you're starting back up.
Maybe you've been a stay-at-home parent for a really long time,
and now you're getting back into the workforce.
It seems super scary, especially if the last work experience you had was,
you know, dates more than five years. But it's okay.
(05:21):
There are a lot of people in your position. I know it doesn't feel that way,
but that truthfully is the case.
Especially after COVID, a lot of parents had to take, you know,
different men or women, mothers or fathers had to take a hard ride out of the
workplace, but then come back into it.
So knowing that, get help on your resume.
I actually dedicated a whole podcast episode in season one, episode nine, to this topic.
(05:45):
So while it's a couple of years old, 90% of that information is still valid.
I would go check that out. I still send people to that.
But I think on the resume piece, too, even for somebody that is not looking
for necessarily a job per se, but is looking for clients or is going out looking
for funding to grow a business, like having your professional.
(06:09):
Having the things that you've done professionally outlined is something that's
super important so that you could share to show your credibility.
Absolutely. And so, you know, whether it's resume, I mean, we also,
you know, you could also contact a resume professional.
Of course, there are a lot of like, you know, quasi affordable ways to get resumes,
whether it's free templates online or even contacting a professional like me at Denise Rabat.
(06:34):
And, you know, I give complimentary consultations of 15 minutes.
We can take a look at your resume, see what it's like.
You know, sometimes it just needs a quick. She looked at her resume last night while we were here.
I did in the wee hours of the evening, but I wanted to help this person. And so I did.
And I tried to help her out the best I could in a short time frame because she
(06:54):
was applying for a job like in 24 hours.
Right. But, you know, in that in that vein, right, like doing it now and when
it's not you're not under pressure or, you know, because hopefully you're not under or pressure.
And you can kind of get through that. That's optimal, right?
It's like shopping for that perfect dress that you need for an event.
You know, you're never going to find it when you like actually need it.
(07:16):
So you just kind of like be on the hunt for it all the time.
And then you'll have it when you need it. Right.
And the next thing is, you know, the big beast in the room, right?
Which is revisiting your social media, right?
And that includes for, you know, career development, your LinkedIn profile, for example.
And that's really, you know, updating your LinkedIn is important to do if you
(07:36):
want to embark on a professional change, of course, or a career change,
or just up-leveling your career, or maybe down-leveling your career.
Maybe you work too much. I mean, this happens a lot. You hear,
oh, I work too much, right?
And I need to get more balance. And so maybe I have to take a step back.
Maybe I have to do contracting, or maybe I need to become a consultant.
Start my own thing to control my own hours. Right.
(08:00):
You know, there's different reasons for that. But LinkedIn would be then something
you would do, you know, in that vein. Right.
But then there's other forms of social media and other endeavors.
Right. Like we said, this process isn't always about professional changes.
It could be enhancing your personal life. Right. Right.
So Instagram, of course, is a great social media platform.
(08:21):
If you are looking to take on a new hobby or start studying a new hobby or or
past past time that you could take.
It's also good for branding, too. Right. Even though LinkedIn isn't or excuse
me, Instagram isn't necessarily a place where you go to.
People look at career development. They do go on, you know, more than likely
(08:42):
someone, if you're not using a pseudonym, they are, you know,
looking at your profile to see what you're up to. Right. What have you been doing?
What do you how do you spend your time? So if you actually have a profile and
you have a profile kind of starting to intertwine some of that new interest
could be fruitful for you. Correct.
So that would be, you know, something you'd pay attention to,
(09:03):
right? The other thing your social profiles will allow for you to do is to showcase your branding.
So as a professional, even if your branding is your name, right,
is making sure or like a headshot, making sure that like your picture that you
put on your profile. So, okay, let's take a step back.
(09:24):
If you're using a profile picture, make sure the picture that you're using is
updated. I have seen so many pictures like and by updated like three years, two years, a year.
But really, like my friend who does branding would probably say like once a
year to update your to update your headshot and to make an investment in working
(09:47):
with a professional so they can get you and capture you in the best light.
There's still so many horrible headshot pictures that I see out there.
And I don't think that it's necessarily like, I don't think it's a bad thing,
but I just think like from a credibility, from a serious standpoint,
I feel like having something professional always paints you in a better light.
(10:07):
And if you are actually looking for a job, you know, a lot of times people will
Google you, of course, and if you have a public profile, even if you have a
private profile, your picture typically shows up. Your picture can show if you've
got the privacy settings on like the standard ones.
So yeah, just having something that's like, you know, accurate and appropriate work.
Yeah, it was good. But, you know, even it's like Amy's. I haven't updated my
(10:30):
headshot self-profess in a couple of years.
And so today I was like, oh, like Amy, like I was glad I got,
you know, we got our hair blow dry today.
So I was like, oh, Amy, like take a picture, headshots. That's it.
We'll see. So it could be as simple as that doesn't have to always be with a
photographer if you don't have those funds. But anyway, we're getting off topic here.
No, no, it's totally part of it, though. It's it's part of building your branding.
(10:51):
And I think that that piece is very credible.
One of the first things that you that you and I worked on in 2021 after I got
laid off was getting the Amy brand in order. And what did that mean?
And one like that was we made sure that My LinkedIn was updated with my most
like updated, you know, information, what I was out there looking for.
(11:13):
It was, you know, and branding is like your public persona, right?
It's what you bring to the table.
So it's the same, your public persona, whether it's in business or in job search,
that is, that's how you present yourself.
And so I, you know, I don't think, I don't think it's off topic.
I think that's one of your superpowers. You just redid Amplified by A.C. I do.
(11:36):
Yeah. Yeah. So when I set out in 2021 through my coaching with Denise and recognized
that the corporate world was just not the place that I wanted to spend my time
and my focus, I built my own logo.
I used Canva and I created A2 Sales and Marketing.
And that's what I did. And then fast forward when I had more funds and I had
(11:58):
a better sense of direction, right?
We talked about earlier that I've kind of changed my, not necessarily changed
my focus, but I've added to what I offer from the done for you services to the marketing coaching.
My marketing coaching program was called is I call it amplified by a two.
And so I wanted all of that to like really reflect what it is that I offer.
(12:20):
I didn't think I had like a square, uh,
I just didn't really think that it like met what I was like looking for.
The colors weren't totally right.
And so I worked with a woman in my networking group who designed a beautiful new like rebrand for me.
And it's really helped to also elevate the content that I put out because I'm
going for a certain look and a certain aesthetic and certain font.
(12:44):
And, you know, that's how my public is seeing A2, whether it's A2 sales and
marketing from like the, you know, from the top line, like holistic, right?
Like this is my company to like the coaching, like the, everything is,
you know, across the board. Right.
And it could be, I mean, I loved hearing some of the things I heard you say,
like you went to Canva, right?
You know, I've used Canva. Amy did my initial stuff too. Like,
(13:08):
I mean, I have initial, Amy did my thing.
I need to, you know, revamp my visual, but we, And we traded at the time.
I mean, like Amy, you know, she did eventually invest in this,
you know, in rebranding herself most recently within her network.
But it didn't have to, you know, it doesn't have to be such a big financial
(13:29):
endeavor as well. Like try to see if you can trade with someone.
Right. And there might be a, right, there might be a graphic designer or a photographer
that would trade for the service that you need. Or just spend a month or two
on Canva, like $30 or whatever it is and get used to it.
It's $120 for the year for the professional membership. Okay. Yeah.
Yeah. So something to that effect and invest that way, right?
(13:49):
Because you invest in yourself and you're showing that you're continuing evolving in your specific space.
So, yeah. And so, you know, that could look like a web personal website,
you know, just getting into that.
If you are looking to, you know, sell something or if you have one or if you have one, great.
Maybe you should update it based on whatever your new direction or,
you know, whatever becoming this maven of your midlife is looking like for you.
(14:12):
Or maybe you need one and you don't have one. And that was like a big stumbling
block for me. I felt like I needed a website to be able to coach.
And even though everyone told
me mentors, so I mean, your LinkedIn is fine and then you can build on it.
But in my mind, I wanted, in order to be that professional, I had to have like some sort of online.
Some online presence. Destination to like do that. So that was stuck in my mind.
(14:34):
And you need that, right? I didn't mean to talk over you, but like you need,
There are certain things that you need as your branding for yourself,
whether it's professionally or for business.
You know, our clients will come to us and say like, oh, we need a website or
we need social media or I need to be here or there or everywhere.
But the question also then comes back is like, what are you going to share and
(14:56):
what are you going to talk about?
And so that's the same thing, like in terms of like having documents in order
is like you, if you're looking for a job, you need a resume.
If you're, if you need a cover letter, you need at least a templated cover letter
that you could update, you know, per the job that you're, that you're working for.
If you're in a a more, if you're in a more visual profession.
Yeah, you 100% should have a website so that people could see like the work
(15:20):
that you're doing. So we're repeating ourselves.
But I think the point that we're trying to make is that the first place that
people are going to look for you is online.
And if you're not online, then the question is like, why aren't you online?
Like, how can they not find you? But really making sure that you've got your
public persona, like really carved out and that branding, and then utilizing
(15:41):
these more important documents humans to back up the credibility and what it is that you offer.
I think the good news is that steps one through three are self-driven or self-derived.
Like you are going to have to like initiate these on your own, right?
And a lot of like step one and especially step two are very insular.
Like you're going to have to like, you know, think about that and find a partner.
(16:04):
Like, you know, and that's, you know, has its challenges in itself.
And step two is exploring that, right? And you don't really have a roadmap for
that, but you got to figure it out and put that initiative. Step three,
the same thing. You got to kind of circulate it.
Step four, guys, I mean, you could try it on your own, but there's also,
these are all services that people, you can find to help you with these things.
(16:24):
And these are much easier.
You know, Googling, how do I start a free website?
Literally, if you do that, it's easy enough. How do I start a basic LinkedIn profile?
If you haven't been in the workforce, that comes up or call me,
you know, how do I get a resume?
Same thing. like, you know, find a resume writer, call me or whatever.
If you want to start an Instagram and you know, you need some coaching on that. Amy's your girl, right?
(16:47):
So it could be any, or you want a personal website. I mean, she also helped
me with my website at the time. I mean, that's not her bread and butter now,
but she did help me to do that. I still could do that. Yeah.
So this episode is supposed to be a little bit shorter in this nature because
this step is, I mean, it can be laborious.
However, it's pretty straightforward.
Get yourself out there, right? You have to find some sort of,
(17:09):
I mean, all of these have online elements, of course, but, you know,
I mean, you know, business cards as well, even something physical.
A business card can be, you know, I printed my business cards for $20 at Staples.
It wasn't the highest quality paper, but I got like 500 of them.
And then I said, why did I do this earlier?
What a dumb dumb. I made you a business card.
(17:30):
I mean, I had a business card. It was outdated. And why didn't I like, hadn't I outdated them?
And you know, that's a physical. She has her beautiful, which Denise says,
outdated headshot. See, you can't totally get a new one because then you'd have
to throw away all these beautiful business cards that you made. No, it's true.
The blowjob costs more than the business cards at this point.
(17:52):
But anyway, I digress. But anyway, so, you know, we're not going to leave you
hanging again because we never leave our mailbox listeners hanging.
Do the next step in your guide, of course. If you've already downloaded it,
you probably already skipped ahead to step four. But that gives you all of the
list of like, go back. Yeah, all the different like things and documentation
that you would need for the different endeavors that you want to take on.
(18:13):
So take a look at that and then jot down two of the areas that you're probably
going to need to update, whether it's your website or creating a website or
LinkedIn or your resume or business card or whatever it is.
Is jot those down and then commit to doing them, putting a plan.
I mean, this is a little bit easier to put a plan together on because it can
have a beginning and an end.
(18:34):
Don't be afraid to ask for services, like meeting or to endeavor,
ask for estimates for services because it might be worth more of your time to
pay a little bit more to do it, potentially, depending on where you are in your life.
But you can find that guide, of course, at midlifeatthemailbox.com and check out free downloads.
There may or may not be an old resume download on there. you can also take a
(18:56):
look at. It's still there. I haven't taken it off.
Yeah, it's a standard, basic, very, very basic resume.
And yeah, you get the Maven Guide there. And of course, on all of our socials,
if you want to hear about the guide or more about our services and how we can
help you start this documentation.
Is comment guide on any of our socials at Midlife at the Mailbox or at Denise
(19:21):
Rabat or at Amplified by A2.
We are here for you and thank you everyone for listening and we can't wait to
wrap it all up in step 5 see you next episode it's going to be the best one.
Bye. That's a wrap for this week's step on becoming a Maven in your midlife.
Throughout this season, our goal is to provide you with actionable tips on becoming
(19:43):
the expert of your own midlife journey.
We hope this episode leaves you feeling encouraged and full of positive energy.
Every Monday, catch us live on Instagram at midlife at the mailbox,
where we share our midlife moments.
Be sure to follow our show and add us to your favorites so you never miss any
of our content. Hold up, wait.
(20:04):
Before you go, please take a moment to leave us a rating wherever you get your
podcasts and consider sharing our show with your favorite Midlife bestie.
Positive ratings and shares help more people like you discover our show.
Please check out our show notes for episode highlights and sign up for our email
list to receive our exclusive Maven guide. We'd love to hear from you,
our amazing Mailbox family.
(20:26):
Follow our show on Instagram or Facebook at Midlife at the Mailbox or send us a message in our DMs.
You can follow Amy directly at Amplify by A2 and Denise, that's Denise with
a Y, thanks mom, at Denise Rabat.
Your feedback is always appreciated. See you at the Mailbox.
Hi, thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Midlife at the Mailbox.
I'm Amy Alexander, and on the other mic is Denise Rabat.
Over nine years ago, during a chance meeting at our neighborhood mailbox,
two strangers met and a new friendship blossomed into something bigger.
Although we no longer share a mailbox, and while we may have many miles between
(00:22):
us, we're closer than ever in real life. This chance meeting in our neighborhood
mailbox inspired a friendship, a business relationship, and three seasons of a podcast.
Welcome, Midlife Maven. If this is your first episode tuning into our podcast,
we're so thrilled you found us.
(00:43):
And we highly recommend starting this journey with us at the very beginning of season three.
We have designed this season specifically to guide you step-by-step to rediscovering
your purpose and passions in order to fully blossom as a maven in midlife.
Therefore, we encourage you to pause right here and hop back on over to episode
one so you can follow the progressive roadmap we have created just for you over the coming shows.
(01:08):
Rest assured, the insights and aha moments in every episode will compound to
help you take ownership of writing your next chapter.
Simply search for Midlife at the Mailbox to start at our origin or click on
the very first episode of Season 3 under our podcast name.
Get ready to transform how you approach your midlife and beyond.
(01:28):
Welcome, welcome, welcome. We're here at step four. Can you believe it? We're making it.
For some of you, it might have taken four weeks, four months,
four years. You never know.
Hopefully not four years, but you know, this is, you know, you're here,
you're, you've done the thinking work or at least you've gotten,
you know, you've gotten through the steps that involve the thinking work.
(01:49):
And now is really where you think of the traditional work, right?
Which is some of the the things that we like to think that we need to do first, right?
Which are update our resume, update our LinkedIn, start a website or update
our website, update our personal brand or get our social media up and going.
But now we're here. Now you're at that step. This is the doing work.
(02:10):
This is if, you know, since you've done steps one through three,
this is the easy part. This is the execution. Is this the easy part though?
It can be with the help of you and me. Yes, definitely with the help of you and me.
But if you're doing it on your own, it may take you a little bit longer or you
can connect with an expert.
(02:31):
And, you know, stick with us today. This episode is meant to be a little bit
more didactic in terms of like, you know, where you can go and resources you can get.
Of course, this Maven Guide, if you've been following us, your Maven Guide has
a lot of these details as well about what you can get, you know,
where you can get it and where you should.
Focus your time as you're starting to get your docs together.
(02:54):
Or as Amy likes to say, get your shit together.
She wanted to name it that, but I was trying to.
I didn't want an E on our episodes, but we got an E on this one.
Explicit, if that's what you're looking for.
So before we continue, I just basically want to say that you're here.
(03:15):
We're going to teach you how to get organized. We're going to teach you how
to put your stuff together for whatever your new endeavor might be,
and we're ready to help you shout it from the mountaintop.
I am a blank. So I am a digital marketing expert, or I am a career coach,
(03:35):
or I am the master pickleball champion of the world.
Or I am an expert videographer and video editor as our handsome young friends
sitting in front of us. Do you know the pickleball champions in the United States
are a mother-daughter team?
Do you know that? No, I did not know that. Fun fact. Holderness Family Podcast.
(03:56):
I heard them. Oh, super interesting. I like Kim and Penn here.
But anyway, so taking a step back. Yes.
So now's the time when traditionally a lot of times clients do come to both
of us and and say, for me, I need my resume updated because I wanna change careers
or I'm unhappy, so it must be my job, right?
(04:16):
So steps one through three now have gotten you to this point where it's like,
hey, maybe you really are unhappy with your job and you weren't sure,
but you had an inkling that that's what it was.
Now's the time to update their resume, right? Or your LinkedIn profile.
Same thing with Amy. Or maybe they want to say, I want to start a business,
right? Or I want to elevate my...
Your personal brand. Yeah. Or you want to elevate your personal,
(04:38):
have your own personal website. Maybe you're a graphic designer and want to
showcase some of your art.
Maybe you're a videographer, right? And you want to start creating your own content.
And so, you know, this is the time, right?
And these, you know, we want to just tell you a bunch of different ways that
you can do this and some resources, right? So the first step is resume.
(04:58):
That's an easy one, actually.
Well, I mean, it's not easy for a lot of people, but it's easy to tell you how to get that done.
If you are going to embark on a job change, a career change,
or maybe you're starting back up.
Maybe you've been a stay-at-home parent for a really long time,
and now you're getting back into the workforce.
It seems super scary, especially if the last work experience you had was,
you know, dates more than five years. But it's okay.
(05:21):
There are a lot of people in your position. I know it doesn't feel that way,
but that truthfully is the case.
Especially after COVID, a lot of parents had to take, you know,
different men or women, mothers or fathers had to take a hard ride out of the
workplace, but then come back into it.
So knowing that, get help on your resume.
I actually dedicated a whole podcast episode in season one, episode nine, to this topic.
(05:45):
So while it's a couple of years old, 90% of that information is still valid.
I would go check that out. I still send people to that.
But I think on the resume piece, too, even for somebody that is not looking
for necessarily a job per se, but is looking for clients or is going out looking
for funding to grow a business, like having your professional.
(06:09):
Having the things that you've done professionally outlined is something that's
super important so that you could share to show your credibility.
Absolutely. And so, you know, whether it's resume, I mean, we also,
you know, you could also contact a resume professional.
Of course, there are a lot of like, you know, quasi affordable ways to get resumes,
whether it's free templates online or even contacting a professional like me at Denise Rabat.
(06:34):
And, you know, I give complimentary consultations of 15 minutes.
We can take a look at your resume, see what it's like.
You know, sometimes it just needs a quick. She looked at her resume last night while we were here.
I did in the wee hours of the evening, but I wanted to help this person. And so I did.
And I tried to help her out the best I could in a short time frame because she
(06:54):
was applying for a job like in 24 hours.
Right. But, you know, in that in that vein, right, like doing it now and when
it's not you're not under pressure or, you know, because hopefully you're not under or pressure.
And you can kind of get through that. That's optimal, right?
It's like shopping for that perfect dress that you need for an event.
You know, you're never going to find it when you like actually need it.
(07:16):
So you just kind of like be on the hunt for it all the time.
And then you'll have it when you need it. Right.
And the next thing is, you know, the big beast in the room, right?
Which is revisiting your social media, right?
And that includes for, you know, career development, your LinkedIn profile, for example.
And that's really, you know, updating your LinkedIn is important to do if you
(07:36):
want to embark on a professional change, of course, or a career change,
or just up-leveling your career, or maybe down-leveling your career.
Maybe you work too much. I mean, this happens a lot. You hear,
oh, I work too much, right?
And I need to get more balance. And so maybe I have to take a step back.
Maybe I have to do contracting, or maybe I need to become a consultant.
Start my own thing to control my own hours. Right.
(08:00):
You know, there's different reasons for that. But LinkedIn would be then something
you would do, you know, in that vein. Right.
But then there's other forms of social media and other endeavors.
Right. Like we said, this process isn't always about professional changes.
It could be enhancing your personal life. Right. Right.
So Instagram, of course, is a great social media platform.
(08:21):
If you are looking to take on a new hobby or start studying a new hobby or or
past past time that you could take.
It's also good for branding, too. Right. Even though LinkedIn isn't or excuse
me, Instagram isn't necessarily a place where you go to.
People look at career development. They do go on, you know, more than likely
(08:42):
someone, if you're not using a pseudonym, they are, you know,
looking at your profile to see what you're up to. Right. What have you been doing?
What do you how do you spend your time? So if you actually have a profile and
you have a profile kind of starting to intertwine some of that new interest
could be fruitful for you. Correct.
So that would be, you know, something you'd pay attention to,
(09:03):
right? The other thing your social profiles will allow for you to do is to showcase your branding.
So as a professional, even if your branding is your name, right,
is making sure or like a headshot, making sure that like your picture that you
put on your profile. So, okay, let's take a step back.
(09:24):
If you're using a profile picture, make sure the picture that you're using is
updated. I have seen so many pictures like and by updated like three years, two years, a year.
But really, like my friend who does branding would probably say like once a
year to update your to update your headshot and to make an investment in working
(09:47):
with a professional so they can get you and capture you in the best light.
There's still so many horrible headshot pictures that I see out there.
And I don't think that it's necessarily like, I don't think it's a bad thing,
but I just think like from a credibility, from a serious standpoint,
I feel like having something professional always paints you in a better light.
(10:07):
And if you are actually looking for a job, you know, a lot of times people will
Google you, of course, and if you have a public profile, even if you have a
private profile, your picture typically shows up. Your picture can show if you've
got the privacy settings on like the standard ones.
So yeah, just having something that's like, you know, accurate and appropriate work.
Yeah, it was good. But, you know, even it's like Amy's. I haven't updated my
(10:30):
headshot self-profess in a couple of years.
And so today I was like, oh, like Amy, like I was glad I got,
you know, we got our hair blow dry today.
So I was like, oh, Amy, like take a picture, headshots. That's it.
We'll see. So it could be as simple as that doesn't have to always be with a
photographer if you don't have those funds. But anyway, we're getting off topic here.
No, no, it's totally part of it, though. It's it's part of building your branding.
(10:51):
And I think that that piece is very credible.
One of the first things that you that you and I worked on in 2021 after I got
laid off was getting the Amy brand in order. And what did that mean?
And one like that was we made sure that My LinkedIn was updated with my most
like updated, you know, information, what I was out there looking for.
(11:13):
It was, you know, and branding is like your public persona, right?
It's what you bring to the table.
So it's the same, your public persona, whether it's in business or in job search,
that is, that's how you present yourself.
And so I, you know, I don't think, I don't think it's off topic.
I think that's one of your superpowers. You just redid Amplified by A.C. I do.
(11:36):
Yeah. Yeah. So when I set out in 2021 through my coaching with Denise and recognized
that the corporate world was just not the place that I wanted to spend my time
and my focus, I built my own logo.
I used Canva and I created A2 Sales and Marketing.
And that's what I did. And then fast forward when I had more funds and I had
(11:58):
a better sense of direction, right?
We talked about earlier that I've kind of changed my, not necessarily changed
my focus, but I've added to what I offer from the done for you services to the marketing coaching.
My marketing coaching program was called is I call it amplified by a two.
And so I wanted all of that to like really reflect what it is that I offer.
(12:20):
I didn't think I had like a square, uh,
I just didn't really think that it like met what I was like looking for.
The colors weren't totally right.
And so I worked with a woman in my networking group who designed a beautiful new like rebrand for me.
And it's really helped to also elevate the content that I put out because I'm
going for a certain look and a certain aesthetic and certain font.
(12:44):
And, you know, that's how my public is seeing A2, whether it's A2 sales and
marketing from like the, you know, from the top line, like holistic, right?
Like this is my company to like the coaching, like the, everything is,
you know, across the board. Right.
And it could be, I mean, I loved hearing some of the things I heard you say,
like you went to Canva, right?
You know, I've used Canva. Amy did my initial stuff too. Like,
(13:08):
I mean, I have initial, Amy did my thing.
I need to, you know, revamp my visual, but we, And we traded at the time.
I mean, like Amy, you know, she did eventually invest in this,
you know, in rebranding herself most recently within her network.
But it didn't have to, you know, it doesn't have to be such a big financial
(13:29):
endeavor as well. Like try to see if you can trade with someone.
Right. And there might be a, right, there might be a graphic designer or a photographer
that would trade for the service that you need. Or just spend a month or two
on Canva, like $30 or whatever it is and get used to it.
It's $120 for the year for the professional membership. Okay. Yeah.
Yeah. So something to that effect and invest that way, right?
(13:49):
Because you invest in yourself and you're showing that you're continuing evolving in your specific space.
So, yeah. And so, you know, that could look like a web personal website,
you know, just getting into that.
If you are looking to, you know, sell something or if you have one or if you have one, great.
Maybe you should update it based on whatever your new direction or,
you know, whatever becoming this maven of your midlife is looking like for you.
(14:12):
Or maybe you need one and you don't have one. And that was like a big stumbling
block for me. I felt like I needed a website to be able to coach.
And even though everyone told
me mentors, so I mean, your LinkedIn is fine and then you can build on it.
But in my mind, I wanted, in order to be that professional, I had to have like some sort of online.
Some online presence. Destination to like do that. So that was stuck in my mind.
(14:34):
And you need that, right? I didn't mean to talk over you, but like you need,
There are certain things that you need as your branding for yourself,
whether it's professionally or for business.
You know, our clients will come to us and say like, oh, we need a website or
we need social media or I need to be here or there or everywhere.
But the question also then comes back is like, what are you going to share and
(14:56):
what are you going to talk about?
And so that's the same thing, like in terms of like having documents in order
is like you, if you're looking for a job, you need a resume.
If you're, if you need a cover letter, you need at least a templated cover letter
that you could update, you know, per the job that you're, that you're working for.
If you're in a a more, if you're in a more visual profession.
Yeah, you 100% should have a website so that people could see like the work
(15:20):
that you're doing. So we're repeating ourselves.
But I think the point that we're trying to make is that the first place that
people are going to look for you is online.
And if you're not online, then the question is like, why aren't you online?
Like, how can they not find you? But really making sure that you've got your
public persona, like really carved out and that branding, and then utilizing
(15:41):
these more important documents humans to back up the credibility and what it is that you offer.
I think the good news is that steps one through three are self-driven or self-derived.
Like you are going to have to like initiate these on your own, right?
And a lot of like step one and especially step two are very insular.
Like you're going to have to like, you know, think about that and find a partner.
(16:04):
Like, you know, and that's, you know, has its challenges in itself.
And step two is exploring that, right? And you don't really have a roadmap for
that, but you got to figure it out and put that initiative. Step three,
the same thing. You got to kind of circulate it.
Step four, guys, I mean, you could try it on your own, but there's also,
these are all services that people, you can find to help you with these things.
(16:24):
And these are much easier.
You know, Googling, how do I start a free website?
Literally, if you do that, it's easy enough. How do I start a basic LinkedIn profile?
If you haven't been in the workforce, that comes up or call me,
you know, how do I get a resume?
Same thing. like, you know, find a resume writer, call me or whatever.
If you want to start an Instagram and you know, you need some coaching on that. Amy's your girl, right?
(16:47):
So it could be any, or you want a personal website. I mean, she also helped
me with my website at the time. I mean, that's not her bread and butter now,
but she did help me to do that. I still could do that. Yeah.
So this episode is supposed to be a little bit shorter in this nature because
this step is, I mean, it can be laborious.
However, it's pretty straightforward.
Get yourself out there, right? You have to find some sort of,
(17:09):
I mean, all of these have online elements, of course, but, you know,
I mean, you know, business cards as well, even something physical.
A business card can be, you know, I printed my business cards for $20 at Staples.
It wasn't the highest quality paper, but I got like 500 of them.
And then I said, why did I do this earlier?
What a dumb dumb. I made you a business card.
(17:30):
I mean, I had a business card. It was outdated. And why didn't I like, hadn't I outdated them?
And you know, that's a physical. She has her beautiful, which Denise says,
outdated headshot. See, you can't totally get a new one because then you'd have
to throw away all these beautiful business cards that you made. No, it's true.
The blowjob costs more than the business cards at this point.
(17:52):
But anyway, I digress. But anyway, so, you know, we're not going to leave you
hanging again because we never leave our mailbox listeners hanging.
Do the next step in your guide, of course. If you've already downloaded it,
you probably already skipped ahead to step four. But that gives you all of the
list of like, go back. Yeah, all the different like things and documentation
that you would need for the different endeavors that you want to take on.
(18:13):
So take a look at that and then jot down two of the areas that you're probably
going to need to update, whether it's your website or creating a website or
LinkedIn or your resume or business card or whatever it is.
Is jot those down and then commit to doing them, putting a plan.
I mean, this is a little bit easier to put a plan together on because it can
have a beginning and an end.
(18:34):
Don't be afraid to ask for services, like meeting or to endeavor,
ask for estimates for services because it might be worth more of your time to
pay a little bit more to do it, potentially, depending on where you are in your life.
But you can find that guide, of course, at midlifeatthemailbox.com and check out free downloads.
There may or may not be an old resume download on there. you can also take a
(18:56):
look at. It's still there. I haven't taken it off.
Yeah, it's a standard, basic, very, very basic resume.
And yeah, you get the Maven Guide there. And of course, on all of our socials,
if you want to hear about the guide or more about our services and how we can
help you start this documentation.
Is comment guide on any of our socials at Midlife at the Mailbox or at Denise
(19:21):
Rabat or at Amplified by A2.
We are here for you and thank you everyone for listening and we can't wait to
wrap it all up in step 5 see you next episode it's going to be the best one.
Bye. That's a wrap for this week's step on becoming a Maven in your midlife.
Throughout this season, our goal is to provide you with actionable tips on becoming
(19:43):
the expert of your own midlife journey.
We hope this episode leaves you feeling encouraged and full of positive energy.
Every Monday, catch us live on Instagram at midlife at the mailbox,
where we share our midlife moments.
Be sure to follow our show and add us to your favorites so you never miss any
of our content. Hold up, wait.
(20:04):
Before you go, please take a moment to leave us a rating wherever you get your
podcasts and consider sharing our show with your favorite Midlife bestie.
Positive ratings and shares help more people like you discover our show.
Please check out our show notes for episode highlights and sign up for our email
list to receive our exclusive Maven guide. We'd love to hear from you,
our amazing Mailbox family.
(20:26):
Follow our show on Instagram or Facebook at Midlife at the Mailbox or send us a message in our DMs.
You can follow Amy directly at Amplify by A2 and Denise, that's Denise with
a Y, thanks mom, at Denise Rabat.
Your feedback is always appreciated. See you at the Mailbox.
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