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Melissa Cohen: Unlocking Your Next Bold Level · The Bold Lounge

• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Bold Lounge.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Today I have Melissa Cohen.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: She is the founder of MBC Consulting LLC and also a founding member of Chief.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome, Melissa.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for having me.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: I thought it'd be great for you to tell us a little bit more about your company and what you do because I think it's unique and I think people would really be interested in learning more.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Sure, thank you.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I had a very traditional corporate fashion career for many years.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: I worked for some very well-known American brands.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: I worked for Tommy Hilfiger, for Nautica, and for a long time, about 11 years, I worked for Los Lauren.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then the pandemic happened in 2020.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: And like many people, I lost my job and the fashion industry was really struggling, right?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Lots of industries were really struggling in 2020.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think fashion was uniquely hard hit just because nobody was buying clothes, nobody was anywhere.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: There were no parties, there were no weddings, there were no graduations, nobody was going to the office.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: So the clothing industry was really turned on its head.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then when I started to see some opportunities opening up, when things started to become a little bit more normal, I had some really frustrating experiences with the whole interview process.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, there were roles that I thought were absolutely perfect for me on paper.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: Went through multiple rounds of interviews and the interview process, and then ultimately things didn't end up working out.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I just decided that I didn't want to do that anymore.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so I launched my own consulting business where I consult with startup and growth stage brands that need product development and production assistance.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: And if you ever would have told me that's what I would have been doing five years ago, I would have said you were absolutely crazy and you didn't know me at all.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: But here I am, and I love it, and it was a really great move for me.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a bold move in itself.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: So kind of you realize something wasn't a fit and you said, Hey, I'm going to try something new or different, you can always go back, maybe not to the same place, but you can always go back into the field of which you have expertise and you went for it.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: So fun.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: So we might sprinkle that in in this conversation somewhere along the way.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: But knowing that, so you're no stranger to being bold then.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you knew it or not at that time.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: What's your definition of bold?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so there's a there's so many different things that come to your mind, right, when you think about bold.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I think for me, the first things that pop into my head are being really courageous and being maybe a little bit risky.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: I don't really think that's what bold is, right?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: I think bold is knowing something's uncomfortable for you, but choosing to go ahead and do it anyway, because you see the potential upside in it, and you just want to do something different and something that benefit you down the line.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's really how I look at bold from personally.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I love that definition.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: So knowing that something just doesn't feel aligned or in place, or there could be more to something, and going for it and seeing what's out there, seeing if there's something different that could maybe feel more aligned.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: I always tell people the next step you make may not be your like that's where you land.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's just discovery and exploration.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: Curiosity.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, big part of being bold.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, when's the first time you remember being bold?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, starting your business is one, but I bet you had some moments before that.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: I don't really remember being bold as a junior in college.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I was an Italian language and literature major, and I was given the opportunity to study abroad in Rome.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I had never been outside of the country before in my life.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: I was raised in a very kind of sheltered environment.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: My parents were not big on travel.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: I had been on an airplane once before in my life, which was unfortunately to go to my grandfather's funeral.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: So I had never even been on a vacation that required air travel.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I really wanted to go.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I knew that my parents probably would be a little hesitant to let, you know, their their daughter the only child.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: As I said, I was raised kind of conservatively.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: I knew they might be a little resistant to my going.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I was honestly somewhat terrified, but I knew that it would be something I would regret not doing.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so, with a little help and convincing from my grandfather, off I went.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I spent a month during the summer in Italy, and it was experiences I ever had.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely don't regret a second of it.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I, you know, my own daughter is going off to college in August, and I will encourage her to do an abroad program because I think it's just it's life-changing.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, what from your experience do you hold on to now?
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, can you share something that happened there that changed you, gave you insights, or maybe even helped you understand the broader perspective of the world and who you are?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think just experiencing another culture, being in a place where not everyone spoke English.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Some people did, but it wasn't their first language.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: How good was your honestly?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: It was good.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: It was my major.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: So it was it was decent, but I'm but I'm not a native speaker.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: So that's the funny thing.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: The majority of my classmates were native speakers.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: So they grew up in an Italian household.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Their mom and dad spoke Italian.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: They often spoke Italian at home, or they spoke it to their grandparents.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: I have no Italian blood that I'm aware of, although I keep thinking that's a mistake, and I really do somewhere, and it just says But so I never grew up speaking a word of a foreign language.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely I was not quite as fluent, or or I didn't have the like sort of colloquial knowledge that maybe some of my classmates had.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: But it was definitely fine to get by.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: But just really experiencing another culture, seeing how warm and welcoming the Italian people are.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: We, you know, kind of found a group of Italian students and they kind of became our default friends while we were in Rome and we would meet up in the piazza.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it was just, it was really just kind of being on my own for the first time, being in a foreign country, having to take public transport around Italy when I had never done that before.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: I remember all of us getting on like the public bus in Italy and navigating that system and getting to where we needed to go.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: And we also just did really cool things.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: We had an audience with the Pope at the Vatican, which was super cool.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: I would say so.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's probably not a normal thing, right, to happen.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how they pulled that off.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: I really don't know the planning that went into that or how they managed to do it, but it was it was just a fantastic experience.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: And just seeing that devotion and you know how how the crowds of people just really wanted to touch him and you know, speak with him and and be blessed by him was amazing.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: And in a different way, a different experience, I went to a World Cup game.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, nice.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: That was super cool.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely an experience I'll never forget.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you had these experiences that you would never have unless you'd taken the chance.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: You took the chance to go over, had never, well, you'd only been on a plane one time, and that was it.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: And now you're going across across the pond and a little bit farther, and not, you know, knowing people, but not really having family or anybody like that.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: So then there you are, but then you kind of just start to figure it out, right?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: So you if you can't speak the language and you get some help, or you keep trying with what you've got, and you know, you get from point A to point B to point C, you end up at with the Pope, and you end up at a pretty awesome soccer game.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: It was amazing, and and you're exactly right.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like it made me realize that oh, I'm I'm more capable than I think I am.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: I I I did that.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: I got on the plane and I did it, and I came home and I was not only fine, but I was kind of changed and wonderful experience.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I think one of the things that happens, you know, particularly in our careers, is we forget we can try new things.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: We can do something new, we can make a bold move, and a bold move can be light, medium, high, extra high, like in the sense of like what you're doing.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: There is no, they're all bold.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: So sometimes it's just like I'm gonna try a class and I'm gonna realize like I'm not good at that.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: I thought that was my passion, but there's no way, you know.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: Or it can mean, you know, I'm gonna start kicking up how I do things on my social media and get letting people know a little bit more about me and kind of doing their own personal branding, or it could mean I'm gonna start looking for a different job because something's off or not aligned, or maybe I'm gonna do something on the side and see if I can make it go, or I'm gonna quit.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like those are just some examples from you know, low to extra high.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I think all along the way, you're learning some of the things that you learned just by taking that trip, which was a big deal.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I think sometimes we make it a big deal in our heads first, right?
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: That we can't get over it.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, first of all, do you agree with that?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: That we do that in our careers or our life somewhere along the way.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: We start to go, that's too big of a deal, or that's too big to try, or I'm just not sure this is the right time.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: You know, those types of things like when is the right time?
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Do you agree with that that we do that?
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think we all do that.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think women tend to do it a little more so.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think one of the hardest things to do, but one of the most important things to do is don't listen to that voice in your head.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: Don't listen to that voice that says, it's too scary, it's too much, it's too hard, or it's not the right time, I'll do it tomorrow, because tomorrow comes and then you say the same thing.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: And we're always busy and we always have a lot of distractions, and there's always a lot of things that prevent us from doing the things that we want to do.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: But I think the worst thing in the world would be to wake up like 10 years from now and think about all the things that I should have done and realize that I let all that time go by.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's it's hard, but I think, you know, I don't love the term imposter syndrome, but but that self-doubt is real and we all experience it.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: And some of the most powerful and successful people in the world have that and they get past it.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: I remember reading something about, I don't remember where it was, but that that's where Beyoncé's Sasha Fierce came from, was because she had this self-doubt or anxiety around performing and that that's where that persona came from.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember thinking, okay, if Beyoncé has some self-doubt, then then hey, I'm okay having some self-doubt, right?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: And we all have that, but it's really pushing through that and doing the things that are gonna make our lives better and more interesting.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: And to your point, if something isn't a hundred percent successful, or is it successful at all, okay?
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: We tried and we tried something new.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it goes back to kind of believe it or not, how we grow up and how we're encouraged to try new things or not try new things, or you know, sometimes our our voice in our head is trying to protect us, right?
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's trying to keep us safe.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's part of what you know we've heard over and over and over.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: And it might be good, it might be not good.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, usually if you're hearing it over and over in some form or fashion, that's stopping you from doing something, it's something that was meant to stop you, whether to keep you safe or it's just something, you know, someone else's loved experience that somehow has become part of your your DNA.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: And as you get older, you kind of figure out, wait a minute, that's not me, that's them.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: You know, whether it's your parent or a friend or or, you know, someone that's someone close to you that you've grown up with, again, with positive, at least in my experience, like positive intention of why they've said it.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, mine was all about being safe and not doing too go a little far, but don't go too far, right?
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know, my mom was always like, you can go anywhere you want, but just not west of the Mississippi or anywhere out of the US.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so like I have a zone, you know, and uh that's where I go.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: And believe it or not, it's probably still a lot of spaces and places I go as an adult.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: But I've gotten obviously uh out of those zones along the way and kind of done something that, you know, maybe was a little scary to my parents, but it was okay to try it, you know.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I think, you know, from those experiences, I think we hear that voice and it's meant to protect us.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: What is it that you think would help people be able one to hear the voice and then manage it?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think that's a big part of growing up and learning and and having that growth mindset, right?
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like it may not work, it may not be perfect, it may not be the best ever, but I'm gonna learn, I'm gonna have an experience within it.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: What is it that you know you used even back in your your early 20s to like do that?
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: And what what do you think it takes as an adult?
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: I think you you kind of alluded to it, acknowledge that voice, right?
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: You can't just push it aside, you can't just pretend you don't hear it, you can't plug your ears and ignore but know where it's coming from and know that me from a place of good intention.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: And to your point, maybe it's coming from a place of wanting to protect you and keep you safe, but it doesn't really doesn't serve you, right?
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't serve you.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think when I hear that voice, I'm like, is that voice serving me?
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: Is what I just heard in my head, whether it's you haven't done enough or you need to do more, which is usually that's what I hear a lot.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, okay, like, is that really serving me?
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: And is it is it accurate too?
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like sometimes I'll just say in my case, the voice that I hear or the words I'm saying to myself are fairly inaccurate or harsh or harder than they need to be.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: For some reason, I can be my toughest critic, right?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, just learning that too.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's not serving me.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: That's not actually helping me the way I'm talking to myself.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I believe in affirmations.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Are you saying positive things to yourself or are you putting yourself down or allowing others to?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I think again, no matter how old you are, I think self-doubt or just I'm not sure I should be here happens, whether you admit it or not.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think if it happens, it's being able to keep moving through it.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I think those are some of the bold steps many people are taking and trying something new out.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: So, from the perspective of when you got back, like from your trip, and then how did you how did you get into retail?
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: So you were uh, you know, a language major sounded like.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: How did you get into retail and into some of those huge companies you talked to us about at the intro?
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I always wanted to work in the fashion industry.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: I remember being, I don't I don't know, in probably early in high school, we got a visit from I remember the name vividly, even though sadly they're not in business anymore, but it was the Toby Colborne School for Fashion Careers.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: And they talked about what you could do in fashion industry and all the different opportunities there were, whether it was buying or merchandising or production or technical design, marketing, you know, all the different sort of genres of fashion.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it really opened my eyes, right?
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Because I loved fashion.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: I always loved clothes, I always loved putting outfits together.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: I would help my friends pass them a day, I would dress my Barbies, make clothes for them.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it was always something that I was really passionate about.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: And it was the first time I realized that, oh, I can actually do this as a career.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't think my my mom and dad really understood that that was a career path either.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think they they kind of, you know, thought it was a little frivolous or didn't really understand, you know, what that might look like as a career.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: And so I really wanted to go to FIT, but I ended up going to a very traditional four-year college.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: And somehow I ended up being a foreign language major.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: I have a really good ear for language.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: I enjoy it.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: I studied Spanish in middle school and then added Italian in high school and just really fell in love with all things Italy.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: Everything, the people, the culture, the food, everything about Italy is just super appealing to me.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm ready to have you as my guide when we go there for a gold retreat.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: I can't wait, let's do it.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: And so I just, yeah, I kind of fell into it, but I always knew in my heart that I wanted to work in fashion.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: When I graduated from college, it was a pretty economy.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: It was really hard to get a job.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: And with an actual language major degree, there's not a lot you're gonna do in that field anyway, right?
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: Unless you're going to teach, which wasn't really what I was planning on doing.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I ended up being fortunate and finding a job in retail management.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I was an assistant store manager for a women's clothing store.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: Not exactly the career that I had envisioned, but sort of a start.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: It really just was not for me, though.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: I was driving about 300 miles a week at one point to one of the stores, and if you you you do know me, so you know that I really still like to drive.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: So driving 300 miles a week was absolute torture for me.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they were shifting me around to different stores, and it was, you know, you know, retail is tough.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I have the utmost respect for people who make retail their career, and it is a phenomenal industry that, you know, you had a wonderful guest on the podcast recently, right?
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, Bron.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Bron is amazing, and he spoke about all of the incredible opportunities in retail career.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: It just was not what I wanted to do.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I was really lucky I found a company that was willing to take me without a lot of practical corporate experience, you know, just having that retail experience and that passion for the industry.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so that was my first job in the industry.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: I was a finished goods assistant at Philips Van Usen.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: EVH is still around and still a wonderful company that owns a lot of different brands.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really how I started my career.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: So again, I think there's some pieces and parts in there for people to hear.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think started out obviously in a different space as a language major, wanting to get into an industry from a passion perspective and starting somewhere.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like I usually say to begin, begin.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm I'm not the first person to say that.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know who to credit it with, but just saying it wasn't mine.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: But it's pretty simple and straightforward.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to try something, begin, try it.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: So you wanted to get into this industry, you knew this wasn't a perfect fit.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's something people do too.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, oh, well, it's not exactly what I want.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like I want this role, this, you know, this type of person, this type of friend, whatever it may be that you have this like expectation.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then the reality of it is it doesn't come that way, right?
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you may have the best plan, but it may not go in the order or maybe in the same, you know, level of of what you think.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, okay, this is in retail.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna try it.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: Then you know, hey, this isn't a fit.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: I gotta do something different.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: I gotta keep looking.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of going, okay, well, I guess this is it.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is my life, this is what I'll do, you know, right?
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, what makes you keep looking?
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: What makes you keep going in that in that particular circumstance?
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: In that particular circumstance, I mean, it's just it's just passion, right?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's knowing that ultimately that's what I wanted to do.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: The first step's the hardest.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: Right, the hardest thing to do is just start.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Just start.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like you said, just start, take that first step.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, it wasn't an exact linear path, but you know, you could see some synergy, right?
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: I knew I wanted to work in fashion, so I started in retail in apparel.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: It might have been a little bit of a harder segue if I started in retail in Home Depot, right?
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: That might have been more challenging of a connection for a hiring manager to make.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: But I still had, you know, my toes in the apparel industry in a way by working in in retail.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I I think just really knowing that if it doesn't work out, we can try something else.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not saying to, you know, jump jobs every two months or have no direction or just be all over the place, but just you said something about, you know, planning, and there's that sort of old expression, right?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: Man plans and God laughs, right?
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: Because things don't always work out the way we plan.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: They almost never do.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that's okay.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that's what we need to hear.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like they almost never do, but they work out.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: They still work out, like they work out to the good as long as you believe it.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: People like, oh, you kids can't believe good things into your life.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: And someone said that to me actually once.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, Yes, you can, absolutely.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's it's your mindset.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: If you're constantly thinking negative, you're actually, I believe, calling that in.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: You're actually.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, predestine yourself to actually have whatever that is.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's really important for people to hear of like, don't have on the repeat reel all the things that could go wrong, all the things that are bad, all the things that you aren't.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think it's really important for you to think about what you can be, what what could be, and what you want to be.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then start looping that, you know, because I think sometimes, like, if if we just take the just the career progression piece of like, I think some, and I've said this before, I think better is good.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you're in a situation that's not good, it doesn't mean you have to go all the way A to Z to this, you know, wonderful role that you, you know, let's say you want to be CEO and you're vice president now, and or you're A VP or you're a director and you want to be a CEO.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like it may not go director to CEO, but like the next step, better is good.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: So like try it out.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then maybe good's not great, but you're still working on that, right?
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, you know, we use your example, I think is a great one of like you were thoughtful, you got in, and you're like, that's not a fit, but I'm gonna keep doing it until I find a different role, and then you get into another place, and then it kind of takes its way to where you are now, right?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: And you could do this in you know different levels and parallels of your life.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't just have to be your career.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: But I think a lot of women, I think sometimes feel that they don't have options or the options are too hard, or it is hard if you're in a role that you want to leave and you're trying to start a new business or you're trying to look for a role.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's challenging to have like the energy left to do that, right?
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, from your perspective and like people you've seen, and even in your own career and some of the things that you've done, what are what's some advice you would give to people who are kind of looking for, they know it's not right, they know something's off, going back to your definition.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: That feeling that something could be better, different, happier, whatever it may be, but they're not doing anything about it.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: They just keep having that moment.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: What would be your guidance or like even the process someone should go through to just start exploring?
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta start.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: That's number one.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: My my biggest piece of advice to people, and especially to younger people, is start planting the seeds and making the connections and building your network.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I think you you mentioned it earlier on in our conversation, or maybe I just thought it in my head.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: Personal branding is so, so important.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: We're in an age where personal branding and social media is so, so important.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I hated all those things.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: I never participated in social media.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: I was never on Facebook and still not on Facebook, but I am super active on LinkedIn, and to me, that is such an untapped resource and such an important way to keep yourself ready for the next step, to prepare yourself for the next step, to connect with people, to get yourself out there and to let people know about you.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's so, so important.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I have a I have a daughter who's graduating from high school, and you know, I said you need to have a LinkedIn page, and you need to start slowly connecting with people, build a network.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: And if you do it at a young age, then it's always there for you.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: Now, obviously, we're probably talking about people who are much older, and you know, I I I can't even tell you the year.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: There is a way to look at what year you joined, and I did it once and I don't remember what that year was.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: But I was shocked at how long ago I joined.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: And for years I did nothing with it.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if somebody sent me a connection request and I knew them, and of course I probably knew them because if they didn't know me, there would be no reason to connect with me.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: Then yeah, I connected with them, great.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: But it wasn't until the probably around the pandemic that I really started to see its value and started posting and started connecting with people in a meaningful way.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: And it brings me so much joy.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like I have met the most amazing people and made the most incredible connections, and I've had things that have benefited me personally and professionally, and I've been able to do that for other people as well.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's so important.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: Build that network before you need it.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: Because if you need somebody and you've never engaged with them before, and you just sort of reach out with a cold request, you know, hey, I'm interviewing at your company.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: Could you give me some information about someone?
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: Or hey, you know, your company, and could you make a warm interview?
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: If that's the first time that that person is hearing from you, the reaction might not be so favorable.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I usually block that person.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so like if so if if someone connects and then the very first thing they do, like within an hour of connection, they're trying to sell you something.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, can you do this?
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: Or it's like, wow, like you know, your relationship, social media relationship, it starts off pretty rough if someone's coming in with a hard ask or they keep repeating themselves, or I don't know.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like it it definitely you have to think about relationship building and actually nurturing, like you said.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's sometimes it feels very disingenuous, I guess.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's important for people.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think it's really important point you said is to really grow your network when you don't need it, to be thoughtful about it.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like I think thoughtful building and what I call authentic connections, you know, it's still a little vulnerable for me to have social media because I didn't have social media either.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: I have some of those accounts you name, but I don't use them.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, like they're just there.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: And but LinkedIn is my main thing.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's really become where I, you know, share my story and and also grow my personal brand.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I started with 83 connections, zero followers in 2020.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: And now I have almost 12,000 connections and uh over 13,000 followers.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I think, you know, from that perspective, that's quite a jump in in less than three years.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: But it takes work, and it isn't just like I go out and try to connect with everybody and their brother.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm very thoughtful about that too.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: So just growing your your network thoughtfully and at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think you know, you're you're a perfect example, right?
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I didn't realize it was that quick, but I knew it was quick.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I remember the first time I saw you posting about gold.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, huh, what's that?
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: And then as I started to really to know you and get to know what you were doing, it resonated so deeply with me, but that's because you presented it in the right way.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: You presented it in a meaningful way and in a thoughtful way.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: And exactly to your point, it wasn't that pitchlap, right?
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't connect with you and you immediately DM me and said, Hey, want to go on a boulder treat?
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, because I would have been like, What?
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_01: It was really letting your audience see the value that you every day.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: You do so many things for your community that they don't make you any money.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_01: You're giving away knowledge, you're giving away resources, and you're making a community, right?
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I went on one of your bold retreats, and those ladies are so important to me.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: We, you know, we text each other every day.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: They're a part of my life, and you're really helping to form a community and a meaningful network.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why a major reason why it's been so successful, because it's authentic.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_01: And that's one of the really key things to me about building a brand and building my personal brand is I want to be authentic.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm sure I could have more followers if I wanted to, but to your point, I want people that really care about what I have to say and that see value in what I have to say.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think over the weekend I or sometime, I think it was late last week, I sent out a post which was like six steps.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't just do five.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: I had to do six.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: Even numbers are good.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, there you go.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's my favorite number too.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: So the very first one is like being you, authentically you, like letting people see who you are, letting them see the ups and downs.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: For me, like it's been slower, but slowly sharing kind of the, you know, like things that happened that weren't so great.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: And what I mean by slow is like it's not my first post, you know, and I'm not gonna go zero to to a hundred with, you know, here's a loss, or here's when I got fired, or here's this or that, but you know, like here's when something went left.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's just for people to know, like, there's hope.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like just keep going.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like you usually are gonna walk through some mud before you, you know, see some of the sunshine and some of the stuff that's happening in your life, and you're gonna learn while you're walking through it.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I think for me, I hope that what I'm doing is actually giving people hope, making people think too, like, hmm, maybe she's got some, maybe I do need to think about how could I be a little bit bolder.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I don't have to like stay in this situation that doesn't feel connected or aligned or whatever your words may be.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's really important.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's a personal branding piece is definitely something I didn't have to deal with in high school or college.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we just didn't have that.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm older, so like I'm I'm thankful we didn't have social media.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think I've said this before, but it just for me, it just would have been a distraction and probably very challenging for me.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_01: I am forever grateful that there was no social media when we were growing up.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know, the worst thing that happened to to me or my friends was we got caught passing a note in class and the teacher confiscated it, right?
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: And that was the end of it.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_01: And God forbid they read it in front of the class.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: That was really bad.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, everything now is it's permanent, right?
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's something I always try to tell younger people is what you put on social media is permanent.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: You can delete, but guess what?
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: There's a really good chance somebody already screenshot it.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: And it's sending it.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: Adults should hear that too, you know, so from a perspective of that, you can delete it.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I I just think, you know, the things I've seen sometimes.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I try to just stay on LinkedIn, honestly, because I think even though, you know, one of the big debates on LinkedIn is should you share personal things, which I still don't understand why that's even a debate.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: Me either.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like someone I guess maybe it's just how people pre-pandemic of like there's a separation between life, personal life, and your professional life, but I don't believe that's the case.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: You you are one person.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: You have personal experiences and professional experiences, and one affects the other, you know.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: You lose your job, it affects you personally.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: You get promoted, it affects you personally.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: You have something happen in your life like a loss, even a loss of a pet.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, someone, you know, you know, put that on, and someone's like, You shouldn't be putting this on the on LinkedIn.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm just like, oh my gosh, like you're so off there.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's my opinion.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: And there's people that are, I guess, hardcore one way or another, but one, I don't think that's really a a lifeline to draw in the sense of like drawing the sand about LinkedIn.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: But what are your thoughts about sharing your whole person in in this space that's really all you know?
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think originally all about being professional and all about jobs and you know, how you do your job better.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: So I hate that save it for Facebook kind of comment makes me crazy.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's a very old school mindset, right?
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's LinkedIn like 2010.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: That's not LinkedIn now.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_01: LinkedIn, LinkedIn now, it is social media.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, it's more business oriented, and yes, it's more professional, and that's why I like it.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_01: But you you absolutely said it, right?
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: You you have to be a whole person.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: You're not just I'm not business Melissa and personal Melissa, right?
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like those two things kind of blend.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, there is oversharing.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: There are certain things I would never share on LinkedIn.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I would never share them on Facebook either.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there are definitely things that people should know where to draw that boundary of oversharing or, you know, putting things out there that are meant to be private, but you have to bring your personal self.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's actually what makes a really good leader is bringing their authentic self to their workplace and being human and being empathetic and understanding that the personal sometimes moves into the professional.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: If somebody's going through a difficult time at home, it's going to affect their job in some way, no matter how hard they try not to.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: And so you can ignore it and you can say, well, keep that stuff out of the workplace.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_01: But that's not reality.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: The reality is you're a whole person.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_01: So being empathetic and saying, hey, this person's really going through something difficult right now.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: How can I make their work life easier?
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_01: So that they still can get their job done, but that they can still support whatever or whomever they need to support at home.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's how everybody succeeds and that's how everybody wins.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's how as a leader you're going to get loyalty from your team, right?
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_01: Because they see that you're a real person and you care about them.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's just a win-win.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so I don't I don't understand, I'm with you.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_01: I don't understand the whole, yeah, that doesn't belong on on LinkedIn.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because everything that makes us a person affects us in our careers.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_01: So I I I agree with you.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_01: They they're they're not separate, in my opinion.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: There, it's LinkedIn today.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's also important for people to have a strategy about what they're posting, right?
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_00: To have a theme, to have a consistency, to have, you know, someone told me the other day they can't see the word bold and not think of that.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, that's cool.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's really, really cool.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, wow, that I'm doing something positive there with my branding because that's the point, right?
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_00: And they see me, the word bold, and then connect it to what my message is, which is, you know, just about living the life you were meant to live and taking the steps towards it, whatever that may look like for you.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's all individual.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's important for people to see all the pieces of someone to understand what that means and and to hear it.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's important as you do.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: When you think, and we'll end with this, I think it's important.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: You amplify others too, which I think is a great thing.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's why I do the podcast.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's a lot of, you know, what I do in my social media is really about just helping others.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: One of the things you do is for to follow, which I love on Sundays.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I always like, look, I was like, yep, I have that one.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I don't know who that is.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I've actually gotten, I think when you actually feature me, by the way, thank you.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_00: People reached out to me to connect.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: They know they had never heard of me, but you know, through you they they had learned of me.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: So, what made you want to do that?
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: And what's at the heart of four to follow?
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, that's the first one that makes me so happy.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: That really makes me happy.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I've seen people give like a little shout out to someone on LinkedIn, like, oh, this person's been a huge help to me.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_01: This person really motivates me.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, oh, that's that's really lovely.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's super nice.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I kind of just thought, like, how can I do that?
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: And how can I do that in a way that to your point is consistent, right?
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_01: How can I make it something that people know about and they look for?
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I was just toying with, you know, you were saying, like, I did six deaths, I can't just do five.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, what's the right number?
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you don't want to do too many.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I feel like if I featured 10 people, you know, people's eyes would glaze over by like number seven.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes you don't.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: I find my ratio normally is about two and two.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_01: People tell me, oh, I knew two of them already, but two were new to me.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_01: I felt like four was a nice number.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: And then I actually have to give a a shout out to who knows, maybe she's gonna listen to this, Amy Horner.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_01: Amy Horner is uh friend, and she has been on me to hashtag something.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_01: She's like, you need a personal hashtag.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I was always like, no, no, no.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, you know what, I'm gonna hashtag this.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna, this is gonna be something I'm gonna hashtag.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_01: And so I did four, and I just said, I'm just gonna hashtag sport follow.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I've been shocked that people really like it.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_01: It really resonates.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_01: I get a ton of VMs and emails from people saying how much great they think it is.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: I've had people ask me if they can do it themselves.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: Can they copy it?
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: And absolutely, of course, please do.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's what LinkedIn's all about.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_01: It is about amplifying others using your voice and your platform, whether you have a thousand followers or a hundred thousand followers.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_01: Use your platform for good.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: Use it to help people, use it to empower other people.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: I try to have a variety of people.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_01: I have more women in my network, right?
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a member of Chief.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_01: I really believe in, yeah.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_01: I really believe in, you know, supporting and amplifying women, but I do try to get some men in there too.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_01: I try to have different backgrounds, different industries, different specialties.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_01: I just want to help people, and people have helped me.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_01: Every single job that I ever got in my career, with maybe one or two exceptions, has been through someone that I know.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_01: Has been through somebody saying, Oh, hey, I can help you.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_01: I know somebody who has an opening.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, my friend is hiring for you know what you do.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_01: Let me connect you with them.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I really believe in in paying it back or paying it forward, however you want to look at it.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really what LinkedIn is all about.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's why uh I I love doing it.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_01: And selfishly is also one day a week that I know what I'm gonna post and I don't have to even like stress about, oh, what should I post today?
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's what you're playing.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like every Sunday, that's what you're gonna do.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_00: So use your platform for good, whatever that platform is, whether it's LinkedIn or some other social media or some other platform that isn't even on you know on the internet.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: I think use it for good, I think is the lesson people can hear.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think the other thing, you know, from today's talk is just to try things and to know that maybe it's not the final spot, but you're going to keep learning through each of your steps that you're taking.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: So to do that.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much, Melissa, for being on the Bold Lounge.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_00: All the information about Melissa, her LinkedIn.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: Please do follow her and connect with Melissa.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_00: She is there to do good for others and just so appreciative that you're on the podcast.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me with this.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the bold lounge.