Category: Career

I’ve found unexpected bedfellows in Martha Stewart and Ina Garten this week. This comes as a particular surprise since I barely cook. But, in a week filled with work stress and pressure (if you work in Ecommerce/Retail/Fashion… you know) it just so happened that my library hold for Ina Garten’s new memoir came in. This will be an easy listen, I thought. Similarly, on Friday night when my mind was mush, I turned on the new documentary ‘Martha’ on Netflix expecting to just sort of zone out…

Wow, was I mistaken. Garten’s memoir ‘Be Ready When the Luck Happens‘ is the recounting of her life with a particular focus on her career path. An incredible example of hard work and passion being met with the courage to try new things, determination to chase big dreams and a fierce commitment to following her gut instincts. I hate to admit that I’ve never watched an episode of her hit cooking show the Barefoot Contessa.. but no matter. Without any other context, I’ve been enraptured hearing her tell her story (she narrates the audiobook) and have been finding so much about her journey that feels inspiring to my own fledgling path. She was 51 when she published her first cookbook!

And Martha’s documentary… well, I already want to rewatch it. From my vantage point, she’s a brilliant business woman, a master of reinvention, an unapologetic perfectionist, and extremely savvy when it comes to filling gaps in a market and understanding her audience. She really was the original influencer – and all these years later she’s still defying expectations.

Both were repeatedly underestimated, dismissed by men in positions of power, and met with skepticism for their big ideas. Sound familiar? It’s because it’s every great career woman’s story. But Stewart and Garten both kept moving, letting their work and success speak for itself, and have maintained incredible career inertia over decades.

Both of them inspire me to trust my gut, dream bigger and focus on working hard, learning more, and surrounding myself with a great team and support system. Reassurance from their stories has felt like very welcome company in a week when I feel very much out on a ledge.

Do you have career role models? Just for fun – a few other famous career women, across a range of industries, that I’ve always admired: Tina Fey, Julia Child, Dolly Parton, Joan Didion, Mindy Kaling, Iris Apfel. Each one forged new paths, has/had an incredible work ethic and defied the odds in spite of barriers, rejection and criticism. And, perhaps most importantly, each one remained true to themselves while doing it.

Have you ever seen yourself at work? Not on a Zoom Call – that I’ve seen ad nauseam in recent years – but without a monitor screen reminding you to sit up straighter or fix your hair. I mean, have you seen yourself actually in the process of working? Or parenting.. or creating.. whatever it is you “do”. I don’t think I ever have. 

While on set for a photoshoot last week I had one of our model’s playing around with my polaroid camera in a video we were filming. In the midst of this she ended up taking a candid picture of myself and the photographer on my team. Essentially a reverse view of what our own camera was capturing. In the photo I am bent slightly, peering up to the camera’s screen – mid observation. A note to adjust the lighting ready to slip from my lips, musing quietly on what I think might work better. The wheels of my work are turning. It’s interesting to see myself this way.

This year I’m moving to a corner desk. It’s not exactly Don Draper’s Madison Avenue view, but it’s something. And I often find myself thinking I’m not quite cut out for the job. Too young (although less so by the day) or small somehow. But when I look at this photo I see myself in a new way – small, yes, but in control of the moment. Here lies hard proof that I am someone’s boss.

This photo felt like a tiny sign from the universe to keep going (also to stand up straighter and fix my hair). Next time you think of it – I encourage you to take a candid photo of someone “working” and give it to them. It might be just the thing they need to keep going too. 

Here I am – in the entryway of a new path so to speak. My last day at my full time job is in a month. The brand is restructuring for the future and while, after 6 and a half years, it’s certainly bittersweet – I’m so thankful for the growth and opportunities that I was given while there and for the fact that I had some time to prepare for this.

If you know me personally – you know that my career has always been extremely important to me. I dreamed of a job in the New York fashion world in the same way that I suspect some women dream of children. I plotted and planned and for the past 12 years – I’ve done it. And yet now, on the precipice of such a big change, I have no idea what I’ll do next.

Which is, frankly, scary. But at the same time – a little bit freeing. Maybe I’ll finally take the plunge and do freelance work full time, taking on a range of clients that excite and inspire me. Maybe I’ll find an incredible job in an industry outside of fashion. Who knows? Although if you have leads send them my way 😉

While I can’t control everything about the next few months – I wanted to put together a list of goals for myself outside of work to keep me feeling happy and motivated in the midst of this big change.

• Keep practicing the piano and ukulele. I’ve been half heartedly tinkering away on both over the past 6 months but want to get on a better, more consistent practice schedule.
• Continue working on my novel. One of my big pipe dreams is to write a book (or who knows – a few!) and I have a pretty fleshed out concept that I’d like to dedicate more time to working on. In November I’m going to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) – a program that helps you track your progress and set milestones so that ideally you’ve written an entire novel structure in a month!
• Walk more of New York. If I’m going to have a little bit of extra free time on my hands – and before the weather gets too cold – I want to walk and explore even more of the city. My morning walks that I started at the beginning of the summer continue to be a true bright spot and contributor to my good mental health.
• Catch up on my “to be read” book stack! I’ve already read quite a bit more this year than I have in recent years past – but I’ve got a big stack that I’d love to get through if I have extra time.
• Dream big for the future. The road ahead feels wide open so I want to do my best to push through the fear of uncertainty and really think of what the next 12 years of my career could look like. The sky is the limit, right?

If you’re in the same boat, you’re not alone. This year has left so many of us grappling with seismic life changes. But I’m choosing to look at this through a lens of positivity and with an open mind. Onward & upward!