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Taking the Leap into a Portfolio Career: Working in Big Tech & Building a Women’s Empowerment Brand with the Founder of Miss EmpowHer
397 Plays1 year ago
Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.
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Today, we have the incredible Caitlyn Kumi joining us. Caitlyn is a marketer at Google, a passionate advocate for women's empowerment, and a lifestyle and education content creator. Through her platform, Miss EmpowHer, Caitlyn aims to instill confidence and inspire women of all backgrounds.
Caitlyn's journey began with a realization that traditionally "feminine" qualities, once deemed incompatible with leadership, are actually assets. She emphasizes the power of nurturing and supporting others in leadership roles, challenging traditional norms.
Reflecting on her own experiences, Caitlyn underscores the pivotal role that supportive women have played in her life. From mentors in college to colleagues in corporate America, these relationships have shaped her personal and professional growth. Inspired by this support network, Caitlyn founded Miss EmpowHer to provide similar resources to women everywhere.
Working at a big tech company while building her own empire on the side, Caitlyn advocates for workplace policies that prioritize employee well-being and support work-life harmony. She believes in the power of flexible work arrangements to foster creativity and innovation while promoting mental health.
Disclaimer: The opinions of Caitlyn Kumi, Founder of Miss EmpowHer, and content creator are not those of her company or previous employers.
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Transcript
Embracing Feminine Qualities in Leadership
00:00:00
Speaker
Your feminine qualities are actually an asset when you are leading. I think that's something that we really do need to unlearn that you don't necessarily have to be the loudest voice in the room shouting to get your way. You don't have to bully people into buying into your ideas. You can really lead from nurturing, supporting, and empowering others.
Economic Empowerment for Women
00:00:24
Speaker
I'm Tamina and I'm extending a heartfelt invitation to you as we join forces in reclaiming economic power for women in a world that is often structured against us. We'll dive into the minds of accomplished female leaders, investors and entrepreneurs to equip you with the confidence and knowledge to build wealth for yourself and other women. So buckle up, get ready to learn and be inspired to take action.
00:00:51
Speaker
Welcome
Caitlin's Role in Women's Empowerment
00:00:52
Speaker
back, everyone. I'm so excited for you all to join us for yet another incredible episode with my dear friend Lynn Kumi. Caitlin is a marketer at Google, founder of a women empowerment brand and lifestyle and education content creator. During her junior year at UNC Chapel Hill, Caitlin founded Miss Empower to help women of all shades and shapes feel confident and empowered.
00:01:19
Speaker
With Miss Empower Work, Caitlin hopes to inspire women to become the best versions of themselves and encourage women to support other women. On social media, Caitlin shares advice, tips, and product or service reviews to inspire and educate Gen Z and Millennial women. Caitlin is best known for being a leading Gen Z women personal finance and career creator.
00:01:43
Speaker
Caitlin has received media features in the likes of Forbes, Business Insider, Good Morning America, and BuzzFeed. She's also been recognized as a marketing and advertising voice on LinkedIn.
Balancing Leadership Traits
00:01:57
Speaker
Caitlin, I'm so happy to have you on. Welcome to the show. Thank you. I'm so excited to share my gems with your audience.
00:02:03
Speaker
Amazing. Let's dive in. Caitlin, I usually like to ask the same question to all of my guests at the beginning of a podcast conversation. So my question for you as we dive into our conversation today is, as we grow older and we evolve in our personal growth, we often unlearn certain beliefs or perceptions that we've
00:02:28
Speaker
hat. I'm curious to hear from you, is there maybe something significant that you have unlearned in your journey towards advocating for gender equity? Yes. When I was younger, I used to think that some feminine qualities weren't associated with leadership. Like if you were someone who was super empathetic,
00:02:49
Speaker
You were someone who really had that nurturing spirit that was something that wouldn't be valued in a leader. But now that I'm older, now that I've spent some time in corporate America, I can really see that your feminine qualities are actually an asset when you are leading. And I think that's something that we really do need to unlearn that you don't necessarily have to be the loudest voice in the room shouting to get your way.
00:03:13
Speaker
You don't have to bully people into buying into your ideas. You can really lead from nurturing, supporting, and empowering others. So I've really leaned into that over the years and knowing that it's okay as a woman to
Pandemic and Compassionate Leadership
00:03:29
Speaker
be assertive. That's not a quality that's just associated with men. It doesn't mean that you are bossy. It's okay to be confident and
00:03:37
Speaker
really speak with conviction. I think sometimes when women do that, we're often labeled as intimidating when men are recognized as leaders. So I'm learning that it's okay to have both feminine qualities and masculine qualities. For both men and women, it's not a gender thing. That is something that's been really important to me and that I carry with me because we're all unique. In the past, there have been so many stereotypes that associate certain qualities with men or women. And I think that's definitely something I've been unlearning.
00:04:07
Speaker
I love that and I couldn't agree more. I think those narratives don't really serve us. And honestly, I do believe that the pandemic actually helped accelerate progress in that space where all of a sudden I think we all are a little bit more compassionate. We tend to look up to people who are more compassionate, especially leaders, C-suite level executives at big companies.
00:04:37
Speaker
certain things that you can't really say anymore as a leader, right? And a lot of this ties back to more compassionate and empathetic leadership. And, you know, that is simply a quality that has historically been associated with being a traditionally like female quality. And so that's actually been one of the few positive side effects of the pandemic that the narrative is slowly changing. And we can finally start talking about
00:05:07
Speaker
all of that, which is so, so important. And then beyond that, there are so many studies and data points out there that prove having more women in leadership positions. May that be again in C-suite.
00:05:24
Speaker
roles or on corporate boards that actually leads to companies being more successful financially. That just all goes to show that it is so important that we get more women into leadership right now as of us having this conversation. There's still only 10% of all Fortune 500 CEOs who are women. I mean, that number has been increasing, but still it's a ridiculous number.
Founding Miss Empower
00:05:52
Speaker
So we still have
00:05:53
Speaker
A lot of progress to make in that sense, but I do think again, the narrative is slowly changing. Let's talk a little bit about Miss Empower. We already heard it in the bio, Caitlin. Your goal is to help women of all shades and shapes feel confident and empowered, which is an incredible mission statement.
00:06:12
Speaker
It is common for people in the entrepreneurial community to start something that is based on a personal pain point, either they themselves or your loved ones have experienced. I, for example, launched my very first podcast, Fenhive, as a result of my personal experience with post-graduation depression. I'm curious if there was a specific experience that served as a catalyst for you bounding Miss Empower.
00:06:37
Speaker
That is a lovely question. I honestly feel it's multiple experience. I'll break it down in parts. The first reason why I started my woman empowerment brand is because when I reflected on my life, so from like elementary school all the way up until now, I am the person I am. That's all my successes are truly due to women from
00:06:57
Speaker
My first principal in elementary school, she put me in a gifted and talented program that really helped nurture my intellect. I was placed in a small group of five talented kids who would go for like reading and math. And that small investment I truly think has made the difference with helping me prepare for college. I remember when I was in high school, I was in a special research program.
00:07:21
Speaker
And my director was a woman, and she really fell in love with my project on unconscious racial bias in the education system. I remember she helped me connect with leaders in our education system, had them come to my presentation. They ended up implementing changes in our education policy for our county.
00:07:40
Speaker
And that was just like one small incident when I got to college. I was super worried about how I was going to pay because I didn't have scholarships by the time I got there and I had this professor. It was my business writing class. I still love her to this day, Dr. Professor Gal.
00:07:57
Speaker
And she took me under her wing. I was one of three girls in this business class and she was like, listen, I don't want you to feel alone. I think I was the only black person in the class as well. And she really nurtured me. She was the woman who wrote every single scholarship recommendation when I was in college. Shout out to her because now I don't have as many loans.
00:08:18
Speaker
When I was struggling to figure out what I wanted to do post-grad, I had so many upper classroom that were women that came in and were my mentors and nurtured me. I just realized that is such a privilege. Not everyone gets that to have people who, in my case, refer you for jobs. Make sure that you have that support in college so you don't fall into things like depression because that's something that's very common when you don't have community, when you don't have support in a college environment.
00:08:47
Speaker
So I just realized all of my success, whether it be my friends, whether it be my family, whether it be women looking out for me in corporate or in college, was really due to having that community and support for both my personal and professional development. I mean, these are women who got me through breakups, but these were also women who made sure I was prepared for my interview with a Fortune 500 company when I didn't have that support anywhere else.
00:09:11
Speaker
When I was creating my woman empowerment brand, I wanted to kind of recreate that in a digital setting, an in-person setting for women who were in college and recent grads. Because I know even though I was so fortunate to have that, most people don't get that opportunity.
Challenges and Support for Women in Workplaces
00:09:27
Speaker
And there are so many women who are talented. They have these innate qualities, but they're not nurtured because they don't have that community and they don't have that support.
00:09:37
Speaker
that's what truly inspired me and then also quite frankly when i was in college when i was younger i was quite insecure like i struggled with body insecurities i remember going to these networking events and feeling so terrified not knowing what to say feeling like an outsider and i remember one event in particular where
00:09:58
Speaker
I had transitioned from not wanting to be pre-law anymore. I went to my first consulting business event. I remember speaking to this man who was a director at a consulting firm, and I asked him, do you have any advice and tips for someone who would like to set themselves up on a path to do something similar to you?
00:10:17
Speaker
I think I said something along those lines. And I'll never forget what he told me. He told me, you know what, you're so pretty. You don't need to worry about all that stuff. You can just be like my sister in Mary Rich. You don't need to worry about any of that. And I just remember feeling so bad about myself. I'm like, okay.
00:10:32
Speaker
made it all the way to you and they didn't even see my face. So I made it all the way here. I took all these AP level classes. I've worked hard at that time. I listened to my dad. I got my little conservative skirt suit. I was like, I'm ready to be taken seriously. And here he is telling me that, you know, there's no need to stress myself about my professional
00:10:52
Speaker
career goals because I'm pretty. That made me realize that if I'm experiencing this, how many other women are having these experiences when they go into these spaces? So how can one, I prepare them for the challenges that they might face, and two, how can I create experiences where one, I can make sure men know that it's not appropriate, make statements like that in these settings, and then three,
00:11:16
Speaker
Create these safe spaces and go to people that woman can go to for like resources and support So I think it's a series of things and yeah, I think those are just a few experiences that have really shaped me But I don't think it's one specific thing. I think it's just this common understanding that
00:11:34
Speaker
I am not really of the mindset that you can just focus on the professional, you can just focus on the personal. I think when we really thrive and we're well-rounded, it's because we are focused on both our personal and professional development. Wow. I cannot believe that that dude actually said that to you. Wow.
00:11:53
Speaker
I am so offended on your behalf. I know this is like a couple of years ago, but still the audacity. How can you actually say that, especially to a young woman who is still trying to find her purpose in life, try to figure out how she can have an impact and, you know, who is not just anyone, but someone who is attending a really, really great school
00:12:19
Speaker
school and has both academic and professional aspirations like, dude, know your audience. What? Oh, I can't. Wow. I was just mind blown, but thank you for sharing because I think that is just another important example that proves we still have a lot of ground to cover and we haven't achieved.
00:12:41
Speaker
gender equality by any means. I can't believe that, but I don't want to hold too much space for this dude. Let's focus on the positive because I loved all the examples that you shared about so many women having supported you along the way. And this goes back to something that I always share in my public speaking gigs, but also when I coach and mentor younger women, when you lead with
00:13:11
Speaker
authenticity and vulnerability. It's so much easier for people to connect to you and your story, your background, and be willing to go the extra mile and be invested in your success. So I think this is just a call to action for everyone out there. If you feel insecure,
00:13:34
Speaker
Don't be afraid to ask for help, especially if you're still in your twenties or even thirties, you know, something that I've come to realize is that no matter your age, we're all just trying to figure it out. And oftentimes just meeting one person, an amazing professor, for example, or someone who is writing a letter of recommendation through a scholarship, just like meeting one person and like being brave enough to ask for help can completely change the trajectory for the rest of your life.
Taking Risks and Building Confidence
00:14:04
Speaker
So.
00:14:04
Speaker
To everyone out there, and we briefly had this conversation earlier offline, even if there's someone out there who seems to be super accomplished on paper and you might be a little bit intimidated by their success. I think both you and I have been there, but to our listeners, take that as a call to action to just take that leap.
00:14:26
Speaker
and reach out and ask for help, the worst thing that can happen is you get a no. And if you don't even reach out, it's automatically going to be a no, so you can only win in that scenario. So I love that. Caitlin, as you know, most members of our community are women in their 20s and early 30s, and that's why our two communities are so complimentary, right?
00:14:50
Speaker
A lot of them are recent college graduates or early career professionals who again are still trying to figure out their purpose in life and how they want to leave a mark. Whenever I mentor and coach young women, I always encourage them to embrace having a multi-hyphenate or portfolio career.
00:15:09
Speaker
and as a result of that to diversify their income streams, right? But it's always that getting started and taking that leap of faith part that is always, always, always the hardest. If you had to give our listeners a pep talk to really hype them up and encourage them to just go for it, what would you tell them? I would honestly say do it scared and it only takes one yes.
00:15:36
Speaker
to change the trajectory of your life or your career. And I like that motto of do it scared because I think so many people think that people take extreme career pivots or they take on that super high profile opportunity or maybe they're going to raise funding that.
00:15:52
Speaker
They're always super confident, but most people are doing it scared. But the difference is, instead of letting fear of failure cripple them, they're leaning into that fear and saying, you know what, I'm scared right now, but I know that me taking this risk on myself, me investing myself right now, even though it feels scary, will pay off in the long run. And I think one of the hardest things you can do is really master your mind. I mean, you can develop all the technical skills you want in the world.
00:16:21
Speaker
But mastering your mind and having those confidence during those times of discomfort, I think is one of the most important things you can do as a woman, especially when you're young.
Transitioning to Google
00:16:33
Speaker
Because let's just face it, life is hard. There will be people, like in my case, that make those statements. There are people that tell you that there will, sorry.
00:16:41
Speaker
There will be people that tell you that you are not ready, that you don't belong in spaces, and you have to have that confidence, you have to have that self-belief that, you know, even though this person doesn't think that I belong there, their opinion is just an opinion. And it's up to me to determine whether I'm going to let that opinion deter me from going where I want to be. And I think that is probably the hardest thing because there will be times where no one is your cheerleader and you have to be your own cheerleader.
00:17:10
Speaker
And you really have to get comfortable with that. So I would just say, learn to do things scared and learn that you don't need everyone's validation to move forward. I love that. And doing it scared, that's truly having an abundance mindset. Because to your point earlier, if you allow your fear, your anxiety to paralyze you, that's when that scarcity mindset is just getting to you.
00:17:36
Speaker
So yes, for most of us, when we try something new, it's totally valid to be scared. In fact, I would argue if you weren't scared doing something new or trying something, then it's not big enough of a leap to begin with. It's those moments when you push the envelope, when you leave your comfort zone, that's when true growth and success happens. And I know it's oftentimes tough in the moment, but
00:18:03
Speaker
At the end of the day, it's all about showing up consistently, taking it day by day, week by week, failing along the way, learning from that failure, fail fast. This is one of those, one of those statements that being used a lot in the entrepreneurial community, right? So I love that. And maybe as a follow-up question for you, Caitlin, to make it very tangible.
00:18:24
Speaker
Could you maybe just share one or two things that you're very proud of that resulted out of you taking that leap and starting a side hustle and going for it? We already heard it in the bio, obviously very impressive press features, but anything beyond that that you couldn't have even imagined back when you were still a student and you were just getting started.
00:18:46
Speaker
Yeah, I think probably to make it a bit more actionable for the audience. I remember when I actually transitioned from consulting to Google, I was absolutely terrified. I'm someone who is definitely a planner, so I was like, I at least want to stay at my firm for like a year or two years.
00:19:04
Speaker
then I'll make that transition. But I think from building those habits, being consistent and authentic, and who I am, the things that I do, those opportunities happen sooner than I could have ever expected. I was doing a virtual series. I invited a woman at Google to come and speak and share with my community.
00:19:23
Speaker
We ended up hitting it off and she was like, I think you would be a really great fit in marketing. Like I just, I really see that for you, especially at our company. We have this great program called the associate product marketing manager program. Like I think you'd be a fit. It's really competitive, but when you're ready, I'll look at your resume. I'll refer you. And I was just like, wow, this is just all happening so fast.
00:19:45
Speaker
And for some reason that weekend, I was like, you know what? Let me just prep my resume. Let me just get it out of the way. And the way the universe works, timing works. I didn't even have time for those introductions. The application opened. She referred me. And then before you know it, I was going through the interview process. I was interviewed, got my offer letter all within three weeks to a month, which is just insane in the tech world because at Google especially, it typically takes months.
00:20:13
Speaker
So I was not prepared to quit my first job out of college so soon. I didn't even know whether I was going to be in New York or San Francisco. And I think that's one of those moments where, again, doing it scared, preparation meets opportunity. And sometimes you don't always have all the answers in place. In my case, I didn't even know where I was going to live.
00:20:35
Speaker
but having the faith that it will all work out and that if you surround yourself with the right people, you're doing that work and being consistent and having a little bit of faith, luck, and timing that all really work out in your favor. So I think that's probably an actionable example. I'm not saying that definitely happens all the time, but I think those consistent habits of, you know,
00:20:56
Speaker
networking or reaching out to people, demonstrating that you're capable and doing good work, following through. I think that's something that anyone can implement. And I've probably done that hundreds, thousands of times, but maybe like one to 10 of those hundreds, something is really going to pop from that. So I would just say like, be consistent in your habits and routines to get those results that can really transform your life.
Balancing Career and Side Hustles
00:21:19
Speaker
Preparation meets opportunity. I hope everyone was able to catch that. And if not, I just repeated it for you. Preparation meets opportunity. Everyone who is listening should write that down because I think that it's so, so accurate.
00:21:34
Speaker
And again, another great example of someone within your network who went out of her way to proactively shared with you like, Hey, I think you'd be a great fit because she could have just gone on with her life and not said anything. And we probably wouldn't be having this conversation today. Right. So again.
00:21:54
Speaker
Maybe one person can completely change the trajectory of your life. So lean into that and be proactive about spotting those opportunities and train yourself, train your muscles to always be prepared and then eventually to do it scared.
00:22:10
Speaker
You just mentioned that you're super organized, Caitlin. Obviously I'm not surprised. And that's actually a great segue to my next question for you. One of the most common questions I always get from my friends and my community as a whole is, Tamina, how do you do it all? You must have more hours in the day than I do. And I'm sure that you get the same question from your environment all the time as well, considering that you always have a lot going on. My demanding nine to five job in tech.
00:22:36
Speaker
running a community, content creation, and so on. Here's to hear from you, Caitlin. How do you organize yourself? How do you prioritize? How do you make it all work? Yes, this is a great question. I am trying to join the 5am. I've been trying for a while. I'm still struggling.
00:22:53
Speaker
But once I joined the 5 AM club, it's over for everyone. I will have so much time, but unfortunately, I haven't gotten there. I'm at the 7 AM club, so I'm trying my best, but I will share some of my tips and resources. The first one, I have a very supportive community and network from friends to family, and that's really by design. I'm fortunate enough to have
00:23:19
Speaker
A father who really supports me, he's basically my virtual assistant at this point when it comes to content creation, that is very much a privilege. My sister as well supports me with some small responsibilities with my business and venture, and I think that's why I was able to grow and empower in college and post-grad.
00:23:37
Speaker
I have an amazing internship program. My interns really support our website. They support our virtual events. They support our social media, which allows me to be more in that advisor mentor role and allows them to really take the lead on execution. So the common theme is delegation.
00:23:56
Speaker
I think as women, we are often told we have to be super women, we have to do everything.
Prioritizing Mental Health and Self-Care
00:24:02
Speaker
But the one thing I've been really careful about is because I fear burnout like no other, is as I get these opportunities, if I'm not dropping things from my plate, how am I going to delegate an outsource, especially when I'm getting paid opportunities? Like a portion of that money needs to be set aside for delegation, whether it be my personal life or professional life.
00:24:21
Speaker
Speaking of delegating in my personal life, I'm a really big advocate of doing things to take care of my mental health, and I'm fortunate enough to have a job that gives me pretty good insurance to get a therapist, or my most recent experience that's been super impactful, having a life coach. This really helps me get my mind right, so when I find myself overthinking or maybe struggling with self-doubt, I have the tools and resources to really talk to myself,
00:24:48
Speaker
With care, be more compassionate to myself and I find when I don't have my mental energy going towards overthinking or negative self-talk, I just have more energy to be more efficient in the things that I do. I know that's a very small tweak, but it's made all the difference for myself.
00:25:05
Speaker
I also really make sure that I communicate proactively with my friends and my partners. So when I'm having my busy seasons, I'll let my friends know these few weeks are going to be really busy, but I want to make sure that we hang out during X, Y, and Z time. I follow up. I'm consistent.
00:25:22
Speaker
With my Google Calendar, I put all of my dates from my doctor's appointments, dentist appointments, friend hangouts, because it allows me to visually see am I at capacity, because I think it's so easy to take on all these different commitments without looking at your schedule. And then if you're not careful,
00:25:38
Speaker
I'll be like, wow, I am booked for the next three weeks, four weeks. There's not even a day to breathe. So I really make sure like I bake in self care days. Sometimes people will ask me to hang out. I'm not available. They're like, what are you doing? I'm like getting my hair done, getting my nails done. I'm taking a nap. And they're like, but can't you just move it around? And it's like, well, you see, if I move it around, I'm not going to be a fun person to be around into.
00:26:01
Speaker
I will be angry, I will be moody. So I need to prioritize those self-care days. There are some friends where I think it might be hard for them to understand, but for the most part, I think when you're telling people that you're doing something for your mental health or your wellness, they're really understanding. So I think that's really helped me. I definitely don't have it figured out. There are some weeks where I'm doing amazing and some weeks I'm like, ma'am, what did you sign yourself up for?
00:26:28
Speaker
But I know there are some weeks where I do have to go a little hard because we do have these unexpected opportunities that will transform your life and somehow you're like, I don't know how this is going to happen, but I'll make it happen. But then when I have those sprint reeks, I really make sure that I take my recovery seriously. So if there's one week, I know we were talking offline about some opportunities and we have our event coming up in December and it's like, how am I going to do all this? Things are busy at work.
00:26:55
Speaker
But I know, okay, this week is going to be really tough for me. That means the next week, I'm not going outside. No parties. I'm not doing any social interactions. I'm more of an introvert. I need to even recharge by myself at home for the weekend if I'm going to grind that hard. And I think a lot of people, they don't take that time to have that reset.
00:27:14
Speaker
I'm going to go super hard for a month, and then I'm going to go out and do all these things and see people. And then they wonder why, oh my gosh, I feel like I can't move. I feel like I can't get out of bed.
Staying Organized and Focused
00:27:24
Speaker
And I think a lot of it is just not taking that time to recharge or even prioritizing the physical and mental health wellness as you're being super ambitious.
00:27:34
Speaker
I truly appreciate you calling out the importance of mental and physical health. I think for any person, no matter if they have a side hustle or not, knowing how to manage your energy in the most effective way is absolutely key to
00:27:52
Speaker
being happier, more fulfilled, and being more resilient as well. And that's something that I've been trying to optimize in recent years as well. I always like to share with people. I will prioritize sleep above everything because I'm someone who needs a lot of sleep. Attract my sleep with my war ring. And if there is a night where it didn't get enough,
00:28:13
Speaker
sleep, I will adjust accordingly the night after. If necessary, I will call off meeting up with friends, for example, or spend hours binging Netflix on my couch. That's something I do for self care and to rest and just chill for a hot second. And I think
00:28:32
Speaker
especially with both of us being based in New York City. There are a gazillion events, exciting events we could go to every single day after work and obviously on weekends as well, but knowing how to set boundaries is just so, so important.
Adapting to Changing Work Landscapes
00:28:49
Speaker
So I really love that you shared that. Quick follow-up question. Are there maybe any tools that help you with that? I, for example, couldn't live without Canva or Notion anymore. And obviously putting things on my calendar, curious to hear from you if you have any tool recommendations.
00:29:05
Speaker
Yeah, I'm super basic. I've like wanted to get into the super nice project management tools, but I'm a simple gal. I have this one year Google spreadsheet where I break down my goals for the year by quarter. So some goals I need to like hit every quarter and I'll just cross them off.
00:29:25
Speaker
And they're broken down into different categories like business, career, health, and wellness. I usually check it every two weeks or so. I think it helps keep me focused and grounded. But I recently listened to a podcast where people actually encourage you to do that every day. So maybe I'll start implementing that soon. And I shouldn't say maybe I will start implementing that soon.
00:29:43
Speaker
And then I also use Google Calendar, of course, to visually have all of my things in one place. I'm very basic in my phone, there's a note section, so I just have like my to-do list of action items and I just cross that off.
00:29:58
Speaker
every single day. And one thing, even though I have a big master to-do list, I also like to have a top three. So what are the three things like I must get done today? Because I have 10 things always on my to-do list. To be honest, three to five are getting done. So I always have to like have a top three. So yeah, I keep pretty simple. The top three would probably be my best tip.
00:30:19
Speaker
Definitely. Yeah. I've started leveraging the Eisenhower matrix. I don't know if you've heard of that one before, but you have quadrants and it helps you focus on things that are important. Like oftentimes people would say 20% of your work moves 80% off the needle. Right. But oftentimes those tasks are the ones that we tend to procrastinate on.
00:30:41
Speaker
or pushing them off to the next day, the next week, the next month, because they're maybe not necessarily like urgent in the sense that you don't have to put a fire out, but those are the tasks that actually moved the needle. It's working out, right? Going to the gym might not be the biggest priority for you today. You can always say, I go tomorrow, I go next week, whatever. But then over time, it's about showing up consistently, right? And then it also helps you to
00:31:10
Speaker
delegate the things that are not super important because they don't move the needle at all. So that's just a tool that has come to serve me really, really well. Let's pivot a little bit, Caitlin. I'd argue that most eight players in our generation, and I would call the both of us eight players, I would argue most people like us want to actually have side hustle or something on the side that they can work on that adds a little bit more meaning to their life and
00:31:39
Speaker
ideally eventually unlock an additional income stream. I think I recently saw a statistic that claimed that over 70% of US teenagers want to become YouTubers. So I think that says it all. Curious to hear from you, Caitlin. How do you think this is going to shape the future of work and how will employers have to adapt in order to be able to prep
00:32:07
Speaker
and retain top talent, talent that is just craving increasingly more flexibility. Yeah, that's a great question. I think it's really important that employers really don't have that self-serving mindset, but they think, how can they serve their in-service to their employees? How can they create a work experience that adds value to their employees' lives?
00:32:30
Speaker
And that can be from a personal standpoint, that can be from a professional standpoint. So for example, I think maybe it's Cisco. They're one of the companies that's really training their employees to be thought leaders on LinkedIn. So that's a mutually beneficial relationship. They are able to really showcase and highlight their achievements, gain these skills that will carry them whether they're a lifelong person at Cisco or they leave Cisco early. And I think
00:32:56
Speaker
having that type of relationship with your employees actually increases loyalty and increases the sense of belonging that truly does help with retention. I think having workplace policies and benefits that are actually beneficial for their employees' long-term well-being
00:33:14
Speaker
Don't get me wrong, swag is super cool. I love swag. I love the gifts. I love the parties. But I remember when I was a consultant, one of the best employee wellness benefits, maybe because I like travel, was that as a part of our wellness benefits, they gave us credit where we could use it for hotels. We could use that for flights. So it was basically you got a free vacation or a reimbursed vacation.
00:33:39
Speaker
for a small cost and I think for some people who don't know how to take vacation or maybe they have family obligations or different things outside of work where there might not be any money left over, that is hugely impactful because for some people just going on a vacation is the recharge they need. For some people having their gym membership expense and I think having that flexibility and autonomy to say, okay, this is something that's really helpful for me or having last minute childcare as a benefit.
00:34:07
Speaker
There are so many things I think employees can do to make things easier. So my personal belief, and I know it's a bit complicated because of real estate, businesses around the area with going back to work or return to office policies. But I do think from a mental health and wellbeing, it's so much easier to have a side hustle when you do have more flexible work policies. I know
00:34:30
Speaker
for myself, and I'm sure for a lot of other people, it was so much easier in the pandemic to do a zillion things just because there were no competing priorities. They were not commuting into the office. There are not as many social activities. But now, I feel like burnout is really spiking because you're trying to produce and go hard at the same rate you were going in the pandemic. But it's like,
00:34:50
Speaker
You're going to more social events. You're going into the office. You are commuting. That's a lot on your body. So I really do think that, one, people can be efficient. They can thrive in both. But having that support, having that work life, I don't believe in work-life balance, but that work-life harmony through good policies.
00:35:09
Speaker
I really do think one, businesses can reap the benefits, they can reap the rewards. Even for myself and my role, being a content creator, having all these opportunities, I go to so many networking events outside of work. I meet with so many amazing people that are in different spaces addressing the business challenges that
00:35:29
Speaker
My company is working on so I can go to work and say, have you guys thought of approaching things this way? Or if we're running into a challenge and I now work in influencer marketing as a part of my role, which I wasn't doing before, I can say when I was a creator, this is something I branded to really streamline communication. That's a unique insight that I have that nobody else at the company, or at least on my media team has because they're not a content creator.
00:35:52
Speaker
So really being able to see these unique skill sets from having a side hustle or building skill sets outside of the nine to five or company and releasing them as an asset and not a threat is something that could really help companies like accelerate their business goals and really retain their employees.
00:36:11
Speaker
I think there was a beautiful summary and I love that you brought up the Cisco example from our perspective. It's a no brainer to teach people how to come thought leaders online, right? Because the end of the day, anyone who is sharing about
00:36:27
Speaker
company culture or new products and services or about DEI related content.
Supporting Women in Economic Advancement
00:36:35
Speaker
You as an employee, even if you don't work in marketing, you automatically become an extension of your employer's marketing team, basically for free. And on the other hand, it allows you to build a personal brand, serve as
00:36:54
Speaker
an inbound channel for various opportunities ranging from maybe brand partnerships, but also to speaking opportunities or freelance gigs. You name it. I do think that people's personal brands
00:37:13
Speaker
have become increasingly important. There are so many examples of people having bigger followers than the brands that they have built. And again, I also tied this back to the pandemic where we were lacking that in-person human connection. So we were really shifting towards attempting to build relationships with people online and people started being more vulnerable online and that helped them foster and nurture
00:37:43
Speaker
loyalty among their followership. So I think it would serve companies really, really well to lean into that. And there is no one size fits all, but I think there are still too many companies out there where they're way too strict. Some companies even prohibit their employees from sharing on the likes of LinkedIn or other social media channels. And I think that's just not the way to go. And I'm glad you
00:38:11
Speaker
pointed that out. And I think you and I are both great examples of people who are able to make it work. And I think a lot of the work that we do outside can also end up serving our nine to five core roles in many different ways. At least that's how I have experienced it over the past couple of years.
00:38:30
Speaker
All right, Caitlin, we're coming up on time. I don't always like to start out with the same question, but I also like to always close with the same question for each of my guests. So I want you to imagine that you have the power to enact a single universally binding law that every organization must obey designed to specifically uplift women's economic status. What law would that be, Caitlin?
00:38:57
Speaker
mandatory daycare and educational programming for all children from ages zero all the way up until 13 because one thing that I think prevents that advancement per woman is not having anywhere to take
00:39:15
Speaker
their children for daycare, daycare is extremely expensive. Not having access to good educational training programs for their children, especially if you grow up in poverty or lower middle class is something that I really do think sets a lot of women back, especially if they might be teen moms or early moms. It's what perpetuates that cycle. So I think by having that one, it can allow women who maybe
00:39:41
Speaker
have a child early or maybe just don't have the financial means to be able to go back to school, get advanced degrees, or maybe educate themselves in a trade that will allow them to really expand their wealth. But when you have to deal with, okay, should I stay home? Should I go out to work? You're really just stretched so far and you don't even have time to think about
00:40:06
Speaker
How can I advance my financial goals? Because you're just trying to make it paycheck to paycheck. So I think that's something that would make a huge difference. And also, just from my own cultural experience, I don't believe one person raises the child. It's the village that raises the child. So if someone is a single mom,
00:40:23
Speaker
Or they're a woman who's just really struggling to balance it all by having that support to raise their child in terms of education and that nurturing and development. Instead of that child potentially falling behind, they're really able to set themselves up for success because they were able to have that same education and that programming that people of more affluent grounds typically get.
Empowering Women: Podcast Conclusion
00:40:46
Speaker
So that would probably be the number one thing I would change.
00:40:48
Speaker
I love that. So, so accurate childcare costs in the United States are absolutely ridiculous. This is something as a foreigner who comes from a country where it's a lot more affordable. I think I saw a TikTok couple of
00:41:05
Speaker
months ago where I think she was even an American expat living in Germany and she created a video teasing it, opening the letter, got in the mail with the cost overview for one year off kindergarten or preschool or whatever it might've been for a child. She opens it up and it was 110 euros or something in total. And that was yet another reminder for myself, like, huh, there's some things.
00:41:31
Speaker
that work a lot better where I come from as opposed to where I live now. And it took me actually like moving to United States and having conversations with parents to fully understand how big of a problem it actually is and why there are so many parents and let's be real, unfortunately, mostly women who choose to stay at home because financially it does not
00:41:54
Speaker
make any sense, especially when you are coming from a less affluent background and maybe you don't have the highest education attainment. So that was huge thought. So I'm so glad that you brought this up because childcare and making it more affordable would be a true accelerator for women and their careers and certainly uplift their economic status.
00:42:18
Speaker
Well, Caitlin, this was a lot of fun. Thank you so much for joining me today. You were incredible. Thank you for your vulnerability, for your actionable advice. I'm sure this will be so beneficial to our audience members and just keep up the great work. Thank you. Thank you so much.
00:42:36
Speaker
Hey there, not so fast. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you've listened in from today. Reviews are a podcaster's most important currency. It helps me create visibility for the incredible women who join me on this show. And if you've made it this far, I'd like to believe that supporting women is one of your favorite pastimes.
00:43:01
Speaker
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