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Macro Social Work | Career Coaching feat. Marthea Pitts, MSW
275 Plays1 year ago
Today's Guest is Marthea Pitts, MSW, a 3x award-winning workforce development career counselor and macro-focused (program design and advocacy) social worker. Her commitment to challenging the status quo of economic development through career and education pathway design birthed The MSW Coach™.
It is her journeys as a community servant that built her foundation for success. She has served as a social worker enriching young mothers' lives, and as a community advocate fighting for the fair distribution of resources from government & corporate leadership.
Her captivating personality sees no limits and helps others design careers based off their values. For example, she's inspired and helped her clients find roles in environmental change, biotechnology, and high net worth philanthropy.
As the founder and lead consultant of The MSW Coach™, she and her team help individuals, education providers, community-serving organizations, and employers reimagine P-20+ career education design.
If you are considering a career change or would like to learn more, please visit her website, LinkedIn Profile and IG Page.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/themswcoach/
https://www.instagram.com/the_mswcoach/
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
So in that painting, it would be me standing behind them and them walking off into the sunset in whatever direction they want to go because they now have autonomy and they are truly living like the way that they are destined to be.
Introduction to 'Take Your Homeboy to Work Day'
00:00:16
Speaker
What's up world? I am your host, B.A., and this is Take Your Homeboy to Work Day podcast, your favorite podcast to learn about careers.
00:00:25
Speaker
Here's what you can expect by tuning in. Each episode, guests from different professions share the arcs of jobs held, their education and training, their skills and experiences acquired, salary expectations, and the intrinsic fulfillment that motivates them. So for anyone interested in hearing the firsthand experience of a career, let these conversations be your launching pad to learn more.
Meet Marthia Pitts: Entrepreneur and Career Coach
00:00:52
Speaker
Today's conversation will be rich and layered as we discuss the career of Marthia Pitts.
00:00:59
Speaker
Marthia has found success as an entrepreneur and a career coach focused on social workers. And her many journeys as a community servant gave her the foundation to thrive. She's worked as a frontline social worker, an educator, and a community advocate fighting for fair distribution of resources from government leadership. We're going to do our best to dive into all of these experiences and connect the best skills she's learned from each.
00:01:28
Speaker
So thank you for coming on to the show and welcome, Orthea. Thank you, Brandon, for having me. I'm so excited to be here. I can honestly say it is truly an honor. I admire the work that you're doing because you know I love a good conversation about career exploration and what people can do in the world. So thank you for having me. Oh, well, thank you for those words. And I'm glad we were able to connect. And I'm just excited to talk to you also.
00:01:56
Speaker
So I gave a brief introduction of who you are and a little bit about your career, but in your own terms, can you explain a little bit about yourself and your career high level? Sure. Hey, hey, hey, my name is Marthia Pitts. I am
00:02:12
Speaker
a Florida resident. I have lived in Florida all of my life, actually. Born and raised in South Florida, Palm Beach County could be exact. But I consider Tallahassee to be my second home. I've been here for quite some time. So I've lived in South Florida, now North Florida, a little bit on the East Coast in Jacksonville, but Tallahassee and Palm Beach County is home.
00:02:37
Speaker
Um, I love to laugh. So if you hear me giggle a time throughout our conversation, just know there's my ear. I purposely laugh every day because it's my soul and it makes me feel good. So I made time to laugh until my stomach hurts and so my head hurts. And when that happens, it's a good day.
00:02:57
Speaker
I also am a story collector and a storyteller. So don't be surprised if I whip out a story or two because what I've realized or what I've learned over the last year or so from my career coaching clients is that people love my stories. So I always have a story in my back pocket.
Understanding Macro Social Work
00:03:16
Speaker
Professionally, I am known on the social work streets as the MSW coach. I'm a social worker by profession. I'm a macro social worker, so I'm on the other side of the profession. Typically, people know only about two aspects of social work, but I'm on the other side. And how I explain to non-social workers what that is is that I'm more on the administrative side, but more on a high level
00:03:43
Speaker
and a high-level approach. So what that looks like is in my last position, I worked with mayors around the country in helping them design equitable career pathways and opportunities for under-resourced populations and communities. My population is pregnant and parenting youth and young adults. So all of my work stems around making certain that youth and young adults have the support. Employment-wise, they need to become self-sufficient.
00:04:12
Speaker
And as Brandon shared earlier, I'm also a social entrepreneur. I am on a mission to help more social workers get into national and global spaces to move the needle closer to progress for their populations and issues. So I basically teach them what I did to pivot my career. And we'll talk more about that as well.
00:04:36
Speaker
Thank you for having me, Brandon. Yes, yes, that was awesome. And let me go ahead and give you a compliment on the jewel about the importance of laughing and smiling, because I thought that was really an important thing that you brought up about something you focused on doing every day.
00:04:52
Speaker
And I want to encourage the listeners how important that is. I was just reading something about Steph Curry. And most people, when they're stressed out while playing, they show frustration. But he actually smiles and laughs when he's out there on the court when he feels frustrated. And that contributes to his success. So I thank you for dropping that jewel early on. I really appreciate it.
00:05:12
Speaker
Thank you. I learned something new today. So, um, uh, you know, we're going to work through your career, but I'd love to start with, uh, I guess the foundation all comes from you being a social worker and being a servant to others. And then you've built on that. So I guess, can you first share what got you interested into social work? Um, was it part of your family? Was there a specific scenario that happened in your life? How'd you get into this?
00:05:37
Speaker
Yeah, no, Brenda. I didn't grow up saying I wanted to be a social worker. Actually, the story is quite funny. I spent years working in state government in Tallahassee state government jobs and goals, especially during the time where I was working my way up in the ranks. So I started out many years on the front line working in state government, specifically in costs in their jobs, because at that time,
00:06:06
Speaker
I had a high school diploma. So it was in those positions that I began to, well, one of my jobs specifically was with the agency that deals with child welfare issues and situations. I won't name the organization. But it was in that position that I began to be introduced to like social services work and really starting getting like a glimpse from the inside of what was going on.
00:06:35
Speaker
And at that time, I had a really good friend who was not a social worker by profession, but she worked and case management jobs with numerous different organizations around town. And she would talk to me about
00:06:51
Speaker
um, becoming a social worker. And I was adamant. I'm like, no, I don't want to be a social worker because I don't want to take people's kids. So my scope about the profession was very limited. It was only because that was all that I saw in my position, um, working at that call center. And so I took a year sabbatical between getting my
00:07:15
Speaker
bachelor's degree and my master's degree. And I always tell people during that year, that was the best year of my life because that was when I could really sit still, feel and hear from God about what it is that I was supposed to do. And at that time, that's when I basically was like,
00:07:35
Speaker
clear on the fact that I needed to become a social worker because of my own life experiences. And that was the main thing my friend used to talk to me about for years, like this wasn't a one-time conversation. She was like, Marthia, you would be a really good social worker because of the things that you have overcome in your life and gone through and you really can help other people.
00:07:57
Speaker
So I fought it tooth and nail into that year of the sabbatical and then I enrolled at the Florida A&M University in their Master of Social Work program and that was the journey to become a social worker.
00:08:11
Speaker
Awesome, awesome. Thank you for that introduction, I guess. And how, you know, I guess as you are working with social workers now, how did your time serving in those roles prepare you to help and career coach others?
From Social Work to Workforce Development
00:08:30
Speaker
Great question. So I intentionally did not leave with my receipts, but Marthia has no problem with marketing herself because that's been something that I teach my career coaching clients
00:08:41
Speaker
So I'm also a three-time award winning workforce development career counselor. So at the time that I was working on my master of social work degree, I worked in a local regional workforce board. So there is a federal law policy that mandates that every state in the country has to deliver workforce development services.
00:09:07
Speaker
And so every region then is required to have a board and local offices. So I worked in that local office as a workforce development career counselor. I view myself only as being a case manager, but that position was life changing. Um, I learned in that position about the glaring inequities in the workforce development, um, delivery system. And basically what I tell people is I got a battery in my bag.
00:09:36
Speaker
because I was just so concerned with the fact that my career seekers that I was serving wasn't really getting the support that they needed. And it was more on the level of policy interpretation. So implicit bias is real. And so one day I was sitting in my cubicle with my coworker who was really into looking at stats and data. She had pulled these reports from another region.
00:10:05
Speaker
And she was like, look, Marthea, in this region, they can do this activity for a lot indefinitely. Whereas in my region, our participants can only do it for a very limited period of time. And so why this matters is because the program heavily mandated the requirement of work activity, which look like volunteering up to 40 hours a week.
00:10:30
Speaker
So we know that time poverty is very real. So if someone is volunteering up to 40 hours a week, how and when will they have time to look for jobs, apply for jobs, go to interviews and do all of the things? And all of this was based on the fact that they were receiving a safety net supplement, right? This is the TANF program. So they were receiving a couple of hundred dollars a month in benefits
00:11:00
Speaker
And so I really became intrigued with understanding why there was such a glaring discrepancy between the assignment of work activities. And the major thing that I walked away from that conversation with was that the racial makeup of the regions were glaringly different.
00:11:18
Speaker
And so it wasn't until I left that position and I was working at another organization that I learned that in 2017, the city that I lived in was identified to be the most economically segregated city in the nation.
00:11:33
Speaker
That was the same year that I was working in that job, the same year that my coworkers showed me that data. And it all made sense. It made sense why we saw the same family cycling in and out of the program year after year, decade after decade. I worked with a lot of OG career counselors, meaning they had been in that organization since the creation of the law that mandated the program. And they would tell me stories about the fact of them
00:12:03
Speaker
having the grandmother on their caseload and having the mother. And then now I have the daughter because I specialize in pregnant parents and youth and young adults. And so I became even more intrigued with how can we really ensure that people get what they need the first time they come through these programs and they don't have to come in and out, in and out of the program because recidivism is high in these programs.
00:12:29
Speaker
Um, and so I really got on a mission to work to address that. And so, um, in that, in that time, I created a career goal to obtain a job where I can be as close as proximate to power as possible to ensure that policy was being interpreted the way that it was supposed to be and that everyone was getting access to the services and support they were.
00:12:58
Speaker
supposed to receive. And so I successfully landed a job doing just that. So basically, I created a career plan in my cubicle. And I was like, these are the issues I see. I want a job where I can fix this, this, and this. And I got a job. And so I was sitting at my desk in that new position. It was the most money I had ever
Creating Systemic Change for Youth
00:13:19
Speaker
made. And I felt like I was changing the world for my population. And it was in that position that I was like,
00:13:27
Speaker
Marcia, you cannot change the world by yourself. And I began to think about all of the phenomenal social workers that I had worked with in my positions prior to that job. And I was like, how can I train more social workers to get into roles like this? Because I was responsible. I was serving as the director of the Team Mom Learning Pathway.
00:13:49
Speaker
where I was responsible for designing, implementing, and leading a career pathway education program that's still in use worldwide to this day for pregnant and parenting youth and young adults. And so it was in that time that I was like, I need to come up with a way that I can help more people get into large scale positions like this. Also largely because the people that I knew back home, because I had to relocate to another city for that job,
00:14:18
Speaker
The people that I knew back home in those frontline case management jobs, they were severely underpaid. I was too when I was in that job. So I was thinking like, if I'm making money like this, just based off of the experience that I got on the front lines, I can help social workers make money, change their life, and change the world. And so that's how I got on the mission of just creating a program
00:14:43
Speaker
career coaching program where I can help more social workers make the pivot in their careers because in the field of social work is unheard of. Macro social workers are considered to be unicorns. People don't believe that we exist. They only think that social workers are in like one-on-one direct service roles. So I created the program and I'm on cohort 10 currently. And that's how I got to that point.
00:15:13
Speaker
That's awesome. I was reading some of your post on LinkedIn and you were talking about how you work to make social lives better because they give so much of themselves to help others while ignoring their own needs and they're severely underpaid. And so I love that you are working with a community that deserves respect financially and gives them time to prioritize themselves after they've dedicated so much of their
00:15:41
Speaker
energy and emotional energy and physical energy to other people. So I love that you have found that mission in what you're doing. And you actually answered one of my next questions, which talks about, you know, what is the value or the output that you get from what you do? And so by already weaving in how you're improving people's lives, I love that you already do that. So thank you for sharing that. One of the terms you use was being a macro social worker. Can you break that down, please?
00:16:10
Speaker
Sure. And also I just want to add on the question that you just covered. An additional value and output that I get from my work is that ultimately by having more passionate change makers out in the world doing this large scale change making work, it's not only
00:16:31
Speaker
improves the lives of the populations that they serve, but ultimately it improves the lives of my population. So it's kind of self-serving, right? I'm helping social workers get out of the world because I want them to create
00:16:46
Speaker
equitable opportunities for their population, but mine as well, right? Workforce development or, excuse me, careers is not like an isolated area of our life. We need access to housing. We need quality housing. We need access to quality transportation. We need safe environments, schools, and communities. So my thinking is by helping other social workers get in the world and work in their respective areas, it will make the world better
00:17:15
Speaker
for pregnant and parenting youth and younger adults as well. So I just wanted to talk about that. And can you repeat the last question? I didn't write it down. I'm a note taker breeder, but I didn't take that one down. It was about, you used the term macro social worker. And can you explain what that term means for somebody who may not be well versed in it? Sure. So macro social workers are
00:17:43
Speaker
A very layman's terms that I like to use sometimes is change makers. We work to repair, create new, or eliminate systems level issues. So instead of focusing on the individual, like some social workers do in counseling services or in case managers, we work to address systems level issues. So what that looks like is
00:18:11
Speaker
Instead of our conversations being targeted to a client or a participant, our conversations are targeted to lawmakers, policy actors, funders over national and global initiatives and efforts. We are at the decision-making table of the theme.
00:18:31
Speaker
We are not even talking to the people, the CEOs and the directors over your local nonprofit. We're way above that level. And the reason that we are needed is because a lot of the times conversations about people's lives and what people need social support wise does not take into effect like the human side of people's needs, right? Usually these conversations are being held by people with business degrees
00:19:01
Speaker
people with JD degrees, people who have not worked in the community with the actual people experiencing the problem. So macro social workers are at the table to add that humanistic perspective of these are real humans that we're talking about. This is what they need. Um, and then also make it more of holistic of an holistic approach. So like I said earlier, we can't talk about jobs without talking about quality, affordable housing.
00:19:30
Speaker
We can't talk about jobs without talking about mass transportation systems. So the importance of macro social workers is that we keep that at the forefront of the conversation while centering the voices of our population. And so we would love for organizations to actually talk with the people that they are creating these products, efforts, initiatives around, but unfortunately that doesn't always happen.
00:19:59
Speaker
So my thoughts are who's better, who else is better than to be in these conversations than social workers who have experience working in the community with the actual people experiencing the problem. And just an example of that, the reason I went and found that direct your position was because of my job as a workforce development career counselor. I heard every day from my career seekers, Ms. Pitts, I don't want a GED, I want my high school diploma.
00:20:27
Speaker
But there were no local programs in my city that supported them being working students, parents. You essentially had to be a traditional student and go sit in the classroom all day. How are you going to do that if you're trying to raise a child and take care of family? So I heard their needs every day, even though the program I was in was designed, it just pushed them in a GED program.
00:20:51
Speaker
or out into work, they were like, I want my high school diploma. So I went and found an online high school that allowed me the opportunity to design a program that would allow them to get a high school diploma while still working to do that and not add anything to their already full place. So macro social workers really work to repair and fix the system, but on a
00:21:17
Speaker
higher, large scale level. Yeah. Wow. Let me ask you this because we live in a capitalist society. I studied business at FAM, so I look at everything with a money lens. But your conversations aren't easily quantifiable. When you want to talk about the holistic human
00:21:38
Speaker
those conversations aren't able to be quantified all the time. So how do you motivate somebody to focus on that holistic human side? How did you influence people to make the changes to focus on the holistic human side when we look at everything with a money lens? How did your negotiations or influencing, how did you do that?
00:22:00
Speaker
Great question. Actually, it can be quantified, right? So my time working in Washington, D.C. at one of the oldest teen tanks in the country, that was oftentimes a question from at least one policy actor in the room around what is the return on investment? Because we're struggling with being able to communicate that with their community stakeholders
00:22:24
Speaker
to get buy-in on why we should dedicate this pot of money to this initiative around workforce development for youth and young adults. And so basically how you do that is you pull the data of looking at how much does it cost to continue to serve the same family, and I'm just using this as an example, the same family decade after decade
00:22:46
Speaker
and a workforce development program rather than giving them access to quality, good paying jobs the first time. So they're not cycling in 20 to 30 years later. So there are macro, excuse me, national organizations out there that specifically look at the return of investment and they create materials and provide technical assistance to aid in those conversations of
00:23:15
Speaker
This is how it affects the bottom line, really. You are really costing yourself more money in the end by not solving the root cause problem. So yeah, my bachelor's is in business too. So I know that's one of the things that I pride my success on is that I'm able to separate my personal from the business because I know business at the end of the day, there's people that only see things in black and white.
00:23:40
Speaker
So there are ways to do that, and that is a large part of the conversation about...
00:23:47
Speaker
what, how are we gonna do this by physically. So, you know, one of the things that I love about your career and what you shared is, you know, how you found your mission, how you knew you wanted to do something bigger and create, contribute at a higher level to society. And with your career coaching, you do that also, I imagine, you know, you're helping social workers find a bigger mission where they can use their skills and gifts to contribute.
00:24:14
Speaker
What questions did you ask yourself to find that mission or what type of internal reflecting did you do to find that mission that you could share with other people to do?
00:24:26
Speaker
Oh, Brandy, you must have been in my week this week.
Building Confidence in Social Work Careers
00:24:31
Speaker
Actually, this week, I facilitated a free workshop for those who follow my work. As of right now, I have over 10,000 social workers worldwide that follow me between all of my platforms, my podcasts, my weekly emails, all of the things. And one of the things that me and my team have learned over the last three years is that
00:24:55
Speaker
Confidence is a major issue, right? And so I facilitated a workshop of around how to push through the fear and show up anyway in your career. And so I shared with them three strategies. These weren't strategies Marthia pulled out of the air. These are strategies I actually use back in my case management days to prepare myself for this work.
00:25:19
Speaker
because I was clear that this is what I was supposed to do and so a lot of that comes around first getting clear on my why and this is what I shared with them on during the workshop creating your why statement actually writing that out
00:25:36
Speaker
and being clear about why you want to do this work, why it's so important, and then revisiting it often. So I always, I'm a believer, Brandon. So I listen to sermons every morning, and one of the things that I've
00:25:52
Speaker
keep hearing on repeating sermons is that if your work is truly what you are supposed to be doing, if it's truly your purpose, it will benefit you first and then benefit other people. So my why statement back in the day, which is still my why statement was, I want to change my life. I'm only making $37,100 in this job.
00:26:16
Speaker
I want to move to thrive in my life. But also at the same time, I want to make certain that my career seekers have access to equitable workforce opportunities. So how I was able to do that was staying centered on my why and making certain that I kept that at the forefront of my mind. So I shared with my people on Thursdays that
00:26:40
Speaker
I had it in my cubicle on my computer. I looked at it every day. I had it on the dashboard of my car. I had it on the back door, the back of my front door, and I would look at it every morning as I walked out the door. So that was how I made certain that I was clear about what I was doing and why it was so important.
00:27:05
Speaker
Awesome. Thank you for sharing those tangible steps. I appreciate it. And I'm sure the audience will too.
00:27:11
Speaker
I want to ask this next question. I mean, you have a rich career. So this is kind of a two part question. I'd love to know what's been your proudest achievement first with the community. So whether it's, you know, working with pregnant women or early childhood education, I'd love to hear what your proudest achievement with the community has been. And then what's been your proudest achievement as a career coach with social workers?
00:27:38
Speaker
So my most proudest achievement with the community, I would say, would be my... For years, now I don't really go out, have my groceries delivered. But for years when I would go into the grocery store, I would see my career seekers for my days in case I'm working on the front lines as a career counselor. And one time, one of my career seekers,
00:28:04
Speaker
Because due to confidentiality, I won't speak to them because I can't acknowledge that I know them. I had a working relationship with them. But they will come to me. So if they initiate the engagement, then it's okay.
00:28:21
Speaker
What I started to notice was that every time when I went out, I would run into one of my career seekers. It would be in the middle of the day. I'm just trying to get some turkey to cook my meal, and somebody's coming up to me, hey, Ms. Pitts, how you doing? Things are going good. This is what's going on, blah, blah, blah. Or I would be in the grocery lot going to Walmart late night to pick up some last minute items, and then my career seekers are in there like,
00:28:46
Speaker
hey, Ms. Pitts, what's going on? This is what I'm doing. This is why I'm working, right? So that became my greatest achievement because that's when I started realizing like, this work is bigger than you. I thought I was just getting a paycheck, even though I was seeing these, you know, these issues, but I would say that's my greatest achievement. Anytime one of my career seekers sees me out and about,
00:29:11
Speaker
and tells me like how they are doing in the world, where they are, the fact that they are now teachers and all of the things that makes me feel good. My achievements for my career clients and my career coaching program is anytime they get a career win, Brandon, I'll get a new job, right? So I'm celebrating. I don't know how to dance.
00:29:39
Speaker
If I knew how to dance, I would do a dance, right? So I actually celebrate their wins harder than they do. So those are my proudest achievements. Anytime that my career coaching clients land a job, that's it. I just recorded a podcast episode with
00:29:59
Speaker
one of my clients earlier this week, which is going to change the game in social work, because it's a black male in social work that has landed not one, but two macro jobs, right? We're already saying macro jobs are unheard of, but he landed two. And I saw him on Monday and I was like, you're looking good. You're looking good. I feel good. He's like, I'm going to sleep now because before he used to work overnight.
00:30:24
Speaker
The fact that he's glowing like that and living like really standing in his being a king, that makes me feel good, right? So I've been on a high about that all week.
00:30:36
Speaker
Respect, respect, respect. Thank you for sharing. So I want to actually ask you to think abstract with this next question. You know, imagine I hired a painter to commemorate your career or what you do into a painting or a picture.
Marthia's Career Legacy and Challenges
00:30:56
Speaker
How would you tell the painter to, what would you tell the painter to draw? What kind of picture would you describe? How would you, you know, how do you encapsulate what you do as just a painting or an image?
00:31:06
Speaker
I would say I would be like standing at the, if there was a, let's say there was an imaginary stage. I would be standing at the stage and everyone would be like, have their back to me and walking.
00:31:18
Speaker
off into the sunset because I love yellow. I love the sunset. The morning is a new day with new beginnings. So people will be walking out into the sunset. And what that would symbolize for me is that people are really able to now live freely because I say that when I got my macro job, my life changed.
00:31:37
Speaker
It changed in every way possible in a good way. I was making more money. Time freedom became real. Before I would be mad waking up in the morning. I normally say another word. I would be mad waking up in the morning.
00:31:53
Speaker
and angry and like, I just felt uncomfortable sitting in the office every day from eight to five. But when I was working my macro jobs, because I'm full time in my business now, I was able to make my own schedule. Oh, I can make my own schedule and come in at one PM. I don't have to rush like a mad woman out of the house to get to the job. So I have time freedom and just freedom to have autonomy in your career.
00:32:20
Speaker
So in that painting, it would be me standing behind them and them walking off into the sunset in whatever direction they want to go because they now have autonomy and they are truly living like the way that they are destined to be. That's awesome. In a beautiful picture, I can envision it now. Girl, do you sometimes have to let certain people go because they aren't ready to make the growth that is necessary to work with you?
00:32:45
Speaker
No, I always move in integrity. But one thing I will say, though, that I'm learning is it is so hard for people to unlearn the things that they have
00:32:59
Speaker
learned prior to meeting me. And so I was telling a friend of mine that a few weeks ago about, oh my gosh, it's so hard. It's hard to get people to move when you see the greatness in them because mindset, confidence is a real issue, right? And I know this personally for myself. And so I always reflect back on where I was as a case manager because I didn't come jump out
00:33:27
Speaker
jump off the front porch the way I am now. This is years of professional development. This is years of my mentors in that case management workforce development job pushing me to speak up in meetings. Marthia, people are waiting to hear from you, right?
00:33:44
Speaker
So, when I am working like that with my career coaching clients, I always say, this is what it felt like for the people back in my life at the end because I know I was stubborn. It's like, what do you mean you want me to talk? No, I'm not on top because I'm a natural introvert. So, I would say that, yes.
00:34:02
Speaker
It is hard, and I'm learning every day that it's hard being a leader, especially when you have the vision. But like my mama told me years ago, you have to learn when people are in a place to receive it.
00:34:20
Speaker
part of your gift is to understand when it's time for you to just back away and let them receive it because people have been trying to give me like move me into my destiny for years and I wouldn't move right and so yeah that's the hardest part and so another thing that I give a good heart to heart right that's when Marthia leaves in we're gonna have a real conversation about what is really happening here but yeah I try to meet where they are and support them on their journey because I know that
00:34:51
Speaker
Fear of change is real. Fear is real. And then also I've recently learned from my dissertation coach that for some people dreaming is scary. Me, I dream every day. I always tell people the life that I'm living now is the dreams that I had back in 2017. It's because I allow myself to dream. But yeah, I'll have a heart to heart in a minute now.
00:35:20
Speaker
If you've mentioned being a woman of faith and that you listen to sermons or motivational speeches daily, would you be willing to share maybe some of the personalities or people you listen to or maybe a favorite book that has been motivational for you?
00:35:36
Speaker
Sure. In 2019, I'm looking at it right now, I started reading, well, it's more of a, it's more like a workbook book book. Y'all are gone. One day my soul just opened up. It was the first book where I actually
00:35:56
Speaker
completed all of the exercises, more of like a journal. And so I completed it from beginning to end. That was when I was in my first macro job. I love to, after my morning devotion and prayer and reading the Bible, I asked God to like,
00:36:16
Speaker
direct me to a sermon that, you know, because you're supposed to meditate on the word. And so usually the first sermon that'll come up is because I searched it also, our sermons by T.D. Jates, but they're also one of his proteges and I'm looking for his name and I probably won't be able to find it right now. Joel Toolman, I believe it is Toolman. I listened to sermons like that. I actually was listening to one right before we logged in.
00:36:45
Speaker
Awesome. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for sharing. Now we're coming towards the end. I have a couple more questions. One of the last questions is usually a pop quiz question that I don't put on to the early sheet because I love to just hear the answer off the fly. So are you ready?
00:37:07
Speaker
Yeah, what you got? So imagine that you are in A&R with a record company, and you've been given an unlimited budget to create the song of your choice, and you get to pick any three musical artists and one producer to make the beat.
Marthia's Creative Inspirations and Invitation
00:37:28
Speaker
Which musical artist and which producer are you picking for the song? Okay, so I'm writing it down.
00:37:38
Speaker
and one producer. So when you were talking about me, you thought of Monica because I've been playing her a lot lately. We've got to have Mary. And then for the third person, I'm gonna say Fantasia or either Maya. I know you said three, look at me giving her four.
00:37:59
Speaker
All good. Tasia is my girl. And then Maya, I've been listening to a lot of her songs. And producer, you gotta be Missy Elliott. True. OK, that's a powerhouse record. I can see you get the songwriting of Monica, the soul of Mary, the powerful voice of Fantasia. And then you get the bop, the nice quality bop for Missy. I love that song. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
00:38:28
Speaker
Well, I appreciate you coming so much onto the show. Um, I want as many people who are listening to this show to maybe reach out to you as a resource and maybe even take your course. Where can they learn more about your, um, uh, what's gonna learn more about your career coaching if they want to use you? Yes. So you can connect with me by visiting my website, macro and paid M A C R O.
00:38:55
Speaker
and it's spelled out A-N-D-P-A-I-D dot com. And just to be clear, I work with social workers primarily, but I work with anyone from any profession other than like the STEM careers who are interested in large scale change making work. I want to help people get in every industry organization type and setting. Like I'm on a mission right now to get somebody in the environmental space that gets someone in
00:39:25
Speaker
the law, like law fields and all of the things to work towards being change makers. So macro unpaid is where you combine me. That's where all of my social media handles are. My home base is Instagram at the underscore MSW coach. I'm going live currently once a week. So you should be able to catch me somewhere between me. And so if you are not a social worker, tell a friend to tell a friend. And follow the MSW coach at macro unpaid.com.
00:39:55
Speaker
Martha, this was awesome. I love doing this show because it's a way for me to continue to learn more about the world and how people contribute to it. And your spirits, your energy is infectious. And I'm so happy that I got to meet you and to come across you. And I feel like I've learned some things that's going to help me become a better person. So thank you for sharing yourself with me and with my audience. I truly appreciate you coming on the show.
00:40:20
Speaker
Thank you for having me, Brandon. And like I shared earlier in all seriousness, the magnitude of what you're doing with your podcast, you probably think about it, but I really don't think you understand how large of an impact you are making by having these conversations because over the years, and even in my days of working in higher ed, I have
00:40:47
Speaker
met students, traditional, non-traditional, who did not know what options they had career-wise, and they just randomly select something off of a sheet of paper. So the fact that you were exposing people to these conversations is needed. Based on the research, we should be exposing our children to conversations about careers in middle school. So the fact that you have your podcast, I love it. Keep up the great work, and thank you for having me.
00:41:16
Speaker
Thank you for those words, thank you for the support, and I wish you success in everything going forward.