Professional Life Crisis

37. Hiatus and a New Project

Link to SaaSfluencer newsletter & podcast [https://saasfluencer.beehiiv.com/subscribe] Listen to the trailer [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2qwIyKLMPVp0p3K1xqr0Iw?si=Cn1i1YN4Q9WDwqwnsmN1ag] In this episode, Amanda announces the hiatus of Professional Life Crisis and announces her new podcast, SaaSfluencer. What can I expect from the SaaSfluencer 🗞 newsletter and 🎙 podcast? In general, I’m sharing tips, tricks, and examples of stellar partnerships between startups and influencers. Episodes with content creators will cover topics like: * Their content creator story * Finding their niche, and what defines their brand's narrative from others * Discussing their favorite past brand collaborations and what made them successful for the creator and the brand * Dissecting some of their most viral videos and why they did so well * Advice for other influencers or brands looking to build successful collaborations in the future Episodes with brands will cover topics like: * Some of the brand's top performing marketing campaigns and why they worked so well * What’s made influencer marketing a successful piece of their overall marketing strategy * Pitfalls or things to avoid when exploring brand and creator collaborations * Solving challenges like attribution, budgeting, contracting and other high-headache-potential topics that can be avoided! Subscribe here: https://saasfluencer.beehiiv.com/subscribe [https://saasfluencer.beehiiv.com/subscribe]

36. Making Room for Creativity in Your Corporate Career with Jenna Masi

This episode of Professional Life Crisis features my friend and fellow podcaster, ⁠Jenna Masi⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-masi-5ba65136/]. Jenna is an ex-KPMG consultant, ex-Chief of Staff and currently exploring themes around creativity in her career, and the career journeys of others. In this episode: * We delve into Jenna's experience in consulting (which, hint: was far better and cooler than mine!) and how the Innovation Lab at KPMG laid the foundation for her interest in startups. (You too can find startup-y experiences in consulting if you’re looking in the right places!) * Finding the right fit after leaving the innovation lab- after exploring the marketing or product routes, she eventually landed on the Chief of Staff role. We talked about which skills translated and which didn’t coming from a more corporate background into the CoS role at a scrappy startup. * How sabbaticals have helped Jenna’s career on a number of occasions (and not all the sabbaticals were formal!) * A day in her career when everything went wrong: how to pivot when the client hates your work, and still salvage the engagement by thinking on your feet and not being attached to your work.

35. Listening to Your Gut & Finding Clarity in a Career Transition with Lindsay Martinez

In this episode, I sit down with Lindsay Martinez [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-j-martinez/] to discuss her journey from corporate consulting to finding fulfillment in her bridge jobs, and as a career coach. We cover important topics like recognizing when to leave a corporate job, that a bridge job is nothing to be ashamed of if it helps you get where you want to go, and how to listen to your gut while navigating career and personal life changes. In the episode we cover: * What is a bridge job (it’s not just being a barista or bartender!) and why it’s actually a strong move to take a bridge job over rolling into another full time, high stress position. * How to get clear when to leave your corporate job? Hint: if the option is a mental health facility or quitting- it’s time to quit. * How to handle pressure from friends and family when you and your partner have different career trajectories, and they question their caliber just for having different career values. * Practicing listening to your OWN gut more than you listen to other people’s opinions of what you should or shouldn’t do. After all, it’s you, not them who has to show up in your career for the next 40 years. * We play my new game: “What’s your dirty little work secret?” where Lindsay shares a frankly hilarious and embarrassing thing she should have known as a consultant but…didn’t. Brave and willing to share your embarrassing work story [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesumvZvkd4MBkfZIm-dTFi8TIsZ-T7bt6SodDqxH_OgcIm2g/viewform?usp=sf_link] so we can all feel a bit better about the dumb sh*t we do at work? Don’t worry, all stories remain anonymous- neither of us wants to get a call from your boss. If you’ve enjoyed these career chats: tell a friend about Professional Life Crisis, and even better, subscribe on Youtube! Thanks for being here 🫶🏼 -Amanda This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amandabranson.substack.com [https://amandabranson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

34. Mastering Full-Stack Marketing with Ruka Osoba

In this episode, I sit down with Ruka Osoba [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruka-osoba/], a seasoned marketer and entrepreneur, to delve into her expansive career in marketing, her journey into the startup world, and advice for moonlighting a startup. In this episode: * We delve into what it means to be a “full-stack marketer,” and Ruka clears up a common misconception about content marketing. * Ruka talks about the challenges of juggling a full-time job while running a startup, and her insights on the importance of time management and the power of learning to say “no.” * Ruka opens up about imposter syndrome and recounts a personal story of missing an important deadline at work, which taught her the valuable lesson of not self-sabotaging her work. * We play my new game: “What’s your dirty little work secret?” where Ruka talks about the embarrassing thing she should know as a marketer, but apparently still needs a little cheat sheet for 🤫 If you’ve enjoyed these career chats: tell a friend about Professional Life Crisis, and even better, subscribe on Youtube! Thanks for being here 🫶🏼 -Amanda This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amandabranson.substack.com [https://amandabranson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

33. Taking Nothing for Granted: Bo Abrams on Health, his Career Crisis, and Founding Kommu

Welcome back to Professional Life Crisis! This week we’re going on a rollercoaster with our guest, Bo Abrahams. Ex-Hedge Fund Analyst, Co-Founder of Kommu, an app to swap homes with people in your network. We discuss: * Bo opened up about his personal health experiences that heavily influenced his career choices at various points in his life, including a debilitating illness during college and the story of his HS friend Mallory, who unfortunately passed as a result of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). These experiences led him toward business school to pursue a career in Venture Health. * Getting to business school and realizing that Venture Health wasn’t actually his strong suit, and he wasn’t going to be one of the top contributors to the space, and that he should instead focus on a problem that he feels well equipped to solve. * Bo talks about the financial pressures of business school, including spending heavily on GMAT tutors and application fees, which led to accumulating credit card debt just to keep up with his peers and the expenses related to traveling. * So… Bo and his co-founder started Kommu, a platform for finding short-term places to stay based on your network, rather than paying for Airbnb or a hotel. * To wrap it up, Bo gave some advice for your early career- rip the bandaid off if you’re going for a goal (like studying for the GMAT to get into business school)- commit to it for a set period of time, and give it 100%. Don’t prolong the suffering, spread it out too much or half ass it. Spending too much for hotels or rentals when you're traveling? Try kommu. With tons of homes listed for anything but a profit, you're sure to find a lot of incredible options. Don't want your home to sit empty while you're on the road for business or pleasure? List with kommu and avoid paying double rent. Download kommu today [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kommu/id6443475818] If you feel so compelled to share this week’s episode with a friend, and subscribe on Youtube, I would love that. Thanks for being here 🫶🏼 -Amanda This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amandabranson.substack.com [https://amandabranson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]