[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign welcome to another episode of Strategic Minds Making Money Moves where we do those strategies to do what? Make that green rain. Today. I am so happy to have Christina Newton here with us. And she's going to talk about her nonprofit. Welcome, Christina.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Hi, Vicki. Thank you so much for having me.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Oh, thank you so much for being here. It's an honor.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:00:49] Speaker A: It's an honor to have you here. Why don't you tell the audience a little bit about your nonprofit?
[00:00:54] Speaker B: Yeah. So I am the founder and executive director of a nonprofit organization called Hype. Hype stands for hope for youth through providing education. And we provide tech education for girls of color. Our mission is to empower historically underrepresented girls in tech to thrive as future leaders in our 21st century careers.
[00:01:16] Speaker A: Wow. What a great nonprofit. How long have you been in business?
[00:01:20] Speaker B: We are going on five years. Wow.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: Yes. That deserves.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: We are hitting the five year milestone.
[00:01:27] Speaker A: Well, congratulations. And finding it and being the founder as well as those five years of success. Why don't we talk about what you'd like to discuss today?
[00:01:37] Speaker B: Yeah, so I'll just share a little bit about, like, how I got into starting Hype. So I am a computer engineer by trade, and so a lot of what we do at Hype is very personal.
[00:01:51] Speaker A: Right.
[00:01:51] Speaker B: To me, my story, my experience, and being a woman of color in the tech space. And so I of course, understand how important community is and representation is to a woman feeling as if she can climb the corporate ladder in technology and feeling as if a career in tech is meant for her. And what we do is provide community education. We help young girls in middle and high school feel confident about the skills that they're gaining, feel confident about their leadership. We provide scholarships and resources and really equip them with everything that they need to again thrive as leaders. And we do this for free. So the girls who participate in our program, most of them attend Title 1 schools. They live in some of our lower income communities. They likely would not choose to participate in a STEM or a tech program if finances were a barrier or if they had to pay for it. And because of this, we have been able to really leverage Philip philanthropic giving through corporate sponsorships, grants. That is a huge part of our revenue stream. However, partnerships may end. You know, sponsorships may or may not come through. And we want to continue to provide these really meaningful opportunities to girls. And we are looking to diversify our revenue stream by tapping into the individual giving market. And we're finding that individuals understand the problem. The numbers don't lie. They Understand that black and brown women are underrepresented. They understand that computing and technology careers are the fastest growing and highest paying occupations. And so our young girls are being left out of this economic opportunity. What we don't see is how they feel that they should contribute or can contribute towards making sure that the future and the next generation of girls of color and women of color are equipped to take advantage of this economic opportunity. And so we really want to tap into the individual giving so that we can increase our individual donor base.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: That's awesome. And you know, being in tech and a woman of color, all I can say is, go girl, go and get as many as you can. But you know, it's interesting. There are a lot of organizations, you know, that have the desire to do this. I like the fact that you've been around for five years, you've been able to get corporate sponsorships and get in through their philanthropic arm of being able to get back to the community. But one of the things I think that we have to consider when we start thinking about individuals is it's all about what they call behavioral economics. Behavioral economics is what we look at when we figure and understand.
It really doesn't, if you think about it just in terms of dollars and cents, it doesn't make sense to give money to a nonprofit. You're getting no ROI on it, you're not making money on it. From an economic point perspective, from a social perspective, and being able to want to give it makes a whole lot of sense. So what happens is, is when we deal with economic, when we deal with behavioral economics, we have to understand how many donors are there that are just going through the motions, how many donors are there that are engaged, and how many donors that may be going through the motion, but they're continuous, they're continuous in their efforts.
And so because of that, it's important for us to understand the statistics of our current donors. The one thing you don't want to do is lose what you have currently. Any recurring donors that you have, anybody that's out there, we definitely don't want to lose. But how do we capitalize off of that to get to the individual? And if we can get to individuals, the things that make individuals give, we got to understand why, what is it. So when someone gives as an individual and it's a personal connection, those are the ones that you want to get on video, you want to get their content about because something happened to them. They're very passionate about it. Those are also the ones that you want to have personalized donor pages so that their personalized donor pages when they can tell their own story. This is what happened to me and this is why this is so important to me. And I really would appreciate your giving, you know, in terms of supporting this organization, et cetera. Well, because I'm a friend of yours and I know that's what happened to you. I'm going to give because I'm going to support you. You begin to make that individual continue to move from one to the other, you know, as you continue to make that happen. And I think that that becomes important because we all know there's thousands and thousands of charities that we could give to. There are many, many nonprofits that do the same thing. But something had to draw on my heartstring. So that brings me to the next question. What types of programs do you offer specifically in this arena as you're trying to gain these girls and give them opportunities to stem?
[00:07:15] Speaker B: Yeah. So thank you for that question. Right now, STEM is a hot topic, right? And it is because of where we are going, as you know, where the world is going when it comes to careers. STEM is a very hot topic. And a lot of times when I tell people about my organization, they ask me, am I familiar with girls who code? Right. Or black girls code. These are, I would say, the two most well known organizations that focus on tech education. Or I would say STEM exposure for girls. And what we do, what I really believe sets hype apart is that we go beyond exposure into empowerment. And again, being someone that came from the tech space understanding that girls need more than just to learn to learn how to code. And they need more than just to know that coding is a skill that exists or technology is a career that exists. And so what we do is all of our programs are multi week program opportunities. So we work with a cohort model of students. A girl in grade six through 12 can join an after school program. They can be a part of a club and over the course of 12 weeks, they not only learn how to code, but they build community and they get a chance to meet with other women in tech professionals so they connect with mentors. We have alumni programming for our high school students after they learn how to code and have gotten engaged in technology. Now we want to build leadership development and college and career readiness for them. And so with the Leadership Academy, Again, it's a 10 week program where they get a chance to learn how to write a resume, they learn how to interview.
We talk to them about personal branding, financial literacy, creating a LinkedIn account and then we connect them to paid high school internships as well.
[00:09:06] Speaker A: So we're going to continue this thought. Let's take a station break. And when we come back, I want to talk a little bit more about these programs and your fundraising. We'll be right back.
[00:09:19] Speaker C: Strategic Minds Making money moves with Vicki Wright Hamilton focuses on helping entrepreneurs to overcome their business challenges to help increase their bottom line. Each episode provides strategies for growth and transformation. Watch Vicki share her 20 plus years of experience as a corporate executive to help entrepreneurs level up.
[00:09:47] Speaker A: Welcome back. So as you were talking about these programs and you're saying that's what sets you apart is being able to not just introduce, but empower them. What are your fundraising events? Do you have them?
[00:09:59] Speaker B: We actually do. We have one annual fundraiser that last year was our first year doing a fund, making it a fundraiser event. It's called Hype Night. It's actually coming up soon on October 13th.
And we love to give our girls a chance to shine. We love to showcase what our students can do. And Hype Night is an opportunity for our students to compete against women in tech professionals. It's a game night. It's like Family Feud meets Jeopardy. Meets Are you smarter than a fifth grader? And attendees come as live studio audience members. So they watch this competition.
We're all vying for our scholars, of course, to win. And they get a chance to hear, you know, listen to music and eat and drink and just really enjoy a good time while also seeing who our students are and hearing what they're doing, what they're learning and connect to the mission. So Hype Night is an annual fundraiser event that also includes raffles and things like that over the course of the night. And that is the only fundraiser that we have that is an event that occurs every year. But we also have an opportunity for individuals to sponsor a student. So our monthly giving. Sponsor a student program is what we really want to activate individuals into. And through that sponsor a student opportunity, they also get a chance to connect personally with the students that they are sponsoring through our programs.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: So on your event night, do you do individual giving?
[00:11:35] Speaker B: We do. We do. We do a text to give, kind of. Yeah.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: Okay, so you do a text to give to be able to do that.
When you get your text to give data, do you look at any of that data to see the people that are asking to, you know, the people that are donating and then doing research further, who are they connected to, looking at who they.
Especially when we talk about LinkedIn and Facebook and Instagram, there's all these different social medias, right? And they call. They have something called social scooping, where it's where you go out and you look at all the social media, see who the likes are. You see who's posting about what cause.
You have people that are researching to find out bios, where they came from, schools they went to, et cetera. You would be surprised that the number of individual giving that can happen from a connection of an alumni just from school. I'll give you an example. So I went to Spelman College. Love my Spelman College. That's right.
You know, but I have an affinity. My mother used to be dean there. So, you know, but anyway, I went to Spelman College and I had.
And there was another Spelman alumni, right. And she is an advocate, I mean, just loves communications. And she was supporting a nonprofit that was working in helping get more people of color in the communications field in terms of everything that it offered, not just journalism, but actually speaking, et cetera. And so when she connected, she went to all her alumni. And what happened was, is that as we were all good friends, we wanted to support her. So we began to give money to the nonprofit that she was trying to get through to help on communication. And their individual donor increased because we got engagement from that, because not only did we sponsor it, but then when they had an event, she invited us.
[00:13:50] Speaker B: Yeah, right.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: So now we get further engagement and what we're doing. And I think every alumni too, I mean, almost to.
I think to each individual sponsored somebody or something. Wow.
[00:14:05] Speaker B: Yeah, right. And I love that because we do. We try to thank our donors, you know, we try to get them connected to what we're doing. And we spend a lot of time activating our students, understanding their stories, recording their stories, giving them a chance to kind of talk about what the program has meant for them. But we've never really considered doing the same with our donors, especially the recurring ones, understanding their story, why they give, and helping you, allowing them to activate other potential givers or donors.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: So, yeah, and it's one of those things that on the night of your event, you can play a video of individuals talking about why they're doing right and that tell their personal story. Get a donor that has a personal story, and guess what? You're one. Right. Why am I doing this in the first place? Telling your story. And it's about telling the impacts. It's about. Because everything's about the feelings. Everything is about how you make somebody feel, how they come across with how they connect with you. And Those feelings of, I can relate to that. I understand that. I've been there before. I know what that means. Allows the ability for you to be able to continue to expand. And that's what we want to do for individual donors. So play those videos at those events, right? Let that personal story of your donors come out. Get more and more research of data. I can't tell you. You could hire 100 research analysts and still not have enough because there's so much data and content out there that we have to focus it, but focus it on things that really matter.
I know I have a few friends that were executive directors of nonprofits. As long as they were there, I gave. But why did I give? Because I was supporting them, right? I understood their cause, but I was supporting them, right? And so they leave. Now what happens? I'm no longer a donor, but nobody came after me either. Nobody came and asked me about it either. So I just think those are things that we can do to keep going. We're going to take a station break and when we come back, we're going to see if we have a question or a comment from the audience. We'll be right back.
[00:16:26] Speaker C: Strategic Minds Making Money Moves with Vicki Wright Hamilton focuses on helping entrepreneurs to overcome their business challenges to help increase their bottom line. Each episode provides strategies for growth and transformation. Watch Vicki share her 20 plus years of experience as a corporate executive to help entrepreneurs level up.
[00:16:55] Speaker A: Welcome back. So let's continue this conversation, Christina, as we continue to talk. Because, you know, I didn't know anything about height, right?
[00:17:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:04] Speaker A: And so, and I'm a technologist and a woman of color. So it's like when I read about it, I was like, oh, my gosh, what a great organization. And then I started looking at the people associated and I was like, I know that person, I know that person. I know that person. But I never heard anything right. So I think our messages through others can carry a loud voice in terms of getting people to get on board individually as you move forward.
And then when there are civic organizations, social change organizations, organizations that are about, we have the underprivileged now, think about this idea. We think outside of the box.
We talk about affordable housing. We talk about having an affordable housing community.
What would it be if you could partner with the development that's creating the affordable housing and create a program inside the community of that affordable housing in order to help these black young girls see, feel, hear and do the things in technology as a program?
So now you're part of something bigger. When People start thinking about affordable housing communities. You're now a community that sets you apart from somebody who just says, oh, we offer these programs and we have these events. You are now tied in to a community, A community that the next affordable housing place they go to, the next community outreach they go to. They think about you.
[00:18:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: I also think about that when I think about where our, our youth goes when they don't have anything else. It's Boys and Girls Clubs and it's to the ymca.
[00:19:00] Speaker B: Ymca, right.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: And when you think about that, how can you partner and leverage with them?
[00:19:06] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:06] Speaker A: What is it that you can give and being able to do that even. It's. I'm just gonna put on a. That game night you do with the others. Do the games in a, in a ymca, do the games in a boys club. Make it a little different. But giving something where you're still getting the message across and able to get these girls excited about the spectrum of what you and I already know, that there's so much opportunity in technology.
[00:19:33] Speaker B: Yeah, no, that's great. We recently partnered with the Boys and Girls Club this summer. That's awesome. For summer camps, but. Yeah, that's a really great idea.
[00:19:39] Speaker A: That's awesome. And after school programs. Don't forget about after school programs because all of these mothers and parents trying to figure out what to do with their kids because they gotta work till 6 and 7 o'clock. Right. In terms of making it happen. Let's see if we have a question or a comment from the audience.
[00:19:54] Speaker D: Hi, my name is Charlyn Hendricks. I am the founder and president of Amazing Works Incorporated. So my question is, I love your program. I think you're doing some amazing things and I love the information that Vicki is giving you as well. It's great. But with so many nonprofit organizations doing very similar programs and things that you do, what sets you apart? What makes you special? To want donors, to want to give to even like an angel donor or, you know what, what sets you apart to really make them want to give to you?
[00:20:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Thank you so much for that question because I actually didn't get a chance to share one of our signature program and opportunities, which is called the Hype International Experience. And we are connected to our students, I would say, in a way that many other nonprofit organizations that teach or do STEM education aren't connected to their students. And we have a Train the Trainer model that looks different than your traditional Train the Trainer model. This Train the Trainer model trains students in coding and technology, and then they become eligible to become Trainers internationally, they become eligible to lead a one week coding camp for other students in underdeveloped countries. And this trip is free, so we expense the entire trip. We've done two in the past. One to Nicaragua and one to Jamaica. And what we're doing is again, empowering students with confidence of if I can teach someone else how to code, oh, I must know what I'm talking about. If we can show them a world outside of their community. Right. And the four corners that they live in, then their dreams become bigger because their reality just from that one week experience has grown. And if we can teach them the importance of giving back, then they learn how to become servant leaders that are very attractive to companies and corporations in the future. And this is something that no other STEM education nonprofit organization is doing.
[00:21:49] Speaker A: Okay, I want to sign up. You need to let me know how I need to give, because I'm going to tell you that is right on time. Thank you so much for your question.
Sure.
[00:21:58] Speaker D: So the thing is, that is phenomenal, just like Vicki said. And I would say with your organization is already great. It's already massive. I would say to even think bigger, like, as far as what you know you can have, sometimes it's just about us believing that we can have that because you're empowering and affecting so many young people in such a major way. And the thing about it, it's just not affecting young people. It's affecting their parents. It's affecting their community and everyone around them. So I would just challenge you to know that you can have the bigger. You can have a conversation with the venture capitalists. You can have money beyond what you can even imagine because your company is already there, there.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:22:41] Speaker A: Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, the other thing before we close, I just have to say this. You know, especially when you go to other countries international and. And this is another out of the box thinking. We have a lot of international sports players.
They have foundations, and they're looking to take things back to their countries. What a phenomenal opportunity for you to partner and be the one to give back.
[00:23:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:10] Speaker A: So I just want to leave you with that thought.
[00:23:12] Speaker B: Thank you so much.
[00:23:13] Speaker A: Oh, my pleasure. Can you join me in thanking my guest today?
I really appreciate it, Christina.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: No, I appreciate you.
[00:23:22] Speaker A: Thank you so much for joining us on another episode of Strategic Minds Making Money Moves where we talk about those strategies to do what make that green rain. See you next time.
[00:23:38] Speaker C: Strategic Minds Making Money Moves with Vicki Wright Hamilton focuses on helping entrepreneurs to overcome their business challenges to help increase their Bottom line, each episode provides strategies for growth and transformation. Watch Vicki share her 20 plus years of experience as a corporate executive to help entrepreneurs level up.
[00:24:02] Speaker A: Foreign.
Hi, I'm Vicki Wright Hamilton and welcome to Ignite. Are you ready to spark your passion and fuel your leadership journey? This is where ambition meets action and the transformation begins. Let's light the fire and keep it burning. So we have a guest today that's definitely going to light your fire. It is my honor and pleasure to welcome Alana Pollock Reese to the show. Hi, Alana.
[00:24:37] Speaker E: Hi. How are you?
[00:24:38] Speaker A: I'm great. How are you?
[00:24:40] Speaker E: I am good. Thank you for having me.
[00:24:42] Speaker A: Oh, thank you so much for being here. Would you share with our audience a little bit about what you do?
[00:24:47] Speaker E: Oh, absolutely. So I am the founder of a company called Success Compass, which is really about coaching and navigating to help you live an aligned life. So what does that mean? It means what we define as success has to really resonate with who we are. And I help people figure that out and get there.
[00:25:12] Speaker A: Fantastic. Fantastic. Well, you know, as we say, we want to thrive in 2025 and this is the time of season that people are really wanting to make sure that they start off in that true success mode for 2025 and to get going. But we know it all begins with mindset and getting our minds right. I'd love to get your perspective on how you handle dealing with minds and mindset with your clients as you move forward.
[00:25:43] Speaker E: Oh, I love that question. I think mindset is the backbone for everything. You could be doing something that you thought you loved and be miserable at it or that you're really good at and be miserable at it if you're not in the right state of mind. So with my clients, there are so many things we focus on that relate to mindset, particularly if we're going through a job search.
So a couple things to that. The first is the job search process can be really long and it can be really cumbersome. People know about the first phase, which is getting your resume set, getting your LinkedIn profile up to date and feeling like, okay, I know what positions I'm going to apply for. And people know the last phase, which is all about I gotta be buttoned up on my interviews. But this middle phase, which I call phase two, is really the long slog and requires a lot of mindset help.
And people who, let's say, are really good at climbing a mountain or running a marathon or doing something that is a very long term goal tend to have the right mindset. But when it comes to job search specifically or anything else in life, it's one of the first things is really recognizing that it's a long term goal and how do you get there. Right. And breaking it down into small steps if you want to do day by day, really having a lot of structure in place to get you there. So yes, mindset is the backbone of all of it.
[00:27:09] Speaker A: You know, it's really interesting, Alana, that you say that because one of the things is, is that we're a microwave society. We want everything instantaneously. And when you are dealing with searching for a job, the first thing you're thinking about, especially if you're not working, is how am I going to pay my bills, how am I going to feed my family? And how am I supposed to be calm, patient, work towards that knowing it's a long term thing if I need something right now. So I'd love to get your perspective on guidance and how do you talk to some of your potential clients and people that are having this issue on how do you deal with that gap? How do you make sure that you're not going emotionally and mentally crazy while you're trying to wait on that long term effect?
[00:28:02] Speaker E: Yeah, it's a really important question. When people are looking for a job, they're either employed, which is one scenario where you really want to find that next job that's ideal, that perfect dream job, or to your point, they're not employed, in which case it becomes a little bit of a grab and go, what can you do? What can I get? And I do believe when you have that desperation, that energy comes across and you're a little bit less attractive as a client, as a prospective candidate.
So. But there is a reality to that. So one of the things that I work with my clients on is first of all, if you're eligible, have you filed for unemployment? Because a lot of people will think that they're not eligible or they're ashamed of filing for unemployment benefits. And the reality is the benefits are designed for us. So if you're laid off from a position and you're eligible for unemployment benefits, sign up for unemployment benefits. It's a stopgap. It may not provide you with the same income level that you were at, but it's something to kind of take the edge off, off while you're looking. Another thing is taking a part time job doing a something as a gig on this something that's been a side gig or something you've always thought of. Why not pursue that while you're job hunting again, it may not be ultimately what's going to bring you a ton of money or it may not be your, your dream end goal, but it is a stopgap and something that can not only bring you some cash flow, but while you need it, but it can keep your skills sharp and keep you focused. It's really hard when you're looking for a job. To spend 24 hours a day looking for a job, it's, it's exhausting. I like to say it's very unlikely that you're going to sprint a marathon. There are some that can do it. You know, if you're a marathon runner and you win the race, that's great. It's really unlikely for the average person.
Instead you probably will have like spurts and starts. So sometimes where you're, you're pushing hard and other times where you're feeling defeated or you're tired and that's normal, right? Those are cycles. But if you have something to do on the side that keeps you focused and keeps you engaged outside of your moments of job search, it will be so beneficial for you, for your mindset especially. And one of the things that can happen, and it has happened for many of my clients while they're doing that side gig or that part time thing or that less than optimal job, but it's something to pay the bills. They actually find that they will meet people and network with people who ultimately lead them to the job that they want.
[00:30:46] Speaker A: You know, it's really interesting because one of the things that when I think about, you know, let's do something while we're waiting for that job. If you take a hobby and you do it well, it can become a business before you know it, be starting a new business as you're doing things, you know, that you enjoy doing, but you can get a little payment for, you know, as you're doing for that part time work or trying to get some income in and then you can begin to build. Oh my gosh, you know, before I know it, this is something I really love and I'm starting a new business, you know, in terms of moving forward too. And I know that, you know, as we deal with the beginning of the year and there are a lot of changes in our economy, there's a lot of changes that are happening around the world. You know, in terms of we hear people getting laid off, we hear companies backing out, we hear AI taking over things. There's a lot of concern that's out there. And I know that as we begin, you Know, as coaches trying to help our clientele get through those concerns and work through that internal trauma they're having as they're waiting, it can become for that individual that I'm still worried about what I'm going to do because I'm not at that standpoint. But that networking is so important because applying for a job is only a Social Security. Putting a number in a resume, in a system, but finding somebody in the company that can walk that resume in or talk about you begins a whole new, different conversation. So I'd like to change the conversation a little bit from your perspective, how you help your clients holistically as they're going through that piece of I gotta go network and I really don't want to or I'm not that kind of person.
[00:32:45] Speaker E: Yeah, that's a huge insight right there, Vicki. A huge insight.
70% of jobs listed are not what you're going to see on job job boards. They're actually through other people. Like the hidden job market is what it's called. And 80 to 85% of jobs landed are actually through networking and talking to people. I mean, that's huge. That's the majority of what's going to get you there in the first place. So there are a couple of, of points to what you just said. There's actually a lot, a lot in there to unpack. The first is, yes, networking is tremendously useful. And to your point, with AI and everything that's coming out now, when somebody is submitting a job application as a candidate online, they see a posting, I'm going to apply for this job. You have so much competition, so much competition. And with AI out there, one of the things that happens is people say, oh, I'm going to just use AI to write my resume and cover letter and submit it. And so instead of the hiring manager having a couple of dozen applicants to look through, they have hundreds. Hundreds, I dare say thousands. I don't know, but at least hundreds. And if you have this pile of resumes and you are the perfect person and you're somewhere in the middle or at the bottom of this pile, they're not even going to get to you. So, yes, that is super helpful to know that the backdoor way is by networking.
[00:34:13] Speaker A: You know, I want to finish this conversation. We're going to take a station break and we'll be right back.
[00:34:22] Speaker C: Strategic Minds Making Money Moves with Vicki Wright Hamilton focuses on helping entrepreneurs to overcome their business challenges. To help increase their bottom line. Each episode provides strategies for growth and transformation. Watch Vicki share her 20 plus years of experience as a corporate executive to help entrepreneurs level up.
[00:34:50] Speaker A: Welcome back. And if you missed that first segment, boy, let me tell you, you want to go back and listen to it. Alana gave us a lot of great information and statistics on research that I just find fascinating when you start to think about how people are getting jobs and what's happening in the market. But I'd love to continue that conversation. You know, once you're getting that resume and you're moving forward, what's the next step in your process?
[00:35:18] Speaker E: So I break the application process into three phases, and phase two is really that next step where we're talking about networking. We were just talking about that before the break. Where networking is such a key component to helping you ultimately land a job.
And there are people who are shy with networking or introverted and really uncomfortable with the concept of networking. So one of the things we talk about is how do you network in a way that doesn't feel icky? There's a. There's a lot of opportunity out there. For example, if you reach out to people that you are friends with that you haven't talked to in a long time, you are suddenly networking. And it doesn't have to be, hi, Jane, we haven't talked in a while. Do you have a job? No, no, no, no. It's about relationships. It's Jane, how are you? How's your family? What has been going on? I heard you moved, et cetera, et cetera. Let me tell you a little bit about what's going on in my life, and then it goes from there. So the first step in networking is really just reconnecting with people that you have a relationship with already.
[00:36:26] Speaker A: I love what you just said about reconnecting, because you can say, I'm networking, but there's a connection versus a relationship.
[00:36:34] Speaker E: I love that a hundred percent. The idea of networking where you're reaching out to somebody who's at a high level of a company, who's a complete stranger, is absolutely doable. But I think it's daunting for a lot of people. It's really easy to work your way up to it by reaching out to people that you already have a rapport with, that you have a relationship with. And then there's that in between piece where you can reach out to somebody that your connection knows. So at the end of any conversation you have with a current friend, a new friend you can always end it with, you know, so great catching up with you. Can you think of anybody else that would be Helpful for me to talk to as I'm looking for this company opportunity, industry or what have you.
[00:37:20] Speaker A: Great advice. Great, great advice. And I think that's so pertinent today, especially as we have so many people looking because, you know, I always tell people when, to your point, when they get hundreds of resumes. If you have five people in a company, go to the hiring manager and mention your name. That brand is something they'll be like, wait a minute, I heard this name five times. I got to talk to this person. The power in your brand, which is your name, is so important that you want it to be mentioned over and over and over again. So it's like, I found my candidate for the job. You got to talk to this person in terms of what happened because there is so much competition that's out there as you continue to move forward. One of the other things I tell people is to go to organization events that are within your industry so you can talk to someone. It's like, I don't have to find something common to talk about. We're talking about the industry, we're talking about the function. We have something in common. So it's not so much that I'm feeling as though, you know, I'm intimidated, you know, as I do it.
And I. I used to tell some of my mentees, when you go to an event, you look at the attendee list and you put your name tag on stand next to the table, find out who's come, you know, whose name is on there and going to be there and say, I'm going to target these people that I want to talk to. So that you're very intentional about that. Great advice, great advice. Now, I know that you also do things holistically. It's not just about the resume, it's not just about getting what you want out of the job, but who you are as a person and actually talking about, how do I find that fulfillment? I'd love to discuss that further. Would you love to share? I'd love for you to share with the audience.
[00:39:07] Speaker E: Oh, wow. So it's really important to me that you, the collective you, when you're looking for a job, you're figuring out what does success mean to you. We as individuals have our own definition of success. And for so long, so many of us very often look externally for measurements of success. So I know, for example, in my own career, I always was looking for success through the standard metrics of climbing a corporate ladder until I got to a point where I had a lot going on in my life outside of work, that required my attention. I'm a single mom and my kids needed me. So I had to kind of pivot what. How I defined success in order for me to be aligned, in order for me to find what I was looking for. And I do find a lot of times my clients are. They know. They know internally really what success means to them, but they're kind of. They need someone to help them be okay with it because it's not always what they're told success is supposed to be. So, yes, that is part of, like the holistic component of how I work with people is understanding and helping them understand what do you need to do to feel aligned? And that alignment is ultimately going to be your success. As you define it, you get to.
[00:40:35] Speaker A: Define what is success, you know, and that's a. That's the powerful word. You get to define what success is. It's not someone else's definition. Success comes from within. And I think that is so powerful. You know, as you're talking about, you know, we all have to be comfortable with what we're doing, and we need to define what's important to us, for us, because it's our life, after all. Right. We're living our dash of our why nobody else is living it. Right. So that's extremely important. And I appreciate, you know, that insight, but, you know, in your explanation of even what you do within your business, I know it's broader than that. I'd love to understand some of the other aspects that you can share with the audience of what you're doing within your organization's with individuals.
[00:41:30] Speaker E: One of the things that I like to focus on is communication, communication skills. It comes through when you're interviewing. It comes through when you're networking, specifically on the job search side. However, it's really helpful within an organization when somebody needs help on presentation skills. It's really helpful in communicating if maybe English isn't your first language, it's really helpful with. If you have a seat at the table, opening your mouth and speaking up and being okay with that, that confidence, that's something that I work on with my clients as well. So it can be daunting for people. And I think when we holistically look at our strengths, we look at our accomplishments, we look at our success stories, we can turn it into something that helps us present that outward and that becomes useful across work life, it really across everything.
[00:42:28] Speaker A: So do you have a few tips you would love to share with the audience that they can do to actually have a Seat at the table, be comfortable at the table and have that confidence, because so many people suffer from that.
[00:42:40] Speaker E: Yeah, that's the imposter syndrome to the max. We all have it. We all have it. And, you know, if you talk to any really, really famous celebrity, they will talk about times where they felt the imposter syndrome, too. So we all have it. But one of the things I like to encourage people to do is to reflect back at something you've succeeded at. Something. Two things, something you've succeeded at. So you can remind yourself of, like, hey, I can do this, whatever this is. And then another thing is to give yourself ways to have small wins, to reinforce that feeling of accomplishment, because you have done things, you have done difficult things, you've accomplished things you've achieved, things you've been successful. Bring that energy with you, and you will. You will sail.
[00:43:30] Speaker A: You know, I'd love to get your perspective on something. One of the things that I truly believe after doing a lot of research about the human brain and what we can take in and those things, is that if we set unrealistic goals, our brain doesn't know how to handle negativity over and over again, which causes some of the emotional challenges that we go through. But if we can set realistic goals that we can achieve, the brain likes to celebrate. It's like on the internal. I want to celebrate success. I want to celebrate that I've done this. I want to celebrate I've done that. Have you found that to be the case as well?
[00:44:06] Speaker E: 100%. 100%. To celebrate your wins every single day. I like to do it before I go to bed to think of, like, what great thing happened today? And it puts in my brain this idea of, like, hey, you've done great things, great things have happened. And it reinforces it again and again. You can wake up the next day and be like, I had a great day yesterday. Today is going to be great, too. That's on a subconscious level and on a more conscious level. Yeah, it's that idea of writing down something successful that you've done. And it can be small. It can be like, I didn't spill my coffee when I had my drink this morning.
[00:44:44] Speaker A: Yay.
[00:44:47] Speaker E: Write it down and look at that. I have check something successful that I've done today. It is absolutely something that reinforces that feeling in your brain, that. That reminder that you are a success, you are a success, we all are. You just have to believe it and remind yourself of it.
[00:45:07] Speaker A: I love that, and I love the fact that I'm a start, you know, as I start thinking about every night, I don't do it on a daily basis of what was my success. But a lot of times, you know, at the end of the week, I'll say, well, what did I accomplish this week? What did I get done? But I like the daily because those little, small things. So I know when I go to bed tonight, the one that I'm going to say my success was, was having a wonderful conversation with you.
But it is. And sharing it with the audience. Right. Those that want to listen and want to learn and. And grow and develop as this show is all about that. Right. Is really helping on the leadership level and helping individuals as they're growing and developing. I have thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. I cannot tell you, Alena, how happy I am that you were able to come on the show, share your expertise. If the audience wants to get in touch with you, how can they do that?
[00:46:07] Speaker E: Well, you could just simply send me an email at
[email protected] the number 6letterscompass.com and I hope.
[00:46:17] Speaker A: All right.
[00:46:18] Speaker E: I've enjoyed this very much, Vicki. Thanks so much for having me on.
[00:46:21] Speaker A: It was. It was my pleasure, and my audience is blessed by that. So you all now know how to reach her, I hope. Thank you all so much for tuning in to this episode of Ignite. I know that we got two or three points of nuggets that you definitely can begin using today. You don't have to wait. As we say, this is the place where we light the fire and it keeps on burning. Let's go until we meet the next time. Look forward to seeing you on the next episode of Ignite.
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