Recently, I've had several conversations with close friends about the trajectory of our careers. Where is this thing going? Have we taken a backseat or are we at the helm, gearing up for greater successes and career advancement? Here's my story (and I'd venture to say, that of many other women)… Since having my second child, things have taken a turn, maybe even a slump. I'll be honest, kids change things. Especially for women. This revelation is nothing new, of course. A search for … [Read more...]
Conquer Self-Doubt and Embrace Success
If you could speak to your 30-year-old self with the knowledge you have today, what would you say? That was the question that led Joyce Roche to write a deeply personal memoir entitled, The Empress Has No Clothes: Conquering Self-Doubt to Embrace Success (BK Business). What would she have told her younger self? That she had earned her spot and deserved success, she says. Back then -- as a young professional moving up the corporate ladder, oftentimes in predominantly male environments … [Read more...]
What I do when life’s not going ‘my way’
Every once in a while I fall into a funk. I start feeling as if life's not fair. I start comparing my accomplishments with that of someone else's. And I lose sight of my blessings. Inwardly, I turn into a blubbering mess. It happens. And when it does, I don't always respond to those feelings in a way that is productive and transformational. Sometimes I let myself wallow in self-pity. I've even fallen into bouts of depression, and I struggled to dig myself out of that pit. I'm certainly not … [Read more...]
[Podcast] The Society for Professional Women of Color
Skip the synopsis below and click to listen right now! Career Pioneer Podcast | Society for Professional Women of Color Jocelyn Tejeda and Sherry Williams, the founders of The Society for Professional Women of Color, recently talked to The Career Pioneer about how they got their start, and what led the duo to launch a professional network for women of color in 2011. We ended up having a very robust and fun convo about what it takes to be an entrepreneur today and the work ethic involved. We … [Read more...]
The Power of Paying Your Dues
During my baby shower yesterday (yep, I'm expecting baby number two in August), a good friend and I started talking about where we had previously lived several years ago. Together with three other friends, who were all either in college or barely trying to make ends meet in our newborn professions, we shared an old rowhouse near the iconic neighborhood of Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. That's right about where the glamor associated with that house starts and stops. And you'll soon … [Read more...]
Break Through Barriers In Career, Business (And Everywhere Else in Your Life)
Happy New Year, friends! I hope this year is starting off well for you. It's certainly been an eventful transition for me. Like a lot of you, I've been examining my personal and professional life, trying to figure out how I can take things to another level in some areas of my life while maintaining other areas without driving myself into the ground. That said, one of the things that I'm resolved to commit to this year is Balance. Last year was a milestone year for me: I turned the big … [Read more...]
My Interview with the Progressive Women’s Business Network
I had the honor and privilege of being the first interviewee at the Progressive Women's Business Network, an online-based community that aims to foster networking opportunities and cultivate resources for ambitious women in business. I really enjoyed answering the questions for this interview; it gave me a chance to reflect on my early career years. I actually learned a few things about myself as I answered the questions. Namely, that I've come a long way in the years since attending and … [Read more...]
Don’t Be a Stranger — Like Me.
I know what you're thinking: Where have you been, Emily? Well that's why I'm writing you today. I owe you an apology. I haven't been as active on the blog as I'd like to be or as I have been in the past. And there's good reason for that. Excuse the melodrama -- I know -- but I really do feel I owe readers/subscribers an apology for my inconsistencies. What I'm about to share will make up for that, and hopefully this anticlimactic blog post will turn out to be worth your time. Check out … [Read more...]
How to Become a Freelance Writer Who Gets Paid
People often ask me how I got started as a writer, and how I found my work from home job. Thankfully, I currently write full-time for a trade publication, and I do get to work from my home office. But that hasn't always been the case. Most of the writers that I know -- in journalism, public relations and marketing, at least -- are still required to work in a traditional business setting, in an office. But with the power of high speed Internet connection in homes, and the fact that more … [Read more...]
The ‘Unbeatable Resume’ – How to REALLY Get Hired
Did you know that the average job opening receives more than 200 resumes each time it's posted on the Internet? Did you know that 60 percent of those resumes are never read by the person on the receiving end -- a hiring manager or recruiter? And did you know that MOST resumes are read in under 10 seconds? Well, honey, now you know! According to Tony Beshara, America's top recruiter and regular guest on the Dr. Phil Show, it's better to be aware of these statistics and make efforts to craft … [Read more...]
Raw Food Challenge
Last October, when I wanted to lose a stubborn 10 lbs and put my poor eating habits in check, I embarked on 30-day raw food diet. It was my first time trying raw foodism, and eventually I did go back to cooked food. My goal at the time was to not necessarily abandon cooked food, but to jump-start a healthier lifestyle and see if it would help me shed the extra weight I had put on from pregnancy and the recent junk food indulgence. Now that all the dead leaves from the fall season are starting … [Read more...]
If You Could Do Anything
I grew up in rural Southwest Georgia, on a small hog and chicken farm no-less, where I had plenty of time to think about what impact I wanted to have on the world and in my community. When you're young, you tend to dream big. There's no holds barred on what you can do, think or dream up when you haven't yet tasted the Real World and all its cynicism about life and work. As for me, I dreamt a lot. Early on, for example, I had my heart set on becoming a pediatrician. During a vacation … [Read more...]
Are You Addicted to Your 9-to-5 Job?
Listen to podcast Several years ago, Kristin Cardinale, PhD, was working in a demanding job and on the brink of burn-out when her company announced, on the day she was leaving for her honeymoon, that it would be undergoing a reorganization. Unsettled and frustrated by the announcement, Cardinale said what happened in that moment was life-changing. "I decided for myself that it was no longer a match," she said in a recent interview. Corporate organizations are "just a big political … [Read more...]