Manage Your Career Path With These Personal Branding Tips


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Personal branding is for anyone who wants to achieve certain goals in life and in career. Do you want to stand out from the crowd? Advance your career and in your industry? Harness your inner passion and core values to get ahead and stand for something? Gain the respect of those around you? If you answered 'yes' to any one of those questions, then the personal branding process is for you. While there are varying descriptions and definitions for what personal branding is, I personally … [Read more...]

Who’s Got Yo’ Back?

Please excuse the grammatical no-no in the title. But this is a very important post (as the rest of them are.) Who has your back in your career? Who’s in your corner when you need some advice, insight, support in pursuing your dreams when times are low, or who gives you that extra push off the ledge into facing your fears? Who would you consider as a mentor or supportive friend? Today, I had a very encouraging conversation with a good friend, Monique McDowell, whom I first connected with … [Read more...]

What Are You So Afraid Of? Top 5 Fears That Paralyze the Career-Minded


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This week I decided to take some calculated steps to advance my career as a journalist and writer. Most recently, I felt the need to step outside my comfort zone. So, I decided to bypass opportunities with smaller publishers, and attempted to break into the more competitive markets. Even as an experienced business journalist working with the nation’s top news outlets, I was still riddled with self-doubt as I considered whether I would be "good enough." Here's something I rarely share with … [Read more...]

How to Get the Most Out of Self-Help Books, Blogs & Other Published Works

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I read a lot of self-help books. By reading them, I always seem to find the practical advice, insight or inspiration I need to get me through a slump. (Check out my Suggested Reading list for recommendations.) It was my collection of self-help books that inspired me during difficult and challenging times at work, through job transitions and career changes. The self-help genre even served as the primary inspiration for my creating The Career Pioneer blog. I had gotten to a point where I … [Read more...]

Are You Driving Your Destiny? Or Is Something (Or Someone) Else?

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Growing up in Southwest Georgia, my family primarily used a riding lawnmower to cut the grass. Our yard was pretty large, and although my older brothers had at times mowed the lawn with a push mower, it was an obvious relief when they were old enough to use the riding version. As I grew older, my dad also allowed me to drive it in order to cut the grass. It was actually pretty fun and I enjoyed navigating up and down the yard, and maneuvering through bushes and underneath low tree … [Read more...]

How a Country Boy Achieved Success: Lessons from a Georgia Hog Farmer

Daddy About to Feed the Hogs in His Sunday Suit

As I sat and began thinking about my next blog post, so many ideas ran through my head. But then I started to really feel an urge to take you guys back a little bit. Take you back to that little girl who grew up on a farm in rural Southwest Georgia. As I share with you my ongoing journey to success and career fulfillment, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the people who’ve incredibly shaped my life into what it is today -- my dear mom and dad. For now, I’ll share about my dad. My parents both … [Read more...]