Together Digital Power Lounge, Women in Digital with Power to Share
Digital is a demanding and competitive field. And women are still grossly underpaid & underrepresented. But we are not powerless; we have each other. Together Digital Power Lounge is your place to hear authentic conversations from women in digital who have power to share. Listen and learn from our amazing guests along with host Amy Vaughan, Owner and Chief Empowerment Officer of Together Digital. Together Digital is a diverse and collaborative community of women who work in digital who choose to share their knowledge, power, and connections. To learn more, visit www.togetherindigital.com.
Together Digital Power Lounge, Women in Digital with Power to Share
Early Career & Creative Power | Fernanda Alexia Albunas | Power Lounge S2 E30
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THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:
Meet Fernanda Alexia Albunas, a trail-blazer in the world of global communications. She's gone from a fresh graduate from Brazil to a linchpin at SAP's Global Communications Department in the United States. Fernanda's journey isn't your typical career arc - it's a gripping story of turning financial insecurity into a springboard for pursuing high-profile projects, internships, and an MBA. Her story is a rallying cry to all who face adversity, proving how challenges can fuel creativity and personal growth.
This episode takes us on a deep exploration of self-awareness and its impact on career trajectories. We discuss how writing can be a transformative tool to enhance self-awareness, and how tools like a Manifasty board can aid in realizing our goals. Fernanda's experiences in the sports and entertainment industry shed light on the power of volunteering in self-awareness and career exploration. We also delve into the crucial role of networking in fostering trust, respect, and job opportunities, and the importance of bridging the gender gap.
We're not stopping there. We bring into focus the influence of Gen Z on the future of marketing and discuss the art of navigating the complexities of social media amplification. Fernanda shares her insights on introducing new approaches in established organizations. And the cherry on top? We're exploring ways to overcome impostor syndrome through self-assessment and gratitude for our achievements. It's a goldmine of insights for anyone looking to foster creativity, innovation, and confidence in their career journey. So, buckle up and get ready for an enlightening ride!
LINKS:
Fernanda's LinkedIn
Fernanda's Instagram
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Welcome to our weekly Power Lounge, your place to hear authentic conversations from those who have power to share. My name is Amy Vaughn and I am the owner and Chief Empowerment Officer of Together Digital, a diverse and collaborative community of women who work in digital and choose to share their knowledge, power and connections. Join the movement at wwwtogetherindigitalcom. Let's get started. Today, we are here to chat about how to nurture creativity and innovation throughout your career journey, along with our guest, fernanda Albus.
Speaker 1:Fernanda is a graduate of public relations and advertising with an entrepreneurship and innovation certificate from the University of South Florida. She currently plays a pivotal role in SAP's Global Communications Department. As a leader in enterprise software, she leads global initiatives, including social amplification, media events and internal communications. Graduate of SAP, fernanda has contributed to high profile projects such as the Music Festival of South by Southwest in 2023 and worked with the Guest Relations Department of NBA's Miami Heat during the 2021-23 season. During her time at USF, she served as the VP of Marketing for the American Marketing Association and interned with USF Athletics. Fernanda's passion lies in exploring human experiences, focusing on sensorial experiences and personal branding. Currently, fernanda is pursuing an MBA, because she's not done enough already, with a concentration in data-driven decision making at West Cliff University, demonstrating her commitment to professional growth, which I mean. You've got it in spades, fernanda. Thank you so much for joining us here today and sharing your experience and story.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. Thank you for having me here. I'm glad to share.
Speaker 1:Of course, of course. So your journey from graduate and public relations and advertising to the role you're in now at SAP, sap Global Communications Department, is pretty outstanding. Can you share a particular or pivotal moment or experience even that set you on this path and how has it shaped your perspective on creativity and innovation in your career?
Speaker 2:Thank you so much once again for having me here, amy. I'm glad to share some insights, some ideas, some reflections and also have this great conversation with you. And but yeah, that was a great question, honestly, because I was like, okay, this could be something deep, but this could also be something like, okay, super, like storytelling part of my life, you know. So my experience with that. I would say that right before graduation my graduation in 2022, like a year ago, right, so not for that long, but a year ago, like, basically, I was about to graduate. So I graduated in May and December, I think I used to. So I'm an international student and I used to. I moved to the United States in 2019. So I left my parents, my sister and all of that in Brazil, and so they were, they, my parents, helped me like the whole process in the university to like pay the bills and the accommodation and meals and all of that, even the university, the tuition, right, that was not cheap, like we know that. And then in December, basically, I talked to my parents and they they say, like okay, none of that starting in May, like, forget us, you know, not forget our, our payslip, you know, forget our contribution to you, so, so, and starting in May, you'll be taking care of your own bills, your own stuff. So, okay, good to go, okay.
Speaker 2:And then this was a little bit scary to me. I was like, okay, what's next? You know, and this is something interesting when we put like in the perspective of creativity and innovation, because usually this, these are the times when you ask yourself, okay, what should I do? What's next? You start to challenge yourself yourself, right? So I was like, okay, my parents. They said, okay, I should take care of myself, I should pay my bills, my apartment, my rent, and okay, what's next? And then that's.
Speaker 2:That was when I started applying for a multinational, multinational companies, and that was when I got this position at SAP. It was like amazing, you know, because I felt like, okay, this was the booster for me to to realize that I should do things by myself. And the power of co-creation, you know, the power of doing your own stuff. You know the power of creating, the power of innovating and trying to challenge yourself when it comes to to like, you are always checking on how to make things like better. You know how to get the best out of you, you know. So this was a great experience that I have. Potentially my parents don't even know about this, you know they. They just said like, okay, go ahead. And this was something that you know, that was special to me, was like a mark in my life, potentially.
Speaker 1:That's an interesting and you know moment for you personally, but it's relatable in the sense that it happens to all of us at some point in our career and that might be because you suddenly lose the support of your family financially. It might be because you lose the support of a partner financially. It could be because you lose a job suddenly. There's so many things that happen when we kind of get dropped on our butts that we have to sort of pull ourselves back up and we can take it one of two ways. Right, we can take it and sit and say, oh, now I can't move forward. Or you can say like you did, you know which makes you such an inspiring and professional and it's like, okay, how can I make the most of this? How can I take what might be perceived as a setback and make it an opportunity to explore opportunity? And obviously you've been able to do that.
Speaker 1:It's a very brave thing to do.
Speaker 1:I don't know how many people can be like. I'm going to move to a whole other country and live on my own and go to school and learn the language and you know all the things. I've lived in one other country in my life and it was English speaking and there was still such a culture shock, while when I first got there it took at least six months, if not more, for me to feel comfortable and settled in. So I can't imagine like language on top of that outside of culture, customs, like everything else, sort of changing and then not having family close by. I had moved with my husband so I would like had at least that support system as well. So, yeah, see you for you know, showing bravery and especially early on, and you and I spent go ahead.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I was just going to add something here that, as international students and I feel that some people are going to connect here Like we feel, and that's interesting it's not just the language, but it's the sense of belonging, something we're going to potentially talk about it later on, but it's the sense of belonging and also as internationals, we are always challenging it to do more, you know, to prove ourselves. You know like, okay, we are, it's like we want to, we have to be, we have to stand. You know we have to be different, because if we do the same thing, we are going to, we are probably going to have to come back home, you know. So it's, it's tricky, but but it's part of the process and it's the mindset it's the mindset that you should A lot of pressure on yourself.
Speaker 1:And I mean, I feel that to a degree only because my dad immigrated from Egypt to the United States and so you know it even is a daughter of an immigrant like there's this whole expectation that you come to America, it's land of opportunity and you make the most of it. So, yeah, no, that does make a lot of sense and, as I was saying before, you know, you and I had some earlier conversations before this one, and you again. I love that you brought this up again, because it's not something that you hear from folks that are just coming out of college which was the importance of self-awareness in your career journey. Can you provide some of the insights into how being self-aware has helped you navigate some of the complexities of the professional world and, like you said, personal branding? That's a passion of yours as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's a great question. Like, I tried to look for some information about self-awareness, but it basically means that you are aware of your own feelings, your own behaviors, right? So that would mean that, of course, this is something not just professional, it's completely personal, right? How can we manage these two dimensions to get the best out of it? So, and then I look for some tips and tricks to how to become more self-aware, right? Because this is something that most of us think, that we are self-aware. You know, like I'm a son, I know what I'm doing, you know what I feel and all of that. But this is something, sometimes, that we should exercise, you know.
Speaker 2:So, writing down your feelings, writing down your tasks, writing down and the power of writing down is insane, you know. We cannot even imagine. So, writing down our feelings, how am I feeling today, how this correlates to the tasks that I had today, so the professional experience that I had today or this week, you know why am I feeling this way, you know, and how this is related to an experience that I had, to a project that I have, to an event that I have to deliver, you know. So writing down is super powerful, you know, and this is interesting I have I live with my roommate and we have on the kitchen we have like a board, a small board that we put there. We call it like Manifasty board, and this is interesting because we put, we write down there every single thing that we want to achieve. You know, like it could be anything. It could be like oh, start a dancing class, we start I don't know, get a new job, get buy this book, and all of that, and it's interesting because we see the goals there happening. You know like we achieve that. You know, and it's good for us also to be grateful for that. You know. So we feel like, okay, we see that it was achieved, so we can be grateful for it. If we don't see, like, sometimes physically, sometimes we don't realize that much. You know.
Speaker 2:So the power of writing down your feelings, your goals, your, your tasks in general, it's super important. You know and this is something I was mentioning before, like the power of co-creation, right, so writing down your goals and realizing like this is my goal and this is what I have to do to achieve this goal and attracting this, you know, the power of co-creation is also something insane. You know, the power of collaborating with everything that is out there. You know, and this is something we are probably gonna talk about NBA South by Southwest, this is something. Okay, the event is out there, everything is out there. You know, it's a matter of mindset to realize, okay, I'm gonna go get it, you know. So this is interesting to have in mind when we talk about self-awareness. You know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great. I love it. I think that is an important question to ask yourself.
Speaker 1:If I could go back you know, I'm guessing I maybe have something close- to 20 years on you, but I think back to my early career, especially, you know, when you are hardworking, ambitious, focused and in an industry that does have a sense of competitiveness in the sense that there's, you know, only so many roles and opportunities and lots of people in the field is how am I showing up? And you're right, like you know, personal development it's something that I didn't really come into being aware of and practicing much of until I was at my mid 30s and my 40s. But looking back at myself then and not really acknowledging how I was maybe showing up and what energy I was bringing not to say I was like a jerk, you know, or anything but without being self-aware and without asking consistently for feedback I'm sure there were times and places in which, based on whatever internal narrative I had going, the way that I was showing up and the way people were proceeding was off in the way that I was maybe hoping to show up. So I think that's a really great question to be asking yourself early on. When you are hardworking and when you are ambitious, it's so easy to fall into the trap of overworking, not communicating martyrdom, burnout, all of these things. So I love that and I 100% agree with you. I can't remember the exact stat, but it's like anywhere from 30 to 80% more likely you are to do something when you write it down.
Speaker 1:So, as far as it might sound, actually putting it up and putting it somewhere, not just where you can see it but, like you said, others can see it. I love that you and your roommate had that practice Because, again, like you said, it attracts opportunity to you, because now that your roommate knows your goals and the things that you want to manifest into your life and career, if she sees an opportunity for you, she's gonna bring it to your attention or a connection that can help you make it happen. Or you're gonna be that much more intentional, like you said, about looking for the things out there in the world that you want to be doing. Like if you wanna be working with a major sports team or on a major event, like it's out there, it's possible. You just have to actually start to think about it and work towards it.
Speaker 1:Let's talk for a minute about what we don't like in our career. Some people struggle, some people it's an easy thing to come up with. How do you recommend we begin to explore and test new career paths, as we kind of consider where we're going, what we're doing. Obviously, the space we all work in is very fluid and dynamic. Lots of goals, and how do we keep from glamorizing the unknown? I think sometimes that's another trap we fall into. Grass is always greener on the other side. So ways do you like to explore and test new career paths?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's interesting because when we think about knowing what we like to do, right, it's always good to answer also what you don't like to do right, what is not for you, what is, and then you test. Sometimes you're tested and it's just like it doesn't make sense to me and I thought that it would make sense. So that's interesting. I was always I am passionate about sports industry and entertainment industry and I started, as you mentioned before, I was an intern for USF athletics and it was a great internship. It was a great experience for me to understand, okay, this is the marketing, this is the production of the game, and we were there like hands-on and all of that. So it was great. It was a great experience because I could have test, I could check, okay, what is out there. And the same thing with, like, south by Southwest and NBA Miami Heat. So my mind I was like, okay, I'm gonna test first. This is maybe I can fall in love with it and move on, but at the same time I can give up and that's fine, it's fine to realize, okay, that's not for me, okay, move on, this is self-awareness, right. So, and then the South by Southwest was an experience, was a short experience was like two weeks of event that I was like the stage crew manager, so it was a volunteer experience, was amazing, was a great experience to get to know the festival, the music festival, the conference and to be in Austin. You know it was amazing. We're gonna cover a little bit about it later on, but it was a great experience. And also, with the Miami Heat, it was for the season. You know, that starts in November, in October and then until May. So it was great, you know, for me to be there because in Miami Heat I was like doing just for the game days, you know. So I was guest service representative, so I was welcoming guests and hearing from them and understanding, you know, what do they want from the team, what do they want from this arena? You know we have to deliver the best experience. So it was great for me to understand the daily tasks of a NBA team, you know.
Speaker 2:And at the same time and this was something interesting because I have already talked to some people before starting that position it's like, okay, I was realizing that sports and entertainment industry, for example, it's a very time consuming and it's like you work when people are having fun, resting, you know. So do I want this for me? Maybe, yes, you know. Maybe it's good because I'm having fun, my job is fun, but at the same time, perhaps this is not for me, you know. Perhaps I want to rest, you know I want to have fun and work from Monday to Friday, from nine to five, and that's it, you know.
Speaker 2:So it's a matter of understanding. Okay, does that work for me? You know, it's sasty, you know, and that's the thing. When we talk about glamorizing, right, we talk about, okay, maybe the fashion industry, maybe the sports industry, okay, it could be fun, it could be amazing, you know, but at the same time, maybe it's not that glamorous, right? Maybe we can find there a lot of things that we don't like, and, okay, we can take insights from the experience and move on. And that's the great thing about like volunteering, right, that we have been talking about. Volunteering is a great opportunity for you to test the water, right, to make sure that this is the right thing for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I absolutely agree 100%. Volunteerism is a great way. I would say that in job shadowing at like any stage or age in your profession, people pivot in their careers so many times, Like I talked to so many members within our community specifically that are in their 40s and even 50s that are making career changes and pivots, and so finding ways you know kind of, as you're saying, to test and learn before you make a huge change can really help. You understand. Is this for me? Is this not for me? And as someone who started out her first year of college pre-med, I can totally attest to this. I worked in different medical facilities. I worked in nursing homes, hospitals, doctor's offices, things like that until pharmaceutical research companies, until I learned whether or not that was the area and the space I wanted to be in and fell in with the director of marketing at the pharmaceutical research company and learned oh my gosh, I can get money, I can get paid and be creative. I don't have to be a starving artist. I can create art and ideas and writing and things that actually have an impact that's measurable. And that's where I started to start to nerd out, especially, became and fell in love with digital because you can see, you understand how, when and where people are responding. So, yeah, I think finding your true love and your passion is a lifelong endeavor and it's always evolving and I love that even early on you have just taken it, those intentional steps through volunteerism, specifically to kind of test and learn. I think that's a great advice again for anybody at any stage.
Speaker 1:I know Molly's in the chat listening with us and our live listening audience. She's like pretty bad, I guess I never. Sorry, yeah, I was gonna be Dr Amy at some point. Well, and that was the glamorized thing, right. Being the daughter of an immigrant, I had several cousins and families. We were either doctors or lawyers for the most part, and so a lot of my cousins were going to school for medicine, practicing law or accounting that was another one and so I really wanted to do the family proud and I just the idea right.
Speaker 1:I love the idea of helping people, but also it just sounded very cool and then it was very glamorized and then I'm like, oh no, you have to work nights, weekends, holidays. It's emotionally, physically, mentally exhausting. So kudos to all of our healthcare workers out there. I kind of did it all Nursing assistant in a nursing home. That was very eye opening. So, yeah, recommend volunteering at a nursing home, by the way, y'all. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it. Anyhow, before I digress too much more, let's talk a little bit about analysis paralysis. This is a pretty real thing that happens when it comes to either taking a risk or decision making about our profession. Do you have any examples of your career journey where taking a calculated risk led to a really good outcome?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's interesting because I was gonna mention self by self as, once again, as an example. But the first thing I would add to this question is like I had a mentor that once he came to me and said, like Fernando, being intentional, right, and this is something that I talk with you like like my whole life, my whole life. And then he said, like, being intentional, being intentional with your choices, you know, being intentional with your, the opportunities and experience that you have, you know. So that's interesting because when, when we talk about testing and pivoting and all of that, it's it's about being intentional. You know, it's not like, oh, okay, I'm gonna commit to this event because because that's it, you know, because this is what I have no, try to to think, to align the self awareness right that we have been talking about. Try to align your feelings, your behavior, to, to what you want, right, and to what is out there. You know what does, what it makes sense to me.
Speaker 2:You know, south by Southwest is something that I that I don't know since 2017, I was like, oh, I want to be part of this event. You know, I want to be there. Yeah, and I was in Brazil, you know, and I was like, okay, austin is far, you know, but being intentional with what you want, you know. And South by Southwest is about creativity, innovation. It's a festival that is all about that and for me it was something that made sense, you know, it's completely related to what I want and what I like to study and all that. So, being intentional with what you want, you know. And one thing I would add also is about Oprah has a has a sentence that she says like that. She says, basically, how can I serve right, how can I serve and what is the next right move?
Speaker 1:You know.
Speaker 2:So what is the next right move? So how can I adapt that to everything I do, you know? So sometimes the risk taking it's like, okay, this is a big project, this isn't like insane, it's huge, but how can I break it down into like tasks? You know how can I come up with, okay, what is the next right move, what I have to do for today, for tomorrow, you know, and then we go, go, go and reach our, our, our stuff. You know our goals. So what is the next right move? Maybe the South by Southwest, for example, the next right move is applying to the, to the volunteering process, you know, to the ambassadors cross program. So, okay, the deadline is this, okay, I'm going to do this until this deadline and then I don't, I don't have to care about the huge amount of things I have to do for this project.
Speaker 2:But what is the next right move? You know, and this helped me a lot when it comes to thinking about challenges and the risk taking and adaptability. You know we have to be open to, to what's next. You know, without, like, thinking about the, the, the odds. You know, like the, because we always going to challenge ourselves and take risks and and think, okay, this is, you know, for me it's impossible. But what's? What can I do now to achieve this goal, you know? So that's that's the point and that's the great thing about establishing like short term, long term goals. Some people are against like long term goals, right, and I feel I don't have a like a specific, a very clear opinion about it. But I think that the short term goals are very important, you know, are very what I have to do for today. The list of tasks I have is here, you know. So I'm going to, because if, if I don't focus on the tasks I have for today, I won't think about tomorrow at all. You know it's going to be impossible.
Speaker 1:Well, I think many of us can kind of get bogged down in the to do lists of every day that if you don't spend the time intentionally planning what we call often and then there's a book on it called it's BHAG, big Harry Audacious Goals If you're not creating those and writing those down, then, as you were saying, break them into smaller steps. How do you ever expect them to happen? Because it's just so easy for us to become kind of, you know, just attached, because our sense of worthiness especially for women, I believe is attached in our productivity, which is not the case. You're so much more valued just being productive that we really focus on our to do list and short term goals and never take the time to think for long term goals. So I did want to make a quick mention and I dropped the link for our live listeners and we'll have it in the show notes as well. We've got an upcoming workshop in December that's all about creating a career path that leads to happiness, and you would love it, fernanda, because she talks a lot about intentionality and values and you know understanding the bigger picture goals and where you want to be, and what that does is it helps keep you falling into and falling prey to, as I mentioned earlier, analysis, paralysis.
Speaker 1:I've been learning and kind of nerding out along with my therapist about decision making models. You know, we all make decisions differently and some of us are very time sensitive in how we make decisions. Some of some people are very myopic and focused on like mining for information and then they kind of just stay there but they never do the bigger exploration. Some who just love to explore and speculate all the possibilities but never do the research and never take the opportunity of the timing. So it's this whole balance of kind of being one self aware of how, how you tend to fall into making decisions or not making decisions. So again it comes back to self awareness knowing, understanding what your decision making style is is going to help you work all of that into your favor. Because you know I think that's another thing I've learned recently If you're a coach or a mentor or a team leader, we're not all motivated the same. We don't all make decisions for the same reasons and in the same way.
Speaker 1:So understanding yourself, taking time to understand others in those respects will kind of keep you from sitting in a space where you're spinning your wheels constantly, because I'm a chronic ruminator and, yes, like the whole analysis paralysis thing is, has been my MO.
Speaker 1:I have had opportunities come my way that I just sit and stew on and then years later I'm like what took me so long, Like what I sit on this you know. So if you're finding yourself delaying taking action, start looking into how you make decisions and really start to kind of work and play with that to see if you could kind of break those molds. Let's talk about another one of my favorite, often underrated career growth strategies and that is networking. No surprise, obviously, a run in an organization that focuses on empowering women through community and connections, beyond networking, of course, but without it it's you know it's to your detriment if you're not networking. By the way, could you elaborate on the significant building of communities and a sense of belonging in the context of career growth and how it's helped you and how professionals foster these connections in their respective industries?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's interesting because, as I was saying, like, as an international student, I was always looking for ways to belong right, and this is something interesting about Research that I that I made for for the USF athletics.
Speaker 2:It was about understanding the fence right, understanding what do they expect and and how do they feel part of the team, you know, and and this is interesting because we want to belong right, and Brina Brown says that, in the absence of love and belonging, they will always be suffering, right, so she's amazing, right so? So it's interesting to think this way, because we want to belong, we want to feel part of Everything. You know, and this is interesting about the NBA Miami Heat, because this is one of the insights I got there why are people here, you know, why are they here to, like, you know what's going on, and we want you to feel part of something. And the USF athletics fans I felt the same thing. You know, how can we bring them to the games, considering they are part of, of communities, of associations, of the Brazilian Association, of, or the the American Market Association? How can we bring these organizations to to be part of the of the college team, you know? So this is interesting to have in mind like what do? What do we? Why do we have to meet new people? You know so, and when we think about networking, it's, it's not a matter. Sometimes people say, oh, let's network and go to networking events and meet new people, but why? You know it's.
Speaker 2:It's not just a matter of connecting to get like a recommendation you know, a professional recommendation but also to to feel part of something, you know, to feel that we are Like to fulfill ourselves some way. You know so, and, as Brina said, is Is like if we don't have belonging, sense of belonging, we will find suffering, you know. Find, you know, and recommendation that I would have on that. So it's also personal and personal and professional advice is that once I heard have a meaningful one, meaningful conversation every single day, you know, and this is something that I got Like for my life and it was like, okay, did I have a meaningful conversation today or not?
Speaker 2:Yet you know, and try to find this, these people that would bring you this meaningful conversation. It could be even like so with my roommate. You know, could be anyone, with your, your husband or or wife, you know, could be anyone, but have a meaningful conversation that tries to, that brings, like the self-awareness that brings you like this, this, some reflections that you wouldn't have by yourself, you know. So try to to create these connections, having meaningful conversations and, at the same time, feeling the sense of belonging. This is, this is very helpful when it comes to to not working and career growth. Does that make sense?
Speaker 1:No, it absolutely does, it does, it does, and I'm glad that you you already get it so well. I mean, I think that's a big goal we have. What's together? Digital is to try to create more transformational connections. Connections versus transactional.
Speaker 1:I think that what's what feels kind of icky to a lot of us about networking is it feels like, oh, I'm just gonna be promoting myself, it's gonna be a one-sided conversation, it's about what I'm can get from them, whereas you know, really, as you're looking more at community building, connecting on a deeper level, you know it is, it is building a sense. If you're in the personal brand, you have to be networking. People have to be able to meet you and know you, not just online but in person, so they can understand your identity. Because that builds and establishes trust and respect. And then it's great, because what you'll find is that suddenly your reputation precedes you, because now, who you know, when they make introductions for you, it opens up such amazing doors. Because when, when you know somebody comes to me and says, hey, amy, I would love to connect with so-and-so, would you mind making an introduction, that person that I'm going to reach out to is like oh, yes, I know and trust Amy. So therefore I know and trust that this connection that she's helping me make is going to be good and it really.
Speaker 1:You know, for women right now who are job seeking, it's critical that you're networking. Women are much less likely than men to network and it's hurting us. It's like it's perpetuating the gender gap, the pay gap, because we miss out on opportunities. 80% of jobs are not posted. 75% of jobs that are hired for are hired based on a referral. It's not always what you know, it's who you know, and If you're not taking the time to network and make sure people know what you do and what you do well, then your name will have spoken during those opportunities, either internal or external. So I definitely agree with you. Networking is so key. Making it more meaningful is going to make it last and transcend all those job opportunities.
Speaker 1:And then just a quick note on the Belonging and Brené. I mean, yeah, I agree, I'm such a fan of her work and the work that she's done for us all to give language and Research behind a lot of the things we've all been feeling and not been able to articulate. But I also did talk earlier this year on perceived loneliness. The the surgeon general has released several reports talking about how even just perceived loneliness which means like being alone in a crowded room, which, when you go networking, tell me you haven't felt that Um Loneliness our brain doesn't know the difference between psychological and physical pain.
Speaker 1:It perceives that our body receives it the same way and therefore, because of that, we perceived loneliness can is like the same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, they're saying. You know, we used to say sitting was the new smoking. Now loneliness is the new smoking, apparently, and it can shorten our lives by up to 15 years. So, by not putting into practice creating connections and communities, if you're not going to do it for your career, at least consider Even if you're just even consider, just doing 5% more connection, like you said, just one meaningful connection a day, something that's easy for you to do. Your, your health and your career will be thankful for it. Yeah, all right, I'll jump off that soapbox, but we are. We're so on the same page there.
Speaker 1:Co-hatch is a new kind of shared work, social and family space built on community. Members get access to workspace amenities like rock walls and Sports simulators and more, to live a fully integrated life that balances work, family well-being, community and giving back. Co-hatch has 31 locations open or under construction nationwide, throughout Ohio, indiana, florida, pennsylvania, north Carolina, georgia and Tennessee. Visit www Co-hatch comm for more information. Speaking to some of your work again, some more about with the NBA Miami Heat. How did that influence your perspective and you kind of started to hint at it. So I want to dig in a little bit more of how that influenced your perspective of Fan engagement in the sports industry, because you're right, people there oh my gosh, that's such a community you know they're so engaged and involved and invested. What did you learn from your time working there?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was. It was a great experience, for sure. It was insane, you know, because I had the opportunity to observe, you know, observe behavior, right. Well, what do they expect? What are they doing here? You know how many? I don't know hamburger, they haven't, and hot dogs and all that.
Speaker 2:So it was an observing, like it was all about serving, you know, and it was interesting to feel this sense of belonging, you know as because we are all about emotions. Yeah, you know, we are all about emotions and and how can we Understand, like that this sports industry could apply to any industry? You know, because we, we and this is interesting about Generations Z, right, we, we want to belong and we want to create communities and we want to to Few part of many communities. Sometimes, you know, we have the Miami Heat fans, we have the coworkers, we have the, we have the roommate, we have the Brazilian Association and all of that. You know so. So this was an interesting exercise to me. It was so emotional to like being part of that, this experience, you know, in a season that we, we had the NBA finals, you know it's exciting and it was so, so fulfilling.
Speaker 2:You know, to understand how does that work, you know how does arena runs and, at the same time, like, how impactful does this? Because if we think about, okay, did we win or lose? And this doesn't, sometimes doesn't really matter. My day is gonna be basically the same tomorrow, right, but the sense of belonging, the opportunity to be there and to feel that we are all on the same mindset. We all want to win and we want to get closer to the athletes.
Speaker 2:This is insane and that's interesting, for even for sports organizations and teams and leagues like the fans want to feel part of it. They want to get closer to the athletes. If they have any opportunity to be in front of the athletes, they're gonna make it. So that's interesting to think. And all the activations, all the marketing activations during halftime, halftime shows, and all of that inviting people to be part of the halftime they are like they are.
Speaker 2:Of course, I want to be part of this, I want to try a shot there and potentially I'm gonna fail it and that's fine, but I'm there, I'm being part of this experience, I'm being part of this show and this is interesting about my passion to sports, entertainment and industry. I was in Brazil and this is like I would say it's under development. Sports is a marketing thing and I can learn so, so much from them here, because they really make this a show. Once in a lifetime experience. You really want to feel like part of this, and this is great for other countries, for other professionals to learn from. It brings them together.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's a great example of that too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure, and this is great about working now for a tech company SAP. We have this customer phase experience and all of that, but sometimes it's hard for us to understand. Okay, how can we bring this emotional side of the sports industry to a tech industry? Sometimes it's a matter of researching and understanding what are the right strategies and what are the right approaches. You know, to this conversation, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, exactly, I see it now. Fernanda, you're going to go get your PhD next and that's going to be here too. It's like fan psychology. Now like I want to start digging in and saying what can we learn about fan psychology and start to apply it into establishing and building connections with communities and consumers? Because, you're right, there's such a way in which sports bring us all together, make us feel united, make us feel like we're part of something bigger than ourselves. But then there's some sort of psychology at play here, because one thing I was thinking of was you know, a friend of mine teaches advertising in PR at Xavier University. Molly is actually who's on with us today, is a former student of hers. She talks about parasocial relationships and how people who are not like directly connected to influencers, celebrities, feel as though they know the person and actually, in their brain, from a psychological standpoint, they believe they have a connection, that they are friends. Yes, my name is Dr Leslie Resmusin. If you all want to put her up or her paper or her papers, she's come and done some talks with us. But yeah, there's definitely some psychology and behavioral science at play. What kinds of how can you take that? I love that you're bringing it into something like SAP software space, because, again, those are two very what seem like desperate things, but I love bringing those things together.
Speaker 1:All right, we have a few more minutes left. The hour has always flown. I'm going to ask a few questions, but I also want to make sure that we have time to let our live listening audience ask questions. So if you do drop it in the chat, I'm going to keep going and then we'll come back to the chat at the end. All right, let's see where are we. Can you share an example of how you've applied creative thinking and adaptability in your work at SAP's Global Communications Department, and how have these skills benefited you in the enterprise software industry? It's very different than the other areas we've talked about. Yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 2:I have a project that we had, a media trip basically to Waldorf last month and it was a great opportunity to be on site with journalists and all of that. But the first time they reached out they said, ok, we want to do a social amplification of this trip. How can we do that? And then it was something that was completely new to the company. This is something that we are not used to have. This approach on social amplification it's about internal and external coverage in social media and all of that. So it was a great challenge Because I was there on site recording some videos, some content for social media and trying to come up with great content for SAP to use on Instagram, on LinkedIn, and all of that. It was a great opportunity. It was a challenge, of course, because it was something new. It was something an approach that they usually they invited the journalists to cover the event and all of that, but they didn't have an SAP-owned social amplification approach. So it was a completely new project. So it was a great opportunity, as I said, and the point with that that I would like to add is that sometimes you get much more answers, questions if you are bringing something new, and this is the challenge of bringing something new. Of course, we get the people see you and respect you like, ok, this is disruptive, professional, because they are bringing new stuff, new approach. But at the same time, the challenge is it's about OK, they are going to ask you and they are going to ask you, ok, how efficient this process is, how efficient this project is going to, how great, what are the results of this? And if we are doing always the same thing, sometimes they will ask you the results. Sometimes they won't ask you OK, this stuff really works. But when we talk about bringing new stuff, you are going to be exposed. You are going to be asked OK, you can do this, you can make it happen and show the results, show numbers and this was amazing because it was a great opportunity to challenge myself Bring new approach and, at the same time, research and develop tactics and strategies, because this is something good to mention.
Speaker 2:Information is everything. Google is out there. We have to get used to research. We have to get used to see OK, what are the companies are doing, what is out there. So we can. Of course, we are not going to replicate, but we are going to get insights and make our brains work. Ok, this is a path, but I can adapt this path and create something new, and this is cool. This is amazing about creativity and innovation, because we can create new stuff based on what is already out there. But we have to be willing to research. We have to be willing to get information. The information is out there. Even international students' scholarships. It is out there. We have to find a way to get in touch with this information, because we can complain about everything. We can see that there is nothing for me out there If you don't, if you research and take time to do your job, do your work and Google it. This is going to.
Speaker 1:So much more information is at your fingertips nowadays, too, than when I was in college. I literally just had to work around in different places until I learned and understood. I went to a small high school in the middle of nowhere where the guidance counselor gave you four options of what you could do with your life, including being a housewife and a mom, which I thought was OK. There is so much more information to explore. It is very inspiring to hear you speak about that and also the fact that I just shot it down as you were speaking. It has hurt me over my years of experience that strategic disruption is what keeps you relevant. I think being able to innovate disrupt in a way that is well thought out and intentional the way that you stated it really does, because that is going to be something that you will struggle with at some point. You are not the shiny new thing in the workplace, and women in particular begin to become marginalized either after motherhood or by their mid-30s. So I think getting into the practice and the habit of being strategically disruptive and always bringing new thinking to the table continues to provide value and relevancy.
Speaker 1:All right, we have got one more question. I'm excited I get to ask it even though if we have a question, feel free to chime in, but you all are staying quiet, so I'm going to ask this one since there's time. Gen Z is a pretty big focus as it's a growing demographic, aging and what not an entering the area of having the buying power. It's obviously an ever-changing landscape. That is, marketing and consumer behavior. How do you see the next generation, particularly Gen Z, reshaping the future, and what trends and shifts are you observing? I'm so excited to hear your thoughts on that, yeah, and that's interesting.
Speaker 2:I wrote an article for Ad Age it's an advertising channel and it was basically about Gen Z and the women's road cup right and how this new generation is consuming the games and the event in general, right. So this is interesting because some reflections that I put there were related to topics such as community building and also like authenticity and also the way that, like, for example, we are not just in the game, we are using social media. We are everywhere. You know, we are in many media channels. You know that we can get different perspectives and this is interesting also about sense of belonging. Once again, you know, we want to feel part of it and we want to and we want to feel that the athlete there that is playing makes sense and that I match my values to the event and to the athlete that's there.
Speaker 2:You know, I want to feel that the values of the women's road cup make sense to me, you know, and this is very important, not just for sports industry, for soccer, but for every single industry. You know, this new generation, we want to understand that. Okay, this is something that makes sense to me. You know, this is something that I'm not gonna buy, something that is not sustainable. You know, I'm not gonna buy anymore, consume like content from someone that is not like respectful and someone that is not like someone that I believe that is that is good for society, you know. So the same thing about like vegan community, vegetarian right and things like that. We are all about understanding the understanding, the purpose, right understanding the purpose of the industry, the company and consuming based on on what we truly believe you know I love it.
Speaker 1:I think that's one of the things I admire most about Gen Z, because I'm kind of I'm a zinniol, I fall right between zinniols and the Gen X is you don't mindlessly consume, and I think that's so important for the future.
Speaker 1:I love, love, love that Gen Z has kind of, you know, held up that, that torch and that behavior, because I think it's essential for all of our future. We did get a question in from Molly. So she's a recent new grad and going for her MBA. I will note. So you guys should just connect at some point and do a coffee chat. I think you guys would head it off so well, do you? Well, the question is do you struggle with imposter syndrome amidst all of your incredible accomplishments at such a young age? And if so, how do you cope? If not, any tips for those that do experience it?
Speaker 2:Honestly, yes, of course, we all, we all. It's not. I don't know if I would say that it's imposter syndrome, but it's like we ask ourselves, you know, we ask ourselves am I doing the right thing? You know, am I doing my best? What is my value? Right, we always say. Sometimes, we ask our like ourselves what is my value? You know, do I, am I following the right path? You know, and this is, this is natural we are all human, you know. So this is part of the process. We are going to ask ourselves if we are on the right path.
Speaker 2:And that's the great thing about what we mentioned on writing down your, your, everything, your feelings, your behavior, but your tasks, your to-do list, and take a time to be grateful, you know, take a time to understand and internalize. Whoa, that's a lot. You know that, what I have already achieved, that's a lot. You know, that's great. You know what is the next right move, of course, but stopping for a moment and understanding, okay, what have I already achieved? And that's the great thing about self-assessment. You know that you write it down your, your qualities, your abilities, your, your skills you know, can be soft and hard skills and understanding, okay, this is, this is the capabilities I have, and that's that's great.
Speaker 2:You know like I can visualize. I can visualize. Here is my list of things that I'm doing. Well, you know, and that's great, and, at the same time, okay, what is next? What do I want to learn next? You know being be open to this kind of things, but, of course, we are always asking ourselves. So, if we are, we could do more, you know, if we could be like what is our value, you know? So I think it's a matter of being kind to yourself, you know, and understanding. Okay, here's where I am and here's where I want to go, but, at the same time, what I am right now, this is amazing you know, this is great so self-assessment is a great tool, you know, to to understand that and to be grateful.
Speaker 1:Love it. Yeah, I agree. Thank you for the question, molly. You know I've been talking to and positive dream comes up all the time and I'm kind of falling in love with this idea of women who choose to just reject the term altogether because what it implies is syndrome, like there's something wrong with you, like it's a sickness. It's not a sickness. You're not going to find it on WebMD, you're not going to have physiological symptoms.
Speaker 1:It's literally, in my opinion, the product of societal conditioning and the ways in which the world has told you you were not enough, and the way that I like to combat it is through naming it. So whenever I have that little nagging voice of oh Amy, you're here and you're getting this, but you're not deserving, which is the definition of imposter syndrome, is I kind of just give that, that, that voice, a name. Mine is Janice, the sadly RIP JR Matthew Perry, like his girlfriend, the one with the nasally voice, like that nagging little voice. That's what I named it and that's because of what it sounds like to me. My little daughter called hers Farty McFarterson. I don't know why, but giving it a different name reminds you that it's not your true voice that it is. It is not your true values and what you really think of yourself. Because I think if you were to sit down and, like you were saying earlier, do that self-assessment and maybe you write it out, you know you wouldn't say these things to your best friend, you wouldn't say these things to your daughter or your mother or whoever, so why would you say these things to yourself? So I love that idea of just consistent self-assessment, aiming it if you need to and then kind of just shirking it and saying it's not real and positive syndrome is not really a thing. We're not going to die from it.
Speaker 1:And as my other friend that I've quoted her so often on this one and I know somebody else said it first, but Lucretia often all of the confidence of a mediocre man named Chad sorry, chad, but seriously there are people out there who know half as much, do half as well and have all the confidence in the world. Nothing wrong with humility, but definitely continue to stay self-aware and just know you're doing your best. So thank you so much, fernanda, for all of your great advice and sharing your experience. I'm excited to keep watching and listening and hearing about your journey because you're early on and I just see so many amazing things ahead of you, so kudos to you. Thanks for joining us today. Everyone thanks for being with us this week. It's been wonderful. We're going to go ahead and wrap and we hope to see you again next week. Take care, bye, everybody.
