When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I’m a professional storyteller. They look at me with wide-eyed and in shock. I laugh… and earnestly tell them, I get to gather the good stories about companies and share them on social media. Looking back, that’s something I’ve always had a knack for… finding a good story to share, which is why I fell in love with journalism.

 

At its core, journalism is sharing people’s stories. After a few years of working in the broadcast journalism field, I loved those opportunities to share people stories, but often they were more sad ones than happy ones. In 2009, I got a chance to mix my broadcast background with public relations to produce a news show for Comcast. It would highlight the company’s partnerships and turn them into newsworthy stories. It was here that I found I had a talent in finding something interesting in every list of organizations that came across my desk. Every now and then, I would find a hidden gem, like the USS Toledo. This had to be one of my favorite stories to cover. The partnership was with Broward Navy Days with its premiere event, Fleet Week. However, instead of just covering the event, I decided the better story to highlight the partnership was to focus on the sailors of the USS Toledo, who were going to be a part of Fleet Week. A handful of news media and I got to travel with the Navy submarine to capture the life and culture aboard the vessel. This opportunity made me the first female to travel in the USS Toledo, an honor I’ll never forget. In addition to producing shows at Comcast, I broaden my skills in the field, learning how to operate cameras, edit video, manage budgets, and write public service announcements.

 

In 2014, I joined my husband's family event company to help market and grow their business. Working here, I learned some of life's best lessons. I experienced, first-hand, what it takes to run a company from the financial to the management of employees. My best project here was launching The Odyssey, a field trip destination for summer camps and schools. I created the logo, ran the marketing, acquired contracts, and managed the facility. We went from 500 campers the first year to over 3000 campers in the third year.

 

In my latest adventure, I was able to take my storytelling capabilities to another level by joining the ChenMed marketing team. This was my first time taking passion and skills to the healthcare world, and I LOVE IT! For the first time, I have found purpose and a mission with my career. I joined the company in 2020 (at the height of the pandemic) as their social media marketing manager. I've managed 100+ social media pages for the company and its family of brands, launched new brands, drafted policies and procedures, and created successful strategies that strengthen the brand. I was able to work with a large team, including Public Relations, Content Marketing (Blogs), Recruitment Marketing, and Thought Leadership to gather and develop content for the company’s social media pages. During my time here, I was promoted to Senior Manager and was able to develop my own social media team, so that I could focus on strategy and reporting.

 

Looking back, I’m amazed by the evolution of my career journey into what it is today, yet the passion of storytelling stays at the center of everything I do.