The Professional Confessional

Today's guest is content marketer Brooklin Nash, whose early career in a Guatemalan non-profit led him to a "fight or flight" situation with a stubborn, insecure director who gaslit him.Brooklin's mistake was the bad presentation of good ideas, compounded by youthful inexperience and the director's own insecurities. Basically, he didn't know when to quit! He pushed his organization for changes they were never going to implement, while simultaneously ignoring the writing on the wall that they were never going to promote him into leadership.In similar situations now, Brooklin now practices upfront, transparent conversations with his employer and managers -- and believes working for a company that never invests in your own personal development is a red flag for toxic management. In a professional "fight or flight" situation, don't stay and fight for the organization that doesn't fight for you; instead, fly somewhere that will appreciate your pushback and support your growth. Otherwise, you risk being "dead right" and suffering complete burnout.Today, Brooklin is an expert content marketer specializing in B2B SaaS platforms. He's worked with the likes of Outreach, Mixpanel, G2, Drift, and Marketing Profs. You can connect with Brooklin on LinkedIn at PC-Podcast.com/BrooklinN.You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com, or on your podcasting platform of choice.Would you like to listen to the whole conversation? Go to PC-Podcast.com/Support and subscribe for full recordings and early episodes.In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today. That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon!Support the show

Marc Maxhimer, a former middle school teacher, talks about the time he tried to help his new principal -- only to get the door slammed in his face.Marc's big mistake wasn't confronting problematic behaviors in his boss. Rather, it was not anticipating his principal's misinterpretation of intent as a personal attack or a complaint.In future conversations with the powers that be, Marc would pre-emptively and succinctly frame the conversation to come with a matter-of-fact statement of the issue at hand, followed by possible solutions so that he wasn't just presenting problems.Today, Marc Maxhimer is the Director of Education and Training at the Tilt, an online newsletter and community teaching content creators how to become successful content entrepreneurs. You can connect with Marc on LinkedIn at PC-Podcast.com/MarcM.You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com, or on your podcasting platform of choice.Would you like to listen to the whole conversation? Go to PC-Podcast.com/Support and subscribe for full recordings and early episodes. In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today. That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon!Support the show

Graphic designer Charlotte McBride talks about how her greatest strength turned into a weakness so big, she delivered 6 months' worth of bad projects.Charlotte's biggest professional mistake was rushing her projects to completion, prompting a career-defining confrontation with her direct supervisor. Her speed, combined with her inexperience and her manager's reluctance to speak up sooner, which was her own mistake, resulted in six months' worth of mediocre product that may have been avoided. Now, Charlotte deliberately enforces timelines with both herself and her clients, particularly when wrestling with repetitive assignments. She recommends physically getting up from your workspace, maybe remembering to eat that meal that you may have missed, so you can return with fresh eyes and greater attention. Today, Charlotte McBride is a PowerPoint and graphic designer to help corporate companies clarify their message, nail their pitches and close more deals. You can visit her website at PC-Podcast.com/CharlotteM. (As in McBride, because that's how we roll.) You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com, or on your podcasting platform of choice. Would you like to listen to the whole conversation? Go to PC-Podcast.com/Support and subscribe for full recordings and early episodes. That's PC-Podcast.com/Support.  In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today. That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon!Support the show

"The Godfather of Content Marketing" Joe Pulizzi describes how his first business flopped by selling the wrong service to the wrong audience.Joe's big mistake was actually two-fold. First, he fell in love with his product before his customers validated the approach. Second, he sold to the wrong audience altogether! His original target market of agencies generally never spent on their own marketing, even as they sold the service to others.Joe brought his business back from the brink by switching gears to sell what his audience was actually asking for -- education and events -- and by pitching the new approach to prospects that actually had money: In-house marketing teams.Today, Joe's Content Marketing Institute and Content Marketing World conference remain cornerstones of the profession. (I'll be attending CMWorld this week! I'm so excited.) Joe himself has since moved on to other projects, most recently the Tilt: A newsletter and community designed for content creators who seek to build their audiences first and monetize second... just as he should have done. You can subscribe to the Tilt newsletter using my affiliate link at PC-Podcast.com/JoeP. Hope to see you there!You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com, or on your podcasting platform of choice.Would you like to listen to the whole conversation? Go to PC-Podcast.com/Support and subscribe for full recordings and early episodes. That's PC-Podcast.com/Support.In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today. That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon!Support the show

Content marketing champion and Fortune 100 consultant Robert Rose reveals how his private insecurities kept him chained to the wrong job for 3 years.Robert's big mistake was waiting so long to leave his corporate gig -- but more than that, it was believing that inner voice that said he'd always be a failure because he "couldn't finish what he started." That insecurity -- rooted in his own failure to finish college -- only dislodged after his mentors reframed the question from "What if?" to "Why not?"To compensate for that lingering insecurity despite his recent successes, Robert proactively seeks out new information by "putting on his student hat" to seek out new opportunities outside of his area of expertise. Ultimately, this process improves his limited-scope professional projects and makes him happy. And, it's that happiness that drives his success -- not a self-defeating adoption of someone else's expectations for his career.Today, Robert Rose is a consultant, keynote speaker, author, podcast host, and creator of The Content Advisory, founded in 2010. (The date should sound suspiciously familiar to you!) Personally, I would highly recommend picking up a copy of his "Killing Marketing" book for a truly revolutionary look at what marketing could be if internal leaders are brave enough. You can learn more about Robert at PC-Podcast.com/RobertR, or register for his Content Marketing World keynote, scheduled for Wednesday, September 29th at 8:30 AM. (Sorry to my future listeners who missed it -- I'm sure there will be more opportunities!)You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com, or on your podcasting platform of choice.Would you like to listen to the whole conversation? Go to PC-Podcast.com/Support and subscribe for full recordings and early episodes. That's PC-Podcast.com/Support.In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today. That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon!Support the show

Serial entrepreneur Steve Teare's core mistake led him to embezzle computer parts and plunged him into homelessness before he could pick up the pieces.Steve's big mistake was his lack of awareness of his own personality, and how it could compromise his values to the point where he embezzled computer parts from his company suppliers. Even after repaying the theft, Steve had to hit rock-bottom homelessness before he lucked into a greater understanding of his innate personality traits and how they could influence his professional behaviors and personal values To compensate, Steve suggests several strategies: The first of which is to actively study your own personality type and valued priorities. Then you should, if possible, pursue work which aligns with your own values while balancing out your personality's weaknesses.  For example, Steve proactively surrounds himself with colleagues and friends whose strengths compensate his weaknesses of egotism and ruthlessness, while aligning on core values to keep to the straight and narrow. He also pursues work where he can solve complex issues with free reign and creativity as a company's "monster man," rather than maintenance issues like ongoing responsibilities and repetitive projects, or even just plain people problems. Today, Steve Teare owns or contributes towards several companies and different projects, including a killer website page speed consultancy, which is, oddly enough, how he and I met. He also pursues his own passion projects off the clock-- including an audio murder mystery in 10 parts which I still need to listen to, and I swear I will! You can find out more about his work at PC-Podcast.com/SteveT. You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com, or on your preferred podcasting platform of choice. Do you want to come on and share your biggest professional mistake? Head to PC-Podcast.com/BeOurGuest to schedule your professional confessional. In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today. That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon!Support the show

Global sales manager Rob Finn introduces us to his younger self: A first-time closer with a chip on his shoulder so big, he lost a quota-doubling account.Rob's biggest mistake was letting his personal ambitions and thirst to prove himself blind him to the red flags plastered against a prospective deal that would never materialize. In what must be a mark of his personal character, Rob's biggest regret of the whole episode was dragging his teammates into the meetings -- accidentally wasting their time, too, even if they never expressed resentment. To avoid repeating the same mistake, Rob advises others in similar "too good to be true" situations to get excited about the potential win, but also press for practical details on moving forward if you sense hesitation or are skeptical of a prospect's promises. Try confronting them directly with a polite, plainly worded question to see if this prospect can take the proposal to the finish line and put money in the bank today. Today, Rob Finn is the global sales manager of an international team supporting Link, a digital platform for lifescience supply chains. You can find him on LinkedIn by going to pc-podcast.com/RobF, or by visiting his website at RobertJFinn.com You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com or on your preferred podcasting platform of choice. Do you want to come on and share your biggest professional mistake? Head to PC-Podcast.com/BeOurGuest to schedule your professional confessional.   In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today -- and share what you needed to hear in a review! The more often we rate and review our favorite podcasts, the more people will find out about our community and the more episodes I can make.   That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon! Support the show

Social media branding consultant Mark Schaefer explains how his sales team almost lost $1.5 billion in revenue from a profitable (if problematic) client -- and how he managed to recover the account.Mark's biggest mistake was not hanging up fast enough. No, really, it was a teammate's indiscretion in choosing a bad time and place to vent about a problematic, if profitable, client -- risking the loss of 10% of the company's total revenue and Mark's own job. To fix his mistake, Mark took the old fashioned approach: Flying out in person, hiring a live courier to hand deliver a handwritten apology, offering to discuss the situation face to face. Ultimately, his ownership of the mistake and his prompt personal actions saved the account. Years later, Mark insists that this mistake could be even more deadly for the employer brand today who forgets that we're always on. So, you must be to swallow your pride to survive the inconvenience of a client you don't always click with -- because anything you say or do will be held against you in the court of public opinion. Today, Mark Schaffer is the executive director of Schafer Marketing Solutions, specializing in marketing strategy and social media. You can browse his decades of knowledge in half a dozen or more remarkable books on business -- I'm currently staring at my rediscovered copy of "Known" as I record this outro -- or his blog at BusinessesGrow.com.You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com or on your preferred podcasting platform of choice. Do you want to come on and share your biggest professional mistake? Head to PC-Podcast.com/BeOurGuest to schedule your professional confessional.   In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today -- and share what you needed to hear in a review! The more often we rate and review our favorite podcasts, the more people will find out about our community and the more episodes I can make.   That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon! Support the show

Today's guest is entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and unapologetic Canadian, Scott Stratten, who explains how his biggest mistake drove a mind-bogglingly successful viral video production company into bankruptcy--and how he pivoted back into success. Scott's biggest mistake was his lack of professional curiosity and overconfidence in his approach and product that left him blind to industry updates and progress. Ultimately, his loss of curiosity led to the bankruptcy of his previously successful video business in 2008 and the complete erasure of his speaking gigs during the Covid pandemic a decade later. On realizing his mistake, Scott eliminated distractions that only reinforced his error of self-admitted arrogance and proactively sought out opportunities which forced him to learn new things and make time for what really mattered -- personally and professionally. Professional enthusiasm was key. Today, Scott Stratten is resuming his keynote speaking engagements -- though on a greatly reduced schedule by design -- and experimenting with new platforms, including video-on-demand courses and live LinkedIn webcasts under his Unmarketing brand. You can find out more about Scott on Unmarketing.com, through any of his six business books coauthored with his wife Allison, and on Twitter @Unmarketing. You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com or on your preferred podcasting platform of choice. Do you want to come on and share your biggest professional mistake? Head to PC-Podcast.com/BeOurGuest to schedule your professional confessional. In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today -- and share what you needed to hear in a review! The more often we rate and review our favorite podcasts, the more people will find out about our community and the more episodes I can make. That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon! Support the show

Content marketer Ashley Stryker remembers the "feedback" meeting that nearly got her fired through her own self-righteous arrogance.Ashley's biggest mistake was her (my!) insistence that just because I was correct on a given strategy -- and the strategist presenting was incorrect -- did not mean that I presented it in the correct time or place, or even in the most respectful way possible. My accusations and arrogance resulted in serious harm to my teammates and my boss, which took months to restore to something approaching functionality. On realizing her mistake, I resolved to learn how to navigate office politics better, even if I felt it was stupid. I needed to acknowledge that we were all working towards the same goal, so I should approach conflicts from a place of confusion and clarification, rather than accusation.Today, Ashley Stryker offers content marketing strategy to clients and employers alike while enjoying implementing her professional skills for her personal projects -- like this podcast! I'm easily reachable through the Professional Confessional podcast website or over on LinkedIn. You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com or on your preferred podcasting platform of choice.Do you want to come on and share your biggest professional mistake? Head to PC-Podcast.com/BeOurGuest to schedule your professional confessional. In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today -- and share what you needed to hear in a review! The more often we rate and review our favorite podcasts, the more people will find out about our community and the more episodes I can make. That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon! Support the show

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