SDH 171: Create a Career Doing What You Believe In with Amanda Berlin

Do you feel as though your current job is conflicting with your conscience? Are scared that if you leave, you will have no idea how to put your skills to use in another field?

After working for a PR firm as a publicity strategist for six years and wrestling with these questions, today's guest, Amanda Berlin, was laid off. After promoting and representing companies that made her question her morals, she wanted to use her powers for good. So she became a communication strategist and business consultant for businesses and people who help others work on self improvement and promote healthy lifestyles.

As she became more unhappy with her PR job, she became determined to reach personal and professional fulfillment. She began working with personal development coaches, such as Gabrielle Bernstein, and her love for helping others and promoting harmonious living was born.

But first, she had to work towards gaining her life coach certification, which took a couple of years. After soon finding she had a baby on the way, she was caught in a moment of panic. She was able to shake off this fear off by reminding herself of her strength and ability to maneuver through tough life obstacles with ease.

After holding some odds and ends jobs, she reached out to the executive director of the organization she was getting her certification through, to see if they needed any help based off of her skills. When she found herself writing a proposal for a big consulting job, she felt like she was doing work that didn't make her happy again. Once she dived into the proposal, she really took to the form of startegic thinking. She was also able to hone her skills to begin her new career path in PR, which entails helping her clients with web content, telling their story, and promoting their message through different media channels.

The first thing Amanda suggests to entrepreneurs looking to spread the word about their business is to reach out to their local media, like a tv station, newspaper, podcast, blog, magazine, etc. Then find the decision maker and pitch directly to them. However,  to establish a genuine connection, start by showing appreciation for their craft , work, and process. To get a foot in their door, offer to help promote them within their audience and yours in a unique way first.

Once a relationship has been established and you've proven to be a worthwhile engagement, your pitch should consist of an idea, not yourself. You should act as a perfect spokesperson for that idea.

Come join us and learn more ways to promote your business and how Amanda has streamlined her coaching process with her new program, Empowered Publicity!

In this episode you will...

  • See how to find your passion in a project that may not be ideal

  • Find the best channels of publication for your business and yourself

  • Know how to pitch an idea and not yourself

  • Learn how to make initial contact with a media platform

  • Start to tackle your tasks instead of procrastinating to increase your productivity

  • Figure out how to create an honest circle of support

INSIGHTS

"If I could help people who are doing this amazing work of helping others improve their lives...then maybe I can feel like I have a conscious in this PR work. That's where my philosophy was born in terms of my own professional experience and...using my powers for good." -Amanda Berlin

"That's really like the beauty of PR and publicity. You're offering something valuable to another audience in exchange for the opportunity to be in front of that audience. So you have to show up with something valuable in order to capitalize on that." -Amanda Berlin

"I love the idea of creating a relationship and offering to help someone that maybe is a couple steps ahead of you on the entrepreneurial road...I think that's really the key...to differentiate yourself by offering them something valuable" -Amanda Berlin

"Make sure you have support...you're getting perspective with an outside set of eyes. You're inviting someone in who isn't as close to it as you are and can offer you some...advice that...you cannot see from the inside." -Amanda Berlin

RESOURCES
Amanda Berlin Website
Amanda Berlin LinkedIn
Amanda Berlin Facebook
Amanda Berlin Twitter
Email: Amanda@amandaberlin.com
Empowered Publicity
Acuity Scheduling
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach