Highlights of This Episode:
- What two common threads have run through all of Michelle’s career changes
- How Michelle has used emerging media and technology to give women a voice
- What Michelle has witnessed within the last two decades in the realm of expanding opportunities for women in tech and media businesses
- What passions fuel Michelle’s purpose-driven career choices
- How Michelle came to the realization that fear was holding her back in her career
- How to determine whether unhappiness about an aspect of your job is grounds for quitting
- What Michelle has learned about herself through her transitions between independent consulting and full time jobs
- What Charlie and Michelle believe about multi-generational workplaces
“If you can find the intersection between your passion and purpose to make your livelihood, you’ll be more likely to attract the people and support you need to make it happen.” -Michelle Bushneff (Tweet this)
Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- Kickstarter
- Indiegogo
- The Ryan Banks Academy
- Episode 29: Building an Inspiring Tomorrow with Valerie Groth
- Wayfinding Academy
- The Intern
- A Day In the Life of Tao Porchon-Lynch
- Welcome to Project World
About Michelle Bushneff:
Michelle is an ordinary woman with a lot of passion, a drive to challenge norms (in a positive way), an entrepreneurial spirit, and a creative spark that fuels everything. Since the start of her professional career in the early 80s, she has gravitated to progressive startups and small companies in emerging tech, product, and media markets. She’s built and managed creative and product teams that produced groundbreaking educational software (Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Logical Journey of the Zoombinis) technology toys (LeapPad by LeapFrog), and pre-smart phone mobile apps.
In the early 2000s, Michelle got hooked on personal publishing and the new frontier of authentic content marketing, which ultimately led her to Athleta, a women’s athletic apparel brand acquired by Gap, Inc. in 2008. Above and beyond her “day job” as ecommerce producer and digital marketing manager, she was empowered to pioneer social, content and influencer marketing programs for the brand, including a blog powered by influential women athletes who ranged in age from fourteen to ninenty-four. Where other companies were building blogs to talk about themselves, Athleta’s approach was distinctive, powered by the voice of the customer and conceived with a simple mission: to serve and inspire fitness-minded women with meaningful content.
Michelle’s passion for pursuing a purposeful livelihood has never wavered. In 2014, she did the thing career experts tell you not to do, especially when you’re over 50—she quit her coveted job. She didn’t have another job. Scary, yes, but none of that deterred her. She set out to explore the wild blue yonder with sights set on serving social businesses and brands that are disrupting for good with heart-driven, meaningful products, services or media.
Thanks for Listening!
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